First off, congrats! What is the most memorable moment from your wedding?
During our first dance, we had the DJ remix the John Legend song, “All of Me” from the usual slow-pace, to an upbeat get the party started beat. At that same time, I pulled off the bottom half of my dress (it was a removable skirt style) to reveal the shorter, party dress. The other most memorable is the fact that my mother made my wedding dress for me! So my beautiful dress is made up of countless hours spent designing, sewing, trying on, redoing, laughter, tears, and wonderful mother-daughter memories.
What do you think worked really well at your wedding that you would recommend every couple to do?
I would recommend couples take their time during the planning process. Don’t rush into any decisions because inevitably, you’ll change your mind and wish you could go back and change your original decision. There are some things that are easy to change and adapt, there are other things that aren’t. Sometimes it works out well for the better. For example, we asked a certain person to marry us then wished we would have waited for someone else but we felt we were already committed. Turned out, she did a fantastic job and we wouldn’t have had it any other way! It was a stressor I wish we wouldn’t have had from the start, had we waited to decide.
Would you have done anything differently—splurge on a pricier dress, nix the favors, go for that extra passed appetizer?
We made all of our own food and only had cocktail-style appetizers for our reception. I would have had some of it catered so it wasn’t such a stressful moment in the hours leading up it! Everyone was frantically trying to finalize food, transport supplies, and get ready all right before the ceremony.
What tips do you have for other Joy couples still in the midst of wedding planning?
Go simple! Stop and ask yourself about wedding details that you’ve noticed (and those you haven’t) at other weddings. If you know it’s something you’ll notice and look at, focus your attention on that! We thought about hanging wooden initials of ours on one of the walls of our reception space but after we thought about it, we figured we would be the only ones to notice and we probably would be too busy to notice it, anyway. Also, focus on the repurpose factor after everything is all said and done. Our three-tiered cake stand? Yeah, those are actually nesting trays I can display and use now. The mantle boxes and welcome sign stand? Those hold our indoor herb garden glasses. The welcome sign? Became our guest-signature board and the back is our “Est. 2018” to display. If it couldn’t be used for something else, we opted for a different, reusable route.
What were your favorite features of Joy?
The simplicity and customization! We were able to get the format we wanted and it was always super simple to use!
What were the features you found missing in Joy?
There was just a bit of a lack of customization. It would have been nice to add blank pages with a title and body of text! We used the Q&A section and just added the info we needed there, so it worked out fine.
At Joy we believe that although a wedding lasts one day, joy lasts forever. What does that mean to you and your husband?
We have a lifetime to build memories, both good and bad. We basically had a big party with our friends and family to celebrate our love. Now, the rest is up to us to be a team together. We face our trials and tribulations not alone and we celebrate our victories together. Joy is basically finding your best friend and celebrating each day because you are lucky enough to have that one person as yours.
Vendor Details
Venue: La Grande Country Club
“They really took care of us and everything we needed. We would totally recommend them to anyone for any events.”- Suzannah
Florist: Carrie Hayes
“I absolutely LOVE working with Carrie, she was so sweet and great! She adapted when I ran into a snafu, and was just so positive and caring!” – Suzannah
Wedding Ring Designer: J. Tabor Jewelers
“Tabor helped design the perfect wedding bands for me, and matching earrings!” – Suzannah
Invitations: Vistaprint
“Their customer service and products are second-to-none! I will personally recommend them until the end of time!” – Suzannah
Engagement Ring Designer: Harry Ritchie’s
