Ryan and Sarah: A "Happily Ever After" Couple

Sarah and I had been dreaming up her Save The Date cards and wedding styles for almost a year. She loved so many different styles that she didn't know which fit her! Sound familiar?! We've all been there! After tons of drafts, phone chat time and hemming and hawing over colors, she went with a bold Curry rounded card from Paper Source inside of a shimmery gold envelope. It was a sparkling example of her vibrancy as a bride to be, her fun loving spirit as an elementary school teacher and her energetic love she shares with her fiance, Ryan. The pattern was uniquely Sarah and took a few more tries to finesse.


But the result was a Save The Date card that her guests could not stop commenting on! Want to give your friends and family the same impression? Get to know Sarah and Ryan as a "Happily Ever After" couple and how their planning went:

CM: Can you share a little about you and a little about Ryan?
SC: We live in Elgin, Illinois. I am a 5th grade teacher and Ryan is an account manager. We love camping, volunteering for Special Olympics, traveling, BBQ’ing, and the CUBS!

CM: How did you meet each other?
SC: We met on eHarmony.com the summer after we both finished college. :-)

CM: What makes you exciting but normal?
SC: We wanted a traditional wedding, with some non-traditional details. Forget about a white wedding cake and boring save the dates!

CM: What do you remember most about when you fell in love?
SC: How comfortable and safe I felt with him. I just knew that I was in good hands and that he would take care of my most private thoughts, hopes and dreams and help them come true!

CM: How did the proposal happen?
SC: We always go downtown to the Riverwalk (in Naperville, IL) on Saturdays and stroll around. It was just like every other Saturday… we grabbed breakfast, then were walking around the Riverwalk. We happened to see a couple getting their engagement pictures taken and I made some comment about how cute they were and how lucky. Before I knew it, we were on a covered bridge and Ryan had dropped down to one knee. The first thing I said was “Are you serious!??!?!” I don’t even remember what he said next…something like “Can WE be that couple taking engagement pictures?” It was the perfect day because I was totally surprised and we then spent the entire night celebrating with friends and family.

CM: How did you pick your wedding date?
SC: I am a teacher and knew I wanted a summer wedding so I could take a honeymoon! Ryan’s best friend was getting married in May and we didn’t want to be too close to their date, so voila, August 1st was picked!

CM: What was the inspiration for your wedding colors?
SC: I LOVE yellow. Yellow represents happiness to me. And what better way to describe a wedding besides happy? I also love the way purple accents the bright yellow. Our colors are yellow and purple with hints of green.

CM: Are you doing old, new, borrowed, and blue items? Sixpence in your shoe?
SC:
Old: A handkerchief from my grandma.
New: EVERYTHING I am wearing!
Borrowed : A pin from my mom to put under my dress.
Blue: My garter.

CM: Are you incorporating any family, cultural or religious traditions?
SC: The only real family tradition is having a few Polka dances at the reception. Other than that, we are having the traditional Catholic ceremony at church.

CM: What have you learned during your planning that you'd share with other couples?
SC: If I could plan a wedding again, the one thing I would have done differently would have been to set parameters with everyone helping. Mom wants one thing, I want another, Ryan dreamed of something else. Ryan and I made all our decisions together , but let mom have a few things her way. It is important to remember whose wedding it is! And have fun!

CM: How did you feel going with Hold The Cheese to design for you?
SC: Cait is AMAZING! She was just a bride herself and KNOWS how stressful planning a wedding can be. Not only is her work incredible, but she is reliable and hits the deadlines she promises. Her prices are competitive and she will give you the care and time you deserve as you are designing your products.

CM: What would you do differently if you did it all again?
SC: Order invitations from CAIT! Not the other vendor who messed them up! (Sad story of a wedding industry person who didn't care about the individual or a finished product. She messed up the order. She yelled at Sarah and talked to Ryan on Sarah's phone. She got so mad that the vendor actually threw Sarah's phone across the room. Insane, right?!)

CM: Did you feel you got a good deal for the time, quality and personal attention you received?
SC: YES! Cait made me feel special, like I was the only bride she was working with. She took time to get to know my style and what I loved and didn’t care for. If you don’t know a whole lot about design (like me!) then Cait is perfect for you because she can give you insight into what looks nice and what doesn’t match, etc. I will definitely be using Cait’s talents again!



Things I've learned while working with Sarah:
Some customers prefer print samples instead of just pdf proofs. Deciding up front if this is necessary in the process is important as it can change timelines of design in order to accomodate. I also need to be more realistic with the amount of time that I spend consulting and designing for a client. If we both stick to the contract as a guide, we both waste less time deciding on too many drafts. Thanks for helping me learn, Sarah!

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Caitlin