ELAINE + BRAD
300
Our wedding day was nothing like we imagined, and so much more all in one. We were married at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church before partying with all of our amazing friends and family that came out to celebrate us at the JW Marriott in downtown Grand Rapids. While no one envisions a rainy day for their wedding, it’s our story and we made the most of it and had the best time together and with our wedding party. It was the perfect day and we wouldn’t change a thing.
I have two that stand out:
After the ceremony and before the reception, the bridal party skipped cocktail hour and we rode around on a party bus. It was a moment to catch our breath and have fun with our best friends. Catching your breath on a party bus sounds ironic, but during the hectic wedding day, it was just that. Bonus, it put everyone in the best mood going into the reception.
Seeing everyone together on the dance floor! Brad and I agreed that although we were extremely excited to get married, what we were looking forward to most was having everyone we loved in one room. I impulsively purchased these light up neon foam sticks that we brought out with late night food, and seeing everyone having so much fun on the dance floor are
Communicate the small details to someone you trust. I had a moment where I got overwhelmed by the concept that I would spend so much time and attention on every little detail, but that I would not be involved in the execution. Thanks to a shared google document and the best day of planners, every little detail was where I had envisioned it.
The most repeated advice… control what you can, let go of what you can’t. The days before the wedding, the weather consumed my mind. There was rain anticipated for the day of the wedding. Our ceremony and reception were indoor, but I was convinced it would ruin my wedding pictures. Fast forward to receiving our pictures, and the pictures with the clear umbrellas are the ones that everyone stops and comments on.
Again, the most repeated advice… it’s your day. No one knows what you want better than you! We wanted our dog, Howie, in a couple photos. Our family told us we were crazy, that he was too big and too young, that he would jump up and ruin my dress, and he would add stress to an already busy day. I called my photographer, she said it was possible, and we laid out a plan to make it as seamless as possible. I remember being so incredibly happy when we finally saw him, and the pictures with him included are our favorite. And yes, he absolutely did jump on my dress with muddy paws, and we got it off with some water! Even writing this now… I keep thinking, who was I on that day!? I turned into the most stress free version of myself, and it was truly the best day.
By the month of my wedding, my entire TikTok was filled with wedding do’s and don’t. I consumed so much advice, but the best advice was giving my phone to a trusted guest to capture videos and pictures. My aunt captured so many behind the scenes moments, and I spent the entire plane ride to our honeymoon looking through it all.
The short answer is no! The long answer is the day was imperfectly perfect. I have thought back over the day in detail, and for the moments that did not go exactly as planned, I can think of something positive that came out of it. We were significantly behind schedule and had to condense picture locations, but the result was we had our first look on the helipad, which is a moment I will never forget.
