Like many couples today, Clint and Delaney had re-located out of state, but wanted to have  their wedding back home so their family and friends wouldn’t all have to travel.   Delaney generously shared her experience  of planning their gorgeous autumn Pear Tree Estate, Champaign, IL wedding to help other couples planning an out-of-state wedding.  Photo credit:  Rebekah Albaugh Photography

Is there anything you learned in the process that would help other couples plan an out-of-state wedding?

Delaney – We were lucky in that we have family who live in Champaign that we could trust with helping with tasks that we weren’t able to do ourselves from a distance.  If you don’t have a trusted family member or friend who lives near where you are getting married, I would recommend hiring well reputed vendors and touching base with them frequently!  Our vendors were amazing and always available by phone and email which made out-of-state planning much easier.  Trust your vendors -they are there to make your day beautiful and will do everything in their power to make it so!!

Is there anything that you would change if you had it to do over?

Delaney – Honestly, the only thing I think we would change would be to hire a videographer!  Your wedding day FLIES by no matter how “present” you stay throughout your day.  We didn’t think we had the  budget, but wish we would have worked it in so that we could forever “re-live” those memories on video!

What was the most difficult part of wedding planning for you?

Delaney – The most difficult for me was managing everyone’s opinions.   My family was gracious enough to help us pay for the wedding so of course, they got a say!  I am a people pleaser and I definitely ran into some stressful moments where our opinions differed, but I was afraid to speak up.  Make sure you advocate for what you want, but also be gracious about accepting advice or opinions from people who are helping to foot the bill!!!

What was the  most enjoyable part of wedding planning?

Delaney – The most enjoyable part (besides knowing I would be married to the love of my life at the end) was seeing everyone from various parts of our lives come together and form new friendships.  By the end of our wedding weekend, I had friends from grad school making plans with my childhood friends to grab dinner!  It made me so happy to see people from different walks of life come together like that.  It just re-affirmed that I really do have the best friends ever!

Do you have any words of wisdom for a newly engaged couple?

Delaney – Everyone says this, but it really is true!  Enjoy every moment of the wedding planning process.  It’s such a short period in your relationship and can get super stressful, but you are planning what will hopefully be one of the best days of your lives when your friends and family all come together to celebrate your love!  It’s easy to get caught up in the small details but in the end it’s not worth too much stress.  No one notices what color the napkins are – look at the big picture when you are feeling stressed.  You get to spend your life with your favorite person – that’s pretty awesome!!

Delaney was a joy to work with!  After our initial consultation in person, we communicated mostly through email as she was in Texas and we were in Illinois.  She wanted fall colored flowers to coordinate with her deep raspberry colored bridesmaid dresses, yet show up against the dresses so we pulled in pink garden roses and apricot colored ranunculus to brighten the burgundy dahlias in her bridal bouquets and reception table centerpieces.

Become our next satisfied bride!  Call, text (309) 212-6570 or email fancyfloralsbynancy@hotmail.com to receive your free consultation.

Delaney said – “Nancy was absolutely one of the best decisions we made in our wedding planning process. We planned our Champaign wedding from Austin, TX – no small feat! Nancy made the time to meet with us while we were in town, and was very accommodating with me being an indecisive bride. I literally had no idea what I wanted besides one inspiration picture, but Nancy took that and made me my dream wedding bouquet out of it. She knew what I wanted before I did! She is so sweet and was happy to answer my emails any time I had a question. I would absolutely recommend her to  anyone. Thank you Nancy!!”