Okay, so the hard part is done. Jay proposed…LOL!!. If you are late to the party, I recently got engaged to my long distance boyfriend Jay on September 19th, 2020. It was probably the best day of my life hands down. It was so personal, intimate, and just for us. I’ll post more later on our Engagement Story.
Well, now here comes the hard part…Wedding Planning.
You know when you have these Pinterest Boards, that you collect all these grand ideas over, and over, and over again. Yeah…those things cost money. And I just honestly didn’t realize how much these things costs, until I sat down with my wedding designer, and really got a dollar sign slapped across my face. I’ve been on Pinterest literally day in-and-out trying to wrap my head around our vision, what we want, our budget, and much more.
I’m also big on documenting every single little detail (honestly, I just don’t want to forget these things when I get older)….so why not put it as a long standing blog series!
Welcome to the #MatriMooney Wedding Chronicles 😉
This go around, we focused on narrowing down our date, or venue, and our wedding designer.Â
The Date:
Without giving away too much before our guests even know, our date was probably the hardest part. With 2020 Covid Brides moving to 2021, I knew I didn’t want that smoke. (And now there is a second wave of Covid, so who knows what is going to happen). Also, Jay + I have some really cool things happening in 2021, and I really wanted to focus and settle in on that before saying “I Do”. That leaves us with 2022. It was hard to think that we were going to be engaged this long, but I was honestly fine with it. I think it’s cool enjoying your engagement and just taking your time to get exactly what you want. No shame in our game. So, you’ll see the Mooney’s walk down the aisle in 2022. 🙂 I’m super big on numbers, so it took me a minute to figure out the the exact date, make sure it was on a Saturday, and then also ensure that it aligns with what we both want with the season. But, if all goes well- I think we got it in the bag.
The Venue:
We knew off-gate we were getting married in North Carolina. It was no discussion. We are HUGE family-oriented people, and we just didn’t want the struggle of our immediate family purchasing a flight or having trouble getting to the wedding.
We wanted to get our venue out of the way ASAP! I wanted to have our date reserved, have the the space paid for, and move on. I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be, to agree on a venue. I went on several tours with Jay and my parents and there were just somethings that my parents hated that I didn’t even think of. My first choice (like this is where I thought I was getting married since I was in college), was Prestonwood Country Club in Morrisville, NC. I’ve ALWAYS loved this area. Then when I toured in the daytime, my big a** smile, suddenly dwindled. I couldn’t believe it. It was like my heart was shattered. After multiple tours, I think we found our dream venue. We are still waiting for our planner/designer to give us the okay, but I think this is the one for me. Once I sign the dotted line I can truly reveal what it is, but just know it is our special little hidden gem. Here are a few things we were looking for when it came to the “right” venue for us:
- We are having an open bar, so we wanted it SUPER close to a Hotel
- We wanted the option to use outside vendors
- We didn’t care *too* much about the outside appearance, but the inside had to have an amazing shell, for our designer to do wonders.
Other than that, I really didn’t have a preference. Let’s pray that this venue will grant all of our wishes.
A TIP:Â Other brides have been giving me their input on their “venue” search. One thing I keep hearing is: people are going to talk about your wedding venue regardless, because they are people. The are always going to think it is too small, too big, not updated, etc. So….you might as well get whatever you want in your price range! Don’t spend a bunch of money on a venue, that you can transform later on with an awesome designer (scroll down for that tea).
Our Wedding Designer:Â
With Jay + I living in Maryland now…(oh yeah…I moved!), I knew it was almost impossible for me to plan anything in North Carolina without having major help. We knew early on, we wanted our family friend + amazing designer Demetrius! Demetrius is the owner of Deveilope Event Design + Consulting, and honestly his work speaks for itself. It was a no brainer. He is helping bring our vision to life (and hopefully on a budget because bay-beeeeee, weddings are expensive). Demetrius literally sat on the phone with us for 3 hours, just getting our vision down pact to make this day so memorable. We couldn’t be more pleased!!
TBH….I really need to sit down and work on a budget, but I have so much going on with work and transitioning to a new city, I really haven’t thought about it. I know, I suck. I know for individual items like a photographer, a videographer, my dress, an open bar…I know the amount I don’t want to go over. But, things change all the time, so I’m hoping I can stick to my guns. (I have a tendency when I have a lot of pressure on me to spend money, that I tend to start getting CHEAP).
The next thing on my list:
My Wedding Dress, Groomsmen Boxes, Bridesmaids Boxes, and our Engagement Shoot.
I hope this is a cool insight to our wedding journey, and if you are a bride/past bride, please (emphasis on PLEASE), send me ideas on how you cut down on costs, etc.
Per usual, Infamously yours…
JM
Images by Amber Robinson Raleigh Wedding Photography Joi Marlow Family