For somebody with a lot on her plate who gets easily anxious and overwhelmed, I feel like I have this wedding planning thing down to a stress-free science. I seem to have subconsciously devised a plan for making every decision that has needed to be made so far– and mind you, I am one of the most indecisive people on this planet!
It started with venues: look at a bunch online, narrow it down to two or three to go look at, choose. How did I choose? I’m not sure, but you know how they say “when you know, you know?” Well I knew it was the place and I was ready to be done searching. Why make myself crazy going all over when nothing is going to compare? I just knew. Wait a second, that reminds me of how I “chose” my fiance. I always thought it was so silly, wondering what that expression even means. How can you just KNOW? I’m not sure if it happens for everyone, but I knew he was the one after the first date. I have never ever in my life been so at ease, so comfortable, and so… MYSELF. (Especially on a BLIND first date.) No censor, no filter, no trying to be somebody that I’m not, just me. Take it or leave it. Well he took it. 🙂
Anyway, back to decision making… Next it was the bands. Listen to a bunch online, narrow it down to two or three, meet with all three and choose. Secretly, “when I knew, I knew,” but I humored everyone and went to all three meetings. Honestly, all three bands would have been fine, but when you have that feeling early on, you just have to go with your gut. Boom– another decision made! Our band was meeting number two. The second we walked out of meeting number three, I told my mom to call band number two and work out a contract.
Next was photographers. We got two recommendations and booked appointments with them both on the same day. We sat through the first meeting, perfectly nice woman, perfectly nice pictures. We ate lunch and went to our next meeting. I felt COMFORTABLE, I felt like MYSELF. For someone who doesn’t like to smile in pictures, I would say those are two key factors, not to mention that the photographer and his pictures weren’t just nice, he was funny and his pictures were fun. I like to think that I am funny and take fun pictures, so the choice seemed obvious. We got three steps out the door and I told my mom my mind was made up. We turned around, knocked on his door, and told him to send us a contract.
Next was the dress. This was sure to not follow my easy as pie recipe for decision making. There was no way! I made two appointments a week apart. My first appointment was only made to go see a specific dress. That was the first dress I tried on, and there was no gut feeling. I decided to go on with the rest of the appointment and loved one dress after another after another. After trying on around ten dresses, I stuck to what I knew best: I narrowed it down to three. I then compared those three to one another and narrowed it down to two. Both were gorgeous, stunning, flattering, bridal– all of the things that a wedding dress should be. But only one of them made me feel COMFORTABLE, made me feel like myself, and most importantly, made me feel like a teeny tiny size zero. The choice was obvious. I said yes to the dress. 🙂
I know I could have waited and gone to that second appointment. I could have scoured the internet and the magazines sifting through hundreds and thousands of dresses. But doing so would have brought out the indecisive, anxious, stressed bride-to-be. I didn’t want to see her, and I know quite frankly that nobody else would enjoy meeting her either. The fact is, all three of those dresses were amazing and I wouldn’t have gone wrong. So why continue on, looking at more, then once they’re on, trying to remember what the others looked like on me and compare and contrast. I would have driven myself insane. So like I said, the dress was chosen and I refuse to look back– no matter how many other dresses I delete from wedding website emails or scroll past in my newsfeed. 🙂
You might be wondering if this success will continue. Don’t worry, so am I. Even though it has been (mostly) smooth sailing, I just can’t be this lucky. All of the stories I always hear about the stress and the crying and the fighting and the back and forths of wedding planning. There is no way that I can make it to my wedding day without experiencing some, if not all of it!
Well if you think it was too good to be true, stay tuned for my next guest blog to find out what happened with the other shoe…
I'm a mother, wife, daughter, and friend. Until recently I was also an employee. Now that I'm a full time mom, I've decided to make my thoughts, concerns and feelings public.
Hi J_Bride!
I miss you very much. I wish I could see your happiness on the same daily basis I was lucky enough to have before the big “shake up”. Keep up the same steady, sound path you have always been on. Life is good! Love Beth