We recently celebrated our first anniversary. We did what we could to make it feel special while still practicing isolation. We had dinner together, enjoyed a buttermilk pound cake I baked, watched our wedding video and exchanged gifts. Traditionally, first anniversary gifts are paper and we decided we wanted to follow that tradition. Here are some great paper gift ideas to give your spouse for your one year anniversary. 1. Anniversary Journal - This journal gives you and your spouse something to do each and every year. Add in your favorite memories and pictures of that year. We loved filling in the first year anniversary page together.
2. Custom Watercolor Portrait - The Paper Betty has so many different options of custom watercolor portraits. This would be a great piece to add to your home. We have a custom watercolor of Jim and I on our wedding day and we absolutely love it. 3. Photo Album - You could make a wedding photo album or an album highlighting your honeymoon. You will love to look back at those memories for years to come. Plus, they make great coffee table books. There are so many great paper gift ideas. Share some of you favorites with me.
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After one year of being married, we are so excited to celebrate our first anniversary. Traditionally, the first anniversary gift is paper, so I'll share some paper gift ideas in my next blog post. Reflecting back, it seems like just yesterday we had our dream wedding. We had the time of our lives at our wedding and it truly was the most wonderful day. We have gotten so many questions about Columbus vendors and we thought we would share and highlight them here.
Bridal Salon: Wendy's Bridal
I had such a wonderful experience shopping for my wedding dress at Wendy's. I expressed to my consultant that I didn't know what I wanted but I knew what I didn't want. After discussing styles, cuts and fabrics, she pulled a dress for me to try on. It was the first one I tried on at Wendy's and I immediately loved it. You know you found your dream dress when you don't want to take it off. I felt that my consultant really listened to me and understand exactly what I was looking for. Dress Alterations: Carolyn Fang Exceptional work! Carolyn made me feel so comfortable and confident in how my dress should look and feel. She is exceptional at her craft and made me feel like my dress was made exclusively for me. I highly, highly recommend her. Venue: The Ohio Statehouse There are so many beautiful venues in Columbus but the Statehouse just felt right. Because we were having a military wedding, a historical government building was truly the perfect venue for us. Plus the elegance and grandeur of the Statehouse just made it the full package. The event coordinator, Shannon, listened carefully, welcomed all our ideas and executed them to perfection. Coordinator: Tanya Irelan She thought of the answers to questions we didn't even know to ask. She has so much experience and has truly done it all. She really understood what Jimmy and I were looking for and helped make it happen. Even if you don't think you need a wedding planner, I would at least look into hiring her to create your timeline or to help out on the day of, allowing you and your family to enjoy the day while she handles the details. Invitations: Avant-Garde Impressions We were initially looking at invitations from a large paper distributer like Minted or Shutterfly. Once we started comparing prices to a local paper company and there wasn’t much difference, we decided to keep our business local. They were so patient with us looking at fonts, creating mock invitations...multiple times, and finalizing every little detail to get our invitation exactly how we wanted it. We were so happy that we were able to get exactly what we wanted while also supporting a small business. Flowers: Flowerman When a friend suggested The Flowerman, where you arrange the flowers yourself, we were skeptical. After meeting with numerous other florists we decided to schedule a meeting. At the beginning of our appointment, our skepticism immediately melted away. We were so impressed with everything and everyone involved. Using The Flowerman enabled us to create our vision for flowers within our budget. At our DIY day, our designer showed us how to do each step and walked us through boutonnieres, bouquets, and various centerpiece arrangements. She made the bridal bouquet for me and it was absolutely perfect. This was one of our biggest money savers and I would definitely do it again. Caterer: Milos First, I’d like to say how accommodating they were to schedule us a time for a tasting when Jimmy was in town on leave from the military. At our tasting, we truly enjoyed everything we tasted. However, the appetizers we chose for our guests were amazing and we had so many compliments on the food. Additionally, they were able to help us identify signature drinks based on our likes and dislikes. For our reception, we had an open bar but featured the Mermaid Splash and the Semper Fi Sour. Cake: Enticing Icing Enticing Icing came recommended to us from family friends. Cindy is exceptionally talented at both flavor and design. She had so many amazing flavors at our tasting but we loved her Sour Cream Almond Cake and added dark chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries. It was truly the best cake we had ever had. She totally nailed the design we were looking for too. To top it off, her pricing was beyond reasonable. She also sends you a complimentary new cake for your first anniversary that way you don’t have to eat year old cake. How amazing is that?! Band: Blue Water Kings A hidden gem in Columbus. They have monthly sets where you can go listen to them live and speak with the band after the show. There are so many options when working with the Blue Water Kings. When it comes to music, the Blue Water Kings provide a one stop shop. Whether you want a string trio for the ceremony or a full band for the reception, they can do it all. Plus, they give you so much musical freedom in choosing what you want for all aspects of your day, it was a no brainer. We had a string trio for ceremony, piano and sax for cocktail hour and an eight piece band for the reception which included an MC for the evening! Photographer: Banks Photography I have known Karla for years and knew she was the only one that was going to shoot my wedding. She's quick and efficient but gets the amazing shots while making everyone feel comfortable. Videographer: Columbus Wedding Videos We were on the fence about whether we needed a videographer just like so many other brides. We decided it was better to spend the money and have something than regret it later down the road. This was the best decision we made with wedding planning. I was concerned when looking for a videographer because there was such a large range in prices. I wanted to find a package that included a highlight video as well as the full ceremony and all of the speeches from the reception. Columbus Wedding Videos had a great package that included everything I wanted for a super reasonable price. They executed a well put together highlight video that flowed and told our story. I can't imagine not having these videos now. You can watch our highlight video below.
If you have any additional questions that I can help answer regarding vendors in Columbus, Ohio, please feel free to email me.
xoxox, The Kennys
In case you missed it, I recently went to the Bahamas on a cruise for my Bachelorette Party. I brought my bridesmaids, my mother and my future mother-in-law and we had such an amazing time relaxing in the sun. Here is another look at our highlight video.
Since they took time off work to celebrate my upcoming wedding, I wanted to give them a goodie bags filled with things that they might need over the weekend as a small thank you. Here is what I included in my Bachelorette Bridesmaids Bags.
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I hope this helps when you are packing for your Bachelorette weekend. Bon voyage!
Planning a wedding while working full-time is no joke. My mom has been such a rockstar helping with so much. We were both in need for some serious R&R. While deciding what I wanted to do for my bachelorette, I really thought my mom and future mother-in-law could use a vacay too. I didn't want a super rowdy bachelorette with genital decor and strippers, that's just not me. I wanted a getaway trip with some sunshine and maybe a Coco Loco or two. After much consideration, a cruise seemed like the best decision for a weekend escape from the cold. Five of my bridesmaids, my mother, future mother-in-law and myself all flew down to Miami, Florida and boarded Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas to the Bahamas. We had a FABULESS time. Check out our trip below.
For those of you that have never cruised before, I highly suggest looking into it. You get a wonderful and well thought out trip for a great price. This was my 5th or 6th cruise and Royal Caribbean never disappoints. If you're local to Columbus, check out Magic Cruises for all your booking needs. Now it's time to finish planning this wedding.
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