The Wedding Pros

Having a long engagement was the best thing I could ever do! At first I was hesitant about waiting so long to get married but when my parents were willing to pitch in and help pay, I was willing to wait as long as they want! Thank goodness I listened! (I guess you truly are never too old to listen to your Mother!). We are under the year mark until our wedding and as much as I promised Ryan I would get these blogs out to him in a timely fashion, life has gotten so hectic! In the process of planning a wedding I have switched jobs, we are trying to find a reasonably priced home in the perfect location, and every day I turn the corner, gas prices are sky rocketing! Another good reason for planning in advance - I paid 2007 prices not 2008!

 So last time I checked in, I touched on wedding invitations, flowers, and cakes.  I finally have all three of those locked down!  I decided to go with gorgeous invitations from Tru. The wonderful ladies at Rock, Paper, Scissor in the East Hill Plaza in Ithaca, NY were such a help! They asked what I was looking for and showed me exactly what was available instead of just sending me on my own to the wedding invitation books.  The ladies sat down with me and were genuine in helping me find exactly what I was looking for. One of the nicest features of Tru was the variety of options: Fonts, colors, paper, etc. I picked out one type of wedding invitation but used the response card from another to make my save the date cards… very cool!

I found the perfect bakery for my wedding cake: Beauregard’s in Corning NY. The owner is a sweetheart and makes a cake to die for! I will be having a lovely five-tier wedding cake with five different cake flavors.  As for florists, I have actually changed who I am working with and am now dealing with Floral Fantasy in Elmira, NY. Lisa, their bouquet guru, is phenomenal! She is so creative and will work with whatever you want in your bouquet. For me, that means lots of “bling,” which she is happy to incorporate into my bouquet.  I was lucky and was able to hire many of the service providers at the same bridal show.

I promised that this time we would discuss wedding weight loss, out of town guests, and that ever-growing guest list! Let’s start with the dreaded part for so many brides… weight loss and toning! As many of you may have guessed from my previous blogs, I am not a rail thin lady (I finally found a man who loves ALL of me!). Although I am extremely comfortable in my own skin I want to look my very best when I walk down the aisle. Too many brides kill themselves by setting unrealistic weight loss goals. Instead of saying “I need to lose 30 pounds before the wedding,” set a realistic goal of “I want to get in the best physical shape I can be in by the time the wedding comes around.” I have seen brides of all shapes and sizes walk down the aisle and look amazing without doing a thing. I have also seen brides walk down the aisle and look like they are going to pass out because they haven’t eaten in four months! Once you have found the perfect dress, find the most honest person in your life and have them be brutally honest about how the dress looks. If they say, “Wow, that dress looks amazing on you, but you could tone up your arms/back/belly/legs/etc,” take that advice and run with it! Don’t think, “Oh, my God I need to lose 100lbs!” I personally started taking Water Aerobics at my local high school in the evenings. Everyone is allowed to work at their own pace and even though many of the ladies are in the senior set, grab a group of your best girlfriends and make the best of it! (This is also a great place to get marriage advice from some seasoned veterans!) I am also increasing my water intake and trying to eat from a healthy balanced food group. Just because I am getting married doesn’t not mean I can’t enjoy Grandma’ Christmas cookies or a slice of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. Remember:  Everything in moderation will make for a well-rounded bride!  Keep your eye on the prize and no matter your size, you will look beautiful walking down that aisle!

Out of town guests…. Who doesn’t have an Aunt or two that you haven’t seen since you were two that is dying to come to your wedding? Of course we have to invite them, but where are they going to stay? No matter how large your parent’s house is, do not let your mother say, “Oh Jenny isn’t in her bedroom anymore just come and stay with us.” This will only add to your stress level!  Try to find a quaint bed and breakfast or a nice hotel close to your wedding location and talk with the manager about setting up a block of rooms for your guests. Many hotels will then set discounted prices for your guests as long as they book by a certain time. (Save the date cards come in handy here!  Make sure you have hotel information and that a block of rooms has been reserved in your name for your wedding dates!) Old tradition states that the bride and groom pay for their respective out of town guests.  But with weddings becoming a full weekend event for so many people, this is no longer required. A nice touch to provide for your out of town guests are in room “goodie bags”, filled with bottled water, snacks and suggestions of things to do while they are in town. What a nice way to say thank you for attending our wedding!

Fantastic, you just got engaged and you think that 100 people will be the perfect amount of guests to have at your wedding, not too big, not too small. Well my friend, think again! By the time you add up all your long lost relatives on each side that your mom knows will be crushed if they don’t see you and your love walk down the aisle, all the co-workers and friends that you have accumulated over the years, and all your service providers, your list has almost doubled! What do you do? (Minus putting a hit out on some people) You go over your list, and then you go over your list again, and then go over your list one more time! Between your first guest list and your final list, be ready to make at least 10 lists. Make a list of everyone you know that HAS to be invited. (Think: Immediate Family…Mom, Dad, Grandparents, Siblings, etc.) Then add in all the people who are special to your life as a couple:  Best friends, bridal party attendants, cousins, the crazy guy at the bar who hooked you up, anyone who you can’t thank enough for being involved in that crazy thing called love. If that fills our budget quota for guests, then end your list there. Although, if your budget allows it, then add in the co-workers, family friends, long lost relatives, and your baby sitter from when you were five! Another option that some think is tacky is your “B” list guests. These are the people you really wanted to invite but your great Aunt Ida had to be invited before your third grade teacher. “B” list comes into play when dear Aunt Ida unfortunately cannot make it because her Pomeranian has surgery that day.  Hooray, there is now room on your guest list for that third grade teacher! She will never know she was a “B” list guest, as long as you get a response in a timely fashion to send her an invitation. From personal experience, my guest list started at 150 and is growing daily to 170. One hundred and seventy is my cut off, after that, we are getting a bit out of hand.  But be prepared that your list will grow every day and cherish the day you say “NO ONE ELSE IS INVITED!”  After all, it is your special day; keep it special with those who are closest to you!

So, it’s that time again when I think, “Okay, I have said ENOUGH!”  Maybe my next blog won’t take me four months to write!  In my next blog I will discuss honeymoons, addressing invitations, and up-do’s!  Remember, feel free to contact me at kswi0105@aol.com