Intimate Lakehouse Winter Wedding on Coeur d’Alene Lake

How long would you expect to take to plan your wedding? Maybe one year or even two, at least 6 months, right? The 2021 average engagement timeframe, according to Brides.com, is 13 months. Other sites will tell you it takes a minimum of 2-3 months to plan a successful wedding if you anticipate inviting guests outside your immediate family. Well, what if I told you this stunning wedding was planned in 5 weeks from beginning to end? And if I told you the couple lived out of state AND was traveling out of the country for 2 of those 5 weeks, would you believe me?

Is planning a wedding on such a truncated timeline something I advise couples to do? Definitely not. Is it something that can be done? Clearly, yes, but gone are the days of taking time to “sleep” on any major wedding planning decisions. If you and your significant other are thinking about planning a wedding in less than 8 weeks, the three biggest tips I will give you are… 1. Hire a wedding planner. No longer is this a want, but rather a necessity. Wedding planners know what needs to be prioritized, how to get things done in a swift manner, and who to speak with to ensure that happens. But it is also imperative that you fully trust this person and let them be your biggest advocate. 2. Be realistic with your budget and your guest count. Be prepared for some things to cost a bit more because of the short notice and don’t necessarily expect a 100+ person wedding if you haven’t given your guests ample time to plan accordingly. 3. Be open and willing to compromise. There may be items that just aren’t able to be accomplished on such a short timeline, so it is necessary to list out your 3 biggest priorities and be okay compromising on some of the items that didn’t make that list.

Now, enough of that logistics talk. Let’s get to the fun, pretty stuff! Aubrey and Caleb came to me with bits and pieces of a vision wanting help putting it all together and bringing in the perfect vendor team to execute that vision. The challenge was that they wanted a February wedding in North Idaho at Caleb’s family’s lake house with both the ceremony and the reception indoors. Whoo, okay! Thankfully, the guest count was to be no more than 55 people. Oh and to add a twist, within 6 days of booking my services they were going to be leaving the country, so in that short time we had two meetings where we created a solid foundation and design plan and assembled 80% of our vendor team.

Holy cow, how did you accomplish so much in such a short time, you may ask? It was all thanks to Aubrey and Caleb! They not only trusted me with their vision and that I would put together a vendor “A-Team”, but they were quick to make decisions and stick to those decisions, well most of them anyways. Take note of that engaged couples, yes there is usually room for changes, it is still important to be willing to trust your wedding professionals and commit to decisions on the big things within the wedding planning process. Looking back, even though that week felt a bit frantic for me, we accomplished so much, and it made their trip much less stressful on both me and them! In addition there was a 10-hour time difference not helping to make communication easy.

After they returned, we hit the ground running finalizing all the details. Somehow, we even found time to squeeze in a food tasting – THANK YOU Briar Catering!! All leading up to this magical day. Although we didn’t have snow like Aubrey was so praying we would, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect for a February day in Northern Idaho. The lake was really showing off, and the sun even poked through at the end creating the most beautiful sunset scenery! Such a successful room flip from ceremony to reception wouldn’t have been possible without the loving hands of so many friends and family members. Everybody wanted to make sure the day was absolutely perfect and just right for Aubrey and Caleb. And when the dance floor started to get popping, no one cared that it was a little tight and tables needed to be moved, it was all part of the intimate atmosphere this family-driven couple wanted to create. Even when it was time to clean up, everyone was willing to lend a helping hand. I don’t have the words to describe how grateful I am that they asked me to take charge of such a beautiful and special milestone in their lives.

And I can’t say thank you enough to this wonderful team of vendors for jumping in and exceeding all expectations!

Planner: A Piece of Harmony Events

Photographer: Yasmina Rose Photography

Caterer: Briar Catering

Florist: McBride Floral Design

Rentals: Event Rents & Lake City Rentals

Cake: Sweets Geeky Cakes

Dress: Cloud Nine Bridal

Whether you are thinking of planning a wedding in 2 months or in 24 months, a wedding planner is always a valuable asset to have on your team. If you are interested in learning more about my services head over to my contact page and let’s have a chat!

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