Return to Wedding Planning after a brief pause...

I'm back! Matt and I took a week long break from wedding planning (per my request) because I had other things that needed my full attention. :) One of my very best friends got married to another one of my very good friends on May 24, and I was the Maid of Honor that was in charge of the bachelorette party and was singing in the wedding and was also giving the toast, so I decided that in order to devote myself to being totally focused on Stephanie and her wedding, I would have to put my own planning aside. And let me tell you, that wedding was SO MUCH FUN!!!! That group of bridesmaids was one of the most amazing groups of ladies I have ever met, and spending three nonstop days together was such a joy. We were all sad when we realized after the wedding that we wouldn't see each other the next day! Hopefully we will all get to spend some time together soon :) The wedding itself was beautiful, and I couldn't help but smile the biggest smile in the world while I watched two of my favorite people get married. It was just SO GREAT!! Here are a few of the MANY photos from the wedding:

If you can't tell, we bridesmaids enjoyed being together. And those dresses!! Not only were they BEAUTIFUL, they were also incredibly comfortable and non restrictive! We danced and ran around all night in them, and not once did I have to adjust my dress and I was never uncomfortable. Props to David's Bridal for those. You might be seeing those again...:)

But anyways, back to planning for the Wible-Gillis wedding ;)

We have picked two dates that we would like to choose from, and we had a meeting with the church today. It looks like the church is available for both dates and it is incredibly affordable and it has great decorations for us to choose from! Mom and I already have some ideas. ;) The only hangup is the reception venue. We are not having the reception at the church, and we have several ideas for what venues might work for what size and type of wedding (and what price!) we are looking for. So the next step is to visit each venue and ask every question possible, specifically what the price is and how many people it can fit. I plan on having those meetings this week and next. 

As atypical as it might be, I have not looked at wedding dresses at all. We have talked about going to several places, but I personally don't have a strong opinion when it comes to my dress. I want it to be pretty, but it MUST be affordable. However, I have definitely thought about bridesmaids dresses and what colors I want for the wedding. Right now, I am thinking a royal or navy blue and pink for the colors. The dresses would be blue, and the flowers would be pink. I am also hoping to have some lilies in the bouquets because those are my favorite flowers and they are the ones that Matt always gets me. We shall see if they are affordable! 

So with having been in a wedding and then really starting to work on my own, I had to reflect on what I have learned. I must say, I have learned lots about little details of weddings and what I like and don't like, and honestly, what I don't care about. Various people, as well as the book I have been reading about weddings, have said that it is of utmost importance that I not make everything a big deal. I need to decide what things are most important to me, and then put my passion (and probably a big chunk of the budget) into those things. And after thinking about it, I have recognized what things are most important to me: the "party" aspect of the reception, and the photography. I want my wedding to be fun and memorable for not only Matt and myself, but also for our family and friends! Both our families are large and we are rarely all together, and I just graduated from college so many of my friends are spread out, so I want to make the wedding a fun time for everyone to be together. I want there to be dancing and lots of it :) And I want good, clean, fun music. I have no doubt that the food will be good and that the reception hall will be pretty; so I just want to make sure we all have fun. :) Second is photography. I am very sentimental in the area of photography, and I am a perfectionist. Having taken a photography class in college, I have realized how picky I am about how pictures turn out. Plus, that will be the one thing we will have for years and years to come and it's what we can show our children. So there you have it: the two things I care the most about. I don't care about flowers or the food or the invitations or even my own dress; I will focus my attention on the "party" of the reception and the photography and I won't freak out over the things I do not care about! 

Another thing that I have been learning is that God is in control of this wedding and I AM NOT. I have been going through Proverbs during my quiet time, and there has been a constant theme of God's purpose prevailing over the plans of men. Two of the verses that have stood out to me are Proverbs 19:20-21 which read: 

"Listen to advice and accept instruction, 

and in the end you will be wise. 

Many are the plans in a man's heart,

but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

How PERFECT is that to read for wedding planning?! I have never been married before and I have never planned a wedding, so I need to ask for advice and be humble and accept the advice that people give me. I also need to remember throughout all of this that GOD is in control of this wedding and that HIS plans will prevail over Matt's and mine. I know that I won't always remember that, but I pray that I won't try to take control away from The Lord and that I will remember that His plans are ALWAYS better than my own!