Monday, August 18, 2008

Wedding Planning


Casually planning a wedding in your head before you get engaged is completely different to actually planning one. I've been engaged for just over a week and I'm already feeling overwhelmed. I didn't realize how many different things there are to organize. Nothing is a huge surprise, but when you put it all together with the understanding that everything must be sorted out in five short months... the task seems a little daunting.

Most of the time I'm a very laid back and relaxed sort of person. Exceptions to this come when I am late for anything or when other people around me are freaking out about unncessary stuff. Before I was engaged, I would hear about ideas and think, "That's a great idea for a centerpiece" or "I like that dress", but now things are completely different. Espcially since I have a budget to think about.

After I got engaged, I went and bought three bridal magazines (you have to start somewhere) and a Real Simple Weddings planner-helper type deal. Flipping through the pages made me realize that this was going to be a busy semester. Austin and I are getting married in Houston, so planning is going to be even more difficult since I am going to be north of Dallas. I can't just stop by to talk to a florist or go talk to a DJ.

Thank goodness I have Austin to help me! He is so great. Today we have been looking at honeymoon stuff. Since we'll be getting married in January, we want to go somewhere that isn't freezing. Right now we're researching information about Jamaica. I love that he is so involved in the planning process. It is going to make things so much easier.

Wedding planning is the kind of thing that can really mess you up. I'm beginning to see that very quickly. It's easy to get caught up in tiny decisions that really don't matter. Sometimes decisions will start to overwhelm me, and I'll have to close my magazine or walk away from my computer and just pray that God helps me to focus on what is really important. No matter what happens, Austin and I will be married in five months. That's the whole point of having a wedding - to get married. Years from now no one will remember if the cake wasn't so great or the music wasn't awesome. No one will care, not even us.

God is faithful to continually give me peace and guidance through this whole process. People plan all sorts of weddings all the time, and this is just another one of them.

I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. -Philippians 4:13
Does anyone have any tips or hints? What was the hardest thing about planning your wedding? Any ideas from non-engaged people? I love advice!
-Katie

4 comments:

-Erin said...

I have too much advice to leave it for you in one comment! So when you're feeling overwhelmed and need some advice...give me a call!

Ashley said...

Advice from a non-engaged person/maid of honor in someone's wedding:
If you can take a shortcut, TAKE IT. For example, don't handmake your invitations if you don't have to.
Also, if you can delegate things out to bridesmaids, take advantage of that. Since you're going to have a busy semester as it is, you should take all the help you can find! (That includes me since I live in Houston! :) If you need anything at all... let me know! I'm basically in the midst of helping out with 2 weddings already... what's one more? haha!)
Otherwise, JUST HAVE FUN! It's your wedding! Ahhhh! :)

Anonymous said...

congrats!!!! yes, wedding planning is very much so a stressful thing to do - its great that Austin is helping you!!!!
hummmm. some tips -
*when you get your bouquet done for your bridal photos, get the florist to do it with silk/fake flowers, then keep that bouquet for the one that you toss at your wedding, then you'll still be able to keep the flowers you walked down the aisle with :)
*don't have a crazy number of bridesmaids and be sure that the little ones in the wedding (ring guy and flower girl) are old enough to know what to do, won't cry the whole wedding and will be able to stand in one spot the whole time.
*make sure that EVERYTHING is done the day before the wedding - that way you can take a bubblebath on your wedding day and will be able to relax some.... i know this sounds daring but it helps so much and you won't be as nervous.
*have crews for set up. ex. i had a table crew who set up the tables for the dinner and put the table clothes on, a bow tying crew who ties the sashes on the chairs, a table decorating crew who filled the candles and set up the table decor and came asap when the wedding was over to light the candles, and the flower crew who took the church flowers to where they needed to go for the reception, and you - being the one that knows what she wants, just goes around putting the finishing touches making sure it looks exactly like you want...
*last thing - take pictures!!!!! if you go to a bridal show - take a camera and a notebook. write down what you def. don't like and take pictures if you absolutely love it, rip pics out of magazines, organize it in a binder with dividers (honeymoon, flowers, cakes, bridesmaid dresses & prices, decorating idea, ect.) then when it comes to the final decision - uliminate!!!!! until you have just 1 or 2 pics and work with that!
hope some of these help!!!!
good luck with everything! :)

Laura said...

Katie-
I know you know and fully believe this but...no matter what happens, you will be married!!! Just keep reminding yourself of that. And miraculously, it will all get done! And...there's no need to be close to your site...no need to pop in on caterers or photographers...I met with all of those people once and then emailed/called if we needed confirmation. Also, I LOVED doing my own music for the reception. We just used iTunes and I picked out the music myself (with some help from friends). It cost 99 cents because I bought one song. It was AMAZING. The more you do yourself (which is tough because you are busy--but you can do it!), the more you save and the more invested you feel in the day. MAKE SURE you have someone to coordinate on the day. I had a friend who helped run the ceremony and then would get us for things like cake cutting or bouquet tossing (we decided on reception time lines before hand). That's one thing I would tell you...the "day of" activities---DELEGATE, DELEGATE, DELEGATE. It's overwhelming, but make sure you have someone to do everything that day so all you have to do is look pretty and marry your honey!

And a your engagement is PERFECT...for like 2 or 3 months (and I was only engaged for 7.5 months) we really didn't do anything! The shorter the engagement, the close you are to being a Mrs.!

That's long...but I'm so so happy for you!