Zac & I / August 17, 2018

Wedding Details

Finally, after a year, I’m taking a moment to sit and jot down the details of our special day. Our wedding day was and will always remain one of my very favorites. I used a lot of tips from previous brides to help me plan, pick vendors, and create a few unique ideas but I am also someone who didn’t grow up dreaming of a wedding I grew up dreaming of a life with my husband.

In fact, when Zac and I drove away from our proposal we had sort of thrown around the idea of a fall wedding and he turned to me and said “I’m thinking August” I replied, “for what?” It was already mid-May but sure enough, he convinced me that I could pull together our special day in just two months.

He was right.

The only thing that ever felt a bit overwhelming was finding bridesmaids dresses. Once I was over that hump (which probably took about 2 weeks to lock down) everything else was easy. I found my dress, vendors, venue and everything was set in a matter of weeks.

And looking back after a year there are very few things I would change and the only one I really regret is that I LOST MY NOTEBOOK WITH MY VOWS IN IT. I have scoured our house and tried to find someone who recorded them with no luck so if someone out there did and they have them – even partial – please let me know!!

A few tips I walked away firmly believing:

A big wedding party guarantees big amounts of fun

When Zac first told me the number of groomsmen he wanted my mouth dropped (granted he wanted an open-invite style haha) but we cut the number down to twelve and a few weeks before the wedding I realized I had missed one of my BEST childhood friends. Unfortunately, by then, it didn’t work to add her…. anyways. Our dancing, dinner, and day were filled with our best friends and it made me so happy to have them all there instead of just a few.

Your photographer makes all the difference

Ok I know it’s only been a year but I look back through our photos now knowing that those are the memories that will be shared with our kids and grandkids and there isn’t anyone else I would have wanted to use but Duke Moose.

Duke Trying to contain me on the dance floor, hahaha.

It’s your day — let them speak

This is one that I didn’t do that now, going to wedding dinners since I wish I had, Zac only had one sibling in town for our wedding who doubled as his best man. So as to not have my family overpower the wedding I opted to not have my siblings speak. Now I wish I had!! I love them all and I know they would have each thrown their own fun stories into the mix.

Bridals are the bomb

ok ok, I can’t get any cheesier. But getting bridals did a few things,

1. It gives you an excuse to wear your dress more than once because who doesn’t LOVE putting that white thing on?!

2. Bridals make for awesome decorations at your venue

3. I actually loved having a moment that was just the two of us when he saw me the first time in the dress. I have never felt more beautiful than that exact moment

4. We already had all the photos of the two of us anyone could ever want so the day of the wedding was all about our relationships with each other and all of our loved ones.

Write your own vows

I don’t know how to explain this other than that taking that moment to express to each other all the things you love now and all the ways you commit to remain in love is an amazingly beautiful thing. It is one of my very favorite parts of weddings.

Embrace your personality

Zac and I love games. We love being playful. So we decided to have games set around our wedding for guests to play and win giveaways that meant something to us. I am not saying to do this but find something that is “you” and pull it into your wedding!

Mini Golf, Muir Golf Ball Giveaway (we both love to golf)

Corn Hole, Custom Fidget Spinner (something to remember what was cool in 2017)

Plunko with a custom sticker of Zac jumping over me on his wakeboard (probably what Zac thought was the coolest thing of the entire wedding)

A photo booth & a guest book filled with “our story” we both wrote about different times of dating/knowing each other so that we will always remember the first part of our relationship.

Take it all in

I’m not sure this is truly possible. Your big day whistles by its a beautiful whirlwind of people and things you love and then before you know it it’s done. I remember driving down the canyon after our wedding and moments after pulling out I turned to see the twinkling lights of our venue and only half jokingly said “can we go back?!” to Zac.