From the eyes of Amy Wood - SBE Wedding Planner:
My little sister is getting married!!! As her sister, bridesmaid, and of course
wedding planner, I wanted to share behind the scenes tips and insight of the
journey.
First of all, when I started wedding planning many years
ago, I thought of all of my clients as sisters.
There are 5 of us girls, so older or younger, more traditional or
bohemian, I had a sister that reminded me of most of my brides. It also was a way to keep focus in those
unexpected (and at times overwhelming) moments.
“If this were Lissa how would I help her? What would I do for Abby if this were
happening?” Well now it is Abby and it’s
so exciting to be able to give to her what I try to give to all of my
bride-sisters!
Here are some of my favorite memories of SBE bride-sisters:
Here we are with all the sisters
Tip #1 - When dress shopping or
facing any decision in wedding planning (or life), know what you need from your
team and select appropriate people. Abby’s
top store was BHLDN and she had only an hour to try on too many dresses. This was also her first dress appointment and
her selections were all over the place.
It easily could have turned into her not getting through half of her
dresses. Plus, there are only a handful
of BHLDN stores in the country. If she could not decide on this trip,
logistically it would have been difficult for her to get a BHLDN dress. What she needed from her team was help
focusing on the cuts, color, fabrics, etc.
And, did her team let her down?
Not only did we get her through all her dresses, but we had 20 minutes
to spare for her to go back and try on the top 3 and really give them the time
they deserved.
Tip #2 - Know when to walk away. After all the twirling, hair up and down,
mock bustling, and holding it next to bridesmaid’s colors, it was time to
go. We left, got food, got lost, and
made it home. On the drive we dissected
each facet of the dress, sisters campaigned and changed camps, and Abby was
given assignments (put images of you in each dress all over your bathroom,
visualize yourself walking down the aisle and Nace seeing you, send pictures to
a few family and friends etc.). She
still didn’t know and we went on with our lives. Sometimes you need to make decisions before
you’re totally ready, but sometimes you have the luxury of time and settling
into what feels right.
Final Tip #3 - Know what matters to you. In the conversations a couple of deciding points
came out. One dress’s favorite feature
was the stunning lace back. Given the
time of year and location, during most of the reception Abby likely will have a stole
covering the lace. She didn’t want that
dress if the back was covered. Another
top-contender was gorgeous, but felt more appropriate to a church ceremony and
formal reception, not the ranch wedding she’s creating. And then one dress had a cut that she loved
but her fiancé didn’t. This got
side-tracked in a sisterly debate as to if his opinion of the dress
mattered. For Abby it did, after all she
didn’t want him wearing something she didn’t totally love.
At a certain point she knew the dress that was right for
her, for her sweetie, for the location, and for what she wants to create and
experience on wedding day. The decision
was reinforced when we were at the ranch. She could picture herself there on
wedding day and deciding hair styles, and selecting jewelry. I’m most happy that Abby has a dress she is
so happy with and that she kept the process fun. Wedding planning is full of big and small
choices and with the right support and mindset it can be a really exciting
process.
I can’t show you pictures of
Abby’s dress yet, but here are a few more of my favorites from past SBE bride-sisters.
We look forward to helping you plan your wedding and keeping it all stress free, fun and exciting. Contact us today for more information.
XO, Amy