Rachel + Trevor

(August 14, 2021 in Spokane, WA)

Wedding planning can be a stressful experience for many brides-to-be, but with the right preparation, it can also be an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling process. In this blog post, we follow the journey of a bride who had a clear vision for her dream wedding and executed it flawlessly. From choosing the perfect venue to selecting vendors and creating a Pinterest board that perfectly captured her vision, everything fell into place for her special day. In this post, she shares her experiences and offers valuable tips for future brides on how to plan a stress-free wedding. So whether you're a soon-to-be bride or just love reading about beautiful weddings, read on for inspiration and valuable insights.

By our real bride, Rachel:

What was the vision for your wedding?

My Pinterest board turned out exactly like my wedding. I was wanting a beautiful modern indoor wedding. We had the penthouse room at Riverside Place which had a balcony overlooking the Spokane River. The room had waxed black floors with string lights all around the room. The floor made it look like you were walking on water. Our colors were mauve and burgundy. I choose my vendors by word of mouth and family/friends’ recommendations.

How did it go the day-of?

My wedding was the most special day of my life. We got ready in suites at the Historic Davenport Hotel which was perfect, only one mile away from our venue. All the girls started the day out with mimosas and getting our hair and makeup done. I felt like an absolute princess. I had seven bridesmaids and my mom and mother-in-law getting ready with me. We had so much fun talking about how excited we were for the wedding to start.

The guys were getting ready in the suite down the hall, they were blasting music trying to calm their nerves. All of Trevor’s groomsmen have known him for 10+ years, so they have been around for every up and down in his life which was very special. The girls were sent tequila shots from a few of my family members and we thought we were so funny because we just shipped them right down the hall to the boys! Once our photographer and videographer showed up things started to feel really real. I got into my dress and did a first look with all my girls. There were definitely a few tears shed.

Once it was finally time for our first look they situated Trevor on the outside balcony/patio facing away from the door so I could sneak up on him and give him a hug before he saw me. Our first look was a very special moment we got to share between the two of us, he LOVED my dress. I then did a first look with my dad, and he could not contain himself seeing his baby girl :) We all then drove to the venue to get ready for the ceremony to start.

We took a round of shots to ease the nerves and cheers to the couple to be!! Once we all lined up to walk down the aisle, the butterflies fully kicked in. I was finally going to walk down the aisle to marry the love of my life. I had been waiting for this moment for all 10 years we have been together. We each wrote our own vows which made it more intimate.

After the ceremony, the biggest party of our lives started. The dance floor was never empty. We had the best crowd there to help us celebrate the start of our lives as Mr. and Mrs :) We partied until midnight, once it was time for us to leave (we were not ready for the night to end) we had the best sparkler sendoff and got into our car that was decorated with writing all over it, balloons, and beer cans tied to the back. We went back to the Davenport to end the best day of our lives.

What is your #1 tip to future brides?

Start planning early! I had no stress associated with my wedding because we started planning everything over a year in advance. I did not hire anyone to help with planning, I just found checklists on Pinterest and used theknot.com. They have a planning checklist of all the little things that are easy to overlook.

GOWN: ESSIE BY ESSENSE OF AUSTRALIA

VEIL: KATIE BY SARA GABRIEL DESIGNS

PHOTOGRAPHER: WESTON CEDERBLOM

VENUE: RIVERSIDE PLACE

MAKEUP ARTIST: EVELYN MAURO

HAIR STYLIST: SAVANAH PARKEY

VIDEOGRAPHER: JEZ WILLIAMS

DJ: JADE CARDWELL

CAKE: HAPPY CAKE CO.

FLORIST: ROSE & BLOSSOM