My Countdown to 'I Do': Navigating the Final Stretch
A glimpse into my wedding journey with less than 3 months to go!
With exactly 95 days, or approximately 2.5 months, until my wedding day, I wanted to give you all a sneak peek into where I’m at in the wedding planning journey. A lot of people are always asking me for a monthly wedding countdown as soon as they get engaged, but I understand not everyone’s planning process is the same. With that said, here’s a real life update with everything I’m doing right now along with recommendations based on lessons I’ve learned through my own journey.
Wedding Invitations
Personally speaking, I think that physical invitations set the tone for your wedding day. I used Ellen from Proper Notice in Long Island who not only made such a beautiful wedding invitation, but also went the extra mile making little revisions and tweaks until we felt the invitations were perfect.
From the initial invitation meeting to receiving final versions of all the physical invitations, RSVP cards and envelopes took about 8 months in total, so I’d definitely recommend starting this process sooner rather than later (especially if you pay close attention to the details like I do).
This past weekend, the day after Thanksgiving, my family sat down together and hand-stuffed each invitation and put stamps on each envelope. This might sound easy, but when you have a big guest list like ours, it definitely takes a good amount of time, which is why we all joined together to speed up the process. We bought a few clear Elmer glue sticks to seal each envelopes. Most companies will also offer to do all of this work for you for a fee, but if you’re looking for where you can cut wedding costs, this is definitely a great, easy place to do so!
Approximately 12 weeks prior to your wedding date is typically the timeframe where you’ll send out your invitations to your guests, so that means I’ll be sending mine out in a month from now! Having all of this work behind me a month before really eliminates a lot of stress. It’s something that is checked off my to-do list and now I can move on to the next. It’s so important to be as proactive as you can in this process so that it doesn’t all pile up on you at the last minute.
Food Tasting & Selection
This past Saturday night, we had our wedding food tasting at our venue - Liberty Warehouse. One of the many things I love about my venue is that they do their food tastings on the night of someone else’s wedding in a private room, that way you’re able to see the food and venue in real action.
They gave us a paper menu with all of the selections we could choose from for passed hors d’oeuvre, stations, appetizers, entrees and desserts. We tried one of everything that they were serving at the wedding that night. This meant that we weren’t trying everything on the menu that we may want to serve at our wedding, but it gave us a really good feel of the way they cook and display each dish.
This process is very intimate and fun. It took about 3 hours total where we had all sorts of cuisines, bites and plates - plus unlimited wine! We went from trying pieces of sushi to lamb chops to branzino to sirloin lo mein to creme brûlée and so much more. Something we kept in mind while selecting food to serve on our wedding day is what would not only appeal to us, but to everyone in the room. Although I might be a meat-lover, someone else might not be, so it’s important to consider the taste buds of all of your guests. This process is so special - have fun with it!
Planning a Bridal Shower
The anticipation isn’t limited to just the wedding day - plans for the bridal shower are in full swing. I’ve booked a venue and am now working on more details like the invitations, giveaways and more. Stay tuned about my bridal shower details in an upcoming newsletters!
Finalizing Details with Vendors
A lot of meticulous attention to detail, time and effort go into making sure your wedding day is exactly how you dream it will be and a huge part of this is reliant on the vendors you select.
This month, we have reconfirmed all of the floral arrangements with our florist, Gus from The Avenue J, on my wedding day. Gus is the son of Louis from Konstantinos Floral Design, so their family has been in the industry for many years. This includes our chuppah, the table arrangements, the bridal party bouquets, and more. We went through our proposal with the florist and made some revisions to our initial plans, but nothing major.
We also called our wedding band, Chevy Chevis Entertainment, to discuss their traditional setlist of songs that they play at events, that way Ben and I could sit down and cross off and/or add any songs we like and dislike. We also informed them of our first dance song so they can learn and practice it if they don’t already know of it.
Lastly, we connected with the lighting company, Pegasus Productions, that we are using to ensure we’re all aligned on the plans with the small tweaks we’ve made to the florals. Florals and lighting go hand in hand, so it was important to reconfirm every little detail to bring our visions to life.
Searching for Wedding Shoes
Next on my to-do list which hasn’t been completed yet is searching for the perfect heel to wear on my wedding day! Although there are so many beautiful heels out there, comfort is really important to me on my wedding day. You take pictures all day in your dress and shoes, and it’s important that you can last all night through your party in the heels you select, which is why it’s taking me slightly longer than the norm. The top brands I’ve been exploring are Jimmy Choo and Stuart Weitzman. I’ve linked some amazing bridal sale finds here!
Crafting Hotel Bags
Slowly but surely, I am beginning to think about the hotel bags that I’ll give to all of the out-of-towner’s coming to New York to celebrate our wedding. Since my fiance is from Florida, there is a good chunk of people who will be flying in from Florida to attend our special day, so I want to show them my appreciation for the time and money they’ve put in to attend.
With that, we’re working on making special welcome bags for hotel guests with snacks, drinks, mini necessity kits and information related to our wedding weekend that they’ll need to know about. I’ve been working with Dani, from Dani Rubin Designs, who has been helping me to create personalized wedding stationary to include in our welcome bags.
Not only is she a pleasure to work with, but she’s also really creative, provides you with several logo/text options, and is cost-friendly. She offers you as little or as much as you want, meaning if you just want a welcome card to put in your hotel bag, she’s able to do that, If you want more, she’s able to craft the entire hotel bag for you with snacks, etc. included!
Scheduling Trials & Fittings
Lastly, as the big day approaches, it’s important to make sure your appointments are all booked - this includes hair, makeup and your dress fittings.
Since I’m having my bridal shower a month before my wedding, I figured this would be the perfect time to do a hair and makeup trial. I highly recommend booking your trials around a special event, whether that be something part of your own wedding journey or something else, but you might as well put it to great use!
And of course, what every bride dreams of is seeing their wedding gown in real life. Scheduling my first dress fitting is a momentous step in this journey. A month or so before your wedding is typically when you begin your dress fittings, so be sure to reach out to your bridal designer to schedule your first fitting. There is usually a total of 3 fittings, and any more in addition if need be. Trust the process!
As I navigate through these final months, it begins to feel more real and exciting every day. Given Thanksgiving was just a few days ago, I can’t help but feel incredibly thankful.
Thankful for every vendor who puts in so much effort to bring our dreams to life.
Thankful for my incredibly supportive family and friends who celebrate this journey by our sides.
Thankful for the opportunity to have a wedding surrounded by our loved ones.
Most importantly, thankful to be marrying the man of my dreams.
Brides, I’d love to know what you’re most thankful for this year:
With love,
Lexi