Productive doesn’t even begin to describe this weekend

2010 January 24
by E.P.

I had no idea what was in store for me when I drove back to Memphis on Thursday afternoon. I knew we were going wedding gown shopping, I knew we were going to look at bridesmaid gowns, I knew we were probably going to book the reception site, but I had NO IDEA just how much we would knock off this to-do list.

  1. I went shopping with my mother at a bridal shop in Arkansas. We found and purchased my GOWN! (I’m still so surprised and oh-so-squeal-y about this that I’m sure it will get obnoxious quickly. But seriously? YAY! I have my dress!)
  2. I made a decision on the church AND reception site! I called the minister who I would love to be our officiant. And we met with the executive chef who has some fantastic ideas for the evening! (And we can have kegs! AH! Because we’re totally classy.)
  3. Along the same lines, we OFFICIALLY have a date.
  4. My mother, sister and I made fast work of many bridal stores in Memphis. We learned that a certain, nationwide chain’s bridesmaid gowns aren’t so nice. We discovered that another chain’s gowns were more lovely in person. And we narrowed down the style we want. And pretty much figured out colors, too.
  5. Last night, we started discussing music for the ceremony. Since I’ve played in many, many weddings, I’ve scrapped a lot of the traditional favorite pieces and am digging into my musical repertoire to find different songs, especially to walk down the aisle.
  6. I’ve been asked to be a Bloggette! And my first post is officially up on the site!

This weekend? Has been so freaking productive it’s almost unbelievable. And I hope things continue to move forward smoothly.

This wedding planning process, while it has already made me cry a few times, WILL be an adventure, and I am so excited about everything pertaining to it.

Nine months to go, lovelies, and I cannot wait for October 30!

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from → all about me, everyone's getting maaaarried, wedding planning

  • Congrats on the dress, the date, and everything else you got done! I am so excited for you.
  • Thank you so much! I cannot believe it's all finally coming together!
  • Goodness! You are on fire. Congrats on.. well, everything!!
  • Haha, something like that. Thanks so much! And thanks for stopping by!
  • That is really the best feeling ever! Congrats on finalizing so many things!
  • It's a wonderful feeling! Thanks so much, fellow bride!
  • CONGRATS! Where in Arkansas did you go?
  • Thanks so much! We actually went to Brinkley to a big wedding warehouse
    there. (Random, but it was AWESOME.) So happy my mom convinced us to go
    there!
  • walkingonsunshine18
    Wow you did have a productive weekend !!!
  • Haha, I definitely did! And it makes me super happy!
  • Congrats! A Fall wedding will be so pretty! Do you think you'll post any photos?
  • Thanks so much! I'm super excited about our fall wedding, and I definitely
    plan on posting photos after it!
  • I secretly wish to be a wedding planner one day so this post made me drool. But congratulations on knocking so many things off your list. I'm curious as to what your wedding colours are. Can't wait to hear more.
  • How fun! That makes me excited for you because this wedding planning stuff,
    while it can be nuts, is also super fun to be around! Thanks so much!

    Our main color will be an eggplant purple. And then we'll be adding fall-y
    colors that match. Soooo yeah. I haven't quite worked it out yet, but that's
    the original thought right now.
  • Congrats on finding you dress and making those big decisions! Those are not little things to decide on. Is it weird I know what music I want even if I don't have the guy yet?
  • Thanks so much, Andrea! It still feels really good to have this knocked out.

    And that's not weird at all! Having played in lots of weddings, I have a
    long list of all the songs I don't want played at my wedding. ;) Kind of
    similar, right? What are some songs you'd like to have played?
  • yay! yay! yay! doesn't it feel awesome to cross so many things off the list? and it's just fun. so excited you got your dress too, woo!
  • Yes! It feels incredible to be finally knocking things off my list,
    and I'm pumped to continue to be productive!

    How is your planning going?
  • ria
    oh congrats EP! that is all so exciting and i bet a huge weight off your shoulders!
  • Thanks so much, Ria! I appreciate it! It certainly does feel nice to
    have some things crossed off the list!
  • Nora_L
    I can't wait to hear more about the dress, the venue, everything! I think I know what chain you are talking about (the not so nice ones) and I couldn't agree more.

    Productive wedding weekends are the best and you deserve it! I hope I can come see you soon; we need to nail down a date so it's on the books!
  • I cannot wait to share all about everything! I'm super excited about being productive, and I'm glad that you know the chain I am talking about. Apparently, a lot of people have had problems with them recently. *shrugs*

    And YES! We definitely need to nail down a date so we can hang out! I miss you!
  • This is all so exciting! I'm thrilled for you! :)
  • Thanks so much, lovely!
  • Another October bride! (I was October 12.) Once you get the gown the whole thing starts rolling faster and faster.
  • Aww, so fun! It's a gorgeous time of year, and I cannot wait to start working on the details.

    What was your favorite thing about wedding planning?
  • I designed my own invitations and by far that was my favorite part. They were original and unlike anyone else's. Plus it was just a fun project all around. :)
  • Aww, how fun! I really, really want to be able to do that, and you're going to have to tell me how you made it happen!
  • Unfortunately, I couldn't afford fancy software (photoshop, pagemaker, etc.) so I just used Word, but used it creatively. There was some website (I wish I remembered the name) where you could order all kinds of paper and envelopes and enclosures. I used the colors and paper cutters made for scrapbooking to do some creative things making them different.

    It was one of the few times in my life I enjoyed being crafty. Usually I get frustrated and quit mid-project. :)
  • That's awesome that you were able to navigate them without one of the fancy
    programs! Good for you! I'm the same way about being crafty. I'm really
    creative, but I want instant results...

    I'm going to have to try this out!
  • Wow you are totally hitting wedding planning out of the park! Good for you!! Do we get to see a picture of the dress?! :D

    Glad to hear you had such an awesome and productive weekend! That must be a huge relief!
  • Thanks! I couldn't believe we got so much done this past weekend, but I am stoked that we did! And I want to share the dress, I really do, but I'm keeping it a secret until the wedding. It's something so different for me, and I want everyone to be surprised by it. But I will definitely be posting photos here afterward so y'all can see it!

    Thanks, again! Hooray for productive weekends!
  • Congratulations!! I am so happy for you and cannot wait to hear more about your plans.
  • Thanks so much! It feels good to finally have that ball rolling!
  • holy hot shit! this is all so awesome! woooooo hoooo girl! so proud. i'm kind of dying to see your dress. feel free to send me a pic via email if you want to share. but i totally understand if you want to keep it a secret!
  • Haha, thank you! So much! I'm super thrilled about it all still! And I'm keeping the dress a secret until the wedding, but you better believe I'll be posting photos here afterward!
  • Holy wedding weekend! I'm so glad you have been so productive.
  • I know! It's crazy! And thank you! I hope the productivity continues!
  • Um can I get a link to the dress please??? I'm so glad you got so much done for the wedding!!
  • Thanks so much! And I am completely excited to share the dress with the Internet... after the wedding. ;) (Partly because I know the fiance, as well as friends and family members who I haven't allowed to see the gown yet read my blog. And because I honestly cannot remember the designer of my dress. It's really cool, though!)
  • Lys
    oh my gosh, erin! i'm so happy and excited for you!! congrats, congrats and congrats, i'm so glad everything is going so smoothly for you!! you should have lucy be the ring-bearer, hehe! i can't wait to hear about everything as it comes along :)
  • Thanks! It's just SO crazy! I hope things continue to go as smoothly as they went this past weekend, and I really want Lucy to be the ring-bearer. Fiance, my mother, sister and two of my bridesmaids have already vetoed that, claiming she couldn't be calm enough to walk down the aisle with rings strapped on her back. ;) So we'll see! And I will definitely keep you updated!
  • Getting the dress is such a big step! I've, personally, never done it but it seems like it's that ONE thing that when you find it, it's such a weight off your shoulders. So, yay! And it's great everything is coming together and I, too, hope things continue to go smoothly for you!
  • You are completely correct! It is a weight off my shoulders, since I got the dress taken care of, and I am super excited to put it on again. (Too bad I have to wait 4 months for the dress to make it back to the store. Le sigh.)

    Thank you so much!
  • Congrats! Oh my goodness, that's a ton! Congratulations of getting your dress and on getting your first post up, that must be a relief!
  • Thanks, lovely! It really is a ton, and I had NO IDEA that I was going to take care of that much in a single weekend!

    ... How long did it take you to completely plan your wedding?
  • We got engaged over Christmas 2007, and were planning a September 2009 wedding (so not really doing much lol). In May 2008 we bought our house and were moving into it in July, so we decided to move the wedding up by a year.

    I planned from May - July, then we moved, and then I did all the DIY stuff in August & had everything finalized by September 1st. I took the rest of September off planning and just did a last vendor touch base the week before the wedding. So all in all, four months of planning, start to finish.
  • libbydempsey
    Wow! You did have a productive weekend! Yay is right :-)
  • I know! It's crazy looking back to it, but I am over the moon excited!
  • How exciting! I cant wait to hear more about the plans for your wedding!

    Im all about kegs at a wedding. They can be out of sight and no one would ever know! Cost efficient Im sure.
  • I cannot wait to write more about the wedding planning! I'd been holding off since I didn't really have anything to write, and now, things are taking off!

    I'm a fan of kegs at weddings, too. They're super cost efficient, too, which makes them even better!
  • justatitch
    Congrats! That has to feel so good---to have things coming together and falling into place. How exciting!
  • Thanks so much! It's thrilling to have knocked so much off my to-do list in one weekend. I just hope this flow continues!
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