The Big Day: Morgan + Lawrence

Bartending: Shekar & Oinos

Bridal Assistant: LEC Concierge

Suits: Men’s Warehouse Polaris

Dresses (ceremony): Wendy’s Bridal

Dress (reception): B. Loved Bridal Boutique

Cake: Tricia Gale (TG) Patty Cakes

Catering: My Gourmet Caterer

Music: Lauren Porter

DJ: Odis Parker

Event Coordinator: Kia Kohlhorst

Flowers: Flowerman Columbus

Makeup/Hair: Kiara Pelt

Photobooth: Kathy Green Photography

Rings: Worthington Jewelers

How prepared was Morgan for her wedding?

The prominent city blogger (columbuslivingblog.com) was prepared for everything—even going so far as to not let potential weather problems get her down.

“I was a little obsessed with planning for worst possible outcomes,” she said. “I pinned some really beautiful wedding photos in the rain on Pinterest. I would recommend doing that for any bride trying to keep a positive spirit. Also, they say rain on your wedding day is good luck—of course, we all know it’s to make the bride feel better.

The rain never came, but Morgan was still able to admit to a few things she’d do differently. She ended up with a second dress because the first one would have been way too hot, and, like most wedding days, a few parts end up missing—and no one cares. Including the bride.

Anyone having that much fun while they get ready for their wedding is sure to have a Big Day to remember.

Give us a range of your budget. Did you go over? Or stay under? We spent nearly $20,000 for our wedding. We were over budget by $5,000, and the groom (who was fiscally conservative) did not contribute to us being over budget. He tried to help keep us on budget, but I fought for every creative professional at our wedding. To me, it was still worth it, but my bank account always reminds me otherwise.

What do you wish you had spent more money on?  A wedding designer and catering. We had a great bridal team (including Lamar Cromwell from LEC Concierge and Kia Kohlhorst, Day-Of Event Coordinator), but a wedding designer would have been great especially for the ceremonial aesthetics and reception set-up. Our venue was beautiful on its own, but décor could have been a little more elaborate. Also, our venue did not include a caterer so we used a vendor that offered affordable pricing and was flexible on payments. Unfortunately, we found out two weeks before our wedding we had to coordinate a separate contract for silverware, napkins, and tableware; which was an additional $600 we did not expect. Our advice would be to go with a caterer that includes all costs in the original quote (i.e. silverware, cups, napkins, cake cutting, etc.).

What do you wish you had spent less money on? Wedding dresses. It’s really hard re-selling used wedding dresses, despite what people say. Unfortunately, I have not had any luck selling either of my dresses. When I thought of selling to a consignment shop, they requested the dresses be dry-cleaned (costing another $200 which does not guarantee a sold dress), ain’t nobody got time for that.

If you could tell us one thing that makes your Big Day unique, what is it? It was sharing the moment with my husband, and then sharing it with all our closest family and friends. It was the best day to a new beginning, and the emotional high I felt afterward will always resonate with me.

Besides making it official, what was the ultimate highlight of your Big Day? It was our wedding ceremony. We had the best officiant! Pastor Luke Ahrens from Vertical Church Columbus provided pre-marital counseling along with coordinating our wedding rehearsal and ceremony. He and his wife, Jensine Ahrens really got to know us two months before our wedding. We met for dinner one night before sessions started and then coffee on a sunny Saturday morning at Roosevelt Coffeehouse. We read Timothy Keller’s book, The Meaning of Marriage, and every Wednesday leading up to the big day we discussed chapters focusing on our relationship with God and with each other. A lot of people like to take the religious element out of the wedding day, but getting married is God’s gift to us, and my relationship really grew in Christ and with my husband. Our wedding ceremony felt so intimate, personal, and real. Pastor Luke was truly a Godsend (literally).

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