The Turner Wedding

I am so excited to be sharing with you guys my wedding day! This post is delayed as I got married to Dillon on February 17, 2022. But that was before I had my blog and as I mentioned in another post, I will be making a few throwback posts. I am so grateful for how everything turned out for my wedding! I was always one of those girls that dreamed about my wedding day since I was young. It’s such a monumental day in a couple’s lives. I will be sharing my experience leading up to the wedding day, as well as the wedding day itself along with some tips that I find beneficial for future brides!

6 Months Before

I got engaged to Dillon on August 6, 2021. We first met each other mid-March of 2021. So many would consider that a fast engagement. However, for both of us, it felt right. While Dillon was ready to get married later that year in 2021, I felt I needed more time to plan the wedding so I was leaning more on doing it on 2022. So we came to the conclusion that February would be an ideal month. I didn’t want a wedding around Christmas and I wanted a few more months to plan everything out. Plus, the weather is amazing in Florida during February!

Getting Organized

My sister Vanessa actually got married in February the prior year and her wedding was so beautiful! Our wedding actually had a lot of similarities which I will be sharing below. But she was so sweet to give me one of her unused wedding binders to help me stay organized. For anyone planning a wedding, a binder or notebook with dates and a timeline is so helpful!! Definitely make sure to get one to help you stay organized with wedding details. I actually had my 2021 yearly planner for my everyday life in addition to the wedding planner binder.

The planner had several tabs related to different parts of a wedding. The first section was a timeline of to-do’s for each month, then was a monthly planner, then inspiration sections related to hair/makeup artist, venue, flowers, etc. You can find similar planners on Amazon for a great deal below:

After I had an idea of what things I needed to do each month, I had to play catch up because most wedding timelines that you find on Pinterest or planning books are set for 1+ year in advance. That is the average amount of time people are engaged. So my first step was to find my venue. Keep in mind, depending on the popularity of your venue or how far in advance you are inquiring them, they may not have the exact dates you want. I was definitely flexible with my dates. I wanted a wedding in February, but I was pretty open to what the venues had to offer.

Finding Inspiration

I also got inspired by looking scrolling through Pinterest. I looked up timelines for six month engagements, flower structures I loved, color schemes, dress styles, etc. If you don’t have Pinterest yet and are a soon-to-be bride, definitely get herself a Pinterest account! It’s fun and inspiring. I also got a lot of helpful tips from there. You can find the exact Pinterest board I used to find inspiration for my wedding here. 

Budget Talk

This is very personal to each couple but budget will affect a great deal of your wedding. A lot of wedding planners notebooks, like the ones I mentioned above, have a section for budgeting your wedding. You can write down your budget for individual vendors and choose where your priorities lie. For example, you can decide whether you need a wedding planner or a day-of coordinator depending on your budget. Although I recommend a wedding planner to help brides with all the details they wouldn’t even think about, maybe it’s not within your budget so you book a wedding coordinator instead just for the day of your wedding. If you are more of the “control freak” type of bride, you might want to have more control of your vendors and planning, so you just book a day-of coordinator instead. I booked my wedding planner the month of my wedding, and she also happened to be my day-of coordinator. She was the same one my sister used and we loved how she worked! All those things are important to think about in the first month of planning a wedding.

Booking The Venue

Even though I am from Florida and live 15 mins from the beach, I didn’t want to get married on the beach. I more so dreamed of getting married outdoors, but in front of a beautiful lake and a gorgeous building structure nearby for the bridal party to get ready and then later have reception there. It sounds specific, but like I said, I dreamed about my wedding day since I was young. And I actually learned that if you have a good idea about what you want (that comes to wedding dresses too, ladies), it will make the process that much easier! So I started searching on The Knot for venues in Florida with what I had in mind. Dillon was on the same page about an outdoor wedding. And he definitely loves his views!!

After some research and several emails to venues, we found our venue! We actually booked our venue before touring the venue. I would suggest touring before you book a venue. However, the venue we found, BellaCosa Lakeside Lodge & Inn, was in central Florida, and we were both in Charlotte, NC at the time so it was hard for us to book a tour right away. And another reason, we were pressed for time. The venue actually had no weekend availability for February and they only had two Thursdays available. So we booked February 17th! Yayy, my date was set!! That’s a big step. We did, however, tour the venue and we ended up loving it!! It was better than I imagined!

Guest List & Wedding Website

Another important step I did in my first month was build my website. I used Zola to create my wedding website because they were user-friendly and had a great guest-builder organization tab. Building a guest list is very important to do early on because it determines how big your wedding will be. And if your wedding is not too far away, you will want to notify your guests. To do that, you can send a save-the-date with more basic info, and then the real invitation with specifics later on. I actually created my save-the-dates digitally and then used paper stationary for my real invitation so that it looked nicer. Digital versus paper stationary save-the-dates are a great way to save for budget purposes! 

Booking More Vendors

As I was already in a time crunch, I tried to have my priority vendors booked. That included my DJ, photographer and videographer, as well as the caterer. I actually happened to book the same DJ and caterer my sister used in her wedding. Her wedding was in central Florida as well (but a different venue). The photographer and videographer team were from the same company, Yours Truly Media, so it was more efficient for me and less to worry about. And they are amazing company to work with! They actually have several locations and they had a location in Orlando which was super close to my venue. You can scroll to the bottom of this post for a list of all my vendors. They all did such a wonderful job. If you or someone you know is getting married in central Florida, these vendors are amazing!

Wedding Dress Shopping

This part was fun! Believe it or not, I found my dress almost right away! I only went to one bridal store and it was one of the first dresses I tried on. But that was mainly because I knew what I wanted even before shopping for dresses. I always thought long-sleeve wedding dresses were so classy. And I also thought lace or floral appliqués were so romantic. And I knew I wanted a fuller dress, not necessarily a ballgown, but more like a fuller A-line shape.

The one part that gave me a bit of stress was how close to the wedding day my dress would be ready. I guess I didn’t do much research beforehand, but wedding dresses can take months to make! My dress took 6 months of production time, which is about the average time for a made-to-order wedding dress. If you order the sample dress or a dress that’s already in stock, you can save yourself some time if you’re wedding date is not too far away. But thankfully, everything worked out! We even happened to have a family friend that does wedding dress alterations and she made a miracle happen by altering my dress. She is so amazing at what she does! I am so thankful for her!

Accessories

For my wedding accessories, I purchased my earrings from Etsy. It was pearl drop earrings with Swarovski crystals. The headband was custom made from a seller on Etsy as well. She made it with a combination of pearls and Swarovski crystals which matched my earrings perfectly. My veil also came from Etsy. Let’s just say Etsy was one of my BFFs with wedding planning. I tried on a gorgeous sparkling veil at the bridal store and it looked amazing with my dress. But it was out of the budget for me. So I did some research and with the help of my mom, I found a seller who sold a sparkling cathedral size veil on Etsy. It was just like what I had tried on at the store, but for a fraction of the cost at $100!! Ladies, there are many affordable options out there, you don’t have to spend $500-$800 for a veil. 

5 Months Before

Research, Research, Research

For this part of my wedding, I had the main vendors booked, now I was focusing on more specific details. My tasks included browsing styles that I wanted for stationary, my ceremony decor, and reception. I screenshot inspiration pictures of what I wanted and did lots of pinning on Pinterest. Another thing on my to-do list was researching what bakery I would use for my wedding cake, and what kind of desserts I would have at the reception. I also booked my officiant. Dillon was in charge of planning our honeymoon so I left that up to him 🙂 Also, I researched flower girl and ring bearer outfits. I researched a photographer for the engagement photoshoot Dillon and I did. Ideally, you want to take your engagement photoshoot within 1-2 months of your engagement.

My Website

On my wedding website, I was adding items to my registry and working on the guest list. I worked on collecting everyone’s address so that I would be able to send invitations later on. When it came to my registry, I tried to use the rule of thumb which is 1-2 items for each guest from three different stores of different price range, like cheap, medium, and expensive.

3-4 Months Before

Stationary Suite

By this point I had ordered my invitations that I found for a great deal on Zola, the same website I created my wedding website. They were super user-friendly and the stationary theme matched my wedding website as well! I love that it created a cohesive style. Having a graphic design background, I got a little too excited about the stationary. I wanted classy and elegant for my wedding. I also wanted to make a wax seal for the wedding invitations, so I ordered a custom stamp from Etsy with Dillon’s and my initial. Then, I ordered a hot glue gun with cooler settings to melt the wax sticks. Back in the day, the process was a little different. They would melt little pieces of wax on a spoon-like tool over a candle or fire. But since I had a lot of invitations to do, I did some research on Youtube and found you can make wax seals with a hot glue gun which is a much quicker process! Below are some of the items I ordered from Amazon 🙂

I do want to mention though, a lot of stationary suites out there, especially if custom ordered, can be very expensive. The reality is, your beautiful invitation might end up in your guest’s garbage. Guests will read and RSVP, and then toss it later on. So if you’re on a tight budget, you can definitely find ways to simplify your invitation suite without breaking the bank! For starters, have your guests RSVP on your website. Not only is it easier to keep track of, but you don’t have all that extra paper and stamps to send out. You’ll definitely save some extra bucks this way!

Getting Crafty

As I mentioned before, I do love a beautiful stationary. But I found the items above for a fairly cheap price. The vellum cover that I used (scroll up for a picture of my invitation) was from leftover sheets of tracing paper that I had from my graphic design years. Vellum paper is essentially tracing paper. If you are more of a crafty DIY bride and want to try making a vellum cover for your invitation suite, you can use a paper cutter like the ones below and purchase a large size of vellum paper sheets. Youtube is full of tutorials! It will definitely elevate the style of your invitations!

Bridal Party

As for my bridesmaids, I did send my proposal boxes later then I would have liked to. But most of the girls were family or close friends that already planned to come to my wedding anyway. But you do want to send out your proposal boxes sooner rather than later. They need time to order their dresses too, and they will be involved in many parts of your wedding. You also have fun things to plan together such as the bachelorette party and bridal shower. The dates for those events are pretty flexible, as you can do them on the actual month of the wedding. However, I didn’t do a bridal shower because it just wasn’t a priority for me, and a lot of people had to travel for my wedding anyway so I cut that part out. I had a very fun bachelorette party with my sisters and friends though!

Ordering Supplies

As we were getting closer to the wedding, I was ordering all my last minute supplies. This included all the decor for the reception, some for the ceremony, and any extra items I needed. I also made sure to order thank you cards pretty early on to send to any guests who gave Dillon and me a wedding gift. It’s wedding etiquette to send thank you cards within two weeks of a guest giving you a wedding gift prior to your wedding. For gifts on your wedding day, you want to send those out within 3 months. You can check out other supplies I ordered for my wedding on my Amazon Storefront.

Hair/Makeup Artist

I also wanted a really good hair & makeup artist for my wedding because who doesn’t want to look good for their wedding?! They were in the Orlando area which worked out perfectly for me. I went with Laura Reynolds Artistry. The two ladies who were there at my wedding were so sweet and talented! I actually never did a hair/makeup trail because I didn’t want to drive to central Florida just for a trail, and I trusted their professional expertise. Plus, I had to save money where I could! Weddings are not cheap! But a trail is still a really good idea. I’m definitely not hashing that idea out. But if you’re going to skip trails, please do check out the reviews and portfolio really well! That is what you have to rely on. Also, I emailed my hair/makeup artists pictures of what I wanted my hair and makeup to look like so they knew beforehand as well.

2 Months Before

While Dillon was taking care of the honeymoon details as well as our wedding night;) I was researching how to obtain a marriage license. In addition, I was also researching pre-marital counselors. Dillon and his groomsmen tried on tuxes and placed their orders from Men’s Wearhouse. I was tackling the major things that we still had to do for our wedding.

6-8 Weeks Before

Beauty Prep

There is definitely some beauty prep needed before the wedding. I started doing my teeth whitening procedure around this time. I also got a teeth cleaning at the dentist which made a really nice difference!

Vendors & Other Details

This is also the time you want to finalize some details with your vendors. Make sure they know the time, day, and place for your wedding day. Make sure your payments to vendors are made. A good idea is to set envelopes aside for each vendor with tips to give on the wedding day. You can have your maid of honor take care of details like this. This was around the time I was finalizing the reception menu, the DJ layout and certain songs I wanted played at my wedding, ordering my wedding cake, purchasing gifts for bridesmaids, etc. You also might want to start messaging guests that haven’t RSVP’d soon.

2-6 Weeks Before

Around a month before, I got a haircut trim. Dillon’s mom and I were finalizing the rehearsal dinner plans. This is also a good time to send rehearsal dinner invites to your bridal party. You will want to confirm your honeymoon reservations. At this point the wedding is just around the corner! I gave a headcount of my guests to the caterer and venue so the venue knew how many chairs to set up. I worked on my wedding vows. Dillon picked up the wedding bands from the jeweler. I was updating my registry. The ball was rolling!

Dress Fittings

This part is fun! You get to feel like a real life princess as your dress goes through alterations to fit you like a glove. You get to try on all your accessories and see how everything fits together. This is when you start feeling like a bride. Make sure to bring the shoes you will wear on your wedding day to your first fitting. You will need to have it on so the seamstress knows how much of your gown to hem.

1 Week Before

Dillon and I decided to serve wine to our guests. We sourced our wine from Trader Joes and had someone from our catering team as the bartender. Dillon and I completed our pre-marital counseling which I recommend for any couple getting married! Our pre-marital counselor was a licensed counselor who is also Christian. We wanted counsel from someone who shares the same faith as we do. After all, we believe God is the one who created marriage.

Last Minute Details

The wedding is just around the corner! I was sharing my “must play” and “do not play” songs with the DJ. Also, I sent a shot list to my photographer/videographers. I HIGHLY recommend creating a shot list. Yes, the photographers are professionals and they will take care of getting all the important pictures on the wedding day, but if there are specific pictures you want or  for the family shoot session, you will want to notify your media team beforehand.

Unless your wedding is all-inclusive or a company is providing all the decor, you will want to organize your supplies into boxes such as “ceremony box” or “reception box.” You will also want to assign someone to transport all that. Make sure all your vendors know your wedding details and have the address of the venue. Finalize pickup and delivery times with vendors.

Make sure the guest headcount is complete and create a seating plan for all your guests. This part can be a bit challenging if you don’t know the other side of the family really well to know who should sit with who, but have your significant other help you out! Let your bridal party also know the timeline for the wedding day.

Prepare For Any Troubleshooting

Accidents will come up and you will have to deal with them as they come. No wedding is perfect. The officiant we booked, who is also my brother-in-law and a pastor, got sick the week of my wedding. We really wanted him to officiate our wedding since he was family, but it was not possible. We actually ended up asking my sister’s husband’s father, who is a pastor of a church in Englewood, Florida. He is such a great pastor and was already coming to our wedding anyway! Everything worked out and we are thankful that it did! This all happened the week of the wedding though. But at moments like these, try to remember you can’t control everything and that’s okay. Picture yourself honeymooning with your soon-to-be husband and realize that marriage itself is more important than one wedding day.

1-2 Days Before

The butterflies start racing as you are 24 to 48 hours before your wedding. It was a mixture of excitement and nervousness for me. Dillon had already flown to Florida so we were spending more time together. I remembered us going to Playa Bowls to get smoothie bowls the day before our rehearsal. It was such a good way to unwind and catch up with my soon-to-be spouse. He is way more calm than me so it helped hanging out with him and taking a step back from the wedding planning details.

At this time, I also wrapped the bridesmaid’s gifts which was a robe to wear while getting ready on the wedding day. There tons of gift ideas out there that you can give to your bridesmaids. They deserve it. Below are some cute gifts ideas.

Pack Up

Right before a wedding, there’s quite a bit of packing to do. You need to pack for the wedding events, such as rehearsal and the wedding day itself, and then for the wedding night and honeymoon, and also for the future as well if you’re moving out. Chances are though, if you are moving in together after the wedding, you probably already got a head start with moving things over to the new home. For Dillon and I, we decided to spend the first few months of our newlywed life traveling all around the U.S. Eventually we will buy a home and settle in, but we are enjoying this fun adventure of ours right now.

Beauty & Self-Care

The last minute self-care things I needed to do included doing my nails, washing my hair for the last time before the wedding (if you wash it right before the wedding the curls don’t hold as well), and applying a gentle brightening facial mask. A lot of people tan before their wedding. I actually preferred not to because my complexion is already kind of tan.

The Wedding Day

The wedding day arrived! This is the time to get excited! It can definitely make you nervous because it’s such an important day, but at least I felt like I did everything I could leading up to the wedding so I was ready to just enjoy this special day. I definitely have to thank my family members big-time for all the help they gave me during the wedding planning process. Without them, the wedding wouldn’t have turned out as beautiful as it did! I am forever grateful to all of them, especially my parents for everything they did!

Overall, I had so much fun planning my wedding! Yes, it was definitely stressful at some points, but I’m so grateful everything worked out better than I imagined! I tried to calm myself by listening to the Downton Abbey soundtrack and going for walks outside during the wedding planning journey. Find some time to rest in between all the planning. Relax, it is just one day. But, it did turn out to be one of the best days yet and I am so glad to now be Dillon’s wife!!

My Vendors

• Venue: BellaCosa Lakeside Lodge & Inn
• Photographer/Videographer: Yours Truly Media 
• Hair/Makeup: Laura Reynolds Artistry
• Wedding Dress and Dillon’s tux: Boca Raton Bridal & Men’s Wearhouse
• Bridesmaid’s dresses: Birdy Grey
• Wedding Planner/Coordinator: Say I Do Wedding Planner (Roberta | IG: @sayidoweddingplanner)
• Wedding Decorator: Creability Events (IG: @creabilityevents)
• Flowers: Wholesale flowers at Allure Farms
• Caterer: Camila’s Brazilian Restaurant
• DJ: Graingertainment
• Bakery: Publix Cakes
• Stationary: Zola Wedding Invitations

For new brides out there, you will get all sorts of advice. You can spend loads of time reading magazines and articles. Some advices are really good. But please don’t feel like you have to have it all perfect! At the end of the day, as cheesy as it sounds, THE most important part of the wedding is that you get to marry the man you love and spend your lives together! Everyone’s wedding experience is different so take what you can from this post. Not all advices are for everyone. I hope my wedding experience was able to inspire anyone reading this! As always, much love to you guys!

Xo, Jessica

Rehearsal Dinner Looks

Super Cute Wedding Shoes 

Wedding Accessories 

Bridesmaid’s Dresses

Wedding Supplies