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There are so many things that I loved about our wedding day, so I want to share with you the things that I would absolutely do again! 

My number one recommendation for the actual wedding day would be to do a first look! If you asked me this a year ago, I would have said that I was NOT doing a first look and no one could tell me differently. Luckily, people talked me into it and I am so thankful that they did. I never wanted to do a first look because I thought that I would lose that “moment” of him seeing me for the first time walking down the aisle. But in all honestly, I think doing a first look made that moment even more special. We chose to read each other our personal vows at our first look and it was so special and so intimate. The words spoken started the day off with so much love and appreciated towards each other. It calmed nerves and brought pure excitement for the rest of the day. We laughed and cried and I will never forget that time that we got to spend together on our wedding day, just him and I….and two photographers and a videographer 😉 Our other point to wanting to do a first look after all was because our wedding started at 6:30 on a Friday night. We would have spent so much less time together on our wedding day if we chose to do that and our guest would have had to wait until it was pretty late to eat. Now, take this with a grain of salt. If you are not wanting to do a first look- there is nothing wrong with that! Definitely do what makes you the happiest!

Professional photography by Abigail Edmons Photography

Another thing that I absolutely loved from our wedding day that I would recommend was our photo guest book! It was from Artifacts Uprising and it was worth every penny! It is now a coffee table book in our home and it is so special to us! Check out their website, it will not disappoint. These books are such amazing quality and will honestly last a lifetime!! I also ordered our thank you cards from them after the wedding and they are just wonderful!

This may sound silly but it is something I will never forget- on the night of your rehearsal dinner, go on one last date before you are husband and wife 🙂 Blake and I went to Zesto. We sat outside, ate ice cream, and talked about all of our favorite dating memories. It was so special to me and I know it is something that I will remember forever. Blake and I had dated for 3.5 years when we got married, so it was so crazy to be moving on from that stage in life and we wanted one more date to soak it all in.

 

I had the absolute most professional and organized wedding coordinators and let me tell you- that makes all the difference! I had a coordinator for the ceremony and a different coordinator for the morning of and reception. It was so nice to not have to worry about all of the little things during the day because I knew that they were taken care of. I would highly recommend getting a day of coordinator for at least the morning of the wedding. She made sure that every little thing was in place, on schedule, and just how I wanted it.

My bridesmaids wore different dresses and I honestly really recommend that. Not only did they all feel comfortable and confident in their dresses, it was at their price point, and the dimension in photos turned out so beautifully! I wanted my bridesmaids to wear what they felt their absolute best in. As long as it was long and navy, I did not care about anything else. They did their hair how they wanted, wore whatever shoes they wanted, and had any nail color they could have dreamed of. I wanted our wedding to be fun and a celebration and these little details were not something I chose to worry about. And again, if you are particular on these things- that is completely fine! The OCD in me probably would have been fine with everything the same!! My point in this is to do what makes you happy and what is best for your day- that is all that matters.

One of the most important things that I would recommend would be to trust your vendors. Although I work here, One Fine Day blew it out of the water. My alterations were absolutely perfect. Although I could have spent my alteration appointments picking myself and things apart, I went into it knowing that this was an hour that I got to spend in my wedding dresses!! That hour became so special to me each time. Trust your photographer and videographer! Trust your caterer and your venues. Now, don’t be afraid to check in on things, but enjoy the time you get to spend planning things and bringing your vision together!

One of my most favorite parts about our wedding day was the music that we had at our ceremony. Oh my goodness, I could cry just thinking about it! We had a pianist, violinist, and harpist play live music for our ceremony. The violinist that we had actually was the violinist who played at my parents wedding. It was so special to me! Music is very important to Blake and I, so having live music at the ceremony was something that we definitely wanted. If you are debating doing live music or not, trust me on this one- do it!!! I promise you will not regret it.

Something that I had really gone back and forth on was having a videographer and let me tell you- best decision ever made. I have watched our video so many times because it just brings me back to the day and the love and joy that was there! Like I had said in a previous blog post, I did not look at Blake as I walked down the aisle- I got so distracted seeing all of the guest that I just forgot to look at him. Luckily, I have that special moment on video to watch forever. I am so thankful that we chose to work with Midwest Visual for our wedding day! He captured even the smallest moments so so beautifully!

 

These were just some of the many things that I loved about our wedding day. I could go on forever! I hope you can use these things to help make your wedding day everything you dreamed of and more! 

I have been married for a month now and life has started to settle down- I have so much time on my hands now that wedding planning is over! Will I ever use Pinterest that much again?! Wedding planning was truly so much fun. We tell Brides all the time that you can put the focus on either the wedding or the marriage and let me tell you, I am so happy that I chose to put it on the marriage. Focusing on what getting married truly stands for allowed me to just enjoy the wedding day so incredibly much and all of the days leading up to it! I find myself constantly looking at our wedding photos and watching our video because it brings me such joy to think back on that day. Our wedding day was just filled with so much joy. I honestly don’t think that Blake and I were ever not smiling!! Although we were all smiles, there are some things that I probably would have done differently and girls, take notes!

The first thing that I would have done differently was to wait a second to choose the bridal party. I was so excited and wanted to do everything right away, but I think it would have been nice to take a second and relax. Friendships change- so I would recommend to give it some time so that you are sure these are the people that you want standing up next to you on your wedding day! Luckily, I did end up with that, but save yourself some stress and give yourself some time!

The second thing that I would have done differently was to have enjoyed the morning of my wedding a little bit more. I got literally one single hour of sleep that night before (Enneagram type 6- thinking of all the things that could go wrong!) and I was tired and I think nervous as well. I was not stressed during any other part of the planning, but I think the night before made up for that!! I got my makeup done and had a moment of panic because it was not how I normally do it. I did not do a makeup or hair trial – SO unlike me – so I was freaking out. I went home and put a little more bronzer on, lined my lips, and I was back to normal. I would recommend doing at least a makeup trial. I got my hair done by someone who has done my hair for all special occasions, so I was not one bit nervous about the hair. I was stressed for like an hour and then I totally calmed down and got to enjoy the morning. What a wasted hour, though!

The third thing that I would have changed would be that I would have looked at my groom as I walked down the aisle! Ahh! I totally just forgot! I was looking around and waving at all of the people that came to celebrate us and I totally forgot until I walked down practically the entire the aisle to look at Blake. Blake is a man of little emotion (we even each other out in that aspect), so to see him cry as he looked at me meant the world. Luckily, we at least have it on video 🙂

The fourth thing that I would have done differently was to have had more cake! I had six huge cakes. Chocolate 8 layer cake from Casa, Baker Street carrot cake, white, chocolate toffee, strawberry, and oatmeal cake from a family friend who makes cake that is seriously heavenly. The caterer that we had said that they have never seen people devour cake like they did at our wedding, ha! We had not a single slice left! Blake and I did not get to eat one single thing at our wedding- which is my second part to this. Take time to eat a little something. We were so sad that we picked our absolute favorite things (Mexican food, margaritas, and cake) and we did not get any of it!

I know what you’re thinking- if these are the things I would change, then I had a pretty perfect wedding day- and yeah, that is totally true! Our wedding day was our dream brought to reality. I chose from the beginning to choose joy in the midst of the wedding planning season and that is truly why I was able to enjoy our day so much! All in all, my advice to you would be to ENJOY being engaged and to enjoy marrying the love of your life! The little things do not matter- I promise you that! Stuff is bound to go wrong- its just inevitable, so let it be and enjoy your day!

I still remember my very first day at One Fine Day Bridal. I remember being anxious and excited and being overwhelmed with the beauty of all of the gowns surrounding me. I spent part of that day just walking through the aisles of dresses, feeling the tulle, and seeing all of the sparkle. I remember putting on a wedding dress for the first time, just for fun. I got butterflies in my stomach and felt just so beautiful. I have spent two and a half years working at One Fine Day Bridal helping brides feel those exact feelings. Being anxious and excited and being overwhelmed with the beauty of all of the gowns. Watching them get butterflies in their stomach and feeling just so beautiful.

On May 31st, it was my turn! I woke up to a beautiful sunny and warm day. A day that had said rain on the forecast for weeks. A day that I had been praying for my whole life! I spent the morning with my mom and then got ready with all of the people that I love dearly!

I can honestly say, it was the happiest day of my life. It was filled with so much joy! It is so amazing to be in a room filled with all of the people that you love the most and who love and support you equally as much. While I stood up at the alter and said my vows to the love of my life, all of the stress and hard work that led up to the wedding all became worth it. People will tell you time and time again to try and stop during your wedding and just take it all in. While that is almost impossible, I really did try to do that during the ceremony. I will never forget looking into his eyes as I committed my life to him! Brides, please remember what you are doing all of the planning for! Although the engagement season of life is crazy, stressful, and a ton of work, it is 100% worth it in the end.

Blake and I chose to have Mexican food, Mexican sodas, margarita machines, and allll different types of cakes. Literally our favorite things! We wanted the day to represent us and the things that we love most- Jesus, Mexican food, and each other 🙂 I wanted white peonies for my bouquet and an array of white flowers and candles on the tables. White chairs, white tablecloths, and napkins with striped ribbon tied around them was what I dreamed of! It was so incredible to see my vision come to life!

I ended up wearing two different wedding gowns that day. I wanted to be classic and elegant for the ceremony and fun and sparkly for the reception! So many people thought that I just took the sleeves off of the first dress!! I kept it a secret from everyone except for about six people! My groom was so surprised! I am forever thankful to One Fine Day for all of their hard work on helping me find my dresses, making me feel so incredibly special, and altering them to absolute perfection!

People have already been asking me what advice that I would give to brides during the planning process and it is pretty simple, actually. My advice to brides would be to appreciate the people who have helped, supported, and blessed you in the season of being engaged. It is so easy to get stressed out and get frustrated and take that out on the people that love you, but try to remember all that these people are doing and sacrificing to make your day perfect. I will never forget all of the ways that Blake and I have been blessed throughout wedding planning. We are so humbled. Looking back, I just still can not believe how generous and selfless the people that we surround ourselves with are!

The advice that I would give for the wedding day is to just breathe. I got a little bit anxious while we were getting ready for the day, and I totally regret that now! I wish that I would have let go and just had total fun with my favorite girls! Another piece of advice that I would give is to get as much done in the beginning as possible. I had our date, venue, church, dress, colors, etc done within the first month and it made all of the difference! I am so thankful that I bought my dress with so much time in advance because it truly allowed me to picture my wedding day! So, plan like crazy in the beginning so you can enjoy it in the end 🙂

Our vendors were so incredible and I am forever thankful for all they did to make our day exactly what we dreamed of. My photographer, Abigail Edmons, went the extra mile to give me my dream photos. She was prepared, professional, personable, hilarious, so creative, and down right amazing. I will recommend her for all of time! Our videographer, Midwest Visual, blew us away. Not only is he an absolute joy to have around, he is so incredibly talented. I have watched our video probably 200 times already. Brides- if you are considering doing a video, he is your guy! Our caterer, Grant’s Catering and Wedding Dreams by Linda did the most amazing job. They took care of absolutely everything for me! From the tablecloths and flowers, to the food and silverware. They took care of everything at the ceremony and the reception! They made wedding planning so incredibly easy and I HIGHLY recommend them! Our DJ, On Point Dj, was perfect and allowed our vision to come to life! Blake and I really love music and he allowed us to be apart of it all. He is so organized, professional, and just so much fun!

So, all in all, my advice would be to enjoy this season of life. I remember the days where I just dreamed of being engaged and once I got engaged, I just dreamed of the day when I would be married. It is so hard to just stop and enjoy what is going on in your life when there are so many good things ahead, but trust me, it goes by so fast. I got an email the other day from a store that sells bridal shirts and accessories and it hit me- this season of life is over for me, but I have never been happier where my life is going. Being Blake’s wife trumps any expectations that I had before of what my life would be like. This season of life is amazing, magical, emotional, hard, stressful, and challenging, but if you choose joy in the midst of it all, your wedding day will be everything you ever dreamed of and more. Remember and remind yourself what this planning is all about!!

 

 

 

 

 

If you have followed us for a while, you have probably heard the story of how I found my wedding dress. It was unexpected, magical, and amazing.

I have worked at One Fine Day for 2.5 years and I have loved every second of it! I have tried on every wedding dress in our store- which is definitely a perk of the job! Once I got engaged, I was SO excited to start the dress shopping experience! I had a dress picked out for six months prior and I was certain that that was the dress I would walk down the aisle in. It was everything that I thought I wanted and I chose everything about my wedding because of this dress! I set up my appointment with all of my family and friends and was so stoked for it!

One weekend at One Fine Day, we had an Essense of Australia Preview Show. This amazing event showcases the gowns that will be in the collection for the next season. How cool is that? We were some of the first to see these gowns. We spent the week prior steaming and preparing these gowns for the show. Essense of Australia sends one of their representatives (who is absolutely amazing) to our store to help lead and celebrate our brides and the Preview Show. As the Preview Show began, we decided that I should try on some of the dresses for the representative so that we could give our feedback and input on these new dresses. As I was pulling dresses to try on, this one gown caught my eye. I will never forget that moment! I immediately thought, I am going to walk down the aisle to my groom in this dress. I did not say anything about it and I put on some of the other dresses first. Once I got to this dress that caught my eye, I put it on with butterflies in my stomach. I remember putting this dress on and being taken back by it. There was this whirlwind of emotions that encompassed me. I stood there in that dress that was absolutely nothing like what I wanted and I could finally picture my wedding.

I walked out to the workers at One Fine Day and the Essense of Australia Representative and the first words out of my mouth were “I think this is my wedding dress”. The next words out of my mouth were “someone call my mom!” My mom rushed over from work to see me in my dress. I was so thankful that she was able to get there so soon! I was so taken back by this gown because it was nothing that I thought I wanted. I had loved a dress for six months and the second I put this dress on, all of those feelings about the other dress totally faded away.  I was so shocked, but so so happy.

I was surrounded by my wonderful mother, my amazing boss, Autumn, and a room full of people that loved me. It was truly one of the most special moments in my life.

I tell this story to encourage brides to go with their heart. It is okay to go with the dress that you never expected you’d buy and it is okay to be shocked by your choice! It is also okay to fall in love with a dress when you never thought you would. I was definitely not expecting to find my dress that day, but the timing was perfect.

Today, there is 11 days until my wedding day. I put my dress on this morning and stood in front of the mirror flooded with emotions and with tears in my eyes. I truly have never felt as beautiful as I do in my wedding dress. I am so thankful that I went with my heart and chose the dress that means so much to me. This dress is not just a dress. This dress is a dress that is filled with emotion and love and memories. This is a dress that I get to walk down the aisle with my dad in. This is a dress that I get to marry my best friend in. This is a dress that makes me a bride.

 

Gabrielle

 

YOU’RE ENGAGED! YAY! Now, get to planning.

The best day of my life thus far was the day that the love of my life got down on one knee and asked me to be his bride. A day filled with smiles, laughs, and tears. All my life I had been planning my wedding, but once that ring was on my finger, I did not even know where to begin! I wanted to enjoy being engaged and take my time, but I also wanted to get on top of planning. Luckily, I had almost everything picked out – thanks to the years of planning my wedding via Pinterest.

The venue we chose was the one and only venue we looked at. It was perfect and everything we wanted. Our caterer took care of the food, flowers, tableware, and literally everything I could think of-which I highly recommend. Our photographer is sent from Heaven. Our videographer is absolutely incredible. My wedding dress experience with One Fine Day is something I will forever cherish. My mom has been my absolutely lifesaver and has done more for me that I can even explain. There were so many people who blessed us along the way and that is something I will forever be thankful for.

All of this to say, my wedding planning looks like an absolute breeze- but it has not felt that way all of the time. I know that this might not be true to every bride, but in my opinion, there is this weird stress that hovers over you as a bride. Whether it is budget or expectations, you always feel like you are missing something. You feel this undeniable pressure to be perfect and to have the perfect wedding.

Although my wedding planning is not yet over, I have learned so incredibly much. I have learned that the entire reason you are getting married is to spend your life with someone and your marriage has nothing to do with the colors you chose or the centerpieces that you had. One of the quotes that we always say at One Fine Day is, “You can either put the focus on the wedding or the marriage and we highly suggest putting it on the marriage”. Wedding planning has this wonderful way of opening your eyes to just how much certain people care about and love you. It is so freeing to let go of the pressures and expectations and choose joy in this season of life that goes by way too quickly.

Another piece of advice that I would always give is to appreciate the people who have come along side you in the wedding planning process. It is so easy to get so focused that you are blind to the support and love that you are being shown. Enjoy the good moments. Enjoy the trying moments. It is absolutely incredible to stop and look around at who all has blessed you in the process of marriage. This season of life will be over in the blink of an eye!

Being that we are all in the same boat here, I decided to bring together the One Fine Day Community and ask for advice along the way! I asked our current brides, past brides, and anyone at all what their best, worst, favorite, and hardest part of wedding planning was and I want to share that with you!

I rounded up some of the most commented ones and here is what they had to say:

Hardest parts of wedding planning:

1. Choosing the music

-Google and family/friends is your best friend when it comes to picking the music. I really struggled with choosing the music, but once I decided to have fun with this part, it came easily! I really wanted to choose songs that meant something to me and that is when I started getting stressed. I finally realized that whatever songs we chose, would end up meaning more to us than any song before because it is representation and memory of our most special day. Have fun with this part! If you are super stuck, ask your DJ! They have way more experience in this aspect than any of us!

2. Making your vision come true

-My best advice would be to trust your vendors and to ask questions. This is your wedding day and I think it is totally fine to ask your vendors questions if you have concerns or just want to check up! One of our #onefinedaybride’s said, “Have faith in the vision of your reception that everything will come together”.

3. The expectations of others – pressure to be perfect

-Yep, this is a hard one! Like I said earlier, you can either put the focus on the wedding or the marriage and we highly suggest putting it on the marriage. Now don’t get me wrong, your wedding is IMPORTANT! I will never deny that. However, you will spend your day being surrounded by people who absolutely love you and are there to celebrate you. Hold onto that!

4. All of the little details! More to organize/pay for than you think of.

-One of our #onefinedaybride’s suggested, “Having a wedding binder/organizer to keep track of everything was so helpful”. I absolutely love that! I have my papers and contracts thrown everywhere and I know it would have been so much easier if I was organized. Along with that, another bride mentioned that she wished she would have been paying more attention to her budget in the very beginning. I think it’s easy to get so excited and want to book everything right away, but your budget can easily get away from you if you aren’t keeping track.

5. Everyone else! (Coordinating schedules, opinions, family members, etc.)

-Our #onefinedaybride said, “Literally do what you want. Don’t care about others opinions. Sounds harsh, but true.” I will always be the first one to tell my brides, this is YOUR day, YOUR dress, YOUR choices. Family can be so helpful and so amazing, but girl, you are the one walking down the aisle in that dress- so it better be the one you love.

My fiancé and I went through pre-marital counseling together and one of the many take a ways that I got from it was this: Our leader said to us, “You two are a family now and you have to do what is best for your family”. The content of that conversation was based off of planning schedules around the holidays with our families, but I think the same applies to every decision being made between you two! This is your wedding day and your family- do what is absolutely best for you.

6. Guest List

-The guest list is so hard. You don’t want to hurt feelings, but you also can’t invite everyone you’ve ever met! My advice on this one is to have people at your wedding who you genuinely want there. Sounds obvious, I know. At my cousins wedding during the ceremony, their pastor had them stand and face their guests for a few minutes so they could take in everyone who was there for them. So amazing, right? When planning our guest list, I thought about that multiple times. Who would I want to look out and see?

-My mom has kept all of our guest list and addresses on an excel sheet so we can keep track. That way, I will have the addresses ready for the thank you and Christmas cards afterwards! One of our #onefinedaybrides said, “Family and Friends will help. Don’t be afraid to need/use them! You can’t do it all yourself!” I could not agree more! Let people help you!

 

Here are just a few of the BEST parts that our brides mentioned:

– The best thing about wedding planning was picking out my dress! I still cry thinking about it.

-Choosing the colors/decor and cake tasting

– Seeing my husband look at me from down the aisle in my dress for the first time!

– Picking out my dress.

– Seeing your designs come to life at the wedding!

– Dress shopping and accessories!

– The best part was having my mom and sister help me decide on a dress rather than a whole crew.

– Saying “I Do”- made the hard times worth it.

– The best was finding my dress at One Fine Day and seeing my mom cry tears of joy.

– Picking out the flowers!

-Feeling so much love from family and friends and feeling so supported

 

Here are a few more pieces of advice from our wonderful brides:

-The day goes by so fast. Try to take it all in!

– Longer engagement = less stress and more fun planning!

-Make sure to plan out transitions during the reception.

-Have a day of timeline planned!

-Go to a venue that’s a one-stop shop that comes with a coordinator!

-Remember to slow down and enjoy even the stressful moments as they are.

 

 

When we contacted Luke at Unscripted Visuals, we knew we wanted to create a video that somehow encompassed all the magical, exciting, nerve wracking, and awesome parts of this experience. I can’t speak for all brides, but I know as a little girl, I dreamed of my wedding day and when my time came around, I was feeling all those different emotions!

We love wedding dresses because we are fascinated by love and no other garment expresses love like a wedding dress! To love and be loved in return is the greatest human experience we can go through.

I hope this video brings a smile to your face and for my brides in the midst of wedding planning, may this video remind you of all the greatness in store for you. Day after day, we are honored that we get to be a part of this great moment in life. I always say that your wedding dress is with you during really important moments and you need to feel a connection to your wedding dress.

Congratulations to my beautiful One Fine Day Brides. I pray for a beautiful wedding day, an even more beautiful marriage and for your wedding dress to give you butterflies!

All my love,
Autumn

So, green never used to be a color on my radar – personally or wedding related. But, I have to say that in the last year or so, I am loving the idea of incorporating green into your wedding and not by using greenery. I’m loving pulling green through the table accents, through your bridesmaid dresses, through a green velvet tux for your groom! I’m into the idea of using green in unexpected ways.

So, last week I took this grouping of green toned bridesmaid dresses:

And paired them with 3 different dresses! I love the idea of mixing and matching green toned bridesmaid dresses OR doing all of your girls in the same color! These bridesmaid dresses are all from our Sorella Vita line!

Here, is the same grouping of bridesmaid dresses paired with an ivory Mikado dress from Essense of Australia. I love the crispness that the ivory dress brings to the overall feel.

The next dress is a tulle ballgown in a color called Moscato from Martina Liana. I would qualify this Moscato color as a blush! I think incorporating a blush toned dress with green toned bridesmaid dresses provides an overall softer feel to the wedding!

Which color of wedding dress do you like better with these green bridesmaid dresses? Ivory or Moscato?

Here are some images which have fueled my love for green accents!

Green Velvet Jacket for the groom via 5ive15ifteen Wedding Photography

These green candles are giving me life!

If you’re considering green for your wedding, I hope this helped you envision how to pull it together! We would love to help you put together a mix-and-match bridesmaid palette or help you choose the perfect shade of green for your bridesmaid dresses that will pull all your details together!

Ugh, girls, the images from the styled shoot that was hosted by Arielle Peters for her workshop attendees is beyond good! Like, beyond beautiful and will have so many images for you to take inspiration from!

The list of vendors include some of my personal favorites and all will help your wedding day run smoothly! Work with people you believe in and trust and you will be in great hands!

Enjoy these stunning images!!

Venue: LaSalle Event Center
Photography + Workshop Host: Arielle Peters Photography
Florist: LB Floristry
Stylist: Stephanie Abbitt
Cake: Sweet Em’s Cake Shoppe
Makeup/Hair Artist: Something Blue Stylists
Bridal Shop: One Fine Day Bridal and Gown Boutique
Wedding Dress Designer: Essense of Australia
Tuxes: Louie’s Tux Shop
Rentals: Burns Rent-Alls: Special Events
Calligraphy: Twig & Juniper
Models: Abigail Edmons + Damon Edmons