My Dream Wedding: If money was not an Issue

Let me start off by saying; the chances of me getting married any time soon are slim… basically non existent. I’m not even dating at the moment. But that being said, in some capacity, everyone  including myself has thought about their dream wedding. In order to stay on top of trends for my clients I follow a lot of wedding and event planning  pages on Facebook and Instagram. Occasionally, I pick up copy of the “Knot magazine”. I am not on Pinterest as often as I would like to, but best believe I have a “dream wedding board”

At one point in my life I was OBSESSED with Peacocks. Every time one of my friends or I saw something peacock related it ended up on my board. Thankfully, I have over come the peacock obsession.

If money were not an issue I would have a Boho  barn wedding. My favorite state in all of New England is Vermont, and my favorite season is fall, so that’s what I will  be shooting for. The wedding would be during the foliage peak for awesome photos, and hopefully before it gets to chilly outside.

I have a hard time believing that I would be the type of girl who would demand to be included in the choosing of her engagement ring. But if he was to ask, I would like something In sliver, shiny, but not too flashy. Honestly, if I was presented with a cracker jack ring, and there was thought behind it, I would wear It proudly.  As for wedding bands, being a chef, technically you aren’t supposed to wear rings or any jewelry for sanitary reasons. I have been seeing ads for silicone wedding bands, that’s what I would like.

My mother was probably a 00 at the time of her wedding. I’d be lucky if my arm fit where the head hole is. I absolutely hate dress shopping, but luckily for me my old college roommate, and very close friend Elizabeth Keaton aka  Bitsy Knows Best has years, and years  of bridal experience. I’m pretty sure she already has a list of dresses picked out for me to try on.

I would like to have a smaller ceremony if possible.  Seventy-five of our closest friends and family, and then a larger reception, maybe one-hundred and fifty  guests. The bridal party and grooms men would consist of our siblings and out best friends.

I haven’t given much thought to a color scheme, although I envision the groomsmen in light gray trousers with tan suspenders. I see the ladies wearing long ,flowing, light peach colored dresses. I completely adore the thought of floral headbands.  My  favorite flowers are gerbera daisy’s , eucalyptus, ranuculculus , and peonies. The boutineers , and bouquets would be made up of these. My bouquet would be large, colorful, and cascading.

If there are kids of age in our friends/ family group we would allow them the honor of ring barer and flower girl.

Leading up to the big day I think destination bachelor and bachelorette parties would be so fun! All expenses paid ( we are dreaming here remember). I would want to go somewhere sunny, and tropical, a trip to magic mike studios would be a must 😊.  Hopefully the gentlemen would plan something like Vegas… “ what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas..” (eye roll).

Seeing as though our wedding would be considered a destination wedding we would rent out a floor of a hotel for our guests. We would have a nice family style rehearsal dinner, very relaxing, nothing high stress.

I would like to have a team of photographers on site all day long ( I m just dreaming here… I realize that photography is expensive) good thing my best friend Emma Schiffer owns her own photography business; Emma Marie Photography!I have a list of suggested photos I would like to re create, but I also want lots of candid photos also.

When I was a kid I watched my parents wedding video daily, I could probably reenact it if I wanted to. That being said, I think we will also need a videographer.

Given the fact that I am a chef and event planner,every detail would be perfectly constructed with the help of an amazing day of coordinator.

For cocktail hour, main course, and first dances I think it would be cool to have a live band to play a variety of music. After the musical formalities I think we should transition to a DJ so we can get down for the remainder of the night.

For the ceremony we would have white wooden chairs in a half moon preferably over looking a few mountains.  I would have our florist build us a beautiful  floral arch.The reception would be inside the lofted barn, lots of bright white string lights, long farmers tables, runners, gold chargers, polished sliver, champagne flutes, wine glasses, dual purpose flower terrariums  that would act as centerpieces as well as party favors.

I haven’t given a lot of thought to the food selection, but it will  be delicious  There will be vegetation options, gluten free options, and meat eater options. I think I would like a few live action chef attended stations, and the rest buffet style.  I would like my fiancé

( husband… my guy… whatever you are supposed to call him) and I to have a signature cocktail, something that compliments us both. I also love beer, so I would like to have a few on tap.

I like the idea of having  a ceremonial cake, just for cutting purposes. I’ve seen too many beautiful wedding cakes end up in the trash at the end of the night. Hopefully I’ll be able to get my good friend Shannon Mooney, from Sweet Spot Bakery In Melrose MA to make it for me.   Otherwise I think I would like to  offer mini dessert trios; something seasonal.

Statistically speaking the average wedding cost is upwards of $35,000 as if wedding planning wasn’t stressful enough. Old traditions hold true to the fact that the brides parents pay for the wedding.  I am sure that this will not be the case for me. I would never want anyone to be in debt because of my wedding.

Look out for my next blog post! I will be bringing together some of my closest friends and wedding professionals together to show you how to DIY on a serious wedding budget. As always thanks for reading.

PS… Any potential suitors/ my future fiance reading this blog post , please know this is 100% fictitious. Part of the wedding planning adventure would include you by my side.