When thinking of what else we could offer via this platform, we immediately thought of the ups and downs of something we are experiencing currently – planning our wedding! If you’re a day one follower, you already know a bit of our story. However, we thought we’d use this series to get a little more personal – something many of you requested from us going into 2019. So, to kick things off we’ll get into how we met & how he asked. As well as what we’ll be covering in this series each month up until our September wedding!
How we Met
Our story isn’t wild or overly romantic, but we really value how we met as we believe it’s the reason that we have such a strong foundation. Greg and I met at the very start of 2015. I was starting my post-college life with a new job & just moved into a party house in the city (Fed Hill for you locals). The company had a heavy emphasis on culture, and everyone spent a lot of time of the in-office bar just about each week Wednesday-Friday ?. Greg was always behind the bar cracking jokes and ensuring that everyone was happy & having a good time, which was something that I admired about him. Throughout the year, we became great friends as we always found ourselves bonding over office drama and making light of the stressful days. We were both at weird, but exciting times in our lives as G is 7 years older than me (yes, 7 #agegap) and we were both going through some tough breakups. We’re not really sure what clicked after that, maybe it was G’s failed attempts on Tinder or the fact that we could freakishly lock eyes and read each other’s minds (barf, I know). But we began dating that July and haven’t looked back!
I come from a financially career-focused family, so buying a house was a major goal of mine. It was such awkward timing for me to have found my dream home because we had only been dating for about a year, but after living in a frat house (if you know, you know) I knew I didn’t want anyone else to be my roomie. We always had a good time, spent almost every evening together, and I legit had butterflies before every date even a year into it. I was so nervous to ask him, thinking that he would definitely think I’m crazy and break up with me. It was around my birthday, and I was trying to think of an awkward way to ask him to move in with me (we love awkward jokes, don’t ask why). So, I decided to write it as one of my wishlist items for my birthday. I gave him the list and he was ecstatic, claiming he thought I’d never ask – phew! We definitely had people judging our decision “wow that’s fast” is even a message I got from friends. But, as they say, when ya know – ya know and we definitely knew and did not care. So, that May, we began our journey in #ourcitynest and bonded over our unknown passion for projects & decor as we had next to nothing going into it – we literally ate on the floor with lawn chairs for the first few weeks waiting for furniture.
We brought Hudson (Huey, @hueypuppy) into our family later that Fall and cannot remember what it was like before him! Over the last few years, we have learned so much and I tell people all the time how Greg has made me a better, more understanding person that doesn’t compare myself to others or worry what other people think anymore (it’s a great feeling, btw). We certainly aren’t perfect, but at the end of the day we try to end every argument with a laugh and are complete open books when it comes to our day-to-day & dreams.
How he Asked
Picking out the Ring
We had always joked about getting married and I’d have this feeling of holy sh*t I am not ready for that. Mainly because I knew that personally I still wanted to be accomplished within my career & our future plans. That was until about the end of 2017. We had been dating for a little over 2 years and are huge planners (control freak over here) so we set getting engaged as a big milestone for us in 2018. Everyone always asks – “did you pick out your ring or was it a surprise?”. I will preface this by saying do exactly what you think you want to do, period. However, my mindset was that this is a sh*tload of money and something that I want to love and wear for the rest of my life. Greg agreed, and in the Spring we went to his family jeweler Benari Jewelers (he grew up near Philly) to look at stones & settings within his budget. Tip #1: Rings do not appear as they do on Instagram! This made me laugh when the jeweler said this, but it was so true. Everything looks bigger on Instagram, so while it helps to browse – I highly suggest going (even if it’s alone, with a friend, etc.) to try on all the different styles to see what looks best on you! Some people have also asked, “didn’t that spoil the surprise?” but it really didn’t for me. I saw the stone and the setting, but not the finished product and knew in the end I wouldn’t feel guilt or be in a position of having to say I loved something that I may not have. To each their own!
The Proposal
I had told G that I wanted our proposal to be something between the two of us, with a celebration following that special moment. He had let me know that it would definitely happen that year (I told you, we are insane planners) and so I just went on enjoying the summer. My close friends will laugh reading this, as just about weeks before he asked I began to wonder when the hell he was going to do it and tried my best to remain calm. The wedding industry is insane, and I knew venues would be booking quickly for the following Fall.
On August 25th, we made plans to stay home that weekend and take Hudson to a local bar on the water, then meet up with some friends. You always hear people’s stories and laugh at the dead giveaways, but truly in it – you just think you are excited, overthinking it, and hopeful. We walked through the park and got to the bar and I remember thinking wow, ok – not today! We had a few drinks & made our way back home but after forcing he and Hudson to take some photos (typical), Greg pulled me aside in the park and proposed. It wouldn’t be a proposal without a hiccup – Hudson jumped up and knocked the ring into the grass and almost had a “dog ate my wedding ring” moment. It was definitely a surreal moment and you most definitely brown out as everyone says.
My parents were hiding out in the park to take photos & we took some time to enjoy the moment. We returned home to drop Hudson before “getting food”, and little did I know, all of our closest friends surprised & welcomed us with a party! It was so low key and casual, and exactly what it is all about. Everyone talks about the joy of that time in your life & to savour it. I’ll never forget the feeling we had for even weeks after & can’t wait to feel it all over again this September!
What to expect out of Wedding Wednesdays
Each month, we’ll be sharing the realness behind planning a wedding and how to not overwhelm yourself. During this time of your life, you’ll literally hear everything under the sun, from everyone under the sun. I think I have done a great job of filtering things out and always resorting back to reason and what we want the day to be like. So, we truly think our advice will help any of you that are planning, or a friend or family member of a couple going through it! Below is an outline of the topics we plan on covering – please let us know your thoughts!
- Getting Started 101
- Our Planning Process & Mindset
- Best Planning Resources
- How to Include Your Partner
- How to Choose Your Bridal Party
- Choosing Vendors
- Engagement Session Tips
- Building your Wedding Website
- Finding The Dress
- Budgeting Resources
- Traditions to Include, or Not
- Bachelorette Planning
- Post-Wedding Planning