What do you think of when you hear the words ‘Destination Wedding’? Does your mind flash to a cliff in Ireland where bagpipes ring out among the whipping wind? Or do you immediately start stressing about décor and decisions? Well before you decide if a destination wedding is your cup of tea (oh a UK soirée would be posh), take some advice from an #AnnaliseRealBride who has gone through it all and came out the other side glowing… we’ve heard the Montana mountains will do that to you.
Mrs. Elizabeth Fisher recently got married in Montana. She too, is based in Richmond so she knows all too well what goes into planning a wedding from states away. Her first suggestion, “Trust your gut! There are unique challenges to planning and having a destination wedding – namely making decisions from afar – but if you have a strong vision and great vendors you trust it’s a great process”. We personally feel as though deciding on where your wedding will be is similar to making a decision on your dress. You should know what you want, but don’t hesitate to listen to professional opinions when it comes to the details!
Once Elizabeth and her then fiancé decided to do a destination wedding, planning was priority. One of our favorite questions to ask our brides is how planning is going and how involved their fiancé has been. Elizabeth’s main concerns were: flow of the party, food, how in the world to write a ceremony, and flowers. Her fiancé’s list: everyone having fun. Yes, brides your list may be a bit longer, but the beauty of having a forever partner is more likely than not, you think differently and thus focus on different aspects of the wedding to make one amazing day! Planning is essential to all weddings and crucial for a destination wedding! This brings us to one of our favorite parts about Elizabeth’s interview, her love and admiration for each of their vendors. She states, “Knowing you can trust your vendors is the biggest stress reliever of wedding planning”.
Claudia, Elizabeth’s seamstress was particularly such an important part of her big day and stress management. For those of you that are past brides (or plan to become an Annalise bride in the future) Claudia is one of the local seamstresses we recommend. She’s incredibly talented, tells it like it is, and makes you smile even during all the stress of wedding planning. Elizabeth’s relationship with Claudia was special because she went to Claudia for clothing alterations long before her wedding. “Having Claudia took so much off of my mind – knowing she was on the case with any thing I needed for my dress was just one less thing to worry about”, she explains.
If after reading this you’re still on the fence about having a destination wedding, check out the couples’ wedding photos below. The first photo featured is Elizabeth’s favorite. Elizabeth explains exactly why this photo means so much to her by saying “This picture is from right after we walked down the aisle – that feeling of I can’t believe we did that and looking down the road towards so many great adventures”. Planning this wedding was quite an adventure and we know there are so many more to come for you two!
XO,
The Annalise Team
