Brittney and Alex went to high school together, and although they had mutual friends, they never hung out much. They saw each other a few years after high school at a Halloween party, and Brittney loved that Alex was dressed as a Hershey’s kiss (a costume her mother once wore). “I approached him and took a picture with him to show my mom!” she remembers. She figured she’d never see him again, but four years later, they ran into each other at her work. “We finally hit it off and have been together ever since.”
Celebrating their four-year dating anniversary, Alex took Brittney back to the walking trail where they had their first kiss, got down on one knee, and pulled the ring box from his sock. “He had been walking the entire time with a giant ring box tucked into his sock under his pant leg,” says Brittney. “I immediately said yes!”
The bride says she definitely had visions of how the wedding would go. “I tried to plan for everything and think of every different scenario that might play out,” she explains. “One thing that I kept reminding myself of was to not really have too many expectations of how things will exactly happen, because the longer I envision things, the more likely something may not turn out exactly like I had envisioned. It was a great strategy, as I am very happy how things turned out.”
Experienced when it comes to planning large-scale events, Brittney says keeping organized wasn’t an issue. “I kept a timeline and checklist of when certain tasks should be complete. Once we hit a few months out, all of my free time was dedicated to securing last-minute details.”
The couple kept their ceremony short and sweet. ”Our ceremony told our story of how we met and fell in love and laid out where we saw ourselves in 50 years,” the bride shares. “It was very meaningful to Alex and me.”
The reception and ceremony were held at The Barn at Second Wind. “Alex was so sweet by ending the speeches with taking a moment to recognize my hard work in bringing my vision for our day to life,” says Brittney. “He was so impressed by how our reception space looked, and my heart melted when he took that moment to bring it to our family and friends’ attention. To be honest, the next day was a relief because I knew I didn’t have to wake up thinking about wedding planning.”
—Darren Elms
Details about the cake
We picked a “fruit basket cake” from Freeport Bakery, but we had them change the icing to buttercream to withstand the heat a little better, as well as icing it smoothly without the strawberries on top. We then added some of the hand-made paper flowers to the bottom.
Details about the flowers
Peonies/ranunculus, LOTS of eucalyptus – both purchased through our florist and also from my parent’s house, small roses, and hydrangeas. The paper flowers that I created were made to resemble peonies.
Details about the favors
We did a candy bar as the favors. We had personalized bags printed off of Etsy and had both mine and Alex’s favorite candies.
Anything else you’d like to share about your wedding?
One of the special moments that I’ll never forget was when Alex took the mic after all of the speeches and took a second to acknowledge all of the hours I poured into the planning of the wedding and how when he first saw the space he was so blown away with how it looked. It was so sweet of him to mention this to everyone there. It showed me just how much he knows me to know how important our wedding and the execution of it was to me.
Any tips you’d give brides and grooms planning their wedding today?
– There are so many options out there and so much information to be found on just securing a single detail or vendor. My best advice is to go in knowing you have a certain budget and immediately cut out the vendors that are over budget. Once you’ve found one that meets your criteria and that you’re comfortable with, book it and move on to the next without looking back and thinking about the what ifs. Your day will be beautiful regardless, you’ve got to just trust your gut.
– Also – if you’re artsy, try making things yourself! I saved SO much money creating my signage, invitations, paper flowers, menus, table runners, guest book, etc. myself. I was able to get quite a bit done by having a crafting day with all my bridesmaids. We were able to bond and have some fun! It was quite the task to take on, but worth it in the end. I poured my heart into creating a look that was all mine and it was so amazing to see it come together.
What would you have done differently if you had the chance?
I really loved our day. I tried as much as possible to soak it all in as it was happening, but like everyone says, the day goes by so quickly and you’re on such a tight timeline, that it’s hard to really be in the moment and enjoy the day.
Vendors
Ceremony Site:
The Barn at Second Wind Officiant:
Rev. Jeri Murphy Photographer:
Sarah Jessica Photography Videographer:
Wild 35 Reception Site:
The Barn at Second Wind Bridal Hair:
Robyn Kelley at Montage Salon Studios Bridal Make-up:
Makeup by Shelley Anderson Bridal Attire:
Second Summer Bride Bridesmaids' Attire:
Renz Rags Flowergirl Attire:
Target Groom’s Attire:
Men's Wearhouse Groomsmen's Attire:
Men's Wearhouse Bride's Rings Jeweler:
Helzberg Diamonds Groom's Rings Jeweler:
Helzberg Diamonds Save the Date Cards:
DIY with Vistaprint Invitations:
Handmade and designed by the Bride Place Cards:
DIY Wedding Party Flowers:
Nicole Jordan Ceremony Flowers:
Nicole Jordan Reception Flowers:
Nicole Jordan Caterer:
Lucille's BBQ Cake:
Freeport Bakery Cupcakes:
Smallcakes DJ/Entertainment:
DJ Rockalot Favors:
DIY with Creative Party Design Photo Booth:
DIY with Designerie Does Decor Rentals:
DIY Decor Signage:
DIY Table Rentals:
America's Party Rental (no longer open) Chair Rentals:
America's Party Rental (no longer open)