Wedding planning can be daunting: it’s full of complexities, joys, decisions, and challenges leading up to the perfect day. It’s a journey. And while no words on a page can fully prepare you for embarking on that journey, in this case study, we give you a first-hand account from the first decision to the final production.
Whether you’re a bride, groom, parent, or simply here to fill your vision board, we hope this answers some of the looming questions that come from planning a wedding.
CHOOSING A WEDDING PLANNER
Read: Looking for the right people to take the chaos and put it in its place
That’s exactly what Bailey, her mother, Shelby, and her fiancee, Jake, were looking for when they sat down with the LK team for the first time. They didn’t know what to expect, but they knew they needed an expert. They knew they needed direction. And more than anything, they knew they needed a connection.
Bailey, like most brides, had her dream wedding venue in mind. Upon booking, she, Jake, and her mom sat down with a list of potential wedding planners and started from there. After a quick meeting with Linsday and Stephanie from LK, they knew they hadn’t just found an expert, but someone they could have fun with.
They just kind of got our vibe.
— Shelby, Mother of the Bride
Not every planner is for every person– it’s important to find a match. With trust on both sides of the table, it gives the event the best chance of success.
I could tell the bride & groom were comfortable.
— Stephanie, LK Wedding Planner
They didn’t want to play it safe.
While Bailey and her mom felt like they had found the people they could trust to pull off the first big wedding in the family, Lindsay and Stephanie were immediately inspired. Their wheels were turning from the first look at Bailey’s personal style. Palettes, patterns, and designs were already at play.
LAYING THE GROUNDWORK
Know what you like. Know what you don’t like.
Immediately following the selection of LK Events & Design, the team gets to work. As the client, you establish the flow. How many meetings do you want to have? How many decisions do you want to make a day? For Bailey, it was one big decision a day. Lindsay and Stephanie made that happen.
I didn’t really know what I wanted. Then they showed me things I knew I had to have.
— Bailey, Bride
To get an understanding of taste, the team creates a shared album– in it, the Bride and her family can put anything they want, from colors and patterns they love to things they hate. From there the LK team finds common threads and stitches together a game plan, setting the early stages of planning in motion.
The Masters at Work
Following the initial decisions and inspiration dump, Lindsay and Stephanie sat down to discuss the game plan. It became clear right away– this client, along with the LK team, didn’t want the wedding to feel like something they had seen before.
The Planning Bible
Stephanie and Lindsay sat down with Bailey and Shelby to share their initial thoughts– a booklet of design decks based on inspiration saved and conversations had. It’s this moment that wedding planners put their skills to the test– how will the vision be received?
In this case, it was yesses all around, as Lindsay and Stephanie watched Bailey, who didn’t quite know what she wanted, see exactly what she wanted.
From here, that initial design deck becomes the working wedding plan– it’s continually updated, changed, reshuffled, and presented, all the way up to the day of the wedding.
THE EARLY DECISIONS
The first big choices set the tone for everything
Early decisions help guide everything else. In this part of the process, the team looks to set the tone for the entire event. They locked in the objective vendors first– that’s every vendor that needs to give its full attention to the event on the day of– the venue, the photo/videographer, florists, and more.
The Venue
The date was set for early July at the Omni Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. A classic and beautiful location, but more importantly, home to many long weekends for Bailey and her family.
The venue offered many unique qualities, but came with a few hardhats. The resort was undergoing a major renovation at the time that left much up in the air for the LK team– they didn’t know what color the walls would be, what would stay, or what would go. But they pressed on.
Outside Design
The Lawn
The lawn is where the magic happened. The ceremony view was unmatched, nestled in a valley in the Virginia mountains. The team aimed to create a ceremony layout that wove itself into the landscape.
The Aisle
When it came to the aisle, Lindsay had an idea. So she grabbed a pen and paper and sketched it out. A low, serpentine, floral line aisle curving throughout the space, offering a fresh take on the typical wedding aisle walkways
The Cocktail Hour
Following the ceremony, the cocktail hour created a thread between the outdoor, ceremony portion of the day and the indoor ballroom reception.
Inside the Homestead
The layout of a space provides the framework for the rest of the design process– the floor plan dictates the run of show, so the team worked to design a reception setup that helped the event flow naturally from start to finish, but also added depth and dimension to the space, without affecting the budget.
The Punch Piece
The team always works to create one focal point, that draws in the eye and commands the space. For this wedding, it was the stage. The dancefloor and stage, accompanied by a backdrop and facade would provide visual interest and create a centerpiece for the ballroom.
Everything on the Table
Nothing was out of the question when it came to planning the table design–the Homestead Ballroom gave the LK team space to play, and play they did by combining rounds and rectangles complete with various styles of linens and chairs to help create a dynamic and unexpected feel.
The wedding floorplan & table designs.
VIBES, VISION & PLANNING AROUND CONSTRUCTION
The venue had been set, but what to do with it? Color, florals, and patterns, were all at play in the initial decision-making process. These choices dictated the ambiance— it can make the day elegant, or refined, or scenic, or in this case, all of the above.
Curating a Vibe
With vibes and mood boards comes a long list of needs– stationery, flowers, welcome bags, and more.
Vendors on Vendors
Over the years of planning, the LK team already had strong vendor relationships in place to make this process easy. Bailey received options for every decision– typically 2-3 vendors per category.
The LK will typically select options based on the overall style of the bride in addition to their work ethic, punctuality and responsiveness, and budget. Every vendor the team put forward came with a stamp of approval– the team knew they’d be fit for the job.
Anything but Pink
Bailey and Jake weren’t afraid of color, so Lindsay and Stephanie pulled together a bright yet classic palette.
Every group of sisters has a pink sister and a blue sister. I’m the blue sister, and I didn’t even have to tell them. It’s like they knew I didn’t want pink in my wedding.
— Bailey, Bride
Rather than pink, it was blues, lavenders, and summer greens with a pop of citrus to add some flare.
Florals
Flowers followed suit, with statement arrangements lining the ceremony, cocktail hour, and ceremony.
Building with Blindfolds On
The classic ballroom Bailey grew up with was undergoing a major interior reboot. The team had no idea what it would become, so instead of focusing on what could be they focused on the pieces they could control.
Classic yet Fresh
The homestead had classic details– lavish chandeliers, a massive lattice floral rug, and ornate decor. Rather than shying away from it (whether it would be there post-construction or not,) the team put it all in play– patterns on patterns, a botanical aesthetic, and a grand, yet refined, feel.
WAIT, MORE DECISIONS?
Once the big decisions are made, the real fun begins for the planners. Vendor sourcing, stationery, signature cocktails, lighting. It all makes a mood. Decision fatigue gets real in times like this– but that’s where trust in the LK team came back into play for Bailey, Jake, and Shelby.
Everything else is icing on the cake—but I really like icing.
— Shelby, Mother of the Bride
Lindsay and Stephanie, staying true to the one decision a day mantra presented every decision as a set of options. Be it 3 color options for stationery or place settings, they worked their way down the list, guiding every step of the way. They gave honest opinions– on what will look best, but also how it will affect budget and guest experiences.
The devil in the details. The mood makers. The little things.
When the decision fatigue set in, the team didn’t slow down. This was the time to consider the extras– everything Lindsay and Stephanie had learned about the bride and groom helped inform and curate little details, nods to their personalities, and the things that have made the relationship special.
A Warm Welcome
Maine Blueberry Syrup to represent Jake’s hometown in Maine, a custom deck of cards because the couple loves playing games, and printed cards to kick off the aesthetic of the wedding upon the guest’s arrival.
The Original Homestead
The construction at the venue created some roadblocks (for instance, the great hall carpet was removed), but it also created some opportunities to pay homage to the venue’s original iconic venue design. Lindsay and Stephanie found ways to breathe life from vacation’s-past right into the event through curated details.
The yellow and green lattice elements in the Great Hall were woven into the stationery design, stage backdrop, linens, and more.
The Bridal Bouquet
While it followed the mood of the rest of the event, Baileys bridal bouquet included a nod to Jake, who used to pick a tulip for Bailey when walking to her dorm in college.
Tied Off with a Bow
The dress had a bow and the ideas fell from there. Lindsay and Stephanie curated a handful of small bow details in discrete ways throughout the production, weaving a concept throughout that grounded the event in a classic, chic, way.
Every little thing we do has a rationale. But when it comes to detail, we don’t expect most guests to notice all of the thought there–we don’t want every piece to be obvious, but rather a nice surprise. An extra polish.
— Lindsay, LK Wedding Planner
GO TIME
All of the planning work comes to a head
As Bailey and her bridesmaids got ready in a Homestead suite. She had a bird’s eye view of the garden, where Lindsay, Stephanie, and the team of vendors were hard at work.
It was really awesome to see the team who so quickly became my friends, in their element.
— Bailey, Bride
For the planners, the day-of is all about choreography– knowing where everyone is at all times, and ensuring nothing gets lost in the shuffle. Every detail, every heirloom, small and large was hand-placed. When guests arrived, it was all about making sure they had a good time, and everything ran smoothly. And for the most part it did. Everything was planned and in place, from the grand entrance to the bubble send-off.
The day was so relaxed, if anything went wrong, we didn’t notice.
— Shelby, Mother of the Bride
Sneak Peaks: The Calm Before the Storm
The bridal party got sneak peeks along the way– when the reception hall was ready to go, Bailey took a final walkthrough to see everything they’d all been planning come to life pre-party, when everything was quiet.
Heating Things Up: Whether they liked it or not
There’s always room at an event for the unexpected. The team has grown to learn it’s not about the chaos that ensues but how you handle it when it does. This particular chaos? The reception hall lost air conditioning. The LK team brought in fans to cool down the room. And as fate would have it, the dinner menus doubled as perfect pocket fans. And what could have been a disaster rolled off everyone’s backs because the trust was there, and everyone stayed cool (mostly) in the mid-summer heat.
A Moment Alone: Taking Care of VIP Guests
The bride and groom are the most important guests at any wedding. It was important for Bailey and Jake to have moments to themselves throughout the night– to take it all in. Lindsay and Stephanie worked hard to ensure that happened, and those moments stand out to Bailey and Jake as some of their best memories, even a year later.
IDEA TO EXECUTION
Pushing the envelope for results we’ll never forget
For Bailey, having Lindsay and Stephanie there on her wedding day felt comparable to having her best friends by her side. She knew they could nail it, and they didn’t disappoint.
For LK Events and Design, it was a perfect transition from the plan to the final event— a seamless event that truly brought their vision to life.
And what started as a quick vibe check and became so much more. A true friendship built on trust, logistics made actually fun, and a wedding that guests are still talking about.
They quietly flew under the radar and got shit done.
— Shelby, Mother of the Bride
THE MAJOR PLAYERS
- LK Events and Design, planning & design
- The Omni Homstead Resort, venue
- Demi Mabry, photography
- Yeattes Productions, cinematographer
- Steelcut Flower Co, flowers
- Anna Breeding, hair & makeup
- Chez La Marieé, stationery & live artistry
- Paisley and Jade, rentals
- Rent Equip, rentals
- Emerson James, rentals
- BBJ La Tavola, rentals
- 76 Degrees West via East Coast Entertainment, band