Here Comes the Bride February 25, 2016 08:00
Don't you guys love wedding season? Once the weather starts to get warmer, the save the dates start rolling in for occasions to celebrate friends and family and make memories. My husband (Mike) and I (Becky) have been married for 8 years now, and we are well versed in weddings. We've witnessed a countless number of nuptials, with our best summer topping out at a whopping 10 weddings in 3 states.
Weddings are the type of event that you remember - even if you just remember one aspect of it. One gem that we attended had some last minute changes, as the bachelor party held the night before the wedding (not recommended) led to shaved eyebrows, fights, and a B-team groomsmen party as members were replaced. I went to a beautiful wedding this past fall celebrating a totally fun couple. Tyler and Alyssa are fearless and choreographed their own dance which was performed at their reception. This was no surprise as Tyler's proposal was a day long event including a video of friends and family also performing (another) choreographed dance and giving opinions on whether she should say yes or not (spoiler alert: she totally did). (Not posting the video because yes I did the dance and I am TERRIBLE!)
Tyler and Alyssa kept up with the launch of UPstudio and loved our Everyday Cards so much that they decided to use them as their thank you cards. We were thrilled to help them out, to say the least, and were happy to offer an entire line of envelope colors for them to choose from, so that the cards would match their overall theme and colors. (And we'll totally do the same for you! Just email us! hello@upstudionc.com) If you're getting married in or have ties to Raleigh, the Raleigh Streets or Nolli Dots cards could be perfect. The Arrows and Sunburst cards are also neutral and a good fit for any occasion. We are currently working on new additions to the collection, so keep an eye out!
My own wedding had a lot of homemade aspects to it since my husband and I created and printed our own invitations and programs, designed and fabricated all our decorations, and even used a life-sized cut out of my husband that my dear friend Katie created for my bachelorette party (but that's a story for another blog post)! We got married in March with the reception planned outside. We knew it was risky, but we decided to take our chances anyway. A week out, things were looking great: the weather was predicted to be 70 degrees and sunny and we couldn't be happier. I bet you can guess where this is going. Four days later the weather report changed drastically - to 40 degrees with 20MPH winds. So, we changed our venue. I've never freaked out so much in my life (debatable), but I wouldn't change a thing about the actual day. Even the part where my husband shoved cake in my face (and up my nose, and down my dress, etc. I know I know, and we're still married!) (Sidenote: this photo which pretty much sums up the last 8+ years of my life, doesn't show it, but he totally started it.)
Photo by Hayne Photogrophers
Planning a wedding is straight up crazy. There are a million things to coordinate, dresses to try on, cakes to taste (this was not a problem for me), flowers to choose, thank you cards to write. Since we did so much on our own without a wedding planner, we had a dedicated notebook to record all our notes and decisions. If I had the UPstudio Planner at the time, it would've been a lot easier to keep track of what was what, with the divisions in the weekly layout to divide tasks, and extra graph paper for ideas, sketches, and final decisions. Even if you have a wedding planner, this could be helpful for your own sanity. (Or, if you ARE a wedding planner - you can keep track of multiple weddings at a time with the divisions in the weekly layout!)
If you have an upcoming wedding - congratulations! We are so excited for you! Remember to take a deep breath, and try your hardest to enjoy everything you are doing for your special day. It can be overwhelming beforehand, but it's over before you know it. My best recommendation is to get a photographer that you're comfortable with and be open about what you want your photos to be. Photos are the best way to reminisce, and your memories will last a lifetime and beyond.
If you're already married, congratulations to you too! We think married life is pretty great, and we'd love to hear what your favorite memory of your wedding is, or any advice you may have for someone who is planning a wedding now.