Wedding Planner, Maid of Honor and Florist - How I pulled off all three roles at my sister's wedding

First off, I want to thank my sister and her new husband for giving me my first wedding planning role. I've always loved planning parties and this one had me jumping for joy from the moment I found out they were enganged. I was estatic when they asked me to be their wedding planner and Maid of Honor, and then later as the budget squeezed - their florist! It was so much to manage and I have to say, without the help of amazing family and a stellar wedding party (and their plus ones) it wouldn't have been possible.

The draft table setting we put together with Cranberry Sky Rentals during the our walkthrough at the lovely Evergreen Gardens.

Here's what I did - the 3 of us (sis, future bro-in-law and me) went to the beautiful Evergreen Gardens in Ferndale, WA three months before the wedding to look at their amazing collection of wedding decor. Right then and there, we chose our centerpiece decor, styled it and took photos. We also met our rental company - Cranberry Sky - and picked out our place settings. We were able to set our table and take pictures that day too!

The "rough" centerpiece photo we used as a guide for day-of set up.

Two months before the wedding, I created five teams of family and friends. Each team had a designated team lead (I was the Floral team Lead) to prepare the crew for their set-up assignments the morning of the wedding. Every team had a list of all their set-up tasks and I even put together a video call for the team leads a few weeks in advance - in case they had any questions. I sorted through all the decor that had been purchased and put together a large box for each team filled with items they needed (signs, vases, photos, tape, scissors, pens, etc.) and printed photos of what their set up would look like. These photos were taped to the inside of each box.

After the rehearsal dinner, the team leads met with their group of family, wedding party members and plus ones. Everyone was able to discuss what their role in setup would entail the following morning. That night the whole group also processed 1,000s of flowers (but I'll save that for another blog post!)

The morning of the wedding, I was so nervous about set up, but the family and friend volunteers blew me away! Everyone knew their tasks and had their supplies, we were able to set up the welcome sign, ceremony arch, table settings, centerpieces, decorative tables, mix batch cocktails and hang signage throughout the venue in under two hours. The months of planning for that moment was absolutely well worth it, as it made for a stress free day for the bride and groom, completely stress free! (That was the first thing they told me the morning after the wedding.)

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It was a beautiful wedding, with incredible people, and I'm so thrilled to say it was the first wedding (besides my own) that I have planned, but it certainly won't be the last!

XOXO,

Nina

Gallery Photo Credit - Jerome Tso Photography