Real Wedding at The Highland Manor – Megan O'Brien and Syed Khan 

At Events by Dubsdread, we love being dedicated members of the team that makes your big day your best day. While we are masters at planning and executing the behind-the-scenes work, we know our clients have unique perspectives on their events. We thank recent couple Megan O'Brien and Syed Khan for graciously sharing their experience to benefit others.

BRIDE AND GROOM: Megan O'Brien and Syed Khan
WEDDING DATE: October 14, 2023
VENUE: The Highland Manor
EVENT COORDINATOR: Michelle Edmiston, Event Specialist/Sales Representative

VENDORS: 

Photographer/Video: Snapshots by Gabriela
Florist: Atmosphere Florals / Events by Dubsdread Vendor Profile Blog
DJ: DJ MJ, Junction 88 / Events by Dubsdread Vendor Profile Blog
Cake/Dessert: Morgan Hunter Desserts
Hair/ Makeup: Laura Reynolds Artistry
Draping: W Draping 
Photobooth: Party Shots Orlando

ONE YEAR OUT:

How/where did you get engaged?
We got engaged in downtown Winter Garden. We went on our second date there, and it's admittedly where we both started to fall for each other. We also purchased our first home together in Winter Garden, so it has always been a special place for us.

Syed planned a Saturday morning breakfast date, which had become a new tradition for us in the months leading up to the engagement. Before breakfast, he suggested we take a walk down the center of the street and enjoy the scenery. Little did I know, one of the photographers who was there "taking pictures of wildlife" was actually one of his former coworkers! We asked her to take a picture of us in front of the fountain. Then, Syed said, "Wait, I have to grab something," and then pulled out the ring and got down on one knee.

What are you most excited about for your wedding day?
We are most excited to have all our loved ones together for our wedding day. We have family and friends all over the country, so we are very much looking forward to having a fun excuse to get everyone together and celebrate. We are also really looking forward to adding special touches to our day to help celebrate our love and life together.

What aspect are you excited to plan the most? (Ceremony, food & beverages, photographer, DJ)
We are really looking forward to planning the food, drinks, and music. We both love to try new foods and new places together, so we are really excited to put together a menu we can enjoy with our guests. We're also planning on creating some signature drinks (named after our dogs), so we are also looking forward to that process. And, of course, the music! We want our wedding to be fun and enjoyable for everyone, and you really can't make that happen without a great combination of food, drinks, and music.

A FEW MONTHS OUT / PLANNING PROCESS:

How do you feel the planning is going?
Wedding planning is going really well! This may not be the norm, but it's been a fairly low-stress process for us. We've been fortunate that all our vendors have had our wedding date available, which has made the planning process go very smoothly. We have every detail in a spreadsheet that we can both edit, and everything is falling into place. We are getting more and more excited for our big day the closer it gets!

What have you found to be more difficult than you expected?
Putting together a wedding registry is way more difficult than we expected. There are so many places you can register, and so many options to choose from for each item you need. Plus, our guests were asking for our registry way earlier than we anticipated, so we were not expecting to feel such a time crunch to get it all together.

What has been more fun about the process than you expected?
It's been really fun meeting with vendors. I was dreading this part of the process because it's a lot of phone and Zoom calls and can take up a decent amount of time when you factor in all the vendors you need to talk to. However, all our vendors have been fabulous and have such great energy that it's so much fun to talk with them and plan different elements of the wedding together.

WEDDING DAY:

What was the best, most memorable part of your big day?
The best part of the day was being surrounded by all our friends and family. We have friends and family all over the country, so to have everyone together in one place, celebrating our love, was so special to us!

If you could change one or two things about your event, what would they be?
We truly wouldn't change anything about our day. We just wish we had more time to spend with everyone.

Is there any advice you would give other couples planning their event that you wish someone had told you?
It's easy to get caught up in all the small details of the day, but truly, the only thing that matters is that you are marrying each other. So, focus on the big picture and don't stress the small stuff!

Photos courtesy of the bridegroom, Taylor McNew (@photogra.taytay) and Snapshots by Gabriela.

When you book a wedding with Events by Dubsdread at one of our exclusive venues, we provide wedding coordination at no additional charge. Our coordinators become dedicated members of your team bringing experience and expertise to help you execute your vision. Contact them today to make our team your team in making your dreams come true. 

Additional Real Weddings at The Highland Manor:

McKay - Friedman

Pampe - Bjoring

Blank - Smith

Ley - Romanov

Emanuel - Caspary

Tims - Petruzzelli