She’s the mastermind of weddings! Bachelor Ben Higgins and his finalist, Lauren Bushnell, announced on Monday, March 14, that they are getting married, and celebrity wedding planner Mindy Weiss speaks exclusively to Us Weekly about her suggestions for the recently engaged couple and their upcoming nuptials.
The well-regarded planner has famously orchestrated the gorgeous weddings of three Bachelor couples — including Sean and Catherine Lowe, Trista and Ryan Sutter and Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum — all of whom are still married. Here, the Wedding Paper Divas’ style partner shares her ideas for the ultimate Bachelor wedding checklist with Us, including the invitation, the dress, the happy hour and more!
But disclaimer! “This is all if they don’t do it on-air,” Weiss warns Us. “I think the wedding itself will have lots of details but very thought-out, chic details.” If they choose to tie the knot in private, Weiss predicts a maximum of 150 guests.
1. The Invitation
The party planner anticipates a lot of blue involved in Higgins and Bushnell’s big day. “There’s this Wedding Paper Divas invitation,” Weiss tells Us of a mossy green and blue watercolor-style invite that’s decorated with sketched flowers. “I do notice that she does wear a lot of blue, so that’s kind of where we went with the blue,” she tells Us. “And Ben looks good in blue.”
2. The Destination
Weiss envisions the luxurious Parrot Cay in Turks and Caicos as the place where the Bachelor 20 couple should tie the knot. “The reason we just kind of went more destination is because she travels and that would be a good story,” Weiss tells Us. “She’s traveled around the world and you know they’ve traveled around the world together, I think it would be fun if it was a destination.”
3. The Dress
Talkin’ about a two-piece! “Lauren is very trendy and loves a two-piece outfit with a cropped top, so I think she might take a risk and go with the more modern-style two-piece dress,” the wedding planner tells Us. “That said, I still think it will be simple and beachy, without lace and with minimal beading.” Her pick is a sparkling sheath from Inbal Dror’s 2016 Bridal Collection. “She’s so little and cute,” Weiss says of the season 20 winner.
4. The Bridesmaid Dresses
The planner sees Bushnell’s closest friends and her sister in different shades of blue. “They’ll pick what looks good on their bodies,” she tells Us of her guess about the cuts. “I think anything near that blue water would be so pretty.”
Accessorizing their outfits could be subtle but sweet bouquets. “The bridesmaids should carry the faintest, faintest color of blush,” Weiss suggests. “Blush and green leafy accents.”
5. The Flowers and Centerpieces
Beautiful blooms! Weiss tells Us that she sees Bushnell and Higgins decorating their nuptials with “gorgeous flowers like peonies and anemones.” The reception tables could be dotted with “lush, low centerpieces in white and cream with hints of blue in varying shades.”
The wedding planner would like to see Bushnell walk down the aisle with a single-hued bouquet in hand. “I think I picture all white,” Weiss says. “I would do peonies — Parrot Cay you can’t get any flowers that you want — but let’s just say peonies because they’re so beautiful.”
6. The Cake
Totally Pinterest-worthy! Weiss tells Us that Bushnell should consider steering away from the typical multitiered fondant confections and choosing something more minimalistic when it comes to the dessert portion of her wedding reception. “Lauren B., being the trendy gal she is, may even go for a naked cake,” Weiss guesses, adding that the she thinks the decadent treat could be “delicately sprinkled with powdered sugar instead of traditional frosting and decorated with gorgeous florals.”
7. The Cocktails
“Let’s get really classy and say they’ll serve a beautiful rosé!” the Bachelor enthusiast tells Us. “Rosé would be so refreshing in the tropical weather – they could call it ‘The Final Rosé’ since she won the final rose! When planning the drink menu, you also want to think about your décor, and a beautiful rosé would perfectly complement the theme.”
The pair should also custom-create a special set of libations named after themselves, she suggests. “In terms of cocktails, I could see them serving a variation of the Blue Lagoon, which is vodka-based and served in a highball glass — they could call it the ‘Higgins Highball,'” Weiss tells Us. “Finally, we saw from their hometown date that they’re both fans of whiskey — a very popular liquor these days — so I bet some whiskey-based libations will also make it on the menu.”
8. The Menu
“Typically, people from Portland, [Oregon,] are really creative foodies because they have the best food,” Weiss tells Us. “So I would definitely make the menu — if they decide to get married in Parrot Cay — to really serve the food from the islands. You know, what they’re really good at making, so bringing in Parrot Cay traditional food into their menu. I think they can be really creative.”
9. The Blessings
Weiss concludes her checklist with Us by giving Higgins and Bushnell some advice. “Focus on yourselves, and don’t get pulled into all the minutia,” the wedding planner says. “You have one wedding, one chance to do it with your personalities. A wedding needs to reflect the couple and not the guests who are coming, so stay focused on each other and not all the publicity that may be coming around.”
It helps that she has a 100 percent track record with the Bachelor couples she’s planned for. “All three of the Bachelor weddings that I’ve done, all of the couples have stayed firm to what they want,” Weiss tells Us.
