Where to Begin: Choosing a Date

After the realization sets in that "OMG, I'm getting married!", it can be an overwhelming undertaking to actually start planning. Like most brides-to-be out there, I had never planned a wedding. I've seen family members plan weddings when I was in high school, but I had never done it. Only one of my friends from college is married, and I'm the first of my immediate friends to get engaged. Since then two more of my friends have gotten engaged and one more is in the works! (There must be something in the water).

I have to admit that I was overcome by the deluge of options for wedding "stuff". Indoor or outdoor? Church or garden? Friday, Saturday, or Sunday? Big or small? Before the engagement I found myself perusing bridal "things". I'd secretly check out The Knot for pretty ideas or WeddingBee especially since one of my former coworkers is Mrs. Tomato. It was fun to check things out without the strings attached. With the ring slipped on my finger, I now get to think in concrete terms. I am planning a wedding!

The day after the question was popped, we started talking about when. During our first conversation we discussed sometime in 2009. We thought about March or April before the real wedding season rush. As soon as we broke the news to our parents, my mom asked that we wait until she finished grad school in May '09. So then I thought about May 30, 2009. She vetoed it, and asked that my sister be on summer vacation from college. We narrowed dates down to end of June and July, since we didn't really want to wait until August or September if we didn't have to. We chose July 11 or July 18 as possible dates and moved on from there. We thought that this would be a good compromise especially since we still have friends who are in college or grad school and wouldn't be able to attend during the "school year".

Then began the hunt for the venue. With a date in mind, this made the search easier. Certain places could be thrown out while others would remain under consideration.

image from: Embroidery Library