Hey friends! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve done a blog post, and one of the main reasons for my absence is that Bryan and I got engaged back in June! We went to Napa, one our favorite places in the world, and he totally surprised me! I literally had no idea he was going to pop the question on our trip. In true me fashion, I was trying to find a spot for Bryan to take a picture of me at the winery. Little did I know he had a photographer there while he got down on one knee. So many of my girlfriends told me that they blacked out during their own proposal, and now I totally know what they mean!
When we got back from our Napa trip, I got into wedding mode. I’m super Type A, and did not want to fight anybody for a date, venue, etc. Plus, we are getting married in the Catholic Church, and that can be a long process. We did those big things first, so now we get to take our time and visit with different florists, bands, and vendors. Our wedding is set for August 2019 in DC! My family is huge and almost everyone is from the DC/VA area. Bryan’s family spans from New York, to Boston, and to Florida. Our ceremony will be at St. Stephen Martyr and reception will be at the Park Hyatt Washington D.C.
After looking at a few hotels in DC, we settled on the Park Hyatt for many reasons. First, Blue Duck Tavern is one of our favorite restaurants (it’s part of the hotel) and we found out that BDT does the wedding food (!!!). Second, the aesthetics of the hotel fit not only the theme of our wedding, but also our personal styles. The hotel itself has a lot of dark wood, clean white walls, and modern art. I hope that when our guests arrive, they will immediately think of Bryan and I. Finally, the Park Hyatt is 2 blocks from St. Stephen. It was very important for us to have the church and reception location close together, so that it would be convenient for our guests.
Even though Bryan and I are still in the early stages of wedding planning, I thought I’d give you my tips for starting out. I have had a couple friends get engaged since Bryan and I started planning, and everyone seemed to appreciate hearing about my experiences thus far. Let me know if you have any questions!
- Set a Budget. This is probably the worst part. But you might as well get it out of the way since the budget dictates just about everything! If your family is planning on contributing to the wedding, it’s time to gently nudge them if they haven’t flat out told you how much they’d like to give you. If it’s just you and your significant other, then you two will have to sit down and set a realistic budget. I’m by no means a financial expert (just ask Bryan), but you may not want to go into a new marriage just having spent all your savings. I found this post from WeddingWire helpful.
- Make a list of “must-haves.” Bryan wants great entertainment for the reception, so we factored into the budget a band instead of a DJ. I decided that I would personally pay for my wedding dress, so it’s not included in our wedding budget. I also didn’t want to limit what dress I got because of the overall budget. Whoops. See what works for you.
- Before you start looking at venues, narrow down a location and/or theme. Especially in a metropolitan area, there are hundreds of wedding venues. If you have zero idea of what you want, you’ll be spinning your wheels looking at everything from a rustic barn to a Parisian style hotel. Of course, take your time. Look at Pinterest, think about weddings you’ve been too, consider the type of dress you want (casual v. formal), and most importantly, how many guests! The guest count can eliminate lots of venues. Tying into my first point, your budget will also eliminate A LOT of venues.
- Start that guest list. This is definitely not the most fun thing. Bryan and I started our list on the plane ride home from Napa, because we’re those type of people. We separated the list into must-invites and maybes. We also allotted slots for our parent’s friends. There are many venues that hold about 100-110, and then it seems to jump to 175 to 300. Above 300, you are mainly left with large hotels. Depending on what you fall in love with, you may have to adjust the guest list!
- Don’t forget that the wedding planning process should be fun! While I can definitely have my diva moments and I know exactly what I want, I have been so thankful for Bryan and my Dad – Bryan, specifically for letting me run with my ideas, and my Dad, for giving me so much, while at the end of the day, just wanting Bryan and I to be happy.
I’ll definitely be keeping you all posted on some more wedding-related things, especially as we get closer. Oh, and I also found my wedding dress, but of course, those pictures won’t be shared for another year…
Enjoy some of our engagement pictures! We got engaged at HALL Winery in Napa Valley, California. We are members of HALL and love all of their wine. Our wonderful photographer was Sakhon Nhek Photography.
