Cha-ching.

Despite appearances - what is most important to me is not ribbon, tulle, the meal at the reception, the bar bill, or the wedding gown. I do not care if people leave our wedding saying "I've been to nicer, ritzier weddings".

What is most important to me is that I will get to marry my best friend, and that he and I will be together for the rest of our lives.

That is the most important thing.

That having been stated - it bears noting that we are planning a non-small wedding. And, thanks in part to our age and relative success - we are footing the majority of the bill. (not to diminish AT ALL the contributions that we have received - they are VERY MUCH appreciated) Here's why that's stressful for us... Weddings are ridiculously expensive. And these vendors know that they can play on your emotions VERY easily. "It's your one special day" "How many times are you going to have a wedding?" "If you don't want to splurge on your wedding, I can understand that" SHEESH! It's evil profiteering, and at the same time - they are not wrong. This is our special day, and we want it to be unforgettable, and wonderful, and magical...

I'm just going to have to continue to remind myself that 50 years from now, the 3 hours of enjoyment I might have gotten from having chair covers at the reception will not make a difference one way or another. What will make a difference is whether or not Alex and I make the choice every day to be participants in our marriage, and to love one another above all else. So - at some point, I'm going to need to let go of the 100% fairy tale wedding, and go with more of a hybrid - 50% fairy tale, and 50% realistic.

Oh - and I have GOT to stop watching Platinum Weddings. (For those who have never seen it - it's about people who spend more than a quarter of a million dollars on their weddings... I am elated to report that we are nowhere even close to a fraction of that amount!)

So - scaling back a bit is what's in order here. As is true with make-up, let's hope that weddings benefit from the "less is more" approach. :)

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES, C'MON!

We booked a DJ.

We wanted to go with the company for which I worked during the end of high school and beginning of college, but unfortunately, I would never get them to return my phone calls or emails. So we went with a competitor.

It's going to be great! This company charges less and offers more. I'm thinking the reception is going to be the can't miss party of the season. (At least - for Alex and me!)

I have an appointment with a potential florist on Wednesday this week. I'm a little scared about how much flowers might end up costing me. Especially since they are an item that I care less about than so many other details. (This is obvious, of course, because I've left them till almost last to deal with)

Today and tomorrow my hope is to sit down, and work the numbers. I want to know how much of our budget is left over, and just how scary this whole thing has gotten. We're very close to 100% planned and deposited - so I'm hoping there's enough left to stretch the last 3-5%.