Weird Wedding Must Haves

As a bride, there were a few things that I had to have at the wedding, it was not an option not to have these things at the wedding. Some I’m sure a lots of brides would agree with and others, may just be me :)

Vintage Car: I can’t explain why but I have always dreamed of driving to church with my dad in and vintage car and then driving away with my new husband in the same.  I actually called two limo companies and they couldn’t provide one to me for the wedding. I didn’t realize how much it meant to me until I heard them say they weren’t available. Fortunately, we found an amazing company, First Class Limousine, who had a spectacular Bentley and my dream came true! We also had fantastic pictures which we will treasure!

All Photos Taken By Ashley Bartoletti Photography 

DJ: Dave and I always wanted to work with a DJ more than a band. A DJ can play exactly the song you want to hear and also can change the beat, tone and mood with the flip of switch to keep the energy excited. Our entertainment company, Weddings by Xtreme Event Group, were phenomenal, they played all the best songs, and also provided the best emcee, uplighting and spotlighting on the dance floor.

Videographer: A photographer is an obvious must have, but I know for many a videographer is not necessarily a must have, especially if the budget is tight. However, we needed to have a videographer, it was just as important to me as a photographer. As much as I treasure our pictures and can relive our day through them, our video is the actual memory of what happened and we can watch it for years to come hopefully with our children and grandchildren just like we do with Dave’s parents.

Chivary Chairs: The venue we had our reception venue was beautiful but they didn’t have chivary chairs. Again it was a weird thing that I didn’t realize how much I wanted until I saw I couldn’t have it. Our venue was so wonderful working with the chair vendor and when the room was set up with the chairs and the lighting and flowers, it all looked so stunning.

Church Decorations: This is another area that would an easy thing to cut, especially when working on a budget. After all, not everyone attends the wedding if it’s at a church and you are only there for an hour at most. But the ceremony was so important to me and I wanted the church to be decorated as beautifully as the venue. And the pictures looked fantastic! Each pew had a white ribbon tied to it and then a bouquet of baby’s breath popping out. And on the altar we had two large arrangements of white flowers with candles, it all looked so romantic.

String Quartet: Nothing screams “wedding” to me like Canon in D played by a string quartet. Again, this falls in the “I’ve dreamt of this since forever” category and just had to have it. My sister’s friend is a professional violinist and generously agreed to play at our ceremony. She organized a quartet and helped me choose a variety of different songs. I had my dream Canon in D for the bridal party procession and Here Comes the Bride for my procession. But there were also some very beautiful contemporary pieces, such as A Thousand Years during the Eucharist and All You Need is Love for the recession. Needless to say it was a dream come true.

Finding My Dream Wedding Gown...

Probably one of the most fun parts of wedding planning is shopping for the wedding gown. With the advent of so many reality shows dedicated to brides-to-be finding their perfect wedding gowns, there is a lot of expectation that comes with these appointments.

I am no stranger to the experience of wedding gown shopping. For 10 months I worked as a bridal consultant at the largest bridal salon in New Jersey, Castle Couture. It was truly a magical experience and the scenes created from Say Yes to the Dress are just as real and exciting in person.

But this time I was on the other side of the appointment. Finally I was the bride and it was my time to shop for the wedding dress of my dreams. I went back to my old place of business and brought with me my mom and my sister. It was an experience that we've been dreaming of and talking about for years. Two is the perfect number of opinions as well, it's not too overwhelming but it offers some great perspective.

I often joke about the stamina I had to wait so long into my engagement to finally go wedding gown shopping. I got engaged on December 8th and made it all the way to March 22nd before slipping into a wedding dress. It was fantastic though, because in that time I was able to find a venue, book other vendors and have a solid foundation for what the wedding would be like. It also gave me time to do research and have firm ideas in what I was interested in trying on.

I came in with 3 buzzwords for my consultant: traditional, classic and elegant. I had in mind two styles but was truly open to trying anything on. Of course I had my Pinterest pictures out and ready and that gave my consultant a great visual of my overall taste. She also let me walk around the salon and pull some dresses too, which I really appreciated.

When we started getting the first dress clipped, I could tell immediately that this would be the dress to beat. It was spectacular to say the least. I practically ran out of the room to show my family and it couldn't have been longer than 30 seconds before my mom and I were crying. I could not believe how perfect the first dress was. I was so relieved that I found something I actually loved so much. We tried it with a veil and it just solidified the whole look for me.

But it was the very first dress and it's always a good idea to try on a few others before committing. Plus it's also so much fun and you should never rush the appointment, after all, how many more chances in life will you get to do something like this?

We tried on a few other dresses, all of which were beautiful and there was at least one that I also really loved. My mom and sister gave great feedback and were so positive and encouraging during the whole process. It was so fun seeing other silhouettes. Since I wasn't locked into trying on only one style, it was really important to get a taste of everything, all the way from a ballgown to a mermaid. But that first dress just spoke to me. I could actually see myself walking down the aisle and getting married in that dress.

Finally we put it back on and matched it with a great veil and side comb. It was so exciting to put the whole look together. If you have the time to do it, I definitely recommend selecting everything all at once.

My sister asked me if this was the dress and I laughed nervously. I loved this dress but I think it's a little scary when it's time to make the decision. It's a gown that I've dreamed of my whole life but to actually say the words is harder than you might think. But in my heart I knew it was right so after a moment I said "Yes, this is totally my dress!"

I am so thrilled to have had such a positive experience and to have shared it with my mom and sister makes me feel incredibly blessed. My advice for anyone about to start this experience is to stay open-minded and positive. Wear a strapless, nude colored bra and nude colored underwear. Wear heels similar in height to what you would wear on the day of your wedding. Think of general buzzwords that capture your style. Try on different silhouettes, get a taste for everything. Also have your hair and make up done extra nicely so you can see the whole look come together.  But most of all have fun, laugh and enjoy every moment, because these are the moments that you look back on and cherish forever.