Venue- Shmenue

I know that all of my posts are wedding related these days. I can’t help it. I’m a bride to be and planning is what I am in the thick of! So far finding a venue is the hardest thing about making headway into planning. Finding an affordable yet beautiful place to get married is a challenge. There is always something that doesn’t work. The date, the catering, the tables/chairs, the cake, the number of guests, the price tag, etc. It all has to work together if you are trying to pull a wedding together on a budget. That’s the key. If money were abundant in our bank account it might not be such an issue. But even if money were no problem, it’s still amazingly expensive to have a wedding! I really never thought that it would be so over the top. For instance, I found a venue that is beautiful and for the ceremony and reception would be about $1600. That is a REALLY good price for both venues in one. And then comes the food disclaimer… dun, dun, dun. To use this particular venue, you must also use the in-house caterer. That’s not surprising as most venues have a similar arrangement, or at least a contract with other caterers. However, I was NOT prepared for the Event Coordinator to tell me that “Since your wedding is in April, you must order a minimum of $2400 in food and drinks”. Uhh. Well, without alcohol, that means A LOT of hors ‘d oeuvres… more than our whole wedding guest list could consume. So the search continues. It’s harder than it seems, especially when most brides in the KC area take a full year to plan their weddings, meaning they book the venues up to a year in advance. I’m working with 4 months! Pretty soon I’ll have a full list of every possible site in KC to get married and every detail, contact, phone number and nuance to accompany each listing!

All is well though. My day will be beautiful, and it’s totally our choice to plan on short notice. After dating for 2 years, we are just ready to get married. For us it’s about priorities… it’s more important to not spend a ton of money on a day that will come and go. Sure, it will be beautiful and we want to enjoy the day, but more importantly , at the end of the day we will be married – that goal will be achieved. And the vows that we make to each other before the Lord and our families will stand long after the flowers wilt and the dress is packed away. So with this as my focal point I am not calling anymore country clubs, golf courses, farms, lofts, or hotels today. I can leave it to the Father who has the best place in mind and the money to pay for it. So today I say venue-shmenue! After all… it’s Christmas week! And there is much fun to be had instead of worrying about this for the next week!

124 days to go.

Provision..

Today I was talking to a couple here at IHOP-KC and they were encouraging me in the process of wedding planning and trusting the Lord to provide for what we are envisioning for our day. They told me that one pay-day they looked at their pay stub and on it was an anonymous donation for, get this, $10,000. For real. I know that the Lord is for us. I’m trying with all my might to not be discouraged in the waiting and unknown. I don’t want to look back and see this precious time wasted with worry and fear. I still love the planning and dreaming of my wedding, and I don’t want to lose that. But I am finding that it’s hard to plan when we don’t even know when, where, or how the money will be there to pay for anything. So, today I HAVE TO CHOOSE to trust and be joyful in this process. I mean c’mon, I’M GETTING MARRIED after all! And I have a Father in heaven who loves to give good gifts! I am HIS to give away on that day and then again to His Son, so how much more should I be expectant to receive good things from His hand?!

128 days to go.

To each Bride her own… emotional break point that is..

I’m finding that every Bride-to-be has their own emotional break point. For some it’s making their vision a reality and working through details, for others it’s registering and picking out things for a future home. Me, I love details, and registering was a snap. Then came dress shopping. Oh boy. I made it through 5 dresses I think and then came the tears. The crying came not from wearing ugly dresses, or worrying about finding “The Dress”, rather it came from my own insecurities. It’s a tough thing when, as a girl, you have thought about this very thing and dreamed of weddings and dresses and cakes and building a marriage with the man of your dreams, and then you feel entirely uncomfortable in your own skin as you put on dress after dress. This is a vulnerable point for me. I know that whatever I wear on my wedding day Micah will see me as beautiful. I just want to feel as beautiful as he thinks I am.

Even in the midst of the inner turmoil surrounding the dress and my self-image issues, I think I may have found “The Dress”! It’s beautiful and classic and timeless. I can’t wait to take the Moms with me to try it on and show them! Both my mom and my soon to be Mother-in-Love will be here for onething and so I hope to sneak away for a few hours to show them!

So for now, I just keep plodding away planning my wedding…. loving (almost) every minute of it.

130 days to go.