“When you realize that the story of your life could be told a thousand different ways, that you could tell it as a tragedy, but you choose to call it an epic, that’s when you start to learn what celebration is.” 
– Shauna Niequist, Savor

I truly believe this is the heart of celebration – intentionally seeking out the good things in the midst of the frenzy, the pressure, and the budget and maximizing on those. 

We all know not everything is perfect. There’s the push and pull from all sides in multiple facets of life, but especially during wedding planning.

So how do we go about your celebration in an honest and authentic way, telling your story as an epic rather than a tragedy? 

Below are a few simple thoughts on intentional ways of celebrating your story on the wedding day and beyond:

1) Space & Meaningful Detail

Friends, I cannot express enough how much the space you choose to share your story in along with each detail matter. Your story is reflected in each decision you make. Your space and details should help us get to know who you are as a couple, a family, as individuals. Choose together from the very beginning your highest values, your non-negotiables, for the overall experience or “feeling” of your wedding or home. What do you want you and your guests to feel as you walk through each portion of the weekend or space and how does this tell each of your stories?

This will further help you define the details that you use to make that experience come to life — incorporate a meaningful tradition, a location that reminds you of your favorite place, a flower that shares memories of someone you love or a season gone by….the list could go on. Don’t overwhelm yourself though. Pick the top few most important to you and start there.

2) People You Love

Choose to purposefully add people to your celebration and life that have positively affected your stories in the past, present and most definitely the future. Many times these are family members and close friends that are simply an extension of your story and give themselves to support you in this journey. Think carefully about this and think outside the box on ways you can include them in your celebration and every day life. For your wedding, it doesn’t have to be in the form of a bridesmaid or groomsman. What roles fit them well and how will they best reflect the experience you want to create?

3) Heirlooms

One way we love seeing clients celebrate their stories beyond the day is by incorporating items that can become “heirlooms” or keepsakes. They serve as reminders for where you’ve been, where you’re going and what matters most. This could be an important heirloom from a family member, an item to be used again in your home, or an heirloom bouquet (one of our favorites from The Heirloom Bouquet by our friend, Jaimee Morse!).