In mid-November, my boyfriend and I began planning our wedding, even though we weren't engaged! We're living in TN, but are originally from PA, so we decided to have our wedding in our home state. So, the planning began by googling "Beautiful Places to have a wedding in PA" and Moonstone Manor popped out! We were thrilled to find something within an hour of looking for a venue.
After seeing photo after photo after photo of this place, we set-up a day to see it in-person when we returned back to PA for Christmas. From there, we contacted bakeries, florists, caterers and everything else in-between. And, this was before getting engaged, which to some sounds far-fetched. I mean, in my heart I knew it was coming and we had a trip to St. Augustine for our 2-year anniversary, so I was hoping it would be in Florida.
And, a few weeks later when we went to Florida, it happened. He proposed to me on a sailboat, which he booked just for us. It was private, romantic and the sun was setting. He had it planned since August and I couldn't believe the moment was happening. I was in a state of shock and watched wedding proposals the previous weeks imagining how my reaction would be. And, when he proposed, I couldn't help but put my hand over my mouth. And, of course I said yes.
We agreed to break the news of our engagement at a dinner we set-up for our parents on December 20th. So, I kept this secret from family and friends for almost a month and it was difficult.
And, when we got back to TN, we started really planning it. You'll never understand how much of a pain in the behind planning a wedding in another state is. Without seeing everything, it's rather difficult. So, we decided to set everything up in one day so we wouldn't be running back and forth. The venue, caterer, bakery and florist were set-up on the Monday before Christmas.
Our parents were thrilled to hear this announcement and were very excited for our future together.
And, so, if you're trying to plan a wedding in another state, here are some things to keep in mind:
1) When planning a wedding in another state, find out about the marriage license laws. In PA, the license expires after 60 days, getting it a year in advance is not an option. Just plan ahead.
2) Do everything early. If you've moved to another state, but wish to have it in your hometown, try to plan on seeing everything in a day or so. Go see your venue, taste-test the cake and your wedding food and pick out the flowers.
3) Before you're engaged, have an idea of what you want. I'm not saying to plan the whole thing out like we did, I'm just saying form an idea about how you want your wedding to turn out.
4) Try wedding dresses on when you're home. Unless you don't care about your mom or close friends going with you, I'd try on gowns when you're home. It will make you feel less lonely.