Happy Friday Peeps! I decided to put all this personal talk on hold and put the spotlight back on weddings for a moment.
While I was in the midst of my wedding craze last year, I wrote a blog post sharing what I did to make my day unique to Justin and I {post here}. I mainly wrote it because sometimes I hear brides questioning themselves "am I allowed to do that?" "well I really want this but I'll probably just do that".... No my friend, this wedding is a ONE day celebration to kick off your life's journey together. That means, you do not do things just because they're easier. You do what you WANT and what is representative of the character of your relationship.
Well, that's my thought anyway. This is coming from a girl {me!} who cancelled her first wedding plan {yes, after we put deposits down and had dates held} mostly because she didn't feel 100% good about it, a lot of things were off and it wasn't sitting right in her heart.
I digress, so after I wrote that post my girl Lauren, who is having a destination wedding and who also has one of the best characters I've ever known, needed some advice. I suppose this isn't exclusive of only destination weddings, but that is where my head is at while I'm writing this.
Lauren Writes:
Hey April,
We're doing a destination wedding because that's what fits our budget and frankly Bryan and I are not the type to have a huge hoopla of a wedding and we'd much rather chill on a beach with rum punches and those fun little cocktail umbrellas. Fine.
The resort that we chose is extremely private and intimate and allows us to "customize" our wedding to fit what we want. Fabulous.
I found my dress and my bridesmaids dress. Ahead of the game, here!
Sccreeeeccchhhhhh.....this is where it stops. Now what do I do?!? Maybe more importantly, how the HELL do a plan a wedding on a beach in Mexico that is fully representative of a pig-chasing/tractor-driving/pumpkin-growing farmer (Bryan) and a Long Island-born/shoe-obsessed/career girl (Me)? I'm at a total loss here. Bryan and I are at complete ends of the spectrum with one another; possibly THE most opposites attract couple aside from two major things: 1. We love beer and 2. We can't live without each other.
I guess my question is, what is your advice on how to figure out ways to make our wedding representative of who we are? Obviously we've had some great times over the past 2+ years that I can look back on, but all I want to get out of this wedding is for people to walk away and say "That was so them."
I guess the main thing I'm stressing over isn't the location, how my hair is going to look, or who is going to show up - - it's more of a nervousness that we're going to put this thing together and it's going to look like someone else's wedding rather than our own.
April, any or all advice that you could give me on this would be amazing. You know how I am: I love myself some organization and can provide you with the best strategic marketing plan money can buy, but when it comes to creativity, I fall flat, and I need to seek help from my creative friends before I'm labeled as boring ;-)
April Suggests:
Hey Lauren,
Here are 3 things you can focus on to make your destination wedding representative of you and Bryan:
1. Writing your own vows – I know a lot of couples squirm at this idea but really this is what a wedding is all about, getting married and pledging yourselves to each other. I feel like the ceremony is something that is often overlooked compared to what type of venue you’ll have, music, food, booze etc. This is one day that starts your journey together; nothing could speak more about your relationship than how you vow to spend the rest of your lives together. Believe it or not, vows are something people remember. Put your personalities into the vows and you’ll walk away feeling like that’s all you needed to make the day "your own".
2. Bringing little signs for things, they're packable in a suitcase and signage + printed items really add a lot of personality to the day. Don’t feel like you have to use formal language either, put your personalities into the verbiage you use. Programs + thank you cards at tables or in hotel bags + signage = make it all match and sort of style your day according to Lauren + Bryan's world.
3. Your dress + your shoes + your jewelry + his outfit will have your personalities in it. Don’t be afraid to stray from traditional. Let Bryan wear a little flannel pocket square or a straw hat, representative of his pig chasing farm boy ways. Your shoe obsessed self can pick out a fabulous pair of TOMS or flip-flops that are representative of your favorite color. You don’t have to have HUGE statements to represent of who you are; sometimes it’s the little things that make an impact. Which is great for you since you have to pack it all up in a suitcase.
Remember, this is your day, do it anyway you want! Funky, vibrant, off the wall, and classically all yours.
Peace, Love & Destination YOU!
April K