Inspiration

Since age ten, I have been collecting clippings and pages from my growing stack of wedding magazines that resembles the Washington Monument. With that said, I have a confession:

I am not now, nor have I ever been engaged.

But I will be! Someday! And when I acquire such a status, I will be fully prepared for the daunting and exciting task at hand.

A few months ago, a friend of mine, who is actually getting married, showed me her "Wedding Inspiration Board." The purpose of this mosaic of pictures from magazines and websites is to show the overall mood and motif of the ceremony and reception. One might include swatches from bridesmaid dresses, examples of bouquets or boutonnieres and cake photos. Here are some examples I found from one of my favorite wedding blogs, http://snippetandink.blogspot.com/:

I would highly recommend making your own Inspiration Board from your collection of ideas and giving copies to all of your vendors so that everyone is on the same page (no pun intended). Now, if you find that your inspiration board is starting to look like a billboard... you might want to cut back on the clippings. The Inspiration Board should serve as a reference, not the Encyclopedia Britannica of your wedding.

Board contruction should be fairly stress-free and fun. Put on a movie, make some popcorn (the less butter the better, as to keep from grease-printing your pictures) and enjoy!

A Brief Introduction

Before we get into all the squealing and jumping up and down with the clapping about your engagement, I would like to address one issue:

Bridezillas are not welcome here.

If you find yourself consistently uttering the words, "This is MY day!" or "Daddy, I thought I was your little princess..." Take your dog-in-a-bag and don't let the door hit you on the way out.

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Okay, now that we have that out in the open...
Congratulations! I am so happy that you have found the one that God has set apart for you. What an incredible blessing!

My vision for this blog is to share my thoughts, observations and ideas for brides who have some perspective. A wedding is a wonderful, beautiful and once-in-a-lifetime celebration, but it's also ONE DAY that will come and go just like every other day. In saying that, I sure as heck do not want to spend my entire life savings, plus that of my parents, along with a college-degree sized loan on such a day. Therefore, I will also provide some suggestions on saving a buck or two...or a thousand on your wedding.

Keeping your budget on the cheaper side of TomKat's doesn't mean that your wedding will need to be held at the firehall either. We are unique, reasonable, stylish and beautiful women, and our weddings will be just that: unique, reasonable, stylish and beautiful. I promise.

So, for the love of all the things, pure and holy in this world...
Put down the Wedding Planning binder. Relax. Take a few cleansing breaths. It's all going to be alright.