Planning a Wedding is Not Fun

Planning a wedding is not fun, for the most part. I remember being a little girl and, in my mind, a wedding was this grand event where everyone is smiling and the bride gets treated like the guest of honor. All of her wishes are fulfilled, she gets doted on, and she is utterly stress free; I always thought it would be like a Fairy Princess Disney Movie. Boy, was I naive!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely excited to be getting married. Unfortunately, planning the wedding has been a pain in the butt. For instance, finding a wedding dress, which is supposedly one of the most important aspects of the wedding, was a total disaster. I had a baby about four months ago and I am definitely not in Destination Wedding shape. I ended up finding a knee-length cotton dress with some lace detailing that looked impeccable on me, even with the extra thirty-five pounds (with the help of some very tight Spanx.) I avoided going into a Wedding retail store, since I knew that I would end up getting a dress way out of budget and more formal than I would like.

Regarding the budget, if you are planning a wedding, good luck sticking with your spending plans. Our expenses quickly doubled, and then tripled, and we haven’t even paid for catering and alcohol yet. I’m afraid to itemize how much we have spent so far, because I am truly nervous to find out. Each time we think we have everything covered, we realize that we’ve forgotten an important aspect. I’ve determined the best way to deal with wedding cost is to close my eyes and just let it happen.

A large factor in the budget is the number of guests that will be attending the event. Some weddings are quaint, with fewer that 30 guests, while others go well into the hundreds. We will have about forty people, including us, at the wedding. This is a manageable amount, but it can feel like a much larger number some days; especially if some of the guests don’t get along. Rich keeps assuring me that all parties will behave accordingly and respect our special day, but I have this  sinking feeling that someone will pull a diva moment. I’m trying to determine if I want to approach the potential diva(s), or if I should stop worrying and let the natural course of events progress.

Rich and I decided that we would take a week vacation for our wedding to allow us time to prepare, as well as, relax. This may be my favorite decision so far. We have rented a house with a boat slip, which has allowed us to bring our boat with us. The house also sports a hot tub and pool. A couple of our friends and my sister will be joining us, and we will be very close to where the Wedding party will meet to climb aboard our Paddle Wheel boat. Oh, did I mention that we are getting married on a giant boat? Both our families are nautically oriented, and Rich and I have spent a lot of quality time getting to know each other on boats. Also, if anyone attempts to steal my thunder or have a diva moment, we will be able to pitch them overboard.

I actually am very excited about the wedding. Some of the preparation has been stressful and the details are endless, but I know the Wedding day will be special and fun. It may not be perfect, it may not go according to plan, and it may be completely different from what I have imagined, but it is MY day. Well, Rich and my day. I hope everyone else enjoys it too, but that isn’t as important. The greatest time of my life has begun and the Wedding is only one day in many.