Good morning, friends!!

I am happy to finally share a wedding-related post! After pausing ALL wedding planning for 3 months due to the pandemic, I am trying to keep up with my to-do lists every day. 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 for anything that you’d love to know more about.

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 drove to Rhode Island to tour 5 venues. The weather during that weekend probably helped, it was supposed to be in the 20s, however, it was sunny and in the mid-50s every day. 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, which 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 a huge part of my career, I am 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 figure 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. I also adore jasmines, gardenias, and orange blossoms. In the end, it will depend on which works best with my dress!

WEDDING PLANNER: I might need one! I have considered doing it all by myself, however, everyone keeps telling me to hire one. I am the type of person who 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 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 DJs. 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: 90 days left until our wedding, and I don’t know 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 retail 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 to 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!

Thanks for reading!