So one may think that after being in the events industry for a few years, I would have had this all planned out in my head prior to the ring on the finger, that I could make a few calls to vendor friends, lock down my place and then let the fun begin. Right? WRONG! This couldn't be further from the truth. I love how people keep saying, "This is going to be so easy for you!" I wish that could be true!! The problem is, I had SO many thoughts and ideas and the knowledge of the most fabulous of events that I believe it has made the start of decision row even more challenging!
To back up a bit, the weekend after getting engaged, Brad and I headed home to the good 'ol star city of the south to celebrate with mom and dad. We started discussions and enjoyed time with the family. Mom and dad hosted a lovely open house for family and church friends, Valentine's themed since that was right around the corner. Before leaving, two final things were discussed. 1. That the boy and I do plan to live together once my lease is up and 2. That mom and dad would find a time to come to town to talk budget but in the meantime, for us to start gathering ideas and quotes, basically, to do our "homework." Obviously #1 didn't go so well, I mean, who really wants to disappoint their parents (especially when they are contributing a good sum of money to the upcoming events!) But, Brad and I did as we were asked and I started doing the research of venue costs, vendor availability, etc. Problem - I was doing all of this without any clue of what the budget would be.
Brad and I had talked about hosting a large send off party and then take a small group of friends and family to Napa to tie the knot. After doing this research, the $45k budget spreadsheet that I had put together almost made Brad wreck the car. Ok ok...maybe I was living in la la land. That number is more than the average wedding cost...but I know weddings that cost MUCH more than that so to me it wasn't too very crazy. We also explored the option of the Homestead and venues in Roanoke, Smith Mountain Lake and here in Charlotte. Because I was starting to go a little crazy with all of my thoughts and no clear idea of "THE NUMBER" that I would be working with, I called mom and asked if she could pass along that information before coming to town the following weekend. And then comes the reality check! The number wasn't $45k and it was time to come down from the clouds and start living in the real world. I must say, it is certainly not as much fun!!
Brad and I had talked about hosting a large send off party and then take a small group of friends and family to Napa to tie the knot. After doing this research, the $45k budget spreadsheet that I had put together almost made Brad wreck the car. Ok ok...maybe I was living in la la land. That number is more than the average wedding cost...but I know weddings that cost MUCH more than that so to me it wasn't too very crazy. We also explored the option of the Homestead and venues in Roanoke, Smith Mountain Lake and here in Charlotte. Because I was starting to go a little crazy with all of my thoughts and no clear idea of "THE NUMBER" that I would be working with, I called mom and asked if she could pass along that information before coming to town the following weekend. And then comes the reality check! The number wasn't $45k and it was time to come down from the clouds and start living in the real world. I must say, it is certainly not as much fun!!
After much discussion, we decided that we'd get married here at home in the Queen City. This should help narrow things down, right? Negative! My days are speant living incredibly distracted (I really hope to keep my job through this process!) Endless website searches of wedding blogs and photographers' most perfect shots have me swooning and thinking about how I can bring those little details into my special day. So much oooing and ahhing that I have become a bit of a bridezilla in the past couple months. My emotions have gone to peaks and valleys and Brad and I have argued more than ever before. I want a fall wedding this October and Brad likes the idea of spring so we can save more money (so practical he is!) There are days where I don't think this is at all as fun as I envisioned it being. But, at the end of the day, I am in engagement bliss because I do have this great guy wanting to call me his lady, for life!
I also must say, thank goodness for Pinterest! An idea board and a gazillion pictures to look through for wedding inspiration. It is how I decided to go with the peach and pewter theme. Grays, silvers, pewter, coral, peach and touches of orange. I get lost in all the fun, creative ideas people before me have had and will probably end up "borrowing" a few.
One of the items I found on the site was this beautiful vintage necklace. I just knew I had to have it for my day. So, I bought it! It was called "peach cobbler" - perfect for my theme. Most people would find the dress before the jewelry but not me! The beautiful vintage piece showed up and it is just perfect. It even had a heart clasp that I didn't know about before it arrived. I believe it was meant to be mine!
When thinking of who would marry us, I instantly thought of Becky Proctor, a family friend from Rosalind Hills, our home church in Roanoke. Becky lives here now and has watched me grow up. She is the perfect one for the job. We had a lovely dinner this past Friday and she was delighted that we thought of her.
So, what have we accomplished thus far:
Decision #1 - Have the wedding in Charlotte/honeymoon in Napa
Decision #2 - Wedding day jewelry!
Decision #3 - Becky to be our wedding officient
A good start, but many more decisions to come!
In engagement bliss,
Emily
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