THE NEWELLYWEDS No.1: 4 TIMES WE CHANGED OUR MINDS (THANKFULLY)
Welcome to the first Wedding Wednesday post wedding! Initially I wanted to share my planning process but as I wrote my posts, I realized that they would be more helpful if I wrote them after the wedding. I learned so much and have so many tips and stories to share! Check back next Wednesday for another post and photos from our wedding festivities!
(1) No planner for me, please: When we got engaged, I immediately started planning (type-A problems). It was easy at first. We already knew our dream venue, I knew who I wanted to do our makeup, florals, photography and videography and Michael loved all the vendors as well. Since I had most of the vendors selected, I thought a planner would be a waste of money. Luckily our venue, The Merrimon-Wynne House, requires all couples to hire a wedding planner from their list of planners (all familiar with the venue). After some research and based on the recommendation of our caterer, I set up a meeting with Catherine at La Fete. THE BEST DECISION we made was to hire Catherine. Although I had our vision and majority of our vendors nailed down, I did not anticipate how much my job and my blog opportunities would ramp up last year. It seemed like every minute I was either working, shooting/creating content or wedding planning. Michael was working, opening another business, shooting me for the blog and helping me with wedding planning. We were both stretched veeeeeery thin. Catherine is amazing. She always made time to talk to me, assuaged any of my fears (I had a few lol) and always had the best suggestions. At the end of the day, I have never planned a wedding. There are so many things you can’t know or plan for as a first-time bride. We hired Catherine for Weekend Coordination. We met in the spring and in July, she essentially took over. She contacted all our vendors, coordinated with them and created a detailed itinerary. On the day of she set up everything exactly how we wanted and made sure everything went off without a hitch. No lie, I expected something to go wrong because everyone tells you that it will. But, if something did go wrong, I have no idea because I was in pure bliss and shielded from it. Our day was perfect. Looking back, I was a damn fool to think I could plan and also enjoy the day.
(2) Blame it on the alcohol: When Michael and I first got engaged, I assumed we would have top shelf liquor, signature drinks, etc. After we picked our venue and a Sunday wedding date (more on that below), we started to debate if we wanted to have beer and wine or a full bar with liquor. After speaking with our friends, the number one thing they said they regretted was spending so much on alcohol. Every venue is different but our venue charged a per person, per hour fee. That fee was higher depending on what bar package you selected. We really thought about it and made the ultimate decision to serve beer and wine. First of all, we didn’t want anyone sloppy drunk at our reception. I’ve seen people be obnoxious at weddings and I wanted to limit that. Also, we had a Sunday wedding with a lot of guests who worked on Monday so that ultimately lowered how many people stayed late and drank. If we got married on a Saturday, we may have approached it differently. At the end of the day we felt like the money could be used elsewhere. During the planning we would often decide that even though we liked the idea of something, there was something else we would rather spend the money on.
(3) To first look or not to first look: One thing I was set on was no first look. I wanted to see Michael for the first time at the altar. After discussing with my photographer, Burroughs | Knight Photography, Quadean explained to me why first looks are often a good idea. First of all, I am a CRIER. I cannot emphasize this enough. I cry at the drop of a dime. My makeup would be fresher before the ceremony and all the tears. In that same vein, I could get my makeup touched up after a first look, should I cry (spoiler alert: I did) Also, having the first look allowed me to take pictures with Michael before the ceremony and freed up time we would needed to take photos after the ceremony. I was adamant about Michael and I (and our wedding party) having time to enjoy cocktail hour (I wanted to eat those hors d’oeuvres! Let’s be honest!) and speak to our guests before dinner. Some of my favorite photos are of us mingling before dinner.
(4) Saturday vs Sunday: When we first started planning, we assumed we would get married on a Saturday. However, a few things factored into our Sunday wedding date. First, we knew we wanted to have a portion of our wedding day outside which limited the time of year we could get married. Since we were staying in NC for our wedding, October and May were are top choices since they are usually pretty mild. We were in no rush to book a venue after our June 2018 engagement. However, about three weeks after getting engaged, I heard through my eyebrow waxer that one of her clients had just booked the last Saturday for October 2019 at our dream venue (it was a sign!) I rushed home and told Michael we needed to do a walkthrough ASAP. The next day we scheduled a walkthrough and booked one of two October Sundays left on the calendar for 2019. We chose the Sunday that wasn’t the weekend of A&T Homecoming (if you’re from NC, you already know!) Honestly, having a Sunday wedding ended up being a blessing in disguise. We didn’t know at the time but October is the most popular month for weddings. Choosing a Sunday freed up a lot of vendors. We also saved so on alcohol, venue rental, catering, etc. A lot of vendors charge less for their services on Sundays. Not to mention, we turned the entire weekend into a huge event. We had welcome drinks and a day of pampering for the bridal party on Friday, my shower and our rehearsal dinner on Saturday and the wedding on Sunday. Since we were able to have events on Friday and Saturday, our guests all had the chance to meet and mingle. By Sunday, everyone had become fast friends and I think it made the wedding that much more fun!
That’s it for my list! What are some things you are glad you changed your mind on for your wedding?