Hello and welcome back to another Wedding Wednesday post!!
I posted on my Instagram stories the other day asking you all which type of blog posts you enjoy reading most, and while the majority of you said health and fitness posts (which makes sense considering I am courtfit haha), a lot of you also said you enjoy personal content like wedding planning!
If you’re new here, I started this Wedding Wednesday series at the beginning of February when I posted my wedding planning saves vs splurges blog post. On today’s post, I’m diving into PART 3 of my wedding planning updates. If you missed part one and two, you can find them below:
I am officially under 4 months out from my wedding in June 2023 (time flies!!!). I can’t believe it was over a year ago now that Casey got down on one knee at the Omni Grove Park Inn and proposed to me! We’ve loved this season of our relationship being engaged, but we can’t wait to make it officially offical in just a few short months!!
I have a lot of fun and exciting updates to share with y’all today since I last updated you all in part two. We’re talking my first wedding dress fitting, designing my wedding invitations, choosing my bridesmaids attire, planning my bachelorette party (counting down the days!!), and more!! Let’s get into it!
First Wedding Dress Fitting
You may have seen me share on Instagram stories that I had my first wedding dress fitting and alterations on February 15! Unfortunately the appointment was on a Wednesday and my mom, sisters, and best friends all live hours from me, so I went alone. I was a little bummed out at first because of course I would have loved one of them with me, but then my mom reminded me on the phone on the drive over to enjoy this time alone since I am a mom… and taking care of Blakely is a full time job! It helped me to shift my mindset and it really was nice getting out and having a minute for myself.
The Dress
This is the second time I’ve put the dress on since I’ve bought it, and each time I just fall even more in love. I’m so excited for you guys to see it eventually!! I have a naturally smaller build, so they ordered the dress for me in the smallest size it came in and it was still falling off of me. The seamstress pinned the sides and added some cups in the front and it really helped to get more of a visual of what the dress will look like when it actually fits me! It was way too long also so we are getting it hemmed.
Wedding Shoes
I have been so indecisive on which shoes to go with for my wedding day! The appointment snuck up on me and I didn’t have time to order the ones that I recently found and love online because they ship from Australia. I ended up bringing shoes with a similar height to try on with it, but I can’t wait for my next fitting to see the dress on with the shoes I will wear with it!
My next fitting is early April so I am hoping and praying that it fits then!
Wedding Invitation Design
My formal wedding invitations are designed and ready to be printed! So so so exciting. I absolutely loved doing this and cannot wait to see them in person. I used the site Minted for my save the dates and found it to be so easy and stress-free. So much so that I decided to use them for my formal invitations too!
I absolutely love letterpress invitations and found a template in Minted that is exactly the classic and formal style I’m looking for. My wedding planner thankfully has a discount code with them which really helps save money on the invitations as a whole. I’ll share more with you guys about the look and details after these are printed and sent out!
Chose Bridesmaid Dresses
I have always loved the color champagne for bridesmaids dresses and truly thought that’s what I would go with for my wedding day. But as planning came along further I’ve really been loving the look of classic black bridesmaid dresses. Plus, I feel like you can always re-wear a black dress and I want my bridesmaids to spend their money on a dress that they won’t just wear once.
I want my bridesmaids to pick out a dress style they think flatters them, so I decided against picking one single dress style and let my girls have freedom with what they’re comfortable and confident in!
I gave them three requirements for the dress, but told them they can find it on any site they want. I want the dress material to be black satin, the length to be midi (above ankle), and the shoes to be nude!! A few of my girls have sent me some dresses to approve and have already ordered them and I am in love with them all! I’m so excited to see how it all looks and comes together on my wedding day.
Bachelorette Party Planning
Fun fact about me I’ve learned during this wedding planning process… I am a type A bride. This means that I do not like to be out of the loop and am probably too obsessed with planning every detail hahaha. My wonderful maid of honor and best friend has been so patient with me as I’ve voiced my opinions in the bachelorette party planning process.
We are going to (drumroll) 30A in Florida for my bachelorette party! I had never heard of it before moving to Atlanta, but it is such a hot vacation spot for people who live in ATL. Think white sand beaches, upscale beach bars and restaurants, and rows of the most beautiful dream homes. For a bachelorette party it’s definitely more of a laid back, chill, relaxing vibe which is right up my ally. Don’t get me wrong- I’m looking forward to my night’s out with some margaritas! But I’m also in my prioritizing health and sleep era which means no 4 a.m. Miami clubbing for me.
The bach trip is in April so I can’t wait to fill you guys in on all the details of our trip after we’re back home!
Booked Officiant + Premarital Counseling
We have officially booked our officiant for our wedding ceremony! He actually requires premarital counseling for the couples he officiates, but it worked out because Casey and I were interested in doing this before our wedding anyway. Having open and honest conversations about our values, beliefs, money and more topics in front of a third party unbiased person gives us the opportunity to prevent future conflicts and find resolutions early on. Our officiant is religious in that he will help guide our counseling towards building a marriage founded on biblical principles. There is so much planning for one single day, but this will help to shift our focus away from the one wedding day and more towards success in our lifetime being married together.
Bridal Shower Planning
I am so excited about my bridal shower at the end of March!! My maid of honor is throwing a brunch at my parent’s house with help from my mom and some of my bridesmaids! I am so excited to see all of my girls and celebrate with them. Everyone lives so spread apart since we graduated from college so this is the perfect excuse to bring everyone together.
The theme of my shower is “Something Blue Before I Do.” I asked everyone to wear something blue to celebrate, whether that’s a dress, blue jeans, or even an accessory. We’re doing it around brunch/lunch time so I’m thinking mimosas, yogurt parfaits, fruit trays, and some chicken salad on croissants. I’ve been included in some of the menu planning (because like I mentioned earlier I am so type A), but the rest will be a fun surprise!!!
I have a whole Pinterest board and Amazon storefront page full of blue-inspired decor and inspiration if you guys want to check those out:
Create Rehearsal Dinner Guest List
Casey’s parents already booked our rehearsal dinner venue at a local upscale brewery! We rented out a private room and will have a bartender as well. The brewery actually caters the dinner so we need to make sure we finalized that menu in the coming weeks. Casey and I both come from BIG families on both sides so we decided we wanted to rehearsal dinner to be more intimate with just close family and our bridal party. We’re really happy with that decision and are excited to see everyone else the next night at our wedding!!
Blocked Hotel Rooms & Reserved Wedding Night Room
For some reason blocking hotel rooms was not as easy as I thought it would be. I tried calling around to 4 hotels to compare prices and found that it was impossible to get someone on the phone! I eventually reached out to my wedding planner who must have pulled some strings and she was able to help out and get some quotes for me to block the most affordable rooms for my guests.
All of my bridesmaids are staying at a separate boutique hotel close to our venue that I additionally blocked rooms for. They’re all arriving Thursday so we’ll have two nights together to soak up all the girl time before I get married! On the wedding night, I reserved a room at the same hotel for Casey and I. Loved checking this one off of my to-do list!!
Finalizing Our Registry
I’m currently using the site Zola to make our wedding registry! I like it okay so far, but am wondering if I should use a few sites directly. For example, I am thinking about making a registry directly on Crate and Barrel or Amazon separately instead of all on one site like Zola. Do any past or future brides have any advice or input on this?
UPCOMING TO-DOS:
In no particular order, just off of the top of my head.
- food tasting
- finalize rentals
- DIY welcome bags for guest
- buying our wedding bands
- mailing formal invitations
- order cake
- order bachelorette trip goodies
- send shot list to photographer
- send song list to DJ
- order card box & guest book
- order flower girl basket
- schedule marriage license appointment
- finalize bar menu & special cocktails
- buy Casey’s tux
- book a honeymoon/minimoon
- order flower girl dress for Blakely
- book exit car
Lot’s to do in the upcoming months! I remember brides saying that the beginning of their wedding planning was hectic, then it lulls for a few months, and kicks right back into gear a few months out. That is the TRUTH!
Hope you guys enjoyed this post! Let me know if you have any questions. I’ll post a 3 month update and to-do’s next month to keep you guys filled it!
Leave a Reply