Venue Manager, Turned Bride For a Day
As a venue manager, I often get asked what I did for my day, so what better way to kick of our new website’s blog posts, then to give you all the details. Be honest about your budget and the things that are important to each of you, and stop trying to compare to what you see on social media. At the end of the day, weddings are beautiful, but the marriage that follows is so much more important. Don’t let the wedding outshine the marriage.
-Brittany Curry
A Peak into the Curry wedding is below.
Timing is everything. Aaron and I had been friends for many years. All of a sudden something just clicked. In the short story, we credit St Patrick’s Day to being what started our realization that there may be a chemistry between us we didn’t recognize prior.
Deciding on a Date and Colors....first battle of the wedding planning process
As we were planning our day, Aaron knew my favorite color is black and that’s what our wedding would mainly be. He told me there needed to be a color, so jokingly I said “fine, we can add taupe”. Those taupe add ins, made the normal black and white palette so much more fun, so Aaron gets a little design credit. When it came to a picking a date, Aaron had two requests, not during College Football or deer hunting season ,and all I wanted was winter. We picked a date before we were actually engaged, and waited to tell everyone till we were officially engaged.
For our seating chart, we wanted something that was unique and made our guests feel extra appreciated and loved. We hand wrote letters to each one, and made sure they were personalized accordingly. As they entered the venue, they found their names, opened the envelopes, and there was their note and table number. Our seating chart is one of our favorite parts of our wedding day. Just being able to make people feel cherished as they enter was important to us.
Altogether, make the day unique to you. I’ve stood by so many amazing women on their wedding days with the honor of being their bridesmaid. Those dresses have been hanging in a hall closest ( I know you pictured the movie 27 dresses just now, and it’s pretty close) and I knew I had to find a way to include them on our day.
It's all in the Details...
Where most people don’t care about details, they are my favorite things. We used the same two fonts on everything (in true wedding planner fashion) because I wanted things to be cohesive. From having our dogs faces on the bar ware, to welcome bags with our favorite treats, we wanted to find ways to make it more personalized to us, but to where our guests felt involved as well.
Getting ready
We chose to get ready at an Airbnb and had day of Delicacies cater Breakfast and lunch. Opting for the most lounge worthy style, so the girls felt comfortable all day was the main goal. I made sure to include my house party girls in all the same items, because they were just as important to me as the bridesmaids. Being around all my girls ,cuddled up on couches, just laughing, will forever be a favorite memory.
A moment for private vows
Opting for a First Touch , instead of a First Look, was just as special. We wrote letters to one another and got to have a moment before the ceremony to get all the emotions out. Hearing each others voices, knowing you are about to get to see them down the aisle, is a moment we’ll cherish forever.
Ceremony moments
Deciding who to officiate, we immediately thought of my brother. We decided to keep it a secret who was officiating. On the wedding day, he walked my mom down, then took his place at the front, leaving our family in the best shock. The look on my grandmother and mom’s face was priceless. He was so honored and did the best job.
Wedding party
When it comes to selecting your wedding party, pick the people that support you as a couple. Not only did we have bridesmaids and groomsmen, we elected to have a house party as well. When it came to attire, I gave the girls a color and asked they be long dresses, and that was it. I wanted them to each pick a style that made them feel stunning, while also giving them the control of the price points they’d spend. For the guys, we kept it simple and had them all wear the same suits. For our dads we got them matching ties so they didn’t have the stress of figuring out what went best.
embrace the weather
Despite the scattered rain showers on the big day, it didn’t stop us from getting all the fun photos. Picking a photographer that was not phased by the imperfect weather was the best decision. She was happy to get creative and find ways to work with the rain. I love the interior , just as much as the exterior, of Olde Dobbin Station, so it didn’t stop our photo timeline one bit.
Trying to think of a fun wedding favor? Brushed Script drew watercolors of each of our guests, and they were a huge hit. Ours is framed in our house. Something tangible guests could take with them and actually use in their home.
A Live Wedding Painter was actually one of the first vendors we booked. We knew we wanted something we could keep forever, and always loved Hannah’s Styling, so had to snag her before she got booked up.
Now time for some Reception content
Whether you decide to stay in your wedding dress all night, or change into a reception dress, it doesn’t matter. I ordered this dress last minute for inexpensive, after returning every over the top reception dress I thought I needed, and couldn’t have been happier. Hold your partners hand, don’t lose each other throughout the night, and just embrace the evening ahead.
If you are lucky enough to work for people that become family, it makes you love your job that much more. Carrie and Rob have rooted Aaron and I on from the start. They are some of our biggest cheerleaders and one of the best examples of a loving marriage.
Photobooth in your plans?
Given that photobooths aren’t for every event, our group loved it! Opting for the simple back drop gave everyone a chance to get a nice photo they could keep for later. Guests wrote us notes on the back of print outs, which was the best surprise to find later.
During our guests lining up, we took a moment to do a private last dance. Last moment before leaving your reception where you get to take it all in. For us, we could hear our friends and family all singing outside waiting on us to walk out.
The best advice I can give any couple is to higher vendors you trust. We didn’t have to stress about when something was happing or where a vendor was, because we knew the team of professionals we’d hired had it covered. Most importantly, don’t skimp on the wedding coordinator. They are the ones keeping your day going and putting out the fires before they happen. Hire a professional -it’s so worth it.
Vendor Lineup
- Photography: Libby Dollar Photography
- Venue: Olde Dobbin Station
- Planning: Uniquely Set Event Management
- Day of Coordination : Junk In Love
- Furniture/Ceremony Altar: Love Birds & Co
- Linens/Rentals: Texas Events to Remember
- Florals: Monica’s Bride’s & Touch of Glitz Flowers
- DJ: J&A Entertainment
- Catering: All Star Catering Co.
- Cakes: Bavarian Cakery
- Live Painter: Hannah Paints Events
- Watercolor Guest Favors: Brushed Script
- Cigar bar: JC Mobile Cigars
- Exit Car: Royal Coach Classic
- Transportation: I Do Transportation
- Videography: Cinematic Saviors
- Ceremony Music: Third Floor Strings
- Dress: Brick & Mortar
- Suit: Men’s Wearhouse
- Boots: Lucchese
- Hotel: Margartiaville
- Getting Ready House: Little White Farmhouse
- Day of Food: Day of Delicacies
- Hair & makeup: Glow and Grace Artistry
- Photobooth: Cypress Photo Camper & Cones
- Light Up Letters: Alpha-Lit Houston
- Invitation Suite: Fowler Design Co.
- Rehearsal Dinner Venue: The Windrow
