Wedding Day: The Reception

I can't believe it's taken me so long to write this, but I guess that once the wedding is over you have to wait for the dust to settle a bit to really reflect on it. Like I mentioned, your wedding truly does go by in a flash. And it really isn't until you see photos that you start to realize the enormity of the event that's just occurred. Your ceremony is when you say your vows to the love of your life, where you promise to love and be faithful to him, in sickness and in health for as long as you both shall live. Those are the most important words you'll ever state to your partner and honoring them will be a lifelong journey or in other words: a marriage.

I do believe that the ceremony is the most important part of a wedding, but the most fun part is definitely the reception. This was the biggest party I've ever planned and it was by far the best. For both my husband and I, our wedding reception was exactly what we wanted it to be. It was a crazy fun party with amazing food, great music and all our loved ones surrounding us. Who could ask for more? During wedding planning I promised myself that I would remember what our wedding felt like. And you know what I do. Yes, it wasn't perfect, but there's nothing I regret. It was bar none, the most joyous day of our lives so far and that is exactly how I will remember it. Here's some highlights:

  

Bread + Vodka ceremony, we decided to go all in and use vodka instead of wine.

Seal it with a kiss :)

Laughing during the first dance. Naturally, we only decided on a song about a week before the wedding so I was trying to keep count of the moves we'd practiced :)

All the planning paid off! Each and every one of our vendors did an amazing job. The food especially was to die for. They even let us add our Polish food items to the menu which was awesome, most vendors are not nearly as flexible. (And if anyone for some reason tries to tell you buffet style isn't classy can shut it, because if you want your guests full this is the way to go! I speak from experience.) People are still complimenting us about our caterer. I say do what works best, whether you serve food plated or buffet style, just make sure your guests are well fed. Full bellies = happy guests.

I think every bride/groom planning their wedding needs to let go at some point and just trust that the people you've hired will execute your vision. I did just that! When it came to the flowers I had an overall picture but ultimately gave him my budget and let him pick which flowers he used (except I requested peonies because I'm obsessed). But aside from that the end result was his conception. I trusted him completely (he is a professional after all) and let him do his thing, these are the gorgeous results. I especially loved my bouquet, it was everything I'd dreamed of and more.

So glad that we fought for this venue. The end result was stunning, but trusting that it would look like this was a battle sometimes. If you're thinking of doing a unique venue, do it!! Neither of us wanted a "typical" wedding venue, the kind that churns out two weddings a day. Not that I have anything against them, it just wasn't us. That is why we ultimately decided on Winery SF. It's so nice to know that our wedding was different from any we'd been to. Though it's more work in terms of vendors, details, etc., it's so worth it. I will treasure our wedding day forever in part because I know our venue was a reflection of us: fun, not too formal, with just the right touch of elegance.

 

We snuck out during dinner to take our couples portraits and I'm so glad we did! It gave us some alone time to bask in the day, something I tried hard to remember to do since the day does go by in a flash. We took our bridal party photos right after the ceremony so we could get the reception started without too much of a delay. I think we ended being a bit behind schedule but nothing too crazy. Our photographer wanted to capture us right before the sun went down, when you have the most amazing natural light to work with so we opted to eat quick and rush out while everyone else was still eating. I think it ended up being the perfect plan, people barely missed us! And when we got back, the DJ started to get the party in full swing! The reception quickly went from this:

Soaking in the moment...

To this! Full swing ahead! Once the party started we stayed true to our promise of having a wedding till 3 am. Unfortunately, not everyone lasted that long but we were definitely partying till way past midnight. We are so glad we went with a venue that allowed us to do that. There was no after party necessary because our wedding was THE party. And yes, I know I'm a bit biased but I still believe it's true. ;)

Vendor information below. Highly recommend each and everyone of these!

Photos by Delbarr Moradi | Catering: Englunds Catering | Florist: Greenworks Inc | Venue: Winery SF | DJ: Zbyszek Galazka | Event Planning: Dream a Little Dream Events | Tuxes & Bridesmaid Dresses: Joanna's Bridal | Dress: Jim Hjelm via Bridal Galleria | Hair: Shine The Hair Studio | Makeup: Ken H Beauty Makeup