Certified Coordinated Bride Brittani
Journal Entry #4
You Will Forever Be My Always #JREDandBESaidIDO
If two hearts are Meant to BE, no matter how long it takes, how far they go, or how tough it seems…Fate will bring them together to share in forever. October 10, 2015 began our forever as we are now officially The DeLoaches! This wedding journey has been all about learning about how to be a “good traveler”. All of the preparation leading up to the wedding leads you to the final destination…Wedding Day!!! However, there are so many things along the way that can distract or detour your route, so it is important to be wise on your journey.
Planning a wedding takes a significant amount of time and effort. My mom and I planned everything (and I mean every single detail) until the day before the wedding when my director, assistant director, and bride assistant took over. My directors and assistant along with my mom did a great job keeping any mishaps from me because they wanted me to be stress free on my wedding day. I was very blessed to have such a great support system from my hubby, family, friends, and loved ones who were always willing to lend a helping hand any way that they could.
We had a massive wedding that included over 400 guests and 75 plus wedding party participants. While the guest list seemed to be rather large, our wedding was very personal and intimate. My hubby and I wanted our wedding to be uniquely ours and therefore added a few personal touches. Some of these personal touches included, photo guest book with photos from our engagement session, placing flowers on the pew and burning candles brightly in remembrance of my husband’s mother, family medallion ceremony with our son, writing our own vows, naming tables at the reception based on aspects of our relationship, video montage of our love story, photo booth, and the infamous king and queen chairs. There was a story behind every single detail of our wedding. As I have discussed in my previous posts, my mommy and I have a very close relationship. She walked me down the aisle to my husband and gave me away…a very special yet sentimental moment for us that I will cherish forever!
What I looked forward to most on our wedding day was walking down the aisle to the love of my life and uniting our families. I walked down the aisle to my favorite song “Smash Into You” by Beyoncé. He and I had gone all day without communicating and seeing one another. I am truly a stickler when it comes to wedding superstitions. We did exchange gifts prior to the wedding ceremony by way of messengers. I gave him a pair of earrings and a heartfelt card and he also gave me a heartfelt card in addition to a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes! When the church doors opened and I saw my handsome groom, all of my nerves went away because love was right in my path, in my grasp and I knew that he and I belonged. Although we had a church filled with guests, during that instance we only saw each other and I fell in love all over again! I have a very thoughtful and caring soulmate who goes above and beyond to make me happy and I do my very best to do the same.
Another inside wedding detail was that my husband did not see his wedding band until I placed it on his finger during the ceremony and I wore an Auburn garter (War Eagle!!!) during the ceremony but surprised him with an Alabama garter for his garter toss. Big things are important but often times we forget the small gestures that pull at the heartstrings.
Our wedding day was everything I imagined it would be…filled with love, laughter, and happily ever after! Since our big day, I have had a lot of time to reflect on all aspects of our special day and what I have learned throughout this wedding journey. For my future brides here are a few takeaways. Be selective when deciding who is going to be a part of the wedding entourage. Make your expectations known from the beginning and choose those that will be genuinely there for you. A lot of what I noticed is not everyone knows what all is involved and what efforts including participation should be made with being a part of a wedding.
I could tell you to get plenty of rest the night before the wedding, but honestly you will not get that much rest. The excitement and anticipation of the best day of your life will keep you up all night…trust me! The guest count and RSVPs will be your biggest annoyance. Start early with creating your guest list. We spent a lot of time and energy on ensuring that we had an accurate guest count because we severed a plated dinner. Despite all of that preparation, guests will still RSVP but will not show up. I think most guests do not realize the inconvenience that causes and I have yet to come up with a solution to make this process more efficient LOL. One of the things that bothered me the most was the fact that my wedding did not start on time. That was the only thing that I really wanted and I stressed the importance of that a million times. To me even if the wedding started a minute late, it was still not on time! The delay caused a few setbacks such as not getting all the photos that I wanted, delay in the start of the reception, and other things of that nature. It is a major pet peeve of mine to have guests waiting. However, when you have such a large wedding entourage sometimes things are out of your hands and you just have to go with the flow…it is what we like to call in the engineering world “special cause variation”. Do not stress about details or things that do not really matter at the end. Sometimes it is okay to make things about you, my husband made it very clear to me that he wanted to share our first meal together as husband and wife without feeling rushed through the meal, and we made that happen. You are going to be pulled in so many different directions, between bouquet and garter toss, caking cutting, and dancing. Try your best effort to greet as many guests that you can. Pre-marital counseling is so important. Couples can get so caught up in the wedding planning that they forget about the preparation for the marriage. A strong marriage is far more important than a beautiful wedding. Remember to keep God at the center of your marriage. Lastly, take it all in…there so much going on and you will be pulled in a billion and one direction, but be sure to be present in the moment and have fun! I remember getting emotional during the wedding rehearsal because it was so beautiful seeing everything you have spent so much time planning come full circle.
All in all, after all of the planning, organizing, stressing, minor hiccups, it was all worth it in the end. I planned and had the wedding of my dreams, but most importantly I married the love of my life! I said goodbye to the Feyoncé life…now I am JR’s WIFE!!! I absolutely loved sharing my journey of the bride to BE with you all. Thanks for going along on this adventure. This is only the beginning for the mister and I as a true love story never ends!
XoXo,
BE DeLoach
Vendor Collaborations
Wedding Planner: BE Amazing Designs || Cinematography & Photography: K. Bryant Images || Invitations & Stationery: Merrilee Aurora Hale – Impress Papers || Wedding Director: Norma Vance || Assistant Wedding Director: Cherrie Walker || Bride’s Assistant: Deidre Robinson || Celebrity Make-Up Artist: Bernadette Cherie || Wedding Décor: Relly Rue Creative Studio || Hair: Tassady Smith – Salon Picasso || Bride’s Attire: Bella’s Bridal & Formal, Roman Turner
