Don’t be afraid to spend time with your girlfriends; don’t let guests drink and drive; and you get what you pay for…
I am just thrilled to kick off this week with Heather, the first Real Hindsight Bride. Heather got married this spring and (along with her photographer Steffi from Cariad Photography) have graciously agreed to share both this beautiful wedding and her own Hindsight Advice.
{ALL IMAGES FROM CARIAD PHOTOGRAPHY}
How did you decide on your venue, flowers, and dress? Were your choices based on style or some other meaning?
I looked at a lot of venues and dresses. I knew the dress the second I put it on and I really think that most girls will know. I did not have a style really that I was looking for so I tried on everything until I had an overwhelming feeling that this is my dress.
As far as the venue, I looked at several and the location, the style of the place and what we wanted our wedding to be, and the cost honestly played a big roll in our decisions. When I scheduled the seeing of the venues, I would try to schedule a tasting of the food as well because most places make you use their catering. Food was also a big factor.
2) What was the most memorable moment of your planning? And of your wedding day?
I had the most fun in the wedding process picking out my dress! It was a perfect day. When I did find my gown I had my mom, sister, and two best friends with me and it was the perfect moment. After I found my dress, the wedding production centered around it. I would not have worn my dress to a beach even if you know what I mean.
I also loved the cake and food tastings!
I loved our first dance. It was beautiful and playful. Patrick had me laughing the while time and that is one of the best qualities I found in Patrick. We had a great time that entire night dancing and enjoying our company.
3) What were the traditions that were important to you? Were there any that you decided not to do?
I wanted to make sure that Patrick and I did not see each other the day of the ceremony. I wanted the traditional white dress, something borrowed, blue, and new, but I skipped the mother-son, and father-daughter dance because my parents are not big dancers and we didn’t want everyone standing around watching; we wanted them up and enjoying the band with us. We did not do the garter belt toss because I did not want to. I did not even wear a garter belt.
Hindsight Advice #2 Take care of your Guests; Don’t let them drink and drive!
We were very, very serious about not having people drinking and driving. Our reception was downtown and the block of rooms that we reserved were also downtown and after the big reception, we all walked every where we needed to go. It was great planning on our part trying to make sure everyone stayed safe. If you do not have the ability to book rooms really close to your reception site…do not forget that you must take care of your guests and their driving needs. This means you’ll have to spring for ground transportation. A lot of hotels offer this service.
Do not order you “save-the-dates”, invitations, or programs online. even if it is cheaper. I ordered my save-the-dates online and it was a nightmare. They looked cheap and they screwed them up like it’s their JOB! I then went to The Baggie Goose in the Biltmore Village and they service and quality of their work is GREAT!