8 months to plan, remembering those who have passed in your ceremony and bridal makeup for Hashimotos.
Kathleen came by the pod today-a real DC bride and shared all the details of planning her Richmond wedding in just 8 months. She also shares her very personal story about how she remembered her brother in her ceremony. He was soldier and the way she had him ‘be there’ is seriously cool and demonstrated their unique bond. Kathleen also shared that she has Hashimoto’s disease and talks about finding soy free makeup for her day.
Kathleen, Clou, and Sara after the show. Ain’t he cute, tho?
SHOW NOTES
How did you two meet?
We were friends at work for years & dated other people, one day it just clicked that we should give it a shot.
What was the first thing you noticed about your partner?
His smile.
Tell us about the proposal!
He flew me to Texas (where he’s from and grew up) and we shared a beach rental outside of Galveston with his parents, brother, sister-in-law and 2 nephews. The first night there he took me to look for sharks teeth and sea glass on the beach, just the two of us. He kept asking me to look at the bits he found to see if it was a shark tooth or not - after the 4th time when I turned around he was on one knee holding a box made of mosaic sea glass pieces with the ring in it and asked if this one was right. I said yes & his sister-in-law and 5 y/o nephew came down the beach to take photos and brought a bottle of champagne - it was the most beautiful pink and purple sunset ever.
Wedding Date: August 31, 2019
Wedding Location: Moseley, VA
Approx. number of guests who attended your wedding: 60
What were your top 5 favorite moments from your wedding?
Pranking the groom, playing with my cat while getting ready, the first looks, my butterfly release, and our Celtic handfasting ceremony.
What, if anything, would you change about the wedding planning process?
I’d have chosen a different venue. I hated working with them.
What, if anything, would you change about your wedding day?
Nothing
Did you participate in any family traditions, or incorporate any heirlooms into your wedding?
I did incorporate family heirlooms but no family traditions. I wore a bracelet that belonged to my brother and at the brunch the morning after I wore a broach that belonged to my grandmother.
What was the planning process like? Did you run into any obstacles? How did you overcome them?
I ran into so many obstacles facing food and makeup because of either my own allergies and/or the dietary preferences of my bridesmaids. It took a ton of research and just not giving up! I didn’t have help from family or friends finding vendors and I did all of that on my own, in a town 2 hrs from where I live and knew nothing about when it came to weddings. I was fortunate to be bold and ask those vendors who couldn’t work for me if they knew anyone who could. That helped a ton.
What was the most important decision you made about your wedding?
Not to cave to my family’s opinions and staying true to my husband and I.
What is your favorite thing about your significant other? And, if there *is* a least fave thing, feel free to share that, but let's keep it light. ;) For example, Sara's husband would love it if she stopped burning everything she puts in the toaster oven, but he loves her anyway LOL)
I love that he’s the only man I’ve ever met who actually listens and then acts upon what you tell him! I hate making dinner and cleaning up the kitchen - said it once and now he cleans the dishes!
What’s the best thing that’s happened in your lives since getting married?
Our honeymoon - neither of us has taken a vacation from our demanding and hectic jobs since we were hired... more than 5 years ago! So, with each of us having several hundred hours of leave compounded we were able to take 22 days and see 3 of the Hawaiian islands. As an aside, my brother had lived on Oahu; he was stationed there for years with a Marine Corps helicopter unit. My brother was eventually killed in action in Afghanistan in 2012 (long before Justun & I met) & Hawaii is where I feel his spirit, so taking our honeymoon there felt like I was finally able to “introduce” my brother to my husband.
What is the most surprising difference about being married vs living together?There wasn’t one for us.
Have something else to share? A funny story? Something crazy that happened? Let's Dish!
My special ordered vegan cupcakes were delivered by my bakery, but the venue put them in the wrong place and (as it turned out) another intoxicated guest thought there were just rogue cupcakes about (we only had a tiered cake for our non-vegan guests).... and they ate the vegan cupcakes before desert was served! One of the vegans decided to be vegetarian for the evening then and ate regular cake while the catering director drove 20 minutes away to find a vegan cupcake for the bridesmaids.
Is there anything else you'd like us to know?
The most important thing I learned was budgeting my time, sticking to my budget was easy for me but not my mother, and to stay true to myself.
Why do you want to be on The Wedding Dish podcast OR why do you think you'd be a good fit for The Wedding Dish podcast?
I think I bring 2 unique but also very applicable things to the table. I struggled with how to represent my deceased brother in my wedding without having him become a focal point and take away from the day. I feel, for me, I found that balance and couldn’t have been happier with how I represented him. The other is a knowledge of food allergies and sensitivities, how they impact many peoples lives and how to manage finding and talking with vendors about those things. It was not easy but it wasn’t impossible.