Things to Consider When Choosing a Wedding Venue

When picking a venue for your wedding it is best to do your research. You need to consider all aspects of what you are looking for in the space from lighting to floor type before you start going out on site visits.

The biggest thing to consider will be your budget. Before you even decide whether you want the wedding to be indoors or outdoors, discuss the wedding funds with all those involved. Keep that number in mind while looking, there is nothing worse than finding the location of your dreams only to find out it is three times above what you are able to pay.

How you distribute your budget will affect the location you chose. If you are more interested in having an extravagant cake or a five course meal at your reception, you will need to consider that when searching for a  venue. Before you even visit the venue, find out what is included. Many places will offer catering, and have “suggestions” for the DJ, Event Planner, and Bakery that they have worked well with in the past. Often times those are extra parts of your wedding that you will have to hire out in addition to the venue.

If there is a caterer onsite you are required to use - clarify what their minimum is per guest, minimum guest count, and what you will be charged if you do not reach that number. Aiming for a wedding with more than 150 people? Then find out what their maximum occupancy is. There is nothing worse than searching online, finding a venue you fall in love with only to arrive and be disappointed.

Your wedding is all about you and your soon to be hubby, but you do need to think about your guests. If there are out of town guests, are there hotels in the area? Is there ample parking, or is the venue within walking distance of said hotels? If there are older guests, is there wheel chair accessibility? These are all questions you will need to consider in narrowing down your location.

Now that you have sifted out the venues that really won’t work, you should have a more manageable list of options. Time for the fun part!What do you and your significant other want? Natural lighting is a gorgeous feature, but sometimes hiring a lighting specialist who can do uplighting and add drapery will make a dark facility pop and bring it back in line with your wedding vision. Are you more about the photos, the party, or a little bit of both? If the photos are at the top of your list consider a place with a view, if the party part of your wedding excites you find out about the noise ordinances in the area.

This is not an inclusive list, however these are the main items you need to consider in choosing a wedding venue. Congratulations on your engagement and best of luck finding the perfect venue for your Cinderella dream wedding!

Congratulations to my little sister on her engagement on Valentine's Day this past weekend!! :)

The future Mr. & Mrs. Trifone

Georgia Trip - Part 1, The Wedding & Atlanta

This past week I took a trip to Northwest Georgia with my husband to help a college friend with her wedding. She contacted me a few months ago to help with the wedding planning and coordination. We took our time making our way the 7+ hours north and stopped in Atlanta on the way up.

Downtown Atlanta at Night

I had been to Atlanta about 10 years ago but it was Dee's first time. We were there only a short while, less than 24 hours, but took the time to check out downtown from the Sundial Restaurant and Bar at the top of the Westin.

The Sundial is 72 stories high and rotates 360 degrees about every half an hour so you get a full view of Atlanta and beyond. Drinks were on the pricey side but that was expected with the atmosphere and spectacular view. Even the elevator ride up was breathtaking, but also nerve racking. Dee and I were both backed up to the wall from the windows with shaky legs. 72 stories is really high, and yes I've been skydiving but this was different. There was no parachute strapped to my back! ;)

The wedding was beautiful and set in a gorgeous venue in the mountains of Lakemont, Georgia. Pinterest projects filled the Pavilion at Lake Rabun making for the perfect shabby chic wedding. The rain slowed everything down a bit and moved the ceremony inside, but once the bouqet was tossed I finally could relax knowing that the bride and groom were happy. With the majority of my job complete until the guests left it was time for a glass of champagne to me- cheers to the new Mr. and Mrs. Carter! It was really nice seeing old friends from college and making some new ones too.

Just Married!!

The beautiful wedding cakes provided by Publix.

Being in Georgia reminded me of western Maryland and brought back many memories for me. I think we were about 3 weeks early to see the leaves changing, but we did take the time to do some hiking while were in Lakemont. More on that in my next post though.

The view from the Pavilion at Lake Rabun

I'm thrilled I had the opportunity to help Lundyn & Elliot make some of the most cherished memories they will have in their lives. The experiences I had on this trip and the breathtaking views will be fluttering through my mind this week as we get back to work and the real world. It was nice to escape for a little bit, but I'm ready to be home. To be able to cook some of my own meals and get back on my 10K training schedule is totally needed.

Busy with Writing, Wedding Planning, & Modeling

Sitting here this Saturday morning sipping my caramel latte from Kookaburra I'm thinking about how awesome this month will be. There's so much excitement going on right now, and the month is sure to fly by.

For starters, I've landed another writing gig! St. Augustine Social contacted me with an opportunity and I've signed on as a contributor for their magazine and site. I'm excited to be working with another publisher writing about St. Augustine. Stay tuned on my social media accounts to see some of the blog posts I write for them.

St. Augustine Social

St. Augustine may first appear as a sleepy little historic town with a beach, but there really is plenty to do here for young, active families and individuals. With the growing number of young entrepreneurs in town, there are increasingly more ways to spend your free time. Our town is truly amazing—why do you think so many people visit and then move here, or leave town only to come back? I can't wait to reach other locals and visitors to get them more in the know of what's happening here.

Next week I will be traveling to Georgia to help a college friend with her wedding. She and her soon to be husband hired me on as their wedding planner. More than just the day of coordination this time, I've been using my experience with weddings to help them figure out all the little details. Neither the bride nor the groom has ever attended a wedding—this blew my mind but it's not the first time I've heard it. I've enjoyed working with them and can't wait to get up there to make their wedding day be one of the best memories they will have. I think about my own wedding all the time and how thankful I am to have had a coordinator. No matter the wedding size it's nice to have someone else handle the stresses that day.

How cute are these two? :)

Shortly after coming back from Georgia I'll be in a fashion show. Panache, a local salon and spa, is having their annual Love Your Mother Eco Fashion Show and I will be modeling again. The last time I was in this show was when I was working there in 2008 at the front desk. It will be fun to be back with many of the same designers again and see some old friends. All of the looks are made from recycled materials, the theme for our group this year is based around cords. Phone, internet, old computer cords, etc. I'll be sure to post some photos on the day of so follow me on Insta if you aren't already!

Backstage at the 2008 Eco Fashion Show. I'm second from the left with super short hair. Hubs is in the middle ;)

Well, back to Saturday morning life and too much caffeine running through my veins. I'm off to bark some more at my smallest dog  through the paper towel roll, he loves it. haha

Is fall a wonderful time of year or what?! What do you have going on this month?

Staying Busy

After a busy, freezing cold, windy weekend by myself (future hubs was in Jamaica) I am definitely ready for a weekend of warm weather. Or at least some warm, relaxing, me time- hence I booked myself a massage. Score! I don't like to do that often because I feel like I'm wasting my money, but I think I'm due/allowed.
I coordinated an outdoor wedding at The Rustic Alter this weekend. It was about 55 degrees, winds were around 15 mph with gusts that had to be 30+! I felt so awful for the bride and bridesmaids, strapless dresses with no shawls for an hour ceremony. However, it didn't rain and the photographs will be beautiful, here is one of the shots from Ashley Steeby Photography.

Ashley Steeby Photography

It looks summery and warm right?!! The photographer, Ashley, is a friend of mine who I've worked with before, one time I even acted as her assistant for a day! :)

Being home alone this weekend gave me time to do some online shopping, and I contained myself pretty well. I should have a Sephora box on my doorstep very soon. I'm a closet Kat Von D fan and I've been eyeing her eye palettes for a few months now, and I needed a refill on my face wash so I decided to splurge. Just to get the free shipping though of course. Haha, not!

Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette - Saint

I wear mostly neutrals so this or the Naked 2 palette were my main options. I can't wait to get my hands on this palette, look how pretty the case is!

bareMinerals Purifying Facial Cleanser

The last time I went into the bareMinerals store to refill my foundation I picked up the travel sizes of their Active Soil Complex, Purifying line. It has been working really well for me, I still get hormonal break outs around that time of the month but other then that my face has been 90% clearer. It smells good too, definitely not flowery, but also not too soapy smelling.

It was a good weekend, very productive, but I'm really happy to have my fiance back and looking forward to Friday!

Have you used any of Kat Von D's makeup or tried the Naked palettes out? What do you think?