Take a look at a Wedding Planner’s Wedding
A fall wedding with an explosion of color. Get some tips and tricks on how to make your wedding day beautiful from a wedding planner’s wedding.
Weddings are the epitome of celebration of love and life. Designing my own wedding brought me so much joy, that I decided to make a career out of it. My career began in the Architecture industry. I got my Bachelor’s and Master’s in Architecture from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. I spent nearly a decade in the Architecture and Planning industry before I decided it was time for a career change.
Once I started planning my own wedding, I fell in love with all aspects of the design and planning. I started with my very own design boards which pulled together all aspects of the design I had in my head. I had always created fully rendered plans for my clients in the architecture industry, why couldn’t I do that in the event planning world as well?
Weddings are so much more than just rendered plans on a page, I soon realized. Each and every aspect of the wedding day must be carefully planned and coordinated with each vendor. Timelines must flow beautifully, and coordinate with many different groups and aspects. As I got more and more into the weeds of planning this wedding, I realized I found my passion. Island Dreams Event Design was born on the premise of making couple’s wedding and event dreams come true. Read on for a more detailed look at my big day.
Choosing the location
My husband was born and raised on the Island. We knew we wanted to make this special place our long term home, so we wanted to share the Island with our guests for our big day. We choose the sailing camp because Brian and his siblings grew up sailing there, so it is a special location for the family.
Adding color
I love color, and I wanted to integrate a lot of different colors which can be intimidating. But I found it most effective when the color is the focus and presented as something the eye is easily drawn to.
The ombre floral centerpieces were a concept I came up with as a way to display every color I had ever wanted for my wedding day, and to do it in a way that the feel of the reception wasn’t too busy. It seemed to make the most sense to make the centerpieces the focus of that color. The colors were deep wine reds with an ombre that faded into red, medium pinks, light pinks, and finally to ivory. We wanted our wedding to feel like an intimate family gathering so I created this concept of long tables so that everyone could sit together. The centerpieces extended through the length of those tables, meaning they had to be long, sixteen feet long over three tables!
Aubrey, of Aubrey Maria Designs, worked closely with me on the design, she completely understood the challenge of introducing this much color in such a unique way. She understood these pieces had to look like one long continuous centerpiece.
I decided that roses would make these centerpieces simpler, and let the color stand out. This tablescape had to be simple in nature otherwise it would have made the room feel extremely busy. When a room isn’t designed for a place for the eye to go, it is much harder for guests to figure out where they need to be. Creating focus and attention in a specific way makes it easy for the eyes to settle.
The dress…
This dress was one of my favorite parts of the planning process. I designed it myself with the help of a very special dress shop from my home town. Read more about that process here.
Personalized details
We decided we wanted to say our own personalized vows to each other, but we wanted to keep them private. It made sense to us to say them to each other before the ceremony, in the campground. We found a quiet spot while we were taking pictures and said our vows. It was really nice to not have to worry about saying them in front of a crowd of people. Instead, we get them out of the way early and said traditional vows during the ceremony.
We knew we wanted our ceremony to be quick but personal. It made the most sense to ask someone we knew well to marry us. We couldn’t have imagined anyone better than Brian’s dad Dave. He knows us both so well and is so lovely to all who know him.
Oak Bluffs has always been a special place for us. We decided we wanted some pictures from around town before the ceremony and that Ocean Park would be the perfect place for our first look. We reserved the Ocean Park gazebo for photos for our wedding party.
Covid…
Covid threw a huge wrench in everyone’s plans for the past two years. We somehow got lucky and were able to keep our original date. It was a constant stress to make sure we were doing the right thing for the safety and wellbeing of our family and friends. We tried to be as open and understanding with our guests as possible. My stepsister was one of my bridesmaids and her daughter was our flower girl. They decided about a month before the wedding they didn’t feel comfortable traveling yet which we completely understood. So we asked Brian’s best man Patrick to step in as flower man last minute, and he accepted that role with exuberance. Changes like these can cause huge stresses before the wedding day, but in Pandemic times, any changes felt small in the grand scale of even getting to celebrate together at all.
Tips & Tricks from a wedding planner’s wedding
Book a venue and notify your guests as soon as possible. Accommodations are necessary for most guests for a Martha’s Vineyard wedding. Accommodations can make or break someone coming to your wedding
Have specific vendors in mind? Reach out to them early. Otherwise, you may be sacrificing your budget and vision.
Make a wedding website. Make your website their guide to everything related to your wedding location. It will save you from becoming their last minute travel expert.
Have some fun with your wedding design and colors! The more you showcase your personality, the more your guests will relate to your wedding palette.
Our lovely vendors…
Jamie Newhouse & Brian Montambault
Married on October 10th, 2021
Location of Ceremony: Sailing Camp, Oak Bluffs
Location of Reception: Sailing Camp, Oak Bluffs
Photographer: Larisa Stinga
Videographer: Skyride Productions
Wedding Planner: Island Dreams Event Design
Caterer(s): Truly Scrumptious
Pies: Black Dog Bakery
Music: Jared Duff DJ
Flowers: Aubrey Maria Designs
Rentals/Tent: Big Sky Tents & Rentals
Transportation: Resortman
Makeup: Emily Kleinhenz Martha’s Vineyard Makeup
Hair: Sea Spa Salon
Wedding Attire: Dress Designed by: Island Dreams Event Design Made by Wedding Dreams
Hotel for Guests: Summercamp Hotel
Welcome Party: Groom’s parents house in Edgartown
Honeymoon: Rv Road trip to Florida Keys
Save the Dates: Island Dreams Event Design
Invitations and Signage: Maidenwood Press
Photobooth: Salty Snaps MV
Libations: Jim’s Package Store
