Well it has been an entire month and some change since The Proposal and I am still on cloud 9 and have to pinch myself that this is still real. I have hoped for The One for so long that there was a part of me that was a little afraid that once I found him, I would feel like, well ok, now what? What do you do once you realize that everything you have ever wanted is right there in front of you? When it’s no longer a prayer or a wish but real? Well… you embrace it and love it! Lately, whenever I get on social media it just feels like there is so much hate out there, towards everyone, and then I look around at my immediate life and just can’t feel anything just happy and hopeful for the future. Things at my work are pretty crazy right now and yet, for some reason I feel optimistic about that too. Maybe I am just drunk on love that it’s clouding my vision of reality? I know marriage is not a piece of cake and that there will be bumps in the road and things we need to work out, but I hope I always remember how I feel in this moment of life right now and how every time I look at him my heart grows a little bigger [if I knew how to insert a .gif of the Grinch right here, I would!]. How secure I feel about having a partner to go through life with, to adventure with, to lean on and then be his rock in return. I have always wished for finding my forever person, but the reality of what that actually means is finally starting to sink in and man does it feel good!
Perhaps too, I have been distracted by the sport that is Wedding Planning. And people, it is a sport! I was amazed at how many people asked me what the date was within just the first 3 days of getting engaged. Ok, in all fairness, I totally already knew, but the pressure is still there! It was also amazing to me how far out in advance people book stuff for weddings. Like, well over a year. I had to contact over a dozen videographers to find one I liked that was not already booked. Over a dozen! And we are still 10 months away from saying “I do!” So it’s definitely a race once you have the green light to research all the options, decide what you like, what you can afford and then of course, who is available (and not necessarily always in that order!).
So while I do not want to give it all away, I do want to share some of the plans I have coming up for our nuptials! First off, it will be on the coast of Maine next summer. I am sure to many of you, this is not a surprise. Most of my life I imagined I would get married on our family’s property up there but being that it is just a summer place and not vacant for 98% of the planning phase, it was just going to be a lot of extra work to figure out all the logistics, sourcing, etc. Also, it would in no way have reduced the cost (sorry, Dad!). So instead, we are having it at beautiful resort not far from our home. And since this will be a destination wedding for almost all of our guests, having it in a location we are familiar with makes me feel a lot more at ease for hosting so many people for the weekend.
Assuming the weather cooperates, the wedding will be outside overlooking the ocean, followed by a cocktail hour and tented reception. So far, I have put the most effort into planning the decor for the cocktail hour which is ironic since John and I will miss that part completely taking pics but I hope our guests love it and it kicks everything off for a fun evening!
This past weekend my mom came down to visit and we went to two places to try on dresses. I think we both thought this was really just a trial run and neither one of us expected to find the dress. But dress #10 went on and well, I didn’t want to take it off! It wasn’t instantaneous since it was basically the complete opposite of what I had been looking at online or envisioned for the last 10 years but the longer I looked in the mirror, the more I realized this was it! And then the veil went on and the tears started rolling and I truly had that moment of feeling and looking like a bride! Since I am basically an expert bridesmaid I have witnessed many of my friends experience this feeling and while I always shared in their delight and was genuinely so happy for them, I was probably also rolling my eyes on the inside because who would cry over a dress? [Probably a little jealous too.] Um, yeah people, that is a real thing! So ladies I take back all the secret eye rolls, saweeee!!! I also decided I want to do a “first look” my girls (and with my dad). While I really like this idea, it is going to be so hard to keep this a secret and not show or talk about my dress to my very best friends. Or John for that matter. I am very good at keeping other people’s secrets but not my own! Now, that is not to say I haven’t shown like complete strangers at the hair salon 🙂 but that doesn’t count, right?! Oh, and no first look with John. That man is just going to have to wait! I know a lot of couples do this and from a timing perspective with getting all the photos taken I get it, but there is something traditional and sweet about waiting until we are in the moment that I really like so that is the route we are going.
I literally could write a novel about this right now but I will spare you, or make you wait for the next post – depends on how you look at it 🙂 But the next wedding-related thing we are working on is the engagement shoot! We have ours scheduled in two weeks in Atlanta and I am super excited about the location and the outfits! I hope they turn out as I am expecting. And, can I lose 20 lbs in two weeks?? Fingers crossed!!!
