Welcome back! I'm so happy to introduce to you One Sweet Bride Michelle! Michelle and her now husband got married this past Saturday at the Berkeley Plantation just outside of Richmond. With all the busyness preparing for Michelle's big day, I didn't get a chance to write her One Sweet Bride post! Better late than never I suppose! Michelle is a simple girl who loves vintage touches and wanted a overall rustic look. Think tons of bud vases with pops of peaches and corals with classic details tied in through her bouquets. Gorgeous.
Michelle and I have a kind of different story with how we met. Usually a bride will be referred to me via another wedding vendor or will find throughs google searches. Well Michelle and I met because of my pup Levi. I went into PetSmart to pick up a few last minute items before Levi's big arrival day an Michelle was working there as an associate. She helped me create Levi's name tag because the machine was acting up. I noticed that she had an engagement ring her hand and I asked her when the big day was. She said next September. As you know, I was a September bride (1 year this week!) and have a special place for other late Summer brides. I told Michelle that I was a wedding floral designer and the rest is history. So fun to meet brides that way!
It's been so fun planning her florals with Michelle for the past 10 months and I will miss our Starbucks dates. Here is a look into the inspiration for her wedding flowers and as always, I asked Michelle to answer a few questions. Congratulations, Michelle!
This wedding was right up my alley with tons of corals, peaches, and navy. Classic, but with rustic touches made the day simply lovely.
What is your Fiances name?
John Ochtyun
What's the story? How did you two meet?
Well it's actually kind of funny. John and I both worked at Petsmart at the time. He worked at a different store than me and I was only working part time and going to school full time. He was doing district manager duties at my store and I was on a ladder cleaning fish tanks. He started to walk out the door and decided to come back in because "he was too hard on one of my managers," and wanted to apologize to him. That's what he said at least. He then saw me and approached me and introduced himself. We went on a few dates and it was history from there.
Tell us all the proposal details?
The proposal was perfect. Well other than one slight detail. We went to Virginia Beach for a few nights. The first day we were there headed out to the beach all day. We were going to go back to the hotel room, take showers, and head to a fancy restaurant. Low and behold we got back to the hotel and they said they hot water heater had damage and it was being replaced at that time and could take anywhere from 2-4 hours. I was absolutely not taking a cold shower, so needless to say we did not go to a fancy restaurant but instead a local one. After dinner, we took a sunset stroll on the beach. John knows I prefer not to be in the spotlight so we walked for a while on the beach until there weren't many big crowds around the residential houses. He got down on one knee and I truly thought he was kidding. I was a happy girl!
Where is your big day happening?
Berkeley Plantation, in Charles City
What is the inspiration for your wedding?
I've always loved anything rustic and antique, and chose the color scheme of navy, coral, and peach!
What has been most important to you while planning?
The most important thing has been to include my family, and Johns family in decision making for the wedding. I really wanted them to feel and know their opinion matters to me.
What about the wedding are you most excited about?
Of course the most exciting part is marrying John and becoming his wife. But I absolutely love my dress and can't wait to put it on and wear it all day. I'll never want to take it off!
What are you most looking forward to about getting married?
Once I get married, I look forward to building more memories with John and my family, joined with his. We hope to have kids in the future as well!
Any advice for fellow brides in the planning process?
Absolutely. Leave it to the professionals! Just remember, they have done plenty of weddings, more than you I am sure. They know what they are doing and you need to put your trust in them. It is more expensive but doing everything yourself is very stressful, especially the couple of days leading up to the wedding. If you are a perfectionist it is hard to sit back and let others take care of everything, but just know it is worth it!
Best Wishes Michelle and John! Enjoy Mexico!
Later on the blog this week, I'm talking styled shoots and how to do Fall wedding flowers right!
Love,
Michelle