I know that I have posted before that I am the “single” one in the office, but that is no longer. I am officially engaged! My fiancé and I have been dating for about 6 years, and it is definitely “time”. I have to say, however, it is weird to be planning my wedding. It just seems so easy compared to some of the horror stories I have heard from other brides.
I did have my pangs of panic and anxiety at first, before we had a date and location nailed down. That was really stressing me out. For me, that was one of the most important components. I knew that I wanted a summer 2012 wedding at a venue that was able to house my family and friends from back east. I was extremely anxious about securing a date and a venue, but once that was taken care of, I feel pretty Zen (we’ll see how that goes over the next year 
).
I mean, what else is there to it? I feel like there are five main elements that need to be secured: date/venue, caterer/alcohol, band/entertainment, photographer and an officiant. These are the things that are priorities for me.
In my case, catering is provided by the venue, alcohol as well. I haven’t nailed down specifics, but we have time there and the vendor is secure. Officiant, check. Now the two big tickets items that I feel I need to nail down are a band and photographer. I feel that I need to go ahead and nail these vendors down for one reason, availability. I would be bummed if the photographer that I am interested in would not be available because I dragged my feet on securing them for the date. Same with a band, they can only play one gig per day.
Flowers are the one thing that I do find myself dragging my feet on, mainly because, again, for me, it is the first place that I can skimp when it comes to budget. While I absolutely want an amazing flower arrangement on each table, it doesn’t matter to me if that does not happen. I would be devastated if I couldn’t have a band, but flowers on every table are just not a big detail for me.
So for now, I am Blair, the Zen bride. We’ll see how the next year goes
Cheers,
Blair
Dear “Zen” Bride-
I feel like you just described my exact engagement. I’ve only been engaged for 2 weeks, but we’ve been together 5 years, and I am still stressing over finding the perfect venue and the perfect date. I’ve only looked at 3 places so far and Donovan Pavilion in Vail, CO is my top choice. Certain family members are encouraging me to keep looking, but I start my LSAT prep class TODAY, and I don’t want to have to worry about a venue and a date on top of studying for the Law School admittance exam. Seeing the pictures at Silverthorne Pavilion make me wonder if I should loosen up just a little and look at maybe one or two more places. How long did it take to find your venue?
I also feel the same way about flowers: they are an unnecessary expense. And I think the way I am going to shave off a few bucks is by only having the bridesmaids’ bouquets and no decorative flowers. I’m good with just a votive and candle and a creative DIY table number as centerpieces!
I hope you stay zen over the next year, and I hope I do too