Thursday, June 24, 2010

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.

10 comments:

Queenie's Vintage Finds said...

You did such a great job planning your wedding...the pictures are so cute of you and hubby....thanks for sharing your special day. It looks like so much fun! :)
Big Hugs,
Queenie

Saucy said...

We also did a DIY wedding: from the flowers to the cake! I'm impressed with your entire event and that dress looks simply fabulous!

See you around the party. You gave great tips.

Victoria said...

I love planning weddings! I also planned my own wedding, but a few days prior my Aunt flew in to make sure that everything went smoothly. We really couldn't have done it with out her! I was late to my hair appt. bc I was trying to set tables and light the walkways and basically do everything. Everyone still talks about how it was an amazing wedding- but to be honest I don't remember much! I think thats the nature of the beast. I loved the idea of your themed wedding! Your dress was super cute as well. :)

If your interested...
http://confessionsofanewoldhomeowner.blogspot.com/search?q=wedding

Celestina Marie said...

Love this!! You created a special and unique wedding with all the little details covered. Great job and love how you shared it all here on this party post.
You and your beloved are a beatuiful couple. Best wishes for many wonderful years.
Love your wedding dress.

Thank you for sharing and all your tips.
Hugs, Celestina Marie

Connie said...

WOW!! What fun that must have been, sugar, and I'm lovin' the red and white. Stupendous...
xoxo,
Connie

Deborah Kay at The Paint Splash said...

Looks like you had fun! thanks for sharing.Hope you can get the time to drop by and visit. Debbie

Kim @ Starshine Chic said...

Loved your DIY wedding advice. I have to agree with everything you said. I too did everything myself for our wedding. What I forgot to think about was who was going to do everything while I was getting ready. Lucky for me, I have a fabulous cousin & friend who jumped right in & took care of everything. And you are so right about the clean up crew. Most left before everything was done & we had to stay & take care of everything before we could go to the hotel (our wedding was at our house).

Stephanie ~ Angelic Accents said...

What a wonderfully fun wedding you had ~ and I bet your guests had as much of a blast as it looks like you and your sweet hubby had! I love themed weddings, and yours is very unique and will always be something to remember fondly. Love your one of a kind gown and all the special details, like the red tulle, the veil, and I LOVE the shoes, too! You were a beautiful bride and such a handsome couple! Love the expression on the best man! :)

Great advice for others also. I didn't have to do much the day of our wedding, but it is still a blur. Guess that just goes with the territory.

Hope your father is doing well.

Thanks so much for participating in the WEDDING BLOG PARTY!

Big Hugs,
Stephanie
Angelic Accents

Unknown said...

What a lovely sweet wedding ... fun, fantasy filled time for you to treasure forever. Great theme.

Have a lovely summer's eve ~
TTFN ~ Marydon

vickie said...

What a fun wedding! Love the dress.
You both look so happy, I imagine it was great. Thanks for sharing,
I planned our wedding too. Outdoors
on a ranch, western attire.
hugs,
Vickie

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