Unsolicited wedding advice? Just add it to your “Sh*t People Suggest” spreadsheet!
The fella and I got engaged right before we traveled home to see our families for a vacation. We both have incredibly kind, welcoming families, so I was prepared for the outpouring of joy, and I was prepared to answer the inevitable when-where-who questions, too. But then, the suggestions started rolling in… At the same time, I felt like my ideas were being dismissed out-of-hand. On our last day of our vacation, I had a minor meltdown in the car. I didn’t know how to respond to the onslaught of suggestions we had received. Until I had a stroke of genius…
4 things that nobody tells you about getting engaged
I’ve been told my entire life — by movies, books, and trashy reality shows — that your wedding is just a magical event. Well, I’ve been engaged a few months now, and I’m ready for my magical moments to start happening. Getting engaged is pretty much like every other adult situation in your life: no one knows what they are doing and literally everyone is faking that they do. So that future generations don’t succumb to the same delusion that I was blissfully in, I’ve compiled a list of things that nobody tells you about getting engaged.
What I learned from Instagram: Wedding planning isn’t the People’s Choice Awards
I’ve come to hate the question: “How’s the wedding planning going?” Because it’s usually followed by someone totally shooting down my last planning decision. But here’s the deal: Wedding planning is stressful enough as it is. And if I listened to and implemented everyone else’s advice, then I would be planning their wedding and not my fiancé’s and mine.
Newly-engaged secret: you don’t have to plan it all today!
We KNOW some of you just got engaged, and are now being bombarded with questions: When’s it happening? What setting are you picturing? What’s your theme? How can I help? Have you thought about decor? Can I get you in touch with my baker friend? Your friends and family are asking these questions because they’re excited for you, and want to give you the opportunity to share your own excitement.
When you get peppered with these questions your response, however, may not be excitement… it may be anxiety.
Wedding junk mail: When life gives you garbage, make confetti!
With my marketing and public relations background, I really should have known that once I started calling vendors, my name would wind up on someone’s mailing list. For the last several weeks, I have been receiving regular junk mail from my area’s WIC staple vendors. So I’ve come up with several solutions of what to do with all that gross junk mail…
From pissy to pretty calm: How to plan your wedding, Project Manager-style
My fiancé and I are both project management types — at work, and in our general personalities. So, we have weekly wedding planning meetings with agendas. This has managed to keep us sane, speaking to each other, productive, and focused on other things, like unpacking the house we just bought, getting through a terribly hectic time at work, enjoying each other, and focusing on my nearly-six year old son. Here’s how we plan our wedding, Project Manager-style…