We are from Cleveland but got married in New Orleans. We
had 38 out of town guests with us.
First a tip on shoes – I bought beautiful Seychelles I Do
shoes over a year ago, and then also bought white Croc sandals with a small
heel for walking around taking pictures and dancing. Denise from
Julianne’s Bridal Alterations was awesome and put a few front bustle loops on my
dress and made it work with either pair of shoes. After a few days of
walking all over the French Quarter, the high heels were not an option. I
had pictures taken of them but never actually wore them, and nobody will ever
know or care.
Tip for destination couples – we arrived in New Orleans
on Wednesday and left the following Wednesday and it was very hard to have time
on our own. Even when we didn’t plan on meeting up with anyone, we would run
into our guests everywhere. I loved having friends and family with us, but it
didn’t feel like a honeymoon until we spent a few days in a luxury cabin in the
Smoky Mountains on the way home and were able to just do whatever we wanted.
Dress and Bridesmaids dresses – from David’s Bridal. The
Canton store is so much larger than the Fairlawn store, so I recommend going
there if you have a big group. The staff at the Fairlawn store was awesome
though. No issues ordering or receiving the dresses. One dress was sewn a
little off around the waist, but in the end it was no big deal. I had
Julianne’s Bridal Alterations do my hem and bustle and add tulle straps. The
bridesmaid’s dresses needed no alterations. I spent more than I wanted to but
in the end I felt like I had the perfect dress.
After searching every store I could think of, I bought a cake
stand for about $15 with a coupon at Hobby Lobby.
I made my own invitations using Craft Artist, had them
printed by Vistaprint, then went to Hollo’s in Brunswick to buy nicer envelopes
that fit the invites and inserts better. Hollo’s is a must for any DIY
projects.
Jewelry and accessories – mine was all vintage and
borrowed, but I bought a lot of gifts and peacock fascinators for the girls on
Etsy. I am officially addicted.
Broestl & Wallis in Lakewood cleaned and sized my
rings (my husband’s grandma’s rings), cleaned my grandma’s cameo, and shortened
a gold chain for me to wear.