For starters, Mr. One has officially become THE One. He
proposed while on a trip in NYC on a typical day in a blizzard. It wasn’t
picture perfect but it was us. Reading through some of my old posts about fears
and doubts, it is clear that we have done a complete 180 in the last few years.
I could not be more happy or more sure (I’m as sure as I’ll ever be) about this
promise we are making to each other. Since that love and snow filled day,
wedding planning have been involved in much of my spare time. I have heard many stressful stories about planning for a wedding and I can
honestly say that so far I am really enjoying the process. I have a few tips
that I think have made everything just a little easier for Mr. One and I. Take
from it what you want.
1.
Decide what you want and stick with it. Whether
it is eloping in Vegas, a traditional catholic ceremony, or a star wars themed
backyard BBQ, choose how you envision the day and don’t let anyone sway you. 5
years from now the only people who remember (or care) about the logistics and
details will be you and your partner. I had to set some hard boundaries at the
very beginning of the planning process in order to ensure the day was about Mr.
One and I and not about whether the Scottish relatives that no one has met can
come or about finding a perfect venue in the city ($$$).
2.
Start planning early (or as early as possible) and
tackle one thing at a time. When Mr. One and I got engaged I downloaded a
wedding planning timeline off the internet. I searched for one that included
the steps and elements that were important to us and then tweaked it to better
suit our needs. I organized the list by month leading up to the big day.
Without getting completely overwhelmed with the 126 things to get done before
the wedding; I can focus on the 3 or 4 things I have to get done in December. I
also added any DIY projects I wanted to try to this list so that I wasn’t left
with making place cards, favours, banners, and marquees all within the last month before the
wedding.
3.
Ask around and contact local small businesses. I
found some amazing women just starting their business in the wedding industry.
My photographer is young, trendy, very accommodating and I was able to snatch
her up at a great price. Same thing with my florist. She works out of her
studio apartment and is more than willing to not only deliver the flowers to
the venue but also set up the centerpieces on each table AND deliver the
bouquets and boutonnieres to the hotel where we will be getting ready. Both of
these lovely ladies are within our budget and more importantly I enjoy being
around them. I would hate to spend my wedding day with a stranger or with
someone who didn’t care about me or my fiancée on our wedding day. We also
booked a friends of friends to bake the cake and DJ the reception. Just make
sure that you have proper contracts in place even when you are dealing with a
friend.
4.
Have fun. Nothing has to be perfect. Nothing has
to match. You are surrounding yourself with people you love so why not surround
yourself with the flowers you love or the décor you love, even if it doesn’t match.
Choose whatever you want, have fun and don’t stress the small stuff. If at the
end of the day you have married the love of your life than nothing else
matters.
