The Ultimate Wedding Post

I'm back!

Don't worry dolls, several hundred pictures to come.

First, I wanted to give you all the details of my big day since many of you have been asking about dresses, etc.

My dress was Monique Lhuillier. I absolutely loved my dress. I will say that getting your dress so early (I got mine in November) can be good and bad. I loved my dress when I got it, but the longer it sat in my closet the more I got sick of looking at it. At one point I found another Monique Lhuillier dress that I liked and was so close to buying it to have two dresses (more options!). Paisley & Pearls and my Mom both talked me out of doing so, which I am thankful for because I ended up LOVING my dress.

My bridesmaid's dresses were Vera Wang. Way before I got engaged I used to stalk the Vera Wang website and I already had these bridesmaid's dresses picked out. They were quite pricey, so I opted to purchase all of mine in bulk from a wholesaler in New Orleans, LA called "Pearl's Place". I would highly recommend Pearl's Place because they sell their dresses at cost if you make one big order.

My flowers were done by Gesture's Flowers here in Memphis. Kim Gardner and her team did an amazing job and I was completely and utterly obsessed with my flowers. They were exactly what I had envisioned. She used hydrangeas, roses, and stock to give the bouquets a packed feel. I didn't want much greenery or branches, so I liked the idea of having more compact arrangements. My flowers were expensive, but were WELL worth it in the end. I would highly recommend spending a lot on flowers because they really do set the mood that you're going for with your bouquets and your reception flowers.

My photography team was Allison Rodgers Photography based out of Olive Branch, Mississippi. Allison and her team were amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better group to follow me around all night. I cannot wait to see the pictures :)

I used Amerispan Tents for my tent liner, chandeliers, dance floor, and chair rentals. They were great to work with.

All of the entertainment aspects of my wedding were covered by R.A.M entertainment agency here in Memphis. Through them, I booked the 1-900 band, The Beth Lipscomb string Trio, and the King himself, Elvis.

Hair and make-up was done by David Hudson Hair Studio here in Memphis.

A few things I learned from having a wedding:
- People will RSVP and not come. We were expecting around 80 and probably had more around 65-70.

- Have a Plan B in case it rains. Luckily, my plan B worked out perfectly and I was so pleased. I couldn't have imagined not having a back-up plan because in my case it literally rained all day. If you are planning on having an outside wedding I would highly recommend having a back-up plan. If there is no building to go in, consider having a tent-rental company on hand in case you have to have them put up a tent (it's better than nothing).

- Unless you are adamant about a seating chart, don't worry about it. I had nameplates made for our wedding party and immediate family, but ended up not using them. I loved that people just sat where they wanted (a TON of people actually sat inside versus outside at our wedding, something i had not planned on) and people were able to mingle without feeling like they had to sit somewhere assigned.

- You will NOT have time to eat. Nor will you feel like eating. We even had our food packaged for us to take to our hotel and even there I was still too hyped up to eat anything. Just accept it and have people tell you how everything was. Luckily everyone kept talking about how good our food was. Unfortunately for me, I only got a small taste since I was too hyper and anxious to eat.

- It's totally okay to have a breakdown on your wedding day. I was a ball of nerves the morning of my wedding and I just had to have a quick breakdown at my hair appointment. I was so nervous about everything working out with the rain and I just had to have a meltdown. After a 5 minute crying spree, everything was fine and I felt a lot better. Everything worked out in the end and it will for you upcoming brides as well, so don't worry about it.

- Have someone take pictures of EVERYTHING. I know your photographer will capture most of these moments, but trust me, you will want to see pictures IMMEDIATELY. I told my mom to take as many pictures as she could so that I would be able to look at pictures immediately after my wedding. I wanted to capture every moment. My flowers, my food, the arrangements, the gifts. I wanted pictures of it all.

I am working on making an online album so you all will be able to see ALL of the pictures that people took at my wedding, but here are just a few that my Mom took with her camera.

Rehearsal:


More Rehearsal:


Bridesmaid's Luncheon:


Before the ceremony:


Photos with the girls:


With the flower girl:


Father-daughter dance:


More:


watching the dancing:


cake cutting:


more dancing ... we shut the place down!


my smaller arrangements:


my tall arrangements:


With flower girl:


The spread:


The centerpiece:


Our good friends Sara and Byron, but I also wanted you all to be able to see the beautiful hydrangea wreaths my florist made: