Eclectic DIY Purple and Yellow Wedding

Jan 6th

by: Kristine

When I first looked at these lovely photographs by Kaysha Weiner Photography, the first thing I noticed was the bride’s smile. It just radiates joy. No wonder their photographer commented that after initially meeting with Sarah and Stephen, she noted that their love for life was infectious and she left inspired. Those are her words, not mine. I’m pretty sure you’ll leave this wedding feeling inspired too.

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

My husband and I did the planning but my maid of honor, Luisa, helped to bounce ideas around and make them come to fruition.

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

That they were relaxed, fun, and easy going. We didn’t expect perfection, we are very imperfect.

Did any of your vendors do anything special for you before, on, or after your wedding day that you would like to share?

My photographer gave us a card at the wedding – it was really nice to have a thoughtful, handwritten card from her.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

My bridesmaids helped with everything. One of the best parts of the week before the wedding was the assembly of the bouquets and boutonnieres along with all of the centerpieces which we put together Friday morning sitting on our back porch (total cost $181)… What an amazing group of girls.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

Take your time planning the wedding – we did one thing per month. One month we found a photographer, and relaxed the rest of the month. Next month we found a DJ, etc…it was easy….and you probably won’t notice any of the details on the day of anyways, you are just too busy. At the end of the day you get to be married, and isn’t that the point?

Did it work? Were you inspired? Do you at least have a huge grin on your face like I do? I sure hope so.

A big thanks to Kaysha Weiner Photography for sending over these joyful photos and to the radiant bride, Sarah, for sharing her insight with us. I almost had to laugh reading her advice. At the end of the day you do get to be married and that is the point of it all. What a great reminder for all you planning brides-to-be!

xo-Kristine

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer: Kaysha Weiner Photographer / Reception Venue: The Victorian / DJ: Gumbo Entertainment / Bride’s Dress: Badley Mischka

{Wedding Planning Advice} Talk To Your Photographer!

Category: WEDDING PLANNING 4 Comments

Jan 5th

by: Lauren

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Hello again friends! I hope you’re enjoy this fine day. ;) Wedding Planning Advice is a new little feature I’m adding for 2012 to give you all even more tips and advice on Thursdays! The posts will be composed of quotes from the pros in Every Last Vendor on the advice they have for brides! :)

“My number once piece of advice: TALK with your photographer about your wedding day time line. The time of day you get married will GREATLY affect the look of your photos. So talk to your photographer! They’ll make sure you have the best images possible :)”

– Ashley McCormick

Ashley McCormick Photography

email: ashleymccormick4@yahoo.com | phone: 352.516.1797 | website: http://www.ashleymccormick.com
twitter: Follow @AshleyMcCormick | facebook: “Like” Ashley McCormick Photography!

location: Central FL, Florida, North FL, West Coast FL | type: Photographer | style: Classic | price: $$, $

{Thursday Tips} Just Engaged? 5 Things To Do NEXT!

Category: WEDDING PLANNING 2 Comments

Jan 5th

by: Lauren

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Hey friends! Happy Thursday to you all! Today’s Thursday Tips post picks up where the “Just Engaged? 5 Things To Do First!” post left off about a month ago. Now that you’ve had time to revel in your engagement and celebrate with friends and family, it’s time to get down to business! First, make sure you have all 5 things from the last post done and ready to go. You should have your venue and your date secured, so now you’re ready to take the next steps! (And if you don’t have your venue and your date, STOP! Get your venue and your date booked so your ideal date doesn’t get snatched up!)

Warning: a lot of this stuff happens all at once. You may feel overwhelmed at times, feeling like you have an abnormal amount of things to do, but it’s normal. It’s just part of planning your wedding. ;)

Photo by ELV photographer, Binaryflips Photography

1. Research

I put *just* research because it’s twofold. Remember I said a lot of this stuff happens at once. Here it is.

First and foremost, if you didn’t already hire a wedding planner during the first 5 steps, I strongly suggest you consider one. They will be able to give you excellent recommendations and will save you lots of time and frustration. [Example: I myself always determine my bride’s style, make a list of the pros that I think would be best, check their availability, and then provide her my recommendations based on that. On average, it takes me about a week of emails to get this info together, but then all the bride has to do is check out their work and tell me which one she likes best. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. ;)]

Vendors:

Researching potential vendors is HUGE. There are so many amazing wedding professionals out there now, and you want time to be able to choose the right one for you. You definitely don’t want to be rushed, but at the same time, time is of the essence. If you don’t have a wedding planner, go to this post for tips on finding, researching, and inquiring with vendors.

When you’re researching, I recommend that you check out their portfolio, their bio, their pricing info (if they have it available) and their blog. Feel free to do research on every single type of vendor you need, but the ones that are crucial and book up quickly are the photographer, videographer, and caterer (if applicable). Moving on, the next steps are going to pertain to these 3 things. [After you’ve completed the following steps for the previously mentioned vendors, move on to your entertainment, florals/event decor, rentals, invitations, and cake. And then you’ll go on to hair and makeup, transportation, tux rentals, favors, and any extras.]

Note: To make things easier on you and to ensure that you hire quality professionals, I’ve done extensive research on all of the wedding pros in Every Last Vendor. You can trust that they’re all of excellent quality and absolutely amazing. Plus, you can even get to know them a little better with their interview answers! :)

Photo by LeahAndMark.com

The second part of Research is…

WEDDING DRESS!

Yes, it’s in caps because it’s *that* exciting! Isn’t that pretty much the very first thing you wanted to do!? Be sure to research the types of dresses that you like and the stores that carry them. And read this past post. [Personal experience: I ended up traveling 5 hours to go to a store that had the designer I liked- and I ended up taking my dress home that very day (after months of dress drama- read here).]

2. Inquire and Interview Vendors

So you’ve done your research and you know who you like. Now it’s time to contact the vendor, find out if they’re available for your date, check on their pricing (if you want to), and schedule a consultation. (I think this is what I myself felt weird about. You’ve never done it before, so it’s just weird, you know?) It’s not weird though- in fact, it’s pretty darn fun! :) They’ll get to know you, you’ll get to know them, you’ll get down to business, and then you let them know in a few days if you want to hire them or not! I recommend meeting with up to 3 of each type of vendor- 1 if you already absolutely love them and they sell you right away, 2 if you’re pretty set but want to know other options, and 3 if you’re not sure. It just really depends on you.

3. Hire Your Vendors

Of course it’s the next step- you’ll have to pull the trigger on hiring someone eventually, right? Have all your consultations, and then try to let them know a week or two from when they provide you with an estimate/proposal. And then hooray, you’re one more step closer to your wedding day! Here’s an important thing though. Once you’ve hired someone, please let the other vendors that you met with know that you won’t be going with them. I know it sucks to do it and yes, you might feel awkward, but it has to be done- they have to know! A nice, simple email will suffice.

4. WEDDING DRESS!

Alright, so you have some of your vendors booked… now it’s time to take a break and go wedding dress shopping! I don’t think this needs much explanation. Just be sure that you’ve read this post first. :)

Photo via ELV floral designer Art With Nature Floral Design

5. Design & Detail Inspiration

Remember back in the first 5 steps, and I had you decide on your wedding style? Well with the next round of vendors you meet, you’ll need to have a better idea of what you want your wedding to be like, so it’s time to focus on design and details! When I say design and details, in a nutshell it just means what your wedding will look like. Design is more of a general term and details is more specifics. This too is something that requires lots of research… which in the wedding world we like to call INSPIRATION! :) I’m sure many of you have probably already started saving photos of things that you like and are Pinning away! After all, this big, beautiful, wide wedding world does almost solely revolve around design and details! But you want to make sure that you have enough inspiration to be able to accurately convey to your potential vendors what it is you want for your wedding. And in the same breath, you don’t want to have too much either! As luck would have it, I have a few different posts devoted to design and details that should cover everything…

Read here for “Finding Wedding Inspiration and Making It Your Own”

Read here for “Inspiration, Not Replication”

Read here for “Why Every Wedding Needs Details”

Read here for “What Exactly Are Details?”

Oh and don’t forget to bring your design and detail inspiration with you to your consultations! :)

And of course after that last one, you pretty much start over again with steps 1-3 for the next set of vendors! So there you have it, the 5 things to do NEXT- after you do the 5 things to do FIRST, that is! :) Like I said at the beginning of the post- a lot of these things are done all at once. You’ll be super busy with wedding stuff, and then you won’t really have much to do. Of course it depends on exactly how long you have to plan your wedding, but it’s the norm to experience that. So now you’re armed with info! Get ready to be busy with wedding stuff for a little while!

Oh and a little something else too… I know there are lots of bridal shows that will be going on this weekend. It’s a BIG weekend for that, because so many of you lovely brides just got engaged over the holidays! If you are going to a show, then be sure you read this first! :)

Modern Purple and Green California Wedding

Category: REAL WEDDINGS 8 Comments

Jan 4th

by: Lauren

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Happy first Wednesday of 2012! (I bet you’re sick of my 2012 comments by now, huh?) I am so excited to have this wedding from Focus Photography as the very first Wednesday wedding feature of this year! It’s a pretty nice start if you ask me- I can’t stop looking at all of the gorgeous photos! I think the bride and groom, Rachelle and Bradley, are one of the happiest couples that I’ve seen yet… and that’s pretty hard to beat! They’ll have you smiling from ear to ear by the end of the post! Their wedding’s modern style was perfectly accented by both vintage, rustic, and urban details and it turned out pretty amazing! Rachelle is sharing her and Bradley’s wedding planning story with us today too- they did some awesome things! :)

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

I received a planning book from my Maid of Honor once I got engaged and that was the best thing ever! It helped me stay on track and tackle all those little details. I also received A LOT of help from my mom. She played a big role in helping me plan my wedding. She was always suggesting new ideas on how to do things, going to vender meetings with me, and helping out with the DIY tasks. I could not have done it without her.
Wedding day was stress free thanks to our venue. The coordinators at our venue were on top of everything. We had multiple meetings with them leading up to the wedding so we really got to know them on a personal level. They contacted all our vendors and confirmed all the details with them. This allowed me to really enjoy our wedding day stress free.

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

Our wedding theme was vintage, urban and modern so in deciding on vendors we wanted people who were comfortable with thinking outside the box of traditional wedding planning. We wanted to work with people who were creative and who could see our ideas and then make them come alive!! We specifically looked for vendors who were edgy, artistic and didn’t want to stay within the “wedding cookie cutter” theme. From our photographers to our florist, our vendors really thought outside the box with helping complete the design of our wedding.

Did any of your vendors do anything special for you before, on, or after your wedding day that you would like to share?

Planning a wedding takes on a life of its own and when you are constantly in discussions with your vendors you naturally begin to develop a friendship. My florist was awesome. Aside from the topics of floral designs we would regularly discuss the details and incorporating both burlap and twine into the design. On my wedding day she left a gift for me – a spool of twine on a stand. It was simple and perfect. It now sits in our living room as a reminder of our day.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

My favorite thing about my wedding was the whole day itself! All the emotions had been building and as each detailed became a reality every experience was an added utility. A few highlights that I absolutely loved were: breakfast with my Dad and Father-in-Law in the morning; time spent getting ready with my bridesmaids; getting into my dress; seeing my fiancé for the first time; walking down the aisle; hearing us being announced as Mr. and Mrs.; our first dance; hearing the toasts; the bouquet and garter tosses; and cutting the cake. Every one of these details (and so many more) really made my wedding day as perfect as I ever could have imagined!

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

It’s your wedding make it your own. Don’t be obligated to do things to make others happy. Do things for you as you will never experience this moment again. Say thank you to your parents. They are making a big sacrifice for you. We are so lucky that our parents embraced our ideas. They may have been perplexed at times but they let us plan our special day the way we wanted it to be and that meant more than anything could.

AMEN Rachelle! Some of the best advice that I’ve heard so far! :) Thank you for reliving your gorgeous wedding day with us, and thank you to Focus Photography for sharing their fabulous work too!

I still can’t get over the mixture of all the different styles and how awesome it looked! I am absolutely in love with those tablescapes! And her bouquet. Oh and let’s not forget about the doggie ring bearer! Okay, so clearly I can’t choose any single thing that be completely in love with. How about you? What’s your favorite part of this wedding? :)