Wedding

Like I said in my "Finally a Fiancée" post, I have been dreaming of my wedding since I was little. Now that it is finally the time to execute my dream is crazy to me! When I first started planning it, Cameron was adamant on having a celebration not compatible with my vision to say the least. For example, he wanted to make one playlist and press shuffle instead of hiring a DJ. Love ya Cam, but no! People think I am nuts when I tell them this but I messaged over 82 vendors before I found "the one". I looked at places in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont but could not fathom spending $25,000 on the venue alone. That was Cameron and I's whole budget! I started to go further south with my research. I found beautiful places in Rhode Island and Connecticut but nothing comparing to what I had in mind, which was I wanted our venue to remind me of the wedding from Twilight. I know that sounds silly, but my 11-year-old self would be proud. I finally started looking in South Carolina where I knew Cameron and I would be living by the time of our wedding. They had stunning ceremony spaces on old plantation grounds under willow trees. Although it was breath taking, it was not hitting that intimate, woodland vibe I was going for, but more of a old money, old fashioned vibe, which was my backup plan if I could not find a suitable woodland venue. 

So yah, I messaged about 82 vendors until I found the one. It was 11 pm, and I was on the couch mindlessly searching for a place until I found Hiwassee River Weddings in Delano, Tennessee. I knew it from the moment I clicked on the first picture on the website. I quite literally said "that's the one" out loud to myself. So, I messaged them and they had the original date Cameron and I were looking for available, September 27th, 2025. We initially chose this date because Cameron's birthday is September 20th. We thought it would be perfect because we could kill two birds with one stone by celebrating Cameron's birthday while having our joint bachelor and bachelorette parties. Then from there, we would go to the cabin at the wedding venue. It would essentially be a week long party! In the 5 days it took from initially reaching out, to retrieving information about the place, to making a deposit to secure the date, someone had claimed that date. Now, I am freaking out because I wanted that date because it was just perfect, and I also felt like I was running out of time. I think I was overwhelmed because I look back at it and am so thankfully that is no longer our wedding date. September in Tennessee would be hot, its hurricane season and while my venue offers indoor ceremonies when it rains, the whole reason we chose that place was because of the outdoor woodland venue. Also, I kind of have a superstition when it comes to even numbers. My favorite number is 8 or the combination of 2,4, and 8. My reasoning is 2x4=8 or 8/4=2, it is stupid I know, but my math brain finds it satisfying. Also, Cam and I started dating on the 4th of July, Cameron's birthday is on the 20th and mine is on the 8th. Just a combo of my favorite numbers. So we finally came to the date October 18th, 2025. I wish the year was 2024 or 2028, but what are you gonna do!

Now that our date and venue was locked in, I moved on to planning the photographer and videographer which were my second highest priority because I know how quickly they can book up. Again, I wanted pictures and video that would entail dark and intimate tones, not all posed, and movie like hue to them. I did not message nearly as many photographers as I did vendors, but I really wanted someone that could do both. I also was looking for someone that could do both photography and the videography to save myself the trouble of booking two different people. Also, most in this business do deals when booking both of these services together, which is a little tip for you if you are ever planning your wedding! I finally found a girl who owns Dana Photo Co, and just like when I saw our venue, I knew she would be able to capture the twilight, woodsy theme just by looking at her style of photography. Not to mention her videographer is absolutely stunning and timeless. 

So now that the venue, photography, and videography were booked, I was starting to think about our DJ because sorry Cam, we are not hitting shuffle on an iPhone! The venue did provide us with a list of preferred and required vendors, preferred ones being catering, cake, and florals and required being bartender, wedding planner, and officiant. The DJ they mentioned was half recommendation and half required, but I just did not feel that their services spoke to me. I researched best DJ's in Tennessee and found a company by the name of DJ Connections. They have been voted the best DJ service in that states a number of times, and they were running a promotion that I knew Cam would be fond of. So we booked them! It took a little emailing back and forth with our venue coordinator to tell them that we found our own DJ and she said while they highly prefer the one they mentioned, all they would have to do is have a zoom meeting or phone call with a manager from DJ Connections. Now that that was out of the way, I could finally slow down with the planning and booking process.

This summer we are on track to book our caterer, wedding coordinator, and bartender. I am praying the bartender is not booked already for our date because apparently, we are only allowed to use his services. Planning can be a lot, but it is also so fun at the same time because it is making your vision come to life! A lot of bride-to-be's absolutely hate the process, and that is totally okay. That is why wedding planners and coordinators are such a big business! It can be a lot, and it definitely helps I have had this vision for as long as I can remember. 

Mrs. Leborgne coming est. 2025!!!