The Wedding

My day began in typical “Danielle getting ready for a wedding” fashion… with a curling iron, a burnt finger (and ear), and being displeased with how my hair looked. Let’s face it… I am NOT a hair stylist! Forty minutes later, I was brushing out the curls and putting my hair into a ponytail. It wasn’t ideal, but my hair did not need to be perfect just to run around in true Coordinator style! After ensuring I had breakfast, I loaded up my car with the boxes of décor I had picked up at the rehearsal as well as my wedding emergency kit. Off I went to begin set-up!

When I arrived, the decorator was already on site, as well as the venue staff. Shortly after, the chair rental company arrived with their beautiful gold Chiavari chairs. The venue was coming together quickly and it looked beautiful! The Bride and her ‘team’ arrived and they got started on hair and makeup up in the loft. Jessica decided to get ready on site while Groom Brandyn and his guys got ready at a hotel.

Once the reception room was set-up, the focus became the ceremony site (outdoors). There wasn’t much to set up for the ceremony, and it was REALLY hot outside (and quite windy), so I waited as long as possible to put out buckets of ice with water bottles, sunscreen, tissues, and fans on the ceremony entrance table.

Jessica and Brandyn had arranged for a shuttle bus to transport their guests from the hotel to the wedding venue. Many of their guests were from out of town, so this was a really nice gesture. A limo was also hired to transport Brandyn and the guys to the ceremony. When the shuttle was supposed to be leaving the hotel, the Groom called. The driver encountered an issue with the limo and in the process of trying to resolve the issue, ended up badly injured and in need of an ambulance. Without a working limo and the driver, Brandyn and the guys had to drive to the wedding venue on their own. In the meantime, I began problem-solving of how I could ensure that the wedding party would have transportation to leave the reception at the end of the night. It ended up all working out - the limo company had another vehicle and arranged for another driver - but I had come up with a ‘Plan B’, just in case. I’m thankful that the limo situation worked out, and I really hope the driver is okay!

The ceremony was beautiful. The Bride’s sister played piano along with a cello player and vocalist. On one side of the aisle, the front row seats held up picture frames of Grandparents who were present in the hearts of Jessica, Brandyn, and family. After the ceremony, a group photo was taken. Trying to coordinate 80 people for a group photo was not an easy task, but we made it happen! Family photos were next, then I was off to transfer ceremony items to the reception room.

Soft piano music filled the reception room as appetizers were circulated around the room for guests. Cornhole was set up both inside and outside, but since it was so hot outside, guests chose the air conditioned space to relax and mingle until the reception started. Dinner was served, followed by a delicious dessert. Somewhere during dinner service, I transformed the welcome table into the favor table and prepped for the cake cutting that took place after the first dances. The dance party was underway when I prompted the Bride and Groom to head outside with the photographer for their sunset photos. Guests held down the dance floor until they returned soon after. Before I knew it, it was 10pm and the late night snack was being served. By 11pm, my tasks were complete, minus clean-up. The DJ kept the dancefloor packed and I sat down to rest my feet for a bit. At 1am, the dancing wound down and the transportation arrived to pick everyone up. Take-down and clean-up began and everything was boxed up for the happy couple to pick-up the next morning.

Congratulations, Jessica & Brandyn!