Oh yeah, I'm getting married this year.

While I was at work today, it was as if I suddenly remembered that we still have a wedding to plan.  After finding our venue (which includes catering), our photographer, my wedding dress, and taking our engagement photos we took a break for Christmas and New Years.  Since then, I've become focused on my resolutions and Dave was completely overloaded at work so we never really got back in the game.  Today though, I realized just how much I still need to do.

So far wedding planning hasn't been nearly as stressful as it's been described.  Granted I'm still in the beginning stages so maybe that will change.  Right now, my goals are to secure an officiant and a DJ.  Choosing an officiant  is a bit more difficult than I thought.  It must be from my Catholic upbringing that I have it burned into my head that the person who marries us must be a man.  Yes, I know it's totally sexist but that's just how I've always envisioned it.  There are times when I think it would be so much easier if Dave and I were brought up in the same faith but the fact that we didn't should allow us to customize our ceremony to fit us making it both more personal and meaningful.  We contacted a husband/wife team that does have our date and time available so we just need to call them to help us determine if they'll be a good fit for us. 

I'm not as far along with finding a DJ but there are so many of them.  I think I'll probably start with the preferred vendors that our venue recommended just because we know that they'll already know how to set everything up for both the ceremony and the reception.  One of their website offers video clips of weddings they've done in the past so I'll just have to browse through a few of those, contact a couple that we like to get pricing and see if they are available for our date, possibly meet them, and then secure one.  Hopefully it won't be too difficult.  

I think what concerns me the most is choosing bridesmaid dresses.  I'm very lucky to have four beautiful bridesmaids who are all close friends of mine and have graciously agreed to help me out with my wedding planning.  Every time I think about finding them dresses, I hit a new snag.  Because I'm actually more traditional than most people expect after meeting me, I would like my bridesmaids to look like they all "go together." Maybe not necessarily the exact same dress but the same style and color would be super awesome. 

They all have very different body types so my biggest challenge is to find something that they will all feel comfortable and attractive in for a reasonable cost as none of us are made of money.  This task seemed relatively simple at first but now I'm nervous.  I thought I found a designer where everyone could find a style that they liked for a relatively reasonable price and they would all fit together but they one of my bridesmaids mentioned alterations.  I didn't even think about that; it's bad enough that they have to buy a dress for my wedding but to then have to pay for alterations and  just because I'd be willing to do it doesn't mean I should expect it from them.  I doubt that the "honor" that comes with being a bridesmaid is worth it.

So now my biggest concern is that I won't be able to achieve what I'm looking for in my wedding party which is probably the most stressful thing I've encounter thus far.  It is really important that they are happy with what they're wearing both for their bodies and for their wallets.  That said, I have to think about just how much having the unified look means to me.  One of my bridesmaids allowed us to choose our dresses in her wedding and it didn't look bad at all.  I really like it but if it's going to cause more stress than finding my own dress, it's totally not that important.  My mom is of the completely different opinion that wearing what I insist is one of the duties a bridesmaid agrees to and I agree with her.  Like I said though, I'm concerned that it's going to end up being a bigger deal than it should be.  It's just a couple of dresses; on the scale of importance, it's not that high.

There's also the honeymoon that I can't stop thinking about which is one of the most important aspects of the planning for me.  It will be what costs the most after the venue and it's approximately two weeks as opposed to the single wedding day.  I can't seem to say to myself, "okay this is where I'm definitely going and these are the things I'm looking forward to doing."  Because I love to travel, this will hopefully be just one of many vacations Dave and I will take together.  However, at the same time, this will be where Dave and I decide to spend the first two weeks as husband and wife so I feel like location is super important.   It's times like this where I wish I could just be satisfied with lying on the beach for weeks but I'm not.  I'm the kind of girl who likes to "do" things on vacation.  I want there to be a lot of activities and some adventure along with the romance.   On the other hand, I don't want us to be "go, go, go" throughout the whole thing.

I have it in my head that because it's our honeymoon, it should more luxurious and lavish than a typical vacation.  We're only going to have one.  But then, it's probably not the most practical.  As it is, paying for a wedding is no inexpensive task.  I just don't know if we'd be able to justify spending the kind of money we're thinking on a regular vacation.  It's a conundrum that is clearly going to take some more exploring.  Right now, we've tossed our the ideas of going to the Mayan Riviera or driving the coast of California.  I like the idea of being on a beach but October is hurricane season for the Caribbean and Hawaii seems so massive.   Other places like Fiji or Bali are just far too pricey; the airfare alone would max out our budget. 

Luckily I still have time for both the honeymoon and the bridesmaid dresses.  I'm sure it will all work out and not be too stressful in the end but today had one of those "AAAHH! WEDDING PLAN!" moments.  Really, I'm marrying a man that is totally amazing and who I'm so in love with.  At the end of the day, that's really all that matters.