WOW. I can’t believe it’s been a YEAR already since we got engaged!!! God bless all those couples who fully plan and execute a wedding all within a year!! I’ve really enjoyed taking my time and soaking up every bit of enjoyment and anticipation for the big day, so let’s get to it!
1. We Officially Booked Our DJ!
This was a bit of a no-brainer for me, Todd Truax and I have worked MANY weddings together, and he’s always done such a stellar job at “feeling out” the crowd and setting the vibe. Haha! Something else that is super important to keep in mind when picking a DJ is how well they can “MC” or speak/announce things to your guests. You’re going to rely on your DJ to direct the reception, so hiring someone who isn’t afraid of that role is super important! The best way to “test out” a DJ, is to see/hear them in action! Next time you’re a guest at a wedding, listen and pay attention to the DJ!
2. I Purchased My Dress!
Yes, thanks to our friend ‘rona, actually ordering my dress was put on major hold with all of the lockdowns. But, it’s all taken care of and ordered now! However, I decided to order the dress in a different color than the sample that I tried on. Which means, that I haven’t actually seen the color combo that I ordered in person. Talk about faith and trust in your bridal shop!! π I LOVE that nowadays, there are SO many different variations, shades and color schemes of “white” so that every single bride can get the best color combo for their skin tone, overall vibe, and preference! Believe me when I say that a color combo can totally change the entire look and feel of a dress, and I CAN’T WAIT to try mine on when it comes in!!
3. Mindset And Budget Shift
As I’ve mentioned before, from the very beginning, it was super important to Dustin and I that we paid for the wedding entirely by ourselves. And with all the crazy that’s going on in the world, our budgeting plan has been rocked upside down. At first, it REALLY freaked me out, since over half of my 2020 wedding season has been forced to reschedule. No weddings = no paycheck for me. This has forced Dustin and I to really think about what was most important to us (and our budget) on our wedding day – and easily, we both agreed that the experience aspect for our friends and family members was most important. We want to have a great time with our loved ones, and want to focus on budgeting for and accommodating aspects of the wedding like great food, drinks, dancing and (obviously) photos. Let’s be honest, there’s a lot of dumb shit that people spend a lot of time and money on for a wedding that no one really gives a rat’s ass about, and this whole budget overhaul has really allowed me to get a clear head on what’s really important to me, and what can be left on my Pinterest board. I would rather take that money/time/effort and put it towards something like the ceremony set up. A really nice archway with intentional and visually pleasing aspects – and almost most importantly – SEATING FOR EVERY SINGLE GUEST DURING THE CEREMONY. Plus, Dustin and I have some big plans after the wedding, which require a good chunk of change, so being mindful of having to save up for that is super important to us as well!
Believe me, I am HERE FOR all the details and cute personal touches – for my wedding and my clients’ weddings – but I think it can definitely be done intentionally, beautifully AND without breaking the bank.
4. We Ordered My Wedding Band (unexpectedly)
I have had my engagement ring picked out for literally 2 years before Dustin popped the question. Year after year, it sat in the Kay’s store in Watertown, and I’d go check on “my girl” every once in a while to make sure she was still there. Last year, shortly after “my girl” found her way onto my finger, Dustin and I went to look at matching wedding bands. I lucked out, and there was a matching wedding band made specifically to go with my ring. It has a little groove in it, so the two bands sit nicely together, and my OCD appreciated this very much. I wrote down the serial number and it on the back-burner of my brain. THEN, we went down to Watertown for dinner last week for our anniversary and we stopped into the Kay’s store to have my ring inspected and I had asked to see the band again “just for fun.” Long story short, both my ring and the matching band are discontinued styles, and they had already sold the band they had in the store. And now there were only 2 other bands left in the entire New England region, and the closest one to us was in New Hampshire. Insert panic. Thankfully, we ordered the band that day, and it’s now on it’s way to us. I HATE unexpected expenses or purchases (except from Target) but I would have seriously regretted it if we had waited and missed out.
5. My Mom Finally Got To See Our Venue!
I didn’t realize it until last week that my mom had never seen our venue in person! I’m there SO often for work, that it didn’t really cross my mind! It was so fun getting to show her around and include her in the process! The biggest thing I’m trying to figure out now is where on the property I’d like to have the ceremony set up. Like I said, I really want the ceremony site to be really photo-friendly, intentional and thoughtful in all aspects. I definitely have the advantage that I’ve shot SO many weddings at this venue, I know how each spot photographs – HOWEVER, the spot I’m considering, has never been used/photographed as a ceremony site there before. If my wedding photographer didn’t live 2.5 hours away, I would have already invited her out to get her thoughts and opinion! π
Now that we are a year away, I’ve really felt myself getting into planning mode. And, I’m sure all of this unexpected free time has allowed that as well π We have our engagement photos scheduled next week and I am SUPER excited to meet our photographer Kerri in person!! I will definitely be over-sharing and over-posting the shit out of our photos!! I have A LOT of wedding planning aspects in the works, so I’m excited to keep you guys posted on a more regular basis as all these smaller (but super exciting) things start to take shape!
