For many of us millennials, spring, summer and fall are filled with weddings (officially “Wedding Season!”). According to the US Census, the average age of marriage for women in 2017 was 27.4, while men came in at 29.5%. Additionally, per Pricenomics, 80% of weddings are held between May and October.  

That pretty much means that during recent months millennials have been going to A LOT weddings, myself included. Over the past few years, I’ve attended on average 4 weddings each summer. Some of my friends, believe it or not, have been pinned for up to 8-12 weddings a summer the past couple of years. That averages out to almost ONE WEDDING PER WEEKEND each summer!  

Nuptial ceremonies have been especially on my brain as of late, since I just got married in August. Soooo why not write a blog post about it?  (how original, I know!)

Before I got engaged, I would be SO excited to attend a wedding because it’s an excuse to get all dressed up, eat your face off, drink for free, and dance the night away. Best night ever, right?  My biggest concerns back then? Would there an open bar? If not, did we have any cash on us? (because we never have cash, we’re millennials, remember?!)

I also would always think that the weddings and the venues were beautiful, but never truly appreciated all the planning and preparation that went into these each detail. Not until I started planning my own wedding.

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Once we got engaged last August and started planning for the big day, I started to realize just HOW MUCH went into planning a wedding. Gone were the simple concerns of waiting in line at the bar or where to find your name card. Instead I asked myself:

What exactly are we going to offer at the bar?…  

Will it we offer an open bar or cash bar? (open bar, duh)…

Do we want name cards?…

HOW do we want to display the name cards?…

What will they look like, what font will we use? …  Barberry-Hill-Farm-Wedding-Madison-CT-Emily-and-Dan-August-2018-Connecticut-Wedd-0022.jpg

Every detail needed to be discussed, planned out, timed out, priced out… and that is NOT my thing. Those of you who really know me know that one of the reasons I hated accounting so much was because of the nitty-gritty details that were involved (like, come on guys can’t we just call it all immaterial??)  

Now I can finally say I completely and fully understand WHY wedding planning is such a huge industry…. As soon as I got a taste of what I was going to have to do for my own wedding, I immediately started googling wedding planners near me. I would have paid any price to have someone else do it for me. I’m not kidding, if my planner had told me I had to give her half my liver, it would be waiting for her in a box on her doorstep.

When I had my first introduction call with my planner, she did a great job of selling herself, explaining her different levels of service and I pretty much interrupted her and said, “What will I have to do the least with? That’s what I want.” And that’s exactly what I got. Now part of the reason I was interested in that deal was because I am in sales, and sales and wedding planning distractions do not mix well. At the same time, in order to pay for my wedding (and my planner), I needed to be able to focus at work and earn as much as possible. So once again, the need to earn and burn was consuming my life.

Once I handed the baton over the my lovely planner, Meredith, from A Polished Plan, I immediately felt better, I knew things were going to be taken care of. I trusted that Meredith would love scouring through different wedding vendors and contracts, finding the best ones for my wants and needs. I trusted that she would think about the small details of when the tent, caterer, and florist should arrive, and just exactly how it all should be set up so that things ran smoothly the day of.  I trusted that if I ever had any questions or concerns, she would be there with welcoming arms to calm me down and find a solution. And that is EXACTLY what she did. Her service, care, and delivery were absolutely impeccable, and it truly was a wedding that was better than I could have ever dreamed of.

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Now, this blog isn’t a review or intended to be an advertisement to use A Polished Plan. It is more about APPRECIATION. Appreciation for all the beautiful brides and grooms out there who prepping for this exciting time in their lives. Appreciation for every little detail that makes the day just right. And appreciation for the people and planners who are dedicated to serving us and doing everything in their power to make our day perfect.  

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They say it takes a village to raise a child. I believe this down to my core, and think it’s so important to remember who helped you get there once you achieve your goal (whatever it may be). Regardless if someone helped you plan the most miraculous wedding, or if someone just helped you learn how to tie your shoes, don’t forget to appreciate them and how they have helped you.

Coming out of this whole experience I kept thinking: I want to serve my clients and my readers the way that Meredith served me. Just like Meredith, I will do my best to show them that I am here to help, entertain them, and be sure put their needs first – because A) that’s my job, but, more importantly, B) it is the right thing to do and I want the people I encounter to feel as good as I did working with her!

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Meredith, thank you again for everything – you really are THE BEST!

~Emily