in case you are like me...

and love to look at wedding pictures...

Here is a link to the wedding I planned and coordinated a few weeks ago.

I don't talk about it too much here on my blog, but I like to do a little wedding planning. Kind of for fun and as a little extra income for our family. It is pretty consuming, so I only do a few each year.

This one, in particular, was quite the event. It was in Vail and cost more than 3 times what we normally make in a year! Wow, all the bells and whistles! This event was much more extravagant than the weddings I usually do, but the bride really liked me and chose me to work with her.

So, if you like wedding pictures, go check out the blog of the lovely ladies who did her photography. They were awesome to work with and the pictures are fabulous!

I came away from this wedding with a really clear picture of where I want to take things with my little wedding planning business.

Though the bride and groom were so sweet and the the wedding was really fun and totally stunning, this wedding taught me a big lesson in sticking to things that are inside my own values. There were many, many times that I just couldn't believe the amount of excess and crazy amount of money spent on this thing! We live such a simple life and grand weddings in Vail do not really express who we are in the world. There were moments when I had to literally force myself to work on the planning details because it just felt weird and hypocritical to be spending my time planning such an over the top event.

So, from now on, I am going to stick with working with brides that are in line with my own personal values and beliefs. For example, a few months ago I was hired by a bride and groom that are committed to having an eco-friendly wedding (with a budget that is 1/10th the total amount spent on the Vail wedding). I say YES to that!! I have been having so much fun working with this couple and can chat with them about things like cloth diapers, organic food and living simple. I feel like working with this type of client is not really work, but just an extension of me making my own little difference in the world. Very, very cool!

And, though I'm knocking it a bit, it was a really amazing day for this super nice couple. I wish them many years of love and happiness!