We’re married! Yay!

After getting engaged in December 2015, we made it official last month. That meant a year and a half of planning - and probably the most intensely emotional project management process we’ve ever been through.

I learned that every bride typically falls somewhere in the spectrum between “This is the biggest day of your life! Wedding planning is your second full-time job!” and “Wedding planning sucks. Hire a planner and have another cocktail.” I didn’t necessarily hate wedding planning, per se. Haha! I just preferred to spend my time outside of work hanging out with Spike and Jacob, or otherwise enjoying life instead of deciding what color the table linens should be.

I was a stubborn-ass bride-to-be. I was set on making our big day as much a reflection of our lives as possible. Because I like to make things as difficult as possible for myself, I also decided everything I saw on Pinterest was what I didn’t want. The world has enough burlap, mason jars, and calligraphy-fueled weddings and ours did not need to be fuel for that fire. To be honest, as a Filipino-American I really didn’t see myself and our interests reflected in anything I saw on Pinterest or Instagram. The internet will really have you believing you have to do this, this, and that for a day that’s supposed to be about the unique love a couple shares for one another. Nah.

Also, we paid for everything ourselves and I wanted to make sure every dollar was well-spent. Do you know how hard that is in the modern-day wedding industry? I truly get it now when people tell you to just run away and elope in Vegas. They’re not joking even if they laugh! If you see me and ask me for wedding planning advice, I will tell you to do the same!

I will say, our saving graces came in the form of our wedding planners, Natasha, Kristine, and Makenna of Invisible Hostess, and my dear childhood friend Annie. The Invisible Hostess team was the money team that made FreshWed a seamless success, asking all the questions we didn’t know we had to answer and being so nice that we were happy to answer anything they needed from us. 

Annie got married last year and really enjoyed the process; she helped Jacob and I fill in all the blanks for my bachelorette party, bridal shower, and our big day. 

If there is one piece of advice I’d genuinely give you for your wedding planning needs, it’s to get you an Invisible Hostess and/or an Annie. L I F E S A V E R S!!!

In the end, it doesn’t even matter. RIP Chester Bennington. For all the little and big decisions, budgeting, over-budgeting, planning, and re-planning done, we could not have asked for a better day. Our wedding went off without a hitch and we are filled with so much good love and memories from it!