We thought we’d wrap up the blogger’s wedding series with one of our favorite bloggers, Kathryn of Snippet & Ink. We’ve been reading Snippet & Ink for years and Kathryn’s posts are always the perfect blend of classic and modern. So it was no surprise that when she got married this past December, every detail was so gorgeous, elegant, and well thought-out!

Tell us a little bit about your blog and how you got started
“I’ve always really loved weddings – my mother and her creative friends really taught me an appreciation for detail and design, and weddings are a way to bring all of my favorite things together: luscious flowers, romantic dresses, perfect paper, delicious food, and love! Snippet & Ink started as a fun hobby that let me spend time with those things, and somehow turned into my full-time job.”

Tell us a little about you and your husband–how you met, the proposal, etc.
“Ryan and I met when we were both teaching in the Mississippi Delta, through Teach for America, after which we moved to Wisconsin for him to attend graduate school. Before our next move, to Austin, Texas, I guess he wanted to make things official! He proposed on a weekend trip to Door County, with a beautiful vintage cocktail ring.”

Wedding planning can turn a lot of perfectly normal girls into emotional wrecks! Any advice you can give for how to stay balanced during wedding planning?

“My mom would laugh if she knew I was answering this question, since I was a total emotional wreck for the whole first half of our engagement. But somehow, things finally came into perspective for me. A few things that helped me to stay sane:

• Thinking of our wedding day as a gift to our friends and families. Even though the day was about us, it wasn’t “our day.” Recognizing that weddings are also important to parents, grandparents, etc., we relinquished control of things that they really cared about, as long as it wasn’t in direct opposition to something that was a priority for us, and as long as we could afford it.
• Remembering that this was not the last party I’ll ever have. There were all kinds of ideas I loved that just didn’t fit into our wedding, and I decided that if they were that important to me, I could always apply them to a birthday or anniversary or baby shower. Not to mention that some things were just too expensive or time consuming to do for 100 people, but would be totally manageable for 10.
• Letting people take care of me. I’m not generally very good at this, and like to think I can/should do everything myself, but when it came to our wedding, I made room for the people who care about me to help. This required that I give up some of my control freak tendencies, which meant letting people do things their way, but ultimately it was totally worth it. Not only did it relieve some of my stress, but it also created a feeling of community and support that was unlike anything I’ve ever felt.
• Remembering that our guests wouldn’t know what my to do list looked like, so they wouldn’t know if something was missing. If it’s not fun or you don’t have time or you can’t afford it, then don’t do it. Either delegate to a friend or family member, hire someone to do it, or let it go entirely. Chances are that no one except you will even notice, and you’ll save your sanity.
• Expecting imperfection, and letting go of expectations. I think this sort of sums up everything else – just letting our wedding and the planning be what it was going to be, I was able to let go of a lot of the things that I thought mattered to me, and in the end I was able to really enjoy our engagement and our wedding day for what it was.

What was your favorite moment from your wedding?
“There were so many special moments, like walking out of the church with my new husband, and being completely surprised by a boys chorus singing Christmas carols! Our amazing planners, Laurie Arons and Jenna Lam, set it up without us ever having a clue.”

As a blogger, you see tons of amazing inspiration daily. How did you narrow all that inspiration down for your wedding?
“It took me forever to narrow it down – every time we looked at a new venue, I mentally planned the whole wedding there! We even had to put planning on hold because I was getting a little overwhelmed (aka crazy), and needed to step back a bit. Decisions were infinitely easier when we finally decided on a place and a date.”

Any advice for brides-to-be on how to get inspired for their own wedding?
“Don’t get your heart set on any specific detail, and let your location and season be your guide. If you love garden roses (like me), but they aren’t in season (in December for example), choose something else: there are always beautiful flowers available, and you can save garden roses for another party another time.”

Lots of brides are on tight budgets nowadays. In your experience, what are three things that are important not to scrimp on, and what are three things that could go?

“Even if you’re on a tight budget, hire a good photographer. I have several friends who chose one photographer over another because they were less expensive, and all of them regretted the decision once they got their photos back. And if at all possible, hire a wedding planner, or at least a day-of coordinator. The last thing you want to do on your wedding day is worry about logistics, and having someone there to make sure everything goes smoothly is priceless.

If you could go back and get married again, any changes you’d make?
“There are a few small things I’d probably change, but really the only thing that I have slight regrets about is not making a shot list for our family portraits. It made picture time more stressful than it needed to be, and we missed some important shots, like Ryan with his brother and sister, or the entire group all together.”

Vendors

Photographer: Elizabeth Messina Photographs
Venue: Presidio Social Club
Florist: Michaele Thunen Designs
Designer: Kathleen Deery Design
Cake: Perfect Endings
Planning, coordination: Laurie Arons Boutique Events, directed by Jenna Lam
Ceremony Venue: The Swedenborgian Church
Dress: Angel Sanchez purchased at Jin Wang
Invitations and paper products: PS Paper
Tent, Chiavari chairs: Classic Party Rentals