I've been married now for exactly one month and am finally able to think about it, let alone write about it, without getting tired. Don't get me wrong - it was the BEST day of my life - but it was also a most exhausting process. No one tells you that and I am a planner by nature. I enjoy creating the plan and seeing ti through. This...was a whole different beast.
This website helped quite a bit in terms of organization and direction. I live in the suburbs of Chicago and wanted to be able to afford something nice while being able to have all of my rather large family there. We decided The Seville would accomodate both needs very well and were blown away by the end result! We had tons of fabulous food, sweets and drinks that never seemed to stop and a setting that was down right gorgeous! We couldn't have been happier. We had a sweets table, martini bar, champagne and chocolate fountain and even and ice sculpture, plus chair covers - which was big on the hubby's list!
Because of the recommendation of this website we used the services of thepros.com an internet site for photographers, videographers and djs as I was wary because it's based out of Pennsylvania and I'm not. I was not disappointed. My pictures are beautiful! I haven't even confirmed the album or the 100 free prints I'm getting and I already have the proofs cd. The dj kept the party moving! For flowers I went to Jewel (a local supermarket) and they turned out beautifully! And maybe because I dealt with the same woman from start to finish she threw in a a bouquet to toss as well. Red Roses, white Calla Lillies and white Stephs...truly breathtaking! She did an amazing job!
We had the time of our lives and everyone seemed to have a great time! Everything fell into place, and I know it had to do with solid planning and amazing people supporting us the whole way through.
After it all I understand the desire for a wedding planner, I just don't make the kind of money that would cost. Doing it myself was tedious at times, and frantic at others, but ultimately completely worth it.
For bridal gifts I used exclusivelyweddings.com and cindarellaspumpkin.com the most. The emroidered flip flops are the comfiest I've ever owned! When I received the guest sign in matt and frame from exclusively the glass was shattered. When I called to let them know and ask how they wanted to handle it - expecting the worst - the woman was unbelievably friendly and told me to pitch it. They would send another! I was speachless! She didn't lie. I got the new one a few days later.
I also used postcards from different Italian cities (our honeymoon destination) as table names, which turned out really well. I used the sign in frame for the rehearsal dinner and a sign in calendar for the wedding.
Arthur Murray, specifically Aimee, gave us our dance lessons and made the first dance totally amazing! We put on quite the show!
I do believe that one of the things that made it a bit less difficult was that our families were supportive and pretty much unobtrusive. I think in some way that had something to do with each of our personalities being rather strong and knowing what we wanted. I think the majority was that they too felt we had met our match and were happy for us. We opted to have no children at all at our wedding. We wanted it to be a time for adults to let their hair down and have fun. I also made most things optional. For example - the girls were told what color and length and then they could pick whatever dress they wanted. They almost all picked different ones and felt great, which only added to their beauty. I was getting my hair done by my stylist Rene, and let them know she and her collegue could do theirs or not, it was up to them. MOst chose to have it done. For make up I went with Clinique at their counter and the requirement was to purchase one item and it was free. I buy their stuff anyway so I was able to easily cover the girls. About 2 months before the wedding I got the girls together for a gathering I paid for so they could get to know each other to increase their comfort and communication in the months to come and to make everything more fun. It worked! Many have since become good friends and that makes my life better and, again, added to the fun quotient the day of!
All in all it was the best day EVER! All the planning, all the time and all the effort completely paid off and we had the time of our lives!