Happy Monday (yes, let's try to be happy it's the start of a work week!). We are on Day 4 of our Advice Series and I am happy to introduce our Monday bride, Giselle. I'm loving the series - every bride's planning was so different, their likes and dislikes so varying, and I think the moral of the series is: Do what makes you YOU. Figuring it out is half the battle and, of course, HOL is here to help you find that vision. Beautiful wedding photography by Simply Captivating below.
Bride and Groom: Giselle and Matthew Maranges
Wedding Date: April 27, 2013
Venue: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens
1. How you felt when you got engaged.
Bride and Groom: Giselle and Matthew Maranges
Wedding Date: April 27, 2013
Venue: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens
1. How you felt when you got engaged.
I felt surprised, ecstatic, happier than I had ever felt before!
2. Step One - what you did first and what you would have done differently, if anything.
First thing we did was book the church. I definitely would not change having done this first. My church gets booked very, very fast and I knew I had to get on it. This definitely helped me narrow down venues and other vendors, having pigeon holed myself to a certain date.
3. What was most overwhelming about the process?
Picking a venue, hands down. It's really stressful to figure out exactly what you want that's within budget. My advice would be to pick a venue that is very you and your groom. It's easier to narrow it down that way!
4. Your wedding look - how did you get to the final result, i.e., how you picked your linens, flowers, bridesmaid dresses, color scheme, venue, etc. What sources or people helped and what was their advice?
I looked at a lot of bridal magazines, pinterest, the knot - every single one of these sources helped me pick the color scheme for my wedding. Also, attending other people's weddings helped me figure out exactly what I liked and what I didn't like!
5. Do you feel like a company like HOL, which focuses on event design and vendor referrals, would have been beneficial with respect to your answer in No. 4 above?
Yes! If I can do it all over again, I would have focused more on the wedding details, in general. I was definitely more focused on the big picture and booking bigger things (and spending money on bigger things). If HOL was around last year, I would have definitely been in luck.
6. What you found most helpful during planning, whether a wedding planner, a parent, a friend, certain vendors.
Somewhat like a wedding planner, I used an event production vendor that literally did everything for me -Blooming Events took care of my flowers, linens, lighting, chairs, tables, literally everything! My husband and I are both lawyers, with no time to spare, and having someone take care of all of those decisions for me was incredible.
7. What you found most difficult during planning.
Not knowing how it was all going to come together. You see samples but there's nothing like seeing it all completed the day of the wedding. It's nerve-wrecking.
8. How you found your vendors and how you feel like HOL would've helped and facilitated the planning (including for your wedding planner).
Personally, if I would have had HOL around during the wedding planning process, it would have been a helpful source for more ideas to creatively design/build the wedding. It's easy to have tunnel vision during the whole process, and having a vendor that can help you see beyond the bigger picture, especially on the detail and design aspect of the wedding, is a HUGE benefit.
9. Looking back, what would you have done differently (in general).
I would have worn my hair up! This is horrible, but I was sweating the entire time from all the dancing and an up-do would have been a life-saver (and so much more comfortable).
10. Your advice to any bride planning a wedding is:
Enjoy it, breathe(!!), hire a planner, try to get the bigger things done fast (like the venue, DJ, etc.) and then focus on the details with HOL. :)
11. Your favorite moments during the whole planning process were:
I would have to say buying my wedding dress and all the festivities celebrating the upcoming nuptials, like the engagement party, bridal shower, bachelorette.
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Melanie Fernandez