hello wedding:

June 9, 2010

Photobucket

hi friends! well, wednesdays are now designated as a new hello wedding column, but unfortunately i am just so busy i couldn't put anything together for today, except for the graphic ;)

so i guess this will serve as an intro post to the new column.

i thought i'd share a little about the progress of our wedding and my heart about the whole thing. our wedding planning is coming a long VERY slowly. i mean, like turtle slow.

we went through about 4 venues: places falling through or venues that were dishonest about some things - it was a big let down each time. we finally decided on a park: simple and sweet. it is where nick and i went + ate innout after we hung out for the first time. it is a special park.

the date is decided, the photographer is decided, and we are renting furniture from sweet jeni who owns a really lovely shop that happens to be located 10 minutes from the park. (what luck!)

so we just need to figure out food: there is no electricity at the park. i need to design our invites. (i think we are skipping save the dates to save money) get our website up, and work on all the decor.

i honestly don't know what it is or why i am putting things off. maybe all the hype of a wedding or what it's supposed to be, has turned me anti-planning anything. we dont want to spend a lot of money on the whole thing, nick and i want to save our money instead. we are just excited about being married, and not so much the wedding. i am a natural procrastinator and i work well under stress - but i know i will go crazy if i put all these things off to the last minute. i think another thing is that i am not trusting or praying.

so that's it. i didn't think this would be so hard for me, it's all really overwhelming you know? thanks so much for reading my random ramblings... any advice/tips/encouraging words are definitely appreciated: from anyone who has gone through it, or anyone who has seen a friend go through it. :)

now this wouldnt be a usual hello friend post without
some inspiration images.. so here is a small collection of
idea's for the wedding that i've been gathering!

love these strips of fabric for a background.

want to make something like this at the reception.
via frolic

really want to have kids so i can take cute pics of them like this.
(okay, not really. we're waiting a few years for kids. but how cute is this shoot?!)

just wanting september to come so we can go on our honeymoon.
we're going to the harry potter theme park
in florida + a cruise around the bahamas! nick planned it ;)

trying to think of simple appetizers + eats for the wedding. love this cheese table.

how amazing is this natural rough diamond ring. love.

would just love a vintage wedding dress like this.


70 hello's:

  1. Just keep the end goal in mind.... is the purpose to have every detail right or is the purpose to be married to your love at the end of the day? Weddings have so much that they DON'T NEED & people won't remember. Don't let the pressure of what a wedding "should be" distract you from fact that you're not just planning a party, you're beginning a marriage.

    Refuse to be bullied. It's your & your fiance's day, no one else's & despite parent's protest it's not a reflection of them.

    Think simple & lovely. If it doesn't make you smile, scrap it.

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  2. LOVE to hear about your wedding plans!! :)
    Sounds like a lovely venue (I love weddings at parks!), and an even more fun honeymoon (Harry Potter park + Bahamas?! :)
    These photos are perfect for inspiration. Can't wait to hear more :)

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  3. I'm loving your Wedding Wednesdays already! You have whet my appetite. A park wedding sounds so lovely and I can already tell it suits your personality perfectly. Carefree, naturally beautiful, and inviting.

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  4. Let's not forget how great is is to get married :D I just did a post on flowers and a previous one on flowers in empty rosé winebottles. Maybe you like the inspiration? Hang in there. xx

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  5. A picnic wedding in the park sounds like the most delightful thing in the world. It really seems as though you are on the right track. Simple. It is about the marriage and it's obvious you already know that. Looking forward to hearing and seeing more.

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  6. Awwww... I am sorry that it's a little stressful. It can get quite hectic.

    My sister is getting married in August at Malibu beach, but the reception is just going to be a casual backyard reception. They want to save money for their new home together which is TOTALLY a good idea. So good for you! I think it's smart.

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  7. I totally understand your feelings. When we got married we had a big, traditional wedding including reception at the family country club that my mother mostly planned, as I lived far away. It was really hard to justify the expenses especially since I am a very practical saver. But the wedding was beautiful and I cherish how much thought and attention my family put into make that a lovely occasion for me and my husband.

    In those months leading up to the wedding, my husband and I's mantra was "we are planning a marriage, not a wedding." And so our focus was only on the end result and long term goals of having a long life together and not on event planning (although strangely enough I love event planning, just not wedding planning).

    So, I guess all of this is to say that you are not alone and I am sure that it will be a lovely occassion to celebrate the begining of a long and happy life.

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  8. a park wedding! I love it. So sweet, so simple, so romantic. I think simple, inexpensive weddings are my favorite. Of course, I might be biased.... our wedding cost less than $3000. The WHOLE thing, my dress and food included. It was a combination of major bargain-shopping, lots of lovely people helping, and a whole lot of home-made DIY. And I LOVED it.

    I'm 100% confident that yours and Nick's wedding will me simply magical, because, well, it's YOU and you're amazing. :) Just have the things that are important to you both, that will make your day memorable with the kind of sweet memories you treasure. And, when all is said and done, no matter what your wedding ends up being, it will STILL be amazing and wonderful because it is the day you and Nick become husband and wife!

    ok, sorry, long comment. done now. :)

    ps. you're going to Harry Potter on your honeymoon?? Awesome. :)

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  9. Honestly - do what makes you happy.

    My husband and I were engaged for a year before I even thought about planning - the thought of all that stress made me cringe - I completely understand how you're feeling.

    After lots of debate, we decided that a smaller wedding would make us a lot happier - having to invite extended family that you barely know changes the dynamic of the wedding, as well as the cost - we wanted to keep it simple with close family and friends that we loved - so the wedding ended up being around 45 people (the actual ceremony was only about 10 people, but we opted for a larger reception). We really couldn't have had a better wedding.

    Our biggest expenses (and these were definitely worth it) were food (we rented a restaurant), flowers, and photographer. I made our invitations, bought my dress from Banana Republic (it was a white cotton eyelet tea dress) and also made a lot of the decor myself. You don't have to spend a ton of money to have a really nice wedding!

    I've always pictured going to a wedding in a park that has brown bag picnic lunches and vintage style pop bottles in big buckets in ice.

    Good luck!

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  10. glad to know I'm not the only Harry Potter geek out there with decent design sensibility.

    with the wedding planning, take it day by day. focus on what's important to you. If you don't feel comfortable with, say, a receiving line, cut it out!

    just never. ever. skimp on your photography budget. it's all you have when all is said and done... oh, and of course you'll have each other :)

    best of luck!

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  11. I'm getting married the end of August and finding a caterer (our reception is in my fiance's machine shed at the farm) was a huge nightmare. Prices were all over the place and many people were already booked. BUT, once we did find someone, a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders and the planning was way more fun after that. Hang in there. It will get better.

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  12. Good luck with the wedding planning, dear! i'm not married, but ever since i was 5, i've been thinking about and planning my wedding. I know, i know... i've been told that it's about the marriage, not the wedding... but weddings are just so much fun!

    just wanted to let you know about the most beautiful wedding i went to (to hopefully provide some sort of encouragement). it was an unusual wedding--nothing like ones that i have planned in my future wedding notebook. it was simple with the bare necessities. the dresses were ordinary, the flowers put together by friends, and the reception at a local hotel. what made it so beautiful, however, was Christ in their ceremony. it wasn't a ceremony celebrating their union as much as it was a ceremony celebrating CHRIST and the wonderful Gospel! So, wedding planning aside, I was hugely reminded that marriage exists to glorify God and is a wonderful way of sharing the Gospel!

    I hope you have a WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY!!!!

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  13. I'm also in the process of planning my wedding. The big day is September 18th...so we're full into planning mode. The website that has truly saved me is Sarah Cotner's blog - 2000 Dollar Wedding http://2000dollarwedding.com
    She's made excellent points, her own wedding was done cheaply and was incredibly meaningful and beautiful and is just a joy to read.

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  14. i have a friend who did breakfast food for her reception. it was delicious and probably not too pricy!

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  15. rough diamond rings and brushed gold are my new favorites as of late. good luck with the planning! i know it will turn out beautiful, like all your work does...

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  16. this is so exciting!!!i'm so excited to hear about every detail every wednesday!!You can do it danni! and i know with your amazing taste the wedding will be amazing!good luck!

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  17. good luck it all sounds so exciting and I love that you're dedicating wednesday to wedding day - a perfect hump day idea!

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  18. I think you are smart to keep it simple and sweet. What would be a worse way to start a marriage than in debt because of a huge wedding? I honestly don't think there are any rules any more, as far as the big day goes. It really has become all about what would be meaningful to you and your husband-to-be, and not about how it 'should' be done. I love the inspiration you've shared today. It's going to be wonderful no matter how much or how little you do :)

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  19. awww wedding wednesday's how exciting!! it was great to hear your progress and see images of the type of image you were hoping for! and i have to say, everything you want it to be is very YOU! and i know the invites are going to be designed sooo beautifully! your picnic, food table and decorations are going to be simple and sweet! and your dress wil be vintage and no doubt you will have fabulous shoes hehe!

    my advice would be to try to get as much done now... b/c although you may work well under stress, it's A LOT of stress in the last few days! Good luck lady!

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  20. Danni--you should check out the blog 2000 dollar budge wedding (http://2000dollarwedding.com/) if you haven't yet! Not only did the amazing blogger Sarah spend only $2000 on her wedding, but I believe her whole perspective on weddings will really speak to you. She talks (just as you did) about focusing on the couple, the actual marriage & building a life together rather than focusing on the wedding as THE ultimately important thing. Her wedding, relationship AND life advice is invaluable! :)

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  21. Oh Danni, I totally, 100% understand.

    For my day job, I run a large wedding website, so, when it came time for me to marry, I literally had my choice of hundreds of locations and the best wedding vendors.

    But, I just couldn't do it. The whole "wedding thing" was just not for me.

    I wanted it to be about the "marriage", not about the "wedding". So often, brides go off the deep end for an event that lasts a single day.

    Don't get me wrong, I love when brides find a way to plan a celebration that is uniquely their own, but, for us, a wedding on the beach in Half Moon Bay, just the two of us, was the way to go. I wouldn't change a single thing about the way we got married.

    I've spoken to hundreds of brides and many, many of them regretted their huge, elaborate, over-planned, expensive events. Not a single one regretted a smaller, more intimate, more love-centered celebration. Not one.

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  22. also currently in wedding-planning mode! 8/20 is our date. i went through a lull of a few months where i did nothing, wanted to do nothing and was seriously contemplating throwing the whole idea out and eloping. i knew i wouldn't want that though...

    right now i'm in a good mode though, we're less than 3 months away so i can start buying things now, shower is NEXT WEEKEND, invites are coming along, everything is just working out. i think that will happen for you as well. once you find a few ideas you love and can't live without, everything will fall into place!!

    good luck! excited to see all your plannings!!! :)

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  23. PS - I just came across this image:
    http://www.stylemepretty.com/gallery/photo/42381

    that made me think of your post.

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  24. the vintage dress is simply breath taking

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  25. Don't get overwhelmed with what others have done with their weddings. Simply make it what You + Nick want and it will be perfect.

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  26. Love your honeymoon idea!! I am dying to go to the Harry Potter park!!

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  27. Everything you do is magical so I can't imagine your wedding would turn out any different! Don't get too caught up in the craziness of the planning. Just try to remember why you are getting married in the first place and breath. :) I adore the park idea. I think more weddings should take place in parks. I just was a part of this shoot - http://www.thesweetestoccasion.com/2010/06/al-fresco-california-bohemian-outdoor-wedding-ideas/ - maybe it could bring you some inspiration. And if you ever need any help let me know! :) Good luck, m'dear!

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  28. planning a wedding does seem so overwhelming... but i think that even with it being low budget it will still be gorgeous if you are inspired like this- those images are so beautiful. i'm sure it will work out great and be just perfect- all about the love and not about spending money.

    www.adreamkingdom.blogspot.com

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  29. You are so right about the overwhelming part, but you have a lot decided already. Thanks for sharing: it's inspiring!

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  30. It is really overwhelming! When we first got engaged, we got a lot of the most important things out of the way pretty much in the first few weeks (liiiike, the venue, photog). We still don't know exactly for sure about food! YIKES. And we have 4.5 months left. I guess that's still some time. I feel like I haven't been as "into" it the past few months, kind of like you said. Just the past few weeks I've been gathering all of my bookmarked blog posts/web sites and printing out pictures of things I might want, so we can kind of get some of the smaller things figured out. OYE, so much to do! I wish you luck :)

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  31. Hi Danni
    I remember planning my wedding in 4 months due to asain superstitious. Most of my bouquets I did on my own, I have more than 200+ guests but I cut down to 50 people, I want a custom dress but my dresser say it has to be at least 6 months...I knew what I wanted so most of the preparation I did on my own....i tried out 2 places for makeup but they don't know how to put it on so i went to a dept store and just buy the colors and I did my own makeup. It was alot of work and preparation but at the end it was worth it even till this day people who i invited compliment what i accomplish.

    If you need any assistance you know where to find me...

    annie from nj.

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  32. We had a very small/DIY wedding (invited 30 people, spent $2500 total including the dress and wedding night B&B!) and it was the best thing ever. I also procrastinated on planning for 10 months and then planned the wedding in about three weeks. I haven't regretted it for a moment. It was a wonderful day! Good luck with your own modest but fabulous affair. It is just a day in the long life of your marriage, albeit a wonderful and special day.

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  33. The cheese table is such a great idea but the swing with lights steals my heart.

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  34. how fun!! seems like the big things are coming along. I wrote a post a few weeks back about last year when i was planning if you would like to read it :)

    http://oliviakcarter.blogspot.com/2010/05/wedding-planning.html

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  35. i, like you, was more excited about the being married part than the getting married part. i think too often people get caught up in the wedding itself and not in the marriage, which i think is a shame. i think the best advice i received when i got married was to just focus on the important details of the day: the promises i made to my husband, the way it felt when we officially became man and wife, etc. it's almost been three years and i still have a feeling of tenderness when i think of that day, and how each day since then my love for my husband has grown and matured. i have no doubt that your day will be as inimitable and as special as the two of you are. and it just gets better from there! sending you my best wishes from salt lake city. :)

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  36. I loved planning my autumn wedding! I just wish I had been a little more relaxed about it - it all comes together in the end! Congratulations and have fun with it, I know it will be gorgeous!

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  37. I love your inspirational images! Very nice! And remember, to just have fun! Seems like you're getting plenty accomplished though I know it looks like an endless tunnel.

    ~ Kristen

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  38. my best friend is currently planning her wedding and it's extremely tiring. i totally understand your procrastination.

    i was going to say for food, my friend is having a night wedding and they're just doing hors d'oeuvres & dessert and suggesting people eat dinner before coming. depending on what time of day your wedding is at, you could certainly do something similar which might lessen the need for electricity and save money!

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  39. I just know your day is going to be amazing!

    I am also planning my day which is fastly approaching, 10-30-10! I thought I would be much more proactive b/c I'm that way but find myself putting things off and I have no idea why!!!

    I also do a weekly wedding post on Wednesdays! Looking forward to yours :)

    Good luck with all the plans!

    -Mimi

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  40. hello! dude! call me! i am so ready to help when you are... and i am a bit freaked out about renegade! i need to start sewing like mad asap!

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  41. haha..i understand..like we always got some plans wanna to start off..but once it starts you'll feel so tired and wonder why the things is going not what we expect. But anyway..though we dunno each other, hope you have a great wedding day and congrats!

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  42. :)
    http://ruffledblog.com/2010/06/digital-save-the-date-giveaway-from-hellolucky/

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  43. i loved this danni. your heart is golden...

    i'm serious when i say if you need help with anything...let me know! :) thinking of you!

    j.

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  44. So many magical things going on here :)

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  45. Wedding planning is definitely tiresome! but hang in there ~ it is the best day of your life and so much fun, even if everything falls down around you as long as you look gorgeous and your with the love of your life :) YAY for amazing honeymoon! I flew from New Zealand to Disneyland, LA! best honeymoon ever

    x

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  46. There's a Harry Potter theme park????

    Oh, and I love your idea of the light covered swing, and the vintage dress!

    Harry Potter theme park??? Really???
    COOL!!

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  47. Yeap, wedding planning can be really stressful and tiring. Totally agree on that. But try to enjoy the process if possible, share the load with your fiance and get some of your best pals to help out. I am sure everything will be fine and you will have the most beautiful park wedding on the day.

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  48. O gosh... I went through the same thing planning my wedding last year! We kept everything simple but it was still so overwhelming. I admit my heart wasn't in the right place, and that probably had a lot to do with it -- I just got so caught up in all the diy-ing, planning, and trying to keep our cost down, that I lost focus on what the wedding was all about. I was trying to do everything on my own, and not trusting in God nor in my friends. My now-husband was the best though, always knocking sense and sanity into me.
    Tips/advice:
    -don't try to do everything yourself. You have awesome, gifted, loving friends. Trust them and let them help.
    -don't lose focus on what your wedding is ultimately about.
    -don't lose focus on God. If anything, you need Him more than ever, as you make your transition to "wife"
    -take it one step at a time and don't forget to enjoy the process~

    I know you'll have a lovely wedding~ I wish you the best!
    (and sorry for the super long comment!)

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  49. It's so great to read that you'd prefer saving up for the future than spend a ton on this one day. It's a little disheartening to see so many people put so much into one day -- it's like they forget that there's still 234059873405873045 years ahead to consider!

    Good luck and I'm sure your wedding will be exactly what you wish it to be. :)

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  50. this sounds like our wedding planning all over again! we went through 3 venues that all fell through. The first one was like a dream! It was on someone's property, it had chandeliers in the trees, an old barn, and a beautiful pond! we didn't know the owners. we drove by, fell in love and left a note. when they e-mailed us saying yes, we were beside ourselves! they even said they didn't feel right charging us bc it wasn't an actual wedding venue! it was like a dream. but when that fell through and they didn't feel comfortable with it anymore, we couldn't be upset. we were happy they would even consider and that there were nice people left in the world.
    when the other two places fell through, it got a little harder. it kept putting the wedding off longer than we wanted it to [we wanted a 4-6 month engagement and it ended up being a year].
    we were also trying to save money and not have anything too expensive. we didn't have the money for it anyway. i was making everything, we didn't send out save the dates, i didn't have a florist, and we had extremely talented friends take our picutres...
    we just wanted to be married and didn't want to get too distracted with that one day. but when everything was falling through and it was turning out way longer than we expected, it was hard to keep our heads up.
    my "dream wedding" was at night with twinkle lights everywhere. so when we ended up booking this cute little park, that wasn't open after dark, i knew that was out. i found myself getting all worked up about these details that weren't working out like i thought they would. then i finally snapped out of it and realized what you just have: I wasn't giving any of this to God or trusting Him. We both were distracted with all of the planning to include Him in anything. It was effecting our relationship and our well being all together. I'm sad to say that we didn't realize all of this until a month or two before the wedding. Once we started putting God first again, it all changed. We actually started enjoying the planning, etc. Also, I knew that I couldn't control how that day actually went. no matter what happened, or what went wrong, it was going to be one of the best days of our life together. no matter what, it was going to be my dream wedding! it wasn't about the details of that day. it was about who i was standing next to and our vows we made in front of everyone to live our life for Him only! So I promised myself to just enjoy it all no matter what.
    All of this came at just the right time so that we could enjoy the rehearsals, bridal showers, family and the actual wedding day.
    at our rehearsal, one of my friends' husband told me the best advice for that day. he said just make sure to take it all in as much as you can! take moments to look around at everyone and everything all set up as you're enjoying that day. it goes by sooooo quick! i am so glad that he told me that bc he was right- it went by in a flash! and now it's been a year [we just celebrated our 1 yr on the 7th of this month ;) ] and i can't believe it's already been a yr!
    remember that no matter what, it's going to be an amazing day and that God has brought you two together for a purpose. now you get to celebrate that with all of the people who love you! it will be your dream wedding no matter what. I promise! ;)

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  51. found this on snippet&ink when i was planning my wedding. i got stressed and cried a lot in the early months and then in the last few weeks, but this post really put things into perspective. i felt SO much better after thinking about how great the wedding could be, but how much greater a marriage can be!
    it's a big party and it's time for the two of you together. remember that :)
    you can do it!

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  52. forgot the link
    here it is
    http://giacanali.com/blog/2009/12/weddings-are-not/

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  53. My wedding took place just last year, but me and my husband were engaged for over 2 years. We saved up so much money for our wedding that to this day, it still shocks me. I seriously have no idea how we did that.

    With all the wedding inspiration that is out there, I definitely had moments where I wondered if I was doing enough and experienced a bit of a separation from planning. Then, I finally had a catharsis and realized that this wedding is not the greatest day of my life, just one of many. It ceased all the pressure I was feeling.

    Don't get me wrong, I still love looking at weddings even to this day, but once you focus on what's important everything else just falls into place. I think you will be fine. :)

    P.S. This Harry Potter fan is mighty jealous that you have found a partner who loves it just as much. :)

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  54. this wedding reminds me of you - http://www.eatdrinkchic.com/post.cfm/surprise-we-got-married-part-ii-the-story-the-styling


    my sister got married, and had a picnic wedding in our folks' backyard. she spread out lots of blankets that everyone lent her, we made 200 cushions out of cheap tea towels and inserts from IKEA (which all had her and her husbands initials screen printed, and which each guest got to take home with them) and had lots of picnic baskets filled with cheese, crackers, cured meats, olives, fruit pastes, mini tarts and quiches and wraps. each picnic basket had plates, cups and enough food for 6 people and guests just grabbed a basket and a cushion and found a spot on the blankets. it was so beautiful!!

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  55. i feel you on the "what it's supposed to be" part. everything costs so much money, it's unbelievable. my fiance and i were engaged in march, and literally two weeks later he was laid off from his job. i've been working in retail for the past year while applying to better paying positions, praying for interviews that actually amount to something. i was really disheartened when i started doing some research and realized how much all of the things that are "supposed to be" in a wedding were going to cost. i decided that i'd rather skip the traditional dinner reception rather than postpone my marriage because i feel somehow socially obligated to feed 100 people dinner. and finally we decided to just relax and enjoy each other until work opportunities come along, instead of forcing a wedding date. it's taken a huge weight off my back! i get funny looks from people when i tell them we don't have a date set yet, but i decided i don't care hehe. like you, i'm more concerned about our future marriage, then about the wedding itself. i've realized that i can view the delay as just a time to solidify and grow our relationship even more. :)
    good luck with your wedding planning.
    looking forward to seeing your wedding wednesday posts!

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  56. I love your inspiration board. It looks like you've come pretty far, actually! The hard part might be the food - a little tricky with no electricity. But one thing I think you MUST have are those string lights! I'm obsessed with them...something about them is so charming and romantic. But you are an incredibly creative person, so all the ideas are on the way! Don't worry and enjoy it.

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  57. Wow! You have so many posts on this one! I am in the same boat as you right now.. yet, you actually have MORE planned than i do... we're moving at a super dooper slow pace. We're trying to save money and are just excited to be married to eachother.. but the saving money part on weddings is not so easy. EVERYTHING seems to be expensive.. even when u cut things out! ugh. anyway, you give me inspiration to HOPE that I will get something for us pulled together :)

    hearts!

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  58. I'm pretty much echoing other people who encouraged you to focus on the marriage, which it sounds like you're doing. Make sure the ceremony reflects you and Nick, no matter what other people tell you that you "have" to have. :) If something feels overwhelming to take on, don't hesitate to ask people for help. They would be honored to be a part of your special day!

    On a different note, I'm heading to Orlando at the end of the month specifically to check out the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - and I'm really excited!! :) That's great that you guys will be going soon, too!

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  59. I'm so looking forward to hearing more about your wedding planning!! I'm in the midst of it myself, getting married September 25th! (We got engaged April 19th.) And my fiance is surprising me with the honeymoon; I have no clue where we're going!
    The caterer is the biggest stress right now, and sometimes I get overwhelmed with all there is to do. But I truly do enjoy it, and we're prioritizing preparing for marriage first (which we've been doing our whole courtship!), which is a good dose of perspective.

    My parents have given us a generous budget (ok, it's a fraction of the 'typical' deep-debt American budget, but I thought it was great!), but it's still a hassle trying to fit everything. We're doing as much DIY as possible for a large wedding and in such a short engagement, but I'm really excited. We've been so blessed with good advice and lots of practical help too!

    Hang in there and try to enjoy it! Your wedding will be gorgeous, even if it's very simple, and at the end of the day all that matters is that you'll be married to each other.
    :) love, cait

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  60. how about some empathy. i'm another graphic designer planning my own wedding (october 9). it's so many little things, and there are so many beautiful ideas.

    i'm sure whatever you do will be lovely :) and i'm a little jealous of the hp honeymoon!

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  61. barefootcloud15 June, 2010 14:07

    you dont have to try to make a unique wedding,you are both so unique that you just need to relax and enjoy ..and make it simple...you will have the most true and romantic wedding for sure...
    may you always have a big smile in your heart...
    M.

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  62. Hey Danni,

    I've read Your blog for a while now, and it has always amazed me how loving and caring You and Your boyfriend are. Keep that in mind, and don't let the fuss around planning to keep you from enjoying this special time. What comes after the wedding matters the most anyway. The best of luck!

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  63. Harry Potter's Theme Park for your honeymoon? That's frakking adorable! --As a fellow photographer just one-unsolicited suggestion: When walking down the aisle on your wedding day, take your time, most brides rush so quickly! God Bless!

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  64. Hey Danni! I'm a first-time reader - found your blog through Knack - and how happy am I that I happened to "bump into" you! Your blog is lovely...your ideas, your creativity, your heart behind it, everything. LOVE it!

    My husband and I got married (almost) 2 years ago and I can identify with some of your struggles. I felt very overwhelmed with all the planning, yet still insanely excited to take it on(weird combination, I know!) In retrospect, I'd definitely say that I stressed out too much. I wanted everything to be perfect, and it wasn't until I let go of that false idea of perfection that I truly enjoyed the process.

    Our wedding day was absolutely perfect - things went wrong, yes, and certain details weren't exactly the way I had imagined them in my mind (and we're talking minor details!) - but you know what? As cliche as it sounds, NONE of that truly mattered. I got to marry the love of my life, and the feelings I have toward that day and the memories of how the Holy Spirit's presence captivated us are the things that I really treasure. It was the absolute best day of my life.
    With that said, I certainly don't regret putting my heart and soul into planning and making our wedding as creative and fun and "us" as it could be. I just realize (now, especially) that all that stuff is secondary. Try telling Jesus the 3 most important things you want/hope for for your wedding day and watch Him honour that in ways you can't even imagine :)

    All the best to you and your love, Danni. God's best blessings on you! You can do it!
    xo

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  65. I think we ALL love weddings we don't have to do all the dirty work on. And then we love our wedding when we do special tasks that will bring us so much joy (like picking readings or writing the ceremony or crafting). I'm planning my October wedding and after the week I've had this week, I can't expect any more bad things to happen. I'm ready to write my vows with my guy and my close friend (he will officiate) and I'm ready to RELAX. Just try not to procrastinate. I assure you will be sorry if you do. Get the invites done and you will feel SOOOO GOOD. I promise. All the best luck in the world hun. Just stick to your guns with what you love, and forget about absolutely everything else. Dunno if you practice yoga, but working out will alleviate stress.

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  66. hello You have very beautiful photos, full of colors, it is a pleasure of visite your site
    la pin up

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  67. i completely understand - i've been going through the same thing planning our wedding. we have a month left and a lot to do! i also understand being disappointed by vendor & venues - we had some issues with the first couple we chose (hidden fees & such). but it turned out for the best...i hope everything goes well. if you want to vent, you are welcome to email me :) i guess my best advice would be (as cliche as it sounds) to not focus on the little things, because they will drive you crazy.

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  68. Hi Danni!
    I totally feel you on this. My finance proposed about 3 weeks ago. I'm over the moon giddy about our engagement and getting married! But I have no desire to plan anything yet. I just want to stay in this giddy stage for as long as possible and not cloud it with the stress of planning. I'm a graphic designer and have been designing wedding invitations for years so I know how being a bride makes people crazy! I just don't want to get off of this high and come down to the reality of planning. And I'm absolutely terrified of designing my own invites! I've been thinking about them for years, but feel MAJOR pressure (from myself).
    I just wanted you to know that you are not alone in your bridal-feelings! I look forward to read more about your wedding plans, and hopefully mine will get started soon! :)
    ~erin

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  69. all i have to say is the tree would be great for a swing.

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Friends, Thank you so much for reading + supporting my blog, and for taking the time to leave me a comment. Your comment support truly means so much to me. Have a lovely day! xo, danni