Wedding Bells Have Rung

So it's finally over. The year (and 2 weeks) of planning, the deposits, the interviews with vendors, the research, the stress.... it's all done with! We got married this past Saturday and it went really well.

Sure it rained a bit, but we were able to work with it. And it stopped during the ceremony, so we were still able to do some pictures outdoors and enjoy the outdoor scenery. Having done wedding planning for others, and knowing what goes into planning and executing a wedding, I had enlisted the help of a wedding planner friend of mine, who also was a guest, so she was able to get a volunteer looking for some experience to help us out. Man was I glad they were there! Truly, if you're planning on getting married, even a small ceremony with just 80 guests (that's what we had) do yourself a favour and hire a planner! They're worth the money just for your sanity.

Both Brandon and I were super relaxed on our day. Neither of us had an idea of a "dream wedding", so whatever happened was fine by us. Sure there were components we cared about, but when it came down to things like last minute ceremony change to indoors and rearranging the processional order and a few songs getting bumped... it was all ok by us. The one thing I did care about, were the pictures. Those are the lasting visual memories. And our photographer was terrible! They showed up an hour and a half late, they forgot their flash, the batteries on their cameras died and they didn't have spares, they missed important parts of the wedding, they didn't help pose anyone, didn't take any charge, didn't bring the list of poses/shots we had sent them weeks in advance so had no idea what pictures we wanted... I mean just incredibly awful! My sister in law was very helpful and stepped in to take some pictures- which have turned out great! When I saw the ones she took I cried because I am so grateful we have some wonderful pictures that captured the day in an amazing day!!! So if you need a great photographer- I know one. And if you need a terrible one- I know one of those too!
So I can honestly say, that was the only thing that I was getting panicked about. Oh, and the fact that only half the groomsmen were at the venue half an hour after they all should have been there. But it all worked out and we recovered.

Although we've never been ones for mushy, super sentimental affairs, we both really enjoyed our day. It turned out to be a great party with some amazing friends and family. Some of Brandon's relatives from Newfoundland & Alberta flew in- so it was great to put faces to names. Our bridal party was excellent, helped us out greatly throughout the day and really helped us have a great time. Our good friend, Tyson, was a groomsman and our MC and put together some great games/activities, which was even a surprise to us!

So now that the event is over, I feel like I should all sorts of free time. And yet somehow I don't. Oh well :)

We Have Returned

Well, we have returned from Disney in one piece. I'd like to say we're rested, but there's so much to do there you never really do rest. However, it was super nice to get away from everyday worries and work. Oh, so nice to not have to go into work everyday. 

They often say after going on vacation the constant time together can cause some frustrations and loss of patience for your significant other (or even a friend). And although we had our occassional disagreement about how many pictures I was taking, or what to purchase, we didn't really fight. And at the end of it, I was sad I wasn't going to see him all day-everyday as I had for the past 10 days. So I guess, we can continue with our plans to get married :)

Speaking of which, man that's approaching fast! Only a month and 4 days and there are still so many things to get done and figure out. Brandon still doesn't have his outfit (eep!) I'm trying to not stress out too much, but it's inevitable. Isn't that what weddings are for? Disagreements, difficult guests, drama and stress? Or at least that seems to be what they have become to the modern day society. Ours should be fun once we get there- casual and "working class", as Brandon likes to refer to it. I have to admit, while a traditional wedding was definitely not what I had wanted, I'm beginning to get excited for the day and enjoying the fruits of my labour. Or you know- my hard work. It'll be nice to see it all come together after planning for the past year. But this is where I can't imagine how someone who spends the average $20,000+ on their one day feels after the event? Sure it's exciting and wonderful that you are married, but then you realize that you have actually spent $20,000 in one day. When can you say that again? Perhaps buying a home, and that'd be about it. If you spoke to someone and asked them if they would ever spend $20,000+ on a party, I imagine most people would look at you as though you have 2 heads and tell you they wouldn't dream of it. But when you ask the same and refer to the party as a wedding, they're on board. I just can't fathom. Resulting in my low budget wedding :)

So, over the next month I will be working away at perfecting my wedding, keeping all the ducks in a row, and finalizing decisions that need to be made. It's going to be a crazy ride.

Wedding Bells Are Ringing

Beyond this post where I announced our engagement, and this post where I talked about going to Fort York for a tour as a potential wedding venue, I haven't spoken much about our wedding. And don't let that fool you into thinking we haven't been making progress. We are well enveloped in the planning process. And thankfully neither Brandon nor I have any interest in the big, fancy, stress-filled wedding, so it hasn't been as terrible as it could be. In fact, we're just about complete with all the planning.

Our wedding is going to have a vintage flair on the cheap. We didn't want to spend the average $25,000 on a one day event. Instead, we set our budget at $5,000-$6,000 and so far we're keeping right within it. Everyone says it can't be done, but I know it can be. So here we go!

Venue: picked & booked- our venue is an old farm house turned into an event venue, so it has the charm we want, with some indoor and outdoor space. We plan to get married outdoors, weather permitting of course, and host the reception indoors.  This venue already includes tables and chairs, a full service kitchen.  $500

Food: this was one of the biggest debates between us and family- we planned on renting our own BBQ's and having people we know BBQ a meal. It's now going to be a buffet style meal, still well within our budget. So all turned out well. $1650

Alcohol/Beverages: Juice, coffee and tea come included with our meal, but not everyone wants juice, coffee or tea. OK, not many people over 19 want those beverages, so of course we will have a bar. We've decided to give everyone 4 drink tickets (good for $4 drinks) and any further drinks are at their costs. $1600

DJ: thankfully a family friend knew a great DJ, whom we've seen "in action", so not only did we get a great rate, but also a great DJ $400

Dress & Accessories: the dress is picked and ordered. I can't say too much about it here because Brandon could check in and I'm apparently supposed to keep it a secret from him. But I can tell you it's short, has pockets, and a sweetheart neckline. I also got some great vintage shoes (damn you sales woman!), a bird cage veil and I had previously picked up some pearls for a great deal. $500

Cake: Brandon's sister has been known to make some great cakes for various anniversary & birthday parties along with a wedding. So, it just makes sense to have her construct one for us. While the design is still to be determined, we have decided it will be delicious. $0

Invitations: These have been designed by us, and executed by a friend of mine. We're just about done with the design, and we will be buying the materials from a local craft store to print ourselves. $50

Brandon's Attire: Simple and easy, he'll be wearing dress pants, a dress shirt and a paperboy hat he already owns, as seen in this picture. $100-150 still to be purchased

Rentals: We will need plates and serving dishes, some warmers for food and some chairs for the ceremony. This has still yet to be sourced concretely, however we're seeing a range of about $150-250

Rings: Still to be picked, we already know the jeweler we will use as it's a family contact who also did my engagement ring for a great price. We don't want to spend a lot of money here, so we're throwing around the $200-$300 range.

So there ya have it folks, the majority of the planning is complete. The above brings the current total to $5,400 so we are right where we want to be. With some room for incidentals or splurging we may not have accounted for.