Almost 9 months left...and still a lot to do
Well in my attempt to avoid doing school work I decided to write a little about my wedding planning experience.
Well first of all...the advice about not listening to people's advice was given to me on a congratulations card from my sister...and it is so true. It seems like the people you want advice from do not give it enough and the one's you don't want it from cannot stop giving it. haha
After getting engaged, I lay in bed the next morning not wanting to plan ever. I knew how much work it would be and just wanted to be married. Well, planning so far has had its goods and bads.
Matt and I narrowed all of Houston's venues down to six, which we looked at and then narrowed down to three. Finally, we decided on Agave Road in Katy, Texas. We figured it was a good mid-point between Louisiana and Oklahoma and has the feel that we love. It also has an outdoor area and an indoor area.
When we paid the deposit for the venue we got our caterer, bar service, cake designer, officiant, and dj along with it. I still have to decide on some of the specifics and meet with these people and have tastings.
Next we looked for a photographer since it was one of the most important parts for me (being in a design major). I looked through many people, and met with three. They were all very good at what they do and we had a hard time deciding. In the end, Matt made a spread sheet with all three and the categories: price, skill, and personality. We rated the categories by importance and the winner ended up being the photographer we had been admiring since we moved here. He was also the one I got along with the best, and I got his price down to meet my budget.
When my mom and sister came in for the bridal show, I tried on my first wedding dress and we all fell in love with the second one. There was one more that we all liked in a picture that I wanted to try on before I decided. I have been on the hunt in Houston, Lafayette, and even tried to recreate this dress with a combination of dresses in Baton Rouge with my friend Ashtyn. I still have not found the actual dress to try on, and am waiting for a store in Austin to call back about possibly getting it for a trunk show in October. Until then, I will be putting the dress hunting on hold. I am hoping to order a dress by November/ December.
I have decided on a line for my bridesmaids to choose from. I asked them to choose from a variety of yellow, tea-length dresses and gave them until November/ December to decide which one they want.
Matt and I wrote out our ceremony and picked a song for me to walk down the aisle to. I am hoping to find a family member who can sing/play it for me. We also finalized our guest list before he left for Russia on Monday. We have a grand total of 366 people invited to our wedding! That is A LOT!
Lately, I feel like I am floating in the air with no direction to go with all of this planning stuff. My best friend, Erika, met with me on Saturday to help me clarify what I should be doing. She helped me make a 1.5 page list of things still left to do and helped me with what flowers I like. We looked at a lot of decorations so I am still very confused haha. I called a florist and setup an appointment for October so hopefully I will feel better after that. We can also do a catering tasting the first Tuesday of every month, so that might be in October as well.
I am managing school and planning better than I thought; one being a break from the other. It is starting to get more fun with the actual decroations and fashion stuff. I cannot wait to do invitations!;) I am also trying to make a list of things to do in Houston for everyone, so if anyone has any suggestions let me know!
Love you,
Niks