Caroline Ripa's Wedding guide

C A R O L I N E R I PA’ S WEDDING GUIDE

Let’s plan the wedding you actually want.

B Y C A R O L I N E R I PA

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Table of Contents 01

INTRODUCTION

PA G E 5

02

YAY, YO U ’ R E E N G A G E D !

PA G E 8

03

BUDGET

PA G E 1 2

04

ORGANIZE

PA G E 1 6

05

VENDORS & CONTRACTS

PA G E 1 9

06

VENUE

PA G E 2 3

07

PHOTO & VIDEO

PA G E 2 5

08

E N T E R TA I N M E N T

PA G E 3 2

09

FLORALS

PA G E 3 5

10

C AT E R I N G

PA G E 3 8

11

DECOR, DESIGN & DIY

PA G E 41

12

TRADITIONS

PA G E 47

13

E N J OY I N G E N G A G E M E N T

PA G E 4 9

14

REGISTRY

PA G E 5 1

15

WA R D R O B E

PA G E 5 3

16

W E D D I N G PA R T Y

PA G E 5 7

17

BEAUTY REGIMEN

PA G E 6 0

18

B A C H E L O R E T T E & B A C H E L O R PA R T Y

PA G E 6 4

19

GUEST LIST

PA G E 6 7

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents continued...

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G U E S T A C C O M M O D AT I O N S

PA G E 70

21

WEBSITE

PA G E 7 2

22

S AV E T H E D AT E S & I N V I T E S

PA G E 74

23

CEREMONY

PA G E 7 7

24

FLOORPLAN

PA G E 7 9

25

D AY O F S C H E D U L E

PA G E 8 2

26

REHEARSAL DINNER

PA G E 8 4

27

R A N D O M D E TA I L S

PA G E 8 6

28

WEDDING TIPS

PA G E 8 8

29

POST WEDDING

PA G E 9 4

30

HONEYMOON

PA G E 9 6

31

WHERE TO SHOP

PA G E 9 8

32

MY WEDDING

PA G E 1 0 0

33

T H A N K YO U !

PA G E 1 0 6

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION Chapter 1

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Introduction

Introduction ABOUT ME

Hi!!!! I’m Caroline. I’m a recently married bride obsessed with weddings, content creator, and organized AF human. If you’re reading this, you probably just got engaged, huge CONGRATS! I am so excited for you. You found someone to spend the rest of your life with, and that’s amazing. Planning a wedding can be extremely confusing and stressful - but I’m here to help and make sure you stay organized. However you found me - Tiktok, Facebook, Google search; it doesn’t matter, we are now besties. Thank you SO much for buying my guide!

I got engaged the week the pandemic shut down the country - March 14, 2020.

Tom had big plans for the proposal and it didn’t work out, and we weren’t able to see friends & family for months after getting engaged. After a long 1.5 year engagement we got married on September 18, 2021! It was such a beautiful day and I was so happy how it all worked out. During my long engagement, I had extra time to plan, organize, and fall in love with my wedding planning process.

Now I am here to help you on your journey!

When I started posting on Tiktok I simply wanted to share my personal experience planning a wedding. To my surprise, due to the response from each of you and others on social media, I realized that creating this content may be a way I could be of help to others. I couldn’t believe it - you have each inspired me to make videos every day and share my journey with all of my followers. As a virgo I am cursed with obsessing over the details. Despite the fact that this has been my personal headache, it has helped me tremendously during the wedding planning process and I am here help sort out the nitty gritty and spare you the aspirin. Thank you so much for being here and make sure you’re following me on all platforms for daily wedding updates and tips I will continually post moving forward!

Tiktok - @carolineripa Instagram - @carolineripa Pinterest - @carolineripa Website - carolineripa.com

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Introduction

YAY, YO U ’ R E E N G A G E D !

Chapter 2

MY TOP 3 TIPS:

#1: Your engagement & wedding is only about you and your future partner. Make sure to remember that. #2: Do whatever you both want . Don’t let anyone pressure you into something you do not want to do. #3: Don’t be afraid to ask A LOT of questions and micro-manage while planning.

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Yay, you’re engaged!

W H AT ’ S I N C L U D E D I N T H I S G U I D E : - 100+ pages of advice - An overview from my wedding - Budget spreadsheet - Vendor search spreadsheet - Complete wedding planning checklist - Packing list

H O W TO G E T T H E F R E E B I E S : www.carolineripa.com/wedding-guide - Scroll and find “wedding guide extras” - The password is ‘savannah1992’

Photography

by Jenna Powers

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Yay, you’re engaged!

Now what?

1

TAKE IT ALL IN! Relax. Go on a date night. Get a massage. Call friends.

Stare at your ring. Go celebrate!

2

Insure your ring. Your fiance may have done this - if not, it’s time to get that baby insured.

3

What do you want your wedding to look like? Brainstorm with your fiance. Pick your top 3 priorities.

4

Pinterest will be your bff: make a board now if you don’t already have one. Or go the hands on route and get a binder to add inspiration from magazines. You want to set the tone of what you want your day to look like. Do you want it to be intimate or a big party? Do you want it to be black tie or more casual? At a winery? In the city?

Destination? Save the pictures that make you excited about getting married.

5

Now, when do you want to get married? Where do you want to get married?

6

Make a guest list. You need an estimated head count when looking at venues. Remember everything you pay for are ‘by the person’ so money is a factor to consider here.

7

Make an email account specifically for all wedding related communication. You & your fiance can both access it and it keeps confusion away from your personal/work emails.

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Yay, you’re engaged!

BUDGET Chapter 3

Let’s create your budget.

- First things first: you need to be realistic about how much money you can spend on your wedding. When thinking of this you have to add: engagement photos, bachelorette party, honeymoon, etc. It’s not just the wedding day.

- Now add 10 % for wiggle room. It’s very common to go over budget. I did.

- Included in this guide is a budget spreadsheet, I highly recommend using it or making your own. You need to keep track of all expenses! I added everything - My advice: don’t take a wedding loan out. I know this on mine. Even if I went to Target and spent $20 on may not be possible for some, but it’s not worth it. something. If it was wedding related - I added it.

Plan a wedding you can afford.

- The average cost of a wedding varies by location. I - Create a budget off of these simple things: am unable to estimate to you how much each determine who is contributing, how much they are vendor should cost - it ranges so much city to city that contributing, then add it up; there’s your budget. it’s hard to narrow down. For example, if I got married in New York City the catering for my wedding would - Don’t accept money from anyone that is going to have been likely three times the price I paid in use it against you and control parts of your wedding. Savannah. Do some research on averages in the area This is your day - not theirs. you are looking to get married and factor that in.

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Budget

“A wedding doesn’t have to be

expensive to be memorable.”

Colin Cowie

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Budget

YO U R B U D G E T SPREADSHEET I S YO U R WEDDING BFF

Below is a small snippet of the budget spreadsheet. The line items are all just examples - delete & add what you need. You can find the full version of the downloadable spreadsheet on my website using the password referenced earlier in the guide. Using this can not only help you keep track of all expenses, but it will help you stay organized. A lot of vendors ask for deposits and then the final payment before the wedding - this can help you keep track of when payments are due & how much money to save up.

When you first start making your budget, add numbers to the “Estimated Cost” column. At the very bottom of this column, all the numbers will add up and that will be your estimated budget. Use that as a guide when looking into vendors and getting quotes. This can help you determine if you need to cut anything or lower the estimated cost of a specific line item.

Add a line to the spreadsheet for every single thing you will be spending money on. Seriously. Invites, stamps, tips, shoes, flights... everything!

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Budget

ORGANIZE Chapter 4

ORGANIZE ORGANIZE ORGANIZE YO U C A N N E V E R OV E R - O R G A N I Z E .

I don’t need to tell you how many moving parts are pieced together when wedding planning. Truly the only way to keep track of everything is to organize everything. Staying organized during planning will you keep you stress free and sane. Here’s how: MAKE A WEDDING EMAIL

I recommend Google. Make a gmail for all wedding related communication.

This way, no email will get lost. And you and your fiance can both access it.

USE GOOGLE DRIVE

If you make a gmail account - utilize Google drive. Make spreadsheets, slides, documents, to-do lists, folders; etc.

MAKE CHECKLISTS

I like to ‘brain dump’. I would be on a walk in the middle of my day and would think of a wedding task or random thing I wanted to do. I’d add it to a checklist I had on Google drive right from my phone. Make a check list for everything! I had one for my bachelorette, rehearsal dinner, wedding morning, you name it.

BUY A WHITEBOARD

We bought a whiteboard during the last few months of planning and I wished we had done it sooner. It helped so much! We would write down what we needed to do that week (and kept it in the living room so we constantly saw it). It helped us stay on track.

POST-IT ’ S , NOTEBOOKS , BINDERS

Post-it’s are good for seating charts and whiteboards. Notebooks are good for physical lists to bring with you for shopping. Get a giant binder and organize all contracts in there. I love google drive, but this helped me when I needed to see something real quick. You want to keep a place for all contracts to live. It gets overwhelming after booking the 5th + vendor.

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Organize

VENDOR S & C ONTR AC TS Chapter 5

Vendor Searching P I C K W H AT I S I M P O R TA N T T O YO U .

1. When looking for vendors, don’t be shy about asking for recommendations from others. Look at instagram. Search hashtags (#(cityname)photographer, #(cityname)videographer; etc).

Use Google.

2. When searching or finalizing vendors, don’t be afraid to ask for anything from them. It’s your day. For example, I asked my DJ if I can give him a do-not-play list even though it’s not common and yet he agreed. Move on to another vendor if they cannot do what you want.

Someone will, I promise.

3. Picking a vendor can be overwhelming. Included in this guide are the directions to access my vendor spreadsheet (see page 10). I used this when narrowing down our vendor, it helps to compare prices & what they can offer you.

4. When you start booking vendors, here is who you should book first: - Planner / Coordinator (if you’re hiring a planner, you should do this first as they will help you book vendors) - Venue (narrow down 3-5 dates before searching) - Photographer / Videographer - Caterer - Entertainment / DJ - Florist 5. Decide what you are willing to spend the most money on and what you can budget for each vendor. For me, photography was a huge priority. So was the open bar and catering.

6. Book vendors as soon as you can. Don’t wait. Especially if you find someone you love, book it ASAP. Vendors book up so quickly, you don’t want to miss out on someone you love because you procrastinated.

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Vendors & Contracts

Booking Vendors What to ask when booking: - Are you available for our date?

- What all is included?

- What is your cancellation policy?

- What is your starting rate? Can we customize a quote?

- How much is the deposit? When is the final payment due?

- Are there any other fees not included in the cost?

- How often will we hear from you before the wedding day?

- How long have you been in the wedding industry?

- Do you have an overview of a real wedding you’ve done?

- Do we need to get insurance? Do you provide this?

Tips when you’ve already booked: - Ask them how they accept payment.

Checks have 0 fees and are often used when paying for wedding vendors. 3% credit card fees add up quick.

- Schedule phone calls ahead of time. You can never over communicate to a vendor.

Don’t be afraid to ask them anything!

- Don’t be afraid to follow up if they haven’t responded. They are probably very busy and bumping an email doesn’t hurt anyone.

- Schedule video calls. Get face-to-face with vendors, it helps form a relationship.

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Vendors & Contracts

Contract tips by Tom

After spending the past 10 years writing and negotiating contracts for work, designated myself as the front runner in handling the contracts and agreements with all our vendors. The most important thing to remember is not to get intimidated by a bunch of technical language about indemnification and force majeure. Remember, the only time you are going to need to reference a contract is for legal purposes if anything were to happen and the odds of that are low. These contracts are there to not only protect the vender but to protect you and your money. Use the contract as a guide to talk with your vendors about what is their responsibility vs what is yours.

SCOPING OUT VENDORS 1. Make sure you are comparing apples-to-apples when you are comparing pricing from vendors. It wouldn’t be a good idea to go with Vendor A that is providing grilled chicken with no sides if Vendor B is providing filet mignon with sides and silverware, just because Vendor A is cheaper. Get specific with the vendors and ask a lot of questions.

2. Get multiple quotes. It will let you know what is a reasonable price and you can use other quotes to get the vendor you want at the price you’re looking for. Don’t be afraid to tell a vendor that you want to go with them but you have another quote from someone that is less expensive. Frequently vendors will be happy to match pricing.

3. Use your wedding planner or coordinator if you have one. Send them the contracts. They are used to scoping out vendors and can help make sure

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that you have everything covered.

TER MS

1. There are times when your vendors are going to tell you that they cannot modify their agreement. My suggestion is that if you have a discussion about something that is not covered in the contract, send an email outlining what they committed to, so you can refer back to it if either party forgets what they committed to later. Get it in writing! Even if they don’t let you put it in the contract.

2. Modifications to cost for number of guests: You are not going to know how many guests you are going to have when you sign up your vendors.

Make sure you are clear about how much it will cost if you increase the number of guests and how much of a credit you will get if the number of guests are reduced. Don’t assume just because the cost is $50/plate that you will get $50 back if you reduce your count by one person. Make sure to ask how the dollar amount will be adjusted.

3. Being protected against changes due to Covid was very important during our wedding. Most of our vendors did not have language about what would happen if there was another shutdown.

They were willing to put in language that we would be refunded or allowed to reschedule at no cost if it was for acts outside of our control. Other things to think about are hurricanes, wildfires, or destruction of the venue. What happens if your vendor gets sick or had an emergency? Will they find someone to fill in or will you have to? Will you get a full refund?

Vendors & Contracts

VENUE Chapter 6

Finding a Venue

1

2

3

4 5

The venue is the first thing you should book. Hands down. This sets your date in place, and becomes the base of the whole wedding. Ask ALL the questions. There is never too many questions to ask your venue. They are the shell of the whole day - everything has to go through them. Make sure you are aligned.

Ask the venue: what dates they are available, how many guests they can hold, and what the rental comes with it. This is actually a regret we have from our wedding. We loved our venue - but it came with nothing. We had to rent everything from lights to napkins. It was very stressful, I wish the venue came with more so we had less vendors.

When can you start the ceremony? Can you also have the reception here? When does the reception have to end? When do you have be cleaned up by? Can you set up the day before? Is there a room or suite for the wedding party to hang out or get ready in? What time can we do rehearsal the day before? Where would cocktail hour be?

These are all great questions to ask.

Do you have to use their preferred vendors or can you use your own?

Some venues require you use certain catering/bar/etc.

Ask about their decor policies. Can you bring your own decor? Can

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Venue

PH OTO & VI D EO Chapter 7

Photography

1

Finding a photographer you like can be overwhelming. Start by deciding what kind of vibe you want for your wedding. Do you like moody? Editorial? Bright? Film? Look at bridal Instagram accounts and Pinterest.

2

You’ve found the vibe you want - yay! Now let’s find you a photographer. I like searching Instagram - but online sites such as The Knot and Wedding Wire will have some.

3

4 5 6 7 8 9

Reach out to all the photographers you like and get quotes. Narrow down what you want - do you want to make a package that includes engagement photos? Travel included? All day or hourly? These are things to think about. Just because someone is cheaper doesn’t mean they will include as much as someone else.

Think about what you want included in your photography package. Do you want a few sneak peak pictures within a week of the wedding? Do you want delivery in 2 months or do you not care? Make sure to ask these questions and use it in the negation of your contract.

Make a detailed shot list. Use your day of timeline as a guide, and write down any picture you would like on the wedding day. Even if it sounds silly - your photographer might not know that you want pictures of a certain cocktail, flower arrangement, or a picture of grandma and grandpa dancing.

Have a call with your photographer close to the wedding day when the timeline is finazlied. Go through every hour - talk about it. Talk about where you will be, and what you want. It’s nice for them to have a visual of the day and you can talk through everything.

Random tip: get your photographer to take some iPhone pictures for you on your phone while taking portraits. That way you have some decent photos to hold you over until the good ones come.

Do you want to have an unplugged ceremony? This was a must for me. I wanted everyone focused on the ceremony. Without all those distractions, your guests will be able to focus solely on the two of you. I also didn’t want anyone taking pictures on iPads and bad quality phones.

When the wedding is over, make sure to not bug your photographer about photos. If the time has passed that pictures were supposed to be delivered, it’s ok to follow up and ask.

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Photo & Video

Sample Shot List & Schedule This is a very basic shot list. I based this off of my own schedule & shot list from my wedding. It’s nice for your photographer to have a photo schedule so they know where to go. For the shot list - make this as detailed or simple as you want. You obviously don’t need to say “bride walking down the aisle”, but if you think of anything specific you want - add it! And make sure to add all family photos you want. Put their first name on the list so the photographer can call for that specific person.

Photo Schedule

Shot List

1:30 - 2:00 Details (shoes, dress, rings etc)

Pre-Ceremony

2:00 - 2:30 Girls getting ready photos

- Detail shots (rings, flowers, invites, perfume, shoes,

2:30 - 3:00 Bride gets into her dress

earrings, dress)

2:45 - 3:00 First Look with dad

- Getting ready photos (PJs): popping champagne,

3:00 - 3:15 First look with bridesmaids

eating burgers, on a bed, in bathtub

2:30 - 3:00 Guys get ready

- Mom helping me put on dress

3:00 - 3:30 Guys photos around park

- Dad first look

3:30 - 3:45 Guys head to ships

- Bridesmaids first look

3:15 - 3:45 Ladies photos in square

- Picture with flower girl

4:00 - 4:15 Ladies head to ships (photos in trolley)

- Pictures in square

4:15 - 4:45 Girls photos at venue

- Bride, Mom

4:30 - 5:30 Music/photograph any ready details

- Bridesmaids group shots

5:30 - 6:00 Ceremony

6:00 - 6:30 Family Portraits

- Bride, MOH, Flower girl

6:30 - 6:40 Whole Bridal party

- Bride & Individual bridesmaids shots

6:40 - 7:00 Bride & groom pictures

- Groomsmen getting ready pictures at hotel

7:05 - 7:10 Introduction

- Groomsmen Pictures at park

7:10 - 7:15 Welcome toast from dad

- Groom, parents

7:15 - 7:20 Father daughter dance

- Groom, mom

7:20 - 7:25 First dance

- Groom, Dad

7:25 - 7:30 Mother son dance

- Groomsmen group shots

7:30 - 7:35 Blessing from tom’s mom

- Groom & individual groomsmen shots

7:40 - 7:45 Cake cutting

- Groom, Ring bearer

7:45 - 7:50 Champagne tower

Post-Ceremony

8:20 - 8:45 Toasts

Brides family:

8:45 - 8:50 Champagne tower

- Bride, Groom, Bride immediate family

8:45 - 10:00 Dancing photos

- Bride, Groom, Bride grandparents

11:00 Reception exit

- Bride, Groom, Bride grandpa

- Some shots with parasol umbrellas

- Bride, bride’s brother Grooms family: - Bride, Groom, Grooms immediate family - Bride, Groom, Grooms brothers - Bride, Groom, Grooms parents

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Photo & Video

VIDEOGRAPHY Let’s talk video. For some reason a lot of people do not prioritize it, but it’s always their main regret. Look at wedding videos on Tiktok, Youtube, and Vimeo and see what type of video you want. I wanted a fast-paced video that felt like a music video - and I wanted to have super 8 film incorporated. Treat this process just like booking a photographer. Use the same tips in the photography page, and keep them updated on the shot list & schedule. Also, see if they will include a small (10-30 second) film to post on social media.

Every bride’s #1 regret is not getting a videographer.

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Photo & Video

PH OTO B O OT H S - First things first: ask yourself if you need a photobooth. It’s not a necesscity at all.

- Research local photobooth companies, and check their Instagram & tagged photos. This will help you understand how the pictures turn out and how good of quality they are.

- After telling them what you want, ask for a picture example.

If you asked for a pink backdrop and a specific text over top you want to see what it will look like (I learned this the hard way and my photobooth was NOT what I wanted because I asked for something very specific and they did not deliver it - and I never asked to see an example).

- Put the photobooth in an area that people will be hanging out around during the reception.

If it’s tucked away, it won’t get used.

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Photo & Video

Disposable Cameras I get questions daily about how I used disposable cameras at my wedding! It was honestly one of my favorite things we did. my only regret is that we didn’t have more cameras. Here are my tips & what I did:

WHERE TO BUY You can buy disposable cameras from Target, Walmart, Amazon, etc. It’s usually cheaper to bulk buy them.

WHERE DID YOU DEVELOP THEM I used a local company in DC (district imaging). I recommend going to a local place over CVS or Walgreens. They develop them in house, while CVS sends them in and they get lost frequently.

And, you’re supporting local :)

HOW DID I GET THEM ON MY PHONE The place I develop them from in DC emails me digital copies. I don’t get a USB or CD or anything. They come straight to my phone. Ask if this is an option wherever you go.

HOW MANY CAMERAS DO I NEED I had 10 tables at my wedding and bought 8 cameras. Don’t ask the logic - I am not sure lol. I wish I had more! I love all the pictures that came out. I also wish I gave one to every bridesmaid.

FLASH TIP You have to make sure your guests are turning the flash on. They are not automatically turned on. I like the Fujifilm camera because you switch a button to turn the flash on. On the Kodak cameras, you have to hold down the flash for each shot and it’s annoying.

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Photo & Video

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Photo & Video

E N T E RTA I N M E N T Chapter 8

Entertainment

1

2

3

4

5

Having a good band or DJ will set the tone of your whole wedding.

Make sure to pick someone good! Read reviews. See if they have sets on Youtube to watch.

You need to ask a lot of questions when finding the perfect vendor.

Some questions I asked my DJ: “Do you mix songs so they flow to the next one and don’t stop?” “How long have you been a DJ?” “Can I give you a do not play list?” “How would you describe your style?” “Do you provide any other services such as lighting?” “Can you provide wireless mics for toasts?”

Your band or DJ wants to work with you. Send them all songs, what you like, and what you don’t want played. Make sure they know all songs to play - prelude, recessional, first dance; etc.

Do you want entertainment that announces things throughout the night or talks on the mic? This is also something to ask/think about.

I did not, I didn’t want him talking on the mic unless he was introducing something. I also didn’t want any games. Make sure to talk to them about what you want, they will work with you!

Ask them prior to the wedding day if they need anything from you.

We had to provide our DJ a table/tablecloth so he could set up near the dance floor.

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Entertainment

Sample Do-Not-Play & Must-Play Lists I highly recommend doing this. Unless you are super go with the flow and don’t care about music - you should make both these lists to send your band or DJ. It helps them understand what to play and what NOT to play. This way, the only music playing is all the songs you love. On top of these lists, I made Spotify playlists for each event: pre-ceremony, cocktail hour, reception (dinner), reception (dancing), and reception (late night). Each playlist had a different vibe which I loved.

My Do-Not-Playlist

My Must-Playlist

Any line/group dances (ex: cha cha slide)

Danza Kuduro

Bruno Mars

Miracles Happen

Katy Perry

Sweet Caroline

Pink

Caroline (Amine)

Panic at the disco

I wanna dance with somebody

Paramour

Come on Eileen

Single ladies

Rock your body

Don’t stop believing

One Kiss (with Dua Lipa)

Gangnam style

A Little Party Never Killed Nobody

Macklemore

WAP

Ice ice baby

Popstar

Can’t stop the feeling

King Kunta

Pharrell

Like a G6

Bon Jovi

Dancing Queen

Baby Got Back

Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie!

Who let the dogs out

Despacito

Meghan Trainor

Mi Gente (with Beyonce)

Chicken dance

Love on Top

YMCA

Hips Don’t Lie

R Kelly

Mirrors (JT)

A Thousand Years

Higher Love (Kygo + Whitney Houston)

My heart will go on

Peaches Paper Planes - DFA Remix Pepas Stayin’ Alive 23 Partition Tootsee Roll

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Entertainment

FLO R A L S Chapter 9

Wedding Flowers Wedding florals are one of the sneakiest expenses during your wedding, it adds up QUICK. I made the decision to DIY my own flowers and let me be transparent it was a LOT of work. The main reason I did this is because of poor budgeting on my part, we simply could not afford it. I recommend making a list of everything you need from a florist.

Doing a walk through of your venue will help you visualize this - and then proceed to get multiple quotes from florists. There are so many kinds of flowers in the world so most florists will work with your budget since some flowers are cheaper than others. Ask them what is in season the month of your wedding, that can help determine what flowers you can use. Send them inspo pictures

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or a Pinterest board so they can get a feel for what you want. Ask if there is an extra fee if they stay throughout the ceremony to move arrangements to the reception site - this is a good tip so you spend less on reuse flowers. You can repurpose bridesmaid bouquets for centerpieces! Florals to think about: - Bridal bouquet - Bridesmaids bouquets (plus a throw bouquet if you’re doing a bouquet toss) - Groomsmen boutonnieres - Ceremony altar - Aisle - Flower girl petals - Flowers for the wedding cake - Centerpieces - Ceiling centerpieces & hangings - Cocktail hour table vases

Florals

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Florals

C AT E R I N G Chapter 10

FOOD! Catering. This is one of the most important parts of your wedding day.

People want to be fed - and they will remember if the meal was bad. Keep your guests fed & happy.

You do not need the most expensive caterer in your city - the food just needs to be good. One of my best friends had Moe’s cater her wedding. And let me tell you, that white queso was amazing and I’ve never forgot how amazing it was.

Things to think about when booking a caterer: - Do you want a buffet or plated meal?

- Do you want a fancy meal? Food truck?

Local restaurant?

- Do you want a late night snack?

- Will they provide dessert?

- Can they do cocktail hour apps?

- Can they provide vendor meals? (Yes, your vendors need to eat).

- What does their package include?

Plates? Cups? Silverware? Set up?

Napkins? My caterer did not come with any of this and we didn’t realize until later on - make sure to ask this.

- Can they provide a menu tasting?

- How many servers will be there to help?

- How will the food be prepared?

- Can we create a custom menu or modify any items you have?

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Catering

C A K E & D E S S E RT Before we start: you do not need a cake. They are pretty though.

What you do need: some kind of dessert. Cake, cookies, candy, doughnuts, whatever. Your guests will expect something sweet.

We got our cake from Publix, it was $300. I brought in a picture I found from Pinterest and asked for it to just be white and 3 tier with the design (pictured to the right). the cake stand was $14 on Amazon.Cakes do not have to be expensive! And we got the desserts from Sam’s Club. I thrifted or purchased all the platters on the table. Since we had cake & desserts, I got a cake that technically fed 70 people even though our guest count was 95.

Make sure the cake delivers - and have it delivered right before the reception so it stays fresh. Also make sure to do a cake or dessert tasting! They are usually free or included in a final cake price.

If you’re saving the top tier - ask them how they do it and if they can provide a box.

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Catering

DECOR , DESIGN & DIY Chapter 11

Wedding Decor I am firm believer that less is more. I also understand it depends on your venue. Sit down and map out your whole wedding. From when you walk into the venue for the ceremony, to when you leave the reception at the end of the night. Here’s an exmaple of what I did: Entry of ceremony (welcome sign & confetti toss table), entering garden (unplug sign), ceremony (altar columns, white chairs, fan on chairs, vases of babies breath at the end of every row, white rose petals on the edges of the aisle). That’s all I had for the ceremony decor. Sweet & simple. Here’s a list of decor to consider:

Ceremony Decor

Reception Decor

Welcome Sign

Guest Book Table + Decor

Seating Instructions Sign

Guest Book + Sign + Pens

Programs

Gift Table + Decor

Program Sign

Card Holder + Sign

Order of Events Sign

Menu Sign

Aisle Markers

Personal Menus

Aisle Runner

Seating Chart

Ceremony Arch

Dessert Table + Decor

Ceremony Backdrop

Cake Stand + Topper

Vow Books

Cake Florals

Fans & umbrellas

Dessert Displays + Trays

Confetti Cones / Bags

Bar or Drink Station Display

Vases / Florals for the Aisle

Bar Menu Signature Cocktail Sign

Dinner Table Decor

Reception + Cocktail Hour Lighting

Centerpieces

Hanging / Ceiling Decor

Tablecloths

Wedding Favor Display

Table Garland

Photo Booth Table + Sign

Table Runner

Favors

Table Numbers Escort Cards / Place Cards Menus Place Mats Chargers Dinner Plate Silverware Napkins Water Glass Wine Glass Chair Back Decor Candles

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Decor, Design & DIY

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Decor, Design & DIY

Wedding Design THEME + COLORS While you don’t need a “theme”, it’s nice to have a direction you are heading into when it comes to the design & feel of your wedding. Mine was modern, minimal, black, white & tan. Having a color theme helps when picking out flowers, tablecloths, signs, etc. Make sure to think about the time of year and location.

FIND A WEDDING FONT I used the same font for everything. My website, save the dates, invites, signs, etc. It really helps with the flow of every detail.

PERSONALIZE Add personal touches when desinging your wedding. Example: make the table numbers something unique to you & your fiance.

Have cocktails you love, maybe give them a funny name?

Incorporate foods you love (I had late night Chick-Fil-A). Play songs you love and that have meaning. Adding personal touches makes your wedding memorable.

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Decor, Design & DIY

Wedding DIY’s Don’t be afraid to DIY! It can be easy. Give yourself enough time to do it, research it, and have fun with it. DIYing can save you tons of money. You’re also able to customize something completely on your own.

Tip: invest in a cricut. You’ll use it a lot.

Save the Dates & Invites If you’re good at designing, this is something you can do yourself! If not - look on Etsy and get a template. Then add your own wax seals, ribbons, etc. I personally don’t think save the dates & invites need to be fancy and expensive. Most people throw them away immediately.

Flowers Yes, you can DIY your flowers. It’s a lot. It’s stressful, but it can be done. If you don’t want to deal with real flowers - look up silk flowers.

I have a 5 part series posted on my Tiktok on how I DIYed my flowers.

Signs Most weddings can have up to 10 signs. This adds up fast and they are so easy to DIY! I recommend designing a sign and ordering it on a foam board from Vistaprint. You can also thrift vintage mirrors + frames.

Table Numbers This is another thing I see people DIY constantly. You can be very creative with this.

I recently saw someone use glass picture frames and add pressed flowers in them., and then write the number on top of the glass with a paint marker.

Placecards + Escort Cards This is something that you can make really fun and unique. I have seen some really cool placecards. It’s also something you can make easy and print on nice paper and cut out cards. Get creative.

Misc. Decor If you have your eye on something, try to DIY it. I really wanted to make the plaster boxes to put in front of my welcome sign. After some brainstorming, I made it happen.

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Decor, Design & DIY

DIY’s from my Wedding

Placecards

Welcome Sign

Seating Chart

Confetti Cones

Flowers

Plaster Boxes

Table Numbers

Champagne Tower

Card Box

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Decor, Design & DIY

TRADITIONS Chapter 12

Wedding Traditions The most contraversial topic during wedding planning can be what traditions you are using. I’m here to say - do whatever you want to do. Whether it’s a tradition or not, do what makes you happy and what makes you excited! Here are some traditions to think about: • Dances. First dances. Mother son dance.

Father daughter dances. If you do them, I suggest cutting them down to 1:30 long.

• Wearing white to every event. Yes this is very ‘bridal’, but people are starting to change this. Did you find a pink dress and you want to wear it for rehearsal? Wear it!

Don’t want to wear a white wedding dress?

Don’t. Or wear white to everything because you’re only a bride once, whatever makes you happy.

• Changing your last name. OH BOY. Tiktok

• Seeing each other for the first time down

ate me up for this when I said I wasn’t

the aisle. A lot of people are now doing first

changing mine. It’s 2021 and women can do

looks to cut the tension and get some

whatever they want, change it; or don’t!

photos out of the way.

• Something old, something new,

• Spending the night before apart. Me and

something borrowed, something blue.

Tom didn’t do this, we sleep better together. • Wearing a wedding veil. If you don’t want • Having a wedding party: bridesmaids,

to, it’s not in the budget or you hate them;

groomsmen, ring bearer, flower girl. This is

don’t wear it.

not a need, but it can be very fun!

• “Giving the bride away”. Nope. My dad did

• Bouquet toss. Garter toss. Speaks for itself.

not “give” me away.

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Wedding Traditions

EN J OYI N G EN GAGE M EN T Chapter 13

Happy engagement!

It can be hard to truly just relax and enjoy being enageged. Once you start planning the wedding... that’s all you focus on. I’m here to say that you should take time out of your busy weeks to enjoy your engagement!

• Plan date nights! Plan a night of the week that is

dedicated to wedding planning. Make a fun cocktail or dinner that night. Try to make it enjoyable - it can be stressful.

• Are you having an engagement party? Don’t be

afraid to plan your own if nobody is throwing you one.

Take matters into your own hands!

• Plan engagement pictures! I would do this after you

have booked the main vendors for your wedding. Are you using the same photographer as your wedding?

• Plan the outfits you’re going to wear for your

engagement shoot. Are you going be formal? Casual?

Go shopping and make a fun day out of it.

• Are you going to have dance lessons? Tom and I did

this and we had so much fun! We did the 6 week lessons right before our wedding.

• Are you doing premarital counseling?

• Get excited about the upcoming bridal showers &

couples showers (if you’re doing that).

• The bachelorette/bachelor party is something to look

forward to and plan with your wedding party.

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Enjoying Engagement

R E G I S T RY Chapter 14

Registry Tips

• First... do you want a registry? If you don’t, no big deal. If you do, great! Let’s talk more about it. Registrys are becoming less common. A lot of people would rather have a honeymoon fund than register for some expensive china they will never use. I get it. We’re a different generation now.

• If you do want a registry, I recommend Zola. They had great stuff to add on the website, and I was able to link random items throughout the web to the registry. I like this option because we weren’t registered at one store, we just registered from items we liked all over the internet. Another great about Zola is that they do “group gifts”, so if you have a $800 espresso machine, everyone can contribute whatever amount they can. At the end of your wedding, you get 20% off all the gifts you didn’t get off your registry from Zola. So add a lot on there! You can always buy it afterwards.

• Do not be scared to register for fancy things! The 3 things I registered for that I REALLY wanted and dreamed of... we got. I couldn’t believe it. With this being said, make sure to register for different price points so everyone is able to give you a gift.

• Make sure to constantly check on your registry and update it. Add and delete things as you want to. Sometimes things go out of stock - just delete it and add something else. You should also over-register. You can always have leftover items at the end of your wedding, but you don’t want to run out of gifts and have someone get your something random.

• Let’s talk honeymoon fund. I had about 10 registry gifts + a honeymoon fund.

Tom and I have lived together for over 3 years and we really didn’t need that much. We got some of our current items upgraded (bye bye $5 Walmart toaster).

• I’ve always seen some couples have a charity donation link on their website if they don’t want anything from their guests.

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Registry

WA R D R O B E Chapter 15

Wedding Wardrobe

• Ah, my wedding wardrobe. Hands down my favorite part of wedding planning. You need to make a list of everything you will need: your bachelorette, bridal showers, rehearsal dinner, getting ready outfit, reception dress; etc.

• Go wedding dress shopping! Make a bunch of appointments back to back in the same weekend. Invite who you want to come (your mom, future mother-in-law, bridesmaids). Make a Pinterest board with inspo of what dresses you like. Email these to the stores before going in so they can help pick out dresses for you. When you go try on dresses, do your hair & makeup. Wear proper undergarments (spanx, sticky boobs). And wear heels! You want to fully visualize what you will look like on your wedding day when trying on dresses.

• Look into renting outfits. Rent the Runway, Nuuly, and Nova Octo have some really cute dresses. Fashion Pass even has purses and jewelry you can rent. I rented so many outfits throughout my wedding journey!

• Add all wedding wardrobe items to your budget. For some reason this is not common, but it needs to be added. Outfits add up fast.

• Don’t get too hung up on your wedding shoes. I was guilty of this.

Honestly, nobody sees them under your dress and you usually change into something more comfortable later in day. Whatever shoes you buy, wear them around the house and break them in beforehand.

• Decide on accessories. Earrings, necklace, bag, hair clips, veil, bracelet.

• Go bold. Wear something different. This is your wedding journey! You’re a bride. The attention is on you. Have fun with it!

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Wardrobe

My Wedding Wardrobe

L’Academie

Pretty Lavish

For Love & Lemons

Elliatt

Au Darling

Daily Sleeper

Bon Viviann

Louvienne

Mestiza

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My Wedding

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Wardrobe

W E D D I N G PA RT Y Chapter 16

Wedding Party • Once you make the guest list, it’s time to choose the wedding party. PS: it doesn’t have to be the same number (i.e. 4 groosmen & 4 bridesmaids). Nobody notices that!

• After finalizing the list, it’s time to ask your best friends. Groomsmen proposals can be as easy as a text, or something fun like a flask or pocket knife. Bridesmaids proposals should be simple and cute. Don’t spend too much money on a bunch of random stuff. If you go the edible route, it never fails. A bottle of wine, a cookie cake, or macaroons is always a hit.

to have a plan for all questions and communication. Ask polls, use Google forms and documents to hold all information. Having a place where all info is kept is key to not answering the same questions repeatedly.

• Groomsmen outfits: Where will they be renting from? What color are they wearing? We used Generation Tux.

• Bridesmaid dresses: If you can’t find one you like in store, you can order online and see what it looks like when it comes in. Some favorites of mine: Birdy Grey, Show Me Your Mumu, Azazie, • Who are you asking to be the best man or maid Lulu’s, Reformation. Tip: have them buy their of honor? Make sure they are reliable and dress second hand on apps like Poshmark & Dedependable. You will need their help throughout pop. Everyone resells their dress after being in a this process. Don’t ask someone because you wedding and it’s only worn once. feel like you ‘have’ to.

• Are you going to have a ring bearer and flower • Once the groomsmen & bridesmaids have been finalized - it’s time to start planning! Make a group chat for both parties. Or, a WhatsApp chat, facebook group, whatever works. It’s great

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girl? You can also ask them in a cute way. There’s a lot of ideas on Etsy! PS: look at Chloe and Amelie for flower girl dresses.

Wedding Party

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Wedding Party

B E AU T Y R E G I M E N Chapter 17

Beauty Regimen It’s never too late to start getting beauty ready for the wedding day. Also - all of these are optional and not needed. Do whatever works for you! My #1 wedding beauty tip: test everything out before the wedding day. You don’t want to end up hating something you can’t undo or have some sort of reaction.

Hair

Decide what hairstyles you want for the wedding day.

Plan your haircuts around this, ask your hairstylist for advice. I got a trim about 3 months before my wedding. Make sure to plan a hair trial with your stylist.

Skincare

Start getting monthly facials. Incorporate a skincare routine (if you don’t already have one). Start learning what your skin likes and how you can keep it healthy.

Plan your last facial at least a week before the wedding. Don’t do it too close to the day - they can take a few days to recover your skin depending on what you get.

Nails

You don’t need practice your nails - but I recommend it. A lot of people get their wedding nails done the week of and they end up not liking it. Try out the place you are going to a few months in advance and test out the design you like.

Teeth Whitening

Plan out a teeth whitening schedule or use the at home strips. The sooner the better!

Tan

Are you getting a spray tan? Using your own tanning products? Just test them out beforehand so you know how much to use, and when to use them.

Wax

Eyebrows? Arms? Legs? Brazillian? Plan this for the week of.

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Beauty Regimen

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Beauty Regimen

Beauty Regimen continued...

Makeup

When searching for a makeup artist, you can have a trial before booking. It’s not very common but it can be done! If not, once you find and book a makeup artist, make sure to book a trial right away. I did my makeup trial the week of my wedding so my makeup artist had remembered everything she did and what I wanted. If you space out the trial too far from the wedding, you may get a different look. I recommend using a lipstick you use frequently and purchasing it. That way you have the lipstick throughout the day and can reapply.

Bridesmaid Makeup

Make sure to ask your bridesmaids who wants their makeup done (& hair). This way you have a head count for who is getting their makeup done and you can tell the artist you book.

Bridesmaid Hair

When booking a hair stylist, use the process mentioned above and ask who is getting their hair done or not so you can tell your vendor. How do you want your bridesmaids hair to look? Up? Down? Try to have it be a different than your hair so you stand out more.

Inspiration

You guys know what I am going to say... make a Pinterest board!

Of all your beauty inspo. Manicure, hairstyles, makeup looks. Start gathering what you like. Don’t go too over the top on any style, make sure to stay true to who you are. Most brides who go a different route than normal end up hating their hair, makeup, nails; etc.

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Beauty Regimen

BACH ELO R E T T E & B A C H E L O R PA RT Y Chapter 18

Planning the fun part.

Make a guest list. You can invite people who are not in your wedding party! Talk to your best man & MOH. Figure out where you should have it and when you should have it (usually 1-4 months from the wedding). You should be accommdating for some people, but don’t do anything you aren’t excited about.

Who is going to take charge and plan? You need this person to take over all communication. They need to book all hotels & reservations. They should also collect money from everyone. Speaking of money... who pays for what? I think everyone should contribute (even the bride or groom). Unless you are having a small, local party and doing just dinner or something. Then, I think it’s okay to cover the bride/groom.

Now that you’ve put someone in charge & found a place, send that person your must haves and what you DON’T want. For me: I wanted a boat day, I wanted to go to a club one night, I did not want any penis related things, no strippers, etc).

Make sure you relay to your attendees the vibe you want. Do you want to party hard the whole time and sleep all day? Stay in every night and do a lot during the day? It doesn’t matter, but let them know ahead of time so they can understand what you want.

Do you need gifts? Matching t-shirts? Decor for where you are staying? This is up to you and the person planning your party. Gifts are fun but make sure they are practical and will be used again.

Does the bride/groom have to be involved in planning the bachelorette/bachelor party? The answer is no. Unless you want to be.

Make a group chat + shared album. You want to updated all the girls throughout the planning process.

Make a playlist! This can be used when pre-gaming & getting ready. You can share the playlist with everyone ahead of time so they can add songs.

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Bachelorette Party

My bachelorette was in Canun, Mexico. We stayed at Iberostar Coral Level.

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Bachelorette Party

GUEST LIST Chapter 19

Making the Guest List

1

2

3

4 5

6

You do not need to invite everyone you’ve ever met. This is what we asked ourselves: Have you talked to them in the past year? Did you want to tell them when you got engaged?

Giving plus ones can be tricky. If you have capacity, sure give them out!

But, do you want to meet people at your wedding? Our rule was if we’ve met their significant other or they are married/engaged they get a plus one. If they are single but know a lot of people - they don’t get one. If they are single and don’t know anyone - they get one.

Let’s talk about kids..... This can be a hard topic. Do you want kids at your wedding? Yes? Than let the families know. If the answer is no, then have no kids. Don’t listen to anyone who complains about this, they can find a babysitter or not come. Most adults prefer a night out anyways without chasing their kids around. Plus, any kid is an extra head at the wedding, and they don’t care and won’t remember it. Just something to think about.

Stand your ground on your guest list - don’t let family members control the list (whether they are contributing or not - it’s YOUR day).

After you’ve made the list, it’s time to gather addresses. There are many websites you use (Postable is a popular one). We used Google and made a form and texted it out to everyone invited. Make sure to ask for their names (incase it’s tricky and you don’t know how to spell it).

Lastly, be prepared for rejection. Unfortunately not everyone will be able to make it to your wedding.

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Guest List

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Guest List

G U E S T A C C O M M O D AT I O N S Chapter 20

Guest Accommodations

1

2

3

4

5

6

The most important part of your wedding is your marriage. The second most important thing: your guests. Make sure they are taken care of and you’ve planned the weekend accommodations out for them.

Get a hotel room block. Most people get a normal hotel and a high end hotel for those who want to splurge. Try and pick a hotel close to the venue & wedding activities. *Tip: release the rooms one month out from the wedding.

Some hotels charge you if you don’t fill up the whole block.

Are you going to make hotel bags for them to get upon check in? People like snacks & drinks. Don’t go over the top. Maybe add a schedule of events with addresses in the bag so they know where to be. You could also provide a list of local things to do and restaurants to eat it. Our else, you’ll probably get a few texts asking where to go.

Have you planned any transportation? If the venue is 30 minutes from the hotel where everyone is staying, you should probably arrange for a bus or trolley to take them. Also, make sure to consider transportation after the wedding, they need a way to get back.

Are you going to get a hotel block or house rental for your wedding party? It’s usually a lot of people but it can be so fun staying in a house with all of your best friends the whole weekend. Ask around and see what they say (some people are hotel people and prefer to stay alone).

Consider throwing a welcome party. If majority of the people coming to your wedding are coming from out of town, having a get together before the wedding can be so fun. It also alleviates the tension of saying hi to everyone on the wedding day because you’ve already talked to some people.

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Guest Accommodations

WEBSITE Chapter 21

Wedding Website While a website is not needed - I recommend it. We are in an era where everything is digital. If you send invites with information, odds are some people lose it and end up asking you. When you have a website with all the information, it never gets lost!

Domain + Hosting

Do you want to have a specific doman for your website? You can purchase these through Squarespace or any hosting platform, or you can get it on GoDaddy. Where do you want your website to be?

If you use Zola or The Knot they are free, but you have to use their templates & domain. If you want a more customizable website, you should use Squarespace.

Information

What information should you put on your website?

Everything. Anything that someone may ask you. The wedding date, venue address, ceremony start time, any local recommendations, registry, etc. Put it all on their. When someone asks you a question that is answered on the website - send them the link!

RSVP’s

Having a wedding website gives you the advantage of having online RSVP’s. While mailing back RSVP’s are very formal - more people are doing the online route.

We made password protected section on our website for all guest info + RSVP’s. *We added the password on our invites.

Make it Personal

Add your dating story, engagement story, engagement pictures, and wedding party. People love seeing pictures and learning more about the future brides & grooms.

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Website

S AV E T H E D AT E S & INVITES Chapter 22

S A V E T H E DAT ES Do you have to send save the dates?

Obviously, no. But it helps your guests plan & get excited. You can send these out as soon as you have a date & venue booked. People used to send save the dates closer to the event, but now they are sending them earlier and earlier so their guests can get first dibs on their wedding (over someone else’s). The Save the Date does not need a lot of information - just add the city and date.

Tips & Tricks: - Order stamps online at USPS. They have more options.

- Bring your letter packaged up and ready to go and have the post office weigh it. They will tell you how many stamps it will need.

- Make sure it is clear who is invited (on both the save the date & invite).

- Add your wedding website on your save the date so the guests can start planning early - or get you a registy gift.

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Save the Dates & Invites

INVITES Invites should go out about 2 months before the wedding. You need to give yourself enough time for people to RSVP - and enough time for you to hunt down those who didn’t RSVP (there will be a lot).

What do you include? A traditional invitation suite includes the main invitation, a response card, and an enclosure card containing helpful information for your guests (reception info, travel and accommodations, attire, wedding website, etc).

If you want to go more simple, just add the website on the invite and keep the invite clean. It’s also cheaper and less wasteful.

Make sure to add the attire on the invite or website. Don’t make it confusing or make up something - use the typical casual, formal, semi-formal or black tie.

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Save the Dates & Invites

CER EMONY Chapter 23

Ceremony Details Ceremony Script & Officiant

Depending on the kind of ceremony you’re having - you’ll need to get an officiant. If you’re having a religious church wedding you will probably be having have a pastor or priest marrying you.

All ceremonies have a script. Don’t be afraid to edit it to what you want it to be. Our officiant sent us over a generic script he uses and I edited it WAY down. It was super long at first and I wanted it to be much shorter. We also changed some terminology on it so it sounded more like “us”.

Vows

If you’re writing your own vows, make sure to write them down on vow books or pieces of paper before the ceremony. Just please don’t read off of your phone. Also, make sure to practice them beforehand so you don’t get nervous.

Marriage License

Apply for this way ahead of time. You will need to pick it up the week of your wedding. Talk to your officiant about what to do next. Our officiant mailed in the signed license after the wedding so we didn’t have to worry about it.

Random Ceremony Details

You guys know what I am going to say... make a Pinterest board!

What song is the wedding party walking down the aisle to?

What song is the bride walking down to? Where will the wedding party stand? These are all things to go over at rehearsal so you have a smooth ceremony.

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Ceremony

FLO O R PL A N Chapter 24

Wedding Floorplan • Use an online tool, or just a pen & paper: and map out your floor plan. Add every detail. All the ceremony chairs. Signs. Reception tables.

Photobooth. DJ. Guestbook.

• If you have a planner they will do this for you, but if not it’s super easy to do yourself. Picture yourself in the venue and where everything should be. This will help the person setting up whether it’s you, or somebody else. They’ll know exactly where everything goes.

• By this point in planning, you should have a final guest list. Now you can start the seating chart (if you’re doing one). I used a foam board and tab divider stickers to make my seating chart. I labeled each table number, and added the people around the table. If you have assigned seats with placecards, etc; you need to do this so people know where to go.

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• Don’t be shy when making the floorplan - be as detailed as possible. Make a key and mark where every piece of decor should go.

• Where are you going to sit in the reception?

Most couples have a sweetheart table or they sit with the wedding party. I ate dinner alone with my husband so nobody would bother us LOL. Just something to think about.

• When making the seating chart, seat couples together. Also seat people together that know each other, but add in extra people. It’s always fun to go to a wedding and meet people sitting at my table.

• Bar tip: don’t hide it. Have it near the dancefloor or close to where everyone is sitting. People tend to mingle around the bar area, so if it’s hidden: all your guests will be standing by wherever it is.

Floorplan

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Floorplan

D AY O F S C H E D U L E Chapter 25

Wedding Party Schedule The wedding party needs to be told what to do & where to go & when to be there. I suggest making small sample schedules to send via email / text on the wedding weekend. Include everything. Rehearsal, what time they need to wake up, lunch; etc. I made a schedule for the groomsmmen, bridesmaids, and both sets of parents. Here’s what the schedule I gave the bridesmaids, I kept it short and sweet and everyone could see it on their phones:

Thursday, September 16, 2021 4:00 pm - Mansion check in 8:00 pm - Drinks out at bars Friday, September 17, 2021 11:30 am - 1:30 pm - Bridal Brunch 3:30 pm - Rehearsal 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm - Rehearsal Dinner 7:30 pm - Welcome Party 9:00 pm - Leave party & head to mansion for bouquet making Saturday, September 18, 2021 8:00 am - HAMU Start 8:00 am - 1:30 pm HAMU & brunch 1:30 pm - HAMU complete at girls house 2:00 pm - Bridesmaids PJ photos 2:30 pm - Bridesmaids start getting dressed 3:00 pm - Bridesmaids first look & photos 4:00 pm - Bridesmaids trolley leave for venue 5:25 pm - Everyone lined up for ceremony 5:30 pm - Ceremony begins 6:00 pm - Cocktail hour 6:00 pm - Family & wedding party photos 8:20 pm - Toasts/speeches 11:00 pm - Reception ends 11:00 pm - 12:00 am - Load out/clean up Sunday, September 19, 2021 10:00 am - Mansion check out

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Day of Schedule

R EHEAR SAL DINNER Chapter 26

REHEARSAL Rehearsal is very important for the wedding day. You need to rehearse so you know what you’re doing. Rehearsal dinner? That’s just for fun. I love the idea of having an intimate dinner with the wedding party & immediate family.

If you’re inviting people other than wedding party & immediate family - you should probably send invites so you can get a head count. It doesn’t have to be formal, you can find a cute template on Etsy and text it to them! But let people know ahead when + where it is so they can plan.

Where will you have it? If you do it at a restaurant, there’s no clean up on your end. But it can get pricey. I had my rehearsal dinner at the mansion we stayed at all weekend and I loved it. There was a lot of space for everyone and it was perfect. We had a few speeches but it was very casual!

(Except I told everyon to dress up).

Make sure to factor it into the budget; this will tell you how casual or fancy rehearsal dinner can go. I’ve been to BYOB and pizza rehearsal dinners, and I’ve also been to plated fancy ones. Do whatever is the vibe for you!

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Rehearsal Dinner

R A N D O M D E TA I L S Chapter 27

Let’s go over random details.

It’s really hard to picture how many little details you need to think about during your wedding weekend until it’s actually happening. I’ve put together a list of random things to think about during planning.... mainly things I forgot myself or didn’t think of until it was happening.

• What side of the altar do you want to stand on?

• Talk about the cake cutting beforehand. Who is cutting it? Are you using a fork or your hands?

• Practice your first kiss... it can be awkward.

• Are you going to practice your first dance? Will you get dance lessons?

• Are you doing a confetti toss after the ceremony? Are you doing an exit at the reception? Sparklers?

• Will you have a car pick you up after the reception?

• How are you/your guests/wedding party getting around all weekend? Do you need to hire a bus or trolley?

• If your wedding is outside in anyway - you need a rain plan. Always have a backup rain plan.

• Are you doing speeches or toasts? Make sure to ask these people beforehand - and give them a time limit. 5 minutes is usually perfect.

• What time will the sun set? Keep this in mind when taking pictures and determing a ceremony start time.

• Keep extra tables/chairs on hand. People may show up that did not RSVP. • Are you changing into a second dress? Who is in charge of your wedding dress if you do this?

• Where are you staying the night of the wedding? Pack an overnight bag and have someone drop it off / bring it there before you arrive so you both have your belongings.

• You need people to help break down at the end of the night. Ask people, and gather the wedding party. The more people, the faster it gets done.

Make sure cars are there to grab any misc. decor.

• Are you getting anyone day of gifts? Your fiance? Bridesmaids?

Groomsmen? Parents?

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Random Details

WEDDING TIPS Chapter 28

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Wedding Tips

My Wedding Tips • Always test something new before the wedding - whether it’s a new face mask, shampoo, or undergarment; the wedding day is not the day to try new things.

• Things won’t go 100% as planned. It’s ok.

• Match expectations to your budget.

• Don’t hyper focus on the weather. It can change at any time.

• Bring comfy shoes to change into at the reception.

• Consider an unplugged ceremony.

• Kindly ask your officiant to get out of the frame during your first kiss.

• Set aside alone time for you & your fiance on the day of the wedding.

• Don’t overlook the: bars, food, transportation, and bathrooms. Guest appreciate these things and will be thankful.

• When searching for something don’t add “wedding” in front of it. (Examples: wedding shoes, mother of the bride dress; just search for white shoes, or formal gowns).

• Have someone you trust in charge of your phone on the day of. They can answer texts and calls and take content for you on your phone!

• Stay true to yourself - when it comes to decor, your hair, your dress, anything. Don’t wear something or do anything to your hair that you don’t normally do.

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• Don’t buy personalized things like “bride” or “bridesmaid”. You will not use this item ever again.

• Focus on what matters. Your new marriage is the only thing you should be focused on.

• Don’t be scared to buy secondhand. Decor, fashion, gifts; etc.

• When planning, don’t get overwhelmed.

Try and do one task a day.

• Have a plan for guests who will want to keep the party going.

Wedding Tips

Tips from You! • Give your bridesmaids disposable cameras to take candid pictures throughout the day.

• Take a moment during the reception to just stop and look around at all your loved ones.

• Run around and take a photo with every table at your reception.

• Don’t get a fresh pedicure - you’ll get blisters. Get a polish change.

• Grab your partner’s hand at the reception and don’t let go the entire night.

• Don’t drink too much!

• Start getting ready sooner than you think you need to.

• Get your caterer to make a to go box with food & dessert - for post wedding snacks.

• Getting a massage the week of the wedding will help with stress.

• Do a private first or last dance.

• Walk around the ceremony & reception before the wedding starts to see it all decorated and complete.

• Send your photog a list of family photos you want. Desingate someone that knows both families to organize family members for these pictures.

• Keep stain remover on hand.

• Get bridal portraits done.

• Make an emergency kit for the day of (pens, scissors, safety pins, deodorant, etc).

• Enjoy your dessert table! Eat the cake!•

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Wedding Tips

D AY O F T H E W E D D I N G Go through your wedding checklist on the week of the wedding. Skim through it the morning of, make sure you aren’t missing anything.

Give your MOH a copy of the timeline so she knows what’s going on all day. She also needs to keep track of the bridesmaids all day!

Assign someone to deal with breakfast & lunch.

My grandma and aunt made a giant brunch table with a mimosa bar - it was amazing. Make sure to get cold brew & creamer - you’ll need it!

I also asked my dad to pick up my favorite Starbucks order for me - the cup even said “The Bride” on it. Iconic.

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Wedding Tips

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Wedding Tips

POST WEDDING Chapter 29

Congratulations!

1

You did it! Congratulations! You married the love of your life. I bet your wedding was absolutely stunning. Take it all in! Relax.

Sleep in.

2

Make a shared album if you haven’t already and get everyone who attended the wedding to add any pictures they took throughout the weekend.

3 4

5

6

7

Return all rentals. Tuxedos, furniture, decor, etc.

Sell any items you don’t want to keep. I sold a lot on Instagram and Facebook marketplace! You can also sell wedding wardrobe pieces on Poshmark & Depop.

Do you want to preserve your bouquet? Make a plan for this because you need to send it in ASAP before it goes bad. Look on Etsy - there are a lot of unique ways to turn it into a cool art piece for your home.

If you’re not selling your wedding dress you need to get it dry cleaned and preserved. Local bridal bouqtiues can do this, and some alternation places offer this.

Thank you cards! Keep track of all gifts you recieved and order thank you cards. Etiquette is up to one year after the wedding, so wait until you get your photos and send an awesome thank you card out with a picture you love from the wedding.

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Post Wedding

HONEYMOON Chapter 30

Plan the Perfect Honeymoon Sit down with your fiance one day and decide when you want to have your honeymoon. Do you want to go right away? Wait a week? Wait a month?

This will probably depend on the time of year & if you can afford it.

DECIDE WHERE TO GO

I’m a firm believer in going somewhere fun, cool & exotic. You only honeymoon once, don’t go somewhere that you can get to easily.

FORM A BUDGET

My least favorite word... budget. Having a budget for your honeymoon will help you be able to plan and see where you can go realisticly. This way you can plan excursions, hotels, etc.

G E T A T R AVE L AG E N T

There’s few times in your life you should be relaxed and hire a travel agent.

Your honeymoon is one of them. If you get a travel agent, you don’t have to worry about anything. Which can be really nice. Most travel agents get deals with hotels and you can get a good package. It doesn’t hurt looking into.

BE A ROMANTIC

We haven’t gone on our honeymoon yet but this will probably be hard for me to do. I don’t love PDA or attention, but when you’re on your honeymoon - people love to pamper you and give you stuff. Have fun! Get a couples massage. Have breakfast in bed. Schedule a sunset photoshoot.

DON’T PLAN A LOT

You don’t want to have a jam packed schedule. You are going to want to sleep in and have some down time. Plan a few things a day, but also leave room to be spontaneous.

UTILIZE CREDIT CARD POINTS & MILES

I’ve had a Chase Sapphire for years & Tom has the Delta CC. We were able to book our flights to our honeymoon in Capetown entirely on points! Woo hoooo. I was so excited. If you don’t have a travel points CC, sign up for one and use all wedding expenses towards it.

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Honeymoon

WH ER E TO SH O P Chapter 31

Wedding Shopping Revolve Wedding outfits & accessories Etsy All things decor + small random things House of CB Fun & formal dresses Poshmark Find barely used clothes for cheap!

Cult Gaia Fun outfits & dresses Jacquemus Designer outfits & bags Nasty Gal Affordable dresses & pajamas Sundarbay White fashion forward suits Montserrat New York

Alamour The Label

Pajamas & jewelry

Formal dresses

Bridesmaid Dresses

ASOS

Birdy Grey

Dresses & accessories

Bon Viviann

Gianni Bini

Feather pajamas

Bridal shoes

The Real Real

The Dolls House

Designer re-sale

White party dresses

Pretty Lavish

Bronx and Banco

Timeless dresses

Fun party dresses

Club L London

The Bar

Party dresses

Party dresses

Selfie Leslie

For Love & Lemons

Casual white dresses

Dresses

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Where to Shop

MY WEDDING Chapter 32

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My Wedding

September 18, 2021 After 1.5 years of planning, September 18th, 2021 was finally here. It was the most magical, perfect day.

We got married in Savannah, GA. I’m an army brat but I stayed in Savannah the longest so I call it home. It’s such a pretty city, with so much history. Walking around downtown Savannah is my idea of a perfect day.

We chose to get married at Ships of the Sea because it was right in the heart of downtown, but you’d have no idea. The ceremony space is a gorgeous garden and was my absolute dream. I got a mansion on Monterey Square to stay at all weekend for me & my bridesmaids. We also had the bridal brunch and rehearsal dinner there - it was perfect! The week of the wedding was gorgeous and it was supposed to literally monsoon on my wedding day - I had so many panic attacks. The morning of the wedding, I woke up to a beautiful sunny day. I couldn’t believe it. This is your sign to not worry about the weather because it can change at any second.

The day was spent relaxing, drinking mimosas, getting ready, and hanging out with all the people I love most. My favorite part of my wedding (besides marrying Tom hehe) was being with all of my favorite people all weekend. It was a once in a lifetime oppurtunity, something like that never happens. At least for me. One of the cons of being an army brat, everyone you love is spread all over the world.

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My Wedding

Our Timeline This is a brief overview of our timeline. Our coordinator put it together and sent it out to all vendors the week of the wedding. The real timeline has way more details - like the exact hair & makeup schedule, songs being played at specific times, what vendors are bringing/need to know; etc.

Friday, September 17, 2021

5:00 pm - Groomsmen return to venue

3:30 pm - Rehearsal

5:15 pm - Groomsmen line up for ceremony

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm - Rehearsal Dinner

5:25 pm - Everyone lined up for ceremony

7:30 pm - Welcome Party

5:30 pm - Ceremony begins 6:00 pm - Cocktail hour

Saturday, September 18, 2021

6:00 pm - Family & wedding party photos

8:00 am - HAMU Start

6:20 pm - Tom & Caroline photos

9:00 am - Tom pick up florals from mansion

6:45 pm - Tom & Caroline alone time

10:00 am - Ranco delivery + setup at venue

6:55 pm - Guests start moving into reception

10:00 am - Tom arrives to venue to set up florals

7:10 pm - Introduction of bride & groom a

12:00 pm - Groomsmen eat lunch in hotel lobby

7:15 pm - First dance

1:00 pm - Groomsmen start getting ready

7:15 pm - Father of bride speech

1:30 pm - HAMU complete at girls house

7:20 pm - Father daughter dance

1:30 pm - Photographer arrives

7:25 pm - Mother son dance

2:00 pm - Bridesmaids PJ photos

7:30 pm - MOG speech/blessing

2:00 pm - Catering arrives to venue

7:30 pm - Dinner starts for guests

2:00 pm - Videographer arrives & starts

7:30 pm - Cake cutting

2:15 pm - Parents of bride dressed & ready

8:20 pm - Toasts/speeches

2:30 pm - Bridesmaids start getting dressed

8:40 pm - Toast from bride & groom

2:30 pm - MOB helps bride into dress

8:40 pm - Champange tower pour

2:30 pm - Groomsmen, Groom, MOG/FOG dressed

8:45 pm - Dancing starts

2:45 pm - Groomsmen board trolley at hotel

9:30 pm - Caroline changes into second dress

2:45 pm - Bride first look with Dad

9:40 pm - Fun playlist starts / re-enter reception

3:00 pm - Groomsmen photos in Forsyth

10:00 pm - Late night snack arrives

3:00 pm - Bridesmaids first look & photos in

10:45 pm - Party bus arrives

3:30 pm - Groomsmen trolley leave for venue

10:50 pm - Last song plays

4:00 pm - Groomsmen leave for drinks at Repeal 33 11:00 pm - Reception ends 4:00 pm - Bridesmaids trolley leave for venue

11:00 pm - 12:00 am - Load out/clean up

4:30 pm - Harpist prelude begins (1 hr) 4:45 pm - Bride hidden in bridal suite 5:00 pm - Publix cake delivery 5:00 pm- Photobooth arrival

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My Wedding

Our Vendors Photography Jenna Powers Videography The Mango Market Venue Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum Coordinator Sincerely Yours Makeup Artists Clarie Viehman & Royal Makeup Hair Stylist 40 Volume Salon Catering Kirk Blaine Wedding Dress Louvienne Groomsmen Tuxedos

DIY Flowers

Generation Tux

Fifty Flowers & Sams Club

Bridesmaid Dresses

Photobooth

Birdy Grey

Georgia Photo Booth Company

DJ

Rehearsal Dinner Food

All About You Entertainment

Bella’s Italian Cafe

Trolley

Bridesmaid Mansion

Old Savannah Tours

Wedding Cake Mansion

Furniture & Linens

Venue Lighting

Ranco

JLK Events

Harpist

Invites & Save the Dates

Kristin King

Paper Culture

Party Bus

Paper Umbrellas

Savannah Party Bus

Paper Lantern Store

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My Wedding

Wedding Regrets 1. My hair. I didn’t love it, I wish I did something different. This wasn’t my hair stylists fault - I just realized I didnt know what I wanted until the wedding was over.

My advice: don’t do anything out of the ordinary for your hair.

2. Not asking the venue to steam the linens. There were creases on every table and it shows in every picture.

3. Photobooth. Waste of money. They didn’t do what I asked - I should have micromanaged it more. Tip: ask for an exmaple of what you want.

4. I wish we got more disposable cameras. I loved the pictures and wish we had more! I also wish I gave some to my bridesmaids to take pictures.

5. Believe it or not, I wish I organzied more. I had high anxiety the month of the wedding and it made me not be as organized as I usually am.

6. I never gave my DJ a “must playlist”. Some songs I love were never played.

7. I wish I had a bridesmaid designated to taking photos and videos on my phone behind the scenes. I barely have any content that isn’t professional.

8. Rehearsal dinner photographer! I wanted to hire one. I even reached out to a lot of people - I got overwhelmed and forgot to book.

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My Wedding

T H A N K YO U Chapter 33

Thank you. So much.

If you’re reading this, that means you have made it through my whole guide. THANK YOU! Your support means the world and I couldn’t do this without you. CONGRATULATIONS on your upcoming wedding! Planning a wedding is hard, and I hope this guide helped you stay on track & organized. I put my heart and soul into this guide and tried my best to give every tip I could think of. Make sure you are following me on Tiktok & Instagram as I continue to share random tips and tricks during wedding planning.

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Thank you!

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Thank you!