All Things Wedding!
I’ve debated posting about wedding planning because I want as many of the details to be secret as not to spoil anything on the day of; however, I’m getting SO STINKIN’ EXCITED, and I just can’t hide it! So, a liiiiiittle insight into a few things won’t hurt ;)
Let’s start from the top...
The Proposal
I woke up on Thursday, September 3rd, 2020 a girlfriend who had an anniversary date-night with her boyfriend that night in downtown Portsmouth, NH. It started out at LaBelle Winery for a little wine tasting (thanks, Groupon!).
After tasting (and purchasing) some wine, we went for a walk and had a drink by the waterfront since we had some time before our dinner reservation (Ryan and his spicy margaritas!). After that, it was time to head to dinner. Dinner was at The Library, a steakhouse that resembles an actual library, also in downtown Portsmouth. (Restaurant photos from Google.)
What threw me off a little bit was when Ryan was the one who kept talking about “pictures before dinner”...because he is NOT the pictures person. Little did I know what was coming...
Apparently, while I was using the restroom once we were sat at our table, he let our waitress in on his plans... (shout out to our sweet, sweet waitress for also being our photographer!!!)
*And yes, he asked my father for his permission*
We celebrated not only our anniversary that day but also our new engagement. I couldn’t believe it...WE’RE ENGAGED!!!
Planning
The Venue
After the initial excitement calmed down, we started the planning! We were excited to get married and to [really] start our lives together!
We started the planning by agreeing (after much debate) on late 2021 for our date; the actual date would be decided once we found the venue we loved the most. We looked at two venues (The Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel and Atkinson Country Club), and decided on The Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel for two reasons: 1. It was close to home, everything was provided for us ON SITE (ceremony, reception, food, accommodations) and 2. September 3rd, 2021 was a date that was available. Our anniversary, the day we got engaged, and the chance to have that date be our wedding day too? A ‘trifecta‘ date? SOLD. How special is that?! We booked the following day.
Guest List
We pretty much had a good idea of who we were going to invite by the time we started venue tours. Because COVID is still ongoing, we’re pretty limited on who we CAN invite; so we kept that in mind and made our list to be of our closest family and friends. We’re at just over 100 guests which is where we exactly want to be.
Colors, Theme & Decor.
Thank goodness for Pinterest, is all I’m going to say! Mauve (dusty Rose) and Navy are the colors we chose. These colors are perfect for late Summer/early Fall. We don’t really have a theme per say; we’re pretty simple people and since our date isn’t really around a Holiday, we went relatively theme-less.
As for decor, Etsy (and other advice from other brides) has been my BFF. From Etsy, I’ve purchased-
*Mr and Mrs champagne glasses
*Mrs Mack floppy hat for my bachelorette weekend
*Mrs Mack hanger for my dress day-of
*My day-of jewelry
*Mrs and Mrs wooden sign for our sweetheart table
*Iron-on decals for robes & ties
You’ll have to wait until after the wedding to see everything! I’ve really enjoyed being able to #shopsmall for so many things!
I purchased day-of robes for getting ready for myself, bridesmaids, as well as the moms. Pretty Robes almost always has great deals; I was able to get all of my robes at a steal!! I’ve noticed that buying in bulk seems to be the way to go...
Our flowers were the same way! After being quoted over $3000 for real flowers, I was DEVASTATED. If you know me, you know I LOVE flowers. I want them everywhere!!! However, $3000 was WAY out of our price range, and I really didn’t want to compromise (sorry Ryan). Our faux flowers were here in a week and they look like the real things! For a fraction of the price, I have alllllll the flowers and more, and they’ll last forever. Another way to have more keepsakes!
Dress Shopping (!!!)
I could not wait to go dress shopping, so about a month and a half after being engaged and after booking our venue, that’s what I did! Tip: go in open minded. I thought I knew the dress I was going to wear (doesn’t every bride, though?) I went into dress shopping completely ruling out strapless. But once I tried this starpless dress in particular on, and was told I could add straps (why had that not crossed my mind?) I was SOLD. That was my dress. The look was sealed with a cathedral veil. Ugh; can it just be September now?!
Food & Cake
We’re very fortunate our venue has many food packages and options available. Dietary restrictions/limitations were taken into account no problem, and there’s literally something for everyone. Prior to our tasting, we were asked to make a list of the appetizers and entrees we wanted to try. Since there are only four salad options, we automatically got to try all four Of those. I am DROOLING just thinking about the food we tasted and the choices we made that day. For the foodies attending our wedding, this ones for you.
Our cake, however, we did not get to taste beforehand. Because the bakery is small, tastings are not an option right now for anyone (ugh, COVID). However, with the helpful hand of one of the head-bakers, we were able to pick a beautiful design with simple flavors! (Hint-buttercream 🤤)
Miscellaneous
We still have a few things left to do of course, like pick suits for the groomsmen, shop for our bands, and other small detail purchases have to be made. Ryan’s bachelor party is all planned (August) and mine is in the works (June)! My bridal shower (July) is also in the works, and I recently scheduled my pre-wedding beauty appointments (hair refresh, eyebrow waxing, massage and mani/pedi, all for the last week of August). My dress fitting and hair/makeup trial are also booked for July! July is going to be a busy one!
I cannot wait to keep sharing the wedding excitement with you all! Get ready for a bachellorette weekend recap! Until next time; Stay happy, healthy and cozy!
