Getting Ready to Wed

It has been a while since I posted anything on my wedding and since June 25th is the Wedding Blog Party (hosted by the wonderful Angelic Accents Blog) I thought I would join in. It is hard to believe it has almost been a year since I married my husband, but it will be on July 18th. I've posted about a few different aspects of the wedding process, but I never touched on the time right before the wedding and some of the things I learned.

First off, let me explain that I planned and organized my whole wedding. It was very Do-It-Yourself. In fact, my very own band played at the wedding for 45 minutes (great price, awesome music!). In some ways it was great because if a decision needed to be made, I made it. I didn't have to run it by a planner or cross-check with vendors. I just had to ask the fiancee and get the quick nod, and sometimes not even then. I also had a very clear idea of what I wanted- married in a bowling alley, 50s/rockabilly theme, not a lot of major fuss, but a lot of fun.

And it was a lot of fun; for everyone else. Don't get me wrong, I had a great time at my wedding (as you can see from the first picture) and everything pretty much turned out the way I envisioned it. However, I found that I was incredibly unrealistic about how much could get done by a wedding party that was also preparing to be in a wedding. I got so stressed that I didn't get a chance to relax and enjoy the fruits of my labor.  By the time I got caught up the night was almost over.

This is why I highly recommend having a "day of" helper that is not in the wedding ceremony at all and meeting with that person before-hand (probably with the Maid of Honor too) to do a verbal run-through of the day of schedule. I was lucky enough to have another friend step in at the last minute to help with some things when we were all getting ready and generally keep things moving. I also recommend having your own dresser to help you get ready. My dresser was my Aunt Doreen, who also made my dress (or re-made from 2 dresses). She was able to remember which layers went first because I sure didn't!

One last logistical thing if you choose not to have a caterer (we did a dessert table only), have a clean-up plan. Even if it is just a few bins and a designated car or home to take stuff to, make sure your helpers know what to do at the end of the night. Don't assume that people just clean-up and get it done. It's not because they don't care, it's because they don't want to upset you and do it wrong. The last thing you want at the end of the night is having to supervise a clean-up crew. Trust me on this one.

Having a DIY wedding is a challenge, but it does pay off in the end. The entire wedding, including wedding dress, tux and bridal party gifts was just under $3,000. Everyone had a great time and my husband and I sealed the deal in style.

By the way, I am selling my one-of-a-kind wedding dress. Click here for more details.