Say hello to our featured day-of coordinator for The Big Fake Wedding Charlotte, Kelly of Kelly Renee Weddings! Kelly is a major #girlboss, so we’re thrilled to have her taking over the blog today with some crucial advice for brides-to-be. Read on for 7 ways to protect meaning in your wedding!
Kelly’s dream of being a wedding planner started at age 16 when she planned a wedding as a project for a fashion merchandising class. In 2013, the dream came true and Kelly Renee Weddings began. In hopes of having a marriage more beautiful than your wedding, KRW organizes and frees your time to focus on just that! The business is driven by the idea that the purpose of a wedding is to celebrate and care for guests, tell the love story of the bride and groom, and start off married life fresh and purposeful- rooted in love and overflowing with joy.
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7 Ways to Protect Meaning in Your Wedding
1. Carve out dates for you and your fiancé to just be- no wedding talk allowed.
It’s common advice, but hard to follow through with. When it’s just you and your love, thoughts will crowd your mind about questions you need to ask him concerning the wedding. It is imperative that you continue to press into each other’s hearts apart from wedding talk to care for your future selves. You’ll thank yourselves when you get to the honeymoon, and your relationship won’t have missed a beat.
2. Have a conversation about what places, moments and things have shaped you as a couple and weave them into your details.
Whether it’s a map that shows the cities that have been significant in your lives, or popcorn favors that reflect your first date to the movies, let your guests get to know your story through the details. Sometimes, the things of weddings can seem nothing more than that- things. But if the “things” are necessary, why not ensure they are meaningful? Let the nostalgia of your story weave into the moments of your celebration.
3. Decide as a couple what is most important to you.
Don’t be afraid to nix aspects of the wedding that you don’t care a thing about. Pick your top 5 non-negotiables, and shave from there what you can do without. If you have always dreamed of having a coffee bar at your wedding, and cannot at all find a favor that is meaningful to you, then have that coffee bar! You will save brain space and money by protecting your essentials and letting the rest fall away.
4. Hire a day-of coordinator.
Even the most type A, organized, capable brides should invest in a day-of coordinator. You have only a short time to soak up those precious moments with your family and best friends. So let your mom sit with you without running around worried about centerpieces, don’t fret about whether or not the caterer has finished setting up before the ceremony starts. You and your loved ones have more important things to fill your thoughts with, so be present and let your coordinator just tell you when and where to step.
5. Commit to pre-marital counseling.
Not only is pre-marital counseling highly beneficial to your marriage, it also strengthens your bond as a couple to navigate wedding decisions and keep you on the same page for what you both hold as important. With a third party asking you questions, you may discover…
6. Take your thoughts captive
Throughout engagement, many brides find it hard to turn off their mind when it comes to the wedding. Even when they’re not planning, they’re turning it over in the back of their head. Take those thoughts captive. The ability to control your mind will give you sharpened perspective when you are planning, instead of having your thoughts progressively foggy with stress.
7. Remember that it is not only about you.
The common misconception that the wedding day is solely about the bride and groom loses its weight when you think about the people who are traveling from near and far to see you. Yes, it is your day, and should be celebrated that way. However, it is the only time while you are still alive that you will have everybody you love together in one room. These are the people who have aided you in becoming the person your spouse-to-be has fallen in love with. Let the pressure fall off your shoulders as you realize that- while much of the day is about you- it is also a thank you to the souls who have shaped yours.
Photo Credits:
Josh Jones Photography (1,2) | Katherine Dalton Photography (3)
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