In the Spotlight: Rochelle Free

Rochelle and Greg were pronounced husband and wife on October 13, 2007 in charming Winter Park, FL at Knowles Chapel. Their lavish and stylish reception was held at the AAA Four Diamond Grand Bohemian Hotel (this setting just radiates swank) in Orlando, FL.

See what Rochelle has to say...

"My advice to any bride (or groom, I guess some of them help out now and again :) preparing for or during their wedding would be:

1. Don't be afraid to ask for your vendors to work with you. They should really be more than happy to help you cut corners, suggest an alternative, or give you an upgrade (i.e. your parents getting a suite instead of a standard room earns you big points!)... Just remember that you're spending a lot of money and deserve some pampering in exchange for this bill. If they're not willing to help you out, then they're more interested in making money then they are you. Ditch 'em and get someone else – I did this with our cake vendor and ended up a million times better off (p.s. if you’re in central FL, see Karen at Cupcake Crazy in Lake Mary and Lee James Floral Designs in Orlando, they are both amazing vendors!).

2. Try not to lose your cool if something goes wrong. You'll be the only person who's stressed out and look like the stereotypical "bridezilla". I had a moment where I thought I was going to go Naomi Campbell on the makeup counter ladies. Thankfully my cellphone stayed in my hand or I probably would have been kicked out of the store and had bigger problems to deal with! Instead I used the "bride pity card" to get what I needed done... tip: people are really helpful if you appeal to them with pity. ;)

3. Make sure you give yourself at least an extra *hour* of time during your schedule the day of. I only allotted 1/2 hour to eat. We ended up running 20 mins late and I only ate 1/2 a fruit cup while the photographer chased me out of the room to start photo madness. The girls ended up running even later for photos so they could eat a little more and I was starving before the ceremony. Not fun! If you don’t have any time, bring some snacks to the ceremony. They are a lifesaver!

Those are the biggest things other than the usual “have fun and just enjoy it”. My day didn’t go exactly as I had planned but everything ended up being perfect! Not one of the little issues or setbacks I'd worried about mattered in the least bit and I had the best time.

Good luck!!!"