Whitney + Evan
(September 11, 2021 in Spokane, WA)
Planning a wedding can be a daunting task, but with a clear vision and the right vendors, it can be a dream come true. In this blog post, we hear from real bride Whitney, who shares her experience planning a non-traditional wedding with unique colors and a fun, dance-filled reception. Whitney's vision included burnt orange, mustard yellow, and lots of greenery, and with the help of her florist and rental company, she was able to bring it to life. Whitney also emphasizes the importance of having a wedding coordinator to alleviate stress on the big day, and shares her top tip for future brides. Read on to hear more about Whitney's special day and get inspired for your own wedding planning journey.
By our real bride, Whitney:
What was the vision for your wedding?
When I first started thinking about details of the wedding, I pinned a lot of white with pops of greenery. The more I pinned, the more I started to realize I didn't necessarily want to be like all the other weddings I saw; I wanted to have my own vision and stand out from all the other weddings. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a clean and simple white with pops of green, but I kept coming back to these main colors: burnt orange, mustard yellow and LOTS of greenery. I ended up going with these colors and champagne-like whites. It was hard to envision what it would all look like together, but I am so glad I trusted my vision and went with it. It came together so well and it was even better than I had imagined it would turn out. I knew I had to pick an outstanding florist who could bring my vision to life and I knew I had to go with Rose & Blossom. They had done one of my bridesmaids weddings and I heard wonderful things. I met with them and they were so helpful and helped create the most beautiful floral palette. For décor I knew I had to rent items from Artifact Rentals; I had been following them for years on Instagram and they had everything and more I could need including goblets for our head table, candle holders, terrariums, and more. I highly recommend renting items over purchasing! Its less expensive and you get to support a local business. Overall, the wedding day went so well and we were so lucky to have such amazing vendors!
How did it go the day-of?
We still talk about how blessed we were to have such an amazing wedding day with no huge issues. The weather was perfect, everything showed up on time, we started on time, you name it, it all went smoothly! I will say our only minor issue that we know laugh about is that the tux place gave my husband the wrong size pants (like 5 sizes too big...lol). Luckily, our venue was right across the street from the tux rental place and we were able to grab the right size.
Our wedding was pretty non-traditional. We had no ring bearers, no flower girls, no long speeches, no garter/bouquet toss, etc. I have divorced parents, so including all the parents was important to us. Especially my dad and step dad. I wanted to include them both, so I walked down the aisle with both my dad and step dad. At the entrance of the wedding, I included photos of grandparents whom either could not make the wedding or had passed away. Family is very important to us both, so we wanted to honor our family who couldn't be there with us that day. It meant a lot to our family that we did this and I am happy we did. Instead of a bouquet toss, we did a couples dance and whomever was the last couple dancing (married the longest) got a specially made bouquet.
Our main goal was to have a fairly quick, but meaningful, ceremony and a fun, dance-filled reception. We are big punk rock and 2000's music fans so we had lots of 'throwback' songs to dance to, which was so fun. Having a fun reception was important to us as well and our DJ from Complete Weddings & Events was awesome and really helped set the tone for the night.
One other thing that was important to us at the time was having an outside space for family and friends to sit, drink, eat, etc. With COVID, we had guests that were more concerned about it and we wanted to accommodate their needs. Our venue had a wonderful outdoor patio that was big and included seating and plenty of standing room for guests. The outdoor patio area is beautifully lit with string lights and was perfect for our guests and for our final send-off. I will say that our venue was what really made our day so special. The staff at Overbluff Cellars are exceptional. We have received SO MANY compliments on how beautiful our venue was and how unique it was compared to other venues in the Spokane area.
What is your #1 tip to future brides?
GET A WEDDING COORDINATOR (if your venue doesn't come with one, of course). If you are an easily stressed person like myself - splurge and get that wedding coordinator! I promise you it is worth every single penny and you will be so happy you did. I went into my wedding day with zero stress, which for me is NOT usual. Even my close friends and family were surprised at how calm and stress-free I was. Our wedding coordinator, Paige Martin Events, was absolutely amazing. Sadly, she is no longer working as a wedding coordinator, but she was spectacular. We actually booked her for the month of the wedding. During that time, she would be available for questions, reached out to all vendors and confirmed deliveries, payments, you name it. She set up our entire wedding ceremony and reception. She went above and beyond to make it exactly how I envisioned! She also helped create a day-of timeline, ceremony outline and cleaned up for us after the wedding (which was amazing).
