““I thought he was a handsome, charming, carpenter dude..” I giggled when I heard Anna describe her first impression of Gus as we chat over dinner at the very restaurant that they will be having their wedding dinner tomorrow night. And I have to agree – Gus is quite the handsome and charming dude – the neat ponytail, the perfectly groomed beard, the lines on his face that seem to almost tell a life story of everywhere he has been and all that he has done.
Anna and Gus’ wedding was quite a challenge to put together, hence the title of this post. =) First, it was to plan a Chicago wedding from Nashville. Anna was really looking forward to coinciding her reception with the Navy Pier fireworks, hoping to treat guests to a fantastic view of the city from the 30th floor overlooking Lake Michigan.
As if planning a wedding from afar wasn’t challenging enough, 6 weeks prior to the wedding, the venue in Chicago suddenly became unavailable. Anna took it in strides, and made a gutsy decision under 2 months before her wedding — she moved everything to Nashville. Anna and Gus restarted wedding planning all over again, with me being the only vendor from Chicago they kept.
Within a week, they quickly booked several downtown locations as they moved forward in full force with a Nashville wedding. Then, 4 weeks before the wedding, a huge storm poured over the city of Nashville, and flooded parts of downtown Nashville, even destroying some historical landmarks.
I spoke to Anna that day. Despite the devastation around her, she kept a positive attitude. “Oh, we’re fine! Luckily, the ceremony venue is ok, and the reception venue is ok. But the park where were going to have our picnic the weekend after the wedding is destroyed! I guess we’re just gonna have to find someplace else!” she told me with a cheery voice. I’m guessing that by now, nothing really phases her anymore.
“You know what, at this point, as long as Gus is going to be there, and I am going to be there, wherever that is, and we get married in the end, that’s all that matters.” And she continued chugging along on wedding planning…her optimism and determination reminded me of The Little Engine That Could. =) And she did. On June 12, 2010, Anna and Gus were married. =)
That put alot into perspective for me. Do the linens and the flowers and chair covers and cake matter in a wedding? Yes. Absolutely. Do they matter more than the person that you’re marrying, and the act of getting married itself? No. No at all. It just put into perspective for me that when things get tough, and I’m faced with obstacles, I just need to re-prioritize and make sure that what’s MOST important to me is safe, everything else is just icing on the cake.. no pun intended. =)
p.s., I should add that Anna is an artist (www.annajaap.com) and the paintings you see in the background during the ceremony are all her work!
The day after their wedding, my husband and I got our butts out of bed at dawn to do a day-after photo session with Anna and Gus in the river that ran near their backyard (that actually overflowed practically to their doorstep during the flood!).
Some wedding info:
Ceremony: Estel Gallery (www.estelgallery.com): 115 Rosa L Parks Blvd Nashville, TN 37203 | (615) 251-8997
Reception: Allium Nashville Restaurant (www.alliumnashville.com): 501 Main Street
Nashville, TN 37206 | (615) 242-3522
Flowers: OSHi International Floral Decor Studio (http://www.oshiflowers.com/): 207 Capitol Blvd Nashville, TN 37219 | (615) 972-5425
