Wedding planning means stationary decisions, guest list debates, color choices, music picks, attire searches, and more.  Let’s face it, wedding planning can take over your life and it can be really stressful… but it doesn’t have to be!

source: bridalpartytees.com

Sure, if you let them, the barrage of choices and decisions awaiting your opinion can occupy your every waking moment, but it’s not necessary!  Wedding planning should be fun; and it doesn’t need to take over your whole life.  All the planning will eventually lead up to a special day, and although important the event is just that — an hour, day, or weekend of celebration honoring the commitment you and your spouse plan to make to one another.  The real work begins after the “I Dos” are uttered, and nobody likes the sight of a ragged bride, so keep the stress to a minimum during the planning process!  My advice?

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My dude proposed on September 18, 2009 and we launched into wedding planning and immediately set our date for May 28, 2011. My big sister’s boyfriend surprised her by proposing on her 24th birthday, January 9, 2010. After a short period of worrying about having 2 weddings in one year, they decided to be married in December of 2010 roughly six months before us.

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I just got back to NYC from a weekend of wedding planning in Delray Beach, FL with my mom. It was…. stressful…and COLD. I had been looking for a short break from the winter chill, but got 35 degree temps down south. Thankfully, the afternoon of my arrival was beautiful and I got to visit again with the 2 giant palm tress under which we will say our vows (still left to be written).

My mission down in Delray was to find a rehearsal dinner location, and to meet with all the vendors I have selected from afar. Mostly, I am happy to report, I feel like I got a lot done on my 3-day trip. But there are still lingering questions that are obstacles in our planning (such as still no clarity about the rehearsal).

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I keep have wedding nightmares and though the obstacles presented in each dream do indeed vary (from missing wedding gowns to raw food on plates), in each scenario I run into this one rather significant problem:

I am standing at the back of the lawn about to walk down the aisle and I realize, at that moment, that we forgot to write the ceremony. AGGHHHH!  Since my Brother is scheduled to officiate for us, who has no ministry background, we are creating the ceremony from scratch. If we were to “forget” this little detail, we’d have a big problem up there at the alter under the palm trees.

Help me fill this page. Please?

I figured in order to stop the madness nightmares, I should just get on with it and start writing the ceremony. Which I did 10 minutes ago, and yet already I am here blogging about it. Why? I will admit it: I am procrastinating.

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I have to get this out there: Lately I am kind of dreading my own wedding.

From www.adamzyglis.com/magazine6.html

There, I said it. The ugly truth is out there. Do you hate me for it? Am I the only one to ever feel this way? Admitting this feels somehow shameful, like I am letting you all in on a big ugly secret. Any advice or suggestions to get through this wedding planning bump in the road are certainly appreciated.

What’s really doing me in are my anxieties and my expect-the-worst-scenario nature which are really getting the best of me.  A summary of my worries:

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Well… It happened. Around 3 weeks and 4 days into my engagement, I lost it! People warned me, people warned Gardenia Dude, but I’m not sure anyone could have prepared us for The Breakdown! Yes, there have been tremors, but last Monday was the big one!!

I’ve heard time and time again that as great as engagement is, its also a very difficult time. Trying to balance everyone’s wants and needs with reality is not easy. For some reason, the pressure of looking for venues, picking a date, and trying to get everyone on board caught up to me last Monday. My dear Gardenia Dude, who just started a fantastic new job, has been impossible to get an answer from. Between proving himself at a new company and nightly MBA classes, he is pretty difficult to track down. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming him, but just trying to explain the factors contributing to The Breakdown.

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Hey everyone!

Some of you may be wondering where I have been… and I am sorry for that! Since my last entry, I have had a lot of changes in my life! Freesia Dude and I bought a house and we both got new jobs!! I am now an English Teacher and it is great I didn’t realize how busy I would be as a teacher, and I am sorry for putting my writing on the back burner. I think I have finally gotten into a groove with my schedule, so please expect more from me

Anyways…. I have some big news-My wedding dress came in!!! The only thing is…. the dress turned into a complete disaster I went to go try on dresses with Freesia Dude’s mom at a very popular bridal store… I found the perfect (at the time) dress hanging on a mannequin. I tried it on and knew it was the one! I was probably a bit overzealous as I bought it that day…. The woman at the counter told me that the dress on the mannequin was a certain size, and when it came in…. it didn’t fit. It was WAY too big. I tried it on at home multiple times and eventually began to hate the dress because of how large it was. (Advice: Always check the size of a dress yourself before ordering!!)

Many friends have suggested getting it altered, but I have such a horrible picture of the dress now, that I just can’t see myself in it on my wedding day anymore. Now I know there is supposed to be at least one wedding disaster…. let’s hope this is mine. Has anyone else had a dress dilemma? What are some wedding disasters you have experienced?

My wedding day was by no means perfect, but it went perfectly in my mind. My family was amazed by how calm I seemed about everything when things were going wrong, expecting me to be a ball of frazzled crazy bridezilla nerves yelling at everyone.

What helped me keep my cool and enjoy the day even when things were completely off track? What helped me achieve wedding day zen?

from http://www.chroniclebooks.com/

My wedding day mantra helped me! I just told myself, “Nothing can ruin my day. I can let things ruin my day, and I choose not to let anything ruin my day.”

The necklace I made using my grandmother’s pearls broke, my shoes weren’t the perfect off-white, Calla Lily Dude was wearing white socks (given to him by the formal wear rental place), we were completely off the time line, some decorations didn’t make their way to the venue…

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I am so sorry I have been out of commission from the Bridal Buds community. Well, that’s not true – I’ve been reading every blog and commenting every once in a while – I’ve been around, just not blogging. I keep lamenting to Hydrangea husband – “I really need to find some time to write for Bridal Buds again”. Just because I got married doesn’t mean I’m gone forever!

Sneak Peak of our wedding

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So, one of the first major dilemas Freesia Dude and I have had since the beginning of planning our wedding has been the bridal party. At first, it began with the question of who would be in our bridal party. Freesia Dude doesn’t have too many close guy friends, and I had felt like I had too many girlfriends to choose from.

From bridalwave.tv

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