Good morning, friends!!
I am so happy to finally share a wedding-related post! Yeah!!! After pausing ALL wedding planning for three months due to the pandemic, I now find myself trying to keep up with my to-do lists every day. There is just SO much to do. I now understand why wedding planning is a full-time job!
On that note, I intend to share a new wedding update every week! 🙂 I will cover everything from what tasks are completed, which tasks remain, and anything else you all want to see! So please send in requests of anything that you’d love to know more about!
Keep reading to find out which HUGE item I still have not solved…
Here is a quick update on where I stand with the biggest items on my wedding planning list:
WEDDING VENUE: We are getting married in Rhode Island. Picking a venue was not an easy one for us! We both agreed early on that we wanted a destination wedding at a scenic location (by the mountains or by the water). I wanted a venue that would be easy for our guests to get to, as well as for us (i.e., food tasting, marriage license, etc.). We spent weeks browsing online for venues in Arizona, Utah, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. When January came along and we realized that we still had no venue, we decided to make a trip to Rhode Island to tour 4-5 different venues. The weather during that weekend probably helped, it was supposed to be in the low 20s, however, it was sunny and in the mid 50s all three days. I can’t wait for you guys to see our venue 🙂
CATERER: Once we had a venue and a date set, we needed to book our caterer. As of now, we have selected our wedding menu, it is filled with New England dishes (i.e., clam chowder, lobster and lobster bisque). Because New York City has been under a stay-at-home order, we have been unable to travel to Rhode Island for our food tasting. It has been rescheduled four times already (yikes!). We are now planning on driving up in July (fingers crossed!).
VIDEOGRAPHER / PHOTOGRAPHER: We have one, yet not the other! These vendors are extremely difficult to pick, in my opinion. There is a LOT to capture in a short amount of time. In their hands will be the responsibility of covering our entire wedding. Also, since photography is such huge part of my career, I am super picky when it comes to photographers (so I still don’t have one)! Once our wedding day is over, we will only have what they were able to capture for us.
FLORIST: I’ve reached out to five florists in Rhode Island, and now I need to figuring out the style of flowers for our centerpieces, the aisle at the church, and my bridesmaids. With regards to my bridal bouquet, I’d like it to have a combination of lily of the valley, ivy, myrtle or hyacinths, just like the bouquet my mother had on her wedding day. Other flowers that I adore are jasmines, gardenias and orange blossoms. In the end, it will depend on which work best with my dress!
WEDDING PLANNER: I need one! I have considered doing it all by myself, however, everyone keeps telling me that I must hire one. I am the type of person that enjoys overseeing all details, and I feel the same when planning my wedding. Yet I understand that to fully be present on my wedding day, I will need to delegate duties to a wedding coordinator to ensure that the actual event runs smoothly. Any recommendation for a wedding planner in the northeast is appreciated!
MUSIC / DJ: We still need this! My fiancé is in charge of this task! He has spent hours listening to bands and DJ’s. I feel that live entertainment can be as good as an excellent DJ, so I am okay with either option. My only wish is to have lively and joyful music all night long.
DRESS: Will you guys believe me that I need a dress!? There are only 90 days left until our wedding, and I still have no idea what dress I will walk down the aisle with!! New York City is still pretty much closed, and most bridal stores will not open until July. I considered flying to Miami, Florida where the majority of retails stores have opened, yet after lots of consideration I realized that it would make it difficult for my fittings. The good news is that stores in New Jersey are open, and we will drive there next weekend!!! Wish me luck!
I also need to find a hair & make-up stylist, a location for our rehearsal dinner (there are two restaurants that I like), order the invitations & wedding favors, find bridal shoes, do a seating chart, and a few other details! Even though we lost three months during the pandemic, I am feeling pretty good about our wedding planning process. Whenever I feel stressed, I try to shift the focus on enjoying this engagement time with my love. He always reminds me that we are still getting married on our wedding date.
Excited to share this process with you! Stay tuned! It’s going to be a fun 90 days here on Ana Florentina, and I can’t wait!
Lots of love,
Florencia
