Plan Your Way to a Perfect Wedding! One Bride's Opinion: Melissa Moffett Posted to: Weddings by Lorin Laxton on Sep 25, 2012 Nothing is more helpful to a bride than a former bride's advice! That's why we asked former Catering Works' bride, Melissa Moffett, to share her tips! If you're looking for words of wisdom during the tumultuous months of engagement, Melissa has plenty of wise words to share! First, tell us you and your husband's story! My husband, Alex, is from Oxford, Mississippi. In early 2010 he moved to Raleigh to live with his cousin, hoping for a change. In April, I was invited to dinner with my best friend's family. Turns out, Alex's cousin was dating my best friends sister and was also invited to dinner! After that night, there were a few more family dinners, a weekend trip to Harker's Island with our friend's family, and a great start to a wonderful love story. The day after I graduated college (11 months into our relationship) Alex proposed. We were engaged for 10 months and were married on March 17, 2012 at Highland Baptist Church with our reception at The Stockroom at 230 in downtown Raleigh. We are now 6 months into our marriage and the happiest we have ever been. We have a home in Garner. He is training for his career in law enforcement and I am working at a hotel in Durham. There is nothing better than sharing each day with your very best friend. What was the most difficult part about planning your wedding? The most difficult thing, for me, in planning our wedding was trying to please everyone. Between my family, his family, our own ideas, and those of our friends, we had a really hard time deciding what to do. It was a struggle for us to realize it was OUR wedding and that we needed to do what WE wanted. What resources did you find helpful when planning? PINTEREST! I joke that I planned my entire wedding through Pinterest. It helped especially when it came to flowers. Seeing what was possible and what looked good and communicating our ideas to our florist. I think the most helpful thing though, was having friends in the business who could tell me stories of successful weddings and help keep me on the right track. What part of the wedding day were you looking forward to the most? Our first dance. A lot of people are so nervous for the moment when all eyes are on the two of you. But for me and Alex, I knew that would be the moment where we would finally have a chance to talk, to reflect, and not be pulled in a million different directions by the photographer, our friends, and our family. The eyes were all on us but it was the most peaceful moment of the entire day. What did you enjoy most while being engaged? The moments when my 'fiance' and I would sit down and start planning together then get wrapped up dreaming of what our lives were going to be like 10, 20 and 30 years from now. Just the anticipation and excitement that we both shared. What happened during your engagement that you didn't expect? About 4 months before we got married Alex lost his job. It was weeks before Christmas and four months before the wedding. We still had payments to make and a honeymoon to plan and we were terrified. Somehow, by the grace of God, we were able to make things work. The weddings gifts starting filling up my parents house and our family really stepped up to help us with the small things that we could do ourselves. It was an incredibly stressful time, but it made us realize just how much support we really had. What do you know now that you wish you had known during the planning process? I wish I had known to order thank you cards earlier and write them as the gifts arrived. I kept a spreadsheet of the gifts we received and who they were from, but when we moved into our home, we had an entire room (almost floor to ceiling) of gifts to unpack and put away, and close to 200 thank you cards to write. It took me longer than I expected to get them ordered and even longer to get them written. Even if you don't send them until after the wedding, write them as they arrive. It is much less overwhelming. Any last words of advice or encouragement you'd like to share with current brides? Always remember that your wedding is yours. Do what makes the two of you happy and don't skip the little things. And don't rush through the pictures. Your guests will entertain each other at the reception and can wait. The pictures are the only thing that remain for a lifetime and are absolutely worth taking the time to get them right. Thank you, Melissa, for sharing your advice! Do you, former brides, have anything else to add?
