In this day and age, if you don't have a blog, you're not being seen. So here I am. Hi, my name is Kendra Nixon and I'm a wedding planner in San Francisco, CA.
What's a wedding planner supposed to blog about? How to plan a wedding, I guess?
I peeked at some fellow planner's sites for inspiration and it just felt like a lot of "stuff." Now don't get me wrong, I love wedding stuff, like A LOT. That image above is from my bridal shower, or as I called it, a bridal "storm." SO. MUCH. STUFF.
It was truly one of the most beautiful events I have ever been too. My family and friends put an incredible amount of effort into making it the storm of my dreams. I ended up drinking way too much Fire Ball, was not the most gracious bride to be I had hoped to be, and woke up the next morning so hungover I wasn't all "there" for my final dress fitting. Which meant that the majority of my wedding photos are of me in an ill fitting dress...but we we'll save that for another day.
I planned a lot of my wedding myself. I had a planner for the big things, but all the little details I took care of. And there was a lot them. I obsessed over every inch of our wedding. I thought every aspect had to be unique and different. We got married on the island of Kauai so almost everything we "needed" for the wedding had to be shipped or packed with us. I enlisted friends and family to bring suitcases of vases, frames, and God knows what else.
We arrived 5 days prior to the wedding and the moment we stepped foot off the plane, I could've cared less. It was no longer about the stuff. It's a hard feeling to describe, but everything just felt right. That feeling continued to grow as the days lead to our wedding. Our wedding day was filled with an overwhelming amount of love and good times - because most people had spent the last week getting to know one another, they had all become friends. I remember taking so many moments to step back and watch everyone. I felt peaceful and proud and present. And you know what? Not a single person noticed the hand sewn cocktail napkins and that is OK.
When I started my career as a wedding planner, it became my job to worry about the stuff. What rental company has the best deal on gold flatware? Silver dollar or seed eucalyptus on the tables? Make sure the photographer gets a picture of the bride's shoes. Find a cake knife that matches the theme perfectly. Again, I am HERE. FOR. IT. Give me all the stuff.
Last year, I coordinated a wedding that reminded me of the lesson I learned as a blushing bride, a wedding is about love, union, a blending of two families, and also - fun. This couple was clearly in love, I sobbed through their ceremony, and then once the reception was on, they never left the dance floor. There was no obsessing over details and timelines, it happened naturally, it flowed, it felt right. There was also some stuff, but it told a story - it was intentional. This wedding shifted my focus, changed my mindset. It reminded me what was at the root of a wedding, love.
So on this blog, I vow to be transparent, real, intentional. I plan to blog about my couple's love stories, how aspects of their weddings came to be. How to have the wedding of your dreams on a tight budget. What to skip and what to go big on. Share the conversation starters I've been creating since we entered shelter in place in attempt to bring couples closer together. Less about stuff, more about celebrating love.
And for your viewing pleasure, here are a few more pictures of the Nixon Bridal Storm. Photos by Paul Ongpin.