guilty as charged. i want to get married. i want a beautiful wedding that costs more than most people might spend on a car. and even though i have a boyfriend, i am becoming less and less confident that he will ever become “the fiance.” but that hasn’t put a damper on my wedding preparations. in my underwear drawer where most girls hide condoms or birth control pills or pot, i am hiding a manila folder full of wedding stuff.
i am not ashamed.
and if you know any good dance songs for a wedding that will consist mostly of white people with no culture to speak of, hit me up! at my brother’s wedding it seemed like everybody stood around in a circle like it was a middle school dance and everybody was too embarrassed to be the first to start dancing, despite the abundance of alcoholic libations available. even though i don’t really care for dancing myself, i want my guests to leave my wedding talking about how that was one of the funnest parties ever. it’s all in the folder.
my mbf (mormon best friend) shelbs has apparently also started to plan my future nuptuals, probably because her and all her sisters (except one who shelbs has most likely given up on) and brother have all made that trip down the aisle. it’s cute that she is already taking her future matron of honor duties seriously. nothing is worse than a deadbeat bridesmaid! so thanks for thinking of me buddy
we’ll have to combine our efforts (soon i hope!!) to make that wedding a real gem.
it may cause my poor dad to have another heart attack, but considering all the bells and whistles i simply must have for my big day, the cost is looking considerably pricey. now i am more than willing to take out, oh, say, a $10k loan to supplement the $13k my dad has pledged (according to my understanding) in order to make all my dreams come true. i honestly have no compunctions about spending that much money on one day because the memories and the marriage to follow will be worth every penny… unless i’m one of the 50% who gets a divorce. tell you what dad, if i get a divorce during your lifetime, i will pay you back any money you spent on the extravagent wedding i just had to have.
i’m guessing, after researching online and in bridal magazines (my fav is northern california bride because all the vendors and locales are in, duh, norcal and therefore much easier for me to plan realistically.), i think the single most costly part of the wedding will be the alcohol at the reception. i may come from a mormon family, but i doubt my future husband will have a sober family and i know my friends will be totally bummed if there’s no liquor available. my friends’ reception had a “cash” bar, so even though there was a full bar, all the guests had to pay for their own drinks. i don’t want my guests to have to bring cash to my reception, but i also don’t want to shell out like $10k on liquor so all my friends and in-laws can get shit-faced. no puking!! so my brilliant compromise is to have an open bar, but only serve pink champagne, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, and a few beers on tap. no hard alcohol, no mixed drinks. i think that is totally reasonable, will save me some expense, and hopefully prevent too many drunk-ass bridesmaids from passing out on the bathroom floor.
after the bar tab, it looks like photography may cost a pretty penny, but i’m hoping to enlist a photographer friend who will give me a discount. plus i only want black and white pics (so classy) and that’s gotta cost less than color, right? also i am so skipping a videographer. i’ve seen wedding videos and they are always 2 hours too long and super boring, sort of like kevin costner movies (waterworld, anyone? wyatt earp?).
and then there’s the most important part of all: my dress. i would kill for a monique lhullier gown, but i know that’s just out of the question.

it's especially gorgeous from the front, but you get the drift... to.die.for!
however, i do want a custom dress and i understand that they run around $3k. that i can handle. my gown will be a replica of the one pink wore when she married corey hart, although i do plan on wearing shoes. but not high heels. my feet just can’t hang and i don’t want to be uncomfortable, so i’m gonna wear ballet slippers. the dress will be long enough to cover them so it’s no big deal. and, hey, that’s like another $400 saved because if i were to wear heels i would be very tempted to splurge on manolos or christian louboutins. i do have some restraint. i used to want to wear a dress just like the john galliano masterpiece gwen stefani wore when she married that gavin rossdale, but i showed a pic to my mom and she wasn’t as impressed as i was and pretty much vetoed that one. but that’s ok, think ivory and black number will go perfectly with the rest of the theme and color scheme… not to mention how freakin

soooo me... maybe too me, if there is such a thing.
awesome i will look in that baby. it’s so beeyooteeful that i will probably lounge around in it on weekends, eating ice cream out of the carton until it gets too tight, then i’ll put it away until i lose the ice cream pounds… then repeat
looking forward to it already.
i haven’t decided on a location yet, although i have ruled out a few places: no beaches, no forests, and no restaurants. beaches are so done, my sister got married in a forest already, and my friend had her reception at a restaurant and it just wasn’t the ambience i’m going for. ideally, i would kill to have my ceremony at a winery– bonus points because the reception would be at the same place so the guests wouldn’t have to drive to the reception.
one of the parts of planning a wedding i’m looking forward to most is choosing flowers. i really love flowers and never have enough around, so my wedding will be the ultimate bloom fest. my color scheme is ivory, champagne, pink, and black so the flowers (orchids, please!!!) should be in various matching shades to coordinate. i also want ivory candles, tea lights, not tapers, even if tea lights are kinda cliche. the other part of the theme is pearls and stones, so on the table tops i envision smooth black stones in glass bowls and pearls strewn about. ahhh, i just drool imagining the beauty of it all.
now, because i’m not a traditional gal, i think the groom and groomsmen should wear black vests with pink ties or some combo like that and for a little punk twist they should all wear black chuck taylors. instead of boutinieres i’m thinking pearl studs or something… shelbs will have to help me with that part. as for my bridesmaids, i don’t like the whole matchy-matchy thing with awful dyed shoes, so i’m just gonna tell my ladies to buy any black dress they like (ahem, with my prior approval, natch), wear pearl jewelry, any black shoes, and then each will get a nice, heavy pink sash to wear around the waist. that’ll tie them all together and also with me since my dress will have a black sash. ah, to die.
now for food and music and all that, i really don’t know yet. i think i want to walk down the aisle to “black bird” and dance with my dad to “annie’s song,” but i’m still really torn on like the song for my first dance with the husband. i really like songs that i feel a personal connection to, but it seems like most songs i have a personal connection to are, like, total bummers. most of them are about death or drugs or lost love. so we’ll see about that. and i think i want a live band, but maybe not for the whole party? it’s just i feel like dj’s cheapen a nice party.
i know this is all sounding super narcissistic and kinda psycho, but i figure the more decisions i make now, the less stressed i will be in the future. you’re in for a rollercoaster ride shelbster!!
one hitch… gotta get this first (these are both french antiques, the first from 1920’s and the other from 1950’s):

j'adore...

j'adore aussi!
ahh, peut etre quelque jour…