Alyssa's taking the week off, well, because we haven't had a lot to do with the planning lately! Vendors are booked. Florals, linens and lighting are selected and stationery design is underway. We cannot WAIT to share the final outcome...But, in the interim, I thought I would touch base a bit on the natural lull that tends to occur in wedding planning since that is where Alyssa tends to be in this process...
Many of the magazines tell you to give yourself a year plus to plan your wedding and I'm all for it!! Giving yourself this amount of time helps the wedding planning feel a bit more leisurely instead of feeling pressure to make quick decisions and rush through your to do list. However, if you have a full year, you can definitely expect a period of time where there is a bit of silence before the planning moves forward again.
The first months of the planning process are focused on booking the team including choosing your venue, caterer, florist, photographer and so on. You'll have trial runs with your stylist and watch so many videography demos, you'll start to know the vocabulary and even jump into the design process a bit. But, after that, the waiting begins. Often, many caterers prefer not to host the tasting until two months prior to the wedding in effort to give you an accurate representation of the seasonal vegetables and such. It's challenging for florists to do a prototype too early for the same reason...showing you the flowers in February for your September wedding can give you the idea of the shape and style, but if you want to see EXACT flowers, it's much better to wait until the season. Also, many things such as transportation, linen and rental orders, floor plans, etc. while initial drafts can be started, they cannot be finalized until we have that magic number that is your guest count.
During the downtime, however, instead of worrying that things won't get done (they will!) and trying to move things along prematurely, try this...spend the time relishing in your engagement. Focus on spending time with your fiance talking about things that are NOT wedding related. Grab a coffee with your best friend and ask about HER life. Again, no wedding talk. Overall, use the time to get back on track with the everyday life you led before the rush of wedding plans stole your every thought and waking minute. I promise, when planning starts to get hot and heavy during the last couple of months of your engagement, you will be grateful you took some time to do so.
Many of the magazines tell you to give yourself a year plus to plan your wedding and I'm all for it!! Giving yourself this amount of time helps the wedding planning feel a bit more leisurely instead of feeling pressure to make quick decisions and rush through your to do list. However, if you have a full year, you can definitely expect a period of time where there is a bit of silence before the planning moves forward again.
The first months of the planning process are focused on booking the team including choosing your venue, caterer, florist, photographer and so on. You'll have trial runs with your stylist and watch so many videography demos, you'll start to know the vocabulary and even jump into the design process a bit. But, after that, the waiting begins. Often, many caterers prefer not to host the tasting until two months prior to the wedding in effort to give you an accurate representation of the seasonal vegetables and such. It's challenging for florists to do a prototype too early for the same reason...showing you the flowers in February for your September wedding can give you the idea of the shape and style, but if you want to see EXACT flowers, it's much better to wait until the season. Also, many things such as transportation, linen and rental orders, floor plans, etc. while initial drafts can be started, they cannot be finalized until we have that magic number that is your guest count.
During the downtime, however, instead of worrying that things won't get done (they will!) and trying to move things along prematurely, try this...spend the time relishing in your engagement. Focus on spending time with your fiance talking about things that are NOT wedding related. Grab a coffee with your best friend and ask about HER life. Again, no wedding talk. Overall, use the time to get back on track with the everyday life you led before the rush of wedding plans stole your every thought and waking minute. I promise, when planning starts to get hot and heavy during the last couple of months of your engagement, you will be grateful you took some time to do so.
Now, with, all of this being said, however, I know the above paragraph will definitely fall on a few deaf ears :). It's the curse of being a bride. Don't worry, you're not alone!! So, just in case you are just DYING to work on more and more bridal goodness during your lull, come back on Wednesday and I'll share a mini to do list of items that can be crossed off your list during the downtime.
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2 comments:
I love it! So true how it all just comes together and works out, so we must remember to chill. Looking forward to Wednesday's list!
Beth this is WONDERFUL advice, i wish i read this post when i first got engaged!! i am def guilty of being impatient and trying to rush things along prematurely, however i'm now (believe it or not) trying to enjoy this little quiet period before the final sprint to the finish line. i know i am in great hands anyway :)
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