A Momental Girl Get's Married – Advice from the Bride with 3 days to go!

Jillian McGrath Photography

It is hard to believe our crazy, creative Momental Girl Jess is getting hitched in just 3 days!  The ring was on her finger in December and now only a few short months later, she and Brad have assembled the vision and verve to pull off an epic affair.  I don’t throw around the word epic much, I think it is far too overused.   However epic here is appropriate because these two have stuck to their vision, stayed true to themselves and crafted a smashing event on a dime.  They paid attention to whats most important and let the rest fall away.  They paid attention to making a celebration of life, new family and marriage not just a pretty wedding.

If you remember, when my bf Amy’s wedding was looming I sat her down and asked her to share some advice just 12 days before.  I’ve done the same with Jess but her perspective comes 3 days out from the wedding.  All honestly and humility here, there’s no time for anything less….

In planning this wedding what has been the biggest surprise?

I never honestly realized how far in advance you needed to secure everything… I was pretty naive to that fact.   I’m more of the “we’ll figure it out” kind of gal and that doesn’t always work well when planning the wedding.  If you are looking to craft a unique experience for your guests, this is especially true.  Different takes time!

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to your fellow Brides?

Do it, this whole wedding thing, for YOURSELF.  We all face the struggle of trying to please everyone.  You have to do what is right for you, the groom and your family, let the rest fall away.

As our readers know you’ve been planning a a more edgy/unorthodox event? What challenges have surfaced?

Trying to figure out how to keep our guests comfortable and informed during the event was a challenge.  The flow of our event is likely very different from most our guests have experienced so we’ve infused small details throughout to ensure everyone is “in the know” and well informed throughout.  This took a lot of planning and thought and in some cases extra expense.   Striking a balance between throwing all the rules out the window and making sure the guests get “it” and have fun is tricky.

We know you are a big DIY’er and have had a huge hand in the look of  all that is to come.  What has been your favorite detail in preparing the decor for Saturday?  And what about your least favorite?

The most favorite – Our invitations were an experience…no really, we wanted our guests to explore the invite and use all senses when doing so.  Part of the invite included small specimen vials.  Each guests received “pieces of Brad” and “pieces of Jess”.   So we set out to collect and place little bits of the world that represent us in each vial.  It became an incredibly cathartic (and time consuming) experience.  We considered each to be a unique terrarium of our life, specifically assembled for each guest.  From bay leaves and bug wings in mine to bebe’s and charcoal in Brad’s the project took on a life of it’s own.  We loved every minute.

The least  favorite – I designed half of a fabric flower bouquet and finally listened to my instinct and stopped the madness.  I’m very crafty but eventually had to recognize my limits.  The vision wasn’t coming together and as the weeks went by, with the various failed attempts stacking up, I finally let go.  Ideas can be strong, but getting wrapped up in them without any perspective or plan for the time commitment can be a huge schedule killer!  Luckily for me Kristy’s friends at FiftyFlowers.com stepped in to help out with my new adventure of DIY’ing fresh wedding flowers.  They helped me understand my options and gather the goods for the more verdant and lush green based bouquet I was looking for.  Kristy and some of my family and friends will be knee deep in real blooms later this week and I can’t wit to see how things turn out!

What is the one task you are dreading in the few days?

If you know me at all…numbers and Jess do not compute!  I am most dreading the hanging of some our linens as backdrops.  Still desperately hoping to find someone to do that for me!! Any volunteers?

What are you most looking forward in the next few days?

Well honestly I most looking forward to the first dance and the food.  I’m a foodie and could not be more thrilled with the menu planned.

Full disclosure…FiftyFlowers.com is a much loved advertiser on the RiceInk blog.