25 Things They Didn't Tell You About Planning Your Wedding

BEHIND THE BRIDE

I'm at sixty days until my wedding and I'm filling you in on the real feelings 

1. Yes, you will want the traditional everything, yes, you will hate yourself for wanting that and then at one point, maybe many years later, you will think it was worth it.

2. You will be so so exhausted that there are points you will want to run away, not from your fiancé, you would probably bring him too, but the daily planning and appointments will get to you at a certain point.

3. It will not work out the way you want. You can dream of something and search and search and search to make that vision come true. It won't. But don't worry you will be so tired you won't care. 

4. Another bride will make it look effortless. And you will hate her for it. 

5. You will scoff at the newly engaged who are all excited and cheery. "Man, they have no idea what's ahead of them" and encourage very small destination weddings.

6. Booking the honeymoon is probably the best day of the whole wedding planning thing. All you can think of is laying in the sun. Wait till a couple months before the wedding to book it and give yourself something to look forward to. You and the wedding will not be on speaking terms by then.  

7. You will feel guilty about everything. People spending money on you. Not being able to have a thousand bridesmaids. The distance people will have to drive. Guilt about everything.

8. You won't lose like 20 lbs before your day. Remember you are the rule, not the exception. You will probably just look like you do now, unless you're a stress eater and you might gain weight. 

9. Matching colors is evil. You have to carry swatches everywhere...just pick black and white. Pure white. Not off-white or Michael Jackson White. Make life easier.

10.Your groom will have an opinion. Whether it's something small or big. You envision it one way and him another, who wins in the end...someone's mother, or grandmother or aunt or not you or him, so quit fighting about it. 

11.  You will realize how many people in one room don't get along when you make your seating chart

12. You wish you would have spent a little extra and splurged on a wedding planner

13. Being engaged for a year is for sheep. Either bust it out in six months or wait a couple of years and enjoy it.  A year is the most inappropriate length of time to plan a wedding. 

14. Standing on the altar for the first time before your wedding is the most exciting, terrifying, surreal moment you can ever imagine.

15. You won't have your nails done for most of your engagement. Ain't nobody got time for that. 

16. All that wonderful time spent together before you get married will probably be spent at home because you can't afford to go out. 

17. You will try on your wedding dress as many times as you can. Because you want to live in it. 

18. You can plan everything down to the minute. Not everyone else lives on your schedule and that will drive you insane.

19. You will not have everyone come. Even those who mean the world to you and you completely understand, but emotionally heart tugging. Eventually, you will get over it and will be pleased at just inviting people who just make you laugh.  

20. You will be ok giving up on things you thought were the most important things in the world six months before. 

21.  You won't be sure if you love anything at all by the end including your dress, your venue, your flowers. You won't be mad about it though either. Let's do this! 

22. You will be part of a strange social media group of fellow financees that you probably haven't spoken to in years and they will make you feel like you are one of them and peaceful.

23. You will cry, freak out and be overly emotional 5,000 times before that day

24. You will be broke....sooo broke

25. You will hate/love/live every minute of it and know deep down that it will be your best day ever. Tornado, Hurricane, Snow Storm, you don't/won't care by the end! It will be the greatest day ever! 

I wasn't a Bridezilla until...

www.sheknows.com

So, I'm in full on wedding planning mode and I mean, I could be on the verge of becoming a Bridezilla and I didn't even know it was happening. Here is why...

Setting a Wedding Date

 Ok, so I was like whatever, I'll let the venue choose my date. I thought I was acting completely laid back about the whole thing, right? We initially selected a spring wedding for ample planning time and I digested it fully that I was not getting married in the fall, which I had imagined initially. After a few weeks however, friends, family and countrymen suddenly start convincing me that I should change the date to back to the fall because of pregnancies (theirs' not mine), because of flower availability, because of leaves, because of football season, because of everything. (I love you all, but you did make my mind blow up for a minute).  So, I decided to change the date to this fall, only to say "hold up!" how did I just lose six months!  So now I am left to call everyone back and change everything again…not so laid back now…am I.  Aka…The date will be May 16th, 2015. Bridezilla points 20 out of a possible 100.

The Venue

When I lived in Florida I was all about a beach/destintation wedding. I mean, come on, the beach is practically free and gorgeous and Florida has beautiful weather almost daily, except the occasional hurricane, but now I have returned back to my hometown of Pittsburgh, so my wedding has taken roots in tradition rather than destination. I'm going to admit, I've always been kind of a princess-type and admittedly imagined a wedding in the Omni William Penn ballroom, however due to financial complications (aka lost my job and am now broke), I have fully accepted that this venture is not a possibility. I have moved on selecting the most adorable barn, which honestly, I dream about at night and is just unique enough for my "I have to be different" personality that obtained as a child, but every once and a while I linger at my ballroom dreams.  Now I worry about whether my venue will be comfortable for the fact that is not heated or cooled and having to acquire an extra porta-potty… A porta-potty..lol! Bridezilla points 10.

My old fantasy

My new venue

Just kidding…it looks like this : ) 

Do-It-Yourself 

 Initially, this is a great idea. You are going to make everything by hand and save millions! This is all well and good till you realize one handmade flower can take 20 minutes. Not to mention, I was covered in glue up to my elbows today making my own lantern. It doesn't help my fiancé doesn't understand the DIY aspect. I'm a creative soul! I need to do this…babe, wanna cut out some circles for me! I have a few helpful friends and family members, but it's definitely hard scheduling a get together, understandably. So, I continue cutting and gluing hour after hour and think after all of this I will have a more intimate relationship with my glue gun then with my fiancé. Bridezilla points 10!

The Gown

 I am fully aware that I have champagne tastes on Colt 45 money. I always walk in the least expensive stores (aka TJMaxx) and find the most expensive items just by sight so with my vast knowledge of fine fabrics and exquisite beading and seaming, I thought possibly buying a pre-owned designer gown was the the best bang for my buck however, I still can't wrap my head around buying a pre-owned wedding dress, Vera Wang or not. Just thinking of someone previously wearing it and having just married relations in it or even near it,  getting boob sweat in it and a hemline that has been rolled around in spilled beer gives me the heebie jeebies.  Ewww. And so, my search continues at an affordable price point while trying to get through the many extra tacky, the uber-sequin blinged,  terrible tulle journey…. Bridezilla points 10!

www.jessicalaurenphoto.com

Booking Vendors

 Caterer, Shuttles, DJ, Photographer, Videographer and various other important vendors…There are suggestions and suggestions of those suggestions from outside  sources and really you barely know anything about any of the vendors. I just want them to be booked, the good, the bad and the untalented. I don't care anymore, I just want it signed, sealed and done. Bridezilla points 10!

weddings.thefuntimesguide.com

Bridal Party

 I love so many of my friends and cousins and hate making people mad, really hate it, but I would be all "27 Dresses" if I had all of my closest girlfriends in the wedding. So, making the selection between friends who would be considered automatically included, versus the ones I talk to regularly, versus the ones who might be mad, versus the ones who probably won't be mad, but I still feel bad, versus his relatives, versus my relatives, versus, versus, versus…....Bridezilla Points 10!

cosmogirlwedding.blogspot.com

 Losing weight

 Every bride wants to lose a little weight, including myself, so here  I am trying to eat healthy and exercise, while making phone calls, emailing, visiting, preparing for waist-busting evil cake tastings, oh, yeah, and I'm trying to have that thing called a regular life too. Nothing like a semi-stress eater, stressing while trying to not eat. Bridezilla points 10!

www.smartbrideboutique.com

Here is also a list of things that surprisingly don't bother me at all:  Getting small wedding cake and giving all of you something else, mud being a possible issue, a house being right next to the venue,  having no idea what shoes I will wear, having fancy schmancy hors d'oeuvres and getting married in a town called Irwin. I just have to start thinking like the Honey Badger to get through this whole wedding.  Bridezilla Points -10

And neither do I

I'm already at 70 points of a possible 100 on my Bridezilla scale, so I have to stop before I get ahead of myself.  Although these stresses seem to be overwhelming, I am very happy and excited to be marrying Mr. Pryor. As an event planner by career, I know this is the road which must be driven, that all of my efforts will be rewarded in the end and that I must relax or I may end up on "My 600lb Life" instead of a honeymoon.