I always wanted a fall wedding. I wanted the fall backdrop with all the trees in transition. There is so much symbolism in the changing of the leaves. So much beauty and growth. Exactly what a marriage is. When me and R picked a date, we specifically looked for venues who could host us at the end of September or early October.

Our wishes were fulfilled just one month after we got engaged when Knapp Winery had a date that fit perfectly into that Fall vision. September 24th, 2016 would be our wedding date. A day of magic and love.

The Barrel Room where the reception would be held

I wasn't that bride who planned her wedding when she was 10, so I was pretty lax on my planning. If I were to tell you that this wedding was planned on a whim, you probably wouldn't believe me. My guests didn't.

Let me explain.

All of my bridesmaids were scattered around, one being all the way across the country in California. We had no real opportunity to get together and plan. My best friend/adopted sister (ya know we adopted each other as sisters along the way in life) was able to meet me one night at David's Bridal so we could pick out some dresses.

I had no clue what I wanted, nor did I really know what colors I wanted. We found a few dresses that would work for all the girls in the wedding and we had at it. I had fallen in love with the color Portobello on the website. With my good luck and all, there we no dresses in the building in that color.


So I went with it. Why not? You only live once right? We picked out a dress style and I told all the girls to order it in Portobello. I also loved the color Sangria. So I asked that all the girls order shoes in that color.

I never saw the dress in the color or the shoes in real life until 2 weeks before the wedding at my bachelorette party. I had moments of panic after all the girls ordered their dresses and shoes, doubting my choices. Once I saw everything together, I fell in love. The colors were beautiful on the girls. It complimented everyone's skin tone beautifully.

Fast forward to 5 days before the wedding where I had my very first sort of melt down. I planned to have paper flowers made for everyone. It was the coolest thing ever. They wouldn't die and were a good gift for my girls. I had a message 7 days before the wedding saying the flowers were being shipped on Monday. I was so pumped. Fast forward to Monday, when at 2pm I receive a message telling me my flowers were not done and would not be sent to me.

I was crushed. The order for the flowers was placed in July. It was now September 19 and after being told they would be shipped, I was now being told they were not done. The Etsy shop I was dealing with magically disappeared and I have not received a refund.

I ran around like a crazy person trying to make a plan. I had friends calling places for me, helping me find a solution. Thankfully a friend gave me a number of a local farm who cut fresh flowers in buckets for a really reasonable cost. I called, told them what colors I was after and it was done. Mystery flowers were set to be picked up on Friday afternoon.

I went to a local florist with high recommendations. They were able to make me a bouquet along with bouts and wristlets for the men and parents. We had a plan.

My centerpiece creation! They glowed either purple or white. Better photos at the wedding, I promise.

Thursday night me and R stayed up late putting together last minute centerpieces and baking cookies for our favors. We had to have everything done for the venue so it could be delivered by 6pm on Friday.

Mystery flowers! Gorgeous!

Friday arrived. I left the house early for a massage and a few errands. My parents arrived around noon and me and my mom were off to fetch the mystery flowers. R and my dad went to pick up a van to shuttle everyone around. By the time all the errands were run, we were off to the rehearsal.




The weather was pretty dreary, but I accepted it, as we had the most beautiful wedding day weather. You will get to see that in next week's post. Also you can see my dad wore the brightest shirt he could find. No way you could lose him.. or could we?

We went out to dinner afterwards and had a lovely meal with everyone. We finished up and everyone was heading out. My dad was no where to be found. My mom was wandering aimlessly looking for him. She peeked back into the restaurant and there was my dad sitting at the bar. He doesn't drink. He comes walking out with 2 coffee mugs. He is obsessed with diner/restaurant coffee mugs. He had to purchase himself one of course.



We headed back to the lake house, where me and the girls went straight into bouquet making. All the girls got to create their own flower arrangement. What first looked like a chore, turned into a really fun night. All the girls had fun creating their masterpieces. Each one unique to them. What was once a disaster, turned into a really fun night. I recommend all brides do this with their bridal party.

Come back next week for the big day! I am so excited to share my wedding photos with you all! Everything came together beautifully and I had the best day ever!