Coffee & Honeycomb: wedding

Showing posts with label wedding. Show all posts

HELLO AS A MRS!

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

images via Jaimee Morse

This is my first blogpost as a married woman, as Mrs. Park.

I'm still trying to let that reality sink in. Someone pinch me, please.

E and I got married on September 12th, so it's already been 10 days since the wedding. Time is moving way too fast, if only we could rewind + press pause on those magical moments. The entire day was like a dream — beyond perfection from the weather to the ceremony to the aesthetic. Every little detail was reflective of what E and I hoped it would be; elegant, intimate, simple, authentic. AND FUN. From getting ready with all of my girlfriends, running around during the photo shoot, practicing our grand entrances, and letting loose on the dance floor. Hands down, most fun day of my life. To have all of your friends and families cheering you on as you marry your best friend and gathering together to worship and celebrate was the most incredible experience. Not to mention wear a gorgeous white dress is a little girl's dream.

I was... Overwhelmed with how much love was present that day. I remember when I first started planning, my mentor told me that out of all the weddings she attended in her lifetime, the most memorable and beautiful were the ones when it was obvious God's hand was present. And I'm thankful for the opportunity to understand first-hand what that means and looks like now; to feel God pour His blessings, to be reminded how much God enjoys a wedding and even once turned water into wine (or in our instance turned a rainy forecast into a beautiful sunny day), and ultimately how much God loves his bride. Praying and praying for more joy and love for a lifetime of marriage ahead of us.

After the wedding, E and I went to Jamaica (respect, mon!) for our honeymoon to enjoy our first week as newlyweds. TOTAL FREAKING BLISS. Bliss, I tell you. We used Costco Travels to book our trip which made the entire shabang so affordable. I would highly recommend Costco Travels for any future vacations. Our honeymoon stay was also a once-in-a-lifetime experience; romantic, relaxing, and exciting thinking about how this adventure is ours forever. We stayed at Couples Resorts Tower Isle and while it was our first all-inclusive experience, we will most definitely be going back (and hopefully bringing along our parents or couple friends!) For five days we took full advantage of room-service, gourmet dining, unlimited drinks, the spa, and water activities. I can't wait to gush more about the wedding and honeymoon trip (as well as have #realtalk about the stress and finances of planning no one tells ya) but til then, enjoy these instapics!

Find me here for more wedding bliss + realtime newlywed updates or follow #becomingtheparks. xo.

SAYING YES TO THE DRESS

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Dress shopping is probably one of the funnest parts about planning a wedding but it can also be a bit overwhelming if you don't do your homework beforehand. And no, I don't mean watching Say Yes to the Dress. After going through the whole process, I'm so thankful it was a relatively stress-free experience and I cannot WAIT to wear it on the big day!!! Unfortunately I can't share any details on my exact wedding dress here quite yet since I'm keeping it a surprise from the groom, but I DID want to share some great advice I learned along the way.

DO UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE BEFORE YOU WALK INTO THE STORE
Wedding dresses have their own language, and it's important you understand the terms before you talk to a stylist or sales lady. Look on Pinterest and pin some dresses you like! Then ask yourself - what are some patterns you see? What do you like about these dresses? Then figure out what all of those elements are called. Learning the terminology will help you eliminate so much miscommunication in the long run.

DO BE SPECIFIC
When I first went dress shopping, I had no idea there were so many different options out there. All I knew was that I wanted it to be white, strapless, and pretty. You can imagine the frustration that the stylist had when I expressed my preferences. Even if you don't know exactly what you want, tell them what you don't want. Here is a cheat sheet you can use to get started!

DON'T WATCH SAY YES TO THE DRESS
I know it sounds like it would be great research to see all of the different types of dress on different women, but in actuality it really does not help you. Most of the women on the show do not have realistic budgets or expectations. You don't need to spend $$$ on your wedding dress. You don't need to cry to know that it is the one. You don't need to buy a designer label. You don't need all of your friends and their mom's approval before you buy it. Which brings me to my next point...

DON'T BRING AN ARMY
It sounds super glamorous to bring a whole group of your friends with you to try on dresses. Of course it does! Imagine sitting on a luxury couch, sipping on champagne, and having a total Carrie Bradshaw moment. However, the more is not the merrier in this case. More people mean more room for clashing preferences and chaos. I was advised to only bring a couple of trusted girlfriends, and I am glad I followed that rule. You definitely do need someone to be your sound board and take photos for you, but you don't want so many voices to cloud our judgement. You can also show pictures to friends and family if you need additional opinions later on!

DO BE OPEN MINDED
As all clothing does, dresses look different when hanging on the hanger versus hanging on your body. So don't judge a dress by what is on the hanger! Even if it is not quite the style or look you are going for, don't immediately cross it off. Just try it on (I mean how often does a girl get to try on wedding dresses? Embrace the moment!) If you still don't like it, now you know. Your stylist may offer many dresses that you probably wouldn't pick for yourself, be open-minded and give it a shot.

DON'T GO ON A WEEKEND
This was one lesson I had to learn the hard way. I went to a chain bridal shop on a Saturday morning and it was the most awful experience. It was super crowded with no stylist to give me individual attention, multiple brides-to-be grabbing after similar dresses, and the dressing room was just a mess. Nothing about that experience felt romantic or bridal at all. So, save yourself the horror of feeling like cattle, and go on a weekday. You will not regret it. The shop will be much more stocked and organized and the stylists will be able to give you the attention you deserve.

DO STICK TO YOUR BUDGET
Make sure one of the first things you communicate with the stylist is your budget and ask them not to show you any dresses beyond a certain price range. While you should trust your stylist and their taste, at the end of their day, their goal is to sell a dress to you - preferably an expensive one. It's easy for them to swoon you over and tell you how worth it is, but you should not feel pressured into spending more than you can afford. It's easy to fall in love with a dress and justify the cost once it is on you, so do yourself a favor and don't even put it on to begin with. You can and will find a dress you love that is within your budget. Do not let any other stylist tell you differently. If they can't offer something to you, then look at a different store.

DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR A DEAL
I felt very uncomfortable about going into a wedding shop and asking if they could offer any discounts because I feared appearing tacky or cheap. However, after doing some research and asking around, I learned that it doesn't hurt to ask because some stores will honor a deal and there are tactful ways to approach this situation. Here are some easy ways to bring it up:
- Do you offer any specials on dresses off the rack? (These are often at a discounted rate.)
- Do you have any dresses worn in recent trunk shows? (These are often at a discounted rate.)
- Do you offer deals if I pay for the dress in full payment upfront?
- I saw this exact dress at another shop for a lower price, is there any way you can match it? (Of course, this should be an honest statement.)
- This is a bit out of my price range, do you offer any free alterations or accessories?

DO FOLLOW YOUR GUT
At the end of the day, you want to wear a dress that you feel comfortable, beautiful, and ultimately bridal in. And only you can be the one who decides that. Of course, you should consider your body type and friends, but don't let those things be your deciding factor. Even if a certain wedding style is on trend or on season, you certainly do not need to follow it! Pick a dress that suits your personality and one you can imagine yourself walking down the aisle in. When I picked out my dress, my 'aha' moment was that I couldn't stop looking at myself in the mirror and I didn't want to take it off. (I know, total vanity moment.) That's how I knew it was the one!

Good luck and I hope you find the dress you are looking for. I hope you have an 'aha' moment and find the dress that you just do not want to take off because you love it so much. One final tip is please do not stress out if you don't have that moment. Because it's okay. You will look beautiful no matter what.

Did you try any of these tips? Is there another tip you heard I did not include? Let me know in the comments below! I love learning more about the wedding planning process.

X O X O ,
J E N N Y

THE BEST WAY TO SEND SAVE THE DATES

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Coffee & Honeycomb Wedding Planning Blog

As much as I appreciate paper and being able to physically hold design in my hands, E and I made the decision to send our wedding save the dates electronically. While a physical save the date would have been so nice, we decided it was a "want" more than 'need" and we put the money toward something else.(Envelope and stamps are not cheap, people.) However, that was not going to deflate my design dream or make me settle on a mediocre save the date. I still wanted the flexibility to design the card and make it a personal or memorable experience for each recipient. It was a big deal to me to officially announce to our guests that E and I were getting married and an honor to share it with people. :) So, when we discovered GreenEnvelope, we were thrilled. Surprisingly there aren't many services available that offer full design customization and electronic capability as I was looking for, but GreenEnvelope did exactly the trick (plus more!)

Side note: if you are planning to send physical save the dates, I would HIGHLY recommend Minted which offers so many great options and designs.

For those also planning to send out e-save the dates, I highly recommend considering GreenEnvelope. Here are three reasons why:

FLEXIBILITY & CUSTOMIZATION
When first creating your save the date, you have the option of either uploading your own design (cha-ching for me), selecting one of their premade templates, or working with one of their online designers to create the work for you. Depending on how much control you want over the aesthetics, GreenEnvelope should have a simple solution for you.

ADDED FEATURES
Not only do you customize the actual save the date card, but GreenEnvelope' replicates the entire experience to one similar of opening a physical save the date. You choose the envelope color, envelope lining, and background; while it virtually opens in front of you like a real card! There are also options to include additional information if interested: a song, photos, wedding website, etc.

DASHBOARD PORTAL
This was my favorite part of using GreenEnvelope. The portal has an advanced guest list dashboard allowing you to store guests by families and/or association, as well as give you visibility over open rate, messaging, etc. Take a look.

Wedding Planning Tip: Best Way to Send Electronic Save the Dates Greenvelope

What are your thoughts on electronic save the dates? What services do you recommend?

HOW TO CHOOSE THE PERFECT WEDDING VENUE

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

If you're like me, you had an exact vision of what you wanted your venue to look like before beginning research. Don't you guys remember my first post on getting wedding inspiration? For me, I wanted a really bright open space with maximal windows (or even better, outdoors), gold chivari chars, and I wanted to stay far away from a traditional ballroom. I had lists of themes, inspirational images, and photo opps. I was going to rock wedding planning's butt. Little did I know, once I actually started to figure out logistics, there were a lot of shock moments like: This venue costs HOW much? You have to pay more for chivari? This venue isn't available til 2050? Maybe an all-inclusive traditional ballroom isn't so bad afterall...

To avoid you the shock and any pre-mature work, here are some tips that may help you realistically find the perfect wedding venue for you:

BE OBJECTIVE
Before the venue reels you in with its complementary bridal gift or the top-notch view of the city, stay as objective as you can and do your homework. Do not bring your emotional giddyness into this. Wedding venues are expensive and will probably be where the bulk of your budget goes (venue rental, food, alcohol, decor, etc.) so be wise. Start with these basic questions to make sure this venue is feasible:
- Can we afford this?
- Is it available for my date?
- What is the max capacity? Can it fit my needs?
- What are the restrictions? (i.e. timing, decoration, weather, etc.)
- What is included?

BE PRACTICAL
When E and I first started planning, we both agreed to do a backyard wedding. Because how cute and fun and charming and talk about CHEAP would a backyard wedding be? Wrong. We quickly learned that there were a lot of extra hoops to jump through, fines to pay, and things to consider for the so-called cute/fun/charming/cheap backyard wedding. For example: we would need to rent a kitchen and generator for the caterer, fans, lights, and portal pottys for the guests, confirm appropriate landscaping and parking, on top of renting literally everything (tent, tables, chairs, silverware, etc.) The list went on. Don't get me wrong, some brides can rock the details and not break a sweat. For E and I, it wasn't practical considering we were planning long-distance and couldn't sort out those minor details nor did we want to worry about Grandma complaining about the heat, kids covered in mosquito bites, and girls heels all sunken into the grass.

Now that story may not be relevant for you and you might be the bride who can rock a backyard wedding, but there will most likely come a point in time when you need to choose practical over something else. And that's okay, practical does not have to mean "no fun or cute ideas allowed." You can still have the wedding of your dreams as long as you choose to make the best of the situation (and you won't have the debt or rain or chaos to follow you after.)

BE NICE
Let's not forget that you have a fiance who also gets to have an opinion that may not be aligned with yours. Just because he thinks that ivory is the same thing as white (eye roll, men) or doesn't know what a centerpiece is, he is still allowed to provide input. Don't look at me, you're the one marrying him. Jokes aside, the last rule is to be nice. :) Consult with your fiance and bring him into the process! The extra set of eyes can help poke holes into places that are in your blind spot. Two is always better than one. Don't let a disagreement frustrate you, in fact that's a good opportunity to justify why you like your venue versus his. If you don't have a strong argument, maybe he's right...

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, MAKE A LIST
Pro/con lists are everything, especially when you are stuck between two really great options. Writing down the pros/cons for each venue can ultimately help you choose the best one - which is the best feeling ever and you can finally move on to the fun stuff! Here is a free printable you and your fiance can use when it comes time to make the final decision.

Feel free to pin, print, and share as many times as you want!

XOXO,

JENNY

5 WAYS TO DE-STRESS WHILE WEDDING PLANNING

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Wedding planning is fun, wonderful, and exciting, but also stressful all at the same time. I'm learning that truth firsthand. There's tough decisions to make, realistic expectations to set, and peoples' feelings you need to consider at all times. It sometimes feels like one never ending juggling act - once you cross one thing off the list, four unexpected things come up! But I firmly believe all of wedding planning will be worth it as long as we as brides 1) don't sweat the small stuff 2) hold on to what matters most. So each Wednesday, I will share a wedding tip that can hopefully benefit other brides out with their planning!

5 WAYS TO DE-STRESS WHILE WEDDING PLANNING:

1. STEP AWAY FROM PINTEREST
There are so many beautiful wedding resources and inspirations out there. This is helpful when you're first envisioning your wedding or need a quick DIY trick, but it's important to recognize that these resources can easily become destructive and a waste of time if you look at them too frequently or for too long. The more options you see, the more unsatisfied you may become when you compare it to your own wedding. At the end of the day, your wedding will not have it all and it will not be perfect no matter how hard you try, so use those great resources out there as simply inspiration and not a burden or pressure to replicate it.

2. VALUE PEOPLES' FEELINGS OVER A PERFECT PICTURE

This was a comment E made to me recently that I really appreciated. It's true that a photo is important, but does a perfect photo really matter if the people in it are hurt, neglected, or unhappy? No one will remember that the tablecloths didn't match the cocktail napkins or that the blooms were not of the season, but they will remember how you made them feel. Your guests (especially the groom and bridal party) will appreciate a present and pleasant bride over a bridezilla. Enjoy the process and don't let the minor details weigh you down.

3. REMEMBER WHY YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED

Um, because you and your fiancé are so in love and are committing to spend the rest of your lives together! Duh! :) But really, don't ever lose sight of that! Hold onto that feeling — look at your engagement photos, go on a date with no wedding talk allowed, or reminisce on older memories. Remember that more than you are a bride-to-be and he is a groom-to-be, you two are spouses-to-be. :) Pray for a healthy marriage more than you worry about a pretty wedding day.

4. TALK ABOUT IT

For me when I hold onto too many details in my head, it stresses me out and everything seems much bigger than it really is. It helps to breathe and just talk things through with a friend. As you talk it out, each thing will break down and seem much more digestible.

5. STOP TALKING ABOUT IT
Now after you've talked it out with a friend or two, stop talking about it and stop thinking about it. Do an activity that is nothing wedding-related or spend time with family. Stepping away from the situation will help clear your head so that when you return, you will have fresh perspective and capacity to tackle whatever is in front of you.

Hope these tips helped! Next week we'll talk about choosing a vendor to work with. What other tips do you have to de-stress while wedding planning?

XOXO.

E-SESSION PART TWO

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

This week has been one of those weeks when planning a wedding is nothing but fun and leaves me grinning ear to ear. So much progress has happened in such a short amount of time, I still can't believe we've already been engaged for four months. I just want to cherish every part of this process because a girl only gets married once, and looking at these photos is one way to do that. Here is part two of our engagement session - let's pause time and take a look, shall we?

Jaimee Morse Engagement Session Photo Opp

Coffee & Honeycomb Jaimee Morse Engagement Session Photo Opp

All photos are taken by the wonderful and talented Jaimee Morse.

For part one of the e-session, click here. xoxo

E-SESSION PART ONE

Monday, April 6, 2015

Coffee and Honeycomb Engagement Session Photo Opp Jaimee Morse

Eugene and I received our engagement photos last week and I think I already looked through them 19 times. No joke - to say I am in love is an understatement. The week we scheduled our shoot, the weather was less than ideal... It snowed a couple days prior, temperatures dropped to 20 degrees, and clouds were gray for days straight. I was super bummed because I envisioned an outdoor photo shoot but literally while we were hiking up the hill, to our luck, the sun started to peek out and stayed for our entire session. It was amazing. Jaimee worked her magic around the piles of snow, and the photos turned out great.

This was Eugene and I's first formal photo shoot so we were pretty nervous, but Jaimee made us both feel so comfortable throughout the whole shoot and we had a blast. We will probably be taking photos now for every Christmas card to come (Oh, Eugene is going to be thrilled about that...) Check out part one below and I hope you enjoy! xoxo.