Woah!
As I'm sure you're all aware — I got married!
I'm hoping to put together a more in-depth vendor review soon but for now I thought I would just give a brief recap of my thoughts and feelings now that I'm a married woman.
#1: Life is Wild
It really hasn't sunk in yet that I'm married as weird as that sounds. David and I got engaged in December 2019 (again, almost two years ago!) and for so long our wedding just seemed like a far-away idea. The fact that it finally happened and we've been married for two weeks is still such a "wow" moment for me. I think as we enter into 2022 it will actually settle in.
#2: Everything Went Perfect
Well, of course, nothing is perfect, but the day went as good as I could hope it would go. We chose to not have a wedding coordinator which was a decision I was very confident in until the day of the rehearsal dinner when I began to question all of my planning abilities. Not to fear, though, almost everything went as I planned. Our one hiccup was that I couldn't find the photos that we were planning to hang on the banisters of the stairs going up to the main event space of our venue. We found some of them but not all of them until after the wedding. This still makes me sad because we missed out on some very sweet photos of David's extended family, but luckily it was the only thing to go "wrong." The rest of the day went better than I could have ever expected. It was so, so, so special to get so many of our family members and friends together to celebrate our story especially after such a long time of not being together. We danced, we drank, and we made so many memories. I seriously couldn't have asked for a better wedding.
#3 That Open Bar Gets People Dancing
We were on the fence about getting an open bar package of just wine and beer or adding in the signature cocktails, too. I'm so glad we went ahead and included the signature drinks. Our signature drinks were accompanied by the sign "Marzen's Open Bar" which was a special way to include our dog who couldn't be there (she is very scared around new people). Our drinks were a Moscow Mule and Cider & Stormy (rum, ginger beer, lime, and apple cider). I heard from so many people that the bartenders were great and remembered people's orders as they came back. One thing I told everyone that I wanted from our wedding was that people danced and I think having that open bar and great bartenders definitely helped make that possible. Seriously, I don't remember a single time where the dance floor wasn't occupied by at least someone.
#4 "Making the Rounds" Wasn't as Time Consuming as I Thought
Maybe it was just because the people at our wedding were great, but everyone who kept telling me I would get pulled away too many times and wouldn't get to enjoy the wedding were wrong. David and I both "made the rounds" and talked to everyone at least once and I still had plenty of time to dance and enjoy the moments with my other friends and family. My advice for others getting ready to get married would be to just start going around to each table early to reach all of the family who may not be staying as long, but then go around the dance floor and talk to everyone while they're up and dancing. Even if you don't have an in-depth conversation, you're still dancing and celebrating with everyone who is there!
#5 Take in the Moment(s)
Our caterer graciously served David and I our meals so that we could sit down while everyone went through the buffet line. Once everyone was seated we had a few moments to take it all in and look around the room at the people who were there. We had so many family members (and friends!) who traveled from out of state to be there and it meant so much to us. When we opened up the dance floor and everyone started dancing it made for so many more great memories with everyone who attended. Everyone warned me how fast it'll go once the wedding festivities kick off, and they're right. My best advice is to try to soak every moment and conversation in before the night ends.
Like I said I hope to write a vendor review soon! I also am hoping to work on a honeymoon recap with our recommendations for others if they travel to Honolulu/Waikiki. Be on the lookout for those in the coming weeks. If I don't talk to you before then have a great holiday season!
Until next time,
Taylor BARBERIS xx
