Can I get a litle help here?

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When I first started the planning process my first check-mark on "the big list" was to find someone who could just help. Planning from over a thousand miles away can be difficult alone, but I knew if I had someone to ease the load it would make a huge difference. Many brides may tell you that family friends or dear mom has been the biggest help, but my situation is a bit different. My mom is a total tomboy, and although I love her and trust her dearly I just knew it wouldn't work for our wedding. So I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted from a coordinator when I started the hunt, but I knew I wanted to be able to be honest with he or she about my expectations for the big day.

I knew what I didnt want: a JLo wedding planner feeding the best-man's toast during the reception and possibly planning a little more with my FH. At first I thought I might find a coordinator who would see what little "vision" I had for our wedding and would take off running. Looking back on that thought now, I can't believe I was so silly! After all, our engagement period has been over a year and a half long! It's not like I was in a hurry to get things done~ I had so much time to explore my own creativity!

Once I started brainstorming, the ideas just kept flowing. First it was "sophisticated black and white affair"; then it quickly changed to "backyard bbq". Somehow I had to get my dueling personalities to meet in the middle. Mr. Champagne and I have always known that our wedding will be a CELEBRATION of our love, above all. So I wanted a coordinator who would know that I wanted us to be completely silly while still surrounded with elegant details. After some interviews and long phone calls, we decided to hire a DOC who I've known FOREVER. JoAnn Moore of Mountains and Meadows Events in Vail is actually my old ballet teacher from waaaaay back. She has pretty extensive experience with our venue, and the fit was definitely there. I loved her attention to detail, and I knew she would be able to keep things under control so I could really enjoy the day.

JoAnn is a master of simple elegance, which is exactly how we pictured the day. Because she has planned so many events in our venue, I was able to see how the space is transformed.

Place cards at the welcome table:

Winter wonderland:

And because JoAnn actually my old ballet teacher from way back, she's seen me at my best. I mean... honestly- the sexiest days of my life.... nice mullet huh? I was a FOX.

Am I the only one who has gone from back-seat planning to full force obsession with detail?!