April 26, 2013
I first got an email from Liz Anne September 28th, 2012 asking me to assist her in bringing her “Ideas to Life”! When she came to me the only things that Liz Anne had checked off of her to do list were hiring a florist and linen company. Like every bride, she was reluctant to hire a Wedding Planner & Designer because, she said, “I really thought I could handle it.”
During our first conference call, I had to re-confirm her wedding date, December 2, 2012. Yes, literally 2 months away… I was booked solid until the middle of October, and my nonchalant bride informed me that it would be fine. So we went to work hard those next couple of weeks over email.
She had dreamed of a Vintage-Glam wedding with lots of antiques and shabby-chic details. Arriving on-site, mind you, nothing had been done at this point; except venue selection, dress selection (but not altered), and her wedding shoes were selected.
So its venue walk-through day and as I walked the blueberry fields, we started measuring the client’s original space for the tent she ordered before she hired me, only to find out there was absolutely no way that it would fit. So, two months to go on my client’s wedding date, we moved her ceremony site to the other side of the field across the pond, underneath a large Oak tree. I looked at my client that day and just said, “Do you realize how much work we have ahead of us?”
I decided, in the best interest of my client, I would move to Alma, Georgia temporarily so I could work day and night on getting Liz Anne’s wedding just perfect for her. Day after day, working 15 hours plus, having exactly 55 days, (less than 2 months) to complete a really long checklist of things that could not wait: from hiring contractors to bulldozing trees, electricians to install light poles and run electricity in needed places, to turning the fish house into a wet bar by sketching cabinet dimensions and having those built. There were also over 400 party favors to decide on, and stick labels on, dress fittings…I mean the list literally went on and on.
The first week after moving our site to start creating this Vintage-Glam masterpiece, we started by selecting furniture pieces from local antique stores, thrift shops, and yard sales…making sure to find the perfect furniture for our 400 blueberry wine bottle party favors to be displayed on at the wedding. From store to store, exhausting every option, we also needed additional furniture and antiques for decorating reception tables, a smokers lounge, and the wet bar . We even turned to some of the local townspeople and her extended family. I kept a running list of antiques we needed and checked them off as we found the perfect one.
Talking about getting down and dirty, I literally put my tool belt on (yes I have one) I love working with my hands….I made sure nothing went undone and was not anything other than just perfect for my bride!
In the end her wedding was a masterpiece, from the Vintage-Glam feel of her dress to all the antique elements we pulled together. This seemingly impossible situation became a fashionable reality!
COPYRIGHT 2024 EMILY BURTON DESIGNS
Comments Off on A Fashion Wedding