What I Would Do Differently {Laura}

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Childress Photography

When I found out the married Proud to Plan girls were each going to blog about what they would have done differently for their weddings, I honestly had no idea what I was going to write. My husband, Rob, and I never really had major complaints or regrets about our big day- a good problem to have, but not much material for a blog post.

We sat down over dinner one night and talked about every detail we could remember and anything we wished we could have changed. We debated little things, like our guest book and cake flavors, and big things, like whether or not we should have hired a videographer. We agreed that adding a Midnight Snack or Food Truck would have been fun, but it wasn't something we felt we absolutely needed and we definitely didn't have the budget for it at the time.

I wondered if we should have gotten all of our stationery from the same place so that it matched perfectly. Our invitations and menus both came from an Etsy shop, but everything else, from signage to programs, was a mix of DIY and contributions from family and friends. When I started looking back through pictures, I realized that I didn't care that each piece wasn't identical. I loved that they were all made by different people and had their own story.

I remembered that shortly after our wedding I was a little disappointed that I didn't do anything with my bouquet. I had seen a cool piece of art that incorporated preserved wedding flowers and wished I had at least considered that possibility before leaving mine on the kitchen counter when we headed for our honeymoon. That disappointment didn't last though. I must have mentioned it to Rob at the time, because it inspired a perfect anniversary gift for me. Every year, he has our wedding florist recreate my bouquet. It has become one of my favorite traditions and it probably wouldn't have happened if I had preserved the original.

In general, that's how I feel about most of our wedding-related decisions. Maybe we could have added this or changed that, but every choice we made led us to a day that was pretty special, so why nitpick? And who knows if those changes really would have been for the better?

In the end, Rob decided he wouldn't have done anything differently. I settled on two simple things that wouldn't have changed the look or feel of our wedding, but would have had a positive impact on our experience without costing a cent.

I would have taken off the entire wedding week instead of just two days before. From the start of our rehearsal on Friday to the end of our reception on Saturday, I was calm and happy. The week leading up to the wedding was a different story. We still had a lot of last minute things to handle and between that and work, the stress and frustration levels in our house were way higher than they needed to be. If I had just taken a longer vacation, I could have enjoyed that time a little more and I probably wouldn't have been alphabetizing place cards at four o'clock on Friday afternoon.

I also would have added a few more group shots to our "Must Take" list. Rob and I wanted to enjoy our cocktail hour and didn't want to spend the whole night posing, so we took a limited numbers of photos with our immediate family before the ceremony. While I don't regret that decision since we really got to enjoy our reception to the fullest, there are a handful of extra shots I should have asked for. A few special people didn't turn up in any of our professional photographs, and as time goes by, I wish I had made a point to have a quick picture taken with them.

It's easy to get stuck in an endless cycle of "what if's", especially since I've attended and helped coordinate some really beautiful weddings with amazing details. But I always try to remind myself that everyone's wedding is different and that's how it should be. I'm just glad that three and a half years later it's a lot harder to remember what we got wrong than what we got right.

-Laura

What I Would Do Differently {Jen}

Let me start off this post by saying that my wedding was one of the happiest days of my life. The day was incredible and I was just so happy to be marrying my husband. However, after almost 2 years of marriage, and working numerous weddings, there are a few things I would have possibly done differently. 

Hire Proud to Plan

Our wedding is perfect example of how you can't plan for everything. The day of our wedding was a crazy snowstorm...in October! I never could have imagined as we were planning our beautiful fall wedding that it would snow! It would have been extremely helpful to have the Proud to Plan coordinators onsite to assist with dealing with all this craziness...vendors that were late due to the weather, cars that wouldn't start, etc. Since we did not have a wedding planner, this fell to me, my mom, and my sister to handle. It would have been much less stressful to have this extra support. 

Photo List

There are a few family pictures that we did not get the day of my wedding. Granted, our photo process was a little crazy due to the weather and limited timing to take photos indoors at the church and reception. It is so important to have the conversation with your photographer about what pictures are important to you. I didn't even realize until after our wedding that I didn't get a picture with my parents and sister, or with my sister and 4 cousins (the 6 of us have grown up like sisters). Looking back, I definitely would have been more detailed with my "Must Take Photo" list. 

Add a Candy Buffet

This is such a minor detail, but in working so many weddings, people love candy buffets! I have seen so many creative displays and I think it is such a fun gift for your guests!

Looking back, I have the best memories from my wedding day. The important thing is to remember what is important and not stress over anything that didn't go perfectly!

-Jen

What I Would Do Differently {Nicole}

I absolutely loved my wedding day. It's one of my favorite days and I have such great memories that I wouldn't want to change a thing. However, if money was no object, I think I would add a few things to make the day even better. 

Bridesmaids "Getting Ready" Outfits

I loved getting ready with my bridesmaids the morning of my wedding. I would have loved to have gotten ready with them in cute matching robes or comfy sweatpants like these: 

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Signage

We didn't do a whole lot of signage for the wedding. I would have loved to create fun ceremony signs, menus, or chair signs like these at our ceremony and reception. 

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Place Cards

We had simple place cards for our guests. I think these would have been fun alternatives. 

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Cake

We had the most delicious cake at our wedding. I would not want to change that! However, the design was simple and elegant. If I wanted to spice things up, I think these would have been some fun cake designs to have at the wedding. 

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My wedding was a great day and the perfect way to kick off married life with my husband!

-Nicole

What I Would Do Differently {Lisa}

My husband and I just celebrated our five year anniversary just a few short weeks ago and while thinking back on that day, there aren't too many things I would change. Our venue was perfect, we loved our photographers, and all of our family and friends had a fantastic time- making it the perfect day in my eyes! But, after attending so many weddings in the past 5 years and working even more weddings than I've ever attended, I have made put a few small things on a list in my head that I think I would have changed. 

The first would be lighting. I really pushed for this but we couldn't find a way to fit it in our budget so it was something we just couldn't do. I'm a sucker for candle light and incorporated it all over our reception and I think having uplighting and a dance floor wash, would have added so much more warmth to the room. You can see in the picture below that you couldn't really see anything in particular in the reception space. I think if we had some uplighting, pinspotting, or a wash on the dance floor, the room would have had a glow to it and it would have stood out more in pictures. 

The other small detail that my husband and I both agree that we wish we did, was a photo booth. Silly I know but I wanted one *oh-so-badly* and my husband couldn't justify the cost...at the time. Because if you see him at a wedding now, and there is a photo booth or station set up somewhere, he is one of the first to jump in line (I'll spare you the pictures but I do have one of him by himself in a booth with just a glass of wine as a prop). He often mentions that he wishes I would have pushed more for one because it would've been a fun addition to have at our already awesome reception! 

Other than these two small things, I really can't think of anything else I would change. (Other than the weather but we all know there is controlling that and it wasn't really that bad). I married my best friend, we were surrounded by all of our family and friends, we have great memories from the day, and I didn't have to worry about a thing thanks to an awesome wedding coordinator named Erin ;) 

-Lisa

Melanie's Dream Wedding

Frankly, I was never one of those girls growing up fantasizing about who I would marry. I also never imagined what my wedding day would ultimately look like. I can't even remember a childhood play date that revolved around a pretend wedding. So I was behind from the start, but that's not to say that nowadays I can't appreciate the beauty and allure of all the details that go into a wedding. Unlike most, my dream wedding has only just begun to manifest itself over the past few years. 

Theme/Season

After attending the August wedding of a college friend in a Minnesota state park, I decided that an "Indian Summer" would set the perfect tone for a rustic wedding. Seeing as Mother Nature is fickle, I'd opt for early Fall, hoping that the weather would be warm with only a light chill in the air. Rich colors like dark purple, moss green, and raspberry red, would complement the season and my fair complexion. I'm not a country girl, but the idea of a rural backdrop for friends and family to take in throughout the day seems peaceful and inviting. 

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Venue

Growing up, my family and I attended outdoor craft fairs and frequented state parks for hiking trips. I guess it's fitting that a barn or covered bridge would be the first place to come to mind when setting the scene for my wedding. I don't consider myself very religious so I'd like for the ceremony and reception to take place in the same location. The dual setup also makes it incredibly easy for guests traveling from out of state. I've also never liked the downtime between ceremony and reception, so this would solve that problem too.

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An outdoor area would also provide ample room for guests to spread out and mingle for the ceremony and throughout the festivities that would follow. The barn would house the seats for dinner/dessert and the dance floor. A deck with lounging space would be ideal since some family and friends may not be interested in dancing. Guests could sit, wrap themselves in flannel blankets and relax under the stars into the wee hours of the night. 

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Decor

Sticking with the rural theme, the barn would be decorated with hanging lanterns or strings of lights stretching across the width of the room. Any exposed beams within the barn could also be wrapped with strings of lights to keep the room well lit. I wouldn't want much else cluttering the space. The natural look of the wood would give off a down to earth feel. 

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My parents always decorated our home with trinkets like old fashioned glass milk jugs, which I think would be perfect to hold bundles of wildflowers at each table and throughout the barn. Tea lights could also be placed in miniature jugs to give a more intimate feel at the tables when the natural fades as evening comes. Mason jars would serve as drinking glasses. Refinished wood tables would look amazing spread out throughout the barn. I've never really thought about seating arrangements, but I like having family and friends intermingled. It's a day of celebration, so what better time to mix people up a bit. 

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The final touch would be floating lanterns as a sendoff at the end of the evening. This is honestly something I've stumbled upon in the last couple of months, but I've fallen in love with the idea of having the night sky lit with these lanterns as a cap to the day. 

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Entertainment/Food

As much as I'd love a live band, I just don't think my dizzying music taste would be handled by anyone better than a DJ. Plus, some of the best pictures come from the dance floor, so I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to catch those I love losing all inhibitions as they cut loose to any song their heart desires. 

Coming from a large family, I can't think of anything better than buffet style food tables. This way guests can help themselves throughout the night. I myself can eat all day, so the thought of being able to pick and nibble over the course of a few hours sounds wonderful. Realistically it may be a bit of overkill, but seeing as this is my dream wedding I'm going with an unlimited supply of finger foods available. The buffet would continue through dessert. Mini pies, tarts, cheesecakes and other single-serving sweets would be spread out for guests to enjoy at their leisure. 

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Dress

Monique Lhuillier. Those two words just about sum it up. She's a genius and all of her gowns are absolutely jaw dropping. Anything concerning lace would make me ecstatic. The cut really depends on my mood, it's changed several times while planning out this post, but elegant and simple always wins out in my mind. 

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Weddings are ultimately supposed to celebrate the love and commitment of a couple. With that being said, I can only hope to have a day that is filled with laughter, joy, and memories that will last a lifetime. 

-Melanie

Stephanie's Dream Wedding

When Erin told us we would be doing a dream wedding post for the blog, I immediately got to work! I thought to myself, how perfect, as this is something I have been planning for as long as I can remember. My boyfriend and I have been together for three years. We met in college; he is the love of my life and best friend and I cannot wait to marry him. Although not engaged yet, I have already begun putting together those special touches and intricate details for my wedding day. 

The Theme

Simplistic Elegance. I have always thought myself to be a person of simplistic taste. I am not drawn to extravagant colors and over the top designs. I picture my wedding to be very traditional with soft colors and elegant lighting and decor. 

The Ceremony

I find one of the most romantic places to be Napa Valley. A vineyard displays such a rare, natural beauty that you do not find too often. I've traveled to Napa Valley once before and would love to return. There is something about a vineyard that is so relaxing and puts your mind completely at ease, something that is so important for a bride on her wedding day. My dream wedding ceremony would be outside in late September or early October; that perfect time when it's still warm, as Summer ends and the transition into Fall begins. To personalize my ceremony, I'd walk down the aisle to a classical rendition of "With or Without You" by 2Cellos. Ideally, I'd like a small, intimate ceremony followed by a reception of only my closest friends and family. 

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The Flowers

I'd have an infinite flower budget if it was up to me! Flower arrangements are so beautiful to me and in my eyes, they can brighten up/change the look of any room. I like the colors white and mint. For flowers, I like hydrangeas, white roses, and tulips so I'd like those incorporated into my flower arrangements. 

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The Dresses

My Wedding Dress

The dress is the most important piece of the wedding for me. I want a dress that expresses my personality and style and something I can feel comfortable in for the entire evening. A classic and simple, yet elegant dress--with blue shoes of course! Much like the gown pictured below; all over lace, form fitting, to the floor with a small train but nothing too over the top. 

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Bridesmaids Dress Color

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The Venue/Reception

For my reception, I would move it indoors or in a tent space. I'd want lots of natural lighting on the tabled sourced by candles (votives and floating candles) with a soft, neutral color scheme. 

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The Food

Coming from a Food and Beverage background, I critique the food I'm served everywhere I go, so I want my food to really wow my guests. If you're traveling to Napa for my nuptials, you deserve to be spoiled! I want a variety of hor d'oeurves, specialty cocktails, and champagne (lots of champagne!) passed at my Cocktail Reception. I want food stations also set up. When guests enter a room, I want a different food and drink to be available so everyone is constantly trying something new. For dinner, I want a traditional sit down meal with a first and second course. Being in Napa, I'd love to have sommeliers traveling around to each table pouring the perfect wine complement to each course. 

The Cake

No one loves cake more than myself and if one thing had to be the most extravagant piece of my wedding, it would be the cake and dessert table. I dream of a multiple tier chocolate chip wedding cake with buttercream icing and subtle decorative touches. 

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In addition to the cake, French macarons are my absolute favorite, and I want a slew of them, of all different colors and flavors at my dessert table!

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-Stephanie

Get to Know Proud to Plan: Stephanie

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Childress Photography

Tell us about yourself: I am 24 years old. I graduated from the University of Delaware in 2011 with a degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management. Currently, I work full time in Center City Philadelphia at a private social club. 

Where do you live?: Wilmington, DE

Give us three words that best describe your personality: Outgoing, caring, goal-oriented

How did you get involved in the event industry?: Through my previous and current work experience, I've been involved in events in some way or another. I've worked the food and beverage end as well as the back end preparing lists and paperwork. I feel my ability to pay close attention to detail and always wanting to go the extra mile for guests to make their event extra special is what makes event planning such a natural fit for me. 

What's your favorite part of a couple's wedding day?: The look on the groom's face when he watches his bride walk down the aisle. After all the hard work that goes into planning a wedding is complete and the day has finally arrived, it's a beautiful moment to watch two people who love each other begin their lives together. 

When you're not doing events, what do you do?: I love going to new restaurants in the City (Philadelphia), meeting and catching up with friends at happy hour, spending time with my family and my boyfriend. I'm a very active person and love trying new things. My boyfriend and I enjoy planning fun dates on our time off together, such as visiting local craft breweries, wine tastings, (we are definitely foodies!) and bowling!

Do you have any hobbies? Or what do you do for fun?: In the past year, running has become a hobby of mine. During my free time, you can find me training for an upcoming race. 

Fun question, if you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring one thing (not person), what would it be?: A good bottle of wine!

Get to Know Proud to Plan: Sharron

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Childress Photography

Tell us about yourself: I am a graduate of Temple University who enjoys trying new things and meeting new people. I'm a perfectionist and natural-born planner which means I don't have a single spontaneous bone in my body. I enjoy making people happy and I feel successful when I know I've made someone's dream a reality. I am very excited to be a part of this Proud to Plan team!

Where do you live?: I'm a Philadelphia Suburban girl! I grew up about 45 minutes outside of the city in Royersford and now I currently live in Manayunk. 

Give us three words that best describe your personality: Funny, Creative, Giving. 

How did you get involved in the event industry?: I've always had a passion for designing and planning events but it wasn't until I transferred to Temple University that I fell in love with this industry. I was originally a nursing student at Temple and found their Tourism and Hospitality Management program while browsing the site; it was at that moment that I knew I had found what I was born to do. 

What's your favorite part of a couple's wedding day?: My favorite part of a couple's wedding day is when they see each other at opposite ends of the aisle for the first time. I guess I'm traditional in that way; the way a couple looks at each other in that moment speaks volumes to me. It's beautiful. 

When you're not doing events, what do you do?: I am full time Meeting Manager for a Pharmaceutical company. I spend my days planning small and large corporate events in various cities around the world. Traveling to these different locations to execute my events is the greatest perk to my job! 

Do you have any hobbies? Or what do you do for fun?: My favorite thing to do is to spend time with my family and friends. It could be something simple like sitting in the house to going all out for a night of dancing; no matter what I know I'm going to have a great time. I'm lucky- I have an amazing family and great friends. 

Fun question, if you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring on thing (not person) what would it be?: My German Sheperd, Mystic. I know she would protect me if need be and if nothing else, she would definitely make me laugh. 

Get to Know Proud to Plan: Melanie

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Childress Photography

Tell us about yourself: Born and raised in Bucks County, PA. I graduated from Lock Haven University in 2007 with a B.A. in Communication Media. I met my boyfriend, Wade, while in college and we've been together for the past 8 years. 

Where do you live?: Langhorne, PA

Give us three words that best describe your personality: Artistic, Optimistic, and Sincere

How did you get involved in the event industry?: While in college I interned with a Philadelphia radio station and was involved with artist relations and hospitality. I loved being a part of such a close knit group of individuals who truly enjoyed the work that they were involved with. Shortly after graduating, I was asked to become an on-air DJ with the station and also volunteered at fundraising events and concerts. 

What's your favorite part of a couple's wedding day?: The first dance has always been the highlight for me. I'm a sucker for sappy songs. I'll bawl my eyes out even if it's a complete strangers' wedding. If the couple opts for an upbeat song or a choreographed dance, all the better because you'll see me chair dancing right along with them. 

When you're not doing events, what do you do?: Pharmaceutical/healthcare research and consulting.

Do you have any hobbies? Or what do you do for fun?: Reading or relaxing outdoors, as long as I bring sunscreen. My porcelain complexion burns to a crisp, so I've got to keep myself coated at all times. Bargain shopping for clothes or yard-sale finds to restore with Wade. Most of the items that we've furnished our home with we've either restored or created/built from ideas we've collected over the years. 

Fun Question, if you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring on thing (not person) what would it be?: If battery life were not a factor, I would definitely want an iPod, radio or some other device that could play music. Music keeps me sane, whether I'm belting out Queen, relaxing with Sam Cooke or dancing my butt off to Florence and the Machine.

Get to Know Proud to Plan: Corrie

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Childress Photography

Where do you live?: Ewing, NJ- It's a bit outside of Princeton, NJ and only 10 minutes from the Pennsylvania border.

Give us three words that best describe your personality: Energetic, Passionate, and Loyal

How did you get involved in the event industry?: Through my career in the pharmaceutical industry I have had the opportunity to take ownership of corporate event planning. Additionally, I have been an active fundraiser for local foundations. 

What's your favorite part of a couple's wedding day?: This is a tough one...I would have to say that my favorite part of the day is when the couple first sits down at the reception and has a few quiet moments to themselves. They both appear to take a deep breath and soak in the atmosphere of the day. I try my best to capture this moment for the couple because the sparkle in their eyes at this moment is one for the memory book!

When you're not doing events, what do you do?: I can usually be found at Citizens Bank Park or with my dog, Fiona. My love for the Phillies is only second to my "four-ish" year old Boxer. 

Do you have any hobbies? Or what do you do for fun?: I enjoy hitting the Canal path by my house for walks with my pup. My boyfriend Joe and I are active travelers when it comes to the Phillies and we do our best to make it to Clearwater and to road games as often as we can during the season. Next on the list is the West Coast swing during the 2014 season!

Fun questions, if you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring one thing (not person) what would it be?: Picture of my family and the boyfriend...including the dogs :)

Get to Know Proud to Plan: Christie

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Childress Photography

Tell us about yourself: I am an enthusiastic, dependable, and hardworking individual. I'm always cheerful and I consider myself pretty laidback, yet extremely motivated. I am also a newlywed who has personally found Proud to Plan's coordination services absolutely invaluable while planning my dream wedding last Fall. 

Where do you live?: I'm a born and raised Jersey girl who has recently moved to Yardley, PA and so far I have been loving life this side of the river!

Give us three words that best describe your personality: Enthusiastic, loving, and well-organized

How did you get involved in the event industry?: Event planning has always been an interest of mine, and I have consciously woven it into the responsibilities held in my college sorority as well as my finance career over the past 6 years. As the social and networking chairperson of various organizations I have worked for, I have taken the lead in the budgeting, planning, and contract negotiation for numerous events. I have fondly become the go-to person for anything social, community service, or networking related among my colleagues. 

What's your favorite part of a couple's wedding day?: By far, my favorite part of a couple's wedding day is the bride and groom's first dance as husband and wife. It's so nice to see a couple truly relax in each others arms and kick off their wedding reception together. 

When you're not doing events, what do you do?: By day, I am a Senior Specialist in Internal Audit at a Philadelphia-based health insurance company. I have held various finance-related roles over the past 5 years since graduating college from Villanova University. 

Do you have any hobbies? Or what do you do for fun?: I generally love doing all things outdoors; from hiking  and mountain biking to relaxing at the beach at the Jersey Shore. During the winter months, I enjoy DIY renovations around my new home. I also love to travel, photograph, and spend time with my family, friends, and puppy. 

Fun question, if you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring one thing (not a person) what would it be?: Definitely my Weimaraner puppy, Kobe! He would make a great companion and always keep me smiling! 

SHOUTING from the Rooftops

We love our couples so much- we'd like to SHOUT it from the rooftops!!! The experiences we've had over the past few years have been amazing and it's our clients that keep it incredibly fun and exciting! They are our biggest supporters and for that, we are truly thankful. We're about to launch a new website, and we've got to update the love there, too! If any previous Proud to Plan couples are interested in sharing a testimonial of their experiences on our new site, please email info@proudtoplan.com for more details!

Lots of new galleries, new information, and new LOVE to show off- we can't wait!!

<3

Lisa's Wedding

Ah. My wedding. Besides the days that I gave birth to my two daughters, my wedding day is my favorite day of all time. When Ryan and I first got engaged, we knew we would have a longer engagement, as he was still in school and we would be paying for a lot of the wedding ourselves. So we made a few calls and checked out a few venues and after seeing Knowlton Mansion, we fell in love. Picking a time of year was easy: September. My favorite month of the year, it's the beginning of Fall, it's the month that we first met and started dating, and my birthday month. We decided on September 26th (two days after my birthday!) and got to planning! After almost a two year engagement, our big day was here. My bridesmaids and I started the big day at the Four Points by Sheraton. Our favorite hair stylist, Meghan Cahill, did all of our hair and my favorite makeup artist, Emily, from Cheekadee made us look gorgeous!

I grew my hair out just for the wedding and was so happy with the style I chose. Almost 5 years later and I still love everything about it! The same with my makeup. I had brought some different pictures of makeup that I liked on different celebrities with the same eye color/shape as myself and Emily did a fantastic job! When it came to the fashion aspect of the day, I knew I wanted to be comfortable. I'm not a very girly girl so I knew a ball gown wouldn't look right on me and I would be ridiculously uncomfortable all day. I only went to two dress shops when gown shopping and once I saw a picture on the Priscilla of Boston website of a dress called "Sidney" by Melissa Sweet, I knew I was in love. I went to the dress shop and tried on about 8 different dresses and when I tried on Sidney (yes, I still refer to my gown as a person), I knew it was the one! I didn't have the reaction that you see on Say Yes to the Dress or anything, no crying or tears, just complete happiness. 

My husband and I already had started our family before getting married so we were lucky enough to already have the cutest flower girl of all time, our daughter, Olivia. I made a big deal out of finding her dress as I wanted it to have the same material on the bottom as mine and I wanted her to feel like a princess. I chose a light green sash to go with her dress to match our purple and green color scheme and my bridesmaids wore eggplant. I picked the dress color and company (Priscilla of Boston) and told them to choose a dress that made them feel comfortable. I wanted them to like the dress and wanted them to feel comfortable all day and I loved the styles they chose! My bouquet was made up of ranunculus (my favorite flower), tulips, roses and purple lisianthus and had Olivia carry a bouquet that was identical to mine, but just smaller :) I told our florist, Carl Alan, that I wanted the bridesmaids bouquets to complement their eggplant dressed while looking like they just plucked the flowers out of a field- and they looked exactly like that!

Once we were all dressed and ready, we headed over to Knowlton for the "Reveal Meeting". This was not something that I thought I wanted to do. I had dreamed of walking down the aisle and seeing Ryan for the first time but about two weeks before the wedding I realized that seeing each other before the ceremony would maybe calm my nerves (and his) before we said our vows. You see, I'm a crier. I cry when I'm happy, I cry when I'm sad, and I cry when I'm angry. So I knew if we saw each other beforehand, I could get some of the boo hoo's out and we could get a lot of our pictures done so that we could enjoy cocktail hour! The reveal was perfect. I cried just as I knew I would and I'll never forget Ryan's face. Our photographers, Spark Photography, did an incredible job at documenting it.

One thing we had planned for but hoped wouldn't happen was rain. Unlucky for us, it rained. Not too bad on the wedding day itself but pretty badly the day before so we had to move our planned outdoor ceremony from outside to inside. I know a lot of brides stress about the rain but really, there's no reason to. Our ceremony was just as perfect inside as it would've been outside. For the ceremony, we booked a string trio as music is really important to me. I grew up playing the violin and singing so my one really big dream, was to walk down the aisle to strings playing. I chose to walk down the aisle to the instrumental version of Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve. The strings in it were perfect to me and made the walk down the aisle a little more personal. I cried (I'm not kidding when I say I'm a crier) walking down the aisle and during the ceremony itself and one of our favorite parts of the ceremony was when our officiant mentioned Olivia's name and she yelled "THAT'S ME!!". After we kissed, we recessed down the aisle to an instrumental version of Clocks by Coldplay- my favorite band. I really appreciate personal touches in a ceremony, it's a way to make it your own!

When going through the planning process, I had taken on a lot of DIY aspects and had no issues doing them but didn't want to be the one to execute them. I also didn't want my mom or my aunts or friends to have to do any setup or cleanup so I decided to hire Erin as my own coordinator. She and Danielle did a spectacular job setting up all of the things that I had worked so tirelessly on and I loved that I was able to just relax and enjoy being around our family and friends that have come from all over the country to be with us. Like I had said earlier, our color scheme was purple and green and we decided to add a very light "Perfect Pair" theme. Pears were inside of the centerpieces, ceramic pears were used as our cake toppers, and silver pears were placed in between candles that were wrapped in purple and green ribbon! The candles were a big deal to me, I LOVE candles and candlelight so I knew that having the stone wall in the reception space covered, was a must. We decided to go with a non-traditional guestbook, and used wine bottles for our guests to sign.  Another of my favorite details was the in memory display we had set up in the cocktail hour space. My Pop Pop passed away just a year before the wedding and that was a big deal to me to not have him there. Ryan and I decided to honor all of our family members who had passed away and couldn't be there with us by framing a picture of them and placing a rose in a bud vase with their name on it, next to the frame. It was a great way to honor all of the people that we love that aren't with us anymore. 

We danced our first dance to Better Together by Jack Johnson. We didn't really have a "song" that was ours so we went with Better Together because we both love Jack Johnson and I liked that it wasn't super sappy. There was enough crying earlier in the day, I didn't need to cry anymore. The one thing that was really the most important to us, was to have everyone that we love there with us! I come from a very large family and am one of the oldest of my cousins and Ryan's family is a decent size, so we made sure that everyone was invited. Ryan also invited a large group of his friends from college (Arizona State University) and luckily, they were all able to come to Philadelphia, some for the first time ever! They say on some websites you can expect 15-20% of your guest list to not come but in our case, we only had less than 5% of the people we invited not able to come. It was great to be in the room with so many people that meant so much to us! Ryan is a big Philadelphia Eagles, along with a lot of our family and friends, so I booked Swoop the mascot from the Eagles as a reception surprise! Ryan was so shocked as he wasn't expecting it and everyone loved it- including my own Grandmom, who was pinching Swoop's rear end :)

Our DJ kept the dance floor packed all night and we still have friends and family that comment that is was one of the best and most fun weddings they've ever been to, which is always fun to hear. At the end of the day, the greatest part of the day was the fact that we were married and seeing all of our favorite people in one room, smiling, laughing, and having fun with us! If you'd like to see some more pictures and Erin's recap of our wedding, you can go here. 

-Lisa