Ashley Gain Weddings and Events: A Spin on the Wedding Website

So, half of your guests are coming from out of town and half of which have never met your fiance! Almost like a Match.com, your family and friends meet your soon-to-be spouse over the internet through your wedding website. But with the thousands of designs you could choose, who do you choose?

I HAD to share the lovely couture site of Keith & Rebecca who are getting getting married on September 25th. It's fun, colorful, happy and full of love just like its Bride & Groom! I asked Rebecca to give a little "insiders" information on her wedding planning experience. Below you will find a little education on all things wedding from your guest blogger Rebecca (along with some pictures, there are more at the end of the post). :)

Photos Courtesy of http://www.amandarockafellow.com/

How did keith Propose?

After nearly 7 years together, Keith finally proposed during a weekend getaway to Chicago. Not only did he take me to a swanky hotel in the city, but he wined and dined me at Geja’s Café, a romantic fondue restaurant in Lincoln Park. Apparently Keith was taking too long to pop the question (which isn’t surprising since it took seven years to begin with) because the waiter brought out the celebratory champagne before he even got the ring out of his suit pocket. What I thought was a mistake by the waiter turned out to be the push Keith needed to finally jump!

What has been the most fun & most difficult parts of planning your wedding?

Balancing what I want and the reality of what I can afford has been the most difficult part of the wedding planning process. This is made more complicated by the fact that we are having a backyard wedding where we are managing all of the catering and rentals. The BEST part of wedding planning has been the small details-the space, the invitations, the website, the table design, etc. These are the elements that make my wedding unique.

Where did you take your engagement pictures? Was there any inspiration for where they were shot?

Our beautiful engagement pictures, shot by Amanda Rockafellow, were taken in Tucson, AZ –our hometown! Amanda took us all over The University of Arizona campus, 4th Avenue, and Downtown –all places that we love and enjoy. We wanted lots of color, candid shots, and a more urban setting.

Why did you decide to do something different for your website? Who made the site?

Websites have become as essential as the wedding invitation has traditionally been in communicating the details of your event. This is especially true for backyard weddings where you might need to communicate parking and shuttle plans, detailed directions, etc. as they come up. WeddingWindow.com, The Knot.com, MyWedding.com are all host sites where you can share your engagement pictures, registry information, location details, and more. If you are a little more tech savvy and willing to put in a few hours of work, there are host sites like wix.com that provide templates for small businesses, personal portfolios and, of course, weddings! For a small cost, wix.com also allows you to create your own domain name (ex. keithlovesbecca.com). For me, this was criteria number one. I also wanted to take full advantage of our engagement photos; we had a ton and we couldn’t pick just a few! This format also allows for a little more flexibility in what you want to highlight. I think this website is a true reflection of the kind of wedding we are planning –fun, colorful, and full of love for friends and family.

What fun traditions or special moments are you going to incorporate in your day that is unique to only your wedding?

I don’t know if I have entirely unique details, but there are some things I am really excited about –late night taco truck, twinkling lights, lace table overlays, Mexican tin stars, bright corn husk flowers, and signature cocktails!

What piece of advice would you give other brides planning their big day?

Give yourself time if you want to do it right –especially if you are planning a wedding where you or a professional event coordinator are arranging all of the catering and rentals. This is a big job! My second piece of advice is to do your research. High quality does not have to equal high cost. Thirdly, know what elements of your wedding really matter and spend your time on those. Don’t worry too much about the rest.