Hi! I'm Taryn, a writer, designer and soon-to-be-bride from Atlanta, Georgia. Sit a spell with me and catch up as I plan the wedding of my beer-loving, confetti-throwing dreams to the wonderful Mr. Williford.Planning Update
After being engaged, we quickly nailed down some early wedding must-haves, figured out our wedding style, and ranked our priorities. But I’m here blogging about the wedding more than six months after our engagement.
So where are we now?
The Basics
We’re getting married in Atlanta. We live here, we love it here, and it’s equally as far from Michigan as Miami. So it’s a pain in the ass for both of our families to get to. Those families, by the way, along with our dearest friends makes for about 100 guests to witness our holy matrimony.
To decide on a date, we looked a few key elements. Ok, we looked at one: Nice weather. And that includes being dry. I always imagined us getting married in an indoor/outdoor venue (because my idea of “outdoorsy” is a bar with a patio), and for us to really take advantage it would need to be not raining. It just so happens that October is the dryest month and it’s the perfect temperature. I’ve never been the girl who waits all year for Pumpkin Spice season, so I never thought I’d have a fall wedding. But here we are. A fall wedding in Atlanta with about 100 guests.
What We’ve Done
The first thing we did was find a venue. Having a cool space ranked up there in both my and the mister’s priorities for our day. We thought that Monday Night Brewing, a craft brewery in our neighborhood, fit the bill perfectly. It’s where we spend most of our weekends anyway so why change it up?
We hired a photographer. As soon as we had a date and a place, I started looking for photographers. I stumbled upon Paige Jones thanks to Southern Weddings’ Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory and fell in love with her photos. She’s also one of the kindest and coolest people I’ve ever met and I’m stoked to have her hanging out with us on our wedding day.
Catering came next. Not traditional catering, but a food truck. Without a kitchen at the venue and wanting a more casual vibe, a food truck seemed like the perfect fit. We love Ibiza Bites‘ menu of Southern-meets-Latin cuisine, and I think our guests will too (especially the Cuban side of my Miami family!).
As we started to get the big pieces into place, it was clear we’d need a wedding coordinator to help the day run smoothly. A lot of venues include a coordinator to help run the event and tell vendors where to set up. But with an unconventional venue like a brewery, our options were to either clone me or hire somebody. I was immediately impressed with Kristine of Simply Charming Socials. She’s totally on top of things and has an awesome eye for creative elements (just check out her Charlotte Lane paper and home line).
Last but certainly not least, we chose Ed Wilson of Get Wed by Ed as our officiant. It was important to us to find somebody to, you know, actually marry us so we can make this whole bash legal. He was open to some of our silly ideas and made us feel confident that we could put together the perfect ceremony with his help.
What We Need to Do
Our wedding weekend falls on the same weekend as Atlanta Gay Pride, so we want to lock in some room blocks for our guests in close and affordable hotels.
We’ve got to find a DJ. We don’t need music to be the focus of the reception (I’m serious about leaving out some lawn games). But I’m known to bust a move, so we need to find someone to run the dance party.
I don’t have a clear vision for the wedding, so I need to get a design plan solidified. I really don’t know what to tell anyone when they ask me what our colors are. “Black? Maybe some grey. And there will probably be gold involved.” I. Don’t. Know. Any help out there?
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