New Review!
Check out our latest review for Fair Oaks from Matilda and Steve:
“This venue will blow your mind! It’s truly all inclusive! The food was amazing and we got a lot of it! The banquet captain took care of our every need. This venue is everything amd so much morw. Great value!”
Thanks so much! If you’re a recent Waterford bride or groom, please feel free to review us on our facebook page or on weddingwire.com
More Photos!
Check out some of the gorgeous photos that Jessica and Jon from Paired Images took of our wedding at Waterford at Springfield on September 4th…
Enjoy!
-Steph
9.4.2011
I can’t believe it, but the wedding has come and gone. It was an incredible weekend, due in huge part to the incredible job that the staff at Waterford did. I’ll be updating with photos and posts in the coming weeks, but for now, enjoy these:
Details, Details, Details
Well, we’re getting down to the wire. I remember when my countdown was over 400 days, and now it’s just under 20. It’s crazy. I’ve spent so much time and energy planning the perfect day for my friends and family. I hope that it is a beautiful celebration of love and life. I’ve learned a couple of important things along the way that I want to share:
-It’s a good idea to get someone to help out on the day of. You don’t have to pay thousands of dollars for a planner (although if you have the money, go for it!) A friend whom you trust with the details can be just as helpful. And of course, the staff at Waterford is always there to help with whatever our customers need.
-Problems will come up, but the better prepared you are, the more smoothly the day will go. An emergency kit is a good way to head off any disasters. The one below is fairly comprehensive.
The biggest thing I’ve learned, is that I have to trust all of my hard work in planning to make a perfect day. I have to allow the people around me to take care of the details, because hopefully I only get to do this once! Enjoy your special days. I can’t wait until after the wedding when I get the photos back to share with you all of the amazing moments that we’re sure to have.
Happy Planning!
-Steph
Photo via: http://margotmadison.blogspot.com/2011/08/bridesmaids-save-wedding-day-disasters.html
Please see the link for details and consider joining us for this important cause…
Calling Waterford Brides and Wedding Professionals
Are you a recent Waterford married couple or a photographer? We’d love to share your photos and your experience here on Waterford’s blog. Please contact Stephanie at waterfordreceptions@gmail.com if you’re interested.
The Dress that Tricked Me
If you’ve been wedding dress shopping, you know that it can sometimes be a harrowing experience. In my case, I thought that I had fallen in love with a dress, when really, it wasn’t the one for me. I was shopping with one of my bridesmaids and two close friends. The sales consultant saw me eyeing the gown, but it was not one of the ones that I picked out to try on.
I put it on and came out to show my friends. I liked it when I saw it in the mirror and deemed it fit to show my entourage. I saw myself on the pedestal and got that “this is the one” feeling. I shed a few tears, and my friends agreed that it was perfect.
I blame a few things on my emotional response. It was the first dress that actually fit me, so a big part of me was relieved. It was the first dress that had a lot of the components that I loved. Organza, layers, sparkle. It was early in my wedding dress shopping adventures, so I was not prepared to put down a deposit that day. I left the salon, but kept thinking about that one dress.
The dress that tricked me.
My thoughts kept returning to certain aspects of the dress that I wanted to change. A little less layering, a little more bling. No ribbon belt, no floral detail. How could the dress be perfect, if there were so many aspects I wanted to change? I discovered that the number one rule of dress shopping is:
Don’t settle. If there are details about the dress that you want to change, IT IS NOT “THE ONE”.
I was lucky enough to find “the one” about a month later. It had the perfect balance of the aspects that I loved from the first dress, but in the best way possible. It was by a completely different designer, but was almost like a much improved version of the dress that tricked me. With the dress I actually purchased, I didn’t cry. Which brings me to another rule:
Just because you respond emotionally, it doesn’t always mean you’ve found “the one”.
Now, this rule is not fool proof. It is easy to fall in love and react emotionally to the dress because of a lot of external factors. My advice is to allow yourself to sleep on the decision. If you think about the dress and how perfect is, it’s probably the right one for you. If you obsess about everything you want to change about a dress, move on! But always, enjoy the process.
-Stephanie
Photo via http://www.projectwedding.com/post/list/designer-james-clifford-fall-2010
