ELLEN + KYLE
170 guests
It was the most amazing day ever. I BARELY slept at all the night before because I was so giddy with anticipation, and when my alarm went off that morning, I literally jumped out of bed with the biggest smile on my face. It was such a gorgeous day. Our wedding was all outdoors in August, which I knew was incredibly risky to do at time of year (heat, rain, etc.), but it ended up being the most beautiful, sunny day. Literally what you dream of when you envision an outdoor wedding. I spent the morning getting ready with my girls, sipping champagne, and dancing like fools – a perfect start to the day. My husband and I decided to do a first look before the wedding, which was such a good choice for us. It allowed us to spend quality time together just the two of us. Our ceremony took place on the front steps of the little chapel on the grounds of the Felt Mansion. We were married by a close friend of my husband’s family, which was so special. Cocktail hour took place on the lawn of the Mansion, with fun lawn games spread out for our guests – courtesy of Eden Woods Rentals. The reception took place in the permanent tent, which was decorated beautifully thanks to Eden Woods, Picket Fence Florals, and my coordinator, Michelle with Red Heels Events. We danced all night! At one point I looked around and was hit again by the feeling that I was the luckiest girl in the world, not only because I had just married the man of my dreams, but because I was surrounded by all of the people that I love most in the whole world.
It’s so cliche, but when we exchanged vows and were made husband and wife!
Make an EXTREMELY detailed budget, and do your research on pricing. Also prioritize what’s important. Weddings are always more expensive than you anticipate them to be. Hire a Day Of Coordinator- they are SO beyond worth the money, and they allow your friends and family to enjoy the day with you – rather than be bogged down with set up/tear down at the end of the night.
Don’t forget to eat! Also find a moment to just sneak away with you and your spouse after the ceremony, away from all your guests. You will be surrounded by everyone you love all day, which is great, but what matters most is the two of you. Also, make sure you have reception shoes! I barely lasted through the ceremony in my heels, and am glad that I had shoes to change into because people were spilling drinks left and right like crazy. We also dismissed our guests by row after the ceremony rather than visiting tables or doing a receiving line. It gave us the chance to great and thank all of our guests, while also being able to just have fun at the reception without worrying about any other things we needed to do.
I wish we would have had a videographer, but it just didn’t fit in the budget .I also wish that I had used my event coordinator to help work my budget from the beginning, because there are so many things that I didn’t think about when making my budget originally.
