This post is going to be a bit different from my previous wedding day blogs. Every wedding is beautiful + I absolutely love talking about what an amazing day it was. However, that doesn’t mean things didn’t go wrong. Brittany + Tyler had an absolutely incredible wedding, but they’ll be the first to tell you – a lot happened in between. In this “behind the scenes” post, not only am I going to share this beautiful wedding with you, I am also going to tell you about some of the hiccups that happened throughout the day.
This post, right here, is going to show you why you NEED a wedding planner.
Brittany + Tyler reached out to me at the suggestion of Tyler’s brother + best man, Dustin.
Dustin was actually a groomsmen in one of my sweet couple’s wedding back in 2013 [shout out to Jayme + Justin]. He knew that I would be right person to help Brittany + Tyler on their wedding day.
The two settled on my Basic Planning Package + we quickly began working together to finalize all of the details for their October wedding. Throughout the planning process, Brittany + Tyler changed their minds about where they wanted to get married. They ended up switching venues from Brittany’s family farm in Orange, VA to Tyler’s parents land in Fredericksburg, VA. All of the vendors were able to accommodate the swap in venue + we quickly shifted gears to planning a Fredericksburg wedding
The couple had a lot of ideas + plans for the land surrounding the Breon Residence + quickly got to work. They planted sunflowers. The planted sorghum. They bush hogged. I even remember Mrs. Breon saying her husband wanted to fix the drywall in their bathroom the weekend of the wedding haha. This family worked HARD to get everything perfect for Brittany + Tyler’s wedding day.
This reminded me so much of all of the prep that went into making my in-laws property “picture perfect” before our wedding day. It takes a LOT of work to get a space ready for a wedding!
No matter how much planning + prep work occurs prior to the wedding day – there are always a few unexpected hurdles that get in the way. When the unexpected happens (and it always does!)- that, my friends, is when you need a wedding planner. Someone who knows every detail. Someone who has your back. Someone whose #1 job is to ensure your day runs smoothly + is as close to perfect as possible. Someone who is there to put out the fire before you even smell the smoke.
If you have a good planner, you won’t even know about these “fires” and if you do, you won’t be worried about them burning your wedding day dreams to the ground. So, let’s talk about the 3 biggest fires I had to put out on Brittany + Tyler’s day, shall we?
Fire #1:Brittany wanted to have the majority of the setup completed prior to the wedding day. Being that the venue was her soon-to-be in-laws house, she was able to start setting up the week prior. This was especially beneficial because there were so many DIY aspects to Brittany + Tyler’s wedding. I highly recommend this to any bride who has access to their venue prior to the day of the event! It definitely takes the stress down a notch. [Disclaimer – most venues don’t allow this, so don’t fret if you can’t set anything up until the day of!
The table + chairs were ready when I arrived + the centerpieces were set up how Brittany wanted them- everything looked great! She + I had discussed what she wanted me to finish the morning of the wedding, which was basically anything she wasn’t able to finish setting up the night before, along with the dessert table + a few other small finishing touches that couldn’t go out ahead of time. Easy peasy, right?
[you’d never know there are a million wads of duct tape under those table cloths haha!]
Fire #2:
Once we had everything under the tent secured – it was time for me to call the caterer, who was supposed to have arrived at this point. I called twice, but there was no answer. Finally, they answered – third times the charm! When I asked if they were on their way + what time we should expect them, they informed me they wouldn’t be there until 3:00 PM. SAY WHAT?!?
Before I move on to the last major fire, I feel like we need to take a minute to decompress. There were SO many sweet moments throughout Brittany + Tyler’s wedding day. One I absolutely have to share with you is Brittany’s first look with her Daddy.Does it get any sweeter than this?!? Seriously! My heart has officially melted.
[Aren’t they a beautiful couple?!? I was totally in love with Brittany’s flower crown <3]
I need to take a moment to praise the DJ + Photographer. DJ Kevin Graham arrived early, setup quickly, + sat down with me to run through the Ceremony + Reception to ensure we were 100% on the same page in terms of cues, execution, + timeline edits. The photographer was also killing it [aren’t these photos amazing!]! Kerry Renee had to flex the pre-wedding photos quite a bit because the boys were running late + the girls hair + make up was taking a bit longer than expected. We had lots of buffer time built into the timeline, so shifting things around was no problem. I love working with flexible + professional vendors who understand how important it is to stay calm + go with the flow. Thank you, Kevin + Kerry! You two rock!
Before we wrap this up, I’ll briefly share 3 “sparks” from the day that could have resulted in a fire, but didn’t.
Spark #1:
Brittany had ordered disposable cameras for her DIY photo booth. She had worked so hard to make this backdrop + round up all the props. However, the cameras she ordered weren’t going to arrive in time for the wedding. The morning of the wedding, I got a text message confirming that the cameras hadn’t arrived. No big deal! Walmart was on the way to the Breon Residence and they have everything. I quickly popped in to grab some disposables at Brittany’s request. This one was an easy fix!
Spark #2:
The second spark involved water bottles. Brittany + Tyler wanted to have a wheelbarrow filled with iced down water at the entrance to the ceremony. This meant that my assistant + I had to carry cases + cases of water across a giant field. This wasn’t a big deal- but one of the cases of water busted open along the way + half of the water bottles fell out across the field. I remember dying laughing at this point. Uncontrollably laughing. So much had happened. So much had been handled. And here we were, picking up water bottles that had been strewn across a field. For some reason, this got me. It could have been a touch of heat exhaustion combined with being extra hangry haha, but either way – it had me laughing hard. This one is barely a spark; rather, it is one more example of the many small things a wedding planner ends up doing throughout the day that you’d never know about.
Ahh – finally! Time for the Ceremony!! You guys – it was PERFECT. No fires or sparks in sight! It was absolutely gorgeous + everything was executed with ease.
[I LOVE that Brittany is looking at her Daddy right there. Precious. And that last picture is one of my favorites from the Ceremony. I love that Kerry caught this sweet moment!]
Spark #3:
Everyone truly had a blast! This group really knows how to party! I even got to do a little line dancing with them at the Reception!
If you are wondering whether or not you should spend the money to hire a professional wedding planner – I hope this post shows you just how crucial it is. No bride, bridesmaid, or family member should have to deal with all the things that inevitably go awry on a wedding day. Your wedding is one of the most precious days of your life. You + your loved ones are meant to enjoy it!
Brittany + Tyler certainly didn’t:
“If I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I would hire Jenny in a heartbeat. She was/is so amazing. I honestly cannot put into words how amazing she was—I mean everyone was so thankful she was there to help because we did have some hiccups throughout the day (but what wedding does not). Tyler (my husband) and I agree that one of the best services that she offers are the face-to-face meetings with her. We ended up meeting about three times and once was a venue walk through so we could show her what we were envisioning which made us both feel more relaxed. Jenny became more than just a planner; Tyler and I felt like she was more our friend that was there helping us plan our day. The day of was where I really have to appreciate what Jenny does. Just to give you an idea of just how amazing Jenny really is, I HATED my bouquet and the way the flowers were arranged on my arbor (wasn’t what I asked for at all). My awesome matron of honor immediately texted Jenny to let her know I was not happy. Jenny took care of EVERYTHING. Literally redid my bouquet and arbor. Seriously could not imagine my wedding without her. Even my family and entire wedding party felt comfortable going to her with any questions or concerns that came up. Tyler and I are so grateful we found Jenny and we definitely recommend her to anyone who is looking for a wedding planner!”
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