You realize how fast time flies when it's a former preschool student of yours getting married. Yes, I used to own a preschool named "Hug-a-Bug Preschool". Running a preschool is very similar to wedding planning, a blog for another day.
It was so much fun to be able to help out my own "bestie" with her daughter's wedding. They incorporated so many lovely details and it was a pleasure to bring it all together for them on a snowy December day.
This day was not without it's obstacles and certainly the saying "the show must go on" applied to Raija and Jamie's wedding day. Guests being held up by snowy road conditions, bride in emergency with a whopper of a flu just a few days prior, wedding party members not able to attend last minute because of illness.... You plan every detail but there are always the uncontrollable things that test your ability to keep your chin up. This is exactly what the bride and groom did and they had a beautiful wedding despite all of this.
There is nothing that I love more about weddings than when the details carry significance. The bride, Raija, was involved in helping her father create unique pieces such as the arch, the wine holders and the tea light holders. The setting for the reception, Rainbows Roost, was the perfect venue to create a "birch" themed decor. Maybe one of the reasons it's easy to become overwhelmed when things are not going as planned, because you have put so much time, effort, and love into every detail.
One thing that I tell every bride is that you have surrounded yourself with guests that are family and friends, they are on your side and are not going to judge you for the things that don't go as planned. So, work hard on every detail and then when the day comes, trust you have done everything you can to make your day perfect. Hopefully you have hired a Wedding Coordinator who will work to execute all your planning in a way that allows you to simply enjoy being a guest at your own wedding.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and the moments captured by Natalie Sky Photography say it all. Despite all the set backs, it was a gorgeous and memorable day.
Congratulations Raija and Jamie!