I Guess I Do

 photo PRESS_zps60f7d5cf.png  photo ADVERTISE_zps8e385a24.png  photo IGUESSIMDUE_zpsba13f561.png  photo IGUESSIMDUE_zpsba13f561.png

Monday, January 6, 2014

Samantha & Spencer : Carol Malick Photography

Meet Samantha & Spencer. I've known these two cuties ever since grade school and had the pleasure of driving Spencer to high school every day in my old Pontiac Sunfire. And in case you are wondering - No, my driving has not improved. The pair are high school sweethearts and despite some hiccups in the planning process, their wedding went off without a hitch! Enjoy Sam's story in her own words below... 
...
Our wedding day was like a fairytale. This can be attributed to all the planning and help we received from our family and friends. We had plenty of I Guess I Do moments during our 18 month engagement and it wasn’t until after our wedding we found out about a missing corsage and a guest puking in the reception hall bathroom, but as I said, I was on cloud nine and unaware of it all, thankfully.

My name is Samantha Dye and I’m a CPA in Columbus, Ohio. My husband, Spencer, is an estimator and works in the construction industry. We first met when I was in the 6th grade (he was in the 7th) and I had the BIGGEST crush on him. I finally caught his attention when I was in the 8th grade and so began our love story.




Spencer and I dated all through high school and college and after graduation moved in together. Living together was no issue at all as we’d basically spent more of our lifetime together than apart and everything just came easy. However, after 9 years of dating, 2 years of living together and no signs of engagement, I began to wonder if he was ever going to “pop the question!” Alas! Just when I wasn’t expecting it, I opened the door to our apartment and he was on one knee. I was absolutely the happiest girl in the world. The news of our engagement traveled fast and people started asking the typical questions -- “Have you picked a date?” “Where are you getting married?” “Who will be in your wedding?” -- and that is when I realized I needed to start planning… I just had no idea where to begin.




I can’t say I was the type of girl who had always dreamed of her wedding and what it would be like. Planning a wedding sounded exciting, but it also sounded like a lot of work…. And time…. And energy…. And money…. And did I mention time? Since I didn’t have my mind made up on every last detail, I took a laid-back and simplified approach to decision-making and of course, enlisted my go-to (mom) for some serious help...




The Where and When:

After our engagement, the first two big wedding decisions were upon us and we quickly began questioning why we hadn’t decided to elope. After all, Spencer was hoping for a beach wedding, but I just had to have that big, traditional, walk-down-the-aisle of the church, wedding. That being said, I could quite literally write a book around the family drama that occurred during the 18 months of our engagement. I will forgo divulging all of the gushy details, but let’s just say it started with a date that was not convenient for everyone and the ensuing effects of that decision, and ended about a week before the wedding when my “grandparents” decided they weren’t going to be in attendance. Yikes! Anyways, we settled on a date and location that we wanted and continued on our wedding planning adventure.



The Dress:

Moving to the next thing on my list, a dress! I had no idea what I wanted so I planned a “girls” day with some of my bridesmaids and my mom. I found a trunk sale at a popular boutique and a few other salons and booked appointments at each figuring we could make a day of it, and stop for cocktails in between. Isn’t that how you’re supposed to do it? Well, I guess I even surprised myself when I walked out of the first salon with the second dress I tried on! That meant mimosas and bloody mary’s earlier than expected – I don’t think anyone was complaining! I can’t say it was that easy; although the dress was purchased, it was huge and I didn’t like the sash, so it required some serious work. The dress was taken in at the seams and hemmed to perfection. I bought a new sash and added buttons up the back. Thanks to my hometown sewing hero (Betty) the dress turned out amazing.



The Photographer:

The next big decision was a photographer. I don’t want to say I was being lazy about picking a photographer, but I really just don’t have an “eye” for that. I had a friend who was also planning a wedding and much to my delight, she was more than willing to share her photographer. Whew! That was easy. 

 The DJ:

My mom reached out to a couple local DJs and was unimpressed. Around this same time, my maid of honor called me and said her cousin was at a wedding reception, where I was holding mine. She told me her cousin loved the lighting and we later found out the DJ brought in all the lighting, so my mom gave him a call. The DJ was very nice and professional so we decided to go with him. Yes, I picked a DJ who I had never met or even spoken to before on the basis he provides great uplighting, per my maid of honor’s cousin, and he’s attentive to my mom’s questions and phone calls. This could get interesting real fast…. We eventually met the DJ a couple weeks before the wedding and he turned out to be amazing. Luck was on our side with that decision!



Once the big decisions were out of the way, I really coasted through the rest of them. I wasn’t big on the details and actually preferred when my mom and mother-in-law called the shots (Don’t know if they would agree with that). As the date drew closer, time started to fly. My mom and mother-in-law each threw bridal showers and we had a girls’ weekend in Nashville for my bachelorette party (which was amazing!).

Before I knew it, it was our wedding day. It went off without a hitch. Every decision made, from the choosing of the venue to the selection of the first dance song couldn’t have been more perfect for us that day. It was truly the best day of our lives and we are so thankful for everyone who contributed and helped make it so amazing.




After all is said and done, I’d have to say that there is not one thing I would change. It was an amazing day and although there were times during the planning phases when things got stressful, it all paled in comparison to the awesome results of the day—the celebration of us getting married surrounded by our closest family and friends. 

Photographer: Carol Malick Photography  DJ: Jay R at Selective Sound




4 comments:

  1. I recently engaged and found your blog on Pinterest. I am absolutely in love with the bridesmaids dresses and would like to know where you found them?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just spoke with the bride Crystal - they are Adrianna Papell from Nordstrom!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What time of year was this wedding!? I love the colors

    ReplyDelete