Once in a Lifetime
Recently, my wedding coordinator texted me and shared that Kris and I’s humility left a huge impression on her. I remember that was such an interesting time and it’s wild to think that was less than two years ago.
My coordinator was referred by a family member and she ended up being such a wonderful contact. She was organized, efficient, and helped make our special day run as smoothly as possible. I follow her on Instagram so I can keep up with the journey of her business and see the other events she’s been planning.
During the planning time, I was truly a low maintenance bride. I wasn’t fussy about the details or required a huge show. I was focused on what Krissy and I ultimately wanted and made sure that we were taken into consideration since it was our special day. My wedding coordinator, Lisa, helped bring some flare into my vision while keeping the overall theme consistent. The photographer we hired was referred to by her and he ended up taking some beautiful pictures that I plan on getting printed and framed.
Even though our wedding was a beautiful day and ceremony, I can’t say I would love to plan another wedding. While I refused to allow the moment to stress me out, it was a lot getting family and friends together in Athens as we celebrated our nuptials. I understand why getting married is a once in a lifetime event. From dress shopping to cake tasting to deciding the tuxes for the groomsmen to picking flowers and everything in between, it’s definitely a marathon and not a sprint.
Looking back on things, the most important thing I took away from the wedding planning experience is to always keep the vision that you and your partner have front and center. While the experience that guests will have should be taken into consideration, it shouldn’t trump what you and your partner have in mind for that special day.
While Krissy and I (mostly I because I promise you the wedding I was envisioning isn’t the wedding that we had lol) had to adjust our vision a little, we kept the most important things that mattered to us close. We knew we wanted a small wedding. For me personally, I don’t see the point of inviting a lot of people when ultimately a wedding is priced per head. Quick math shows the more people on the guest list, the higher and higher the bottom line gets.
Second, I wasn’t too keen on doing too many of the traditional additions to the ceremony such as jumping the broom or melding the sands. I really just wanted a cut and dry ceremony that didn’t last too long and wasn’t too emotional. My dress was a high neck princess cut and it wasn’t revealing, but it was so beautiful. There was lace detailing along with crystals in the bodice that made it really stand out. It was the perfect size and thankfully didn’t require any alterations. Younger me probably would’ve never picked that dress, but I’m happy the me in that moment decided that was the dress to say “I Do” in.
I realize now that I wasn’t the least bit fazed or worried about the weather on the day of my outdoor wedding. The thought of rain or cold never crossed my mind, and good thing too because I definitely didn’t have a Plan B. The Lord covered us on that March Saturday and made sure we stayed warm and dry.
I also didn’t participate in a Bachelorette trip or event solely because I hate being the center of attention and asking others to go out of their way for little ole me. Call that one of my toxic traits, if you will. If someone wants to plan a surprise for me, I will welcome it with a smiling face, but I won’t ask that of anyone.
Our colors were olive green, gold, and I carried white roses in my bouquet. Fun fact, I designed our invitations using Canva, and I loved how elegant they looked. I might just include one of them with the framed pictures on the wall.
Overall, there’s so much involved with planning a wedding that you don’t know or think about until you’re deep in the midst of wedding planning. It’s fun, scary, expensive, creative, overwhelming, exhilarating, and heart-warming all in one beautifully wrapped white dress.
Signed,
Jessica Marie
