Here's what I do know:
-It's one day. It will be an expensive day, but it's one day. Okay, it's a weekend. I'm more excited about spending forever annoying this fabulously patient man of mine.
-It's also his day. It's like 70/30 and he truly doesn't have an opinion on most of the little details, but I'm trying to incorporate him anyway. To not fight and drive him bonkers, I've asked for twenty minutes a week to discuss the ideas I've found on pinterest. He's vetoed a few and I have to be okay with that. To be fair, I vetoed a Denver Broncos themed wedding (his idea) so it's about compromises.
-There will be no feathers. Or fringe-like things. Or a custom wedding hashtag.
-We have a friend that does amazing wedding pictures and I'm 95% sure she'll be doing our engagement & wedding pictures.
-We have a friend whose parents own an Italian restaurant. I'd love for them to either cater the wedding or the rehearsal dinner. There will be cannolis involved in my wedding weekend.
-There will be alcohol and a photo booth. We're skipping disposable cameras on the tables because let's be realistic, all our guests have phones.
-We'll also be skipping the champagne toast. It's an additional cost and most of my friends prefer beer (or wine) anyway. They'll have their drinks, they can toast with that.
-I'll be wearing flats or wedges. I plan on dancing, a lot. Let's not pretend I want to spend all day in heels and I'd rather not be a drunken barefoot bride. Let's maintain the classy factor. These are an option:
(Plus I'd wear them after my big day!)
Since I'm wearing flats, I'll give my bridesmaids that option too!
-It will be outdoors. I asked him when he sees us getting married and he said when it's cool-ish. So October through March (2016? 2017?) is our window.
-I will be doing most of it myself. There will be no wedding planner. I like crafting and won't see this as a burden. I will see this as a fun opportunity to drink wine and yield the glue gun like no body's business. I bought a cute organizer and will probably buy a planner binder once I narrow down my Amazon choices.
-I will not be a bridezilla. I will continue to have relationships with friends and we will have conversations that do not involve the wedding. While it's a big event in my life, it's not the only event and I need to keep that in mind.
-I do not want to hand address all the save the dates. Or the invitations. Or the return envelopes. Or the thank you's. So a custom stamp is a must. I started on Vista Print, but did not love the font options. So I hoped on over to Etsy and found this beauty from Stamp the Envelope:
After giving B a few options, I was thrilled he liked the one I liked best too! So I can expect this beauty to arrive shortly (it's custom made and coming from Colorado).
I heard back from the sellers within hours of my purchase and they sent me a proof to approve before they created my stamp. I love that they took the time to make sure I was happy with it (and that I spelled everything correctly).
We'll be ordering another post-wedding with our matching last name!
-I started a pinterest board (A&B). Okay, it's really like my third wedding board but it's the FOR REAL one. The one where I show B all of it. No secrets.
-We started a guest list, but this depends on the venue and the budget.
-He picked his groomsmen and we brainstormed their gifts.
-We are skipping the traditional guest book. We aren't going to look at it. Instead, we chose this:
(Image from pinterest because our wedding obviously hasn't happened yet!)
It should look like this when it's done:
(Image from pinterest because our wedding obviously hasn't happened yet! Also, it will be a S, not an H.)
I looked into custom S's (since that will be our matching last name) and the ones I liked were upwards of $80. We'll be purchasing two, one to use in the engagement and wedding photos and one to have signed. So $160 wasn't really reasonable.
(Image from pinterest because our wedding obviously hasn't happened yet! Also, this isn't us.)
I found an unpainted one at the craft store for under ten bucks. Sadly, they only had one so I'll try again in a few weeks. It's not like I'm in a rush. I'll paint it to match our colors (once we've decided that). Way cheaper and just as great. It will be the focal point on our family gallery wall...meaning the large hallway leading to our master bedroom that has nothing on it.
-I'm asking our officiant tonight at dinner and asking my MOH in person next week. Since I haven't asked them yet, I'm keeping the craft pictures a secret until I do. I can't ruin the surprise! (Although my MOH's mom knows because I had to tell someone!)
I think I've made excellent progress in wedding planning (considering it's been less than a week). I'm hoping my mom can come up and visit for a weekend in the coming months because she wants to look at venues with us...and meet the puppy (because obviously!).
My goal is to make this event as stress-free as possible while not losing sight of the big picture: I get to have a big party with all my loved ones while promising to spend my life laughing with this man that I love.
Any advice for a first time bride?
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