Elusive Ink: Wedding Plans: The Beginning

Wedding Plans: The Beginning

Tuesday, April 6, 2010 by Lindsey

When Nathan and I first decided that we were headed towards marriage, I immediately began to get images of rings, music, and wedding dresses in my head. I knew from the beginning that I was going to be what is (affecionately?) called the "budget bride." I would not enjoy my wedding day if I knew that money was frivolously spent, and ultimately, it is one day. Granted, it is a very special and meaningful day, but it will be special regardless of how much money we do or do not spend. Also, after about a 2-minute conversation, Nathan and I were on the same page and knew we did not want a traditional wedding. It wouldn't be us.

Yes, at times, I have gotten starry-eyed at the luster of "magazine weddings" and watched WeTV as brides preceding me down the aisle picked the "perfect" venue, dress, flowers, etc. It didn't take me long to realize that wasn't what we wanted, and as the planning process has gone along things that I initially thought were very important have (partially thanks to my Mother) become less of a priority.

So, at this point, what are our priorities?

- A special, drama-free, stress-free celebration of our lifelong commitment with our closest friends and family. I refuse to be bridezilla.

- A short, intimate, meaningful, and spiritual ceremony.

- Writing our own vows.

- Sticking to a budget of under $3000 (At this point, it's looking more like it will be $2000.)

- Having our wedding be a reflection of our relationship, faith, and unique personalities.

- Music. Music must be incorporated.

With our priorities set, we've been able to take those points and really create them into something that will be a memorable experience for ourselves and our guests. I'm very excited to share all of the plans in the months to come. I like the format I've seen from other blogs where each "area" of the wedding is given a blog post (or two) so I'll probably stick to a system like that, and post a little something about each area of our wedding planning. (The Venue, The Dress Hunt, The Vow Writing, etc.)

They'll be scattered in with other home/marriage posts, as well as my everyday life ramblings, so I'm going to try to remember to categorize them as "Wedding Planning" so that they're easier to find.

Before I wrap up this post, I thought I'd give a little preview of things to come with my inspiration board, and five words to describe our wedding: simple, vintage, handmade, bohemian, artistic.