A year end review…

The end of the year brings up all kinds of feelings of nostalgia for me. There’s something about the end that makes you think of the beginning. For me 2024 has been a restart for Gathered Here Designs. 

I know I’m bias, but I love the glitter detail on the GHD logo!

Originally GHD launched in 2019, then that beloved 2020 came and kicked all our butts. From 2021-2023, GHD was basically “on pause”. During the engagement season of last year, I was inspired to renew Gathered Here Designs with the goal of providing oodles or helpful FREE content to newly engaged couples online. By the end of the year, my goal was to complete building out a virtual wedding planning course to help support those newly engaged DIY couples who need just a little extra support with the planning process. 

While my course recording is temporarily on pause due to this sore throat that just won’t quit, I’m confident I’ll be able to finish recording before that clock strikes midnight on 12/31.

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Looking back on the year, I feel excited about what I have been able to create with Gathered Here Designs - SO. MUCH. CONTENT. It’s one of my favorite parts of the business is creating things that are helpful to those planning their wedding. I consider myself a content queen of sorts..

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As we look forward to the New Year and all that 2025 has to bring, I wanted to share all the data and favorites from 2024.

GHD 2024 Data

• 63k+ monthly views on Pinterest

• 175+ custom designed pins on Pinterest

• 28 blog posts  (if you count this one) - see my first blog post here from 12/29/23

• 17 Wedding Wednesday emails

• 3 wedding quizzes

  • Style Quiz

  • Season Quiz

  • Flower Quiz

• 10+ free new wedding planning resources

• 10 landing pages

• 1 holiday coloring book (still time to purchase before Christmas - makes a great stocking stuffer!)

• 1 virtual course (almost completed - waitlist here)

Get the GHD holiday coloring book - perfect stocking stuffer!

Here are a few of my favorite things from 2024…

My favorite quiz is the first one I made all about finding your wedding style, though the wedding season quiz is a close second.

Take the wedding style quiz today!

My favorite landing page is this one, which is all about mood boards.

Mood boards are a great way to visualize your wedding design.

My favorite email I sent was is a tie between this one (April) and this one (November).

My mom, sister, and I at my cousin’s wedding in April.

PS if you’re not on my email list, be sure to sign up here. I share all kinds of personal details and photos that I do not include on the blog.

DON’T MISS OUT - SIGN UP FOR WEDDING WEDNESDAY EMAILS!!!

Somewhere in the midst of all that I was working full time until October 2024, raising 2 children, moving from a rental into a 1937 cottage, and began renovating said cottage. Looking at the all this makes me realize why I’m probably so tired haha.

Now while we’re on the nostalgia train, we may as well go waaaaayyyyy back to when I first fell in love with weddings, I was 5. Now talk about nostalgia…

Fun fact: I’ve only been in 2 weddings - one at age 5 and one at 26!

My 5 year old self is the one who keeps the passion of creativity alive, while my 20 year old DIY bride self helps know what tips and tricks are most helpful to share with newly engaged couples, and my current 30-something self is the one who makes it all come together.

Since next week is Christmas, you won’t be hearing from me. While I believe in hardwork, I also believe in rest and boundaries. I’ll be spending next week with my little family in Boise, doing things like a Christmas movie at the Egyptian Theatre and soaking in the hot springs.

As I reflect on the year and all it brought to be (both things I sought and a few surprises like buying a house and walking away from my full time job), I am so thankful to have the opportunity to be here with you to chat about all things weddings. Thank you for making this a year to remember!

In case you’re wondering what’s next…

A sneak peak into 2025

• Switching email platforms

• Launching wedding design course (more on that here)

• Possibly offering 1:1 design sessions (we shall see!)

Don’t forget to watch my favorite go to New Year’s Eve movie that I talked about here. There’s so much New York in this movie, I could just BURST!!!

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Happy holidays to you and yours, however you may choose to celebrate - I’ll see you back here in the New Year!

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Note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you purchase a product through my link I can earn a small commission. This helps allow me the ability to keep providing you free weekly content (yay!).

Why wedding planning doesn’t have to be overwhelming

If you have ever planned a wedding, you know exactly how stressful and overwhelming it can be. There are 100+ decisions to make, millions of articles/videos/checklists online telling you what to do, and often never-ending unsolicited input from family and friends. 

Now if you’re new to wedding planning and aren’t aware of these things, my apologies if I just scared the pants off you.The truth is wedding planning can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

As a former DIY bride myself, I know what it feels like to be sitting on the floor surrounded by wedding magazines, trying to piece together a plan of how to DIY my wedding. Once I made it through my own wedding planning, I started supporting family, friends, and eventually couples online with their weddings. In 2019, I decided I wanted to use my wedding knowledge to support more couples through DIY-ing their weddings and thus Gathered Here Designs was created. Here’s a little breakdown of my journey to wedding design:

My journey to wedding design

While wedding design and styling are my absolute favorite part of the wedding process, I have learned you really have to start with planning first. I know, I know, talking guest-lists, budget, and setting the date are not the glamorous part of creating your dream wedding. I also know that if you skip to the design part, you’ll end up wasting time, money, and eventually you’ll have to go back to the actual planning part. 

“The truth is wedding planning can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be that way.”

Whether you like it or not, wedding planning is happening - it’s a must for pulling off a DIY wedding.

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To help make the process easier, I have put everything I know about wedding planning into a digital mini-course to help newly engaged couples DIY their wedding planning without the overwhelm. This course focuses on the 3 key decisions couples need to make first when planning a wedding and guides them through how to do so. It’s called Engaged 2 Planning.

While naturally I wanted to create a wedding design course, I really feel for all those stressed out couples trying to plan their wedding so I wanted to start with planning first (then we can get to the fun stuff later).

What this course includes:

• Welcome Video

• 3 Modules

• Multiple Video Lessons

• PDFs and Worksheets

• Bonus Section on Design

This course will be available before the end of the year. If you are a newly engaged couple or you know someone who needs help with their wedding planning, be sure to have them sign up for the Engaged 2 Planning waitlist. 

If you’re not getting married and are just curious about the behind-the-scenes aspects of Gathered Here Designs, be sure to join the Wedding Wednesday email list. I send wedding tips, along with personal updates in this (mostly) weekly email. Sign up here.

My hope is wedding planning with this course will be super chill…happy planning!!!

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Which season is best for your wedding?

There are sooooo many decisions to make when it comes to designing your dream wedding. If you’re feeling overwhelmed but are dying to get started on your wedding design, landing on which season your wedding will be in is a great place to start. See here for another key wedding decision that makes everything else feel easier.

Each time of year poses  its own unique set of pros and cons to consider. Now I know I’ve been droning on and on for the past few weeks about fall weddings (see here and here), a fall wedding might not be for you (I’ll try to find it in myself to forgive you for this). 

Maybe you’re one of those summer people and you’re just dying to enjoy the summer sun on your big day. Or perhaps you’ve dreamed your whole life about a Christmas wedding (I’ve been to one and it was breathtaking!). Whatever you might have in mind, understanding what each season offers can help you and your partner choose the best season for your special day! 

Spring Weddings

Spring (March to May) offers a newness that draws a perfect parallel to the beginning of your life as a married couple. As nature awakens with blooming flowers and fresh greenery, it sets the stage for a picturesque wedding.

Pros:

• Natural Beauty: Flowers are in full bloom, providing vibrant colors and natural décor for your ceremony and reception.

• Mild Weather: Spring typically offers mild, comfortable temperatures, especially for outdoor weddings.

• Fresh Menu Options: Seasonal foods like asparagus, berries, and fresh herbs are abundant, allowing for a lighter, more vibrant menu.

Cons:

• Unpredictable Weather: While temperatures are mild, spring showers can be frequent and unpredictable, making outdoor weddings a little risky.

• Allergy Season: Pollen from blooming flowers can be a nightmare for guests with seasonal allergies. Read more on my summer wedding warnings here.

• Higher Costs (later in spring): Late spring is a popular wedding season, so vendors and venues may be in high demand, potentially increasing costs.

• Challenging Travel: Spring is not always easiest for guests to get away from their day to day commitments to travel to your wedding.

Spring weddings offer stunning flower options and beautiful pastel color palettes. 

Summer Weddings

Summer (June to August) is a popular choice for couples who want long days, sunny skies, and outdoor fun. Summer can create a fun and carefree wedding vibe.

Pros:

• Outdoor Weddings: With warmer weather and longer days, summer is perfect for beach weddings, garden parties, and outdoor celebrations.

• Vacation Time: Many guests will already have time off during the summer, making travel easier and ensuring higher attendance.

• Lush Backdrops: The greenery is at its fullest, offering lush landscapes for stunning wedding photos.

• Beach Wedding: If you’re wanting a beach or coastal wedding, summer can be the perfect season for your event!

• Florals: Flowers are readily available in the summer, meaning you won’t have to pay a premium price to get the flowers you want.

Cons:

• Hot Temperatures: In some locations, summer can be uncomfortably hot, especially for outdoor events. Heatwaves and humidity can make the day uncomfortable for both you and your guests. Please note I got married in July and it was outdoors, over 90 degrees - many guests ended up dehydrated and sunburnt. We guzzled down so much water that day!

• Higher Costs for Venues: Summer is peak wedding season, and venues tend to charge premium rates.

• Competition for Vendors: Popular photographers, florists, and caterers may book up quickly, requiring early planning.

Summer weddings are great if you want an outdoor venue.

Fall Weddings

Now you know this season has my vote! Fall (September to November) is ideal for couples who love rich colors, crisp air, and a more intimate feel to their wedding. With the leaves changing colors and cooler temperatures, fall offers a cozy and romantic backdrop.

Pros:

• Beautiful Foliage: The changing leaves provide stunning reds, oranges, and yellows, perfect for outdoor ceremonies and photographs.

• Pleasant Weather: Temperatures in early fall are often mild, creating a comfortable atmosphere for both outdoor and indoor weddings.

• Unique Menu Options: Fall offers an abundance of delicious seasonal foods, including pumpkin, squash, and warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Cons:

• Shorter Days: As the days get shorter, you may need to adjust your schedule to accommodate less daylight, especially if you’re planning an outdoor ceremony.

• Unpredictable Weather: Fall can bring sudden temperature drops and unexpected rain, so having a backup plan is important.

• Travel Challenges: With holidays like Thanksgiving, you’ll want to avoid scheduling your wedding too close to major holiday weekends to prevent conflicts for guests. Fall is also a harder time for people to take vacation days, so your guest list might be smaller thank you wanted.

Fall weddings allow for rich textures and colors.

Winter Weddings: A Magical Wonderland

Winter (December to February) might not be the first season that comes to mind for weddings, but it's an excellent choice for couples seeking something unique and budget friendly! The season can add a magical ambiance to your special day.

Pros:

• Romantic Atmosphere: Twinkling lights, cozy fires, and snowy backdrops can make your wedding feel like a magical winter wonderland.

• Lower Costs: Since winter is the off-season for weddings, many venues and vendors offer lower rates, helping you save money (as long as you avoid holiday weekends).

• Holiday Cheer: If timed right, your wedding can coincide with holiday festivities, adding an extra layer of joy and celebration.

Cons:

• Cold Weather: Depending on where you live, freezing temperatures and snowstorms could pose logistical challenges, especially for travel.

• Limited Outdoor Options: If you're dreaming of an outdoor wedding, winter probably won’t be the best time for it.

• Holiday Conflicts: Winter weddings can overlap with Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and other holidays, which could make scheduling tricky for guests.

Winter weddings allow for unique floral choices and incredible photo backdrops.

Not Sure Which Season is Right for You?

Deciding on the best season for your wedding involves balancing your vision with practical considerations. Still not sure? Take our Free Quiz to find out which season best suits your wedding style and personality! Whether you're drawn to the warmth of summer or the coziness of winter, this quick quiz will help you figure out the perfect time of year to say, "I do."

Take the quiz to figure out the ideal time of year for your wedding!

Each season offers its own charm and ambiance. Ultimately, the best time to get married is the time that feels right for you and your partner.

The 3 best things about my wedding day!

Today marks my 14th wedding anniversary. FOURTEEN YEARS!!! This seems impossible, even as I type it I don’t believe it. In some ways so much has happened in the past (almost) decade and a half, yet in other ways it seems like we just got married. 

I still learn new things about my spouse on a regular basis. Like how his dream job as a kid was to become a tow truck driver (this one still cracks me up!). It keeps things interesting for sure, knowing that even after all this time, we still don’t know everything about each other.

My wedding anniversary always brings me back to the memory of our wedding day. With 14 years passed, I have some perspective on the whole event - it’s much easier to see what mattered most (and what didn’t), when so much time has passed.

The things that mattered most to me were:

Music - I LOVE music. All kinds of music from all periods of time. I grew up with my parents listening to Elton John, The Eagles, Michael Bolton, The Temptations, and, Aerosmith (thank you papa!). I fell in love with listening to music from the 40s-60s on vinyl (Ottis Redding, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Ella Fiztgerald & Louis Armstrong). I cheered in junior high and high school (thus entered all things 90s and early 2000s pop and hip hop). Most of my childhood was spent growing up in rural America (hello Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Trisha Yearwood, The Dixie Chicks {now The Chicks}, Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Reba McIntire). We paid for our wedding ourselves and we were young and broke, so all the music was done via an iPod (yes, you read that right) and rented speakers. I curated all the music to play in a specific order. Starting with easy listening, moving into dance party songs, sneaking in a couple slow songs. It was all timed perfectly. We still listen to our wedding playlist 14 years later and multiple people have asked for a copy of the songs for their own wedding. 

We tore up that dance floor on our first dance!

Want help with your wedding music? Get my free guide below!

People - The people make a wedding. I have never been one to have a large group of friends, but the people I do have I know and care about deeply. Quality over quantity. The people who have helped shape my life are the people I invited to my wedding. With a few exceptions such as those of us who were on an exciting international internship and couldn’t make it due to said super awesome globe trotting…cough, cough…Emma…cough. 

You can have a beautiful wedding, but if no one you care about is there, does it even matter? Our family and friends came from all over to celebrate with us in Oregon. Idaho, California, Tennessee - they all showed up, just as they have our entire lives.

Meaningful decor - I have always enjoyed design. From fashion to home decor, I love it all. I used to turn my childhood closet into a fashion house, taking faux orders on a corded telephone with my sisters and cousin, then furiously sketching out our creations for our pretend clients (note drawing shoes was NOT my strength). When it comes to design these days, I like to feel connected to what I create. If it’s a feature wall, each element will be personal or carry some sort of hidden meaning. I have to share a connection with what I create. Weddings are the perfect opportunity for this. In our wedding, I incorporated yellow butterflies in memory of my maternal grandmother who had passed away 4 years prior and told us on her deathbed she’d come back as a yellow butterfly. 

I also spent a lot of time curating the centerpieces, which were made up of black and white photos relevant to each of the people assigned to sit at that table. I talk about them a lot, I know (see most recent mention here ) - it's because they just meant so much to us and so much to the people who showed up to celebrate with us…I’m not crying, you’re crying.

Something I like to do when I’m working with clients to help them design their dream wedding is to have them pick the 3 most important things to them as a couple for the event. Some people don’t care about the decor, but they do care about the food. That’s great! Others prefer to skimp on the alcohol to splurge on the flowers - perfect, lean into that! 

By sitting down with your partner and agreeing on the top 3 most important wedding items to you both, it will help provide clarity on where to spend your money and your time when it comes to your wedding design.

Take it from someone who’s 14 years removed from their wedding, focus on what matters most to you both and the rest, you’ll likely forget about over time.

Stay tuned for next time to learn about the 3 things that mattered LEAST to me and the one thing my older sister (said sister pictured below) STILL won’t let me live down 14 years later.

Happy dancing, happy singing, happy wedding planning!

3 Summer Wedding Warnings

Wedding season is nearly upon us and it had me thinking about some heat-specific things to keep in mind when throwing your summer wedding.

Summer weddings can be stunning or they can be sweltering…I think mine was a little bit of both (circa July 2010).

Below are 3 things to keep in mind so you don’t end up like I did on my wedding: overheated with bugs up my dress.

Summer weddings can involve bugs, sun, and dehydration…OH MY!

Summer Wedding Warning #1: Bugs

As you can see in the photo below, bugs can cause some mishaps at a summer wedding. During our summer wedding, the bugs kept flying up in between my multiple layers of tulle and getting stuck. I bet Lesley Margaret Webster aka Maggie Sottero did know their wedding dress design doubled as a very expensive mosquito net. Thankfully, my cousin was there to save the day (and the bugs) by picking them out one by one. A wedding I went to last July was also outdoors and there were so many mosquitos. I remember the photographer coming into the reception hall with giant welts on her legs from all the bites. It makes me itch just thinking about it!

Be more prepared for bugs than I was by offering guests mini bug spays, inquiring if your venue can spray for mosquitos prior to your event, and/or considering placing natural bug repellent oils or candles around your event.

Summer Wedding Warning #2: Sun

In addition to my own (which was in the 90+ degree heat, outdoor ceremony in direct sun in July), I’ve been to some other really hot weddings. One wedding I attended was outdoors in direct sun. The ceremony felt long and I remember standing up and my dress was stuck to my legs from all the sweat…#notcute. For one wedding I went to they had their wedding program printed on fans which was a very clever idea.

To help reduce the heat at your summer wedding consider having the ceremony in a shaded area and the reception in an air conditioned space. It can be hard (especially for young and elder guests) if there is no break from the heat. Provide fans for your guests, mini-sunscreens, and/or even sun hats (you can purchase in bulk for relatively low cost). You can also consider setting up misters around your space if you’re wanting to keep the whole wedding outdoors.

Summer Wedding Warning #3: Dehydration

This might be one of the most important summer wedding warnings. Heat stroke and dehydration can easily happen for guests who get so caught up in the happenings of the event that they don’t realize how hot it is and they forget to drink enough water. To help prevent your guests from overheating and becoming dehydrated keep plenty of water out at your event.

Consider placing water stations around your event (the dance floor, by the dessert table, near the food, at the bathroom, etc.). Provide bandanas or small towels your guests can cool in water and wrap around their head or neck (inspired by my father-in-law, Alonzo DuPont, who did this exact thing at our wedding - see below).

My father-in-law, Alonzo

Looking for more ideas on what to include in your summer wedding?

Check out my “don’t forget” Pinterest board here.

Wishing you a joyous start wedding season!

~Amanda Jean