Hillary Francis, of Special Events at Union Station, met her fiance through mutual friends and knew after only 3 dates that he was the one!
Her engagement story is so sweet -
We got engaged this past October. I knew it was coming and James had been taking me out a lot that month on “date nights.” Every time we went out I thought “this it it!” I would get dolled up to go do things as simple as going to get ice cream (this went on for weeks). One Sunday night, I was exhausted from working a wedding the night before and he invited me over for dinner. He was making chicken and green beans. No big deal right? So, I came over in my sweats and sure enough, this was the night. After dinner, he asked me to make popcorn, which we make pretty often. Not even giving it a second thought, I open up the microwave and there it was- a little black ring box. He knew he had to catch me off guard and boy did he! We celebrated that night, eating popcorn and calling all our family and friends.
Here, Hillary tells us more about her planning experience and, of course, photos of inspiration…
Do you think being an industry insider made certain aspects of your wedding planning process more effortless or more difficult?
I felt really prepared going into the process. I had honest expectations of the costs and of the planning timeline. Selecting vendors was tough though because I know and work with so many talented people.
What sorts of information were you privy to while planning your wedding that many of our readers would not be?
Being in the industry, the biggest benefit is the shared knowledge. Everyone is so happy to help and share ideas. It’s really fun! I have also picked up a lot of tips from my brides– from numbering response cards to being introduced to www.etsy.com.
Did you find inspiration for your wedding from the events you have planned, or do you think being involved in so many weddings made you more clear of what you did not want for your own special day?
I find inspiration from every wedding I work. I love seeing how each couple incorporates personal touches that really make each wedding so special. Sometimes it’s as simple as a song, a great speech or a clever favor.
My biggest inspiration came from Cheree Berry’s wedding in Martha Stewart Weddings Summer 2009 Issue. I had selected my colors early on – cherry red and a punchy orange. Our wedding is planned for August and I wanted colors that were bright and cheerful. It’s certainly not the easiest color combination to pull off but when I saw Cheree’s wedding photos- I thought ‘OK, I can do this!’
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Thanks so much to Hillary for sharing with us today – and we cannot wait to see her pictures after the big day!
