Oh my gosh where to start… The planning is both exhilarating and irksome.

Wedding Planning is a whole new level of stress that only Brides who planned their own wedding’s know. I mean really planned it, without a Wedding Planner. If you’re anything like me you are going to want to do everything yourself. This is a struggle especially when you have so many loving and wonderful people in your life who just want to help you. I said no to a lot of things and that’s just because I knew exactly what I wanted for certain things. Oh my Lord, were people crying? Yes. Were people unhappy with me? Yes, but at the end of each day you plan something you have to remember that you are the bride. Don’t get me wrong, your family and friends know things from experience, but at the end of it all you are the one who needs to be happy. Only compromise on the things that you can compromise with. I was a little petulant at times only because this was the day that I waited for for so long and it had to be perfect!

The day of your wedding: There will be so many emotions. You truly don’t understand until you are the one getting married. I can honestly say it was the happiest day of my whole life to date. Literally nothing phased me that whole day. Not even a crabby bridesmaid – girl this is not your day. Sit down, bye… Yes I was being sassy hope you felt that. The point here is, whatever happens do not let it affect your mood because this day happens once in a lifetime. “Until death do us part…”

I remember waking up the morning of my Wedding already had my emergency bride bag ready to go! The bag consisted of only the essentials. I remember driving to our wedding venue at 7 in the morning to get there at 8. I remember looking at Josh’s face while he was driving us to our Venue and just thinking to myself, “Wow, this is really happening.” Neither of us knew any of the emotions and feelings that were soon to flood through our bodies and our hearts. Getting my make up and hair done I remember just feeling so excited. I was probably more excited than a kid at Disney World. I kept saying, “Oh my gosh I’m getting married!” It was so amazing. I could not help but smile and giggle like a little girl. I never thought the day would come, but it did.

Every bride is different. There is no right or wrong way to plan a wedding. This is how I did it and I am so content with the timeline and the order I chose to do everything. I remember Pinning Wedding Things on my Pinterest not knowing the actual cost of what those things totaled out to be. I never really thought about what my Wedding Day would look like until I had to choose a theme and stay consistent. I have many different styles. For the Wedding, I kept it simple and I am so glad I did that.

1. Money and Budget

2.Wedding Dress

3. Venue

4. Choose A Date

5. Invitations

6. Photographer(s)

7. Caterers

8. Hair and Make Up Trial

9. Create Your Wedding Day Timeline

10. DJ

11. Customized Ceremony

12. Floral and Decor

13. Meet with Coordinator

14. Welcome Sign

Money

Weddings are extremely expensive. My advice to any bride who is on a tight budget is this: Sit down and make a list of things that are absolutely a must! Make a priority list of things that you really want, and that’s where you will spend the most money. If you don’t care so much about the flowers go with a cheap florist. If you care a lot about the decorations, spend your money on those decorations. You get the point? Yes, and if your soon to be husband does not understand the cost of a wedding – good luck! You will cry, and I mean a lot. I am only speaking from experience. LOL. Eventually he will come around. Love you Joshua! Hahahah.

Venue

Pick a venue where you can visualize saying the words, “I DO” or “I Will.” I never in a million years thought I would get married on a Farm or with a Barn. It was never my dream location, but boy did it sure end up to be. I thought I was going to get married in like a grunge meets urban with brick walls type of Venue. I had a reality check when I found out the actual cost of Venues… You also have to think about your family and friends. This is something I did not want to think about out of my own selfishness. If you choose a Venue that is 3-4 hours away, who is going to want to drive out to that? Even though it’s your day, you have to think about your guests as well when you pick the location of your Venue!

Friday, Saturday, or Sunday? We had ours on Sunday and I would do it again on a Sunday if I had to. It was the perfect Sunday. Having your Wedding on a Sunday saves you money! Once you have your Venue picked everything else will be planned around the Venue – location, style, caterers, DJ, everything. This is something you want to do right away. Once you pick your Venue it’s game time baby.

Here is the link to our Wedding Venue for more details: http://www.creeksidefarmweddingsevents.com/

Invitations

I recommend purchasing a pack with all of the necessary cards you will need. We did not have a “Save the Date”, we just went straight to the invites with our timeline. (We got engaged in April 2018, I started planning the Wedding in June 2018 and got married in September 2018). I went with a design off of Etsy and messaged the seller to customize the Invitations to my liking. I chose Metallic Envelope to send the Invitations out. I used a black Sharpie and customized everyone’s invitation. I spent two days writing them and asked for Josh’s help putting the Stamps on them to get them sent out ASAP! I loved the way they turned out.

If you’re concerned about budget – I recommend writing on the envelopes yourself instead of paying for a custom stamp or lettering. As nice as the custom calligraphy would have looked – it will save you money that you can spend elsewhere. Again, you have to pick and choose your priorities for you. This was not one of them for me.

Guest List

You will definitely need your parents help with this. Your moms are going to be your saving grace. You have to remember how much money you’re spending. Do you really want acquaintances at your wedding? No, invite the people who have been in your life, really been in your life. This is a special day, and it only happens once in a lifetime – at least that is the hope and how it’s supposed to be.

Color Scheme

I chose a neutral palate. I didn’t want something too girly or too masculine. I fell in love with Taupe and Navy. I did not want black tuxes for the men. My husband has the bluest eyes, so I wanted him to wear a color that made his eyes really pop and navy blue was perfect for him. I had to search so many different shops for the correct shade of Navy Blue and the perfect style so he would look the best he could too. Something to consider when choosing your color scheme is the Season. If you’re having a winter wedding you probably would not choose a super bright pink or yellow, but you’d probably choose a dark burgundy or winter green. Then again it’s all personal preference, but I really urge you to consider the season when choosing your colors.

Season

I never thought I would get married in the Fall Season. I was so happy I was married in September though. It was a beautiful day. The week leading up to our wedding day was rainy and cold, every single day. I checked the weather religiously the whole week of our Wedding! prayed continuously throughout the day for a beautiful day and the Lord gave us perfect weather. It was a picturesque day, and thank God too because we got married outside. It was sunny and 70. It wasn’t too hot that I was sweating my make up off and not too cold that people had to wear sweaters. We were blessed.

Bridesmaids

Being a bridesmaid in someone’s wedding is a big deal. If you get asked to be in someone’s wedding and you aren’t going to be able to attend events or hype that bride up, just say no. Don’t ruin the bride’s experience because of your own selfishness – that is the worst thing you can do because you don’t understand everything that the bride does in preparation for her Wedding Day. You just don’t.

I chose the girls who were most important to me at the time. A couple years ago I remember crying just thinking about who was going to stand next to me on my wedding day because I don’t have many girl friends. This was tearing me apart before I was even engaged in like 2016. I already knew Josh was going to be my husband – I had that feeling where you just know. A few years passed and I knew who was going to stand next to me in the Spring of 2018. I needed to choose the people who were most important to me at the time, and that’s what I did.

You do get gifts for your bridesmaids if you choose to as a way of saying Thank you for being apart of this day. Of course I did because I love giving. I did a multitude of items. You can have so much fun with this and really make it your own.

You don’t know how blessed you are if you have a few girlfriends that you have had for years. True girlfriends. It’s a big decision. I hope one day I will be a bridesmaid in someone’s wedding – one thing I know for sure after I had my wedding is this – I will be your biggest hype woman through it all. It’s the best day and you need your girls to help you feel even more beautiful than you already do.

Groomsmen

Ladies, you don’t have to do anything for this. Let your man choose! My husband is a blessed man and he has many guy friends and has been in other people’s weddings before. I am so grateful for him and his guy friends that love him. All you really have to do is make sure that your soon to be husband sends out all of the proper communication to his best man to send to all of the groomsmen. He was also responsible for getting his groomsmen gifts as a Thank You for being apart of this day.

Wedding Dress

I set up an appointment to look at Wedding Dresses with my mom on a random day after work. I went to the Wedding Shoppe in St. Paul with no intentions of finding the dress, but little did I know I would find “thee” dress.

I was prepared to spend whatever on my Wedding Dress within reason, the Lord blessed me and the dress I wanted was on a Maga Sale. I was going to purchase it online brand new so I did not have to have the dress that needed a lot of alterations and fixing with the beading, but the dress I loved was discontinued and if I wanted the dress I had to buy it as is. Since it’s discontinued – that means no one can have the same dress as me in the future and I loved that.

When you try Wedding Dresses on you will know when you’ve found the one – it is an incredible feeling. The dress I chose was the first one I tried on, and I wasn’t so sure about it the first time I put it on but I knew it was special. I tried on a few more Wedding Dresses and didn’t feel the same way as I did with the first dress. I put the first dress on multiple times and I remember looking in the mirror and saying, “This is the one.” It’s the dress that looked amazing and made me feel like a bride and so beautiful. I still love my Wedding dress a little over a year later. I just had it on last week for our 1 year Anniversary. Special moment!

Bring whoever you want and be cautious about who you decide to share your wedding dress with because not everyone will think it’s pretty and it will show. People will even tell you should have got a different style. Don’t listen to them because you know how the dress makes you feel, beautiful.

Some bride’s actually have two dresses, one for the ceremony and one for the reception. I was going to do this, but it costs way more money and why buy a dress that makes you feel the most beautiful you’ve ever felt only to wear it for a few hours and not the whole day? If you have a hefty or unlimited budget be my guest. All up to you girl. You do you.

My grandma spent 40-60 hours fixing the beading on my dress and getting it cleaned. Thank God for my grandma.

Veil or No Veil

Say Yes to the Veil! When will you ever get this chance again besides Halloween? Exactly, never. I loved the Veil. It was like a week before the Wedding and I called my mom and I was like, “Oh my gosh I don’t have a Veil!” We went and picked out a veil without the dress and hoped it was the same shade of Ivory because veils are both non-returnable and super expensive. I actually had to order the Veil online because the Veil I wanted had a hole in it at the store, and that just wasn’t happening. I am so glad I had a Veil. I ordered mine from David’s Bridal, and I do not see it as an option anymore, otherwise I would link it below.

Shoes

Heels or no heels? I purchased heels to wear during the Ceremony and my grandma bought me sparkly sneakers to wear during the reception – I brought them and completely forgot about them when it came time to put them on. I purchased taupe colored heels and didn’t end up wearing them because I forgot to bring them to the alterations – WHOOPS! I ended up purchasing some bedazzled sandals from David’s Bridal. They were perfect.

Jewelry/Garters

If you don’t typically wear a lot of jewelry, don’t do it on your Wedding Day. That’s not you, you want to be absolutely yourself on the Wedding Day and still glammed up!

I did not embrace the garter toss or have my new husband going up my dress in front of my family no matter how out there I am, that was just not happening for us. LOL. Honestly, I just wanted the garter for the pictures and to feel like a real bride. I purchase a gorgeous pair of Garters on Etsy. I kept both.

Perfume

Choose your favorite scent and put it all over. I love Si by Giorgi Armani, so that’s what I wore. It was a lovely aroma. As it always is.

Hair and Make Up

I never wear my hair up unless I am at work, so of course I wore it down. I feel prettiest when I wear my hair down, so that’s what I did. It is very important to do a trial before the Wedding day, so you know what you are going for. I thought I wanted to do a black smokey eye with glitter – thank God I did the make up trial before the big day because no just no. It was absolutely gorgeous, but not for a wedding. I chose a much more natural look for the wedding day and it was absolutely beautiful.

The best advice I can give in regards to your hair and make up is this – choose the look that makes you feel the most beautiful.

I highly and I mean highly recommend Make Up by Naz:

https://www.mkupbynaz.com/

Welcome Sign

I ordered ours from Etsy very last minute and oh my gosh worst decision ever. The sign was wrong. It did not have our names and date. I literally had to use stick on letters from my grandma’s cricket. It was the worst thing that happened. I was very disappointed. I can’t even look at the photos of our wedding sign. That’s how unhappy I was and still am with the sign. Obviously I’m over it now because there’s nothing I can do about it. I recommend you order that sign and make sure it is correct way before your actual Wedding Day, that way you’ll be able to make adequate arrangements…

Ceremony

Indoor vs. Outdoor? We got married in front of a huge cross and it was what sold me on the Venue we chose. After seeing how huge the Cross was, I knew that this Venue was perfect for us. I could see it so vividly – and with the help of our Florists they made my vision come to life.

Everything about our Ceremony was customized. I was very specific in the music choice for the ceremony. I was sooo fricken emotional. I was balling my eyes out and I didn’t know if I was able to keep it together right before walking down the aisle and walking down the aisle. I was so happy. Tears of joy that I was finally marrying my angel on earth. You think it’s going to be longer than what it really is, trust me it won’t be.

Vows

I did not choose to have personalized vows because that just wasn’t something I wanted to do. Josh was all for it, but I don’t know it just seemed weird to me… Every bride is different!

Creating your Wedding Day Timeline

This is so important you are mapping out your day and all of the events that are happening. You have to plan the behind the scenes stuff as well and coordinate it to all work together.

I am so thankful for all of our family, family friends, and friends who helped us on our special day with things we needed done. Thank you!

Snacks/Dinner/Drinks/Dessert

I let Josh pick the food and he decided on This Little Piggy. We had a dry wedding – no alcohol. Not having alcohol makes your wedding so much more cost affordable as well. I did not want a Wedding cake at all, but lo and behold my mom showed up with a white Wedding cake. What could I do? LOL. It was a little miniature one. We froze it and ate it later. We did cupcakes.

DJ/Reception

I spent a lot of time coming up with the perfect playlist. Probably hours actually. I had songs for when we dismissed each person directly after the Ceremony, songs to be played before dinner, songs to be played during dinner, songs to be played during the dance. I am a very particular person when it comes to music – I don’t like mainstream. I like unique and remixed versions of songs. I had a list of artists I absolutely did not want played at the wedding. I did not even want people requesting songs. I only accepted one request from my Maid Of Honor, LOL. I am picky, and I should be because it was our day.

Only regret – not getting a picture with our DJ. He was amazing with everything.

I highly recommend Jeff A:

http://www.harmonydjentertainment.com/

Wedding Favors

We had home made jam in mason jars with a cute note wrapped with burlap saying “Spread the Love.” They were made by my grandma’s family friend from South Dakota. Everyone loved the homemade jams. This Wedding favor was perfect for our Venue.

Photographer(s)

I met with a couple different photographers because I wanted to make sure I really liked them as a person and felt comfortable to be myself with them as I would have to be natural on our Wedding Day. The best advice I can give you is make sure your photographer really understands what you want in terms of interacting, your shot list, and editing.

We had MV Photos do our photography. We did not have Videography – I did not feel the need to have videography done. I have a very good memory and I remember the day as if it was yesterday. I personally do not think a video could capture the magic of our wedding day in the exact way that I would want or hope for. I feared disappointment, I also only wanted to share this special day with the people who actually showed up for our wedding, and so I passed on the videography. I love all of our photos and look at them often. I know we will use Madalyn in the future for photos for sure.

Shot List

I created a multiple page Word Document of all of the different types of photos I wanted and I got nearly everything I had asked for – I got everything that was a must have photo. The day and time go so fast, so you have to make sure you take advantage of every minute. It is impossible to get photos with everyone and everything, but you can certainly try!

I absolutely recommend MV Photos for Photography:

https://www.madalynvphotography.com/

Florist and Decor

I wanted lots of Garland and greenery everywhere. We used the Garland from the Cross at our Ceremony on our head table as well to save money. Long full Garlands are expensive and I had to have it. That was my must have at my wedding. It is important to have the one thing you really want at the Wedding. The Flowers were probably the thing that stressed me out the most out of this whole planning process because the initial quote I got was way over our budget by a lot, like thousands…. I had to do a lot of back and fourth with the Florists, but I got what I wanted and we had beautiful flowers and decor. I wouldn’t have changed a thing. They even set everything up for us.

I highly recommend Festivities:

http://www.festivitiesmn.com/

There are so many other details and people not mentioned, this post was getting lengthy so I had to cut some things out! Please message me with any questions regarding Wedding Planning or your Wedding in general. I love talking details about Weddings. Mwuah xoxoxo. Good luck planning the best day ever.