You never forget your first...

My first big planning event came with my sister’s wedding. Prior to the proposal, my sister Cathy and her then boyfriend Steven had moved to Florida and I had moved to Arizona from New Jersey. My parents still lived in NJ and we were all coming back for Christmas. Two days before Christmas, Steven called me for a favor to go with him to pick up the ring he designed for Cathy! His plan was to propose back in Florida and I knew I had to help him rethink this idea so we could celebrate all together. We involved my parents in an elaborate plan to surprise Cathy! Steven and I snuck out, picked up the ring, ignored her phone calls, all while my mom kept her busy. Once we returned, I took her to get a manicure and curled her hair. Steven took Cathy to our favorite Christmas house in our town and proposed!

From there, the wedding planing was full force! Cathy asked me to be her maid of honor and help plan their big day. Cathy and Steven picked a location on the water in NJ and a date of July 3, 2014. Steven and Cathy then turned the reins over to me! Cathy loves bright vibrant colors and the spirit of the 4th of July. Since their date was close to the holiday, I used this to create the color palette and theme. Cathy and I decided on navy and coral as the main colors with touches of white and silver. From there, we hired the photographer, florist, DJ and reserved our favorite salon in NJ (Salon O in Point Pleasant, NJ - highly recommend it!).

Once we narrowed down the theme and colors, I went straight to work on all the details. For the bridesmaids, we chose a short, coral strapless dress with white sandals with a wedged heel. Cathy and I decided to have all the bridesmaid match with their attire. I found earrings and necklaces which looked like sparklers, which were part of the bridesmaids gifts. The groomsmen wore black tuxedos with matching coral vests and black shoes. We utilized David’s Bridal for invitations to have the colors match exactly and chose a design which looked like a firework. The favors were cake pops with sparklers on the sticks - they were a HUGE hit! The center pieces were tall vases with white roses and tea lights surrounding it. The linens we used were white table clothes and chair backs with navy napkins. The bouquets were white roses and tiny pink roses as a pop of color.

Cathy looked like a real life princess in a sparkly silver and white ballgown and Steven looked dapper in a black tux with a silver vest! Cathy wore a beautiful veil and had a rhinestone and pearl headband. She was stunning and was a gorgeous bride!

Using their personalities, taste in decor, and holiday spirit, I created a dream wedding for Cathy and Steven! It was a perfect day and really helped to ignite my creative spirit!