Being a Bride: Leann

Leann and I met during our PR classes at Georgia Southern, and have kept in touch throughout her time living abroad!

Bride Name: Leann L.  Miller 
Groom Name: Donald E. Miller III
Wedding Date: October 18, 2014
Total number in wedding party: 23
Total guests: 150
Venue: Ceremony: Pittman Park UMC             Reception: The Hall on Vine

How you met, and the proposal: Donald and I met in 2010 when I worked in the library at Ogeechee Technical College. I like to say he was circling the circulation desk I worked at like a shark. Eventually, I noticed how cute he was and asked him for his phone and proceeded to enter my phone number as a contact and sent him on his way. A few minutes later I received a text that stated, "That is the boldest thing I have ever seen a girl do." After that, we became friends.

On Black Friday 2011, we chatted and decided that if neither of us had a date for New Year's Eve we would be each other’s date. New Year's Eve got closer and we made the date to spend the evening together and had a great time. Soon after, I realized that I was falling for Donald and had to tell him. On January 30, 2012, we made it official and became a couple.

In September 2013, my family took a trip to the Outer Banks, North Carolina, and Donald and I were able to go. While on vacation, my little sister wanted to take family photos and picked a day to do so. We chose to take photos under the Rodanthe Pier and that is not only where family photos were taken, it is also where the sweet, shy, love of my life got down on one knee and asked me to marry him in front of my whole immediate family. I tried to not cry, and did not succeed, but I was the happiest girl on that day: September 12, 2013.

What was the best bridal shower and/or pre-wedding event you attended, and why? All of my bridal showers were special in their own and unique ways. I was lucky to share my happiness with Donald’s family for a joint shower, where I was made a Minnie Pearl hat from a plate and bows from our gifts. My little sister and sister-in-law and several women near and dear to my heart threw me a “Friends and Family” shower that was beautiful and full of Southern charm at a local bed and breakfast in Statesboro. I also cannot forget my church family and how they showered me with warm wishes and marriage wisdom.

One event that was specifically designed to honor how Donald and I met was our rehearsal dinner. My father-in-law and sister-in-law graciously hosted it at Chops on Main {now Gee Da’s Kitchen in Statesboro}. A favorite detail was library cards that displayed special dates: from first meeting, first kiss, our proposal, and all in between. Also, at the rehearsal dinner my mom presented me with my something old that I will cherish forever: my something old was a bonnet my paternal grandmother bought me to wear when I was a baby and when I got married the strings to the bonnet were to be cut and used as a handkerchief to carry on my wedding day. My paternal grandmother is no longer living so my mother passed it to me on my rehearsal night in her honor. 

What was the best wedding gift you received? My first favorite gift was my two sets of monogrammed sheets and handmade crocheted throw blanket made with love from my mom’s best friend, who has been in my life since I was around ten years old. My second favorite wedding gift was the German cookbook, guide book of Germany, and euros from my sister-in-law and family. A week after I got married, I actually moved to Germany with my wonderful husband!

What inspired your wedding day (theme/look/feel): What inspired my wedding day were two of my husband’s requests, my wedding dress, and my love of literature. The two requests were: that the wedding take place in autumn or winter and he wanted to wear a tux. This meant that, most likely, I would end up with a semi-formal wedding set in the evening. The feel I was going for was “Southern Sophistication” and “Bookish.”

I fell in love with my wedding dress it as soon as it was zipped up and I stared at myself in the large dressing room mirror. It was an elegant strapless drop waist A-line dress with wispy lace and a touch of sparkle. 

And lastly, my love of literature. Donald and I met in a library there was no way that books were not going to be incorporated into my wedding décor somehow. {Piper’s note: Leann is always reading a book. One of my favorite parts of her wedding was the simply stunning centerpieces at the reception that were stacks of vintage books. Also, each table was named after a famous literary couple!}

Our colors were cream/gold/eggplant purple/black. I did not have an outdoor wedding like I always dreamed about, but I did wed in a church that had a beautiful stone floor, wooden pews and accents that was complimentary to the outdoors.

 What is something you couldn’t live without for your wedding day (ex.: a certain band, a specific cake, etc.):

My photographers. At the end of it all, it is true what people say: you will not remember all that happened, it goes by so fast. If you have a good photographer all details will be captured digitally so you can always remember what truly a wonderful moment in time this day was.

If you have any wedding décor DIY tips/tutorials, or money saving suggestions, please share:

1. Make your wedding as personal, unique and special to your likes and wants. The small personal things is what I always remember from weddings and I wanted that same feel at ours. Some of our personal touches were my reception centerpieces, the groomsmen gifts, the song that I walked down the aisle to, the song that Donald and I danced to for our first dance, etc. All these small things were parts of our personalities put into our wedding.
   
   
2. Take advantage of local businesses in your hometown, Etsy, family members and/or friends that are creative to help with wedding details. Example: I fell in love with wedding invitations online that were way out of my price range, so I decided to take a photo of the invitations into a local printing shop and they were able to duplicate them for half the price. Also, I paid a great price for my wedding favors thanks to a wonderful Etsy seller.
   
   
3. Do not pay too much for wedding services. A great website I found was http://www.thumbtack.com. Thumbtack lets you enter in information about whatever wedding service you are looking for and then people that provide those services send you quotes and you can choose who you want. I ended up doing this with my photographers and got an awesome price and package deal. I recommend this website for the frugal bride.
   
   
4. Pick venues with more than one feature. Does the site offer catering, or will you have to find a caterer offsite? Does the venue offer linens, plates and silverware? Does the venue expect you to setup your event and/or cleanup after it? You always want the most bang for your buck, and if you are paying a lot for a venue there should be more perks included than just the venue itself.

Connect with the Bride
Blog: Personal: http://becomingamiller.blogspot.com;
Travel:  http://becomingamiller.tumblr.com
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/bookishmiller
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bookishmiller
Other: book blog: http://betweenlibraryshelves.blogspot.com