Holidays amidst wedding plans

Sometimes planning a wedding feel so all-encompassing that it's hard to imagine trying to have holidays in there as well. I must admit that this week the wedding sort of got put on the back burner so that the green beans almondine and gravy could be on the front ones. Even yesterday, I worked on crafts for Christmas instead of the wedding. I think I'm afraid that if I don't get them done right now, right as Christmas season has officially begun, then Christmas in it's entirety will be swollowed up by the wedding. I love the holidays. I love the food, the stress, the sincere gift-giving, and twinkling lights. I don't want my wedding plans to overshadow Christmas!

So, I am pleased to say that I literally finished my family's Christmas gifts yesterday at my kitchen table. All they need now is to be packaged up. That feels really, really good. It turns out that the stress and mounting list of wedding-related chores were an aide to rid myself of the procrastination that I usually exert during the holidays. Who knew?! Now, I have to work out a couple more gifts for friends and the nephews, but the bulk of my gifting is done. They're personal and very cute. I'll show them to you.....after Christmas, of course, on the off chance that a family member is reading. None of them have told me they are, but you never know.

Did all of you fight the crowds and get your gift buying done for the season during Black Friday? Did you sit at home crafting? Or will you possibly do what I usually do.....make lovely edibles the weekend before Christmas to give as gifts. Christmas cookies are really just sinful. Mmmm...... Whatever you did, I hope it was with a joyful heart. That's what matters most.

Photo from Photobucket.

She's got....Personality!

Anyone that has held a wedding, or even thought about it, knows that it takes a lot of helping hands to make it happen. If you aren’t blessed enough to have someone in your friend/family arsenal to cover every task in the manner you want it covered, then you’re going to have to seek outside sources. I find it inevitable that at some point in the wedding planning process, you will need a vendor. Maybe many, many vendors. Vendor is really sort of a cold thing to call them though…..what you need are experts.

I seem to have taken an odd view of my hired experts. I am usually a shrewd shopper. I will comparison shop for days and days and days…..then still not buy! I’m what you might call (dare I say) CHEAP! I prefer frugal or thrifty, but in all honestly, if the shoe fits (see if you can find it on sale before you wear it, obviously). Well, in order to NOT hate the way the wedding turned out, in order to be genuinely happy with all this planning, and for the sake of my sanity, I have tried very hard not to let my cheapness reign. So if price wasn’t the dictating factor for choosing where to spend our well-thought-out wedding funds, what would be? I don’t really know any other way to shop! (Those of you who are shoppers, the non-frugal kind, already know the painfully obvious answer to this, I’m sure.) It’s quality, of course! And since I am dealing with people and services, quality includes personality (to me, at least).

Personality has been my determining factor in each service I’ve contracted for the wedding. I realized this after thinking about the last wedding. The photographer made everyone miserable! All I heard was how wretched she was to my family and guest (funny typo and I’m leaving it. Yes, there was more than one guest, but only barely). Yes, she was highly affordable – almost cheap! – but it wasn’t worth what I saved to have my day marred by complaints.

Determined not to let that happen again, I set out into the great Inter Tubes to find a photographer with skills that matched my taste, prices that I could accept without thinking “oh my God I’m paying what for what?!” all day at my wedding, and a personality that I’d WANT near me on our wedding day. Enter A Love Story Photography.

We met Nichole at a Starbucks in Denton, and I think I flabbergasted her with my lack of interest in her technical knowledge, equipment, or anything actually relating to her photos. Nope, we sat with coffee, and I started a conversation about anything but photography. After all, I’d looked through all her galleries. Her photos spoke for themselves. Why do I need to ask questions that I honestly wouldn’t understand the answer to?? The only reason I wanted to meet with her in person was go gage if we’d get along. And we did! We signed a contract that day without meeting any other photographers. Yep, you read it correctly! The shop-around queen went with the first and only person she met. And I am very happy that I did. Our engagement session is in the books, and I’m stalking my mailbox until the disc of high resolution pics arrives.

I’ll let you in on the engagement shoot and other vendors soon!

Tiny snippets for photos from A Love Story Photography......of us!

DIY day

Diligently working on DIY projects for the wedding sure is a good way to see a day completely vanish! When else can you find yourself happily scrubbing labels off spent wine bottles thinking "must drink more wine, for wedding's sake!"?

A visit from my mother - though a whirlwind she can be - was also very reassuring. She thinks ALL of my ideas are brilliant, after all. And promised help with an overwhelming table covering project made me breath a huge sigh of relief.