Adventures in Wedding planning

Note to self: Don't quit dayjob.  Wedding planning is harder than it looks.

My adventures in wedding planning

I must say, so far this whole thing has really been a lot of fun.  We’ve kept it pretty simple by using a venue that does wedding packages, but there are still a few details to put together.

The first hurdle was the photographer.  I polled my friends and co-workers who have gotten married in the last few years, but got nowhere.  One had a bad experience with her photographer and advised putting the bulk of the reception/wedding budget into the pictures because they are the “only” thing left from the wedding you can keep.  Now, I realize that you cannot re-heat the buffet & I would get some pretty odd looks were I to wear the dress again, but I’m pretty sure the bride gets to keep the husband.  Not that I think of John as some sort of wedding souvenir, but really, getting to keep him will be the best memento I could ask for.  

With that in mind, I started doing my homework (oh ok!! I have been researching wedding photographers for the last 2 years….so I already knew)  and most professionals charge AT LEAST twice as much as we budgeted for.  More research ensued and I was able to find some really affordable photographers…who were no longer practicing, or were so new to the field it looked like I had taken the pictures.   After a day or two of slow to no results, I found out that my dream photographer, was, in fact still working in the Houston area and delivered great results well within our pricerange.  But before we could have our first meeting he emailed to say that he is not able to do the wedding after all.  We are having a photography student do the engagement pics, and have possibly found a replacement for the day of.


The dress was next.  Again we have this dream vs. budget smackdown so I made sure to walk into the store with a price-point firmly in mind.  David’s Bridal treated me like a princess.  First, I had to squiggle and wiggle my way into this under-thinga-ma-ginggy, which got caught in my hair and nearly gave me whiplash yanking my neck backwards.  Once I untangled myself from the undergarment- of- death I was ready to try on my dress.  I knew exactly which one it would be, too.  As soon as I had stepped through the doors I had seen it!  It was fabulous, stunning.  It was gorgeous, and sexy all at the same time (and on sale for $99!)  I didn’t even need to try it on!  Well of course I tried it on.  And it looked horrible on me.  Back to drawing board.  2 hours and what was it 8? 10? dresses later we were at a standstill.  The consultant had a feel for what I had in mind but nothing was working.  Then she pulls out one “last” dress which would have been perfect but….remember that price point thing?  Nowhere close.  Fortunately, it was on sale.  And I had planned for such a contingency, so after intense negotiations, the dress was mine(!) Then I found out it came in white and Ivory, but there was no way to get a white one to me in time....so ivory it is.  Not what I had planned, but it happens to compliment my skintone better anyway. Plans shmans. 

On Christmas, my future Groom suprises me with the news that he scored us a truly amazing honeymoon- above and beyond anything I could have expected.  He had taken care of every last detail (bless his heart!) and just needed to know if I still had my passport.  Well of course I had my passport! I’ve kept it in the same place since I got back from Mexico and what kind of goober misplaces their travel documentation…..um.  This one right here.... we spent the whole weekend tearing apart my apartment & still no passport.  Sigh.  $250.00 and 14 business days later I will be the proud owner of a brand-spankin-new passport.  Which I won’t be able to use after we get back from our trip because my last name will change.  Palm-to-face! 

On to the invitations... As much fun as I would have paying a ridiculous amount of money for a foofy  stationary company to print them out (and probably make matching napkins, too) we just got the DIY kits you can do at home.  Except I couldn’t do them at home.  Or at Kinkos or office max.  I could not do them here or there, I could not do them ANYwhere!  I showed the copy lady my box of invitations and she made this face kind of like smelly-socks-meets- tunafish and explained that the invitations were shaped and curved in such a way that no printer in existence can deal with the cardstock.  Not one to admit defeat, I took the box up to Office Max.  Immediately, I got that same socks/tunafish face and a very similar explanation.  By the time I got home, my creativity kicked in and I’d like to think I’ve come up with a pretty good plan B. 

Next on my list: The strings quartet.  Stay tuned, folks...