The Final Countdown

When I started this blog I wanted to post so much about our wedding journey. But between school, work, anxieties, laziness, moving, actual wedding planning, and just plain life...that hasn't been the case. And now there are suddenly just 45 days until our wedding day and I cannot believe it! We have a countdown going on our chalkboard in the living room and I swear it makes the days go even faster! There's still so much to do. I don't think I realized how all-consuming planning a wedding would be. Joe and I were joking the other night about how we don't know what we're going to do post-wedding because almost every day/night is filled with some sort of wedding related task.

Luckily we've reached the point where the big things are pretty much done, and now it's making the final touches and doing the little things I want to add. My dress has been fitted, all the bridesmaids have their dresses, the boys have ordered their tuxes, we both have our wedding rings, the little ones know what they're wearing, centerpieces have been picked, flowers have been chosen, we're almost done with our pre-marriage counseling, invitations have been mailed - and tons more. It's crazy to look at how much is done. It doesn't seem like a lot until you write it all out.

It's really hard to believe that when we got engaged there were over 500 days until the wedding, and now we're under 50! It's a little surreal, exciting and terrifying all mixed into one.

As we get closer to the big day I'm so thankful for all of the love and support we've gotten from our family and friends throughout our whole engagement. I'm glad I have friends that let me talk about the wedding and don't get annoyed with me and that have offered me so much advice and support along the way. I really can't wait to celebrate with everyone and become a married lady so soon!

**when I wrote this it was 45 - now it is 43!!!

A Little Confession

I’ve sat down a million times to update this wedding blog. To inform anyone who may be tuning in on the goings on of this wedding that is just 3 ½ months away! But, every time I write I get about half way done and then I close my computer and walk away. It’s not because there is a lack of activity. We have gotten so much done lately that it’s making my head spin! But I think it is more because I am not enjoying the process as much as I thought I would, or feel like I should be, or want to. I think I’m afraid to say that, so I just don’t say anything.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot that I’ve enjoyed doing. The day we went and picked out my wedding dress was so much fun. Asking my bridesmaids is one of my favorite projects I’ve done for the wedding thus far, and even though the boxes were a lot of work, the end product and getting to hand each one of them something I put time, effort and love into meant a lot to me. Chowing down on catering options and cake flavors has been delicious and fun. However, a lot of it gets to be very overwhelming.

How do you translate the vision you’ve had in your head (and on your Pinterest board) into the real deal? How do you work within a budget when everyone you’re working with passes that over when they hand you a bill or an estimate? How do you keep EVERYONE involved happy while making yourself happy at the same time?

I am a person that is just very anxious by nature. My heart jumps when the phone rings. I stopped wanting actual birthday parties when I was 18 because I was afraid no one would come. The mere thought of pissing someone off makes my palms sweat. Granted, I am very good at masking and hiding my anxiety by being sassy when possible and most people I know probably would never expect it. The whole wedding planning process has thrown it into overdrive.

All of the miniscule decisions everyone says you’ll have to make that you don’t think you’ll have to make – you make. (I spent 10 minutes the other night at the place we’re getting our invitations from just deciding on if I wanted the inside of the envelope to be pink or silver!) The fights with your fiancé and/or family member’s people warn you about that you laugh off – they’ll happen. Your idea of ‘this is our wedding and we’re going to do exactly what we want no matter what”, probably out the window. People that are in the wedding - and even people that aren't - will criticize, question, complain about some of your choices (the tux rental is expensive, why are you getting married on THAT day, etc...). Wedding world is a different world. I commend and congratulate and am extremely jealous of any couple that really, truly gets to make every decision and have everything turn out perfect and never feel an ounce of guilt or frustration or nervousness. I am not that person.

Everything from the time of year we are getting married, to where we are registered at has been a tipping point for my anxiety. People (by people I mean maybe a small handful of people, but I digress) love to comment that on our wedding day there will probably be ice/snow/cold/tornados/any other gross sounding weather event on March 1^st. When I tell people where we are registered I get nervous they will somehow judge us for registering somewhere too fancy, or for too nice of things (which really is ridiculous because your wedding is the 1 time people will splurge on you and buy you nicer things without you having to gift back, and in that case I should have just registered at the Dollar Store). Having a religious wedding has been of some contention from friends and family “(I’m not religious”, “Ugh Catholic weddings are so long and boring and UGH”) to which I do my nervous laugh and scoot away.

I don’t really want to keep dragging on, I’m sure you get the point; I care too much about what everyone else thinks, which is dragging me down and making me not enjoy the process as much as I should be. Maybe I am overly emotional and sensitive, or maybe I am completely normal and justified. Maybe this is just a blip that every bride goes through when things come down to the last few months and planning goes into overload.

Whatever it is, and whether the words I am typing at this point even make sense, I just needed to get it out. And now I can hopefully move on and be a happy bride leading up to the wedding. I had my first bridal shower this weekend which was a great chance to start the wedding celebrations, be reminded of how many wonderful people are in my life, and relax and enjoy myself.

Those are the things I should be focusing on!

An Update

Oh hey, I have a wedding blog! A lot has been happening lately and it's all kind of starting to feel real. We're winding down on making the big decisions, and are starting to think about the little details that will pull everything together. I haven't had any other major freak outs lately and I'd prefer to keep it that way! Occasionally I get a little anxious or panicked, but I've been able to keep myself chilled out for the most part. A couple of the big things that have happened in the last month + are:

• We registered for our wedding gifts. We ended up making registries at three different places. I've been really worried that people would think I was selfish or greedy or something for having three, but 1. This is my one and only wedding. 2. Each place has very specific and different items. (aka we're not registered for a million of the same thing at different places just because we want something) and 3. My grandma assured me that it's ok and I really trust my grandma...so there. We're registered at Williams Sonoma (kitchen stuff), Macy's (nice plates, some cooking, bedding) and Bed Bath & Beyond (everyday use kind of stuff + some fun things). 
• My first bridal shower is coming up. My godparents go to California for the winter every year, so unfortunately they won't be here for the wedding. So, my godmother asked if she could throw me a bridal shower before the holidays. I'm having two showers altogether. This one which will be my family, family friends, and my friends and a second one thrown by Joe's family that will be his family and family friends. In fact, my shower invitations just went out this week so people should be getting them soon if they don't have them already! I'm really excited to celebrate with some of my favorite people and start the wedding festivities, even if it will still be 3 1/2 months out. 
•  My wedding dress if finally in! Way back in June I found the perfect wedding dress and got all measured for it and the order was placed. This past Thursday I got a phone call from the bridal store that it has finally arrived! It really took everything in me to not leave work right that very minute and go try it on, but I refrained. My grandma is out of town until next Sunday, so even though I want to see it right now, I'm going to wait until she gets home. I'm hoping that still I love it as much as I did when I said yes to my dress!
• We have a DJ. The DJ hunt was actually pretty easy. Dupont Downs has a list of vendors that they work with often that they have good relationships with, and they give this list to their couples to help narrow down the vendor hunt. One of the DJ companies on there is Quattro Systems. I looked them up and emailed back and forth with one of their reps before signing out contract. They have a flat fee, which is great (aka no hidden charges or extra costs for things) and they have a great reputation. They even make choosing your songs easy. Up until a week or two before your wedding you can work in a digital worksheet that breaks down all of the different songs for different "events" throughout the night, as well as a section to list songs you really want played, and songs you could live without hearing. I'm looking forward to working with them more.

I'll elaborate on some of these things more later, but those are some of the major things. We still need to wrap up and solidify everything with catering, order flowers, take care of the cake, and then start nailing down some of the other details such as groomsmen, ring bearer and flower girl attire - but I have a good idea of what they'll all be wearing. We also have a lot of smaller details to tie everything together and add some special touches that we'd like to do, so those will be coming along as well. 

I just can't believe how fast March 1st is coming. We are just a little more than 4 months away! There is still so much to get done, but I know in the end everything will come together.

And Then, I Had My First Wedding Induced Breakdown

This past Sunday marked 6 months until the wedding day! I can’t believe how fast time has gone by. It seems like it was just a few weeks ago that it was last summer and it seemed like so long until our big day would arrive. We’ve gone from counting years, to months, and now we’re down to only half of a year left. As we come to these last few months before the wedding there is so much going on that it’s hard to keep straight. We’re making appointments, putting down down-payments, make real final decisions – and it’s a little overwhelming.

Throughout this whole wedding hoopla I’ve managed to remain pretty calm. I’ve definitely been way more laid back than I thought I would be. For someone who constantly over thinks, over analyzes and worries constantly, I’ve kept my cool for over a year. I’ve had moments where I’ve felt anxious or nervous or a little stressed, but nothing I haven’t been able to brush off – until last week. I don’t really know what exactly set it off, but within two days alone we 100% solidified everything with the church, received our information for our “engaged couple” classes we have to take, hired a day-of coordinator, contacted a DJ and started conversations about lots of details that we need to solidify. There’s so much left to do and I would have never dreamed there was so much on the wedding to-do list when we started this.

I guess I just got a little overwhelmed and it hit me all at once. One minute I was happy talking to my mom and grandma on the phone about ordering wedding invitations and save the dates, and the next I was standing in the kitchen crying, holding a corn cob and crying into Joe’s shoulder. 

Among the things flooding through my head at the time:

        These pre-marital classes are going to be intense.
        What if we fail our pre-marital classes?
        Is that possible?
        We need a florist.
        We need a DJ.
        What if no one dances?
        Why don’t I have an opinion on flowers?!
        I still have bridesmaids that need to be fitted for their dresses.
        What if my dress doesn’t fit when it comes in?
        Can someone be excited for me for a minute so I can freak out and feel
        ok about it?
        What if no one wants to come.
        Am I behind in wedding planning?
        SIX MONTHS!!!!!!!

Among other things…. Basically I was having a wedding stress-induced meltdown and all poor Joe could do is take the corn cob from my hand, tell me it would be ok, and take over prepping dinner while I collected myself on the couch. After chatting with my best via text and realizing I probably sounded like an over-dramatic, oversensitive bridezilla, I calmed down and was back to my normal happy self.

Sometimes it's hard being so excited and consumed by something and feeling like no one else cares or is as excited as you are. Sometimes planning and thinking about all of the big and little details that will go into this one day is overwhelming and makes me want to run off to some far away land and just elope. Sometimes  you have really irrational thoughts and feelings that I'm finding just come with the territory. 

I've read a lot of things on blogs and wedding websites that say that planning a wedding and being engaged are really one of the most surreal and unique experiences people have. You're preparing to join to lives together, and while many people go through the same process, no two experiences are the same. You're planning one day that will kickstart YOUR ENTIRE LIFE WITH SOMEONE, and to you it is all consuming, and to everyone else it's...just one day. 

So, I've decided it's ok to feel overwhelmed every once in awhile. And it's ok to have a good cry while being a little irrational when I need to just let go. There have been a few arguments, stresses, and tears, but nothing that has made me completely lose my mind entirely. If I made it over a year without having a complete meltdown, hopefully I can take this one, breathe, and go the next 6 months without another one. I know I have so much support from friends and family no matter how I'm feeling otherwise.

Here's to the next 6 months, and avoiding turning into a walking disaster bridezilla mess!

On Having a "Smaller" Wedding

When we first started the wedding planning process about a year ago we really had no idea what size of wedding we would be looking at. Both Joe and I come from relatively large families. His with lots of cousins and mine with lots of aunts and uncles. At first I figured we'd just invite everyone (rookie mistake), but once we wrote out a preliminary list of friends and family we each thought would be invited the list was close to 300 - YIKES! So, needless to say we talked a lot and scaled back some and came to a number closer to 230.

Then I really started to think and get overwhelmed. 230 people is a lot of people, and a big portion of them may be family you're not as close to, or family-friends that were around when you were in diapers ages ago, and so on. Did I really want to be walking around my wedding reception just meeting people for the first time, or catching up on years that had gone by? It didn't sound very enjoyable to me or Joe, so we started talking about reducing our list again.

When we really started legitimately looking at planning the wedding, my mom and I had the budget conversation. After that we realized our guest list would have to be shrank down anyway to fit within our budget. The number we came out with was 150 with a little wiggle room (175 max). This was almost like a little weight had been lifted and then a bigger one placed back on. I was relieved that the wedding would be smaller than we originally thought, but then I started worrying about who would be left out, and if we would be hurting anyone's feelings. (If you haven't picked up on it, I worry about everything.) 

As the wedding gets closer more people are curious about the exact plans. When they ask how many guests and I tell them around 150, more often than not they say something to the affect of "ohhhhhh that's kind of small". And I smile and nod and explain how we want our guests to have a great time, but stay in budget and so on and so forth. Mostly I just get flustered. I don't want anyone to think they would purposefully be left out of my and Joe's big day. We've really only had one or two instances of someone getting seriously down on us about not including every single person in the universe, but I'd like to think they understand where we are coming from.

I know that 150 is still a lot of people. I think that any collection of people over 30 is huge, so it's incredible to me that we even know 150 people. I also know that in the end, the most important thing is celebrating our wedding day with the people that mean the most to us. The friends and family that have really shaped us, watched us grow, been with us through thick and thin, and been in our lives through our relationship and beyond will be there and are the ones we want to be surrounded by.

Ultimately I want our wedding to keep the focus on Joe and I. I don't mean that in a bratty, self-centered sense - I just don't want things, like the guest list, to overshadow the real reason that there is a wedding in the first place.

The Great Photographer Search (Part 2)

I've addressed our search for a wonderful photographer many times. Our wedding photos are probably one of the absolute most important parts of the wedding to me - they're really the only permanent, tangible thing to come out of the whole wedding (besides the actual marriage obviously). We had narrowed it down to two great photographers and were on the brink of finalizing that decision when I was given an offer that I couldn't say no to. A very good family friend that has worked with my family's business for years has a huge photography business out of Chicago (with studios also in Little Rock and Baton Rouge!), Ocken Photography. Chris, one of the 3 photographers that are a part of the business (Chris, his wife Jen and brother Bob), approached my mom about doing my and Joe's wedding pictures one day. After a little discussion and joking around he said that he would seriously love to do them and would give us a VERY good, reasonable, price compared to their normal rate and that he would do anything and everything I wanted. I really couldn't refuse.

I've been a little nervous. I have ideas of what I want and a style that I love, not to mention that the two photographers that we had narrowed it down to are known for doing amazing things with weddings. Some of the photography that the Ocken's does isn't necessarily what I like, but is very beautiful. But after looking around the website, their Facebook page and blog, I realized just how versatile their photography really is. They can adjust the way they shoot, edit, etc... to exactly what each couple wants - something many photographers can't or don't do. They were even voted as The Knot Best of Weddings 2013, so I'm pretty confident that we are going to have some great photographs. 

                      

It feels good to have another huge part of our wedding in place. In just 2 weeks we will be getting our engagement pictures taken, which I am beyond excited for! My mind is busy trying to decide on a location/locations, what to wear, and all of that other fun stuff. I can't wait to get a first glance at what we can expect to see with our wedding pictures, and to start working with Chris, and Ocken Photography!

All photos can be found here.

An Update, Update

A couple of weeks ago I gave a little update on my and Joe's lives both in and out of our wedding bubble. I talked about getting jobs, ending college, looking for a place to live and making some decisions with the wedding. I'm sure everyone has been waiting with bated breath (joking) to see how everything is going, well wonder no more because here's a little update on the update!

I mentioned before that I had been offered a Marketing Assistant position with Visit Fort Wayne/the Fort Wayne Visitors Center. Well, I started that position a little over 2 weeks ago and I absolutely love it! Besides assisting with all of the marketing goodness, I am going to be in charge of our deals/promotions/giveaways as well as doing some blog writing. It's a really great opportunity and I feel so lucky to have found a job that I love before I've even graduated. The 3 other people I work with in marketing, as well as the rest of the staff, have been so great to me these last couple of weeks as I get my footing and learn new things. I even have my own office space!

My little office area. It's coming together!

 Joe has also started a new job. He is going to be working as a sales representative for Comcast. While he accepted the position weeks ago, there was a long process of doing paperwork and background checks and signing a contact (THE LONGEST PROCESS EVER). He just started today and will spend the next month going through training in both Fort Wayne and Indianapolis. This week he is down in Indy learning all about his new job and spending his off time relaxing in his hotel. We're both thrilled that this job has a set salary with the addition of commission, plus lots of important benefits like health insurance. Stability, especially after his previous employment position, is so so SO nice.

Just because I can, I would like to say that there are only 47 days left until I graduate college. That's right, FORTY SEVEN. It doesn't seem like it can be that close, but so far away at the same time. We're starting to talk about final projects in my classes which is making it seem even crazier!

In addition to new jobs, and keeping a running countdown leading to the end of my college career, we have found a new place to live! On our way out the door to head to Chicago with the Poole's we got a call that we had been approved for the apartment that we love! We really weighed our options and took some other places we had looked at into consideration, but we just couldn't pass on this townhouse. We will be living in Woodbridge Apartments in a little 2 bedroom townhouse. Little and townhouse don't seem like they would go together, but it's just 900 some square feet. We mostly just wanted there to be a little more space for Gidget to run around, and even for ourselves since this will be the first time we're living together. So, having the stairs to divide the space will be nice. I wasn't too excited about the thought of living in yet another apartment complex, but Woodbridge is huge and has a lot of space for taking Gidget on walks and riding bikes. There's even swimming pools and a workout area too. We will sign the lease on April 12th and start moving in that weekend. Needless to say, the packing process is slowly beginning, and by slowly I mean I have 6 boxes done (2 of which were still technically packed from my move down to Muncie) and a whole apartments worth to go. But I think we're both really excited and can't wait to have a little home together.

Packing progress...

I also mentioned that we had made a decision about the type of wedding ceremony we would be having. This is something I especially struggled with deciding about for a lot of different reasons. In the end, we have decided to opt to have our wedding ceremony in a church. We are thinking about a couple of different churches, as neither of us currently is a member at a particular one, but I think we are very close to making a solid decision. I'll elaborate a little bit on this in a different post, but there it is, I've kind of sort of made a real wedding decision! This is exciting because once the ceremony location is solidified we can set a reception venue! Between my mom, grandma, Joe and I we have plenty of great ideas in mind and I'm hoping to make some appointments in the next couple of weeks. Once we set the ceremony and reception venues we'll move on to hiring a photographer. From the photogs I was thinking about here, there are two that I am very seriously considering. I suppose the next step would be to set up some meetings and compare package prices. If all goes well I'd love to get our engagement pictures taken in May or June before it gets too hot outside. I know in the next couple of months more and more planning will take place and it's very exciting and very overwhelming!

So, there you have it. This is our lives in a nutshell! Work, school, moving and wedding planning.

To Get Married In A Church, Or Not

First of all, I know for some people this kind of thing can be a touchy subject. But, as with everything so far, I'm really trying to share my whole thought and planning process, so sharing this is also important to me as with everything else. I am not very religious. This is not to say that I don't have my own beliefs, or that I am completely anti-religion, I'm just not 100% positive where I lie on the subject. I have long history with trying to find myself in this aspect and with exploring different religions, practices, beliefs, etc... I just haven't quite yet figured out exactly what I do and do not believe and what exactly I feel my faith is. So, one of the biggest things I have been struggling with since day one has been whether or not to have a church and/or religious wedding.

I grew up Catholic. My grandma attended Catholic schools her whole life and my grandparents were married at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church, the church that my grandma grew up in. My parents were married in the Cathedral in downtown Fort Wayne. I was both baptized and had my first communion through the Catholic church and up until I was in middle school, I attended Sunday school and church services regularly. Then we stopped going. I would go to church with my dad occasionally, not Catholic church, but I still had some religion in my life. I would tag a long with my grandma when she would take my great-grandma to Saturday evening mass, but my days as a regular church attendee were over. As I reached high school I began to really question a lot of what I knew about religion and throughout the years I have struggled with what I do and do not believe. I have had spurts where I'll start to really try to commit to something, but I get scared and let my thoughts and uncertainty take over.

When Joseph and I began discussing ceremony locations, who would officiate, etc... we kind of hit a wall. I was not opposed to the idea of getting married in a church, even initially, I just did not feel the connection that I felt should be necessary to make a church wedding meaningful. Joe on the other hand very much wanted a church wedding right off the bat. Even with this difference in opinion Joe let me know that he wanted it to be my decision and what I am comfortable with. I took his words and really sat on them. I have spent the last 7 months going back and forth in my head about what the right choice for us is. I've really done a ton of thinking, because the main event of the wedding IS THE CEREMONY! That's why everyone is there; to see you tie the knot! So, I've really been having a little internal battle over whether I would like to have our ceremony in a church or in a neutral location with a justice of the peace, professional officiant, or someone who is close to us conducting the ceremony. I took a lot into consideration including, both of our beliefs, our families wishes, how comfortable we would be in each scenario, our budget, etc... I also looked around at what other brides in the area have done and tried to look around for some pros and cons kind of things for each option.

I am still going back and forth with this decision. It's definitely not something I am taking lightly. In my mind, this is one of the most important decisions in this whole wedding process. It is so important for me to have the ceremony that best represents us, our beliefs, our families, and makes us feel most at ease. I really wish it was an easier choice for me and that I didn't feel so conflicted. It really is the most personal decision of all, and something that I want Joe and myself to both be beyond comfortable and happy with. I know that no matter what we end up deciding, our ceremony will be special, it's just reaching the decision that might take a little more time.

The Great Photographer Search

As we near the one year mark before the big day, I'm realizing that there are already a lot of decisions I need to start making right off the bat. Among those is choosing a photographer. I want to choose one fairly soon, as Joe and I would like to avoid doing our engagement pictures in the sweltering heat of summer. As with many things during this whole process I am discovering that there are many more options out there than I ever knew about. I am finding that the wedding photography (and just photography in general) industry is exploding these days! With this comes the need to do some real looking around at photographer websites, blogs and online portfolios. It seems that with the never-ending choices in photographers, there are a lot that are simply people with nice cameras that think they can take pictures and make a business out of it. That isn't to knock these people, but our photos are definitely one of the things I'm not willing to settle on. That said, it is also not within our budget to completely go all out crazy with an expensive photographer, even if I may have been obsessively checking out certain photographers blogs for years (I'm looking at you Bobbi + Mike).

However, I have found some great photographers that I really love and hope to be able to have one of them shoot our engagement photos and our wedding! I'm really impressed with the amount of talented people there are in the Fort Wayne area. We definitely have no shortage of options. These are a few of my favorites:

Morgan Ruth Photography

               
I've actually known Morgan since we were in high school. She was a couple of years ahead of me, and I remember even back then how talented she was. I've kept an eye on her work through high school and college, and when she started her photography business I knew that whenever I were to get engaged she would be one to put on my list. She actually messaged me just a few days after Joe and I got engaged to congratulate me and offer her pricing guide. I really like her style and she is pretty affordable. She is also someone that I think I would be more comfortable with since I do know her.

Della Tera Photo

I think Amy introduced me to Della Terra Photo. I really love the softness of her photographs, not to mention the website is ridiculously whimsy. While I do not know the photographer, Tarah personally, she seems so nice and fun from what I've seen through Della Terra Facebook posts and her website. A really cool thing that she does is donate 10% of each wedding package booked to a charity of the bride and groom's choice in their name.

Colagrossi Studio

Colagrassi Studio is another photography studio Amy shared with me. It is comprised of the soon-to-be husband and wife team of Mitch and Destany. I emailed a little with Destany a few months ago when I initially began narrowing down my list of potential photographers to get their pricing and was happily surprised with how nice and helpful she was as I was not even a client or booking with them yet. I feel like their photography captures all of the emotions the couple is feeling and has a nice mix of journalistic, natural shots, and beautiful posed ones. In conjunction with Della Terra Photo, they also have a combined photography and videography studio called Sparrow Studios.

Catie's Captures

I first heard of Catie's Captures at the very first bridal show I went to back in November. I was really drawn in by her booth setup and her packaging. Her photos are really natural and bring out the real side of the couples she photographs. I like how she doesn't stay to one specific style of pictures and experiments with different lighting. She is also super reasonable, and I am drawn to her kindness and desire to give the couples she is shooting her absolute best for their big day.

Stevenson Photography

Stevenson Photography is made up of husband and wife team Jennifer and Kyle. Like Catie's Captures I came across them at a bridal show last year. I was really impressed with their different packages and the products they offer with their packages. They even have a Crazy Booth, which is basically like a photo booth without the awkwardly small booth to stuff into and tons of quirky props! I'm in love with that idea! I really like that they use a variety of locations to shoot both engagement sessions and wedding portraits.

There are a couple of other photographers that I may contact, but thus far these top my list. Now I just need to find a way to narrow it down to the one for us! Anyone who knows me knows that I am THE WORST at making decisions, so narrowing down a photographer, along with many of the other definitive decisions I will be making soon, will be extremely interesting.

Wedding Inspiration: Bouquets

I previously mentioned that I 1. won a free bridesmaid bouquet from One of a Kind Events and 2. set up a real appointment with their consultant Linda to discuss wedding flower things. I also mentioned how I was pretty clueless about the whole thing. Luckily, my friend and bridesmaid, Meredith, got on top of it for me! Sometimes I swear my lovely friends are more on top of my wedding stuff than I am! She sent me a link to a list of flowers that are in season around February and March, plus some examples of bouquets. Crisis averted! Now I will feel a little more prepared when I go to my appointment in a couple of weeks.

I can't decide between going for a completely soft flower palette, or injecting some brighter colors in as well. I'm leaning more towards incorporating some pops of color (at least in my bouquet) to have a more "shades of pink" feel. I am completely in love with the first photo. The flowers and colors just look so dreamy.

1. Floret Cadet
2. Belle the Magazine
3. BlueOrchidBridal via Etsy
4. The Knot
5. Belle the Magazine
6. The Knot
7. Belle the Magazine
8. Lover.ly

Making Plans

As of last night I have made my first official wedding related appointment! A couple of weeks ago when I went to the bridal show I ended up winning a free bridesmaid bouquet from one of the vendors, One of a Kind Events. I'm pretty excited about it considering I NEVER win anything! The owner, Linda, sent me a really nice email letting me know I had won the drawing and that I could schedule a no-pressure, free, consultation with her to talk about my vision for our wedding day.

One of a Kind Events is kind of a one stop shop for wedding planning and design. They do everything from ceremony bouquets, to reception decor, to total wedding planning. I was actually really impressed with their set-up at the bridal show. They had a variety of examples of bouquets and centerpieces that showcased all kinds of styles. On their website they have a feature that showcases "real weddings" they have done, which is really cool because you get to see, not only what One of a Kind Events offers, but how the decorations and such looks in a real setting. In just looking online I am impressed with the variety of different styles Linda and her team can cater to.

At first I was a little hesitant to schedule a consultation. I don't know a thing about flowers other than I think certain ones look pretty, and I know what Baby's Breath looks like. I'm also not 100% sure what I'm picturing as far as reception centerpieces and decor goes. But, since the consultation is free I decided to take the leap and schedule a time to meet. I think this will be a great chance to talk to a professional and see if she can take the crazy jumbled ideas in my head and imagine my vision as well. I plan on taking some examples of what I like with me to hopefully get some feedback and see if we can shape something together. Even if I don't necessarily end up going with One of a Kind Events, a consultation can't hurt, right? And if I do, then I will be officially, officially, be in the midst of wedding planning (and I get my free bouquet!).

This is really exciting to me even though it probably seems small to other people. Up until this point it has been printing, cutting, and gluing pictures into a binder and gathering all of the information my bridal brain can handle. Setting up this appointment is the first real step I've made toward actual planning. It's kind of like when you're going up that first hill on a roller coaster. You're anxious and you know that there is no turning back once you get to the top.

Next up is compiling a list of venues for the ceremony and reception! Hopefully we'll be making appointments to check some out soon. Once March rolls around I want to be able to make a decision on the venue. Joe and I looked at a few places during the summer, but haven't visited any since. Luckily from that we were able to knock a couple of places off of our list. I'm really excited to look at more places and look at them with both Joe and my mom. 13 months until the wedding means that full on wedding planning and decision making is just around the corner!

Bridal Show Round 2

On Saturday my mom, grandma, and I went to the Fort Wayne Bridal Spectacular. This was my second "Bridal Spectacular" and third bridal show. Once again it was information overload. Who thinks of all of the things you need when planning a wedding?! If you've never been to one there are some things you should know:

1. You will see people from all walks of life. While I was talking to a girl from David's Bridal, a fellow bride walked up and asked if they sold camouflage wedding dresses...and she was very serious.

2. No one pays attention to what is going on around them. The majority of people in attendance are so absorbed in their own wedding bubble that they will start talking to someone you are talking to, push their way past you, and even cut in line in front of you while you're waiting for a piece of cake. 

3. Some vendors seem really weird and sketchy. For example, we stopped at a photo booth that goes for $600 for a full reception. Inside the booth was just a MacBook and some Dollar Store props. Nice try guys. 

4. If you can think of it (and even if you can't) someone offers it. There were vendors for everything from dresses to photographers to invitations to weight-loss, and SO MUCH MORE!

While some of the information I got was similar to things I had gotten at the previous two shows I had been to, there were a ton of new displays and set-ups to see, as well as a fashion show! (Pardon my poor photos and the inclusion of the back of people's heads.)

 There were a couple of different reception table set-ups. The first one was really different and unique compared to other things I've seen. While it probably wouldn't be too practical to do that to every tables, I thought the concept could be neat for the bridal party table or even the guestbook, dessert, or gift tables. I also liked the second photo a lot as well. It's very simple, but still elegant. I like the candles mixed in with the flowers and picturing some of the ideas I've found on various blogs and Pinterest, this idea could go well with our colors.

My favorite part was the bridal fashion show. There were so many gorgeous dresses! At the moment I am very convinced that I want a "princessy" dress, both because that has been my dream, and because I think that style will look best on my body. I am open to any style really, and I obviously won't know until I try dresses on, but these were the dresses that really stood out to me.

Pockets!

This dress has tulle AND glitter...AKA my dream!

I love that things like this exist because there are things I would have never thought of on my own that I have discovered because of bridal shows. I know there are some people that kind of "poo poo" them, but even if your "style" isn't really featured, there are so many people that are there to talk to you that can lead you in the right direction and offer assistance. I would definitely suggest that any bride go to at least one. I have found so many places that I didn't know existed before that are now on my radar. They are very chaotic, and you will definitely leave a little overwhelmed, but I have gotten so much information and so many new ideas from attending.