It's always a good idea to go home. It's always good to sit and talk with the parental units, especially during the wedding planning process. During this particular trip, we got in touch with a caterer who just so happens to be my best man's uncle, she found out about a Pamper Chef bridal shower (she's in heaven), and I touched base with a couple groomsmen I haven't gotten to talk to recently in person. Seems like a great trip back, right? I completely neglected to consider one critical flaw in my plan... the babymania that is currently running wild on my old stomping grounds.
Let me start out by saying this, I'm very excited to have kids. I have a lot of plans to coach little league and go to Disneyworld and the like. They are, however, plans for the future. In the midst of the wonderful chaos that is wedding planning, the female mind begins to wander past the wedding...to the future (a Jedi must be patient). Teen Mom 2, Pregnant in Heels, and the seemingly endless amount of baby stories are undoubtedly also key components to the particular focus on the baby-centric portions of the future. This isn't necessarily new. My fiance has been vocal about her desire to have children for some time, and thus far I've been able to keep balance in the force. Pop culture is pulling harder every day, and thus it becomes more difficult to keep the balance. In my quest to maintain order, my recent trip home was my Revenge of the Sith moment.
Being more focused on seeing my friends and family, I completely, utterly, and devastatingly forgot to consider the two additional powers present in the OC in the battle of me vs. babymania. First off, my "highly pregnant" sister. This is the term I like to use due to the fact that even as I write this I'm awaiting a phone call that my niece is on her way. My sister and fiance are very close, which has been used to harass me in the past (Yes, I'm talking about the walk back from the No Doubt concert), but is overall really awesome. However, seeing my sister about to pop only served to fuel the fire. My second blunder? Well, I literally walked right into it; 'it' being my best man's parent's house. When we make these trips we usually crash there, but it'd been a little while. His brothers had moved back in... with their children. Three in all, an 8 year-old little girl who we watched grow up (me all 8 years and her the last 5), a 3 year-old little blonde girl who we first met when she was a 3 week old little blonde girl, and the newest addition, his brother's two week old son. FML. It used to be that if one yelled "Mom!" you got one specific person's attention. Now, you get 2, but the original Mom now answers to "Grandma!". I couldn't even blame her for getting all worked up about babies, I took her straight into the heart of babymania, and I did it all by myself.
A few days have passed, the force is regaining balance and things are back to normal. But for two days... *shakes head*... Like I said, wedding wise it was productive, but my advice: While planning the wedding and drawing focus to your future together, if you're looking to maintain balance in the force, don't book a weekend vacation on the Death Star.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
My Fair Wedding with... well, my fiance and myself...
Anyone currently engaged in planning a wedding is undoubtedly aware of WE TV's constant barrage of wedding programming. As someone who prefers Family Guy and wrestling, I tend to tune out much of this programming. There is however one exception: My Fair Wedding with David Tutera.
I began watching this show much the same way I "watch" Teen Mom or Jersey Shore: I sit in the same room while my attention is given to my phone, or a book, or the wall, or really anything other than the TV. MFW, however, peaked my interest after awhile. For those of you unfamiliar, I'll explain the basic premise upon which every episode relies.
David Tutera is a top-shelf wedding planner. He meets with a couple, discusses their plans, then performs a complete wedding overhaul. For instance, the last episode I saw featured a couple who were so poor (and I don't mean the kind of poor I talk about in regards to myself) that there was never an official proposal. The groom couldn't afford a ring at all, so their wedding came about on more of a mutual agreement than the whimsical proposal girls dream about. As part of his wedding revamp, David supplied the groom with a one karat platinum and diamond ring, as well as a romantically lit garden scene in which the official proposal could take place. The new dress the bride was gifted through the show involved a special necklace piece holding nearly $300,000 in diamonds. Granted, Tutera's work comes with the type of budget only a cable network could provide to an average wedding. His mantra is something about making dreams come true. With my fiance being such a huge fan of the show, I looked into casting for the show. Unfortunately, we don't live in Dallas or New York, and aren't getting married in April. This got me thinking though, why do so many couples need this planner assistance?
I've come to realize that most of these couples don't need help. They're lazy. Some, as with the example couple, do genuinely need a break and they appreciate the help all the more. The rest, however, simply don't put in the genuine effort and thought they are capable of. Their wedding plans become muddled and shotty because they don't commit to their ideas. More often than not I see couples that strive for an "outside the box" wedding while not deviating from the traditional script. The key idea here is commitment.
When people think "wedding," many think of commitment as the foundation if not the entirety of the idea. With so much emphasis on the commitment to each other, why is it then so hard to commit to plans? The cliches are endless ("Be true to yourself," etc.) but the point holds true. In order to make your dream wedding, you don't need David Tutera or WE TV's budget, you need to commit.
We want a fun wedding that highlights our shared interests, not your basic church wedding. In order to make this dream come true, we committed to it. There are still traditional elements, but that is part of the dream. If you need elements of both in your plan, then make them part of your plan. Commit. This is YOUR plan. Own it, make it your dream wedding. Some things won't necessarily fit seamlessly (that's where David Tutera would be useful, cohesiveness) but that's the beauty of it; no one will be able to walk away from our wedding and say it was anything short of ours. My dream is making hers come true, and I am committed to that.
I began watching this show much the same way I "watch" Teen Mom or Jersey Shore: I sit in the same room while my attention is given to my phone, or a book, or the wall, or really anything other than the TV. MFW, however, peaked my interest after awhile. For those of you unfamiliar, I'll explain the basic premise upon which every episode relies.
David Tutera is a top-shelf wedding planner. He meets with a couple, discusses their plans, then performs a complete wedding overhaul. For instance, the last episode I saw featured a couple who were so poor (and I don't mean the kind of poor I talk about in regards to myself) that there was never an official proposal. The groom couldn't afford a ring at all, so their wedding came about on more of a mutual agreement than the whimsical proposal girls dream about. As part of his wedding revamp, David supplied the groom with a one karat platinum and diamond ring, as well as a romantically lit garden scene in which the official proposal could take place. The new dress the bride was gifted through the show involved a special necklace piece holding nearly $300,000 in diamonds. Granted, Tutera's work comes with the type of budget only a cable network could provide to an average wedding. His mantra is something about making dreams come true. With my fiance being such a huge fan of the show, I looked into casting for the show. Unfortunately, we don't live in Dallas or New York, and aren't getting married in April. This got me thinking though, why do so many couples need this planner assistance?
I've come to realize that most of these couples don't need help. They're lazy. Some, as with the example couple, do genuinely need a break and they appreciate the help all the more. The rest, however, simply don't put in the genuine effort and thought they are capable of. Their wedding plans become muddled and shotty because they don't commit to their ideas. More often than not I see couples that strive for an "outside the box" wedding while not deviating from the traditional script. The key idea here is commitment.
When people think "wedding," many think of commitment as the foundation if not the entirety of the idea. With so much emphasis on the commitment to each other, why is it then so hard to commit to plans? The cliches are endless ("Be true to yourself," etc.) but the point holds true. In order to make your dream wedding, you don't need David Tutera or WE TV's budget, you need to commit.
We want a fun wedding that highlights our shared interests, not your basic church wedding. In order to make this dream come true, we committed to it. There are still traditional elements, but that is part of the dream. If you need elements of both in your plan, then make them part of your plan. Commit. This is YOUR plan. Own it, make it your dream wedding. Some things won't necessarily fit seamlessly (that's where David Tutera would be useful, cohesiveness) but that's the beauty of it; no one will be able to walk away from our wedding and say it was anything short of ours. My dream is making hers come true, and I am committed to that.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Why so long without a post? One word: Venues.
The title just about sums it up. So far in the wedding planning process, the hardest part to put in place has been the venue. We have officially locked one down, but after jumping a few hurdles.
Our first hurdle is one that many people have to overcome: finances. Just like many of the other engaged couples out there, we found a venue she loved. The setting = gorgeous, the secenery = romantic, the price = astronomical. They wanted roughly $4,000 for a ceremony and reception. Part of the price debacle is a result of us imposing that second hurdle on ourselves.
We wanted a venue that could accommodate both portions of the wedding festivities. With our family coming in from both local and distant areas, we tried to minimize the amount of extra travel for everyone invovled. This also allows us to have a little more oversight in regards to reception set up. Rather than worry about the goings-on of two venues, we've made it a one-stop-shop for our guests and our sanity. So we've struggled with price and accommodations, what's left? Exactly, the date.
October 1, 2011. A nice autumn Saturday afternoon, drifting into the evening and beyond. Unfortunately, we aren't the only couple with such an idea.
Turns out wedding season isn't just in spring. However, many venues don't agree. We found several elegant venues that met all other requirements but stopped booking weddings after August. Some were theatres preparing for their fall season, some were parks that stop booking wedding for fear of inclimate weather. Either way, they cut our list of possible venues by over half. Of the remaining venues, many were booked farther in advance. We had the opportunity to meet a young man in a similar situation at a restaurant in Green Bay. He told us his wedding was also on October 1. When my fiance asked how long they'd been engaged and working on wedding planning, he informed us that he and his fiance had been engaged for nearly two years. Their venue had been locked down nearly a year in advance. From the day we got engaged we had ten months and a few days until October 1. I didn't believe the bridal magazines when they said we were behind in the planning process. I got a little nervous when it took us nearly three months to find a venue, but I still don't 100% believe the magazines.
My reasoning is this: we did it. We found an affordable venue that meets all of our requirements and has our date open. Were we lucky? Yes, but the venue was right under our noses the whole time. Country clubs and institutions like them specialize in events the scale of weddings. Its what they do. Had we looked at some of them earlier, this blog post may be very different. The country club idea works so well for us because we are having a secular ceremony. This means churches weren't even on our radar for venues and, in many instances, wouldn't allow a secular ceremony anyway. However, if you are looking for a religious ceremony, churches are easy to find. First of all, there's a freakin' million of them in every county in the state (and I'm sure the country). Secondly, churches have almost every necessity for a wedding venue (bridal suites, dressing rooms, retrooms, kitchens, scenery). This second point also holds true to country clubs and the like. These things only matter, though, if that is the type of wedding experience you want. Its still cheaper to fly to Las Vegas than to plan and execute a full, some what "traditional" wedding.
The moral of the story is this: Finding a place can be difficult, but it far from impossible. And once the venue is secured, many other aspects begin to fall into place.
Our first hurdle is one that many people have to overcome: finances. Just like many of the other engaged couples out there, we found a venue she loved. The setting = gorgeous, the secenery = romantic, the price = astronomical. They wanted roughly $4,000 for a ceremony and reception. Part of the price debacle is a result of us imposing that second hurdle on ourselves.
We wanted a venue that could accommodate both portions of the wedding festivities. With our family coming in from both local and distant areas, we tried to minimize the amount of extra travel for everyone invovled. This also allows us to have a little more oversight in regards to reception set up. Rather than worry about the goings-on of two venues, we've made it a one-stop-shop for our guests and our sanity. So we've struggled with price and accommodations, what's left? Exactly, the date.
October 1, 2011. A nice autumn Saturday afternoon, drifting into the evening and beyond. Unfortunately, we aren't the only couple with such an idea.
Turns out wedding season isn't just in spring. However, many venues don't agree. We found several elegant venues that met all other requirements but stopped booking weddings after August. Some were theatres preparing for their fall season, some were parks that stop booking wedding for fear of inclimate weather. Either way, they cut our list of possible venues by over half. Of the remaining venues, many were booked farther in advance. We had the opportunity to meet a young man in a similar situation at a restaurant in Green Bay. He told us his wedding was also on October 1. When my fiance asked how long they'd been engaged and working on wedding planning, he informed us that he and his fiance had been engaged for nearly two years. Their venue had been locked down nearly a year in advance. From the day we got engaged we had ten months and a few days until October 1. I didn't believe the bridal magazines when they said we were behind in the planning process. I got a little nervous when it took us nearly three months to find a venue, but I still don't 100% believe the magazines.
My reasoning is this: we did it. We found an affordable venue that meets all of our requirements and has our date open. Were we lucky? Yes, but the venue was right under our noses the whole time. Country clubs and institutions like them specialize in events the scale of weddings. Its what they do. Had we looked at some of them earlier, this blog post may be very different. The country club idea works so well for us because we are having a secular ceremony. This means churches weren't even on our radar for venues and, in many instances, wouldn't allow a secular ceremony anyway. However, if you are looking for a religious ceremony, churches are easy to find. First of all, there's a freakin' million of them in every county in the state (and I'm sure the country). Secondly, churches have almost every necessity for a wedding venue (bridal suites, dressing rooms, retrooms, kitchens, scenery). This second point also holds true to country clubs and the like. These things only matter, though, if that is the type of wedding experience you want. Its still cheaper to fly to Las Vegas than to plan and execute a full, some what "traditional" wedding.
The moral of the story is this: Finding a place can be difficult, but it far from impossible. And once the venue is secured, many other aspects begin to fall into place.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Makin' a list, Checkin' it twice... three times... four... five...
Christmas is over, I'm not talking about Santa, I'm talking about you (although it still does involve presents). The guest list is quite possibly the first major obstacle you will face in the wedding planning process, but it is a critical step and one that needs to be taken seriously.
The importance of the guest list is three-fold. 1) These are the people you will be spending your wedding day with. 2) The size of this list determines when and where your day will be. And last but certainly not least, 3) These are the people buying you presents! Now, that last one is partially selfish, but also has a bit of practicality that I will explain when we get there.
First, you want to make sure that you don't leave anyone out. This is why you want to make your list in steps, and review/revise it at least 3 times if not 13. There are a five major groups you need to consider when planning your list:
1. Your friends
2. Her friends
3. Your family
4. Her family
5. Your "joint-custody" friends
The way we found to make this much easier was a peer-review system. I made a list of 1 and 3, her 2 and 4, and we brainstormed number 5. We then compiled our lists to one master list in a notebook. We looked at it a couple times, struck some names out, added some more in, etc. I took it a step farther and created an Excel spreadsheet. It totals the guest list (so you don't have to repeatedly count 150+ names) and allows you to group your guests to make seating arrangements easier when you have a venue locked down. I went so far as to color code them, but that's not necessarily necessary.
The total number of guests will be a deciding factor in when and where your wedding will be. You may have a lovely place in mind, but can it fit everyone you want to be there? Maybe you found a great, cheap hall but you've only got enough people to fill one corner of it. Your guest list will weed out a lot of potential venues. Once you find a place to accommodate everyone, then you can find out if they've got a spot on your day. I believe it was a movie where I heard, "You don't pick the date, you pick the venue and the venue picks the date." If you have a solid idea of how many people are going to be there, you can lock down a hall much earlier and probably cheaper (Lesson: Booking early saves money. A lot of places would rather have a guaranteed $1,000 now than a chance at possibly-maybe getting $2,000 down the road).
And presents! I told you there was a practical component and that component is the registry. This takes time. My fiance and I spent nearly 4 hours at one store (although, I think we covered bed, bath, AND beyond) creating one registry. This is in part because the scan gun is a lot of fun and you can literally scan anything in the store. The other reason is that our guest list is right around 150 people. Even if you break it down into pairs or families, that's roughly 75 gifts. If you only register for 75 gifts, the chances you'll get the same thing at least once is very high (especially if its a less expensive gift). The economy still sucks and people don't have a ton of disposable income. We registered for somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 items. We tried to keep almost half of them to under $30. This way, people can still find inexpensive wedding gifts and we can still get more of what we wanted rather than getting a trip back to the store to exchange things (After all, after the honeymoon, do you really want to worry about exchanging presents?). I also want to note, that was one store. We're not being greedy, but registering for a lot of stuff at multiple stores makes it easier for those buying the gifts. More choice, more locations, more financial maneuverability.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is, take a lot of care on the guest list. If you get it done early and correctly, several other obstacles get suddenly easier.
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The importance of the guest list is three-fold. 1) These are the people you will be spending your wedding day with. 2) The size of this list determines when and where your day will be. And last but certainly not least, 3) These are the people buying you presents! Now, that last one is partially selfish, but also has a bit of practicality that I will explain when we get there.
First, you want to make sure that you don't leave anyone out. This is why you want to make your list in steps, and review/revise it at least 3 times if not 13. There are a five major groups you need to consider when planning your list:
1. Your friends
2. Her friends
3. Your family
4. Her family
5. Your "joint-custody" friends
The way we found to make this much easier was a peer-review system. I made a list of 1 and 3, her 2 and 4, and we brainstormed number 5. We then compiled our lists to one master list in a notebook. We looked at it a couple times, struck some names out, added some more in, etc. I took it a step farther and created an Excel spreadsheet. It totals the guest list (so you don't have to repeatedly count 150+ names) and allows you to group your guests to make seating arrangements easier when you have a venue locked down. I went so far as to color code them, but that's not necessarily necessary.
The total number of guests will be a deciding factor in when and where your wedding will be. You may have a lovely place in mind, but can it fit everyone you want to be there? Maybe you found a great, cheap hall but you've only got enough people to fill one corner of it. Your guest list will weed out a lot of potential venues. Once you find a place to accommodate everyone, then you can find out if they've got a spot on your day. I believe it was a movie where I heard, "You don't pick the date, you pick the venue and the venue picks the date." If you have a solid idea of how many people are going to be there, you can lock down a hall much earlier and probably cheaper (Lesson: Booking early saves money. A lot of places would rather have a guaranteed $1,000 now than a chance at possibly-maybe getting $2,000 down the road).
And presents! I told you there was a practical component and that component is the registry. This takes time. My fiance and I spent nearly 4 hours at one store (although, I think we covered bed, bath, AND beyond) creating one registry. This is in part because the scan gun is a lot of fun and you can literally scan anything in the store. The other reason is that our guest list is right around 150 people. Even if you break it down into pairs or families, that's roughly 75 gifts. If you only register for 75 gifts, the chances you'll get the same thing at least once is very high (especially if its a less expensive gift). The economy still sucks and people don't have a ton of disposable income. We registered for somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 items. We tried to keep almost half of them to under $30. This way, people can still find inexpensive wedding gifts and we can still get more of what we wanted rather than getting a trip back to the store to exchange things (After all, after the honeymoon, do you really want to worry about exchanging presents?). I also want to note, that was one store. We're not being greedy, but registering for a lot of stuff at multiple stores makes it easier for those buying the gifts. More choice, more locations, more financial maneuverability.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is, take a lot of care on the guest list. If you get it done early and correctly, several other obstacles get suddenly easier.
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A cushion does not a pillow make...
... and this is why we sleep on beds and not couches. I learned this very important lesson only a few nights ago.
One advantage to writing a blog is that anyone and everyone can read it. The down side? Anyone and everyone can read it. This really only becomes a problem when it is used against you in a debate. It is especially bad if that debate is more a fight, and anyone is more your fiance. Hence my problem the other night.
Without bogging you down with details or airing my laundry on the internet, suffice it to say I was wrong (Lesson: Even if you don't think you are wrong, you probably are). I discovered that while attempting to be helpful and give her "one less thing to worry about" during this stressful and exhausting time, I neglected all of the other things she worries about. DON'T DO THIS! It can be easy to forget that between now and then, there are a great many days in between. Days full of bills, dishes, pets, jobs, errands, and all of those other things that don't stop just because you're busy. You have to remember, you're not only planning your wedding day together, you're planning the rest of your lives. While it may not be as fun to sit on the phone for 3 hours arguing with the insurance lady or cleaning the kitchen or (insert task of ire here), all of these things need to get done.
My biggest obstacle is a mixture of natural slacker tendencies mixed with a poor memory (especially when it comes to things like cleaning). This is a volatile combination that can and will land you on the couch. However, as I'm writing this, it should be obvious that the engagement survived (After all, look at what blog you're reading) and I must give credit where credit is due: Thank you, notepad. It seems stupid but writing myself a note, or more of a to-do list, has helped me exponentially. A self-written note is beneficial for two main reasons. You can write the tasks in your own order to make the day not seem as daunting. Also, I don't do that well taking orders. Writing your own note, while the tasks on it may not all be your ideas, makes your list less marching orders, more goals for the day. And now, my list includes the goal of not using cushions as pillows anymore.
One advantage to writing a blog is that anyone and everyone can read it. The down side? Anyone and everyone can read it. This really only becomes a problem when it is used against you in a debate. It is especially bad if that debate is more a fight, and anyone is more your fiance. Hence my problem the other night.
Without bogging you down with details or airing my laundry on the internet, suffice it to say I was wrong (Lesson: Even if you don't think you are wrong, you probably are). I discovered that while attempting to be helpful and give her "one less thing to worry about" during this stressful and exhausting time, I neglected all of the other things she worries about. DON'T DO THIS! It can be easy to forget that between now and then, there are a great many days in between. Days full of bills, dishes, pets, jobs, errands, and all of those other things that don't stop just because you're busy. You have to remember, you're not only planning your wedding day together, you're planning the rest of your lives. While it may not be as fun to sit on the phone for 3 hours arguing with the insurance lady or cleaning the kitchen or (insert task of ire here), all of these things need to get done.
My biggest obstacle is a mixture of natural slacker tendencies mixed with a poor memory (especially when it comes to things like cleaning). This is a volatile combination that can and will land you on the couch. However, as I'm writing this, it should be obvious that the engagement survived (After all, look at what blog you're reading) and I must give credit where credit is due: Thank you, notepad. It seems stupid but writing myself a note, or more of a to-do list, has helped me exponentially. A self-written note is beneficial for two main reasons. You can write the tasks in your own order to make the day not seem as daunting. Also, I don't do that well taking orders. Writing your own note, while the tasks on it may not all be your ideas, makes your list less marching orders, more goals for the day. And now, my list includes the goal of not using cushions as pillows anymore.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Be involved in the planning or forever hold your peace...
Hey everyone-
So the first major decision I made after the proposal was this: I'm going to be involved and help with the entire process. Now, before you click away in disgust, please at least take a look at my rationale.
First of all, do you want to be wearing a pink tuxedo as your bride-to-be strolls down the aisle to Justin Bieber music? NO! The best way to ensure that her day won't make you feel/look/act/be stupid is to make it "Our Day." If you plan nothing, assist with nothing, and just basically do nothing, several problems will arise. 1. She may think, "Is this how it is going to be forever?" 2. She may think, "He doesn't care if we invite all of my salon girls and none of his buddies." 3. She will go insane and possibly call it off or kill you.
Insane? Yes. Yes. Yes. Most of the bridal magazines on the news stands are going to tell her that she's already behind in planning. These same publications are going to give you lists and ideas and more lists and more ideas to plan your dream wedding. Planning a wedding leads to information overload very quickly. That's not even touching on the actual amount of planning, scheduling, and accounting that has to be done. Did I mention the politics of planning a wedding (guests, location, ceremony, family involvement)? That's another few posts all together.
More importantly than the selfish logic, there is also the notion of fairness and partnership. Isn't that what you're signing up for? (If not, see "Introduction, Lesson #1") If you truly love this girl, why stand back and let the metric shit-load of work all fall on her shoulders? Help her. Be there for her. Skip the first half of the football game to go register for gifts (If you're a Green Bay Packer fan like me, the first half doesn't usually matter either way). DVR your favorite show and make a guest list. Put in some legitimate effort and this whole process can go much more smoothly. Don't worry, I don't mean you have to pick doily arrangements on Super Bowl Sunday, but you may want to put her first right from the get-go. It seems to be much easier that way.
So the first major decision I made after the proposal was this: I'm going to be involved and help with the entire process. Now, before you click away in disgust, please at least take a look at my rationale.
First of all, do you want to be wearing a pink tuxedo as your bride-to-be strolls down the aisle to Justin Bieber music? NO! The best way to ensure that her day won't make you feel/look/act/be stupid is to make it "Our Day." If you plan nothing, assist with nothing, and just basically do nothing, several problems will arise. 1. She may think, "Is this how it is going to be forever?" 2. She may think, "He doesn't care if we invite all of my salon girls and none of his buddies." 3. She will go insane and possibly call it off or kill you.
Insane? Yes. Yes. Yes. Most of the bridal magazines on the news stands are going to tell her that she's already behind in planning. These same publications are going to give you lists and ideas and more lists and more ideas to plan your dream wedding. Planning a wedding leads to information overload very quickly. That's not even touching on the actual amount of planning, scheduling, and accounting that has to be done. Did I mention the politics of planning a wedding (guests, location, ceremony, family involvement)? That's another few posts all together.
More importantly than the selfish logic, there is also the notion of fairness and partnership. Isn't that what you're signing up for? (If not, see "Introduction, Lesson #1") If you truly love this girl, why stand back and let the metric shit-load of work all fall on her shoulders? Help her. Be there for her. Skip the first half of the football game to go register for gifts (If you're a Green Bay Packer fan like me, the first half doesn't usually matter either way). DVR your favorite show and make a guest list. Put in some legitimate effort and this whole process can go much more smoothly. Don't worry, I don't mean you have to pick doily arrangements on Super Bowl Sunday, but you may want to put her first right from the get-go. It seems to be much easier that way.
Introduction
Hello world-
My name is Ricky and I've been engaged for just over a week. My fiance is the love of my life and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with her. (Lesson #1: If you are engaged and cannot say the same thing without having to think about it, GET OUT NOW! You are definitely not ready to go through this process.) We met during college and now are a couple of recent grads trying to survive this shitty economy. That includes trying to put together a wedding on a strict budget.
The purpose of this blog is to help other guys (or ladies) make it through the engagement with flying colors. Along the way I'll share some tips, advice, stories, and cautions as I encounter them myself. Weddings are a big deal, especially if you only plan on having one, and it is your job as her husband-to-be to make sure she gets the dream wedding she has wanted since she was a little girl (while still getting your points in).
Thanks for taking some time to check out the blog and I hope you find the answers that you're looking for!
-Ricky
My name is Ricky and I've been engaged for just over a week. My fiance is the love of my life and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with her. (Lesson #1: If you are engaged and cannot say the same thing without having to think about it, GET OUT NOW! You are definitely not ready to go through this process.) We met during college and now are a couple of recent grads trying to survive this shitty economy. That includes trying to put together a wedding on a strict budget.
The purpose of this blog is to help other guys (or ladies) make it through the engagement with flying colors. Along the way I'll share some tips, advice, stories, and cautions as I encounter them myself. Weddings are a big deal, especially if you only plan on having one, and it is your job as her husband-to-be to make sure she gets the dream wedding she has wanted since she was a little girl (while still getting your points in).
Thanks for taking some time to check out the blog and I hope you find the answers that you're looking for!
-Ricky
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