Without the help of a planner, Lily and Brian effortlessly planned their backyard wedding. Having to bring in a tent to Brian’s mother’s backyard, they coordinated with dozens of vendors that brought the elegance and beautiful decor to life. The pair were dating for one year and four months before Brian proposed.
Lily and Brian met in college in 2005 when Lily got a job as a waitress at a Mexican restaurant where Brian was the bartender. He immediately requested to be the one to train Lily and they became good friends. They lost touch after college but Brian sent Lily a Facebook message 3 years ago when he drove past her hometown and they started talking on the phone for hours every day. After hanging out for the first time in years, they quickly fell for each other and started spending every weekend together.
The Proposal – as told by The Coordinated Bride Lily
He (Brian) planned an elaborate lake house weekend getaway for my birthday (since we love being on the water) and it ended up being terrible storms the entire weekend so we had to cancel. The following weekend he took me pumpkin picking and proposed in the pumpkin patch. Our friends met us afterwards to celebrate.
The Wedding
Blush, gold, and white rustic glam since it was outdoors. We wanted to include cultural elements since my family is Syrian so we had Arabic music, a belly dancer and a drummer.
Planning a backyard wedding from another state was definitely a challenging experience. We ended up working with a total of 18 vendors so there were a lot of moving parts and a lot to coordinate. The majority of our time was spent on FaceTime and on conference calls and our weekends were spent driving back and forth from Baltimore to NJ. Although the process was exhausting, there was nothing as rewarding as watching everything fall into place for our dream wedding.
Advice to fellow Coordinated Brides
Definitely to enjoy the planning process and not try to please everyone. It is so easy to get frustrated by the details of planning a wedding but it all flies by so quickly. Take time (especially the day of) to appreciate what you’re actually there to celebrate.
Vendor Collaboration
Location: Personal Backyard // Beauty: Bridal Butterflies // Floral Designer: Jardiniere Flowers // Professional: Yasmeena Dance // Caterer: Redwoods Grill and Bar // Cinema and Video: Sinemax // Bakery: 2 Sweet // DJ: DJ Mazz Entertainment // Photographer: J&R Photography //
Submitted via Two Bright Lights
