When I started this blog last November one of my intentions was to use it to document our wedding planning process, so I am excited to share my first update! We’ve been so busy the past two months but we’ve gotten a lot accomplished and I’m happy to report that we have a date and a location! We were on the fence for a while on whether to have a destination wedding or a local wedding. We’ve loved the idea of jet-setting off to a beach and having a romantic, intimate ceremony. We had the pleasure of attending our friend’s destination wedding in Corolla, NC (Outer Banks) several years ago. It was a blast and one of the most memorable and most romantic weddings we have ever been to. The ceremony took place right on the beach by the water, followed by the reception at a stunning beach house. We stayed at a local inn on the water for five days and made a little romantic getaway out of it.
After much discussion, we decided to have a local, more traditional wedding. One of the biggest factors in our decision was that travel would not be feasible for some of our family members whom we wanted to be a part of our special day.
Date
September 23, 2017! We finalized the date and location in mid-February… this left us a little over 7 months to plan and pull everything together. Eek! After we got engaged last summer, we didn’t want to have a long engagement. Based on the seasons/climate here on the east coast and peak times for Keith’s business, we were looking at September/October 2017 or Spring 2018 to get married. I knew when we started looking at venues in February, that it would be tough to find a venue that had a Saturday evening available this upcoming September or October. When we found our venue, we were surprised and elated that they had two Saturday evenings available in September!
Venue
When selecting a venue there were five main factors we took into consideration:
Location – We needed to find a central location since we will have guests coming from all directions – my family is located in southeastern Mass. and Rhode Island while Keith’s family is located in northern Mass. and New Hampshire. We also have guests coming from across the country, and from out of the country, so it was important that we find a venue that is a reasonable distance from the airport and train station and has hotels nearby.
Capacity – We are expecting 180-200 guests, so the venue had to be able to accommodate everyone comfortably.
Décor – I am pretty familiar with many of the local banquet facilities through work functions and social events. I have found that many of these facilities have dated décor, window treatments and flooring. I was very picky on the decor. I wanted a venue with a modern and elegant look, that would complement my wedding color scheme.
Food – After getting engaged, one of the recommendations I received from friends and family was that amazing food and great music should be top priority to ensure guests have a wonderful time. Reviews were very important. I also wanted a venue that offers a variety of menu options to choose from for hors d’oeuvres, entrées, desserts, late night snacks, etc.
Grounds/On-Site Ceremony – We wanted to have an outside wedding ceremony, so ideally the venue would have a beautiful (and spacious) spot on their grounds for a ceremony, as well as offer great back-drops for photographs on the property.
After hearing about a banquet facility from my future sister-in-law and conducting some research online, we scheduled a tour. This facility hit the mark on each of our criteria. It was renovated entirely a little over a year ago. It has received 5-star ratings on several wedding websites with reviews raving about the service, food and the coordination leading up to wedding day. They have a beautiful landscaped garden and gazebo perfect for our ceremony and photographs during cocktail hour and throughout the evening. And on top of everything, we are getting an incredible value – the package we selected includes the floral centerpieces, wedding cake and invitations through some of the top vendors in the area.
Will you be my…?
With the wedding 7 1/2 months away, we had to invite and inform our wedding party right away. Although we plan on giving ‘thank you’ gifts to the members of our wedding party as we get closer to the wedding, I thought it would be a nice surprise to give my girls something special when I asked them to be a part of our wedding.
After so many searches online, I came across these personalized champagne flutes for each of my bridesmaids and matron of honor. Delivery was very quick and they are excellent quality. I am really happy that I purchased them. I paired each of the glasses with a bottle of prosecco and these gorgeous note cards that I found on Etsy. All the ladies were very surprised and loved their gifts!
And I couldn’t forget about my flower girls and ring bearer… I found the most adorable personalized wedding-themed coloring activity books for flower girls and ring bearers. Each page tells the story of their journey leading up to the wedding day and their roles in the wedding.
Color Scheme
My vision for the wedding is romantic and elegant with a neutral color scheme. For bridesmaid dresses, I initially wanted to go with a taupe or a grey. After looking at samples in store, I selected the Portobello color from David’s Bridal. I just love the color, it is neutral enough, but has a hint of purple that will work well with everyone’s skin tone. It’s so important to me that each of the girls like their dress and feel comfortable, so I let them pick out their own individual styles as long as they were all the same color, fabric and length. David’s Bridal has quite a few styles to choose from in that color. It turns out, they each picked different styles. Two of my bridesmaids opted for lace and mesh combination styles, which is a good contrast and will blend together nicely. The delivery times vary depending on the style (some expected in August), so I am happy that all the dresses were ordered last month.
I already had my first consultation with the florist for the bouquets, centerpieces and gazebo décor. We went over what I envisioned and reviewed some samples in the shop. To keep with a neutral color scheme, I am envisioning whites, creams, and ivory with touches of blush. I will have my second consult next month to look at actual samples. Stay tuned!
Dress
I said YES to the dress! Now, I’m not going to give away details on my dress but I will share that I was lucky to find my dress quickly. I went to one bridal shop and tried on a ton of dresses. Everyone says, ‘you will just know when you found THE dress’. There was one dress that was a strong contender and everyone gushed over, however I just didn’t feel like the dresses I tried on were me and didn’t feel they reflected my style. After that appointment, I was a bit discouraged, but I looked online and came across a gown by Allure Bridals that I fell in love with. I saw that it is carried at a bridal shop not too far from me. I made an appointment online for that week and was able to reference the style number of the one I liked. When I got to the store, the stylist informed me that they no longer had that particular style, but that she had pulled another Allure Bridals gown that is very similar. It was almost exact with the exception of the cut on the neckline and a slightly different lace detail on the back. I tried it on and I knew I had found THE dress.
I was originally told by the store that the dress would be delivered at the end of July, but I received a call shortly after I placed the order confirming that the dress is actually expected in the end of this month! I am so lucky that my future mother-in-law just happens to be a seamstress and has offered to do all my alterations, and as a gift to me, also design and make my veil.
Other items that I crossed off my checklist:
- DJ & uplighting booked
- Photographer booked
- Reverend booked
- Engagement photo shoot
- Flower girl dresses ordered
- Food tasting
Next up on my checklist:
- Design, order and mail the ‘Save the Date’s
- Book a videographer
- Finalize florals for the bouquets, centerpieces and gazebo décor
- Order invitations
- Finalize linens
- Groomsmen suits/tuxedos
- Wedding registry
Thank so much for stopping by and following along on our wedding planning journey!
