Why?

I’ll admit it: I’m obsessed with my wedding. In fact, I might be so obsessed it is considered psychologically unhealthy. Why might you ask? Because it was my dream come true. Better yet, it was my (now) husband’s dream come true. Sure there were hiccups – the Ave Maria didn’t get played during the meditation…I didn’t have champagne to toast with during the toasts… some guests ended up being difficult. But when I look at pictures of my wedding weekend, all I see is love and happiness. When I think about my wedding weekend, what I remember most strongly is love and happiness. When I dream about my wedding weekend, all I feel is love and happiness. And no hiccup is going to change that. Therefore, I love my wedding, because, well, it reminds me how much I am loved and that dreams really can come true.

The family and friends who attended the wedding weekend events were oozing joy and encouragement. It was incredible to have that many people in one place exuding that much love. Beyond the guests, even the vendors displayed an immense amount of affection, happiness, and support. From my photographer, to the band members, to the cake baker, to the catering manager, to the wait staff… everyone glowed. And when the people involved in one’s wedding have that many wonderful emotions pouring through them, those emotions will radiate from even the inanimate things at the event.

Thousands of hours and an endless amount of energy and love were put into the tiny details of “things,” not only by my vendors, but also by me. I did the calligraphy on all of the envelopes for the save-the-dates and the invitations. I did the calligraphy on the 200 place cards. My mom and I tied more bows out of satin ribbon than I could possibly count (ok, well, I think it was around 594 bows). I spent days crouched over specially selected white material while hand painting 60 yards of decorative scrolling in gold. I did those projects myself because I was very specific about what I wanted and I often could not find a company that could do them just right.

I was also really fortunate – I had the time to spend on the multitude of projects to which I committed myself. I had people that were completely supportive of me spending seven hours searching fabric stores for the perfect aisle runner material. I had people who would sit punching holes in paper for hours while I tied ribbon. I had the ability and know-how to come up with creative ideas and execute them.

But not every bride, or every person planning any event, has the time, energy, or ability to do all of these kinds of projects. After I got married, I kept thinking what a shame it would have been to have not had the special touches and elements I dreamed about for my wedding. That is when it hit me – I wanted every bride to have the chance to have all of those tiny details customized just for her and her future husband. I wanted every bride to have all of the details of her wedding glow with the love and energy put into them. I wanted every bride to be able to look at her soon-to-be-husband and say “All of this was done because we love each other.”

So, I decided to use my business (B.S., Georgetown University) and communication (M.A., University of Southern California) education and my event planning background to start First Impressions Designs in hope that in some small way I could make sure every bride’s dreams could come true.

(I also have to send out a special thank you to Sherri at SherriJ Photography – she was my fabulous photographer for my engagement shoot, my nuptial mass, and my main ceremony and reception. The pictures above, and many on my website, are thanks to her!)