If you've been reading along on my blog, you've seen a few posts about Ashley & Chris' wedding. Ashley is a dear friend of mine ~ we went to high school together and then reconnected when we realized we were having our wedding receptions at the same location! We had regular "bride dinners" without our fiances where we vented about issues we were having and also to share our successes. It was SO NICE to have someone to talk to who was in the same situation as me!
Ashley was too kind to kick off the new Bustle Interview segment by being my first interviewee! Thanks, Ash!
Bustle Interview: Ashley
Ashley was too kind to kick off the new Bustle Interview segment by being my first interviewee! Thanks, Ash!
Bustle Interview: Ashley
{Picture Source: openField Photography}
When were you married?
October 11, 2008
How far before the wedding did you start planning?
My husband & I got engaged on October 25th of last year and I started planning shortly after then. I wanted to get a head start on everything since I knew there would be big projects! I would suggest hiring a photographer right away since they are such a big part of the day. We hired Open Field Photography and we could not be happier with their work! Lauren & Robbie are also amazing to work with and they make you feel completely at ease! Check them out at http://www.openfieldphotography.com/.
Did you hire a wedding planner? If so, how much was he/she involved?
No, I didn’t. I think a planner is great to bounce ideas off of, though! Lindsey Scrivner was my wedding day-of coordinator and she did an AMAZING job! She made sure everything ran smoothly and I trusted everything would look perfect at the reception with her in charge…..she is so professional, sweet, and creative!! Love her!
What percentage of wedding planning was done by you and what percentage was done by your spouse?
Ha! This is a good question! My husband really helped with everything once we were putting it all together. But all of the ideas were my own. I always asked his input, though. I picked out the paper for the invitations and programs, etc., and I came up with all of the concepts. He really did a great job of helping me execute the ideas, though!
What wedding planning tasks did you delegate, and to whom?
Allison was my Super Bridesmaid and she really helped me through the whole process of assembling invitations, programs, and menu cards. She did a great job and it was so nice to have someone help with putting everything together. She was there for me to talk to, which really kept my sanity! That is the hard part! Since my husband is more technical, he put the slideshow together completely by himself and did a fabulous job! I just helped pick the pictures and the songs. I would definitely suggest having a slideshow, but start putting it together at least a couple of weeks before the wedding. We waited until the last minute, which was a bad idea. It can be really fun going through old pictures! Leave yourself enough time, and it will be! :)
What were the three items/services you did NOT want to skimp on in terms of budget (i.e. photography, food, location)?
First and foremost, do not skimp on photography. You will have little flickers of memories of your day and seeing your pictures brings back all of those memories and emotions. Find a photographer you are comfortable with and whose artistic style matches yours. Secondly, I would say the location of the ceremony and reception. It is important to pick a place to have your wedding that really speaks to you. You want to choose a place that you can throw a really great party! Lastly, I would say your dress. I think it is totally possible to find a dress you can fall in love with that sells for a reasonable price. I did! Find a dress that embodies who you want to be on your wedding day…..mostly you with a hint of fairytale. Your wedding day will be an out of body experience the whole day and it is important that you feel your most gorgeous on your day!
If you had $1,000 more dollars available in your budget, what would you have spent it on?
Oh wow! I don’t know….I would say I would have made the flowers a little most elaborate. I worked with Kathy’s Kloset and they did a FANTASTIC job! Kathy really made my vision come to life and is so knowledgeable with floral arrangements! I would really suggest having at least half you your tables at the reception have tall centerpieces. If you have only half, it cuts down on the cost and makes the room look so much bigger! Check out Kathy at http://www.kathysklosetofflowers.com/.
What part of planning your wedding did you enjoy the most?
I really enjoyed going to look at venue sights with my husband. We went on a beautiful Fall day and I will never forget picturing having my wedding at the Church. I started to tear up when I walked in and that was when it all started to feel real!
I also liked choosing the candy for our Candy Bar! I kept our green, pink, and silver theme throughout and I really think the guests enjoyed their favors!
What part of planning your wedding did you enjoy the least?
Putting together the invitations! We decided that putting together the invitations from scratch would save us money and it did not! It would have been cheaper just to buy them and taking the time to assemble them took days! I would suggest to get invitations that stay within the theme of the wedding and that really represent the two of you as a couple. You can get great ideas at http://www.mygatsby.com/. I loved our finished result, but it was a lot of not needed stress!
On your wedding day, besides saying your vows, what was the most memorable moment?
I would say the two best moments of the day were taking pictures of just my husband and I after the ceremony and dancing with our friends at the reception. I loved taking the pictures because the emotions of the day really got conveyed on camera and it was a magical experience. I will never forget the dancing either because everyone was so happy. It was so great to bring smiles to the faces of the people that matter most to us. We had a blast!
What would you have done differently if you had to do it all over again (given that hindsight is 20/20)?
I would have bought my invitations instead of making them most of all. I really don’t regret anything from the whole wedding process. I enjoyed coming up with the ideas and then walking into the reception and seeing my ideas come into fruition. That was wonderful! I would also have probably hired a videographer. I had my cousin tape the ceremony and he did a great job, but I really would have liked to have captured some action shots of the dancing at the reception.
What advice would you give to brides currently planning their weddings?
Just enjoy it! Yes, it’s stressful and you want everything to be perfect, but this will only happen once in your life. It will really be over before you know it and all of your hard work will be so worth it! Just take a deep breath and think about what and why you are doing what you are doing. You are marrying the love of you life and that in and of itself is truly incredible. If you give yourself enough time to do the projects, it will be fun instead of stressful! Good luck with everything!!
When were you married?
October 11, 2008
How far before the wedding did you start planning?
My husband & I got engaged on October 25th of last year and I started planning shortly after then. I wanted to get a head start on everything since I knew there would be big projects! I would suggest hiring a photographer right away since they are such a big part of the day. We hired Open Field Photography and we could not be happier with their work! Lauren & Robbie are also amazing to work with and they make you feel completely at ease! Check them out at http://www.openfieldphotography.com/.
Did you hire a wedding planner? If so, how much was he/she involved?
No, I didn’t. I think a planner is great to bounce ideas off of, though! Lindsey Scrivner was my wedding day-of coordinator and she did an AMAZING job! She made sure everything ran smoothly and I trusted everything would look perfect at the reception with her in charge…..she is so professional, sweet, and creative!! Love her!
What percentage of wedding planning was done by you and what percentage was done by your spouse?
Ha! This is a good question! My husband really helped with everything once we were putting it all together. But all of the ideas were my own. I always asked his input, though. I picked out the paper for the invitations and programs, etc., and I came up with all of the concepts. He really did a great job of helping me execute the ideas, though!
What wedding planning tasks did you delegate, and to whom?
Allison was my Super Bridesmaid and she really helped me through the whole process of assembling invitations, programs, and menu cards. She did a great job and it was so nice to have someone help with putting everything together. She was there for me to talk to, which really kept my sanity! That is the hard part! Since my husband is more technical, he put the slideshow together completely by himself and did a fabulous job! I just helped pick the pictures and the songs. I would definitely suggest having a slideshow, but start putting it together at least a couple of weeks before the wedding. We waited until the last minute, which was a bad idea. It can be really fun going through old pictures! Leave yourself enough time, and it will be! :)
What were the three items/services you did NOT want to skimp on in terms of budget (i.e. photography, food, location)?
First and foremost, do not skimp on photography. You will have little flickers of memories of your day and seeing your pictures brings back all of those memories and emotions. Find a photographer you are comfortable with and whose artistic style matches yours. Secondly, I would say the location of the ceremony and reception. It is important to pick a place to have your wedding that really speaks to you. You want to choose a place that you can throw a really great party! Lastly, I would say your dress. I think it is totally possible to find a dress you can fall in love with that sells for a reasonable price. I did! Find a dress that embodies who you want to be on your wedding day…..mostly you with a hint of fairytale. Your wedding day will be an out of body experience the whole day and it is important that you feel your most gorgeous on your day!
If you had $1,000 more dollars available in your budget, what would you have spent it on?
Oh wow! I don’t know….I would say I would have made the flowers a little most elaborate. I worked with Kathy’s Kloset and they did a FANTASTIC job! Kathy really made my vision come to life and is so knowledgeable with floral arrangements! I would really suggest having at least half you your tables at the reception have tall centerpieces. If you have only half, it cuts down on the cost and makes the room look so much bigger! Check out Kathy at http://www.kathysklosetofflowers.com/.
What part of planning your wedding did you enjoy the most?
I really enjoyed going to look at venue sights with my husband. We went on a beautiful Fall day and I will never forget picturing having my wedding at the Church. I started to tear up when I walked in and that was when it all started to feel real!
I also liked choosing the candy for our Candy Bar! I kept our green, pink, and silver theme throughout and I really think the guests enjoyed their favors!
What part of planning your wedding did you enjoy the least?
Putting together the invitations! We decided that putting together the invitations from scratch would save us money and it did not! It would have been cheaper just to buy them and taking the time to assemble them took days! I would suggest to get invitations that stay within the theme of the wedding and that really represent the two of you as a couple. You can get great ideas at http://www.mygatsby.com/. I loved our finished result, but it was a lot of not needed stress!
On your wedding day, besides saying your vows, what was the most memorable moment?
I would say the two best moments of the day were taking pictures of just my husband and I after the ceremony and dancing with our friends at the reception. I loved taking the pictures because the emotions of the day really got conveyed on camera and it was a magical experience. I will never forget the dancing either because everyone was so happy. It was so great to bring smiles to the faces of the people that matter most to us. We had a blast!
What would you have done differently if you had to do it all over again (given that hindsight is 20/20)?
I would have bought my invitations instead of making them most of all. I really don’t regret anything from the whole wedding process. I enjoyed coming up with the ideas and then walking into the reception and seeing my ideas come into fruition. That was wonderful! I would also have probably hired a videographer. I had my cousin tape the ceremony and he did a great job, but I really would have liked to have captured some action shots of the dancing at the reception.
What advice would you give to brides currently planning their weddings?
Just enjoy it! Yes, it’s stressful and you want everything to be perfect, but this will only happen once in your life. It will really be over before you know it and all of your hard work will be so worth it! Just take a deep breath and think about what and why you are doing what you are doing. You are marrying the love of you life and that in and of itself is truly incredible. If you give yourself enough time to do the projects, it will be fun instead of stressful! Good luck with everything!!
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3 comments:
such a FUN idea!! a big "thank you" again to ashley & chris...we loved being a part of your big day!! : )
Thanks so much, Linds! Let me know if you need my help for anything else! You were a great help to me throughout the whole wedding process!
Great details. I feel like I know Ashley and Chris.
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