With two months to go before their wedding, some brides might be in a panic over not having a vendor for their cake or florist. But in North Carolina, it’s nothing but a thang. No problem, no worry.

We recently went to North Carolina to meet with various vendors and scheduled two appointments for one day and six (that’s right, six) for the following day. While driving down, we came up with a list of questions and expectations for a coordinator, talked about music selections, the seating chart, and any one-off groupings that we wanted the photographer to catch. We were on a whirlwind mission. Our weekend went something like this:

Friday
6:45 AM: “Amanda, get up, Tiffany’s here,” said my husband, shaking me when he heard our daughter’s truck rumble to a stop in front of the house. When did she become such an early bird?
8 AM: We picked up Debbie, Tiffy’s future mother-in-law.
12:02 PM: Phone rang: Douglass, our cake vendor, had a pipe burst and needed to reschedule for Saturday. So much for that plan.
3 PM: We meet the first of the two coordinators we’re scheduled with for the weekend.
5 PM: We arrived at my aunt and uncle’s house in Beaufort, where we spent the night.

Saturday
9 AM: We met with a cake baker.
10 AM: We tried to meet with a florist, but she forgot our appointment.
11 AM: We met with Naomi and Janine, the hairdressers, and finalized arrangements for them to do the bridal party’s hair and makeup on the day of the wedding.
Noon: We met the caterer at the aquarium for a walk-through of the space.
2:30 PM: Tiffany and Debbie met with a florist.
3 PM: I met with a second coordinator.
4:30 PM: We finally met with Douglass—the coolest cake person ever.
7 PM: We arrived at my in-laws’ house in Chocowinity, where we spent the night.

I consider the trip a success because we finalized hair and makeup, the cake, and the coordinator. I feel confident that Tiffany will hire the florist she met with. With all of the vendors in place, we just have to focus on the final details.

In these weeks leading to the wedding, I realize that my biggest issue is simply this: I can’t believe that my Tiffany is getting married. That she will be a wife. With a husband. It’s just the strangest thing!

Amanda, a local mother of the bride, writes occasionally about helping to plan her daughter's wedding, which will be in the spring. To read about her adventures from the beginning, click here.