I always love those rustic, intimate weddings, especially when the couple makes their venue feel comfortable and personal- so much that it almost feels like home. That’s really the feeling I get from this next wedding by Elaine Palladino, where the couple even used family photos and mementos as decor. What a sweet way to celebrate the day!
What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?
From the bride…
I was very lucky to have the support of Nick every step of the way. Nick and I never bought into the idea that the groom is just a prop that shows up on the wedding day. We worked well together, making some decisions together and some separately. For example, we decided on the venue, caterer, and photographer together, but Nick found the DJ and I picked the florist. We supported each other with each decision and kept in mind that nothing was more important than our love and happiness. I also had a lot of help from my family. My mom made a lot of the decorations and coordinated all the personal touches. We relied on the help of our families for all of the wedding day details.
From the groom…
I agree completely with Alicia. Alicia and I worked together while planning the wedding and I could not have imagined either of us doing this alone. I also believe the unwilling help from our friends to take care of all the little tasks (ie. picking up from the airport, supplying a comfortable bed to stay, transportation to wedding events) was a huge help. Alicia and I are so very fortunate to have loving and caring friends.
What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?
From the bride…
We always met with several different vendors before making a decision. This helped us to get an idea of what was out there and to narrow down exactly what we were looking for. When we were ready to make a decision, our top priority was the quality of the service provided. We didn’t want to settle and pay for something that we didn’t want. We didn’t always pick the cheapest vendors, but we were able to stick within our budget. We listened to ourselves and to each other, and were very happy with how everything turned out.
From the groom…
We were also looking for personality and passion. I guess you can always tell when someone is just “saying” the words. Always listen to yourself first.
What was your inspiration for your wedding details and/or design?
From the bride…
While I was inspired by pictures in magazines and on-line, we didn’t get too caught up in the details. Our motivation was to bring our families together and provide a comfortable space conducive to celebration and meaningful conversation. Therefore, the details were just a backdrop designed to put our guests at ease and to spark conversation. We decorated with familiar items and with a lot of photographs because we wanted to celebrate our family and friends as much as they were celebrating us, because they are a part of us.
From the groom…
The love of our family and friends.
What was your favorite thing about your wedding?
From the bride…
It’s hard to pick just one thing! I think my favorite thing was looking around and seeing all our friends and family in one place, smiling, talking, and having a good time. It was nice to see all our details in place, and to be married, but it was even better to enjoy that special time with our guests. The time went by fast. I was happy that all our work and planning paid off – the pay off was that we all had a great night!
From the groom…
Reading my vows to Alicia and saying “I do”…..that one’s easy.
What is your best piece of advice for other brides?
From the bride…
Three things:
- Decide early on what your priorities are, and keep reminding yourselves of it.
- Don’t try and do everything yourself. Delegate and communicate clearly what you want, and trust the people around you (vendors, family, friends).
- I can’t say enough to enjoy the process. You can have a wedding a million different ways, so do what you want to do and don’t do what you don’t want to do. We could have saved a lot of time and money by eloping, but there was something really special about planning this wedding for our guests, just the way we wanted, and having them all come together to support us. I’ll never forget how good it felt.
From the groom…
Get involved….it’s your wedding too.
It always makes me SO happy to hear that a groom is interested in the wedding planning process! This last piece of advice, to get involved in your wedding, is really one of the most important things. You can really tell that both of them had a hand in their planning, don’t you think?
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