The Couple: Jen & Guy
Wedding Date: October 10, 2014
Photography by Emily Heizer Photography
Tell us a little about you and your beloved: We were introduced by our mutual friend, Matthew (Matthew & I worked together and he & Guy were rock climbing buddies). We were invited to a group dinner which was in no way presented as a set up…a good thing because I would’ve been lame and declined the invite due to an aversion to blind dates.
Guy took me to San Francisco for my birthday after we had been dating almost a year, and while we were at dinner at Flour & Water I discovered his proposal on the menu (he had the restaurant print special menus for us. The proposal was under “Pasta”). I looked up to see him on his knee, squeezed into the tiny space between tables, with a beautiful ring! I planned our wedding by myself, and while it was sometimes stressful, I loved being able to do so. I’m a wee bit of a control freak and it was super fun designing the best day of our lives from top to bottom.
What was the most amazing part of your day? The whole day was a blur of fun & joy, but we really enjoyed the 20 minutes we took right after the ceremony to sneak away by ourselves and enjoy a glass of bubbles and a couple of hors d’oeuvres and take in what we had just done.
What else would you like to share about your big day? I didn’t want to have to work on our wedding day, and I didn’t want my friends and family to have to do so either. If you have room in your budget, hire a Day of Coordinator. Worth.Every.Penny. We were able to relax and enjoy our day without having to stress out over the million tiny details which are involved in such a big event.
Ceremony and Reception Site: Park Winters
Officiant: Biffy Cotter
Photographer: Emily Heizer Photography
Wedding Planner: My Day of Coordinator was Emily Coyne. She was assisted with set up by Alluring Events & Design.
Caterer and Cake/Desserts: Chef and Baker Events and Catering (Chef Gabriel Glasier was the chef at the now shuttered Maranello Restaurant where Guy & I met; it was so awesome that he also created our wedding feast)
Flowers: DIY. Flowers ordered online from Flower Muse and Costco
Favors: Honey jars (Honey harvested by friends Alex Johnson and Allison Gong)
Bridal Attire: David’s Bridal
Bridesmaids’ Attire: Nordstrom
Hair: Haley Morosky
Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas
Signage: Eric H.
DJ/Entertainment/Band: iPod
Photo Booth: DIY
Transportation: Universal Limousine
Honeymoon Location: France (Paris, Aix-en-Provence) & Greece (Corfu, Santorini, Athens)
First Dance Song: “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” by Lauryn Hill
Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now? No matter how many times you’ll hear it, you won’t be prepared for how quickly the day goes by. I thought I had that handled and made sure to stop and take it all in throughout the night as advised. Despite all my planning, I still regret not having a specific plan in place to make sure I had a chance to speak to all our guests. I thought it would happen organically and it doesn’t. Make a plan!
Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance? Yes, but I’m trying to let that go. It was a beautiful day and the the little snafus don’t matter in the end! However, knowing that a few things are likely to go awry, decide which 1 or 2 details will make you crazy if they don’t go as planned…and then overplan and communicate and emphasize how those things should go.
Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Social Media Maven, Aimee Carroll.
Photos courtesy of Emily Heizer Photography.
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