The Perfect Wedding Day
From the moment they met in college, until his surprise Christmas proposal on one knee at Navy Pier, Annie and Paul have enjoyed many perfect moments together. On June 2, 2012 they shared a few more perfect moments on their wedding day.
"In my opinion just being able to share the day with our family and friends was extra special. It's not often that you can get ALL of the people you love and care about most in one room together. The shared hugs, smiles, laughs, conversations, and memories were what was most important to me."
Annie said her favorite part of the day was seeing Paul for the first time. The smile on his face is an image I will never forget.
So how do you plan the perfect wedding? According to many past brides, working with professional and reliable vendors can make for a more perfect wedding day. Annie and Paul chose some of the area's best wedding professionals for their day, and they were not disappointed.
When asked to tell more about some of her wedding details, Annie gave us the following information:
For their flowers, Annie and Paul selected Helen Philpott of English Hedgerow in Urbana.
She did SUCH an incredible job in creating the perfect arrangements for all of our bridal party members. She is so kind, caring, creative, and detail oriented. Our flowers were more beautiful than anything I ever would have imagined. Working with Helen was such a wonderful experience!"
Annie and Paul also worked with Tammy Lawson at the University of Illinois Floral Department to create beautiful and unique centerpieces for the reception.
Tammy was great! She was very invested in our project and was more than willing to help with every step along the way."
For their cake, the bride and groom selected a beautiful cutting cake accompanied with a tower of cupcakes by Rosie Trimble of Wedding Cakes by Rosie.
She allowed us to choose three different flavors (lemon, chocolate, and creme brûlée) and not a single cake was remaining at the end of the night."
Annie and Paul selected Mark Romine of Mark Romine Photography in Bloomington, IL as their wedding photographer.
"Mark Romine was our number one choice from day one of our engagement. Mark and his assistant, Jesstine, are not only extremely talented at what they do, but are such wonderful people! We had a very calm, relaxing, and fun filled day with their helpful timelines and directions! Not to mention the moments they captured are to die for!"
Annie's advice for any bride-to-be: "Plan ahead! Getting all of the big and small details taken care of and finalized prior to the week of your wedding makes for a calm, relaxing, and enjoyable day! Also, don't sweat the small stuff. If something doesn't go just the way you had hoped, you will be the only one that knows, so don't let it bother you."
So, when Mother Nature decided to invade their perfect wedding day, Annie said ".. we took full advantage of that and got some neat pictures in the rain. After all, they say it's good luck to have it rain on your wedding day." She described it as an "all in all a perfect day."
So are you planning the perfect wedding? Enlist the help of those you trust the most, surround yourself with the love and happiness of friends and family, and try no to be alarmed when something unplanned happens. Whether it's rainstorms, nose bleeds or forgotten toss bouquets, take Annie and Paul's priceless advice following their wedding:
"If at the end of the day you are married to the one you love, it all went perfectly!"
Written by: Melissa Guidas, Veteran Consultant - Michelle's Bridal Shoppe, Urbana, IL