Posted Friday, March 14, 2008 3:40 AM
So my best friend from college seems to have no time to call me back. I've decided to forget trying to ask her to be in the wedding and just send her an invitation and hope she can make it. It's funny, when I thought about my wedding day I always assumed she'd be one of the people who would definitely be there. Other friends and members of my family I really wasn't sure would make it. I have been touched and genuinely surprised at how many of my family members and friends will be taking the time to come celebrate this day with us. My friend in Missouri is thrilled I asked her two daughters to be in the wedding. I was actually expecting that she might not be able to make it for financial reasons, but she was very excited and happy to be a part of our day. My cousins, none of whom are very well off are making the trip from Massachusettes to MInnesota...these are the best gifts I could ever imagine. I'm looking forward to having a really fun party and delicious dinner for every one. I want this to truly be a celebration. I guess I'm a romantic and a bit of a departure from the "Bridezilla" mentality...but I really am treating this as an opportunity to celebrate with my friends and family. I can understand how easy it is to get caught up in all the picky little details of planning a large event...but I keep reminding myself of the big picture. This is one day, it'll be special no matter what just because I'll be marrying the man of my dreams and celebrating with my friends and family. If it rains...or the flowers wilt, or the cake falls...life will go on!
Posted Sunday, March 09, 2008 10:10 PM
Whew, after a whirlwind of appointments with various vendors, FI and I were able to find an excellent photographer, cake, florist, and DJ. We've got the guest list mostly cemented, the invitations picked out, the wedding party has all been asked and accepted...now I just have to find someone to officiate and a videographer! I even have the attendant gifts and wedding favors done...I'm trying to avoid any last minute wedding stress...because FI and I decided to put BOTH of our houses on the market very soon...so now I'm packing and sorting through my singlehood and getting ready to move the important stuff into my married life...I was a little nervous but it'll really make it feel like I'm starting the next chapter of my life...a new home, a new name, and a new husband. The months are flying by though, I can hardly believe it's mid March already!
Posted Sunday, January 13, 2008 7:49 PM
I sent an email to my best friend from college last week. It was a photo of me in my wedding gown. She wrote back that she might not be able to make the trip from Texas to Minnesota to attend my wedding. I'm completely bummed. I was going to ask her to be one of my bridesmaids. I figured the long distance would be a pain for her to be Matron of Honor but I really did want her to be in the wedding with me and now she might not be there at all! I haven't officially asked anyone to be in my wedding yet (I wanted to have a firm date set) but this was still a crushing blow. Now I feel like I can't ask her to be in the wedding because that would be imposing upon her. I understand the situation she's in, but this is the one time in my life I was hoping my friends and family would all be there to celebrate this day with me. The thing that has been so difficult for me is the idea that most people will not be able to travel to my wedding.
I moved to Minnesota 11 years ago from Florida. My parents and a few friends still live in Florida. Other than that the rest of my extended family...Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandfather all live in New England. My fiancee is from Minnesota and the majority of his family is here. We thoroughly discussed the location and decided that we would have the wedding here. I've been trying to brace myself for the fact that a lot of my family will not be there, but I guess I always assumed my best friend would be there.
Has anyone else had this kind of situation? I don't know if I should even ask her now, although I don't want her to think I wouldn't ask her to be in the wedding either!
Posted Sunday, January 13, 2008 7:36 PM
Josh and I got engaged on November 22, 2007. I knew he wanted to have a big wedding in 2008 and I was nervous that we'd have a lot of difficulty finding a suitable location in Minneapolis. Most of my friends and family are traveling from out of state so I wanted to have the ceremony and reception in the same location. I also wanted a hotel so guests had the option of staying in one location without a lot of additional travel. I picked Minneapolis because we have light rail transportation from the airport to downtown and also to the Mall of America...one of our biggest tourist attractions. With that big long list of requirements and a target date of August 2, 2008 (a Saturday) I thought my chances of finding a location were practically zero.
Luckily, I found out about the Minneapolis Convention and Visitor's Bureau Wedding Coordinator. She was able to send out my requirements to all the vendors in my desired location and I received a lot of emails with pricing and availability. Not only did we find one suitable location, I had my choice of 3 that met all my requirements and many more options I hadn't even thought about! Plus the service was free, which fits my budget perfectly!
Josh, my sister and I went to visit our top location last Wednesday afternoon. We all agreed it is the perfect venue, and it's within our budget! I think we'll be putting a deposit down next week. The hotel even provides linens, setup and tear down, place settings, candles with mirrors for the centerpieces, pretty much my reception and ceremony is nailed down.
Now I just need to book an officiant, music, photographer, cake, and flowers...is wedding planning supposed to be this easy?
Posted Thursday, January 10, 2008 3:23 AM
Sunday I went to my first Bridal Fair as a bride. I think I'm still in disbelief about being engaged, even though I've been engaged since November! I registered for various gifts and mailing lists, interviewed a photographer, tasted some cakes, and even won a free toss bouquet. I must say, these shows are exhausting! But now that I'm planning, it was a great way to gather information from DJs and Photographers in the area. I found out that one of the photographers I interviewed and really liked was the photographer for my brother in law's wedding and they recommended him.
Posted Thursday, January 10, 2008 3:17 AM
I usually dread dress shopping and I was certain that bridal gown shopping was going to be even worse! I decided to head over to David's bridal with my sister and just try on a bunch of different dress styles. To my surprise I actually had a good time! I narrowed the selection down to five favorite dresses and made an appointment for January 2nd to try them on again. I had one gown that I felt like a complete princess in, but since this is a critical piece of clothing I wanted to have a couple more opinions and a few more days of thinking about it. I went back on January 2nd for my second appointment, my friend Suzanne, my sister, and my future mother in law joined me. We brought my camera and I tried on all the gowns again. I saved my favorite for last...and I realized it was definitely the one when my mother in law got all teary eyed. I sent the photos to my Mom in Florida and ended up ordering the gown on January 4th. Who knew dress shopping could be so easy and fun?