Love & Marriage

Photography by Elizabeth Fogarty

I’ll never forget the phone call I had during the early stages of wedding planning with a local DC wedding planner. Like all vendors usually ask: “what’s your budget?” When I told her all the money I saved up for this wedding plus generous help from our families, her response was abrupt.

“With that budget, you can’t afford to have a wedding in DC.”

From there, she proceeded to tell me how I could have a late evening ceremony and dessert reception, how I could provide guests with a list of restaurant options they can go before the wedding. She ended it by telling me she was going to pass me along to her assistant who “caters to budgets like yours.”

From that point forward, I became my own wedding planner. It easily became a top priority (and unfortunately, blogging dipped lower on my to-do list). From venue décor to menu choices, I covered every little detail. My go-to resources included my trusty WeddingWire checklist, budgeting calculator, and of course, a small army of married friends that I could rely on for guidance and advice.

I vowed to prove her wrong… but it turns out she was half right.

I couldn’t afford a wedding reception in the District; however, I didn’t ask her to plan a wedding in the city. I’m proud to say I pulled off an even better one in my hometown of Bethesda for a much more reasonable price point. And yes, we fed them a three-course meal as well.

After being engaged for a year and a half (as my now husband likes to refer to as, “the longest engagement ever”), we finally tied the knot on Saturday, November 7th. 2015 has been a year filled with ups and downs but our wedding day was by far the best day of my life.

My ceremony and reception could not have gone any better—or quicker for that matter. Trust me, I had mentally prepared myself for something to go wrong. I chose the best wedding vendors to help me pull off such a glamorous evening too. It’s been almost two weeks (marriage has been great so far) and ever since I have replayed that day over and over again in my head. It was beyond our expectations and my husband and I are so blessed to have shared it with such wonderful, supportive friends and family.

I can’t wait to share more details from the wedding! Stay tuned for your regularly scheduled beauty posts going forward, and thanks for being a loyal reader!