Overall how do you feel about your wedding day?
Our wedding day was such a dream. I felt like I was truly able to be present with my husband, friends and family. Our vendors were the BEST and it was so surreal to see our vision come to fruition. The entire day went so smoothly and exceeded our expectations. I still look back at our pictures and videos in amazement that it actually all came together as beautifully as it did.
Details & Decor
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Would you have done anything different on wedding day?
I wish I would have prioritized buying comfortable/practical shoes vs fashionable. I ended up wearing slippers after dinner because my feet hurt so bad!
Glam always takes longer than you would think! I thought I had lots of extra time to anticipate delays, but overall wished I had hired more people to get everyone ready in time. The morning of was when I felt the most nervous/anxious so having some extra buffer/relaxation time would have been helpful!
Getting ready
What was your most favorite part of the day?
Our ceremony was so beautiful. It was such a crazy “pinch me” moment. I really felt like writing personalized vows made a big impact for both Andrew and I as well as our guests. Having a pastor that truly knew us as a couple was also really special.
AND our dance floor was INSANE!! People of all ages were having so much fun. It reinforced how important it is to hire a DJ you trust and put time and thought into what songs you want to play to draw people of all ages to the dance floor. I actually got really good song recommendations from TikTok and thought the glow sticks were a really affordable but impactful addition.
First Look & Bridal Party Photos
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Were you happy you did a first look?
Yes! I LOVED being able to have a first look and a private vow reading with Andrew. This really helped to put the day into prospective and ease my nerves. As crazy as it sounds you don’t get a ton of quality time as a couple on your wedding day and I felt like doing a first look really helped to prioritize that. After our first look was over I felt so much lighter, happier and ready to take on the rest of the wedding day! Having a first look also helped our timeline. We were able to get a ton of our pictures done before our ceremony. This helped us to have a shorter cocktail hour and get to the party portion of the evening faster which guests appreciated.
Ceremony
Explain any unique ideas, experiences, decor or things did you do on wedding day?
Our wedding was on a Friday. This helped us to save money because there were cheaper rates for our venue and helped us to have all of Saturday and Sunday morning to spend time with family and out of town guests. It made for such a fun weekend vs one quick night.
Ceremony programs can be expensive and while I love the look it was not something I wanted to splurge on. I decided to do newspaper programs instead for a cheaper alternative. This ended up being so fun because it allowed me more space to communicate with my guests, show off our engagement pictures and created such a cute prop for pictures. There are a lot of expensive vendors out there that can create and design beautiful newspaper program for you, but I found it really easy to DIY(which I am NOT a DIY person so if I can do it anyone can).
I had a lot of people that I wanted to incorporate into our wedding, but couldn’t have a party of 20+ people. One idea Veil Events gave us was to pick a friend to fluff my dress before walking down the aisle. This created such a special moment and a cute photo opportunity.
We decided to use After the Tone vs a traditional guest book and loved it! It created a fun cocktail hour activity for guests and it was so sweet to listen to after the wedding day. Such precious memories and a keep sake!
Reception Details
We did not have the budget to provide passed appetizers during our cocktail hour which really made me sad. I wanted to do something affordable but fun and decided to provide small popcorn snack bags for guests. This doubled as a wedding favor and was a hit.
Andrew and I ate dinner just the two of us during cocktail hour. This was something Veil Events suggested and it was AMAZING. It gave us uninterrupted time to eat, sit down and have a quiet/slow moment with each other. You’re the center of attention on your wedding day so it was nice to have a quick break. This also gave me time to fix my makeup and change shoes without feeling like I was missing something.
Because we ate during cocktail hour we were able to spend all of dinner with our guests. Andrew and I made it to each table and really felt like we could spend some quality time personally thanking everyone for coming.
I received dinner quotes that literally made me cry when trying to find a caterer. We ended up going with a taco bar buffet option which ended up not only being delicious, but a guest highlight. It was a cute way to add some personalization to our wedding(tacos and margaritas are kind of our thing) while being much more affordable. There are so many creative and affordable alternatives to the traditional wedding meal if it’s not in your budget.
Wedding cakes are expensive! I found Kate Smith’s bakery and fell in love with her dessert bars and knew we had to have it for our wedding. We got a small cake for Andrew and I to enjoy and take pictures with and provided a ton of different bit size desserts for our guests to have. Not only were the desserts beautiful but they were easy for guests to eat while mingling and dancing vs having to sit down to eat dessert.
Having a pre-planned after party location for guests helped the confusion of “now what” for guests after the wedding. We had a lot of out of town guests and having a plan made it easy to communicate and coordinate with a large group of people. This isn’t something you have to pay for or rent out a special room if it’s not in your budget(it wants in ours), but it was so fun to keep the night going.
Sunset Photos
Any advice for other brides planning their wedding?
Create a budget before you start booking things. Veil Events has an amazing template that you can use. Weddings add up way faster than you would think and it is important to know your overall budget so you can get an idea of where you can splurge and places you need to save. This is also a great time to ask around and see what industry standard rates are for certain vendors to make sure you are prepared financially!
Weddings are expensive!! It is normal to not be able to splurge in every category, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a beautiful wedding. Ask your vendors for their recommendations of ways to stretch your budget while still respecting their rates. For example, our florist and I spent a lot of time thinking of ways we could visually fill the space despite not having a ton of wiggle room with my budget. We were able to maximize on some bigger pieces and incorporated candles and other decor to help fill the gaps.
Don’t be afraid to do non-traditional things. At the end of the day, it’s YOUR day and YOU should be able to have some creativity with what you want your wedding day to look like.
Look at sites like Still White, Facebook Marketplace and shop sales for things like white dresses, shoes and accessories. You will be shocked at how many good deals you can find! Also, don’t be afraid to sell things once you are done with them. I was able to sell my engagement picture dress so I could have a bigger budget for my rehearsal dinner outfit(girl math win). I also borrowed things from family and friends like jewelry and my veil to help save money.
Hire people you enjoy being around!! I literally had so much fun at our wedding and a big part of that was enjoying the company of our wedding planners, venue coordinator, photographer, videographer, DJ and hair/makeup artists etc. You will spend so much time with your vendors and it’s important to surround yourself with people in the industry that are passionate and kind. I am so lucky to have had such an amazing team around us!
Be kind to yourself! Weddings are stressful to plan and no one can do it all on their own. Hiring Veil Events helped so much to lighten my to do list and feel confident with my decisions. – Sidney Sorrells & Andrew Hammar | 7/21/23
Reception
Photo Credits: Jill Caren Photography
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Shop Sidney's Wedding Amazon Finds
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Wedding Vendor Team
Wedding Planner: Veil Events – Lindsay Kooser // Venue: The Abbott // Photo: Jill Stuefer Photography // Floral: Wild Hill Flowers // Sweets: Kate Smith Soiree // Hair: Hair By Anna Womer // Makeup: Kati Swegel Makeup // DJ: Icon – Deondre Transportation: Agenda USA // Rentals: Marquee // Video: Courtney Marie Productions // Dress: The Bridal One // Bridesmaids Attire: Show Me Your Mumu // Men’s Attire: Jos A Banks // Rentals: Alpha Lit KC // Stationary: Truley Engaged // Signage: Script Your Event
