6 Simple Rules for Planning a Destination Wedding

When I tell people that my wedding is on the other side of the country, the first question they always ask is, “How the !!?# did you plan from here?” And I’m not gonna say it was easy, but here are a few things I did that made the process of planning from afar a whole lot easier…

1 // Get a coordinator. Oh my lord get a coordinator. You don’t have to go all the way, you can just get a day of, but having someone on the ground will make a world of difference. A coordinator can answer questions and provide recommendations for anything from the most kickass band to the place you want to have your dress steamed when you get into town.  Most importantly, just knowing you have that person backing you up will relieve a boatload of stress.

2 // Research, research, research. If you can, use yelp. And scour the vendor guides of your favorite blogs like a crazy person. I’m telling you, I can still rattle off who is and is not included in Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book… and whether they also appear on Green Wedding Shoes and Once Wed.  It’s a sickness.

If you’re going overseas use a reputable guide that you trust, like Frommers or Lonely Planet. We depended on these heavily on these for our honeymoon.

3 // Check out the average wedding cost where you’re headed… is it the highest in the country? The lowest? The truth might not change your mind, but it’s a good thing to know going in.

4 // Use Skype.  There is literally nothing better for planning from out of town.  You can still meet every one of your vendors face to face.

5 // If you can, take one trip there before the wedding. Hopefully you already know enough about the venue so that you don’t need to go early on in planning (if you don’t, I really recommend two trips. Don’t book a venue sight unseen… you never know what little surprises might pop up, and you don’t want to discover them after it’s too late).

On your main trip, try your food, cake, meet with your coordinator and officiant and, if you have time, get your engagement shots taken. Rentals, lights, and little details are easy to book from afar.

6 // Relax. This is a destination wedding, and I imagine that one of the reasons you chose this whole deal is that the place is beautiful… right? So here’s the thing. That beautiful place? It counts as big fat chunk of your decor. You might not be able to carry or ship quite as many little details as you’d like, but even with the most minimal personalization, your location will shine – and I’m pretty sure it will beat a 50′ long crepe paper garland any day of the week.

Trust that your wedding will be beautiful and special and yours.

And if there is any little piece of you that doubts me, watch this.

Photo: Jose Villa

Happy (fried brain) Friday!

Lately, my brain has taken to spontaneous combustion.  I’ve forgotten the date, the time, what it is I’m even talking about in the middle of a sentence… at this point I think it’s safe to say that wedding brain has taken over.

The thing is that it’s not just a wedding I have to prepare for, it’s also the fact that I’m about to leave… for 3 weeks… right in the middle of a busy political season (to put it lightly) and right in the middle of the holidays…

So, that said, this morning I thought it was Tuesday.

But I suppose my recent bout of forgetfulness just emphasizes how badly I need a night out… and tonight I’m planning to do just that.  My maid of honor has the whole evening planned and I can’t tell you how fantastic it feels to just be along for the ride.  Whatever the stress that comes with these final few weeks I have to say… the one thing I’m feeling more than anything is thankful that I have such amazing people in my life.

Here are a few things I’m loving…

This is pretty on a whole new level — I can’t wait to see the book.

Norman Seef.

These vegan cookies also count as breakfast — I’m sold.

There’s an app for that.

Yes.

For those of you who love doughnuts just as much as I do.

How cute is this Halloween party?

These Halloween cards too.

{Real Weddings} Keith & Lauren

Thank you guys so much for all of your awesome book recommendations yesterday, I can’t wait to dive in!  Actually I’m kind of dying, I wish I had the time to start now.

I get all sorts of wedding submissions… big parties, small parties, venues where everything is pre-planned, elopements that were planned in 3 days… there’s no one formula for a beautiful wedding.

But in the end, what really gets me are the emotions.  The bride dancing with her father… the first time the groom sees his bride… the pure joy on each and every person’s face.  That’s the best part…

Here’s the story straight from the bride…

Keith and I met through a sorority sister at UCF, who somehow knew “we were meant to be” and that we were perfect for each other. And sure enough we are. Keith and I love being outside, boating, beaching it up, and other fun things. We dated long distance for a while which was hard, but we some how managed to make it this far.

He proposed simply on April 9th in my bedroom. I think he tried to get my little beagle Lucy involved somehow but she wasn’t cooperating with him. Aka, I found him under the bed trying to get her to come out moments before the proposal.

I will move to wellington fl once I graduate. We are pretty simple people and love to have fun.

Photographer: Root Photography / Venue: Longboat Key Club

Details, Details

One month to go, and we’re down to the details… but let me tell you, there are details to be had!

From menus to table lists to just plain mailing stuff to the west coast (extra work for the destination bride) I’m pretty sure our weekends from here on out are done.*

There are the details on the surface, and the details underneath… and right now my head is reeling trying to keep up with them all.

But really, in the end, aren’t the details half the fun?

And how about this for some (moderately disturbed) motivation?  A little old, but really, if I could be the most organized person on earth I would die happy.**

*Okay actually we made pretty good use of this particular weekend (sorry for the terrible shot of the back of the camera… I mentioned we’ve been busy right?).

**I’d like to dedicate this post to Pinterest and the terribly dated but absolutely fantastic discoveries I make on you nearly every day… clearly we’ve been spending a little too much time together.

Photo: Backstage at Rodarte Fall 2012 Ready to Wear via The Doppelganger

A Little Inspiration: Autumn

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Okay, call me cliché but I really do love the fall.  It’s sweater season (in theory… in reality it’s been 80 all week, but go with me here) the apples are at their best, the leaves are turning and the holidays are about to begin.

Fall is a time for savoring rich flavors, rich experiences, and gorgeous rich colors like the ones above.

Happy Surprises

1 // Learning that one of my very best friends (who has had a crazy amazing busy year and I am so so proud of her — so I totally understood when she said she wouldn’t be able to make it) just bought a ticket to come to our wedding.

2 // Coming home to fresh seared scallops and cider with rum.

3 // … not to mention a clean house and an empty basket of laundry.  That guy, he knows just what to do to tug at my heart.

4 // A sweet gift for Austin from his soon-to-be step-gramma.

5 // Realizing that after months (maybe years) of work with no change at all, I’m running just a little bit faster.

It’s been a stressful couple of weeks, with tons of work and the wedding right around the corner, but in the end… it’s always the good stuff that comes out on top.

Photo: Cassidy Carson via Snippet & Ink

Two Months Out

Two months. I’m not even sure what to say about two months. I can barely believe it, but this time we have left will be gone in the blink of an eye!

The past week has been full of little accomplishments and final touches: We picked out our rings and mailed our final invites, and now I think I can officially say that we we’re down to the details!

Here’s what our checklist is looking like, two months out…

Time Management

Hyperbole and a Half

So, right now I should be:

1)   Cleaning my house.
2)   Writing a reaction to today’s Washington Post story on Iran.
3)   Responding to emails.
4)   Reading emails.
5)   Finding and booking vendors I have left to book.
6)   Showering.

Not to mention the long list of much bigger tasks on my to-do list: writing a book, learning a language… that guitar under the bed?

The list is long, but it has always been long and that’s okay.  I have a lot of goals for myself, and that’s a good thing.  Unfortunately, it also means I’m busy about one hundred and two percent of the time — pre-wedding planning.

To be honest, I’m not quite sure I realized the amount of time wedding planning would manage to suck out of the day to day.  So, for the first time (probably ever – I actually used to think I was pretty good at this) I find myself examining lists of time (and stress) management techniques… looking for a little help.

I imagine this topic is universal to a lot of brides… but it’s funny.  When I Google “time management and weddings,” all I seem to find is a grouping of checklists and possible schedules… and let me tell you, the last thing I need is another checklist.

I am fully aware of the long list of things that I still need to make a decision on.

No.  What I need are those real, time-tested, techniques that every college and university seems to have its own personalized copy of for incoming students… except, different…