Nashville Wedding Planner | A Delightful Day Event Planning Blog

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Alterations

How I wish I could post pictures from my appointments for this! Ever since I found THE DRESS back in November, I have been itching to put that gorgeous piece of loveliness on again. Fortunately, I've had two dress fittings since the beginning of February, so I've been able to twirl around in it a couple times.

As you know, I purchased my dress from The Bride Room's Super Sample Sale last November. As part of the sale, they offered a promotion to get our dresses cleaned and altered for a discount through the incredible Oakwood Cleaners. DeNeal has been with me since the start -- she was there to advise when we were first looking at THE DRESS at The Bride Room, and assured us that altering the gown {which has a side-zip} wouldn't be an issue. Since then, she's met with me and my mother, helping nip and tuck and bustle and hem my gorgeous confection.

My last appointment was May 1st {in perfect time to be cleaned and pressed for my bridal portraits May 31st -- eep!}. Mission until then? Kicking my walking wedding workouts into high gear for the next week! I have a stunning dress to fit into flawlessly!!!! :)

~ Kelly

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Rehearsal Dinner

Sometimes I get a bit maniacal about details. It pays to be maniacal as a wedding planner, so I guess I'm in the right field! ;) But what that translates to in my personal life (and planning my OWN wedding) is obsessive, compulsive detail-planning. I probably have eighty different Word files on my laptop with various lists relating to our wedding. {Broken into "To Do's," checklists, DIY project lists, and then the details... file upon file upon file of details. Details I've seen in previous weddings, details I dream up on my own, details I couldn't bear to forget, and details from the things I've already got arranged.} And then about twenty more scribbled onto loose notebook paper, written into diaries and journals, scratch paper, receipts, old envelopes and bank statements.... you get the picture. It's only slightly embarrassing. {I also have files on my phone. My non-data plan phone from 2009. So, like, written on my ancient Tools' "Notepad."}

What does a maniacal planner do when she has exhausted almost every detail humanly possible to incorporate into her own WEDDING? She starts planning the next thing -- the rehearsal dinner! Traditionally, the groom's side of the family takes care of the rehearsal dinner planning and arrangements. Some brides like to delegate it away, handing it off from their own to-do list. I, of course, am not one of those brides. While my grandmother is generously taking care of the food and is the official "host" for the evening, I took it upon myself to step up to neurotically plan every last element of the day to truly make it an EVENT. Our wedding's on a Saturday in July, so the rehearsal will be the evening prior. Since we're having the wedding at what can be considered "out of town" location 35-40 minutes outside of Nashville, we wanted to make sure everyone has time to get out of work and make the trip up to Pleasant View with ample time.  We've allotted an hour to rehearse {we have some chronically late people in our group, myself included}, and then the dinner will immediately follow.

Whenever I first started dreaming up rehearsal dinner venues, one immediately stuck out in my mind as the perfect place. It had everything we need:  rental tables and chairs, a covered area {despite being outdoors}, beautiful location, close to The Livery Stables, allowed us to bring in all our own food {this will be a budget-friendly affair and very home-grown!} and decorations. I work part-time as a planner/assistant at Front Porch Farms, and from the first time I worked an event there last fall, I immediately saw the appeal that had won over so many brides! Kathy doesn't usually take any weddings in July or August due to the scorching weather {it's ALL outdoors!} and since the venue is her family's personal home {you have to take SOME time off!}, so I lucked out big-time hosting my hot July evening event.

We originally wanted to have our wedding outdoors {especially when we were looking at a late September wedding date}. Giving up that aspect of our "dream wedding" was hard, but we knew we'd ALL be grateful for air-conditioning when the time came. In a lot of ways, our rehearsal dinner will be the way we absolutely would've loved to throw our wedding but couldn't, for various reasons. It'll be more intimate than the big day {just bridal party, immediate family, and out-of-towners, saving all our near-and-dear for the wedding!!!!}, less stressful {less moving parts!}, and more family-involved. We're going to use our original color scheme {or at least a spin-off of it -- as opposed to our totally transformed wedding colors}, have the grits bar I've been dying to serve, and do it all ourselves {without the worry of trying to "do it all" on the day when we should be taking a backseat and playing the role of "Bride" and "Groom"}. It may not be the most glamorous affair, but I can guarantee it will be fun. :)

Without trying to spoil it all, here are some of the details I'm incorporating:  lawn games, barbecue and a grits buffet, lemonade and sweet tea, and open "mic" toasts. Can't wait! From top left, clockwise:  biscuit bar, banana pudding in Mason jars, yellow runners, banana pudding, lawn games signage, paper sack menu, lanterns with florals, "just married" swing, cool-air drink station.

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Bridal Party

So, I've told you all about my vendors, my fabulous groom, the journey from planning out my wedding in its entirety to changing my mind eight zillion times... It only seems fitting that I ought to introduce some of the key players!

For our bridal party, Drew and I chose six of our dear friends & family members to stand by our sides at the altar.  We have two ring bearers {my sweet precious nephews} and two flowergirls {Drew's adorable cousins}, as well as a 5-month-old flowerbaby {my first niece, who will be born in February!}. And since it was SO hard narrowing down my nearest and dearest to six, I have three lovely honorary bridesmaids who will be recognized and honored on our wedding day as well {just without the requirement to wear a certain dress or leave the comfort of their chosen seats at the ceremony!}.

As far as bridesmaid attire goes, this has been a struggle for me throughout this process. If you've been following along with this series, you know I've had ordeals with changing my wedding colors {along with just about every other detail}. So, before I even changed my colors for real, I decided to look for bridesmaid dresses. And found one I thought looked good on the jcrew.com clearance. And asked my bridesmaids to go ahead and buy them.  Bad decision. Here are some words of wisdom:

1. I strongly suggest at least one of your bridesmaids gets to actually TRY ON THE DRESS you want IN PERSON. Or AT LEAST order it yourself, look at it in person, see how the color actually looks, and see if you like it enough to make your six closest friends buy it.
2. Take into consideration that not every one of your bridesmaids will likely look equally good in one style of dress. Especially if they range dramatically different in sizes, heights, body types, and shapes. Double-especially if your matron of honor is giving birth five months before the wedding. She may kill you in the process.
3. It's not a bargain if everyone loses money returning the clearance dress no one actually liked in person.
4. Try not to make a rash decision at the first seemingly attractive dress you see. I know it's hard when you're trying to please pocketbooks, but do your homework and refer to #1 when all else fails.
5. Sometimes, it's best to just be honest. If everyone's going to look like they're wearing gold potato sacks and that's not the look you're aiming for, tell them. Warning:  They may kill you in the process. However, better to be in the bridal doghouse early on than to have your friends hate you at the actual wedding for dressing them in gold potato sacks!
6. When all else fails, pick a fabric and color and let them pick out what looks flattering.
7. Be sensitive to your 8-month-pregnant matron of honor and let her pick out a dress in May, dang it.
8. Save yourself the trouble and just go to The Bride Room and order these precious Alfred Sung frocks. Preferably before your bridesmaids have already purchased an ugly dress and returned it.

With all that said, you live and you learn. I made a few mistakes in choosing my bridesmaids' attire, but I think they'll look lovely in what I chose in the end. {It's a surprise!} Now, onto introductions!

_________________________________________________________

Bridesmaids

Laura Danielle Boudreau (Matron of Honor)

{L to R: Dani (in blue) and me with our amazing Grandaddy, circa 1993! Dani, five months pregnant, and me before her husband's OCS graduation at Fort Benning}

As the bride’s older sister, Dani has served as Kelly’s partner-in-crime for 23 years.  From baptizing their childhood cats in the toilet to laughing inappropriately at movies, the two sisters have endured almost everything together. The bride is ecstatic to be standing beside her “first friend” at her wedding.

 

Laken Myers (Maid of Honor)

{Laken and me on her engagement night, Dec 26 2010. Laken and me at my engagement party, Dec 10 2011! We're getting married a little less than one month apart!}

Ever since the 8th grade and that fateful day when Kelly was assigned to crash cymbal duty in the band, she and Laken have been inseparable. The two have shared their most awkward years, immeasurably fun times, and entire wardrobes. From sunbathing during class to co-captaining the Color Guard, soaking in the Mexican sun, and dressing up in antique clothes, they’re two peas in a pod.

 

Laurajean Gerber {The two of us at a sorority event in November 2009. The two of us on my proposal night, November 2011!} Laurajean is Kelly’s long-lost soulmate.  Harking from Denver, Colorado, she and Kelly met their sophomore year at Belmont.  Both Alpha Sigma Tau sorority sisters, the girls’ relationship blossomed throughout their collegiate years (even despite the distance... LJ spent a semester abroad in Italy). By their senior year, they couldn’t imagine how they’d ever lived without one another.  They are forever friends, and Kelly is thrilled to have her faraway pal close by on such a special day.

 

Katie Bissinger {Katie and I, at my 15th birthday and then my 21st (it was Barbie-themed!)!} Katie and Kelly (names frequently used interchangeably) first bonded over Oklahoma! the musical their freshman year of high school (which turned into a snow-day sleepover).  They went on to act in multiple school productions (most of which never actually made it to stage before an audience) and perform in Color Guard with Laken.  Many a joint birthday party (born one week apart exactly!) and sleepover later, they went their separate ways after high school graduation, but Katie and Kelly have remained dear friends and confidantes.

 

Julianna Bejma {I had to include Drew in all of these just because they're so close too. ;) } Julianna and Kelly have known each other at least since the second grade, when the two of them spent time playing Mickey Mouse games on the archaic Macintosh computer and doing classroom favors for their teacher, Mrs. Carter. Remaining close throughout their school days, the two friends parted ways with the rest of their friends after high school graduation and entered Belmont together.  Julianna has seen Kelly and Drew through the entirety of their relationship (from day one!), lent plenty a shoulder to cry on, and dealt with the madness that was living with Kelly throughout college. She is a very special person to both the bride and groom, and they couldn’t imagine spending the day without her by their sides.

 

Heather Pierce {At a sorority retreat spring 2009, then at our then-boyfriends' Phi Kappa Tau formal!} Heather has served as a wonderful role model for Kelly throughout her years at college and beyond.  Growing close first after spending countless hours studying for their ridiculously hard Political Science finals, the sorority sisters hit it off and kept up daily correspondence (via texting, crazy-long Facebook messages, and snail mail) from that point forward.  Kelly is thrilled for Heather’s upcoming accomplishment of receiving her Master’s degree from Kansas University and can’t wait to be reunited at the wedding!

 

Honorary Bridesmaids

Aspen Stack

After six years of being the youngest of four grandchildren, Kelly’s cousin Aspen was born.  All her life,  Aspen has been the younger sister Kelly never had (blonde hair and all!). Sharing everything from interests in drama and gymnastics to the same haircuts and Disney princess nightgowns, Kelly likes to claim her as her “Mini Me” and is delighted to share this process with her!

 

Kat Anthony {Kitty and me at Yellow Rose 2011, the two of us at sorority recruitment September 2011} Kat, or Kitty as the bride lovingly refers to her, is a treasured friend and sorority sister. Kelly has admired Kitty for her drive, enthusiasm, and style since they met in the fall of 2010.  After a semester of weekly cappuccino dates and five-mile walks around Nashville (not to mention a fun but frigid spring break trip to the beach), Kelly regards Kat as a pivotal part of her inner circle of friends.

 

Meg Nolan {At a sorority social, then our yellow rose formal 2010!} Kelly met (and loved!) her “Little” sister a semester before Meg even came to Belmont! Introduced by a mutual friend (the bride’s own “Big” sister, Joy), Kelly and Meg adored each other from the start.  Bonding over their love of dance, Wicked, Alpha Sigma Tau, and J. Crew, Kelly has considered Meg a sister and friend for life and is so happy to have her be a part of such a wondrous occasion.

 

Groomsmen

Stephen Dellinger

Stephen is Drew's best friend and younger brother. The two share everything from a love of drumming and the outdoors to last names and good looks. Despite their childhood of trapping one another in laundry hampers and other hide-and-go-seek games gone wrong, the two brothers have maintained their closeness {even while living four hours apart}.

 

Joe Kirkus

Drew and Joe are brothers and video game enthusiasts with a great fondness for making inappropriate jokes.  Bonding over "man things" like smoking cigars and riding the occasional motorcycle {to the bride's chagrin}, they are goofy but endearing together.

 

Konrad Custer

Konrad is Drew's larger-than-life companion and roommate of three years.  When they weren't watching tornadoes from their apartment balconies, throwing wizard theme parties, or making music for the band-that-must-not-be-named, you could find them in ridiculous getups {2008 Christmas Card, anyone?} or eating all of Kelly's homemade chocolate chip cookies.

 

Greg Stafford

When Kelly first introduced Drew to her childhood friends, they immediately recognized him as "kilt boy" from Page HS's drumline {circa fall 2006}. Her memory was triggered once she saw Greg & Drew together {the mohawk-rocking & red afro'd, kilt-wearing tenor players... very much the "dynamic duo" of drumline}. The two extremely talented drummers are good friends with a zillion inside jokes and fond memories.

 

Spencer Roemer

Spencer, the guitar player for the band-which-must-not-be-named, befriended Drew and Konrad when the three went to Centennial High School {prior to rezoning}. Sharing an affection for beer and music, they've maintained their friendship throughout the years.

 

Quinn Zielonko

Quinn is Drew's beloved grandfather and fraternity brother. Sharing the same taste in movies, women, and bingo-playing, the two are destined to be best friends for the rest of "Gramps"' life.  

~ Kelly

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Food

Throughout my recaps of our wedding planning written for this blog, I really haven't had anything negative to say up to this point. Sure -- working with a limited budget has been stressful, finding a date seemed near-impossible for so long, and finding the perfect dress to fit my 6 bridesmaids was less than a cakewalk. But I haven't had a completely negative experience in this process until this point in time. Ultimately, I think I set myself up for failure in the area of food & beverage. Drew and I wrote out a priorities list back whenever we started planning and have since tweaked it some, but as a whole, we knew what things we wanted to really invest in and what things we didn't really care about. As you can guess, food was on the bottom of the list. As a wedding planner myself, I know catering is expensive. Good food doesn't come cheap {but apparently neither does mediocre food}. On top of paying simply for the products your guests will be consuming, you also have to budget for plates, utensils, napkins, linens, the works. One of the reasons we chose our venue was for its all-inclusivity:  The Livery Stables provides tables, basic hotel-style stackable chairs, and china/crystal/utensils. They also offer in-house catering, at what was originally quoted to us {back in November, when we booked} at an outrageously low price. Honestly, those two features were main reasons why we chose our venue to begin with.

{Wedding Food I Love:  Strawberry butter, to accompany a biscuit bar!}

Let's back up a moment. In November when the Great Venue Hunt was on, Drew and I talked to our first-choice location about hosting our wedding there, and were completely sticker-shocked at their required $40++ per person food costs (and labor, and cake cutting fees, and gratuities, and $18pp -- beer and wine only-- bar charges, the list goes on...). It was a deal-breaker for us, racking up the venue charges alone to over $15,000. {So in other words, that's not including my dress, photography, videography, flowers, entertainment, our cake, invitations, etc.} So when the NEXT place we looked at offered $6-12 per person catering and a much lower venue rental fee, it was music to our ears.

{Wedding Food I Love:  Mini ice cream cones!!! I love minis and I LOVE ice cream!}

I should've known after I told Mary Alice and Hillary about the $6-12pp quote and they LAUGHED. Out LOUD. I should've known! Brides, take heed. If your caterer estimates their prices at $6 to $12 per person, things will probably not end well for you. You're either going to be eating Tostitos and salsa, be extremely understaffed and unsatisfied, or end up with absolutely nothing in the end... because let's face it. $6 to $12 per person is not a realistic amount of money to spend on catering. {SORRY! If you're as cheap as we are, just splurge on the cake and serve champagne or coffee and go simple. Or do brunch. But you probably can't even do brunch that cheaply, so really just give it up because it's not going to work out. Sorry, sorry, sorry.} So anyways, we booked the venue. We tasted the food. {Mediocre, but decent for being so cheap.} We asked for an estimate based on the menu we toyed around with. We heard nothing for three months. We met in April with the catering manager (also the venue owner) to discuss a more specific menu and "finalize" some ideas. We asked for an estimate based on THAT menu. Nothing. We emailed three weeks after the meeting and were promised that a proposal was coming that evening. Nothing. We emailed the following weekend. Nothing. This has continued for weeks. My mother, fed up with hearing nothing, called our catering manager/venue owner and was told over the phone that the proposal had been sent but that she would send it again that afternoon. NOTHING. Eight zillion emails later, we have still not heard a SINGLE WORD about the missing proposal. We have given her multiple email addresses to submit it to, multiple phone numbers to call to explain what's going on, offered to pick it up IN PERSON -- all to no avail.

{Wedding Food I Love:  Chicken and waffles!}

Looks like someone can't deliver their $6-12 catering prices. Or doesn't care enough to want the business. I honestly don't know what the issue is (clearly -- communication has not been substantial at any given point of time) and can only postulate what could possibly be going on. I have given every opportunity to explain, try multiple avenues of transmission, etc. We have been polite but insistent, but at this point we are absolutely fed up with the unprofessionalism our venue/caterer has exhibited. {Another golden nugget of advice for other brides:  If your venue owner or caterer or -- God forbid, planner-- ever tells you, "This is just my hobby! Some people like scrapbooking; I do weddings for fun!" you better RUN LIKE HELL! Run! Flee! GET OUT OF THERE!} Needless to say, we will no longer be using their catering services. Instead, we're going to have one spectacular wedding cake and take care of feeding our friends ourselves. Catering is not an area I would ever recommend to brides to DIY (by any means -- if you're looking for a legitimate, wonderful, will-deliver-what-they-promise caterer, please refer to our StudioWed caterers!! they're FANTASTIC!). However, at two months out from the wedding day, having taken for granted that we would have cheap food all along, it's too late to restructure our budget and book a legitimate caterer. This is one lesson we probably should have learned in January, but for better or worse, this is where we are.

{Wedding Drinks I Love:  Lemonade -- with pink striped straws, of course!}

So, my family will be buying, preparing, and serving our wedding meal. Fortunately, my parents do have the experience of having catered both my sister's and cousin's weddings in years past (as well as countless parties I've thrown growing up). It will not be professional, it will not be overly fancy, but it will be tasty and satisfy our need for a meal (seeing as our wedding starts at 5:30PM and I'd prefer for guests not to leave right away). It will be a family affair. It will probably be extremely stressful (as it always is, having to get things ready on the DAY OF OUR WEDDING). There will be sacrifices made. But we made our bed and we will now lie in it. And no one will go hungry. That's the thing that counts, right?

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Wedding Website

One of my favorite things to do is scour through wedding websites. I love reading the story behind the to-be-wedded couple, the bios of all the bridal party members, details about the upcoming wedding, and flipping through pictures from all stages of their lives. When Drew and I got engaged, I knew I wanted to create a wedding website that was a little unusual, totally customizable, and pretty but informative. I've had a personal tumblr blog for a little over a year and love the formatting, so when it came to making decisions, I chose to make our wedding website via tumblr.

 

I looked at traditional wedding website formats and made the pages for ours still pretty traditional with a twist.  We have the standard "about us" page, the "where we're registered," and blogged a couple of times to showcase our engagement session and some basic FYIs. I even chronicled our entire 4.5 year dating relationship on our "history" page with pictures from freshman year to recent adventures.  One of my favorites is our bridal party page!! I spent one afternoon comprising biographies and finding the perfect pictures to illustrate our relationships with our nearest and dearest. It's pretty fun. :) Tumblr allowed me to customize our colors, theme, and put up pictures (as well as embed our engagement video) on every page! We're both very pleased with how it turned out. Oh, and we totally paid homage to our First Dance song through the website's URL and title. Jon Foreman's In My Arms is "our song," so we scattered lyrics from it throughout. Drew and I have called one another "shore" and "sea" since we fell in love with the song (Drew even engraved a ring box for me a couple years ago with it!)-- hence myoceanandme.tumblr.com.

 

Want to know a little more about us? Check out our website!!! :)

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Rentals

You could probably accurately call me a "picky bride." Working in this industry has made me very particular about my wedding demands, and the more I get into planning my own wedding, the more decisive I get. My non-negotiable list goes something like this:

1. Quality photographer & videographer
2. At least seven-night-long honeymoon in tropical location
3. A PLANNER!
4. Gorgeous florals
5. A DJ that will keep people dancing
6. Live ceremony music
7. A seriously delicious cake
8. Professional hair & makeup
9. Flattering lighting
10. The most important dress of my life
11. A Prince Charming groom, of course!
12. A day surrounded by loved ones from all walks of life
13. .....And nice, FLOOR-LENGTH linens

That last one might sound a little silly, but I have a serious complex about short linens. I can't handle them. I suppose most other people are the same way, considering I rarely ever see lap-length linens at actual events... but I definitely have read budget bloggers suggesting that shorter's the way to go. Noooooo!!! Dear brides, please spring for the extra $2-5 per linen and get the floor-length. It's worth it. It will dramatically change the appearance of your reception. WORTH IT. But that's just my soapbox...

Fortunately for Drew and myself, we managed to have incredibly good timing when it came to finding our perfect wedding linens. Working with a meager budget, we planned to get simple, basic ivory polyester tablecloths for our reception tables. They'd look nice with our brightly colored centerpieces, serve their purposes, fall to the floor, and lighten the room. Designer/Specialty linens seemed like something only luxury brides could afford, and as much as I'm turning beer into champagne for this affair, I couldn't justify spending twice as much on fancy linens when I could get the basics and actually stay within budget. But then 2012 hit, and Southern Events Party Rental {God bless them!} ran a promotion for brides to celebrate the new year!!!! I've heard many wedding professionals saying, "Linens give you the most impact for the least price per foot of coverage as far as wedding decor goes," and I totally get it. Brush by a sumptuous ivory satin linen as you sit down at your reception table and TELL ME you're not like, "Ooooh, how luxurious!" Or look at Brocade's lacy tablescape from the Inspired Bride and see how that little bit of gorgeousness can totally change the mood of a table.

Imagine my ELATION when I realized I could have the fanciest, most incredible, gorgeous, stunning linens for the polyester price!!!!!!! {StudioWed brides:  This is more incentive for you to come to our amazing Signature Events -- vendors will oftentimes offer specials or discounts specific for brides who come to our events!!!!} I hopped into a car with Hillary (my designer) and Mary Alice (my planner) a few weeks ago to see all the loveliness Southern Events Party Rental offers at their new location in Franklin. I swooned at the satins, laces, pintucks, and dupioni silks galore. They have every color, texture, and look you could dream of {as well as gorgeous colors in those polys!}... not to mention seating, tables, benches, lanterns and all sorts of pretty antique pieces in their Vintage Prop Shoppe! If our venue didn't already include the chairs and tables we need for our big day, I certainly would've rented Southern Events Party Rental's fruitwood folding chairs and wooden farm tables. So much to choose from!

It took some serious scouring through options to finally narrow down my linen choices, but I'm thrilled with what we've got in store! And now the front porch on our venue {the cocktail hour area} will be lovely, sprinkled with bistro tables and their pretty linens. Thank you mucho to Laura of Southern Events Party Rental, for working with me through the process of getting my rentals all arranged! I am so happy to have the best of the best, and you've been so obliging!

~ Kelly

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Floral Designer

If you follow my Pinterest board, you've probably noticed that 65% of the pictures I pin involve one common element... flowers. I am a flower addict. Let's just say while I had a strong feeling Drew was the one from the moment I met him, he sealed the deal when he brought me a gorgeous bouquet of yellow lilies to the play I was in freshman year. I also routinely take trash bags full of leftover "trashed" flowers home with me after weddings I work. It just makes me cringe to think of so much beauty getting thrown away, and brides' families often don't want to keep centerpieces after weddings are over {especially if they're from out-of-town}.

When I think of someone who can create immensely beautiful things out of chaos, Hillary Yeager {of Brocade Design Arts} immediately comes to mind. Her work is classic, gorgeous, and architecturally amazing. She makes beautiful invitation suites, too!!! From linens to papers to flowers to random details, she can design a flawless event from start to finish. As a detail-oriented bride, that is music to my ears. Not to mention, she's one of the most fun people to work with ever! Winning combination.

Hillary really goes above and beyond with her work.  Every wedding I've worked with her on, the florals have been stunning and her brides are thrilled. She has an amazing inventory of props to incorporate in her designs {vintage books; colored and crystal and milkglass vases, bottles, and vessels; lace and doilies and ribbons galore!} and is always dreaming up new details.

{Floral inspiration board, taken from Hillary's and my collaborative Pinterest board! :) }

I am tremendously excited to be working with Hillary, designing our wedding from start to finish! Her work is inspiring and I can't wait to see how everything gets executed on the big day!!

Thank you times a zillion, Hillary, for being the first vendor in our planning to collaborate and work with us to make our wedding dreams come true! From Day One, you have been so helpful and encouraging. I've felt that you understood me and my vision for this day since before we got engaged {as I forwarded posts from your Renegade Bride blog to my friends to prove that I was not the only anticipatory wedding-planning person in the industry!} and am so thankful to know you and have the privilege to work directly with you!!!! You're the best!!!

~ Kelly

Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Honeymoon

Once Drew and I had been engaged for almost four months {time flies!!!!} and have done the vast majority of BIG wedding plans {determining budget, allocating money, deciding on a date, securing logistics, hiring vendors, putting down deposits, coming up with tentative details (and then changing them...), tasting food and cake, purchasing dresses and accessories and underthings, Pinning like a madwoman, etc}... I think it's fair to say we found the MOST enjoyable part of the entire wedding planning process:  THE HONEYMOON.

{Excellence Punta Cana}

Maybe it's because there's something extremely appealing about looking at sugar-white sandy beaches and crystal clear seas when it's 30 degrees outside. Maybe it's just fun to plan a vacation. Maybe it's the fact that there's something equally (if not more) enjoyable to look forward to after the biggest/most important party of your life {that just happens to last 7x as long!!!!!}. Maybe it's the anticipation of being Mrs. Andrew Franklin Dellinger OFFICIALLY, wearing the Mrs. necklace and TWO diamond rings, holding the hand of my HUSBAND (!!!!!!!!). Maybe it's just the lure of a pina colada and an impeccable tan. However, I think it's the conglomeration of ALL THESE THINGS (plus several more I'll get to in a minute!) that makes me positively GIDDY just dreaming over it all.

{Excellence Playa Mujeres}

Let me say first and foremost, if Drew and I were planning this trip on our own... just the two of us with Expedia.com and a search engine churning out results for "Mexican all-inclusive resorts" or "tropical honeymoon resorts"... this would in NO WAY, FORM OR FASHION, be even remotely as pleasant of an experience. We owe beaucoups of thanks, gratitude, and referrals to every single one of our engaged friends to Carlie Finch of 2 Travel Anywhere for her expertise, time, patience, understanding, collaboration, and research for us. She has been a direct blessing from the Lord to help us navigate through the waters of honeymoon-planning. From reaching out to me to introduce herself after joining the Studio and hearing about my wedding plans to meeting with us in person and following up with us after sending us amazing recommendations that fit our budget, needs, wants, and dreams... she has been a complete joy to work with! I will refer her a zillion times over because she has made the entire process painless, effortless, and immensely enjoyable.

{Excellence Riviera Cancun}

Here's a little about how the process goes: In advance of meeting with her, you discuss with your fiance what possible options you're both thinking about, a price range for your honeymoon budget, and what options you might be interested in {swimming with dolphins? tour the Mayan ruins? horseback riding? spa treatments?}. Then meet in person, look at a few options, get presented with MORE options {and lovely little books chock-full of gorgeous destinations... Drew actually slept with these by his bed for a week after meeting with her the first time. Can we say "obsessed"?}, and start ruling things out.  After she talks with you about possibilities and hears your feedback, she emails you with MORE options and details for you to pick and choose through {tweaking as you go!}. From there, you narrow it down, look at flight and transfer options, room upgrades and honeymoon packages {all the little things}, and ultimately decide on your perfect honeymoon!!!!!

{Secrets Maroma Beach}

Painless, right? Did I mention HER SERVICES ARE FREE?! Oh yes. Her time, researching efforts, meetings, emails... all of that is completely complimentary. It is absolutely too good to be true.

{Secrets Maroma Beach}

So if you're like Drew and myself, you'll be daydreaming constantly of beach cabanas with fluffy pillows, champagne breakfasts in bed, twenty-four hour room service, incredible food from eight different gourmet restaurants at our beck and call, swim-up pool suites, ocean views, snorkeling in crystalline blue water, strawberry dacquiris at our convenience {YUM!}, secluded beaches, no screaming children, yoga classes ON THE BEACH, personal jacuzzis, piano bars if you're feeling social, fluffy bathrobes and slippers, sailing and kayaking opportunities... the hardest part is having to wait another three months to actually GO.

{Secrets Maroma Beach}

Swoony swoon swoon swoon. Remember, you can always renew your vows or go on an anniversary trip once you're already married! Drew and I have already made a pact to start eschewing things like lunches and dinners out in order to budget for the things we really want to spend money on in the future:  all-inclusive resort stays. Sounds like a plan to me! ;) Carlie, thank you for everything!!! You're wonderful and we CANNOT wait to step foot on whichever sandy beach we end up with! :)

~ Kelly

A personal Delightful Day wedding!

I am SO excited for my brother who is getting married in just a few short weeks, as his fiancee' is fabulous and sweet and I couldn't ask for a better future sister in law! I had to show off the fantastic photos that Joshua Gull took of them in an all film shot engagement session. Enjoy lots of gorgeousness!!

Stay tuned for wonderful wedding day photos after their May 12th wedding!

~ Mary Alice

Nashville Wedding Planner

A Delightful Day

Hunter + Brandon= e-shoot sneak peek

I am in LOVE with these wonderful e-shoot images created by the awesomely talented Justin Wright Photography! Hunter and Brandon are such a photogenic couple, even if they think they aren't!, and these turned out beautifully! I can't wait for their wedding day and the amazingness that it will have. Enjoy some gorgeousness below!

This needs to be in a GIGANTIC size and hung on the wall! Amazing!

~ Mary Alice

Nashville Wedding Planner

A Delightful Day