Five on Friday

It's the last weekend of August - are y'all kidding me? I thought I'd share a little bit this Friday about how the wedding planning is going. Holy cow! I have dreamed of the day I'd get to be planning a wedding and now it's here - talk about a complete dream come true! I will say - for the most part - it's been so much fun and filled with excitement but I might have let my hormones get the best of me this week and cried a little bit! Eek! 

So - I wanted to share some of the things we've been doing and embrace the joy of this time in my life - because it IS joyful and I want to do my best to take in this moment in time; the planning, the brainstorming with my Mom and my fiancé and just working together to bring the vision in my mind to life!

One. Venue - The venue was perhaps the easiest place to find for us and also completely a surprise. I'd had the idea in my head that nothing but Rosemont would work... I had a vision in my head and I just knew that Rosemont was it. But I knew we needed to look at other places and oh my - I am absolutely over the moon that we did because we found the perfect spot - and it wasn't Rosemont at all!

Stoneyman Valley Ranch is in nearby Luray, Virginia and it is the most stunning barn venue I've ever been in. I wasn't certain when we drove out to it because the location is a wee bit remote but when we stepped inside, I was overwhelmed - in the best way possible. The owners were absolutely amazing and everything about the venue - from the scenery to the styling - it was just perfect. I even teared up at one point because I could see our wedding day so clearly in my mind and I knew it needed to happen at this location.

We did tour Rosemont but there just wasn't the same wow factor and honestly - we both felt so passionate about this location that we knew we didn't need to look any further for the place that was right for us. I can't wait to see our wedding vision come to fruition at Stoneyman Valley Ranch! 

Two. Photographer - Our photographer was also an easy choice because I knew for a while now that when I finally got engaged, I'd turn to our family friend Brooke Lull at Brooke Danielle Photography for our wedding. And sure enough, once we got engaged - I reached out and booked her for our special day. I cannot say enough about how thrilled I am to know she will be photographing our special day and our engagement pictures too!

We have worked with Brooke before; she took family pictures for us a couple years ago, they turned out absolutely exceptional! And her website is filled with work that is beyond stunning - and Brooke is also one of the nicest and most easy-going people I've ever been around, so I know she'll be perfect for capturing our special moments and keeping us at ease! Her website showcases her beautiful work and is definitely worth checking out!

Three. Cake(s) - Y'all know I love some cake and sweets! Funnily enough, my fiancé is not much on sweets and so we are wading the waters of cake tastings and it's been pretty interesting! The front runners right now are Crumbs and Crumbles in Winchester and Fluffy Thoughts Cakes in McLean - both make stunning cakes - we just have to get tastings completed for both!

 

Crumbs and Crumbles is delivering tasty cupcakes this weekend for us to try: Whiskey Cake with Caramel Buttercream, Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream and Chocolate Cake with Cookies and Cream Buttercream! Whoa - yes please! We are in the process of scheduling a take-away tasting (hello COVID) from Fluffy Thoughts too! 

Four. Catering - Just like with the cakes, we have two front runners and both are providing interesting menu options and takes on the heavy hor d'oeuvres we are looking at for our late afternoon wedding reception. It's been fun to review all the options and tasty treats that they provide and now it's time to schedule tastings with each of them - and my parents may have to tag team this one for us!

 

Both spots schedule tastings during the week and I'm not sure Ryan and I can take off work to go to tastings, ha-ha! I trust my parents can sample all the tasty foods and let us know what they think is best! Either way - I think both options would be winners! I can't wait to see the final outcome and the tasty bites!

Five. The Dress - I have only recently scheduled the first appointment to try on dresses and it honestly still feels so surreal to me! I have ideas of what I like... but I've also been told that you might think you know what you want, but you'll try on dresses and go for something else entirely! 

Who knows what I'll end up with - I'm sure it will be the dream though! Isn't that what finding the perfect dress is all about? November is the month the search will begin and I cannot wait! Yay!

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This is only skimming the barrel of all things related to wedding planning and all the things we are planning! I haven't even talked about hotel room blocks, flowers, music and a DJ, favors, bridesmaid dresses.... so many other things! Fourteen months seems like a lot of time and there are other days when I feel like it's not quite enough time to conquer it all! But with my Mom - the most organized human I know - at the helm, everything will come together perfectly!

Y'all have a great weekend!