I woke up the morning of Bonnie & Doug's wedding on May 5th thinking that due to Mother Nature again, this outdoor wedding was going to be moved indoors. But I was wrong! The rain disappeared, the sun came out, things were all going perfectly to plan. Until I got the phone call. No power at the venue. The storm the night before had caused a down power line which meant, the venue had no lights, no toilets, no power at all. As a planner, these are the types of situations you dread, because you never know how it will turn out, and it is on you to fix it. But this is also a great example of why having a wedding planner is so important. The bride's only job that day was to relax and get ready while my team, the venue, and I scrambled around to find generators, adjust the timeline, and come up with a backup plan in case the power never came back on.

Lauren Metro at Love at First Curl and Jolina Goad at Jolina does Make-up were amazing at being flexible and managing to still do the bride's hair and makeup with very limited power and lighting. There flexibility was one reason we were able to stay on track with our timeline. The staff at Beliveau Estate & Winery did a great job at quickly finding backup generators. And by the time the wedding was about to begin, we had power, the sun was shining, and somehow we were still on schedule with our timeline.

What made this wedding truly beautiful was how evident the love was between Bonnie and Doug. They were so excited to be marrying each other. And as a planner who worked side by side with Bonnie for 6 months, it was such a great experience to see this new friend of mine finally marry her best friend.

While they were confessing their love to each other in their vows they wrote themselves, my team and I was busy preparing the reception space for the big celebration that was about to begin. Bonnie and I put in many hours in months before the wedding putting together the design and flow that she pictured for her big day. And I think it all came together even better than both of us imagined. I picked up the beautiful flowers from Gloriosa ahead of time and brought in a lot of my own decor pieces that Bonnie had rented to transform the space with. (Bonnie's dad provided all the wood pieces for the event)

After the couple said I Do, the real party began. Roy with RSP Entertainment was the party master of the night. The party consisted of a second line (the bride grew up in New Orleans), hilarious and emotional speeches, wine, a photo booth, and a whole lot of dancing.

We did have one small hiccup at the end of the night. Right in the middle of the last song, the power went out. It was pitch black and the venue was still full of dancing guests. But we didn't let it ruin the night. The guests started singing the song and kept dancing, while I opened the big doors for the grand exit. I had everyone get their phone flashlights out and line up in two lines to form a tunnel. After counting to three and a loud pop of flying glitter, the bride and groom went running through, everyone cheered, and the night ended magically.

Quote by Roy Prusak (RSP Entertainment Owner): "If you see glitter and feathers falling out of my car, you know it was a good party"

A big thank you to all the vendors that worked with me to make this beautiful wedding happen. (Especially these jaw dropping photos byEllie Richardson!!!)

Featured Vendors: Wedding Planner // Garden Rose Events and Design,  Photographer// Ellie Richardson Photography,   Venue & Caterer // Beliveau Estate & Winery,  DJ // Roy Prusak with RSP Entertainment ,  Floral Design // Gloriosa,   Dessert // Mocking Bird Cafe & Our Daily Bread,   Officiant // Todd Gray,  Makeup Artist // Jolina does Make-up,   Hair Design // Lauren at Love at First Curl, Save The Dates // Etsy,  Wedding Dress // Chantilly Lace Bridals,  Invitations // Wedding Paper Divas