A Planner's Paradise {Amanda & Luke}

When I sat down to write this blog, I couldn’t decide what angle to take-- it is my own wedding, after all!  The more I thought about it, I realized I should do what I always do-- thank the vendors!!

I got engaged last July (first thank you is to Peter Boone at Boone & Sons in Chevy Chase for my most fabulous engagement ring) and was then stuck with the task-- plan my own wedding?!  Sounds harder than you think for a planner!  After toying with a bayside Annapolis wedding, an elegant DC affair, or the many other local choices, I finally decided to head 1,214 miles away to Grace Bay Beach in Turks & Caicos.  Although we did lose some guests due to the distance-- what a blast we had!  A little secret though-- we were already married!

Luke and I got married about a month before our T&C celebration at St. Charles Chapel in Arlington, Va.  It was a simple ceremony with just some close family and a gorgeous bouquet!  The talented duo of Rick and Christopher of Amaryllis provided me with a gorgeous display of peonies, sweet peas, and ranunculus in shades of pink-- I still dream about that bouquet!

If you know Luke and I-- we LOVE color!!  Our first stop was to work with the wonderful Jen Liljegren of Lilypad Weddings!  She created gorgeous invitations for us in our color scheme of sea green and coral.   Jen also created amazing coasters, menu cards, escort cards, and programs for the big day!

I hired Teresa Brunner, a local wedding planner with Tropical Destination Management, to help me with logistics!  She was absolutely wonderful and I was so thankful to have a contact on the Island!  One of the wonderful things about having all of your guests with you on vacation-- you can plan fun activities!  Luke took some boys bonefishing and I got to go snorkeling with a boat full of my friends!  We had an awesome beach BBQ bonfire party to kick off the celebrations!  Thank you Kissing Fish for doing such an amazing job!

Up next: Day Two of the Destination Wedding Weekend!