April Wedding Update: Flowers, Bridesmaid Dresses & Honeymoon Planning
Wow! It seriously feels like these updates are getting closer and closer together. April was an exciting month for wedding planning. Matthew and I had the opportunity to attend one of my dear friend’s weddings, and celebrating her special day with her and her now husband made it all seem so real. When you plan a wedding, I feel like there are a few moments when it all feels real. Witnessing Natalie and Craig vow to protect and care for one another for the rest of their lives was one of those “holy sh*t we’re getting married” moments.
Picture from Natalie & Craig’s wedding
With that being said, here are few exciting things that happened this month:
Flowers & decor
I've spoken with a few different florists to get quotes for bouquets, center pieces and an insulation for our ceremony. One quote was WAYY over our budget it was almost humorous (we’re talking $500+ for only a bridal bouquet), and another quote made sense budget wise, but we’d have to do the set up ourselves. I’m still waiting on a quote from a third vendor I’m really excited for. She’s worked at our venue before and created this gorgeous installation for over the fire place where we’re going to have the ceremony. I’m hoping she able to create something similar for our ceremony and within our budget.
The Fireplace Installation
Bridesmaid dress shopping
It’s crazy that we’re already thinking about bridesmaid dresses. Although it still feels early, we’ve seen some companies have delayed shipping, inventory issues, etc. due to COVID. We figured it was better to start the search early so that all the dresses come in with plenty of time, especially if they have to be altered.
A few weekends ago, I went with my future sister-in-law, Amanda, to try on dresses at bhldn in Georgetown. Because she and my brother only live a few miles away, we’re able to make quick trips to different bridal boutiques in and around the DMV area. We found a winner at bhldn that everyone ordered, but we decided to keep a previously schedule appointment at David’s Bridal for this coming weekend just in case it doesn’t work out with the bhldn dress once it arrives.
bhldn Georgetown
It’s been so fun planning and picking out dresses with my bridesmaids. Although my sister and best friend Claire couldn’t be with us in person, I’m so thankful for FaceTime helping us feel some sense of normalcy. Plus, I was so excited to show off how gorgeous and aesthetic the store in Georgetown is; pictures don’t always do it justice! I loved that bhldn had a separate bridal suite on the 4th floor for future brides and bridal parties to enjoy and try on dresses. It was nice to have a set area to relax and try on dresses without any pressure to rush.
Wedding cake
I am SO excited about this update because Amanda, my future sister-in-law, is an incredible baker and is making our wedding cake! We’re doing a tasting with her this weekend to try out a few flavors and talk about our vision. Amanda is the founder and talent behind Into the Mixing Bowl, and she’s working to launch her own bakery/event catering service in the near future. Stay up-to-date and follow her on Instagram! I’ll share more about the tasting over on Instagram stories.
Honeymoon
Through the wedding process, our honeymoon has been in the back of my head. I would love to travel internationally and be surrounded by sandy beaches and palm trees, but COVID-19 travel restrictions had other ideas. Even if we were able to travel outside of the US and come back safely, Matt would still have to quarantine for two weeks once we arrived home. Because we have one full week of PTO for our wedding, and another for our honeymoon, not going into work for another two weeks isn’t an option. Sadly, Matthew doesn’t have the option to work from home like I do.
If Matthew had it his way, we’d be camping for our honeymoon. If I had it my way, we would be at El Dorado in Mexico. (What’s that saying about opposites attract? 😂) We ended up deciding to honeymoon in Carmel, California. It is the perfect mix of everything: hiking, wineries and picturesque scenery. I’ll share more once we have everything booked, but I am so excited and definitely think we’re making the most of not being able to travel outside of the US.