Wedding Updates!

I am a terrible blogger. I love writing and updating you on new ideas and findings, but life always seems to get in the way. But I'm making a vow (hehe...get it?) to be more attentive to you. Here is the latest in the wedding of Dave and Katelin....

The joyous celebration of love and all of that mushy stuff will take place on Sunday, May 29, 2011. I know what you're thinking. "ARE YOU CRAZY???! WHY, IN THE NAME OF ALL THINGS HOLY ARE YOU WAITING SO LONG??" Well...there are a few reasons. First, we really want to get married in the late spring/summer, and this year was wayyy too early. Second, I want to put a lot of thought into this day. If we had to rush, I wouldn't be able to put all the attention into detail that I've been daydreaming about since I was seven years old. Third, we need a little bit of time to save the mula. As much as I make myself out to be this big wedding expert...I'm astounded at how expensive this day is turning out to be, now that it's my turn to plan. Even still, it seems like May 2011 is ages away. I'm going to have to invest in wrinkle cream and at-home hair coloring products to remove the grays.

Next on the list: Location. We've booked the ceremony for our church, Central Presbyterian in Downingtown. However, there is a minor complication: The sancuatry does not have one long center aisle, but two short aisles. Solution: I will walk up to the alter on the bride's side (the left) and then Dave and I will leave the sanctuary on the groom's side (the right), symbolizing the time-honored tradition of giving the daughter away, which is kind of a sad tradition in my opinion. The reception, I'm thrilled to announce, will be at The Welkinweir Estate in Pottstown (website is under construction). Picture a huge, stone farm house sitting on a hill that overlooks a four-acre pond. There will be a tent that attaches to the dining room for dinner and dancing on the back patio. All of which is surrounded by azalea bushes and weeping willow trees. Be still my beating heart!

Because the wedding is going to be during the Memorial Day holiday, a very popular wedding weekend, we wanted use the long waiting time to our advantage and book all of our locations and vendors as soon as possible. The lovely and incredibly talented Nicola Herring will be taking pictures throughout the day. She specializes in newborn photography, but her wedding portfolio is awesome! We are so excited to work with her! Stay tuned for an engagement shoot later in the summer.

Finally, all things flowers will be handled by Laurie Sasko, the detail and creative queen! I'm itching to meet with her to talk arrangements and bouquets. It's so hard to wait!

Catering, music, stationary and dress shopping are still to come. As much of a long and complicated process wedding planning is, we're having a blast. It's difficult sometimes to remember to live in the present with all of these exciting things to look forward to!

Favorite Online Resources

I lied. I'm not going to talk about budgeting today. I decided while I was going through my daily grazing of wedding websites, that you should be aware of some of my favorites before we go any further.

All of the sites in the list below contain a Pandora's box of wedding ideas. You'll find listing of local vendors, discussion boards with topics from fellow brides, photos of the latest trends in fashion, flowers, and decorations, as well as some really awesome DIY projects that will save you tons of mula.


The Knot

The Wedding Channel

Martha Stewart Weddings

Real Simple Weddings

Brides.com


For example, I found this adorable idea for a fall wedding on Martha Stewart Weddings: Instead of your flower girl tossing petals, find a small basket, line it with fall-time fabric and fill it with dried leaves.

Most sites will allow you to set up an account where you can store information such as your guest list, seating arrangements, budget, and wedding checklist. Beware: These sites will eat the hours in the day for breakfast. You may need to set the kitchen timer so as not to become completely absorbed and consumed by the abyss of weddings. I would, however, make a folder in your Favorites list for strictly for wedding resources like these. Enjoy!

Let's Get Organized, Organized! ( To the tune of, "Let's Get Physical)

One of the most awful feelings is knowing that you have a million and three things to do, but not having a single clue what they all are...

Thus, I give you THE WEDDING PLANNING BINDER OF GLORY:

Well, maybe yours is called something else, but you get the idea. In your wedding planning binder you will keep everything from your Inspiration Board, to your receipts from your vendors. Feel free to decorate and Bedazzle to your heart's content. (I think I'm going to rig mine to play some sort of angelic melody when it opens, like a singing birthday card.) To keep yourself more organized you will want to divide your binder into tabs. Possible tabs might include:

• Budget
• Invitations
• Registry & Gifts
• Bridal Party
• Ceremony
• Reception
• Photography & Videography
• Music
• Attire
• Flowers
• Hair & Makeup
• Transportation
• Honeymoon
• Contact List

As you go through the planning process, you will want to file everything in chronological order under the respective tabs for easy flip-ability. There will probably be a lot of paperwork, swatches, pictures, and receipts so you'll want to get one of those honkin' 3 inchers to hold it all.

Short post today. I'll be back soon with some info on budgeting! Yippee!

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.