Less than two months to go and a bit of wedding frenzy has got me wanting to write something a little more personal. I do not want to neglect this space as I feel like I still have so much content to share. But I’m writing this post mainly for me to capture the mild insanity of being right in the middle of this transition time.
At this point, it’s good to get all the assistance and support I need. I did not get a wedding planner and just hired a wonderful on-the-day wedding coordinator. I’d like to think I did not really cram anything since we have a long engagement of 1.5 years. There really was no rush and we wanted to make sure that the engagement was not about planning a wedding, but a chance for us to truly understand the kind of marriage we want to have. I personally feel like the year and a half of being engaged will provide a lot of new challenges that are also being dealt with in a new perspective of knowing you both choose to have this lifelong commitment.
Planning a wedding is so different for everyone. Fortunately (and maybe, unfortunately), the industry is so wide and excited to welcome all sorts of themes, options, and styles for the hungry bridezillas or the clueless bride-chillas. I probably only attended one intimate bridal fair and booked absolutely no one. Spent less than 30 minutes and left just because it was so overwhelming.
Prior to being engaged, ideas for a wedding were confined in one haphazardly organized Pinterest board. I know friends who have made excel files or some sort of list that details their dream suppliers, color scheme, music, etc. This is not a bad thing and probably more of an advantage to jumpstart the overwhelming process. For us, it started with considering the budget and the venues. Once this was done, I suddenly got the vision I wanted and all the ideas came pouring in. The exciting process of creating mood boards, researching, and daydreaming began. It helps to know what you want.
We started early and booked several suppliers way ahead. (Tip: book around June/July as these are slow months and most suppliers offer great deals!) There was a huge hiatus that followed after and we focused on our future living space and that, my friends, was a lot more exciting (and more expensive) process. Picking furniture, mapping details, working with builders, etc. were all done way ahead and truly tested us as a couple. Take it as an adventure. It feels like it.
I also devoted time to planning our honeymoon which will happen not too far after the wedding. You know I’m big on travel planning so I dived right in with much joy and anticipation. It would be both our first time in Europe, so it is a big deal. We both agreed to stick to one country and revel in being newlyweds in a quiet countryside, by the sea, and in a romantic city.
Now, we are down to the details which are mostly personal things and other requirements. This means that everything is also starting to feel a lot more emotional and sentimental. We’re also still very much busy with work and I am starting to question why I decided not to file a leave prior to my wedding.
It’s so easy to be caught up in the process, the social media attention weddings get, the hype surrounding celebrity weddings, and the neverending new trends this industry keeps bringing out every year. In between all this, I would suggest focusing on the truly important things between you and your partner including time with your friends and family. In the meantime, enjoy the process. It can be as meaningful as you and your partner want it to be. My married friends tell me that despite the insanity, you will eventually miss the process.
Image Credits: Pearl Margaret C. Ganzon
