Here's how to plan a wedding in 3 days: Planning your wedding is a really incredible experience in your life. Most little girls (& mamas & besties) spend lots of time dreaming about how they're going to make their day as perfect as possible. As a former party professional, and contagiously optimistic person, I knew exactly one thing about my plan for a wedding: I wanted as little stress as possible.
A little more than a week before my now husband left for an extended work trip, I decided to go wedding dress shopping for the first time. At the door, I discovered that bridal boutiques make appointments. The bridal system isn't exactly made for "unknowns" but I also know that if you use the word "wedding" or "bride" the price jumps significantly. When the David's Bridal front desk asked when the big date was, I politely said "I don't know". Then they asked for the soonest date we might get married. I decided to shoot them straight with "maybe Tuesday?" (It was Saturday).
Plan a wedding in 3 days
Step 1: dress shopping
I know that some people really want to shop local, or at a beloved dress boutique that's not corporate but I will say that my experience at David's Bridal was top notch. I had a personal shopper choosing options in my size and budget- even though I didn't have an appointment. She helped me decide that this dress is "the one" and well... everything fell into place after that.
Step 2: location , invites, music & photography
For location I chose a public area with a waterfront view, beach, and outdoor tables. I knew that this location offered rooms inside for rental purposes (ideally food- which is how we used that space once we officially rented it. Since it was the weekend I couldn't get in touch with anyone in the office regarding the actual options available until Monday. Yes, one day before the event.
I sent digital invitations I made on Canva that evening. I also messaged a band and a photographer. Since it was Fat Tuesday (all in all, a pretty random day but also a school holiday in the deep south where I'm located) all of the last minute plans worked out without receiving a really any "no's."
Step 3: food & decor
Monday morning I went to a local grocery store to order catering for up to 100 people, because I'd rather have too much food than not enough. This particular grocery store shares publicly that they can cater for any group with 24 hours notice and they did not disappoint. The food was superb and most everything was sourced locally. The cake was outsourced to a close family friend, who took care of that entire process without blinking an eye.
After we confirmed food, I went to the office to determine whether we could have an indoor space. I didn't get my ideal indoor space (the upstairs restaurant area with a view) but we did confirm 2 large rooms downstairs. Enough for buffet style food, 3 cake tables, and a space for drinks. The last step in finishing things up was a trip to Sam's Club for basic supplies.
Monday afternoon we met with a minister to determine if he would marry us. That evening, I added balloon quads around the balcony, and larger dimensional balloon garlands in the areas where people would be dancing near the band. Tuesday morning we added white cloth tablecloths to all of the tables and simple centerpieces from my step sister's wedding last November. That afternoon, friends & family helped setup the food, right before our guests arrived. The end result?! Pretty fantastic.
This blog is called easiest party ever for a reason. I never realized how much I embodied that concept until I decided to plan a wedding in 3 days from start to finish. I'll share more information on the how-to's and products we used in a separate article later, but for now, I felt like it was important to share my key takeaway for anyone who might need it.
You don't have to elope. You don't have to have a big, fancy wedding either! You don't have to stress every detail. There's always a happy medium to every party in life. Decide what's most important to you for your ideal party. Then make it happen.
For me, my goals were:
- A dress I felt comfortable in
- Good food at a reasonable price
- Fun music (thankfully my brother is in a band)
- A nice view for photos
- Minimal time spent stressing
Somehow or another, my wedding day ended up being an easiest party ever. Thanks to a lot of help from all of the friends and family members who supported us.
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