wedding stories / advice!

[cloudsoup]

i'm afraid i've been bitten by the wedding bug! my father
is getting remarried in june and this has urged me &my fiance
to get things started with ours, which won't be until fall of 2011...
but i'm already starting to plan! he thinks i'm nuts  

i'm wanting to avoid the chaos and stress that i've been
watching my relatives go through, since i come from a long line
of procrastinators. i'm excited most about the overall design of
the wedding. i went to school for interior design and would love
to do event planning, so i'm wanting to use this opportunity as
career experience too.

SO, what was your wedding like? did the big day go smoothly?
were there any disasters? was your family/in-laws helpful or
overbearing? what do you think a good budget is and how
did you cut corners?

i want it to hear it all  

[Valerie1979]

i had two weddings...
first one - we travelled home... families did all the food, had it at a church w/ no fees, reception was at a community center/ park thing that I loved -- on the water-- cheap and easy to decorate, etc.  budget was low key - I spent the most on dress/shoes/accessories and our rings. We did our own invitations and had a relatively inexpensive family friend do the photography/videography.

2nd wedding -- VEGAS (with family/friends) -- still did the church wedding, but our reception was much more costly - we also did professional make-up and hair for the ladies

Tips:
don't go cheap on:
-photography -- it is the thing that you will have at the end and forever

you can cut corners on:
-invitations
-favors

talk with your fiance -- what is important for both of you... it might be "fun bar type party" or it might be something very elegant -- you choose and whatever you two agree on will make it very special for you!     You need to be happy and content.

DON'T sweat the small stuff -- you need to know that something might happen on wedding day, but again remember the importance... the memories of the "remember when such and such happenned" make it all that much more special in the end.  Take it easy and ENJOY this.

[cloudsoup]

i was thinking of making my own invitations, actually!
one reason being, the ones that i've fallen in love with
are ones that people have made themselves. the store-
bought type, and even the 20-something websites i've
seen where you purchase them, just aren't up to par.
the handmade look is rich with personal touches...


i agree 100% with you on photography. thanks