How NOT to go insane when planning a wedding

Hello, fellow brides-to-be. I'm sorry it's been a while, but I have been swamped with work and until today, the wedding planning had taken a back seat.

Today I want to briefly discuss how NOT to go insane when planning your wedding.

Number One - PLAN AHEAD!!!!!!! There is a reason why I'm planning my wedding a year and a half out. Give yourself plenty of time to really plan, to see what you like & don't like and not cram everything all in at once, but rather spread it out.

Number Two - PLAN B!!!!!! ALWAYS have back-ups, multiple choices, etc. Things happen. It's a part of life. If the veil you're obssessed about is no longer available, you had better have another choice that you like just as much (or at least pretty darn close)so that you're covered. I cannot emphasize enough how important this is.

Number Three - REALX!!!!!!! It is so ridiculously important to RELAX and ENJOY your wedding. No wedding is ever absolutely perfect. It's just not. So what? Did you have fun? Was your day a good reflection of you as a couple and your love and devotion to each other? Did your guests enjoy themselves? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you had a great wedding. So there! ;)

Number Four - Have a straight friend who loves to go shopping be your guide!!!! LOL...Ok this one is funny. There's a girl on our roller derby team who was married last year and she LOVES to shop. I nabbed her and asked for her help. I HATE shopping and I don't blend in with the other gals in the bridal stores (I'm the one in there with the biker jacket on having the store people put veils in my hair. Yeah, it's comical! LOL). She is giving me advice, insights, etc. I'll tell you, having people you can talk to, bounce ideas off of, get opinions, etc. is VITAL to the process. It is helping me tremendously and I'm sure it would help you too.

So...relax, have fun and remember WHY you're getting married! :)

Remember, only 529 days till I become the little wife ;)

Wednesday Wedding Tip

Good evening, everyone!

It's Wednesday, and I have another VALUABLE wedding tip for all of you.

This one comes from a wedding I will be in later this year (I'm one of her girls and she is one of mine).

She had everything all selected for us and I called my local store for this designer to schedule my measuring/fitting/order. Guess what they told me. Those style numbers were discontinued by the designer! (Insert scary, dramatic music here).

Gasp! So, I hit up the Bride instantly and told her what they told me. Poor thing had to go back to her original list find and create a new list of things she liked. I called my store and we found what was still available. From there, we all voted on what we liked and the crisis was quickly solved.

The moral of the story? If you're planning your wedding 6 months in advance or more, HAVE BACK-UPS!!!!!!!!!!!! You do NOT want to end up like her or in a worse situation. It can take a while to order & receive dresses, so you want to plan ahead. And if your number one is not available, you'd better have a number 2, 3, 4 and maybe even 5.

So what do I do? In case you're intersted in my crazy methodology, I have print outs of my favorites. They are filed in order from favorite to least favorite and on the back of the last one, I have a list of others to consider as well. I have a year and a half to go. I can't justify having my girls buy something now. Especially with the one getting married before me! LOL. So, once it gets closer, I'll see which of all of these are available, and go from there.

Planning is key here, folks. Styles change CONSTANTLY. So keep checking your favorite designers' websites and browsing the internet and stores. You may just surprise yourself! :)

P.S. This does not apply to dresses alone, folks. Have a back up for everything! Especially if you're in a case like mine and stupid politicians can tell you where and when you can and cannot get married. You always want to be prepared. Like a boy scout. Just in a wedding dress. ;)

Remember, only 561 days until I marry the love of my life! ;)