Our Garden-Inspired Wedding was Literally the Best Day Ever

August 6, 2017 Maia Alejandro

Guys, planning a wedding is the most exhilarating, beautiful, emotional thing ever. After planning my own and attending 7 weddings this year, I thought I'd share some of our special day and a few quick wedding planning tips with you all.

I love to throw a good party and with a celebration so special, every decision we made was based on wanting our wedding to be a true reflection of who we are as a couple. For us, that meant a beautiful space, dancing, food and good drinks!

We fell in love with our wedding venue, Studio 450, the moment we walked in. It was an all white blank canvas, and we knew it was perfect for our minimalist color palette. I worked with our florist, Bobbie of BAHTOH, to create an all white & natural green space, with a nod towards the greenery surrounding us the day we got engaged at Storm King Art Center in New Windsor, NY.

We asked those closest to us to have a hand in making our day extra special. My husband designed all the paper goods, including the invitations, bilingual signage, petal toss bags, and welcome bags. My aunt hand-wrote our seating chart, and our midnight snacks were empanadas prepared by my grandmother's longtime friend and neighbor. My father officiated the ceremony, while one of our cousins read us a quote on love by Maya Angelou. We also incorporated a memorial table with photos of family members who have passed away. It was our special way of making sure everyone we love was present.

One of my favorite memories is when my 3-year-old niece walked up to the altar and gave an impromptu speech in the middle of our ceremony on the importance of listening to your parents and loving puppies!

5 Quick Wedding Planning Tips

1. Start with your big-picture, dream wedding ideas and then narrow down your must-haves from there.

2. Shop around and compare prices. It will give you a better sense of what you want/need for your wedding day. For example, I was able to work with my florist on finding budget friendly flowers to bring my overall wedding vision to life.

3. Download the app by The Knot. It literally walks you through every detail of planning your wedding, and has a very handy and adjustable timeline.

4. Use Zola for your registry. They have an app and I was able to conveniently update registry items on the go.

5. Let go and trust your vendors. They are professionals and will allow you to truly relax and enjoy your wedding day.