Bride and Groom: Nicole and John Lukacs
Wedding Date: September 14, 2013
Venue: The Cruz Building, Coconut Grove, Florida

1. How you felt when you got engaged.

I was extremely excited. It was surreal. I was totally clueless and in that moment you realize... Oh my God. This is happening. This is actually happening! I was ecstatic! For me, it was a total out-of-body experience.

2. Step One - what you did first and what you would have done differently, if anything.

I bought a newlywed Christmas ornament for our tree (we were engaged Christmas day!) Then, I booked a venue. I would have done the same.

3. What was most overwhelming about the process?

The venue selection! There are too many options that are amazing (especially in Miami!). It was also hard to agree with my husband on what each of us envisioned for the venue. Picking between our top two preferences was the most difficult decision of the planning process.

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 always knew I wanted a classic wedding look. That being said, I didn’t necessarily have a color scheme. I always knew I wanted my bridesmaids in black, so I went with everything else in ivory (flowers, candles and linens.) Simple, yet elegant.

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! HOL would have been extremely beneficial! I think you could have helped me with all the details that I didn’t think of.

6. What you found most helpful during planning, whether a wedding planner, a parent, a friend, certain vendors.

My sister, mom, and dad! They were the best! They really wanted the day to be about my husband and me, and what we wanted. My sister picked my wedding dress, which was really special! My mother is very business savvy. She doesn’t accept no for an answer and pretty much gets what she wants (almost always), which worked to my advantage with all of our vendors. And lastly, my father who wrote most of the checks and made sure my husband and I were happy.

7. What you found most difficult during planning.

As I mentioned above, the venue selection definitely.

8. How you found your vendors and how you feel like HOL would've helped and facilitated the planning (including for your wedding planner).

Word-of-mouth and Wedding Wire. HOL could have definitely helped in providing the best vendors for what I wanted.

9. Looking back, you would have done this differently (in general):

Taken more time and done more research with regards to vendors and all the options out there. At one point I just wanted to be done. Planning a wedding is exhausting because of the multitude of options.

10. Your advice to any bride planning a wedding is:

Getting married isn’t about the wedding. Yes you want to have a beautiful and memorable wedding, but the day is about you, your soon-to-be husband, and your decision to create a life and family together.

Take in every single moment. After you get engaged enjoy that moment. For me, the engagement was the BEST part of it all! It was definitely the best moment of my life.

The planning process is fun and as I’ve noted, exhausting. That being said, it’s just a party. Don’t stress it. Do what you can with what you have. During the planning enjoy the moments you share with your parents, siblings, bridesmaids, fiancé, his family, and the rest of your family and friends.

11. Your favorite moments during the whole planning process were:

Dress fittings (we always made it an event and would go out for drinks/dinner after with my mother, mother-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, and bridesmaids.) Our engagement shoots. The food tasting. Makeup/Hair trials.