10.02.2021

How I know the Couple: Connor is a friend from church/ youth group and I was honored to help him and Erin with their day!

Let me start by saying, this wedding was a real adventure! It was the first time I coordinated a wedding with my dad as the officiant, and my awesome sister, Lauren, was by my side as my trusty assistant. We headed out to a beautiful wooded venue in Greenville, which was quite a trek, but totally worth it for the stunning surroundings.

We arrived bright and early, ready to tackle the setup and organization of all the decor. This wedding had a ton of DIY elements, which added such a personal touch but also meant there was a lot of work involved. We were told to expect around 200 guests (spoiler alert: it didn’t quite turn out that way, haha!). Determined to be prepared, we set out every chair the venue had and got creative with decorations, even adorning the window sills. We wanted to make sure every space looked fabulous!

As the wedding party was getting ready, Lauren and I took charge of coordinating all the vendor arrivals and setup. Just as everyone was getting ready to make their grand entrance, a brief rain shower decided to join the party. Panic ensued for some, but not for us! Lauren and I dashed out to the ceremony site, armed with towels, and wiped down every bench. Rain or shine, this ceremony was happening!

Now, here’s where things got interesting. Due to the rain, guests started entering through the main hall instead of going straight to the ceremony location. And you won’t believe it, but some guests thought it was okay to start drinking before the ceremony! Note to future couples: sending guests directly to the ceremony site is a genius move to avoid this kind of mishap. Lesson learned!

But let me tell you, despite the unexpected rain and pre-ceremony drinking shenanigans, the ceremony went off without a hitch, thanks to the amazing Rev Waters. Well, except for one small hiccup—Connor nearly dropped Erin as he tried to dip her during their exit! It was a moment of pure laughter and joy.

With the ceremony concluded, we swiftly moved the guests into cocktail hour while the wedding party struck some fabulous poses for their photos. That’s when we realized something—someone from the wedding party had indulged a bit too much and couldn’t stand on their own two feet. No worries, though! We quickly assigned a personal guardian and made sure they stayed hydrated throughout the night. Safety first!

Then, it hit us—over 300 guests had shown up! The reception hall was jam-packed, standing room only. We knew we had to keep things moving to make room for some serious dancing. The couple was announced, first dances were danced, and we hustled to dismiss people to the buffet line. And that’s when the sweetest disaster struck—the dessert vendor forgot to display the treats we had agreed upon. No problemo! Lauren and I sprang into action, swiftly arranging the desserts while simultaneously finding out who the designated cake-cutters were (definitely not part of our usual duties). Crisis averted!

As the evening progressed, the speeches began, and the bride suddenly experienced terrible cramps in her feet. But fear not! Lauren, being the superhero that she is, grabbed tons of water while I gave the bride’s feet a much-needed massage. Talk about teamwork! We managed to banish those pesky cramps and get the dancing started.

The DJ was absolutely awesome, and the dance floor was on fire. It seemed like everyone wanted to bust a move, and the margaritas were flowing like there was no tomorrow. At around 10:30, we bid the couple farewell, making sure all the vendors had everything they needed for teardown.

Vendor Team:

Photo: Stinkin’ Sweet Productions

Venue: Under The Wildwood

Officiant: Brady Waters

Read Erin’s review here!