This week's Wedding Story is from Lauren Gemma. Currently residing in South Carolina, Lauren is a Rhode Island native who had her 2009 wedding in the lovely Ocean State. With that, here's Lauren...
When did you get married? July 24, 2009
The flowers for Lauren's wedding were all provided by Golden Gate Studios.
Where was your ceremony? Reception? Ceremony was in the Fairview Room at Quidnessett Country Club, and the reception was also at Quidnessett in the Narragansett Room.
What made you choose that reception location? Quidnessett is a beautiful venue! We have been to several weddings there and each one was a blast. The food was always excellent, grounds were kept in great condition, and the staff always seemed friendly. You definitely get your money's worth with Quidnessett. The entire staff is so easy to work with; we were very pleased with how much they helped us execute all of our wedding plans!
What was your favorite aspect of your wedding? Having most of our family and friends with us, all in the same place, on one of the best days of our lives was very special. Once the big day arrived and all the planning was done, it was so much fun to sit back and watch everyone have a blast.
Lauren and her hubby took black and white photos in various locations with large white cardboard numbers in hand to use as their table numbers - a very creative and personal touch!
What was the best resource you used during the planning process? By far it was The Knot. I used that web site almost every single day! I was able to find vendors, reviews, create my guest list, and the girls on the RI board were great! They gave so many honest opinions and ideas that really helped me while planning my wedding.
What's the one thing you would have done differently? It actually doesn't have to do with the wedding day, but with the honeymoon plans. We used a timeshare that we exchanged for our honeymoon. Because it was a timeshare, we had to go from a Saturday-Saturday. Since our wedding didn't end until midnight on Friday, it was a little hard to get up for a 4:30am ride to the airport to catch a flight. We had a blast and were too excited to even really think about it at the time, but if we were to do it again, not on a timeshare with scheduled days, I would have definitely taken a day to unwind/relax and left on the Sunday or Monday.
Any advice for future brides? I know it seems as though it will take forever for your wedding to finally get here, but trust me, it comes faster than you think! Enjoy your time being engaged and have fun with all of the planning! At times it will get super stressful, especially at the end when you feel like you can't possibly make one more decision, but keep thinking about how much fun it'll be and how amazing it will be to see everything come together on the big day! Get whatever DIY projects and whatnot done early so you don't have to rush at the end. Pay attention to small details, but if something doesn't get done, I promise that no one else will notice on the big day. Make YOUR decisions, stick to them, and remember that at the end of the day, the only thing that will matter is that you and your hubby will finally be married!
I agree with you, Lauren. If possible, it is beneficial to take the day after your wedding to sleep in, relax and recap your day with family and friends. We had a brunch with our parents and out of town guests and got to hear everyone's stories and points of view of the wedding night. When we left for our honeymoon the next day, we were refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to head to Aruba!
All photos courtesy of John Lovgren.
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