Here’s a little Q&A with four recent brides who have been through it all!
Amy Couture & Lance Lamson
Married: October 3, 2015
Ceremony: First Presbyterian Church, Downtown Flint
Reception: The Durant
Gown: Amy wore a white, strapless ball gown with a full, tulle skirt and heavily beaded bodice.
Photography by Kayla Renee Photography
Q: What went better than expected, and you realized that you didn’t have to stress about it?
A: We decided to make our bouquets at Anthony’s Market Flowers in Downtown Flint, so I was a little nervous about that, since I’m not creative at all! All the bouquets, corsages and boutonnières turned out gorgeous.
Q: What was the most unique aspect of your wedding/reception?
A: We wrote and read our own vows (which we kept secret). We also took dance lessons to learn the foxtrot for our first dance to “The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra.
Q: What was the most traditional aspect of your wedding/reception?
A: We wanted the traditional church wedding with “The Wedding March” music, and we also didn’t want to see each other before the wedding. But, we did exchange cards and held hands for a couple of minutes with a door between us.
Q: How did you decide on your venue?
A: My husband loves the Downtown Flint atmosphere and I knew he would love the history behind The Durant, since it was named in honor of General Motors founder, William Durant, and Lance works for GM. We looked at it one weekend and he ended up proposing to me there.
Q: What was the most glaring faux pas committed by a guest?
A: A couple guests visited the bar a couple too many times and fell down on the dance floor spilling their drinks everywhere. We had a sign by the bar that said: Our wedding will have an open bar. It will also be heavily photographed, so any drunken shenanigans will be documented, and thoroughly mocked for years to come. Proceed with caution. But that didn’t seem to stop anyone!
Amy & Lance – Web Exclusive
Q: What went wrong during your wedding, and how would you have prevented it?
A: I can honestly say that nothing went “wrong” during our wedding. I kept saying all day long, that I was married to my best friend, and then everything went perfect. The weather was chilly and a little rainy, so it would have been nicer if that was better, but that was out of my control.
Q: How did you decide on your gown? Did you already have an idea of what your dress would look like? Did you start looking without any expectations? What was your process like?
A: I had an idea of what I wanted, but I wanted to try on everything – just in case I changed my mind on what I wanted. I went to four dress shops and couldn’t really decide. We went to Fantastic Finds in Lansing and picked out about 10 dresses to try on and the first one I tried on I knew – it was it. My mom was almost crying and I didn’t have that feeling with any other dress I had tried on, so I had to get it.
Q: How did you incorporate technology/social media into your wedding/reception? (i.e. Pinterest, hashtags on Instagram, Facebook pages for the event, video montage)
A: I didn’t really incorporate technology/social media that much. A couple people used hashtags, but that’s about it.
Q: How did you keep track of all of your invitations and seating charts?
A: I kept everything in Microsoft Excel. I marked off names when I sent the invitations and when I received them back. I didn’t do a seating chart at the reception. I didn’t want to have to put people together and I didn’t think it was necessary.
Q: How did you decide what you wanted your cake to look/taste like? What did you learn about choosing what you and your fiancée wanted, as well as keeping in mind what your guests might like?
A: I decided what I wanted my cake to look like from Pinterest pictures. We picked four different flavors to make everyone happy, but the only piece of cake my husband and I ate was the one we fed to each other! I’m looking forward to our one-year anniversary to eat the cake again. Our cake lady also recommended her top sellers, which made it easy to pick flavors.
Q: Did you hire a wedding planner?
A: I did not. I am a huge planner and very detail orientated, so I just didn’t need one.
Q: Did you attend a Bridal Expo? Did you find it helpful?
A: Yes, I went to one in Grand Blanc. I didn’t find it all that helpful because, by that point, I had everything figured out and booked. I did end up finding our cake from it, so that was nice. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had no idea what DJ or photographer I wanted to use.
Q: Did you choose to register for gifts?
A: Yes, I did. There wasn’t much that we needed since we had purchased our house a year before the wedding, but it was still a fun experience.
Autumn Perry & James MacClaren
Married: June 27, 2014
Ceremony & Reception: Oakhurst Golf & Country Club
Gown: Autumn wore a white, strapless A-line design with antique ivory lace and organza, and a sweetheart neckline.
Photography by Kathy Davies Photography
Q: What was the most unique aspect of your wedding/reception?
A: The personal touches. For example, we used dried hydrangea for the centerpieces. My mom and I picked them the fall before our wedding and dried them for months. We also had a table displaying pictures from our parents’ and grandparents’ weddings. And, instead of giving party favors, we made a donation to the Thomas Smith Memorial Foundation.
Q: What was the most traditional aspect of your wedding/reception?
A: I had a long, white veil and a long, white dress. My dad walked me down the aisle, which was one of the most amazing moments of my life. We had a ring bearer and flower girl who stole the show; it was great.
Q: How did you choose your gown?
A: This is a funny story. I didn’t necessarily have too many expectations or an exact idea of what I wanted. But I knew I didn’t want anything “Cinderella-like.” I tried on about ten dresses and thought I had found “the one,” but everyone told me to think about it. A couple days later, my mom and I dropped in at a shop in Novi just to take a quick look. That’s where I found “the one.” As soon as I had the dress on, my mom started crying. I didn’t want to take it off, I loved it so much. The funny thing is – it was very much “Cinderella-like.”
Q: Did anything go wrong during your wedding?
A: There is one thing I regret: I didn’t have a videographer. But when working within a budget, some things have to be left out – a videographer can be very costly. I have amazing pictures though, and I’m so thankful for that!
Q: What was the most glaring faux pas committed by a guest?
A: Not bringing a card to the wedding. I think it’s incredibly rude not to! I loved reading the cards the day after the wedding – thoughtful sentiments go a lot further than money ever will. Bring a card.
Autumn & James – Web Exclusive
Q: How did you decide what you wanted your cake to look/taste like? What did you learn about choosing what you and your fiancée wanted, as well as keeping in mind what your guests might like?
A: We did a combination of things. We had a small cake that we did the traditional cake cutting with. That cake was served to the wedding party and parent’s tables. We had cupcakes for all of the guests. The cupcakes were from a place in Frankenmuth, Sugar High Bakery, which won on an episode of Cupcake Wars for the Food Network. So we scheduled a tasting and they were delicious and affordable. My husband wasn’t able to make it to the tasting, but they sent me home with a combination of their top-selling cupcakes and various frostings.
Q: Did you attend a Bridal Expo? Did you find it helpful?
A: I did attend a Bridal Expo about a month after I got engaged and honestly, it wasn’t too helpful – only because I didn’t know what I wanted yet. I didn’t have a plan. I think if you go to a bridal show with a plan, and at least some sort of idea of how you want your wedding day to go, you would find it useful.
Q: Did you choose to register for gifts?
A: We did register for gifts. I know from attending weddings in the past, it’s helpful to know what the couple needs. We also did so because we learned you could buy items that you registered for at a discount, if people didn’t purchase them for you. We bought our first house together shortly before our wedding, so we just put a ton of stuff on our registry – not necessarily with the hope someone would buy it for us, but knowing we could later buy it ourselves at a discount.
Kerri Pruitt & Mark Bowlby
Married: August 8, 2015
Ceremony: Heavenly Scent Herb Farm, Fenton
Reception: Springfield Oaks, Davisburg
Gown: Kerri wore a classic ivory satin, trumpet-style gown with a rhinestone belt.
Photography By Mike Naddeo | Weddings
Q: What was the most unique aspect of your wedding/reception?
A: I would say the way that I transformed a plain activity center into a beautiful setting for our reception. A lot of people said that they did not even recognize the place once it was decorated.
Q: How did you decide on your venue?
A: I fell in love with Heavenly Scent Herb Farm the minute I saw it. For the reception, it was what my husband wanted. He had been to a lot of weddings there and it also worked with our budget. So, I picked the ceremony location and he picked the reception spot.
Q: How did you keep track of your invitations, seating charts, etc.?
A: I used a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet throughout the entire process. It was so easy! I included names, number of people, addresses, and then I had columns indicating when I sent them a save-the-date, the invitation, and if I received their RSVP.
Q: How did you decide on the design and flavor of your cake?
A: I found a picture on Pinterest and let my cake artist use that as an inspiration and then create the rest. I found that it’s best to let the professionals do what they do best. I had three different sizes and they were all beautiful!
Q: What was the most glaring faux pas a guest committed at the wedding/reception?
A: A young girl, the guest of a family member, wore a white dress – I will never forget that.
Kerri & Mark – Web Exclusive
Q: What went wrong during your wedding, and how would you have prevented it?
A: Nothing! It was perfect!
Q: What went better than you expected, and you realized that you didn’t have to stress out about it?
A: The reception went way better than I expected. I didn’t have an in-house coordinator so I was worried about everything coming together with the vendors, but sure enough, it was all better than I had imagined.
Q: How did you decide on your gown? Did you already have an idea of what your dress would look like? Did you start looking without any expectations? What was your process like?
A: I saw my dress in an advertisement. I knew that it was exactly what I wanted. I went into the store with my mom one day, tried it on, and never looked at another dress. It was fast and easy.
Q: How did you incorporate technology/social media into your wedding/reception? (i.e. Pinterest, hashtags on Instagram, Facebook pages for the event, video montage)
A: Outside of the occasional post about our big day, we did not use any social media. Pinterest was helpful when creating our inspirations.
Q: Did you hire a wedding planner? Why/why not?
A: No, because that is what I do professionally for a living. I hired good vendors that I trusted and it all worked out perfectly.
Q: Did you attend a Bridal Expo?
A: No, I did not, because I am in the business, I already knew what vendors I wanted to use.
Q: Did you choose to register for gifts? Why/why not?
A: I did not. I did not have a bridal shower, so I did not register.
Amanda Alick & Ryan Nelson
Wedding Date: November 20, 2015
Ceremony & Reception: Captain’s Club at Woodfield, Grand Blanc.
Gown: Amanda wore a strapless, all-lace, trumpet-style gown.
Photography by Amanda Dantzer
Q: What went better than you expected and you realized that you didn’t have to stress out about it?
A: My husband and I included our two young daughters in the ceremony. I was very nervous if they were going to behave and cooperate during the ceremony; therefore, we set in place a few back-up plans – just in case. Luckily, we did not have to use them. They surprised us both.
Q: How did you choose your gown?
A: I tried on a bunch and finally narrowed it down to three! My mom and best friend helped me choose the right dress for me, and I loved it!
Q: How did you incorporate technology/social media?
A: We designed a website that had photos, some personal information about us, and specific information for our out-of-town guests. We included our website address on our “Save-the-Dates” and on our formal invitations.
Q: How did you decide on the design/flavor of your cake?
A: As we looked at different photos, the “naked” cake kept coming up. We chose this style, not only because it went with our romantic, vintage theme, but also because the actual flavor of the cake doesn’t get lost in all the frosting and fondant.
Q: What was the most unique aspect of your wedding/reception?
A: We included our 6- and 4-year-old daughters in the ceremony because for us, it was a uniting of our families – not just Ryan and me. It was very special.
Amanda & Ryan – Web Exclusive
Q: What went wrong during you wedding and how would you have prevented it?
A: I can honestly say that nothing went wrong at my ceremony or reception. It was a perfect day.
Q: What did you think was the most traditional aspect of your wedding/reception?
A: The most traditional part of our wedding would have to be our vows to each other.
Q: How did you decide on your venue?
A: I originally had my heart set on a different venue and had my mind made up before we met with the coordinator from The Captain’s Club. When we saw the ballroom that day, it was all decorated for a wedding and it was beautiful! Needless to say, we changed our minds and could not have been happier with the result.
Q: How did you keep track of all of your invitations and seating charts?
A: I am naturally a very organized person. My husband and I set up a spreadsheet to help us with budget, guest list, vendors, and a variety of our “to-dos.” I also wrote out a time line on when everything needed to be done and paid for. We only had a six-month engagement, so having a checklist really helped us to expedite some of these tasks.
Q: Did you hire a wedding planner?
A: I did not hire a wedding planner. I had lots of help from my photographer, which just so happens to be a good friend. Also, the coordinator at the Captain’s Club was a tremendous help. All of my vendors had a close working relationship and kept everyone in the know without much on my part.
Q: Did you attend a Bridal Expo?
A: No, I did not attend a bridal expo. I was short on time and had many decisions to make right away. I chose a lot of vendors from my Venues Preferred List. They offered better deals and were used to working together.
Q: Did you choose to register for guests?
A: We did not register for gifts, first, because we already had a home together with children. There was not anything we really needed. Secondly, we felt that this would allow our guests to be creative and pick something they wanted to give us and not the other way around.
