I’m not going to lie.. wedding planning is tough. Right now, I’m struggling primarily with timing. How early is too early? What needs to be done now? What can wait? September still feels like a lifetime away and I’ll have a bit more free time right before then due to summer break, but there’s still an urgency now. Furthermore, Ryan and I are caught up in a lot of “should do” and “it’s tradition” in contrast with what we envision. There are so many different ways to have a wedding. Going forward, we first and foremost want to remember what we want.
With 8 Months Left…
Ryan purchased his suit.
Right away, Ryan mentioned having a navy or blue suit. I was doing some browsing on the internet and the perfect one popped up on Banana Republic Factory. Ryan ordered it, getting the jacket in two sizes just in case. Then, I returned the one that didn’t fit. Bing, bang, boom!
We purchased our wedding bands.
When initially looking at wedding bands, I was surprised at how expensive they were! Ryan and I wanted something simple and found the perfect wedding bands from James Allen. Hot tip- at the beginning of the year (and in anticipation for Valentine’s Day) they have lots of sales! We ordered our rings and when they arrived, realized they were a little too small. Sending them back to be resized was free, simple, and we got them back within a few weeks.
We asked our wedding party to stand with us.
Even though we aren’t having a traditional “walk-down-the-aisle” ceremony, we know we want our closest friends to stand with us when we get married. I made little cards for my bridesmaids and once they all said “yes,” I got to create a pretty fun group chat.
We started collecting decor items.
Decor wise- we want to keep things simple. Due to blueberry canning, I have lots of mason jars around the house. I was able to put a bunch aside that will be perfect on our tables to hold flowers and candles. Otherwise, we’re looking forward to using our vineyard’s natural beauty as decoration.
We purchased our flowers.
While scrolling through Pinterest, I came across a beautiful faux bridal bouquet from Ling’s Moment. From there, their website got me hooked. I made my mom’s bridal bouquet for her wedding last winter and had so much fun putting it together. Knowing we have two events needing florals, I thought faux flowers would be perfect. I ordered a sample from Ling’s and was so impressed. The flowers are beautiful and incredibly real looking. I was able to create a bridal bouquet, a floral garland, and 12 small table arrangements from 3 DIY flower kits. I cannot wait to see them out at our venue.
We visited our venue.
We had our first initial meeting with the owner of our venue to discuss options and some questions we had. It was great to see the inside of the space, which we hadn’t before. Ryan and I were laughing after, talking about how we got the sense that they have thrown some pretty extravagant weddings at the vineyard in the past. Ryan and I felt a little silly saying, “we want to celebrate, but we want to keep it as simple as possible!” There will be many return trips, I’m sure, but it was a great first face-to-face.
I had my first fitting for dress alterations.
A warning to future brides- wedding dress alterations are expensive! I did some research and locally, the prices at our small, local shops were consistent with David’s Bridal when it came to a hem, a bustle, and other alterations. The hem was certainly the most expensive, so if you can get away without hemming your dress, you’re in luck. Otherwise, I’ve reside myself to the fact that I found my dream dress and it should fit as such. Another silver lining: I’m supporting an old woman and her small, local business.
We confirmed our catering.
Serving good food is highly important to us. We also thought it would be fun to get catering from somewhere local, that we love. Thankfully, our favorite BBQ joint in town caters- buffet style! We’ve ordered what we hope is plenty of food, with the option for more to be added if needed. Now to figure out what to feed our vegetarian guests… 🙂
We purchased our catering equipment.
Because we are purchasing our catering from a local restaurant that isn’t a catering company, we need to supply chaffing dishes, plates, silverware, and all other dining supplies ourselves. I placed an order at Party City and found the supplies we needed quite reasonable in price. We’re still deciding how we want to keep the spare trays (that will not be in the chafing dishes) warm. However, it was easier than I anticipated to prep for a buffet style dinner.