May and October are the most popular months to get married, because those months are the wonderful spaces in between melting out of your dress and having to wear tights underneath.

No one ever talks about the benefits of getting married in the off season, namely the middle of summer and winter, but they exist. Let’s review them:

 A) Your fussiest relatives probably won’t come. As we all know, difficult aunts and grumpy uncles live to complain about the weather, so if you haven’t sent them a Christmas card in a few years and then you set your date for July or January, you have just saved yourself a whole lot of stress.

B) You save money. Many vendors, like venues and planners, give discounts in the off-season because they need to fill the gaps in their business year. This is especially true for destination wedding locations (ahem, Savannah) that have big spikes of activity and then get quiet for a few months.

C) Your beach wedding can actually be warm enough at which to swim, and your winter wedding might end up being white – both of which are romantic.

D) Your dress can be seasonal – some might point fingers at a short dress in April but absolutely no one could blame you for it in June. Similarly, winter weddings encourage long-sleeved dresses or cute bolero jackets, which can cover up all the cookies and mashed potatoes that went straight to the back of everyone’s arms during the holidays.

E) Most of your friends should be able to come – their springs and falls will be packed with other couples’ nuptials and besides, summer and winter are both prime seasons for throwing parties.

Own It

While your wedding day is one of the most significant and romantic occasions of your life, a personification of you and your fiancé’s love for one another, and the beginning to of your life together, it is also the biggest party you will ever throw.

On average, most women have the chance to do this right only once (and by right, we mean well-funded and probably with the best body you will ever have). Lots of little girls dream about all the princessy details, but this post is for the girl with a wild hair, or two, or three. Your day is about you – and if you were ever more of a Scout Finch than a Scarlett O’Hara, this is no day to hide it. Put some edge on your big day – here’s some suggestions.

1. Mix up the hors d’oeuvres – if you have a penchant for sushi and Jack Daniels, bring it through at the cocktail hour. Your guests will get their pork tenderloin cutlets with mandarin remoulade at someone else’s wedding.

 2. Getting chilly or just want to bring your reception outfit up in cool points? Don’t be afraid to break out the leather jacket. Why shouldn’t your favorite wardrobe staple be a part of your big day?

3. Invite this guy and bring on the glowsticks. If you know your DJ is going to really bring the heat after all the “first dances,” you better equip your guests. They did come to celebrate, after all.

4. Puffing cigars on the big day is common among grooms and their groomsmen – but don’t let gender roles get you down! If you’re a classy lady who enjoys a good Cuban, make sure you give you and your maids some time to kick it like the boys. You’re married; you can do whatever you want!!

5. Break the rules. Get in the fountain, climb out the sunroof of the limo (or attempt to), and generally act young and in love. You don’t want someone upstaging you at your own party anyway.

Savannah is, without a doubt, one of the hottest (both literally and figuratively) destination wedding spots in the southeastern United States. The warm climate is complimented by the amazing history – Savannah became the first official city in the state of Georgia in 1733 – and its gorgeous Spanish moss is also one of Savannah’s most distinctive and romantic traits.

But besides these obvious reasons, here are five others that maybe you hadn’t considered:

1. You have two bodies of water to work with. TWO. You have the gorgeous Savannah River (yacht party, I’m on a boat, etc.) and some of the best surrounding islands in the lowcountry (beach wedding, yacht party, I’m on a boat).

 

2. The food. You can’t throw a rock in Savannah without hitting ten Paula Deen prototypes (pre-racism scandal..), and there’s also a multitude of world-class ethnic restaurants for those who want an amazing menu minus all the butter.

 3. Cultural diversity. Yes, this is the Deep South, but Savannah is home to not only various kinds of Protestant churches but also Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and Jewish houses of worship. They also have these things called “outside,” “historic places,” “art galleries”, and “cool restaurants” for those who wish to have a nonreligious wedding.

4. The bars are open until 3am, and you can drink out of plastic in the street. So tell your fiancé that he IS NOT going to Vegas for his bachelor party, and you can both go out pre-wedding and post-reception for a good time with your friends. Savannah also has pedicabs - so word to the wise, if you’re staying downtown for the night, skip the taxi and hop into a broke SCAD student’s rickshaw at the end of the night.

 

5. Literary history. We all know that Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt took place here and the movie was filmed on location as well. It has also been the setting of High Noon by Nora Roberts, and, less admirably, Southern Lights by Danielle Steel. The best part is, unlike most places in South and North Carolina, no book by Nicholas Sparks has ever taken place here, for which we are all grateful.

All photos courtesy of VisitSavannah.com  and https://www.facebook.com/VisitSavannahGA.

Cutting Through the Noise on Your Big Day

Your wedding day is one of the most special days of your entire life – so special that you want to share it with everyone. Like, everyone. They’re coming to see you  (and to eat and drink) and see you they will, from the first step down the aisle to the last step into the limo at the end of the night.

Sharing the whole day with your soon-to-be husband and your family is an amazing experience. However, in most cases you really spend most of that day away from all of them, getting dressed with your bridesmaids, doing last minute checks and touchups, and remembering your grandma’s insistence that if your fiancé sees you before the ceremony, your marriage will be cursed forever.

People have begun realizing this, and have started to appreciate the power of the subtle, hidden message to connect with love ones despite the rush and excitement of the big day. Not everything about your wedding has to be public or written on giant chalkboards like that brisket you’re serving.

Exchanging love notes to read before the ceremony is intimate and timeless. Always be sure to read them, on the off chance it might be a heads-up from your guy that he’s not coming after all.

Little messages from family – like these blue-stitched words of wisdom from the mother of one of our brides.

Cutlery with “I Do” and “Me Too” on them are not only understated and adorable, but also act as a vehicle for that cake to make its way into your mouth! Who could ask for more?

Even if you spend every waking second of your wedding day alongside your nearest and dearest, hidden messages are a perfect way to be reminded of the reason for the occasion – love, pure and simple.

How to Get More Bang for Your Buck in Flowers

Corina Lechin and Michael Payne

Date Engaged

January 1, 2013 

Where did you meet?

 In Orlando, Florida, where I was going to graduate school, he was in town for a conference. On St. Patrick's day we went out with a mutual friend and the rest is history! It was a really lucky St. Patty's day.

How did he propose? 

We had talked about getting engaged after he had met my family. The day after he met them we stopped at a jewelry store together to look at rings. We both saw one that we loved and once I tried it on we knew it was the one. Once I had it on i said "We are not leaving here without it," and he said "Wrap it up then!" We left while they were sizing it and surprised my mom by bringing her back to pick it up with us.

When is your wedding date?

January 18, 2015

Why did you pick Savannah? 

I loved the southern romance and charm of it. His family is from Georgia and mine from South Florida and Venezuela so we wanted an area in the middle. Savannah is so romantic we both loved the idea! 

Anything interesting about the wedding day?  

. We decided to go to a courthouse to get legally married the weekend we were in Savannah looking at venues because he was deploying two weeks after that. But we are having our beautiful ceremony and wedding with all of our friends and family on the two year anniversary of the courthouse wedding!! 

Now that's a girl that knows what she wants! Can't wait to be a part of the big day for y'all!

XO 

The MGE Team

Amanda del Busto and Emmanuel Suriel

Date Engaged:

April 20, 2013

Where did you meet?

The workplace.

How did he propose?

In New York City.

When is your wedding date?

October 18, 2014

Why did you pick Savannah?

I love Savannah and think it is very romantic.

Where do you reside now?

Miami, Florida

We're so excited for the big day! Can't wait for this beautiful celebration.

XO

The MGE Team

Kelly McLaughlin and Ian Middlemas

Date Engaged

March 31, 2013  

Where did you meet? 

We actually met 12 years ago in high school, and dated for about two years. We went our separate ways for college and got back in touch about 6 years later, and we've been together ever since.  

How did he propose? 

Easter is my favorite holiday (it has something to do with dying eggs, hunting eggs in the yard, the pretty colors, candy and a bunch of little presents to open in our Easter baskets), and Ian knew this well. This Easter also happened to fall on my birthday, so we drove from our home in Orlando to visit with our parent's in Jacksonville, and decided to stay at his parent's house (usually both of our parents make us baskets for Easter, so we stay with one set and visit the other later in the day). The day before Easter he had the excuse to not join me and my friends for lunch because he had to go shopping for my birthday gift. Waiting until the last minute wasn't really a surprise considering how much we travel on the weekends and work during the week, so I didn't think anything of it. During lunch my best friend mentioned how funny it would be if Ian hid the ring in my Easter basket, as there was an ongoing joke about Ian waiting to propose until after I graduated with my Bachelor's, which was a few months prior. The following morning Ian woke up around 8 or 9, which was usual for him, and he let me sleep in. Around 11 he woke me up and told me my Easter basket was waiting for me in the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen, where Ian's mom was waiting, and our baskets were sitting on the counter at the bar. I sat down and noticed that my "basket" was actually a pink bundt cake pan, which was amazing to me because I would actually use the pan! I assumed his mom picked it out, so I made a big deal about how thoughtful that was and how useful it would be. I started in the back of the pan and worked my way around to the front, shaking and opening each egg to see what's inside. The first one had chocolate, the next one was filled with jelly beans, the third had chocolate and so on. The last one didn't make a sound when I shook it and I looked at Ian's mom and jokingly said something along the lines of "What the heck. You gave me an empty egg?". I opened it and there sat the most perfect ring I had ever seen. I set it on the counter and looked at Ian and said "You're kidding, right? This isn't for real" and I started eating a piece of chocolate. Ian (who apparently had not touched his basket) turned to me, took my hands, and, as I'm told, said some really romantic things followed by "Will you marry me?". Once I saw the ring, I kind of blanked out on the rest of the proposal, so I don't remember exactly what he said or that I said yes!  

When is your wedding date? 

June 14, 2014  

Why did you pick the area you are getting married in? 

Pretty soon into our relationship, we jokingly/not jokingly said we were going to get married in Vegas at one of those drive-thru churches, since I'm not a girly-girl and I never wanted a big wedding. The first time we visited Savannah, which was in March of 2011, we fell in love with the city! It quickly became the place we wanted to get married, at Ian's suggestion, and our tiny Vegas wedding has grown to become a full fledged southern wedding.  

Where do you reside now? 

We live outside of Orlando, FL, but travel to see our families in Jacksonville, FL and Hilton Head, SC often. 

Anything interesting or out of the ordinary you are including in your wedding day?  

We are having our favorite BBQ place, Wiley's Championship BBQ, cater the wedding, having lawn games for our guests to play during cocktail hour, and having a few famous Savannah trolleys take our guest down to River Street after the reception for an after party.  Anything else you would like to add?  I've waited 12 years to marry Ian, and I can't believe it will be happening next year! 

You guys were obviously meant to be from the start! That 12 years is about to pay off :)

XO

The MGE Team

if you love yourself {and your friends}, you will do the following:

 

{} plan a dinner party. or just a cocktail party. whatever floats your boat.

 

{} check out this recipe. make it for said dinner party.

 

{} enjoy, as you bask in the warmth of your friends' gratefulness for both your gracious hosting and drink-making skills;)

 

have a beautiful thursday & XO,

 

jennifer