Islanders, I've been working to shape and execute a rustic bride's wedding vision. This client is near and dear to my heart. Our moms are close... Like, really close. Her mom is lovingly known as my mom's "light-skinned sister."
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| That's just little ol' me and my "light-skinned" auntie. |
Anyhoo, shortly after her engagement, my bride reached out for wedding planning assistance. She wanted to execute the rustic barn weddings we've seen all over blogland and Pinterest. You know the ones:
She also informed me she was purchasing a home and wanted to keep control over her budget. My first task? To find the perfect venue - a barn that is affordable and beautiful, rustic and chic.
The Barn at Aspen Grove to the rescue!
There's rustic charm, a beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and, most importantly for me, it was well under the established budget.
We booked a year ago and we were excited when the venue informed us over the summer the owners were planning some updates to the property in time for their spring 2014 weddings. The original planned updates included: a stone patio and walkway for the outdoor ceremony space, updated landscaping, and other external aesthetic changes. We weren't, however, happy when my client received an email that the owners were also adding the construction of a new reception space to the list. OMG! Imagine the bride. She fell in love with those images above. She planned for the space and visited a couple times to ensure she could move forward with planned activities. Now, we had no idea what the space would even LOOK like.
With the wedding less than a month away, we (my bride, her parents and I) scheduled a walkthrough. It was before the open house (which will be hosted the weekend BEFORE our wedding). Sure, the space wasn't ready but... I mean, we needed to plan and to know the layout well before the wedding day, right?!
Right.
Islanders, would you believe this Saturday, April 5, 2014, we arrived to a construction zone?
Seriously. 4 weekends until our wedding and nothing was finished. Construction mud was all over the place, the new reception space didn't have a finished roof... or floors... or bathrooms... the workers were cutting slate for the walkway and patio but it was no where NEAR completion. There were piles of stuff and -- we were panicked. No where near as panicked as the bride who is getting married THIS coming weekend should be but, well, panicked nonetheless.
Things were 50% complete. I'm sure there will be a workable solution by this weekend but I'm expecting to have the 100% solution by our wedding date. On the upside, I was able to see the space and to begin devising my plan for the layout and such.
Rather than share what's going on with the plans, I just need you guys to pray... to cross your fingers and toes that my beloved bride has the rustic wedding of her dreams... in the finished space... with finished bathrooms... and grass... NOT mud and gravel.
O and yes, I do have lots of ideas (we had wood slice save-the-dates, burlap-and-lace invites, I'm handling floral design to include: mason jar aisle arrangements, hanging mason jar arrangements from the pergola, oversized jenga yard games and so much more...). I'll share the finished photos later but right now? I'm off to say a quick prayer that all goes well with the construction!
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