Edgar & Kamryn

Please, tell us your engagement story!

My girlfriend and I at the time were both graduating from college, and I told her we should do a joint grad photoshoot. We both put on our best attire and set out to get a few photos taken. Without her knowing, her family and mine were only a few minutes away from the photo area setting up the proposal spot. At the "end" of our shoot, I walked her over to that spot and popped the question!

How did you choose your venue? 

We wanted a venue that was modern, with plenty of windows to make the inside very bright. We also wanted indoor options in case the weather was bad on the wedding day. It was rainy and cold on our day, so we had complete peace knowing we planned ahead to do it indoors!

We'd love to know more about your experience in working with SuitShop!

Honestly, it was perfect! SuitShop helped my groomsmen and me look fantastic on the day of the wedding. The suits were my gift to them, and they were very happy they got to KEEP instead of renting their tuxes for future events! SuitShop's customer service and speedy delivery were 10/10.

What was wedding planning like as someone working in the wedding industry yourself?

Being a wedding photographer–I'm Anchor Studios–definitely affected how we planned for our wedding. Having been to so many weddings helped us know beforehand what elements we were willing to splurge versus budget on. Some of things we splurged on the most were florals, photo and video, décor, live band, and the venue. The venue was specifically chosen for it's many photo ops located indoors and outdoors!

Do you have any advice for marriers-to-be? 

Hire a good wedding planner, and start planning and saving as much as you can ahead of time. 

Choose a venue that had indoor options for ceremony and reception in case the outdoors weather doesn't work on the day of the wedding.

Figure out your budget ahead of time and expect it to go up by 20%. For us, there were some realizations that helped with the budget, though. If you can find a beautiful venue, you might not have to focus too much on decorating it. Don't spend too much money on a huge cake, since most people don't eat it. Instead consider pairing a smaller cake with a dessert bar. Not only are they delicious but also add to the décor!

Understand that you might not have 100% attendance from your guests (from what I've seen it's usually 70-80%, even if they RSVP'd). If you'd like to invite some people last-minute, have an unnumbered or unnamed table for extras.

Ask your photographer to coordinate with the planner on the timeline (photos should be a big priority but should not take over a huge chunk of your day). Have your ceremony start an hour and a half AT THE LATEST before sunset (you can Google the sunset time for your wedding day and adjust your schedule accordingly).

Keep décor separated in different bins so that you can pack it all up correctly after the wedding (ex: entrance table bin, ceremony bin, details for flat lay bin, reception bin, grand exit bin etc).