Hello everyone! My name is Kayla McEldowney and I am the newest intern at Hitch Design Studio. I will be working here for the summer, doing whatever is asked of me – design, social media, retail, weddings, and whatever else!
I am super excited to see how this beautiful small business is run and all the work put in behind it. I am also thrilled about the variety of opportunities I’ll have here.
During my first week, I was fortunate enough to get a glimpse at all kinds of things. I sat in on some bridal meetings, helped set up a centerpiece showcase, designed some thank you notes, unpacked some new products for the store, and helped set up two events.
On top of all that I’m planning my own wedding, too! Perfect timing for this job, right? My fiancé, Mathew, and I have been together for about five and a half years. We were high school sweethearts, and we both ended up at SDSU. He graduated last May with a degree in agricultural engineering. He now works in Mitchell, SD at a steel construction company called Palace Builders. I will finish my degree in advertising this upcoming year.
We aren’t getting married until June 2016, but I’ve learned a few things in the little planning I’ve done. So, for all you brides-to-be out there…
- Make sure you wait a few days before announcing your engagement on social media. You don’t want Aunt Flo upset because she expected a phone call before she saw it on Facebook.
- Pinterest will be your best friend. If you didn’t know it already, Pinterest is AMAZING when it comes to ideas and inspiration. One note, though: make a private wedding board if you don’t want everyone to know what’s going to be at your wedding before the big day.
- Wedding Wire is a great tool. This site has a lot of cool features that I could go on and on about, but what really struck me was the guest list. When you create your guest list, you create a list of households and put each guest in a household. That way, you have a household count for invitations as well as a total guest count. You can also keep track of RSVPs, addresses, gifts, etc. on the guest list.
- Speaking of the guest list, it will be difficult. Just embrace that fact. I don’t think there’s anything I can tell you that will make it any easier. It’s just hard. Ours is still not finalized. Just start with family, and go from there…
- Book your venue ASAP. There may be limited options based on your location, guest count, or price range. You want to be sure your venues and dates line up before you get too far into planning.
- Don’t forget to tell your siblings you picked a date and venue. (Sorry Allison.)
- Bridal Shows are fantastic resources. If you are struggling to pick a DJ, photographer, venue, cake, etc. then bridal shows are a great way to meet the local services. Not to mention, you can enter into a ton of drawings and try out the photo booths.
- Finally, if your fiancé willingly helps you with the planning, tell him he’s a rock star. People always say the bride does all the planning, but I honestly wouldn’t want to make all the decisions without Mathew’s input. I am beyond grateful for his help so far. It’s so much more fun to do it together, anyway. Although he may not care about the minor details, this day is as much for him as it is for me.
I’ve learned all that, and I’m just getting started! I can’t imagine how much more I’ll have to share after a few more months of planning. As I continue my time here at Hitch, I’m of course looking forward to all of the ideas I’ll get for my big day. That’s a given. Beyond that, I’m excited to see all the unique wedding styles and how each day unfolds differently. It will also be helpful to watch the planning take place step by step. Maybe I’ll catch those often forgot about details and have a few to share with you.
Congratulations to all you brides-to-be! Happy planning!