Our favorite part of our wedding day was finally seeing each other at opposite ends of the aisle. You plan so long for the day thinking about how the food is going to taste, if you picked the right DJ to keep the party going all night, if the decorations look exactly how you dreamed, and then it comes to that moment that really makes the day real and none of those other thoughts matter anymore! Second best memory would be having all the people you love and care about in one place all there to celebrate your love. That’s something that will most likely never happen again.

How far in advance did you book vendors? Which 3 did you book first?

The week after we got engaged we started looking at vendors. Our first 3 vendors we booked as soon as possible: our venue, photographer, and Dj . The first vendor we booked was the venue because we needed one to accommodate over 350+ people. It was super helpful to have that booked before the others also so we knew how far we could look for the rest of our other vendors. Second was our photographer 🙂 Photos are so important to look back on someday with your kids/grandkids, to put on your walls, and relive all the feels you had on that day that started your beginning. They capture the moments and looks at a stand still that you don’t get from a video. The real moments. Our next vendor was our DJ. We have been to so many weddings that ended so early in the night and we wanted to make sure our big day was not only memorable for us but also for our friends and family!

Any tips on dress shopping / saying yes to THE dress?

Take your time and try on all the dresses until you fall in love with thee dress. The first day I went dress shopping I thought I knew exactly what I wanted. I found one on a clearance rack and bought it because I liked it, my grandmother loved it, and it was far cheaper than other dresses I found. Several months after I bought it, I still wasn’t “in love” with it. I tried accessories but I never felt like a true bride. I ended up doing some more shopping and found a dress that fit like a glove and I instantly felt like a bride. In the end I spent far more than I originally budgeted for. Take your time it will pay off in the end!

Overall, what is the best advice you can give to planning brides?

1. Spend the money on vendors you want rather than settling. You only get married to your best friend once- do it exactly how you always dreamed it to be!
2. Number the back of your RSVPs to your guest list so when they are returned without names you don’t have to guess or call around.
3. If you’re able to choose where the bar goes, put it near the dance floor. It keeps people dancing on the floor instead of hanging out by the bar all night.
4. Relax, breath, and enjoy the day. No one else will notice if the center pieces aren’t exactly how you imagined, it’s ok if you don’t get to dinner exactly at the time you stated on the invite, and it’s ok if your invite list is slightly bigger than our venue can hold- ALL of your guests aren’t going to be able to make it so don’t sweat the small stuff. The day will work itself out perfectly 🙂