This week's #WCW couple goes to a loving local couple, Mr. & Mrs. Nixon. Amanda and Kenny live in Northern Virginia where Kenny and I actually went to high school together. The couple has mutual friends with me and other previous #WCW couples and it was truly a pleasure getting to talk to them on how they planned their wedding. Amanda and Kenny found love in a way they both least expected, but realized that even as unexpected as it was, they were destined for a lifetime together. Please read along to see how the couple planned her dream wedding with his strict budget, Nixon Style.
How and where did you two meet?
Amanda answered, "We met in August of 2008. It was through my best friend's cousin. My best friend's cousin and Kenny were co-workers at the time and she hooked us up. We went on a blind double date. He came to my house and picked me up and yeah that was it; that's how we met."
Kenny added, "It was a blind date that wasn't about to happen!"
"Yeah, I always said I would never go on a blind date, but I did and ended up with my husband." Amanda finished
How long were you dating before you got engaged?
"2 years"
How did you know she was the one?
"That's a tough question let me think about that one for a second." Kenny started, "I think it had to do with the way that she carried herself. I'm from the south so there's certain qualities that you look for in someone who is more than just a girlfriend, but more like a wife. It’s someone you can see yourself having a family with and that you can trust for the rest of your life. I wouldn't say there was any particular moment, but more of a combination of having that connection with someone that I could spend the rest of my life with." finished Kenny.
How long were you engaged?
"2 years"
Wedding Date:
May 19, 2012
Why did you pick that date?
"We picked May because we didn't want it to be too hot or too cold. With the date, we were looking at the fact that it was graduation season and also Memorial Day Weekend. We picked the 19th so it wouldn't be on a holiday and we figured that most of the people that we invited would not have a graduation to attend on that date." answered Amanda
Inside Ceremony (First A.M.E Church)
Inside Reception (Park West Lion's Club)
Was it mandatory, due to your religious beliefs, that you get married in a church?
"Ummm... we didn't mind having an outside wedding, but we didn't want the weather to be a factor and since we both are Christians that go to church; we just decided to have the traditional church wedding." replied Amanda
Approximate expense: $20k
Color Scheme: Malibu Blue, Horizon Blue and White
Where did you get inspiration from for your color scheme?
"I think we had discussed it and we decided that we didn't want a pink or anything to girly. Kenny wasn't for that. My best friend, who was of course also my Maid of Honor, and I were in David'sBridal and picked those colors. We ran it by Kenny and he agreed." responded Amanda
Did Kenny help with the planning or did he just say 'you do it all and I'll just show up'?
"Oh no, he had an active role and I'm so glad he did. He's a really good planner, like party planner and event planner, so he really made a lot of the arrangements that went with the DJ, the reception, and even the honeymoon." acknowledged Amanda.
What caused the most stress while planning?
Kenny replied "I would say dealing with family members not turning in their 'RSVPs'. You have to get your numbers into the caterer to make sure you have enough food, but at the same time you don't want to spend a bunch of money for food that is not going to be eaten because people don't show up. It really was difficult just trying to get people to communicate if they were coming or not."
"I think it was that, but also planning the reception and how many people were actually going to be able to attend. We both have large families and a lot of friends and unfortunately we didn't have a bunch of money, so people couldn't understand that we couldn't invite them to the reception. We had some people that we could only invite to the ceremony and a lot of people had attitudes about that. Eliminating people on the list for the reception, because we had to, was very stressful." added Amanda.
What did you find to be most helpful during your planning process?
"Yeah I would say the day of the wedding; our coordinator had everything under control." I didn't have to worry about anything and that took a big load off. I've known her my whole life and I've seen her in action, so I already knew it was going to be 'stress-free'. During rehearsal I could just see how she got things all in order, so I knew that on the actual day I wouldn't have to worry about anything and I didn't. As far as during the entire planning process, I would say when we went to The Continental Event Center for a Wedding Showcase." answered Amanda
"Yeah it was a big wedding showcase that had different vendors for caterers and cakes like Cakes by Happy Eatery was there and they had a little runway thing where people were displaying their wedding dresses and stuff, so that was pretty good." added Kenny.
What was your best memory?
"Ummm... besides it being over... Let me think..." Kenny joked and then continued, "I think my best memory was actually... Both of grandmothers are passed away and one of my grandmothers actually raised me. I'm not one that cries too often, but there was a part when they said my grandmothers' names in their memory and some other people, that was my favorite memory or moment."
"I would say definitely walking down the aisle. It just felt like everything was in slow motion and then it hit me like everything was real. Also, when we were saying the vows, this is kind of deep, but I just love his eyes because they are just so sincere. When I looked into his eyes and I saw that, it just felt real and it felt really good and I will always remember that." answered Amanda.
What was your worst memory?
Amanda expressed, "I would just say the fact that the reception was really unorganized. I got over it because I was most concerned about the ceremony and because that went really well I just looked at the reception as a big party and let it go."
"I didn't get to eat my food. Every one kept coming up to me. It's partially my fault because I felt like I had to engage every one that came up and spoke to me. Amanda got to eat everything on her plate, but I didn't get to touch anything on mine. By the time we got back to the hotel that night and I laid down I was really hungry." a disappointed Kenny, answered.
If you could, would you get married all over again and if so, would you do it the same way?
"I think we have different answers on this. I would do it all over again. I don't consider myself as a 'high-class' person and I always said that for my wedding day, I would go all out and have a nice wedding no matter what. We didn't go overboard because we didn't want to be in a large amount of debt, but I always said if I can't have anything else in this life 'I'm going to have a nice wedding' and I did, so I would definitely do it all over again." replied Amanda.
"I would do it all over again. Most people that you invite to your wedding you feel are close to you, but really there's only a small small circle of people that are really going to care for you outside of that moment and really be there for you during your lowest of lows. I don't carry a big circle, so I think that list that was originally 165, I would push for it to be more like 50 and spend more money on a honeymoon or something else." answered Kenny.
Do you want or plan to renew your vows?
Kenny answered, "I've thought about it, but Amanda doesn't necessarily believe in that. She believes that if you do it once then there is no reason to do it a second time."
"I don't know how that sounds. I know there's a meaning to why people do it, but that's just my personal feelings. I feel like there are other things that you can do to keep your marriage fresh and I don't really feel like it's necessary to renew vows. I feel like once you've said it that first time, that should be it and you should stick to it from that day on." explained Amanda.
Was your wedding day everything you expected?
"Well it met my expectations mainly because I won't say I'm cheap, but if I set a budget I don't go outside of the budget. I coordinated everything related to the reception like the caterer and other things. I didn't use rental linens, but instead purchased them wholesale from a distributor and it turned out to be cheaper. Everything was pretty much set up and coordinated to my standards, so I think that it met my expectations because I was involved in everything." answered Kenny.
"I think it met my expectations. I feel like every woman, as a little girl, dreams of her wedding day. I think there are some things that if I had the money then I may have done a little bit more, but I had no problem sticking to a budget. I felt like everything turned out very nice so I feel like it definitely met my expectations." Amanda replied.
Are there any pictures that you wish your photographer would have captured, but did not?
"I like 'natural moments' and I wish there were more pictures captured of the family interacting while eating. I don't necessarily mean pictures of somebody stuffing food in their mouth, but just capturing the interaction of family. I think that's really missed in weddings. Most of the time the pictures are so focused on the bride, the groom, and the wedding party, but it should be a focus on families interacting." answered Kenny.
"When I look back at the photos I feel like I wanted more pictures of my bridal party. I feel like there's so many different shots that you can do that I've seen of different brides and her bridesmaids and I feel like he didn't capture as much as he could have." replied Amanda.
What was your favorite wedding gift?
Amanda started, "We both really like our Wok. We use it all the time and it really comes in handy."
"Besides the cash, the Wok would definitely be my favorite. We're actually cooking tonight with it. It makes things convenient. We don't have to wait for the oven to heat up and it doesn't overcook. I really like cooking with it." Kenny added and agreed.
Amanda later added, "I would also say towels and washcloths because you can never have enough. For our gift registry, I scanned them in every color at Target and now we have a bunch and I feel like you can never have enough."
What was your most wasteful purchase in regards to planning your wedding?
"Food!" Kenny simply replied
"That does remind me. We had Hors d'œuvrs and because of the timing I think they were a waste. I don't think it was because people didn't want them, but people were more so socializing during the 'cocktail hour' and they were just sitting on the table. They ended up getting thrown away." Amanda added.
What is the best advice you would give to someone else planning their wedding?
"I would say, definitely have a good wedding coordinator. I feel like that really eases stress. I would say definitely be in communication with them and make sure you are on the same page with the coordinator so they understand what it is you want. I would also just add to make sure it is someone that you can trust and that you are familiar with their work. A lot of them can be promising, but then it's a different story on the day of. Also, when I picked out my dress and the bridesmaids dresses, I just had my mom and my best friend come with me. I didn't want every one's opinions so when they got there, it was more about the fitting because their dresses were already picked out. I didn't want all the drama of everyone putting in their two-cents because that would have stressed me out. This was just my personal preference." responded Amanda.
"The one thing I push more on, because I'm big on organization, is to immediately start planning within the first month of your engagement. The reason being is because if you sit around and wait until a year away, you're going to start cramming everything in terms of where you want to go on a honeymoon and figure out that cost and the whole budget in general. I think you should probably secure a wedding planner within the first month of getting engaged and try to knock out the things that shouldn't be a distraction. All the loose ends need to be determined early in the process and start saving your money." Kenny advised.
This couple has a very calm and mellow dynamic about them. The two seem to have a genuine love each other and I see them having a very successful life together. They seem to understand each other's wants and needs and have respect for the partnership aspect in marriage. Alluring DeKor wishes them the best of luck! I hope you enjoyed reading about how they planned their wedding. Please stay tuned for next week's #WeddingCrushWednesday couple.