How do I hope chest as an Offbeat Bride?

1949 Lane Cedar Hope Chest advertisement from Etsy seller LaOohLaLaBoutique

One of the major issues I've had with wedding websites and magazines (and really, why Offbeat Bride has been such a relief) is this feeling that I should have considered all of this before. I must have been dreaming of my wedding since I was five, and I of course know what my colors and my theme and my flowers will be because all of this matters and this will be the happiest day of my life and, oh, I guess my groom will show up too.

Part of this pressure has come from older members of my family asking about my hope chest… Do you have anything to put in your hope chest? and There's a linens sale coming up if you want to pick up some things for your hope chest and even I saw a hope chest on Craigslist if your fiance hasn't picked one up for you.

All of this is to say that I haven't considered a hope chest at all, and really that the concept of having a hope chest from a young age freaks me out a little. I mean, shouldn't young girls and women be thinking about bigger things than stockpiling household goods? Do we ask young boys and men to consider this? (No, we don't.)

But here's where things get complicated: I LOVE crafting. There is something so charming and appealing to me about pouring my blood, sweat, and tears into creating things that my fiancé and I will use time and time again in our lives together, rather than putting all of that effort into a flower arrangement or dance choreography for a wedding.

I also LOVE organizing. The idea of having everything I need to effectively adult on hand, to compile all of the things we really do need but have been putting off buying despite three years of cohabitation (e.g. a toolset) and to put it all nicely in a box! Love it.

So, I wonder… Is there a way to combine a love for creating and preparing with a rejection of the expectation that I should be creating and preparing?