Wise Men Say…

If only fools rush in; I can say with a bit of certainty, that I am just that. I had met a Man in the Summer of 2018. He seemed like everything I was looking for. Everything I really wanted in my Life. We met one night when I was out with my best good friend. We were having drinks at a dive bar that no longer exists when a pool ball came flying at me. I screamed and was quite dramatic (can you imagine?) and then after he offered to buy us some beers, I learned his name. He said he was Steve, from Allentown PA. I didn’t believe him at first because no one really knows the towns in Pennsylvania, and my skeptical brain immediately thought he was making it up. Turns out, I was wrong, as I often am. I took it slow-ish, and opened myself up to the idea that this sweet handsome Man was the real deal, and I was falling in love with him. That Summer was a hot one, and we kept things sizzling right along with the temps in North Florida!

We dated for six months when he asked me to marry him. It was now December, we had gotten to really know each other, as much as you can when you don’t stop kissing. He had spent time with most of my important Friends and had attended his first dressy event with me. We liked the same music, and he made me laugh. He said that I was like no one he had ever met. Spoiler, he still says that…apparently, I am one of a kind, who knew. It was December 22nd, the six month anniversary of us meeting, and he gave me a dozen roses. We were exchanging gifts, when he kept saying there was just one more he had to give me. There in a small black box was the ring. White gold, princess cut, with antique accents on the sides. It was so beautiful; it was like he had asked me to pick it out. He was nervous, couldn’t find his words. I was already crying. When he asked, I think I only nodded at first. There in my apartment with my boy Waylon, among the dim twinkly Christmas lights, I became a fiancée. We had plans to travel to North Carolina the next day to see my Family for Christmas. We of course had no idea that we would once live here together, that is a story for another time. So, we traveled and spent a nice little vacation with him meeting everyone, and me showing off my new ring. Later, as we rang in the New Year back at home, the questions started to ring in my brain…Wedding now or House now? As a Wedding is a one-time expense and of course, super fun to plan, away I went!!

If anyone ever says to you…I am going to plan and organize my whole Wedding…please take them to the side and offer words of wisdom, or possibly a sedative. I have often said that I am going to write a book about it, so seriously stay tuned for that. I took on everything. All by myself. It may not seem like a lot but there are so many moving parts to a successful Wedding. I googled how to cuss out someone in another language over some tulips y’all. We were very lucky that only two venues were looked at before we found the perfect one. A really quaint farm that was somehow tucked away from the crazy of Jacksonville. It was open and full of beautiful views; it had antique church pews and a barn for the reception. There was a space for both of us to get ready, there were big trees to say vows underneath. It did not hurt that the Family that owns and operates it was wonderful to work with and made every one of my dreams come true.

The next vendors I nailed down should be pretty obvious. Food and beverage! I came across this dope ass Businesswoman that had opened a bar that was made from a horse trailer. It was exactly what I wanted, and the moment I met her, we were simpatico. The theme was to be North meets South, a little country chic if you will. Her bar and cocktails are exactly that. We had two kinds of beer on tap, two wines, and then..my favorite part. Two custom made cocktails. One was the Queen-o-rita, a strawberry and jalapeño margarita that was so so me; and then also the Good ol Boy..a nice strong bourbon drink named after my best friend Waylon. When it came to the food, we reached out to a few caterers and were underwhelmed before we landed on a Chef that was perfection. He set up a tasting, and sadly I had to work that night. Stephen and my bridesmaid went to taste and loved it all. I was so happily surprised when I came home from work, and he had sent all sorts of things for me to taste so I could make choices. Top notch service. In the end, I decided on cheesesteak sliders and fried green tomatoes to be passed during cocktail hour, then a meal of brisket, roasted chicken, green beans, mac and cheese and baby potatoes. Our cake designer had made a beautiful confection that was layers of white cake and Italian cream adorned with the tulips that I had selected, and very fittingly, a crown. The Grooms cake was NOT to be an armadillo, but rather a two-layer chocolate and hazelnut delight covered in camouflage and a beautiful custom-made wooden topper.

I had decided on the colors of coral and yellow and had more trouble than I would like to admit finding enough tulips to fill the spaces I wanted to. I had many center pieces to make and designed those, keeping the classy and country theme in mind. I bought enough tulips to give Holland a run for its money. I was happy to work with a wonderful local company that made us the bouquets and boutonnieres made of custom flowers sculpted from wood! There were also stainless-steel buckets for the aisle, filled with baby’s breath, cloth tablecloths and napkins to be rented, lighting to figure out, and so much more. We (ok I) had chosen to make a cooking spice blend as our favors. We got little tins to fill with a blend of spices that we had so much fun making together, and I ordered custom labels. They say Love is the spice of Life, but I have a feeling that I am the one that makes things this complicated and spicy! Each table was named after a fun theme in our relationship, and I had a seating chart made to coordinate with our invitations.