A Vintage Styled Wedding

Have you ever dreamed of a vintage wedding? Nothing is quite as lovely as inspiration from the past. Last month I was asked to participate in a vintage styled wedding shoot. And now I'm so excited to share this beautiful day with you!

There is something so special about the past and bringing into your own wedding day.  Vintage style has such an elegant simplicity to it that makes a beautiful backdrop for nuptials.  The soft scent of garden roses, pink antique vases, historic ballrooms, heirloom lace, and vintage rings - all of these details come together beautifully in this styled shoot.

I had the opportunity to meet these amazing vendors and I will let their work speak for themselves.  The shoot was styled by Crystal from Floral Sense, and the day was captured beautifully by TLT Photography.

"Request a smaller display cake to get the design you want and stay within your budget.  You can order a kitchen cake in the same flavor and nobody will be the wiser once the cake is cut and served." - Charity, Bella Birches

"Start preparing your wedding day beauty routine several weeks before the big day.  Drink lots of water and get plenty of sleep.  Not only will the water help hydrate your skin, it will brighten skin tone and keep it clear.  If you suffer from puffy eyes, place two teaspoons in the freezer overnight and place under each eye for 15 seconds.  Repeat right before makeup is applied.  And make sure you're using an eyelash primer to help lengthen those lashes!" - Hailey R., Savaden Makeup Artistry (Best Makeup Artist 2013, by The Knot and Wedding Channel)

"When adding details to your own wedding use pieces that you already have.  This will give your wedding a personal touch so it's truly your own style." - Crystal, Floral Sense

"Remind your family and friends that while you appreciate their excitement, you've hired a professional photographer to capture the day so that they can enjoy it!  Ask guests to hold off on snapping pictures until later in the night, this will speed up the process and get the guests back to the party quicker.  It's hard to get the quality shots that you're paying for when there are multiple flashes going off." - Teri Lynne Truett, TLT Photography

Florist and Event Designer: Floral Sense

Photographer: TLT Photography

Makeup: Savaden Makeup Artistry

Hair Stylist: Jaime MacNeill
Bridal Rings: Titanium Buzz

Linens and Chair Covers: Special Occasions
Backdrop: Cherished Celebrations

Cake: Bella Birches
Venues: Captains Club at Woodfield, The Durant 

Dress and Other Attire: Davison Bridal
Stationary and Seating Chart: Unforgettable Announcements
Bride and Groom: Amber Berry & CJ Weber

How To Stay Organized While Planning A Wedding

Life is pretty busy for us these days.  We recently bought a house, are in the process of renovating it (ourselves), while we work full-time and plan a wedding.  Planning a wedding is a lot of work.  And since I don't have a wedding planner, or a lot of time, I need to stay organized.

This is my first wedding, so I really have no idea what I'm doing.  I know I need to buy a dress, choose a menu, add some flowers and taste some cake, but other than that, I'm lost.  I didn't realize how little I knew of planning a wedding until my friend (and bridesmaid) asked me what my wedding colors are.  Uhh..white??  The thought hadn't even crossed my mind!

Being a general control freak and organized person in every other aspect of my life, I needed something to keep me on task.  I was pretty darn excited when I discovered that popular wedding websites (like TheKnot.com and WeddingWire.com) both have really helpful checklists for planning a wedding.  A dummy proof guide to keeping the busy bride on task.  It sounded perfect for me.

The checklists (and other organizational tools) on The Knot and Wedding Wire are very similar.  Either will work great!

I have been using the checklist through www.theknot.com.  Which is convenient, since I use The Knot for a few other tools as well.  I will definitely take advantage of an app to help me multi-task.  This checklist has been my guide, my bible, my main resource for all things wedding.  It keeps me from feeling overwhelmed, and most importantly, it keeps me on task.  Which will, hopefully, making the weeks before the wedding less stressful.  

The list is broken down by time increments (from theknot.com).  Our wedding date is in August, so it breaks the due dates down accordingly:

This is very helpful system because it reminds the planner/bride what needs to be done 12+ months out, between 9-12 months, 6-9 months, etc, from the date of the wedding.  

Here's one example of the checklist from the internet website (www.theknot.com):

Each task can be customized (the details, due date and reminder time).  Tasks can even be added (which is necessary to customize it to fit each individual bride).  

Since we are getting married in Traverse City (a 4 hour drive from our home), we've had to adjust a few things.  For example, I've had my salon appointment booked since November.  That's 9 months from the wedding date!  Traverse City is a hot spot in Michigan (especially in the summers), and so I didn't want to take a chance and miss out on the salon I wanted.  In fact, there was already a wedding party booked for later in the day.  So, had I waited until January or February to make a decision on hair and makeup, they probably would have been booked up already.  

Also, Justin and I will not be flying to a far off land after our wedding.  Because of our work and vacation schedules, we chose to take a break between the wedding and honeymoon (more on this later). Thus, it was necessary for us to push our honeymoon reminders out a few months.

The Knot also has a super convenient app for access on the go.  The app allows you to access all of your wedding info in one, very easy to use, app.  I actually use the app more than I use the website.  

You can drill down to the task and add customization on the app as well (just like you can on the website):

Not only does the app give you full access to your checklist, there is full access to the planning dashboard.  The dashboard isn't limited like in some other app versions of web pages.  You can update RSVPs, addresses and guests using the Guest List link.  And it's very easy to update the budget through the dashboard (although it seems to crash every time I attempt to update our accommodations budget).  I found one limitation to the app (versus the full website) - there's no updating the wedding webpage (if you have a customized web page for guest information).  Which isn't a big deal, but would be convenient if it was offered.

I've found The Knot to be a great organizational resource in planning a wedding.  I just wish I could use TK to organize my vendors.  They offer a vendor list where you can search for a listed vendor.  However, it only includes their approved vendors.  Not one of my vendors is on their approved list (which doesn't mean my vendors are any less qualified).  So I have to maintain a vendor list in an excel file.  It would just be nice to all wedding stuff in one place.

I use TK as my main reference for the checklist, budget, and guest list (RSVPs, addresses, invitation tracking, etc).  I also keep a binder organized with copies of the info I have in TK as well as invoices, contracts, swatches, and everything else related to the wedding.

There are tabs for everything (vendor list, budget, bridal gown, bridesmaids, venue, alcohol, transportation (shuttle, golf cart rental), music, photography, flora, menu, guest info, seating chart, salon, accommodations, guest welcome guide, stationary, registry, shower, welcome party, and DIY projects)...

I use this binder to keep a copy of everything that has been discussed with vendors... Emails, invoices, schedules, pictures, swatches, contact info, etc for every vendor.

There are so many ways to stay organized.  As far as I'm concerned, you can never be too prepared.

I won't always be available (especially on the day of the wedding).  I'm hoping my planning ahead and organization will help my friends and family find the answers they need if I'm unavailable and a guest or vendor has a question or concern.

As any bride knows, there is a lot of planning during the initial stages (hint: overwhelmed) and all the planning comes to a halt for a few months.  Then bam... it's 6 weeks before the wedding and you're running around like a crazy insane bridezilla.  I am in the quiet stage right now.  And frankly, it's frightening.  I feel like I'm missing something.  In fact, I've started to have these crazy wedding dreams.  Like, for example, the other night I dreamt that I had gone to a salon for a hair trial weeks before the big day and the stylist chops off all my hair.  In another dream, it was the day of the wedding and no guests had arrived.  I'm sure the dreams aren't going to stop.

How do you keep organized? What advice would you give to a bride when planning a wedding? What crazy wedding day dreams are you having??

xoxo

Mary 

Psst - I was invited to share a vintage styled wedding shoot last month and I finally get to spill the beans! Check back for some amazing pictures soon :)