Wedding Wedding Work Wedding

So I find my days filled with wedding stuff now. It is even hard to focus on my job! I honestly can't believe how stressful this is! I wanted a small wedding so I wouldn't get stressed but this reception is killing me! I've had a headache for the past 4 days! It is fun, don't get me wrong, just stressful and tiring! I won a TV from the last wedding show that Olga and I went to! I'm going to pick it up on Saturday! That is, after I get my car fixed...just want I needed is for my water pump to go out! Anway, this is what I have accomplished!

Ceremony:

Ray and I wrote our entire ceremony and vows. We pulled a lot of ideas from other things and put it all together just the way we wanted. We are having the ceremony on Cannon Beach on May 31st. It will just be parents and siblings. We talked about having everyone down there but you need a permit to have more than 50 people, so this will still make it an intimate ceremony. I am using a destination wedding specialist who provides help with everything, the officiant, photos and flowers if I decided I want that. http://www.beachweddings101.com/ We have made our hotel reservations and we are staying at the same hotel we usually stay at! I have my hair piece, thank you Tom and Olga! I think this is how I will do my hair with the comb they bought me - which is NOT a feather like this! But this is the best photo I could find of a french twist.

I have my dress...or so I hope! It was delivered yesterday while my parents were gone and my dad didn't get it last night when he got home so I pray it is still on the doorstep! Isn't it a perfect dress for the beach??? I love it! http://davidsbridal.com/bridal_gowns_detail.jsp?stid=3177&prodgroup=210

Honeymoon:

My dad booked our honeymoon at Disneyworld! I just read something today that says it is better to splurge some and stay at a nicer resort and not one of the value priced ones. Which is where my dad booked us. So that kinda stinks. Maybe the reception won't cost as much and we can upgrade or something. We are on our honeymoon from the 3rd-1oth! I am so excited first to fly, second to be away from work and third for being at DisneyWorld for 7 days!!!

Reception:

We are having our congrats party (reception) on June 14th. We have decided to have a build-your-own sandwich buffet with some sides like pasta salad, green salad, potato salad and chips. I went to Sam's the other day and priced out everything they had available and should be around $600 for sandwich makings/condiments/water/silverware/cups and plates. I need to find champagne. I'm not sure yet it if we will serve champagne or just have it for Ray and I and have sparkling cider for everyone else. Tables and chairs are so expensive it is crazy! $1.00/chair and $10/table! My aunt Tammie offered to let me use the vases and tableclothes that they purchased for Jaime's wedding! I need 10 volunteers to make cupcakes, those will be our dessert and our centerpieces! Each table will have a cupcake stand with different flavored cupcakes from the 10 volunteers! Then we may just do a small cake to cut from Sam's because their smallest cake is $108 so pretty good price!

So this is what I have accomplished so far. I actually feel a lot better about it once it is all down in writing! My project is to find a bra and jewelry for the wedding day. I think I will wear the dress again for the reception which means I need to find shoes as well! We also need to find wedding bands, there is one jeweler desiging a few for me to choose from that will match mine. We have Ray's but it is too small. We also need to find what Ray is wearing for the ceremony.

**I am always up for ideas and suggestions and hints!!**

Isn't it supposed to be MY day??

So today is a venting post. I apologize in advance. I know I haven't yet shared about the holidays, sorry for the venting before the fun.


So the part of the wedding process that is frustrating me the most is not having it really be MY day. I know that every girl grows up hearing how important their wedding day is. We grow up hearing that it is a day all about us and we get to plan our dreams. I'm learning that it reallly has nothing to do with what I really want. I really wanted to elope and not hurt anyone's feelings because we wouldn't invite anyone. But since my parents are giving us some money and my mom almost started crying when I told her we wanted to elope, my choice went out the window. Now anything we plan really isn't my decision. It is who will be upset by this choice, who will be happy if I do this? I can't even say what type of plates and silverware I want at the reception without being told that it isn't nice enough, and shouldn't I care about that? Honestly, I don't care. I don't understand the whole reception thing right now. If we are having a private wedding ceremony, going on our honeymoon and then having a party, why do I still need a standard reception? I really just want a party for everyone to celebrate together. I don't understand why I'm stressing out about what will make everyone else happy. What about me? What about Ray? What about what we want to do? If we get a small amount of money then we should be able to do what we want with that. I think really, if my parents want to make their own decisions and this is what they want or this is what they think is better, than they shouldn't have put up such a small budget. I do appreciate the help but it really isn't enough to do what THEY want. Having only parents and siblings was a stretch, they wanted over 50 people! What happened to a small wedding? Apparently my dad had a discussion with me before I moved out of their house that since I was moving in with Ray that they wouldn't be helping with a wedding at all. So them helping at all is a gift because they want to help us out. If it is a gift then why are there strings attached? I understand my parents want to be there but then why do girls grow up thinking that it will be the happiest time of their life? Yeah, one day. One day is what people stress out about for months! The one day doesn't matter! The rest of our lives together is what matters! Why is it so important that everyone watch us exchange vows and rings? That is 30 minutes out of a lifetime. A marriage is not a day, it is a lifetime. I don't understand. If someone has all the answers for me, please help! I don't want to spend the next 5 months feeling like this. I lost it today at work because I'm so stressed. I don't even know what to do anymore. I just want it to be my day, Ray's day. A day for us to share our love with each other and vow our lives to each other. Ok...I think I'm done...please help if you have the answers.