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Courtney Llanusa
Wife’s name: Courtney Llanusa
Husbands name: Josh Llanusa
How long have you been married? 9 months
When did you get married? August 1st, 2014
Short story of timeline before engagement and marriage:
First met October 2011, Made it official November 2011, Engaged February 20, 2014
Courtney and Josh are the type of people who you see together and you just know that they are going to be one of the couples that makes it. The way they love each other is so pure and really is an overflow from their love for God. I have had the privilege of knowing them for the past 4 years and can honestly say that they are some of the most loving and kind people that I have ever met. I am so excited that Courtney is sharing a part of their story on Just Be- it’s a story that everyone will want to hear!
Intro written by friend of the Llanusa's Justine Belk
Did you do a first look?
Yes, Josh and I did a first look and I loved it! It was so nice to have that time of just the two of us before all our guests got there. It really helped both of us relax and get rid of those pre-wedding jitters. After our first look and taking all of our pictures we had our wedding party come join us which also greatly helped on the amount of time we were taking pictures after the ceremony, which was a big deal for us because we had our ceremony and reception at the same place.
How did you set up a budget and were you able to
stick to it, what were some things you had to say no to
or tips you would give brides for saving some money?
For our wedding my parent’s were giving us money to spend, but had also set a limit as to what they would give and after that it was on Josh and me to pay. Being in school for me and Josh not working full time we knew that we needed to stay inside what the budget was, so we picked a few things that were really important to us and decided that if it came to it those would be places we would splurge. I think picking those few things really helped us because it made it easier on other items to say that’s too expensive and we need to keep looking for a better solution.
Did you have a separate ceremony and reception locations?
No, we got married at Faith Promise Church and decided to have our reception there to save on costs and so that people wouldn’t have to be driving somewhere else (most of our family isn’t from around here).
Did you do cake, cupcakes, pies or other and where did you get your choice?
We did a cake for us to cut and then cupcakes for our guests, and it worked out wonderfully! We liked that with cupcakes we could give more options for what kind of cake and what kind of frosting, that way there was a better chance of everyone having something they liked. We also got our cake and cupcakes done at Publix and they were delicious, so I highly recommend looking into your grocery store bakery if this isn’t an area you want to spend a ton of money.
What song was your first dance to?
A Beautiful Place to Be by Tyrone Wells. We wanted something different in the midst of Marry You and All of Me, so picking a song took much longer than we thought it would. We searched lists online and blogs constantly trying to find what we would dance to until one day we were in the car and I was looking through Josh’s itunes. We both love Tyrone Wells and while it was playing we both decided that was going to be the one.
What did you do for your bridesmaid’s gift?
For my bridesmaid’s gifts I got them monogram necklaces. I knew I wanted to get something they could wear for the ceremony, but also something that they could wear for a lot more if they wanted to.
How long did you have to plan your wedding?
We planned our wedding in just over 5 months.
Would you have liked more time or could you have done it in less?
I really liked our short engagement. Josh and I had talked before getting engaged about how we weren’t long engagement people, so I knew ahead of time that when it happened we wouldn’t pick a date too far away.
Were you happy with the photography?
Yes! We had a friend from Dallas come shoot our wedding and our pictures turned out amazing!
What pictures would you have liked taken that weren’t? I wish I had taken more individual pictures with my bridesmaids and with my brothers and sisters. In my mind, even though my mom had told me I needed to make a list of what I wanted, I was going to remember every picture I wanted. Well naturally that wasn’t the case and I missed out on some pictures I really wish I had.
Did you leave for the honeymoon the day after the wedding or later, why did you leave when you did?
We left for our honeymoon two days after our wedding. We got married on Friday night and our flight to Jamaica wasn’t until Sunday morning from Atlanta. It worked out really well for us because we got to see both Josh’s family and my family on Saturday before we left for Atlanta to thank all of them for traveling so far and sharing in our big day.
If you could change one thing about your wedding what would it be?
I would have had a day of coordinator. During some of our pictures it would have been helpful to have someone there to tell family members we needed them. It also would have been helpful to have someone in charge of pushing people towards the dance floor so we could have our first dance, as well as our dances with our parents.
What advice would you give to brides planning a wedding right now?
I think one of the most important things to remember while planning a wedding is to take time to step back from all the wedding planning and enjoy the season of life you are in. I think it’s so important to decide ahead of time that when you have date night you aren’t going to talk about wedding plans, because it is so easy to get caught up in all the decisions and choices and forget how to just take a break from it all.
What was your favorite part of the ceremony?
My favorite part of our ceremony was that our pastor had asked our parents what advice they would give to us. It was a sweet surprise to hear what they had to say before we made our vows.
What was your favorite part of the reception?
We had so much fun at our reception! I think my favorite part was getting to dance the night away with our friends and family.
What has been your favorite thing about being married?
The best part about being married is always having Josh there when I need him. I know everyday after all the stress and the craziness of work that I get to sit down and have dinner with Josh and just watch tv on the couch. It really is all about having my best friend there to encourage me, grow with me, and push me towards Jesus.
What has been the hardest part about marriage?
The hardest part for me about being married is realizing that I have all these expectations that Josh isn’t going to meet. Now I’m sure that sounds harsh, but it isn’t! For me it was learning that I have to let Josh be himself and no he probably won’t look to see if the dishwasher is clean or dirty, the dishes will always just go in the sink. I had to realize that we were brought up differently and that plays a huge role into our everyday life. In the beginning it used to frustrate me because why didn’t he do it my way and he just didn’t get why I was so mad about it, but I learned to let it go. I had to let him be himself and do things in his own timing.
“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”
― Dr. Seuss
Thank you Courtney and Josh for being a part of the Just be family. Your story and the wisdom you have shared will be a blessing to so many.