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Monday, January 11, 2010

Stages of Planning

I mentioned that my friend Melissa got engaged. She's getting married November 6th, and she asked me to be a bridesmaid, which I've never done before! I'm super excited.



By the way, this picture makes me realize how little I get out nowadays. I'm quite the hermit, and I really need to get out of the house much more than I do!

Anyway, I was talking to Melissa and she was going through this massive amount of information, from invitations to flowers to what the venue includes in the price to craft days and it sounded exactly like me once I hit the internet a month or so after getting engaged. It got me thinking about how there are different stages of wedding planning--there's the freaking-out-excited-I'm-actually-engaged stage, then the stage where reality sets and you realize that those weddings you see in magazines cost tens of thousands of dollars that you don't have. After that is the nitty-gritty planning stage, crunching the numbers of venues, guest list head counts, open bar, beer and wine only, cash bar, etc. This was a tough stage for me, because I had to reconcile what I had in my head with reality. Right now I'm in a slightly apathetic mode, and all I want to do is cross sh*t off my to do list. I want as much of this wedding done now as I can...I do not want to be suicidal the week of the wedding.

In the first part of wedding planning, I was all over Weddingbee, Style Me Pretty, Once Wed, Martha Stewart Weddings, books, and every wedding mag I could get my hands on. But I don't need inspiration anymore, because all of those things are pretty much decided. I really don't need to be looking because I have the nasty tendency to change my mind, so it's best if I stay away!

I am going to inventory my wedding planning literature stash and pass 90% of it on to Melissa. She's still in inspiration mode and it's just gathering dust on my shelf anyway.

Have you noticed different stages of planning for your wedding, or has it all been a pretty even keel deal?

7 comments:

  1. These stages that you mentioned are EXACTLY how I felt. I used to get inspiration from everywhere I could possibly find. Now, I'm in DIY mode (which is taking a little more time than expected)and just focusing on the time I have left before the wedding.

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  2. Ohhh yes. Totally know what you're talking about. Right now I'm in the "Holy sh-t I have sooo much to do" stage. And I'm like you, I just want to get it DONE. I would love to be stress-free the week before the wedding. Congrats to your friend!!

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  3. Oh yeah, I’ve definitely gone through different stages, too. Right now, I feel like I’m at a stage where all of the nitty-gritty plans are finally starting to fit together into a complete vision of the day, since we’re working on finalizing timelines, getting invitations ready to mail, and reviewing details with our vendors. I’m so excited to see it all play out in June!

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  4. I've gone through the stages too! At this point, I'm still loving looking at all the blogs for inspiration, but I'm not letting myself add anything else to my to do list! So exciting you get to be in your friend's wedding in November, I'm sure you'll have lots of great ideas to help her with her wedding planning!

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  5. I so agree with you! I think the phases are somewhat cyclical too, at some points you get excited again, and then you just want things off your list! SO funny. I'm sure your friend will appreciate all the help you have to give her. I wish there had been someone on to offer me more guidance when we were first engaged!
    p.s. for what its worth I feel like I've turned into a hermit too! :)

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  6. Awww cute pics! I also have never been a bridesmaid before either, hoping it happens for one of my friends soon :) so I can!

    -kjpugs

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  7. So so so SO True! I totally have gone through those stages as you described them. With only three months to go (and after having planned for over a year now) I am definitely finding myself more in the frame of mind to just 'get it done' and not care as much. But I have gotten most of the design and DIY projects done at this point..sort of :)

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