How did he ask?
John proposed the day he graduated with his Bachelors Degree from NCCU. We were at his parents house celebrating his accomplishments with family. During the "Thank You" speech to his family and friends John started his proposal which took me by complete surprise!
What was your vision for your wedding?
I really wanted a fun, relaxing and memorable atmosphere for our family and friends. I also wanted a blend of vintage, romantic and modern. Thankfully with the help of Bushel and Peck Designs our wedding was executed beautifully. I loved watching our design vision come to life on our wedding day!
What was the biggest trend the year you got married?
Well since I just got married in 2016 I honestly think the same trends are still present this year. One of the biggest trends I noticed that was the nontraditional bridesmaid dresses and styles. I remember looking through a lot of wedding magazines and blogs and noticed bridesmaid portraits where the bridesmaids wore different style dresses or different colors. I also noticed a lot of different options for nontraditional guest books. We decided to follow with this trend and do a Polaroid guestbook which was a lot of fun for guest for when they arrived.
What was the most important aspect of your wedding to you?
We really wanted a beautiful and different wedding venue along with an entertaining DJ that allowed our guest to have a night to remember. We wanted our venue to be able to hold our HUGE family/friend guest count as well as keep everything in one location. I also did not want our guest to have to travel from ceremony to cocktail hour/reception. The Bradford was absolutely perfect for our vision. The DJ - Patrick, from 3Sixty Vision made sure our dance floor stayed full and people were having good time! I love still hearing our family and friend talk about our wedding and how they enjoyed themselves!
Did you have a planner?
yes
How many people?
~210
What were your colors?
Blush, Black and White with Gold Accents
How did you decide on your venue?
From the beginning I knew I wanted our ceremony, cocktail hour and reception in the same location. We really wanted to keep everything easy and convenient for our family and friends attending the wedding. After wedding venue searching online through WeddingWire and The Knot I stubbled across The Bradford. I had not seen anything like The Bradford before in my research. I loved it from first sight! After meeting Courtney onsite and taking a tour I could totally see our wedding taking place there instantly.
What were your ideas vs what was reality?
Honestly I was extremely realistic with our budget and our ideas. I cannot remember any ideas I had that I could not execute due to budget or reality.
Best part of your day? Other than getting married, obviously :)
That is so hard to choose! Of course getting married was the best part of our day! But my second favorite part was getting to do a "First NOT look" right before our ceremony. It meant a lot to get to hear each other's voice and have a prayer together before we got married.
What were the most cringe worthy things looking back on it now?
Since becoming a wedding planner after our wedding I know how much work it takes to plan and execute a flip. I loved getting married in front of The Bradford back doors. But I still feel bad for having that CRAZY flip in the 90 degree September weather. Thankful for the awesome C&D Team I had that day.
If you could pick one vendor that was your all start who was it and why?
I would hands down say, C&D Events and Bushel and Peck Designs! At the time I was not working for C&D Events and reached out to Courtney to get her advice on hiring a coordinator for a Partial Plan. I really needed help finalizing rentals and catering. I met with Dana to discuss these options and immediately knew I needed more help and assistance. I also wanted design help with florals. Dana and her B&P design options came to the rescue! I could not have pulled off such a beautiful wedding and design without her assistance!
Advice to other brides getting married...
HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER! I can not stress this enough. I would not have been able to enjoy our day without having someone following the timeline and making sure "behind the scenes" everything was perfect! Also - if it is in your budget make sure to hire a videographer. I agree with Leah, there is something about being able to watch your wedding day on video that makes the memories even better!
Where was your venue/name of venue?
Wedding Date
September 10, 2016
Who was your photographer?
