Welcome back to another episode of Nuptial Nonsense! 🎉 This week, Valerie is joined by Courtney Alexander, a former Oak & Willow bride, to spill the tea on her wedding planning experience, the highs, the lows, and everything in between. If you’re planning a wedding (or just love hearing about them), this episode is packed with real talk, helpful advice, and a few wild moments!

💍 In This Episode:

✅ What It’s Really Like to Plan a Wedding While Moving Twice – Courtney shares her journey of planning a wedding in Chattanooga while living in Knoxville and Georgia (before eventually moving to Chattanooga—by surprise!).

✅ Hiring a Wedding Planner: Why It’s a Must – Courtney breaks down why she chose Oak & Willow and how having a planner allowed her to actually enjoy her wedding day instead of stressing over the details.

✅ Single Life & Marriage: Navigating Expectations – As a trauma-informed life coach for single women, Courtney talks about embracing singleness, setting real standards, and avoiding getting married just for the sake of marriage.

✅ The Vendor Vetting Process: What to Ask & When to Run – The #1 question every bride should ask a past client before booking a vendor: Would you hire them again? Plus, the nightmare experience that left Courtney second-guessing whether one of her vendors would even show up on wedding day.

✅ Favorite Wedding Moments – From walking down the aisle with her dad to an unexpected concert moment with cell phone lights during her first dance, Courtney shares the moments that made her wedding unforgettable.

✅ Vendor Communication is Everything – Valerie and Courtney discuss why consistent communication is key and how ghosting a couple (or their planner) is the quickest way to break trust.