Sunday, March 22, 2009

New Beginnings!

On Saturday night, we were fortunate enough to be present to witness my husband's brother, Kent, proposing to his lovely girlfriend, Ali (we were hidden inside their apartment, watching from the windows along with their close family and friends). Right afterwards, we celebrated with an Insta- Surprise Party complete with heart-shaped brownies and lots of champagne. I am so excited for Ali to become an official member of the family (and for what is bound to be an exceptionally fun wedding)! In honor of their milestone I am posting an email exchange I had with another recently-engaged friend about where to start with wedding plans.




Lil-
I just got engaged. Oh my gosh what do I do next??????
M

Congratulations! Such wonderful news, and what a lucky guy!
Here's my advice:

1) Frankie says "Relax". First, take a couple of weeks to just enjoy being engaged and celebrate with your fam and friends. Once you start planning, it doesn't let up until the wedding, so just relax and be happy for a little while.

2) Dream a Little Dream. Have fun dreaming about your wedding and all the possibilities and really talk them out with your fiancé, so you know what's important to both of you. Think of adjectives you would use to describe your perfect wedding (some of ours were "Classic" "Homey" "Fun" and "Summery"). We also made "top five" lists of our priorities- my husband (then-fiancé, obv) cared about the church, the band, the bar, what the boys would wear, and the food. Knowing that, I made sure those things were not skimped on, and made sure to include him in those decisions. Turns out, he didn't care about the flowers or the cake at all, so I didn't even ask him about those things. (Trust me, if your families are anything like ours, you'll end up looking forward to the things that don't require a huge committee decision).

3. I Can See Clearly Now. Start looking at bridal mags and art books and non-bridal mags and blogs (my faves are below) and whatever else and gather together some "inspiration" for what you want the feeling/vibe/colors/formality level to be like. Gather the images in a binder or a folder on your computer. Even if you already have the whole thing in your head, it is really great to have something visual to show a planner/florist, etc so you're totally on the same page.

4. Step By Step. Decide roughly when and where you want your wedding to be and what size it will be, and what your budget is. You will need to have at least that much worked out before you book a venue, which should be your first step. If you are planning to use a wedding planner, jump on that early, too- every other decision depends on those ones.

5. People Who Need People. If you use a planner, she'll direct you to vendors she likes and trusts (but don't be afraid to say no- I flew in my friend who is a florist, and tried several make-up people before I found one I really liked). If you aren't using a planner, get suggestions from the venue about people they like working with. And shop around! Cake tastings are fun! Hair trials are fun! I wish I could do it all over again!

A thousand congratulations and best wishes!
Xoxo and love,
Lil

Great Bridal Blogs:
http://snippetandink.blogspot.com
http://bklynbride.blogspot.com
http://blogs1.marthastewart.com/weddings/
http://elseachelsea.typepad.com

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