Wedding…

I’m not gonna lie, I am a little overwhelmed about this wedding thing.  I started doing this about a decade ago and that didn’t work out – fortunately – but so much has changed in the wedding industry in the last decade that it’s like I have no idea what I’m doing.

I went to my first bridal show a few weeks ago, armed with Liz, my MOH, and Charity, my work wife, and Monica, who is a hopeless romantic.  We learned so much that day.  For starters, I learned that if a bridal show gives you the option to register as a bride, you do it.  Charity and I didn’t have to pay admission and we got goody bags full of stuff.  Among other things, a gel eye mask that can be heated or cooled, and cute little stud earrings.

We also learned that if two brides go together, vendors think there’s just one wedding.  *sigh*  And clearly I’m slow on the uptake, but we were almost done with the show when it dawned on me why it was so hard to get stuff for both of us.  We’d walk up together and we’d have to point out that the other person was also a bride and then demand the handouts.  It wasn’t until about five vendors from done that someone said “Is one okay or do you both need one?”  that it clicked they thought we were marrying each other.  LOL!

So, some things I learned that day:

1. Everyone wants you to buy everything and nobody has ever heard of a budget.  Seriously, the show was put on by a vendor that wanted to show off their location spaces.  Their full package – that still didn’t include everything – was $23k.  So, $23k for location, food, tables, cloths, etc…  But not clothes or some vendors or personal touches.  OUCH.  Another was a florist.  For $960, I could get my bouquet and four small ones, six boutonnieres… and nothing else.  WTH?  I could go to Wal-Mart and buy fifty bouquets for that much money.
2. Weird vendors will appear – botox people, weird ass health supplements, etc.  I don’t know anybody who ever sat around and thought “OMG, Wedding Botox, WOOT!”
3. Try all the food.  I mean, I knew damn well I wasn’t going to use their in house caterer or rent out the food truck that had been parked in the building, but there was admission, and I was going to get my (or at least my bridesmaids’) money out of it.  Besides, I had figured that the first one I went to was at least going to point out what I didn’t want, so try all the things.  We got lots of food, though.  First there was a cake guy that was so good my MOH said she’d get her birthday cake there.  A food place with a fabulous cheesy potato thing that I want to try to remember to make for my own wedding.  Then Sangria, which was horrible, the in house caterer had fruit, cookies, pulled pork sandwiches, etc.  Enough to get one of those small appetizer plates nice and full.  And water, which was very nice at that point.  Then a second cake place that was okay.  The food truck was high-end southern.  BBQ White Mac N Cheese, Sweet Potato.. something with caramel on it.  Fruit tea.  I don’t like pretty much any of that, but I ate it all and it was actually quite good.  Nothing Bundt Cakes was there and their white chocolate raspberry cake was so good I went and bought myself one a week later.
4. You will be tired and overwhelmed.  Check and check.

 

So in the end, almost nothing there was an idea that I’d want again.  And all I know is that I don’t want some over the top ridiculous soiree either.  I seem to be most comfortable with rustic modern.  I think I knew that before, but that confirmed it.

I did walk away with some decent freebies, though, so at least I can start collecting swag.

 

 

Trying to nail down my venue before I do anything else, and the worst thing in the world happened – my dream venue, that I’ve thought about for YEARS – has a five year wait.  Apparently I should have just booked it way back when, because that sucks.  I cried ugly tears a lot of times over that.

I have a second place in mind that I need to call and ask a bunch of questions.  But it looks like they might not be a bad location.  Still a state park, and one I’ve been to a bunch of times, so there’s always that.  Just really sucks that the one thing that I would have given the rest of everything up for, I can’t have.

 

 

When all is said and done, I think I’m going to write a book for brides on a budget.  Every single one I’ve checked out from the library has sucked – budget or not – and I really want brides to have options and not feel as overwhelmed as I did at first.