Wow – where have the last 2 months gone?
After returning to Earth from my rocket-launch of excitement with my engagement to my best friend, things have been moving at lightning speed. One would think that having a year to plan a wedding would be enough time, but I’m already feeling the heat. Thus, I have resolved to tackle the biggest obstacles of my wedding planning head on. I am happy to report that I have about 50% of my wedding planned and it is only October 26th :)
My first challenge was picking a venue and securing the date. After leisurely researching and calling a few places, I was shocked to find that Fall dates in 2012 were already booked at the beginning of September 2011. Apparently some brides-to-be book their venues up to 2 years in advance – or even before they are engaged! I was clearly behind the curve. So, only a week after the engagement, I drug poor Bryan on 10 tours in a last-ditch effort to find the perfect venue. Although the process was exhausting, I knew I had found the one when I walked through the doors of Villa St. Clair. The venue is a gorgeous tuscan-style house, surrounded by trees and stucco walls. The courtyard is layered with stone and the ballroom is classy and exudes romance. Everyone says wedding planning should be about your gut, so I listened. St. Clair was the only place we had visited that literally gave me the chills and made my heart beat fast. I could literally imagine us getting married there…and so we booked it! Along with our date which will forever be my most favorite date of all time – 9/29/12.
Without giving too much away...
Two tasks down, and about one million to go.
Next on the agenda? A wedding dress apparently! While I had planned on having to search for my dream dress for the next few months, imagine my surprise when I found it! Several weeks ago, I ventured out on my first dress-trying adventure and visited a few places in Houston. After several hours, I think I had tried on about 25 dresses – all gorgeous, of course, but none of which was “the one”. Tired and exhausted, I wondered if this process would be as draining each time. And then, only two days ago, I had an appointment with my bestie Livie (and future bridesmaid) at the David’s Bridal where she works. Once again, my dressing room was flooded with amazingly beautiful garments, about 15 in total. Time and time again I said, “Yea I like this, but it’s not it.” And then…I found it. It took a while for the sentiment to kick in, but as I tried on my dress for the first time I knew that this was going to be the #1 contender for the night. Again with the gut thing…I had an image of myself walking down the aisle to Bryan and even envisioned us cutting the cake, all while wearing this dress. To give the other dresses a fair chance I tried on a few more, but the image of my #1 was still ringing in my brain. We narrowed down the choices to about 3, and the decision was easy. As soon as I walked up and down the store a few times, I broke out and tears and that’s when I knew my decision had been made! Obviously I can’t share an image on here, but I can say that the dress is an Oleg Cassini and is now discontinued. Lucky me! I got to order it new but feel sure not many people will have the opportunity to buy the dress in a few months, something that makes it even more special in my opinion.
Phew, what’s next?
The photographer – a very crucial piece to any wedding. I always knew that I didn’t want to skirt around this element of my planning. I needed to find someone who is talented, professional, has an amazing personality and delivers flawless shots. And I found him! After hours of research and asking questions, I booked our date and engagement session with Doberenz Photography. Bryan and I met with him yesterday and, after a few minutes of light conversation, I knew he was perfect. He laughed at all of Bryan’s sarcastic jokes, had great ideas and presented some amazing albums. His colors are absolutely gorgeous and the way he captures pure emotion is incredible. Done and done! Stay tuned for engagement photos :)
Some people might say I’m moving too fast considering we only got engaged 2 months ago. I like to say I’m being smart and tackling the big obstacles right away so that I don’t stress out in a few months. Wedding planning is easy to put off when you have work and um, LIFE getting in the way. But, as with everything else in my life, I decided to take this head on and get the big things out of the way while I had the time. Fortunately for me, I have a dad and stepmom that are beyond supportive and willing to fuel my fast-paced planning. We haven’t even officially decided on a budget, but they understand that when I have found what I want it’s best to book it and avoid overthinking (which I tend to do, more often than not). I can’t begin to express my gratitude for their patience and generosity. Now I can safely relax and breathe for the next few months. Bryan and I have a lot of good changes coming our way and I want to make sure we can dedicate time to those events – not stress about a wedding. It is, after all, the most important day of our life. And while I know that it requires a lot of careful thought and planning, all I really want to do is marry my best friend and soul mate.
At the end of the day, our love and commitment to spending our lives together is REALLY what’s important, everything else is just icing on the cake – yes, pun intended.
insatiable curiosity 