This turned out to be a very fun event.

The big guy and I started looking early.  We knew it wasn’t going to be the easiest thing in the world, because my ring did not come with a wedding band so we’d have to find one to fit perfectly.  Also, Joe being a typical man, has never contemplated the type of ring he’d want.

We went to the store in St Louis where Joe had bought my engagement ring.  There is a lot to be said about working with the right employee.  Some people just don’t understand what you are looking for.  In that situation leave, come back and have someone else help you.

We spoke with a woman that made the experience enjoyable.  She found my ring in 2 minutes, and then we were on to Joe’s.  She showed him things he would have never contemplated, which made it easier for him to understand what he really wanted.  We knew it would be hard for us, and we’d have to special order for him because his size is anywhere from a 14-15 because he has jammed all his fingers from basketball.  We knew we had to find a ring that could be resized, which eliminated various types of metals.

We found his ring within about half an hour, and we marked this adventure off our list.

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When thinking about what extra little touches we could do to the wedding to make it our own, I knew I could use my art major.

I have always wanted to try and wood burn an image on something, and I thought to myself, “What better than our card box?”

If I messed up entirely, then it wasn’t a big deal and I could simply go get a basket to throw the cards in.  So I bought a cheap box at a local craft store.

I decided to go with the tree image since our wedding is in the fall.  I added our wedding date and soon to be shared last name.

I absolutely love it, and now I will have a place to store all the wedding memories I want to cherish.

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Money the root of all evil!

Let’s be serious. Everything involved in wedding planning involves money. Even if you are trying to save and cut back on things, it still adds up to a large amount of money for everyone’s budget.

My advice is if someone wants to help support the big day, with no strings attached, LET THEM — or decide early that you are doing it all on your own.  But learn this information up front before you finalize things.  Then you don’t buy something that isn’t within your budget.

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Photography was hands down one of the most important parts of the wedding preparations to me.  I was an art major in college and worked with photography for 5 years when I lived in Jacksonville and St Louis.  The idea of not having great photos would be horrible.

When thinking of whom I would want to take my photos in Quincy, I really had no idea of where to start. The photographers I knew did not live here.  I went to all of the bridal shows, which I strongly recommend.  When you are at a bridal show, it is incredibly important to see how the people at the company interact with you.  I was standing at a photographer’s booth where, after viewing the photos, I realized they were quite talented.  However, they COMPLETELY ignored me.  I don’t mean to sound rude, but if they are going to ignore me and I’m the only one standing at their booth, why in the world would I think they would be kind to me the day of my wedding?

I went with my gut and contacted the photographer that I used to work for.  She was thrilled that I would ask.  I told her not to feel pressured to accept, because either way she would be invited to the big day.  She was happy that I thought to involve her in such a special day and I was thrilled to not only know the photos would end up great but also to have another friend at our side.

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Setting your priorities goes hand and hand with making a timeline.

My first question to everyone out there is: How many people have you talked to who think it is their place to tell you what is most important in your wedding?  Maybe all of you value all of the advice, and I’m not sitting here trying to tell you that it isn’t helpful, because I have definitely received great advice.

However, sit down with your significant other and simply discuss the things that you know will make YOUR day important.  If you personally aren’t stressing out about centerpieces, then spend less money on that and make something that is fun and easy.  Spend the money and time on the things that really truly matter to you.

I have seen so many brides who stress themselves thin and exhausted on something they don’t care about just to make a family member happy.  If you want to still please them, involve them in the planning.  Have them make the phone calls to the companies to get quotes.  Have them sit down with you and tie bows.  This will take a lot of stress off your shoulders and also add great memories in the future.

Please feel free to tell me about your stresses and memory makers!

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Joe constantly laughs at me, because at all times in my purse, I carry a notebook to write random thoughts I have. I also carry my planner so if a company calls me to schedule an appointment, I can immediately tell them if we have free time.

Making a timeline of what you need to get done and when you need to have it done by has given Joe and I the ability to calmly look at our huge list of items that need to be achieved by the wedding.  An example of what my personal timeline looks like is:

• Invitations
• -call for quotes
• -design
• -print labels of addresses
• -order
• -pickup and stick labels

• Centerpieces
• -collect wine bottles
• -peel off existing label
• -design personal label
• -tie ribbon

By listing what item needs to be done and exactly what I need to do with it, I can cross things off as I achieve them.  For me the ability to cross things off my list makes me feel as if I am achieving something.

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All I have to say during wedding planning is: Be ready!

The Big Guy and I have been so busy the last year, and very little of the stress has to do with our wedding.  We have bought our first home, which we then had to repaint everything,  put a new roof on and get used to first time home ownership.

We then found out great news that four of our closest friends have received their own wonderful news.  One of them is recently engaged, and the other is expecting their first child.  You have to be prepared for your own world not to just freeze because this big event is happening.  But at the same point, you do not want it to freeze.  That is what makes it exciting!

I only have one free weekend between now and our wedding. All I can do about it is laugh and just enjoy the ride.

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We were very undecided when it came to selecting a DJ for the reception.

We didn’t want to spend a ton of money, but we knew we wanted to have a heck of a party.  At first we thought we would go with one of our friends, but then we went to a wedding where a friend was the DJ and realized that it might not be such a good idea. Not that they weren’t qualified, but since they have the same friends as us, they would want to be out dancing having a good time.  Also, hypothetically, if something went wrong, it isn’t worth our friendship.

We began asking around to see if anyone had heard of a good company to use.  First, we asked our friends and family.  But then we thought, “Who deals with the DJs regularly?” We then asked our caterer and hall coordinators for their thoughts on who they enjoyed dealing with who was within our budget.

We found a DJ who is upbeat and has a website that is interactive.  On the website, we can choose music that we absolutely want to hear or don’t want to hear.  We also can place the names of our bridal party and family on the website, so we do not have to give them any of this information the day of the wedding.

Stress free, hassle free is the way to go.

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The Big Guy and I knew we were going to be having a large wedding.  We also knew we would be having some very tall people there, which means we wanted a place with extra space and leg room.  We called around to the various halls in town, and none seemed to hold the capacity that we were looking for.  We had narrowed it down to a few facilities, but then decided that we wanted to go view all the areas before selecting our top two.

My advice to anyone is make sure the facility is going to have tables and chairs set up.  A conference room appears to be double in size when empty.

The hall we selected provides a great deal of information on their website.  Some of the other facilities seemed to us that they were hiding information from us.

Make sure to book your hall well in advance — pretty much as soon as you become engaged — and you will get first dibs on things.

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I have received a lot of great advice on this issue.

One former bride told me that when selecting your bridal party, it is very important to ask yourself, “Who would you call if you were to receive good news?”  If a member of the bridal party that you were contemplating is not on that speed dial list, then why would they need to be on the altar next to you on your big day?

Many brides tend to listen too much on who other people tell them is important in their life.  I took all the advice from others and put it in the back of my mind, then I thought back to the moment when Joe proposed.  Who were the first people I called?  And those are the people that will be up next to Joe and I on the altar.

Joe and I have a big family, and we are both very close to our families.  Which also means that we have a lot of people standing next to us.  My thought process is: If it doesn’t bother the bride and groom, then who’s to tell you that you’re wrong?

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