Less than 2 months to go!
August 21, 2022 is fast approaching. Here’s the deets of our planning process!
Hi all – Charlotte here. After a few months of enjoying our engagement and then diving into wedding planning, I’m back and here to share all the things we’ve learned along the way!
When Ivy and I got engaged in April 2021, we knew one thing for sure – our wedding was going be one heck of a good party. We were excited to celebrate with our friends and family but really, we were ready to snag a beer and hit the dance floor!
It was clear from the outset that we had a specific “vibe” (as the kids say) in mind for our wedding day, which was a great natural starting point for the planning process – a process brand new to us both. For our big day, we had one goal: for everything (from our outfits to the food) to feel authentic and genuine, and to keep the stress levels at a minimum (or at least in perspective)!
Let me break down what we’ve learned over the past 6 months, starting with our first three major steps.
#1: Start with a Guest List and Count:
The Cookery is an incredible space for big grand weddings as well as small, intimate gatherings. We knew our guest count would be veering on the bigger side and the flow of The Cookery’s grounds was perfect for what we had in mind.
We sat down and made the list – grandparents, best friends, family friends and all. In the end, we sent out 180 invites! When we jumped into planning, we originally went with an estimated 175 guests. This number helped us plan nearly every aspect of our wedding – catering, florals and table greenery, rentals (linens, champagne glasses, dance floor, etc.), and much more.
Plus, creating a list of all the people who will be breaking it down on the dance floor with you just makes every other aspect of the to-do list worth it. Imagining this day with people’s faces in mind made us so excited!
#2: Book a Venue!
After we figured out our magical head count figure, we went venue searching! Since Ivy is a Brooklyn native, one of her main priorities was walkability. We planned to have an after party at a local dive bar after our wedding, wanted people to walk instead of drive, and most of all, wanted to give those visiting from out of town a taste of our city. It was a no-brainer: we had to book a downtown Durham venue!
We toured The Rickhouse located on Foster Street right smack in the middle of downtown Durham. We were enchanted by the balcony overlooking the Old Durham Ballpark Stadium, as well as the giant windows letting sunlight beam into their gorgeous space. But…
After, we toured The Cookery, Ivy was head over heels – with The Cookery! After some rock. paper, scissors, to decide our favorite Cast Iron Group venue, we decided on The Cookery!
The Cookery offered beautiful details that aligned with what we’d already been dreaming up!
We’re beer nerds – so it was a great fun fact that Ponysaurus Brewing Co. was started in the tiny attic of The Cookery – and on tap! Plus, with a large guest count, we knew the numerous bar tops at The Cookery would come in extra handy. Boasting a total of 40 feet of bar, including a three-section ballroom bar, Ivy fell in love with the idea of a small bar placed in the courtyard, offering some of our favorite beer (Ponysaurus, of course) as guests arrived for a cocktail hour. And of course – The Cookery was just a stones throw from downtown, making Ivy’s NYC walking dreams in Durham a reality.
While so much more planning would come later, The Cookery was a stunning venue – full stop. Any rentals, food, drinks, florals, and people would only add to the space. It was clear when we signed our names – this place has been and would continue to be a space filled with love, laughter, and a whole lotta fun!
#3: Select a Wedding Planner
When we started planning, I was pretty confident that we had what it took to pull off a gorgeous wedding with 175 guests and somehow still be able to be present and enjoy our wedding day. Turns out that is a very difficult task.
I quickly realized that in order to be able to enjoy the day we were planning, we needed professional help! It turns out the Triangle has a very long list of excellent planners, but we started with what we knew: we wanted a planner familiar with The Cookery.
We picked none other than Emily Izakowitz of Events by Emily – and her incredible associate planner Rebecca – as they had planned and executed like, a zillion weddings at The Cookery. We wanted an experienced planner who knew our event space and staff!
Figuring out how involved you want your planner to be is another task. We felt confident we could plan out most of the details, but needed help when it came to figuring out how to transition 180 people from one room to another, knowing how long it takes folks to eat dinner, setting up a donut display during dinnertime and more. Your planners are there to help with all the bizarre facts you never needed to know until trying to get married!
We ultimately decided to go with a Month-Of Wedding Coordination Package.
This package meant that we would plan the big items – vendors, themes, decor, and smaller details – but that our planner would make sure all of our well-laid plans became a reality. On the big day, our planner will be around for all the parts that we’ve planned, so we don’t have to be: vendor load-in and point-of-contact, timeline management, supervising the set-up of decor and event rentals, coordinating with the DJ about transitions, clean-up, and most importantly: taking care of any surprises!
With a coordinator present, this means August (four weeks prior to our wedding) is going to look much less bride-zilla x 2 and more like champagne toasts and happy soon-to-be-wives (and lives)!
We’re so thankful to have Rebecca and Event by Emily help us bring our wedding dream to life!
BONUS: Don’t Forget to be Excited!
Once we figured out our guest count and secured the venue and our planner, we felt like we’d really started the process. So clearly, it was time to kick back with a drink, right? RIGHT! We took a break to center ourselves and remember that at the end of the day, we we’re here to celebrate – now, tomorrow, and again at our wedding. We can’t wait to be married!!