Making My Own Vision, Reality. Personally and Profesionally

While I've been hosting my own parties for many years, and people have always told me I should give up health wonkdom to be a "party planner," I wasn't sure I was cut out for it until I planned my own wedding. Apparently I am not an anomaly. Many young, female professionals, tired of working harder for less money than their male counterparts, are quitting their jobs to plan their own weddings and/or pursue new careers in event entrepreneurship.

Never being one shy away from trends, I jumped on the event planning bandwagon with the hopes of making my own professional vision a reality: giving up my day job to plan full time. And though planning events for clients presents its own unique challenges and requires greater adeptness in diplomacy, accountability, and patience, I love that planning allows me to relive the moments of my own special occasions and feel the "hostess buzz" of pride that comes from executing the perfect soiree.

Below are some pictures of details from my own wedding day, captured by who else but my favorite photographer, Jessica Del Vecchio. Carl and I were blessed with a perfect October day on Cape Cod. Special thanks to Tammy at Casa Blanca Florals, Jimmy at Woods Hole Golf Club, Meredith at Meredith's Bridal Boutique, Lisa at Delicious Desserts, and Kelley at New Wave Printing and Design for their help in creating the ultimate Cape Cod wedding.

My bouquet: Ivory and sage hydrangea with stephanotis and brown hypericum berries.

The gorgeous flowers above the entrance to St. Thomas the Apostle Chapel.

These baskets were hung on the door to the chapel. You can't get married on Cape Cod without Nantucket Baskets somewhere!

I couldn't stop staring at the altar arrangements during the ceremony!

Programs...

For cocktail hour in the golf club lounge, Tammy put hydrangea blossoms in martini glasses to spruce up the cocktail tables.

Our menu: New England clam chowdah, tossed green salad, and filet mignon with baked stuffed shrimp. Delicious!

And of course, wedding cake! I admit, I don't think I ate any of it (less the bite I was required to eat for photo op!)

The centerpieces were my absolute favorite. A riot nearly broke out when people started scrambling to take one home at the end of the night!

For favors, we put seating cards in small silver picture frames, and Jess provided business cards with photos from our engagement session that had information on where to download our wedding photographs. They fit perfectly in the frames for a nice keepsake.

Finally, some of my favorite images of Carl and I...