We are in full on wedding season with long, warm summer days, flowers and plenty of family and friends. Lux Catering and Events absolutely loves being a part of weddings; there are few better feelings than having a central role in the success of the most important and joyous day of two peoples’ lives.

It’s even more exciting when we get to be a part of a wedding for one of our own! We were so excited when we learned that our Director of Marketing, Katie Sanchez, was beginning to plan her wedding with her fiancé, Bryan. Of course, there was no question where she was going to go to start planning!

 

We would like you all to follow along as we document and lay out the steps of planning a wedding, to give you advice on working with a wedding planner, expert tips and insider tricks, as well as to share a lovely story. Check back on our blog regularly to follow along with Katie and Bryan’s wedding journey.

But first, let’s hear from our bride and groom!

The Wedding Planning Journey

“Hi everyone! My name’s Katie and I have worked at Lux Catering and Events as their Marketing Director for almost two years now. I am so excited that I now get to work with my amazing and talented co-workers as a bride in addition to behind the scenes!

But I am even more excited that I get to marry this man right here:

Our Story

Bryan and I chatted briefly online before we met each other for dinner at the amazing Red Rock Brewery. We both were so surprised at how easily and effortlessly we fell into stimulating and engaging conversation. Our dinner that night lasted well over 2 hours; it was hard for me to pull myself away from our date, I wanted to keep talking to him. Embarrassing as it is to state now, I kept talking with him so long I was late for another date I had made for the same night. I blush even now as I write this, but it has since become a running joke. Needless to say, my second date was much less inspiring.

Neither of us could wait to see each other again; we breached dating protocol and had our second date the very next day. We often remark how easily and effortlessly we’ve fallen in love with each other. Perhaps because on our third date, on a blanket in the park under a million stars, we thought it’d be fun to try a social experiment by asking the now famous 36 questions to help you fall in love with anyone. Or perhaps, as we like to jokingly explain, we’ve known and loved each other in a past life. Whether it was those questions or that we have always been meant for each other, we both just knew and our falling in love has been deliberate and seamless.

We both have a weakness for beautiful books, not only can we excel at complex and enlightening conversation together but also the lamest and silliest of jokes, and we are at our best as a couple when we are communicating and overcoming challenges together as a team. Some of the things I love most about Bryan (and this is an incredibly hard list to whittle down) are: his strength and tenacity for always doing the right thing, which shines through in his upstanding and complex character; how readily and happily he is to lend help, solve a problem or to be a teammate; his mischievous dimples and wicked laugh; and how wholeheartedly and generously he loves and supports those in his life. It’s easy to state yet hard to instill what a lucky girl I am.

Our Wedding Plans

We’ve been together for over a year and a half and just like our love, we each knew we wanted to get married. We’ve been talking about marriage and a wedding for almost a year now but after a job loss, a new job, and some other unforeseen circumstances we felt it best to wait. Luckily, because of our extraordinary, collaborative problem solving (and our strategic and thrifty saving), this spring we finally felt we were ready to start setting into motion the start of the rest of our lives! Which is why planning for our wedding has been really exciting and fun and part of why we want to share our experience with you!

Check back in a later post written by Bryan about our engagement and how to plan a custom and personal proposal! In the meantime, if you are like us and don’t know where to start or how to plan a wedding at all, follow along with us as we make this exciting journey and learn the benefits of using a wedding planner to help plan your wedding!

Until next time,

Katie”

 

 

Wedding Planning Timeline

For those following along and any other brides and grooms out there struggling to comprehend everything they need to accomplish before the big day and where to start, here is a timeline of what’s ahead:

12-9 months out:

• Make the announcement!
• Party! Engagement party!
• Start brainstorming ideas and themes (PINTEREST!)
• Create a budget
• Nail down the guest list
• Pick a date
• Pick your bridal party
• To hire a wedding planner, or not?
• Destination or close to home? Nail down the location.
• Research vendors
• Book your ceremony and rehearsal venue(s)

 

9-6 months out:

• Go dress shopping and purchase your dream dress
• Meet with preferred caterers
• Hire your officiant
• Hire your photographer and videographer
• Book your DJ/Band
• Hire florist
• Hire your invitation designer, printer and/or calligrapher
• Shop for bridesmaid and bridal party dresses and rent grooms men attire
• Start planning your honeymoon
• Destination wedding? Reserve hotel rooms
• Arrange transportation for the wedding day
• Have engagement pictures taken
• Send out Save the Dates

 

6-3 months out:

• Purchase rings
• Meet with your cake designer
• Get started on your wedding registry
• Have invitations printed
• Order favors and bridal party gifts
• Start hair and makeup trials
• Start compiling playlists to give your DJ
• Book the rehersal and rehersal dinner venues
• Decide and ask those who will give speeches
• Finalize your menu and flowers
• Have boudoirs done; purchase gift for your future spouse
• Have honeymoon booked

 

2 months before:

• Keep updated with all vendors
• Discuss music and supply playlist to your DJ/band
• Compile and submit a desired shot list with your photographer and videographer
• Send out invitations!

 

1 month before:

• Make sure all dress alterations are completed
• Collect RSVPs and final numbers
• Finalize seating arrangement
• Purchase your marriage license

 

2 weeks before:

• Confirm arrival times with vendors, caterers, photographer, transportation, etc.
• Finalize the wedding day timeline
• Update your caterer and venue on your final guest count
• Have bachelor/bachelorette parties
• Have any personal care, such as waxing, hair dyeing, tanning, etc., done
• Start breaking in wedding shoes
• Start writing your vows
• Pick up your wedding dress

 

1 week to the day before:

• Meet with your officiant and discuss order of the ceremony
• Share wedding day timeline with your bridal party
• Pick up groom’s, groomsmen’s, and bridal party rented outfits
• Pick up any out-of-town guests arriving for the wedding
• Finalize hair and makeup; have manicure and pedicure done
• Finalize vows
• Pack your wedding day emergency bag
• Pack for your honeymoon
• Rehearse ceremony and have rehearsal dinner with bridal party

We are so excited to have you follow along on this fun and sweet journey – remember to keep checking back!

Some images have been used from freepik.com