What do you mean it’s over? NO! Can I please relive this day a million times over again? It only took 8 months for me to get this post up as I’m still in denial that it’s all over and writing this post kind of makes it feel like the final farewell (cue the tears).

Everyone prepares you that the day flies by in the snap of a finger, but nobody prepares you for the amount of happiness and love you feel being surrounded by all of your closest friends and family. It’s so much that your heart could burst…literally!

I’ve tried to think of a million ways I could do this day all over again as it truly was the BEST DAY of my life! And yes, I know how cheesy I sound saying this, but I mean look at my smile in these photos? Like could it get any bigger? I think I gained about 200 face smile wrinkles within 24 hours as I don’t think that smile left my face for even a second that day. From the first look to the late night doughnuts and confetti poppers, it was everything Steve and I dreamed of and so much more.

The Details

The Dress: One of my absolute favorite details of our wedding is my dress, the dress of my dreams. My dear friend and the owner of Mira Couture helped me design every detail and bring my vision to life in this custom Rosa Clara gown. The back and front 3D floral details incorporated lace and floral pieces from my mom’s wedding dress and veil. It was the perfect “something old”. Plus, the full skirt was attached around the waist so when it came time for dancing I slipped it off to create a second look, a more slim and fitting dress that allowed for a long night of dancing!

First Look: Our amazing photographer, Aimee Mazzenga, captured the moment perfectly. At the park I was staged in place and Steve was brought up by his dad and brother with his eyes closed. Once in place, he was handed balloons to release as our bridal party and families stood by and counted down. It was the moment my heart jumped out of my dress and one of my favorite moments that day.

The Bridal Party Gifts: I couldn’t have thanked my girls enough for sharing such a big moment so gifted each of them a bottle of OneHope sparkling wine, a greetabl with a special note and photos together, a pj set, earrings to wear the day of and treated them all to their hair as I knew being in a wedding can get pricey so trying to help eliminate as much of the costs as possible was important to me.

The Vibe: When I think about the vibe, two words come to mind: Romantic and fun. We wanted to set the stage for a day celebrating love but also have our guests walk away saying they had the time of their lives. Thanks to our decor partner and dear friend Derrick of Taylor & Co, I think we accomplished that and more with the beautiful center pieces, bridal bouquets, boxwood stage covering, floral bouquets hanging from the ceiling, chandeliers and sparkling backdrop of the band. We also added personalized calligraphy touches by Andrea Reno Calligraphy with a custom crest that was incorporated throughout the paper items, we did a gold foil skyline on the name cards, a custom cocktail menu with a “Sparkling Ros(i)Ã©” option, a glass mirrored seating chart hand calligraphered and guestbook where guests could take polaroids and write messages by their photos. And last but not least, nothing says fun like Time Chicago of BeatMix. When we met with our band, we said we don’t care what songs you play but we want to keep everyone on the dance floor the whole night and man did they deliver. My blisters lasted for weeks after but they were worth every moment spent on that dance floor.

First Dance: When Steve and I first started dating, he introduced me to Ben Rector who at the time was performing at small college towns. It was our first concert together and we’ve gone together every year he’s been in town since. Our first dance,Loving You is Easy , was a song we hold dearly in our hearts and will dance together to for many more years to come.

Late Night Snacks: As you know by now, Steve and I have quite the sweet tooth so there was no shortage of sweets at our wedding and when it came to late night snacks, we knew we wanted it to be something sweet so we had the Doughnut Vault vintage truck pull into the reception for guests to take a doughnut or four home. Funny enough this was the 2nd thing we booked which shows our priorities;).

Big Finale: Steve proposed with confetti in the ring box and we knew we had to tie this back into our wedding day in some way. For the last song, we handed out confetti poppers to everyone on the dance floor and the band counted down to the refrain where everyone jumped up and threw the poppers. The moment was one I will never forget and the feeling was unlike any other seeing confetti everywhere while everyone is dancing and having the time of their life. (video at the bottom of the confetti)

Our Best Wedding Advice

Make it Your Own. One of the things Steve and I decided was the most important to us was having a live band and allowing as much time as possible to dance and visit with friends and family. So with only so many hours in the night, Steve and I decided to skip a few traditional wedding things to allow more time for the things that meant the most to us. We did not do a garter or bouquet toss and decided to do all speeches at the rehearsal dinner with the exception of a speech from Steve and I and a short welcome from my dad. We also switched the “traditional” dance order and had Steve and I’s first dance last. I took my dress skirt off for our dance so wanted to come out as a surprise to Steve for the dance and we both wanted to start the dances with us welcoming everyone to join. There’s no right or wrong way to do your wedding day, so do it the way that matters to you both and what will make it your best day ever as everyone else is there to celebrate you so they won’t care what you change or don’t change.

Take Three Moments in Together. This one probably sounds a little silly, but someone told this to Steve and I and it was the best wedding advice we could have gotten. The day will fly by so fast and there are so many things happening every minute so take three moments throughout the day together to stand there and just take it all in. Look around, breathe and remember the feeling in that exact moment. I can tell you clearly the three moments we did this and those are my three favorite moments and I feel like I’m still there when I think of them.

Trust Your Vendors and Thank Them (a million times). Your vendors making your wedding dreams come to life and they work their tail end off to do it so I couldn’t thank our vendors enough for everything they did. Also, remember they do weddings every weekend so don’t stress for a minute about what they’re doing, if you told them the right thing or what time something should happen because trust me they’re pros and they will make sure you stay on schedule, have what you need and that you’re having the best time. We couldn’t have asked for a better group of vendors and if something went wrong, I wouldn’t even know it because they handled it like pros.