I cannot believe that it has already been over two weeks since this absolutely perfect day. Sarah and JP were full-planning clients, so I have worked with them from the very beginning, and it’s SO weird to not have anymore weekly meetings or vendor calls with them (and Calleigh). We had so much fun planning and working through every detail. They ALWAYS had their homework done (sometimes even before I officially assigned it) and they matched my snark and humor every step of the way – we spent so much time laughing. We truly had a blast throughout this process, which made their big day a bit bittersweet for me. All that to say, there was SO much written on my top ten list at the end of the night, so I had to merge some to fit it all in. Enjoy! 🙂

Ten. Branding
There is a special place in my heart for a well-executed brand strategy and they certainly succeeded. When the dj sent them the proof of the wall projection, these two asked for a copy of the file so they could include it on their koozies as well. This was something I wasn’t even aware happened until arriving at the reception and seeing the wall projection, and the obsession ensued. 10/10!

Nine. Mule Glass
JP was vocal during the planning process, but most of the time, it was clarifying or assisting, not requesting specific details. This is, until the venue meeting, when it was discussed that they use plastic glassware for the signature drinks. He was quick to open up and request that his signature drink come in an actual mule glass, to which they happily obliged. It was his day after all, he deserved it!

Eight. Danielle’s Birthday
In a world where it is common for your wedding to be all about you (as it should be), it’s always heartwarming to see details of the day that couples include specifically for guests or that switch the focus to the guests. This was no exception. While checking on the newlyweds at one point, they asked if I could tell the DJ that there’s a birthday in the house – Danielle, in the red dress, at the table closest to the dance floor (which was SUPER convenient.) There was a whole song dedicated to her and they all danced and celebrated her in that moment. It was super sweet and fun to watch them gloat over her, and also that she was so happy to share her day with them and their love.

Seven. Calleigh
Ohhhh, little miss Calleigh. This kitty made her presence KNOWN at every single virtual meeting that we had. She clearly had opinions that needed to be heard, so it would only make sense that she was equally as included in the wedding’s details. From the napkins with a drawing of her on them, to the non-alcoholic signature drink named after her, and of course the cake topper. She was very much a part of the big day, and they were even able to sneak to their house to get a photo with her before leaving for the reception. I’m sure this sweet girl felt extremely loved, just as she does everyday with these two as her parents.

Six. Post-Wedding Snack
During the short intermission after the ceremony, I went to check on the bridal party, where I found a bridesmaid and a groomsman walking around with a backpack and handing out jello shots. Love that! This is truly how you know it’s a celebration.. but it’s also one of the quickest way to give your wedding planner a heart attack – when she finds you, in your white dress, doing a cherry jello shot immediately before family photos. Thankfully, Sarah is significantly less clumsy than I am, and none of it was spilled. But instead of heading to check on the reception space, I stood with them for a couple of minutes and kept my eyes locked on her, ready to catch any jello if it would fall. Spiked heart rate? Sure. It was all just fine though! 🙂

Five. MOH speech
Much like the entire day, this speech was full of laughs, as well as some behind-the-scenes from when they first got together. JP and Sarah met at a wedding in Florida that they were both a part of the bridal party for. After returning to their normal lives, the MOH shared that she had to talk Sarah out of her nonsense thoughts of “what if he doesn’t remember me” and “he lives too far away” before she’d text him. Far away apparently wasn’t a barrier, as Sarah later ended up moving to him and when her friends came to visit, (the second time,) he had gotten a membership to a local bar just for them so he could take them there and allow them to fully experience the area. Hearing their love story from her point of view was wonderful, as it truly highlighted the points of them that I had also seen – thoughtfulness, giddiness, and so so much love. They were a part of that Florida wedding together for a reason, as they were truly meant to be together.

Four. Table Numbers
When JP and Sarah told me their plan for these, I was so excited! I’d seen this idea online before but never in person and it even turned out 20 times better than I expected. They sent me photos of them from ages 1-21, which were organized onto each table (1-21) as a showcase of them throughout the years. It was such a personal and sweet detail (with positively ADORABLE photos) that was shared with everyone at their tables.

Three. Photodash to Thunderstruck
I have seen a lot of photo dashes. These can be done with tables coming up to them at a backdrop, or the couple running around to the tables. Regardless of which way, the ones I’ve seen have taken longer than expected and needed a decent amount of coordinating through them. However, apparently with this mixture of some of my favorite vendors, it’s a piece of cake! We prepped the next table, while Maggie and Brian got their shots, and we flew through it, and had all of the tables done by the end of the song. It was impressive! Plus, the mother and sister of the groom got some fun in as well by popping in many of the other tables’ photos and causing a whole bunch of laughter for all who watched.

Two. All of the Giggles
Speaking of laughter, my goodness, the entire time during photos, these two were all smiles and giggles. Granted, Maggie had some A++ prompts for them that surely helped. (smell her hair, take a big whiff!…. Can you kiss without falling down the stairs?) I’m completely confident that with or without the silly prompts, there would have been giggles. They were so authentic and so sweet and continued throughout their entire day. These two are so precious, and so obviously perfect for one another. They spent their day enjoying eachother’s company and truly living in the moment, and it was beautiful.

One. Hide and Seek
And finally, my absolute favorite part of the day. As the night went on, I made it a point to try and keep the door shut to the bridal suite, as the gifts, and all of their stuff was in there. Later in the night, I saw that the door was open and when I went over to shut it, I found the newlyweds happily taking a moment to hide and take a moment to themselves. Obviously, I interrupted them for a quick photo (see the photo above the blog) and JP happily told me that he was changing her name in his phone to “Sarah Allegretto.” I just about melted right there. I shut the door to allow them to have a moment to themselves & went back to my table where I immediately wrote this down, knowing it’d be number one on my list.

Honorable Mention:
The biggest mystery of the evening is when family members realized that Grandma’s fudge wasn’t put out on the cookie table. The venue employees checked the fridge, then I checked the fridge, and finally JP asked if he could. In under 2 seconds, out he walks, with a closed chip box from the bottom shelf full of grandma’s fudge. As it turns out, he recognized the box they brought it in in. The fudge got put out, and all was well with the world, but I still stand by the theory that JP wanted them to stay hidden so he got all of it to himself. I could see why – it tasted like ice cream!

Honorable Mention:
The real photo dash, where rushing was necessary, came after the ceremony during family photos. Without the help of the sister-of-the-groom, these photos at the church would have never been done so quickly. I left for the reception biting my nails and anxious that they would be running late, but they got through a page of photos, ran to the house for a photo with Calleigh, and still made it on the bus before they needed to be. 10/10 for her organization and a giant thank you from both me, and the timeline.

Honorable Mention
A beautiful full circle moment for me came as the family of one of my first clients recently purchased this wedding venue, The Red Fern. Getting to work with them all again was amazing and so much fun referencing back to going through this process with them. I also quite enjoyed that Morgan, the former BBE bride, and current bar manager, stood at the signature drink wall and handed guests their drinks, while also refilling as they took them – THE SERVICE. I always love catching up with former couples, but it turns out it’s even more fun when I get to work with them as a colleague in this field that I love so much.

Honorable Mention:
This wedding was truly incredible. It was so much fun to plan and twice as fun to execute. Sarah and JP are two of the sweetest people I’ve met and this day full of love was just the first example of what a beautiful life they will have together. I am so honored that they chose me and my team to work with them and trusted us with this incredible day. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Allegretto. I am so so happy for you both and can’t wait to continue creeping on social media to see what comes next!