Tricks of the trade. Oy!

Wedding planning has been tougher than I expected. Like a lot of ladies out there, when I first got this pretty ring, I tromped around like a peacock saying things like "Oh I'm gonna be a relaxed bride - there really isn't that much to plan. No need to fret!" "Weddings? Eh they're just parties - no big deal at all!" "HA! Ask the fiance to help plan? I'd never do that to stud muffin, over there."

Well it turns out, I'm just like most of the other over-excited girls out there that are given a new, shiny ring. It's obvious now, so I'm gonna just stop lying and admit a couple of things - right here, right now.

I have been planning this day since I was like 3 years old
I like flowers. Quite a bit, in fact
I don't like making decisions by myself - so I'd really like it if fiance chimed in
This process is a wee bit stressful

Ok. Phew. So we're good?

After I realized that I'm not above any of the other brides (listen other brides, I'm really sorry I thought that at first. I've been humbled and I really hope you'll forgive my hauteur) I started to look for help. Here's some of the awesome things that I found so far:

Timeli the timeline app. Quite helpful. Real easy to use.

Outline by TheFWA. Hands down, the best organizing app in the world. I <3 you, Outline.  

Ready for a mind grenade? Check out Simplybridal.com. It's an LA based company and it seems pretty legit. I found a dress I loooove for a smokin' $250. I'll let you all know how it works out when it gets here (the only bummer about the website is that it takes 40-45 days for dresses to get to be delivered). 

Thanks to a fellow-bride-to-be friend, I also learned an awesome trick for surviving wedding shows. My friend insisted that I print out labels with my contact information before the show so that I could simply peal and stick, rather than stop to fill out contact forms. I guffawed. I thought "No, my dear friend, these labels you speak of are below me. I won't be needing to fill out any forms." Luckily my friend continued to harass me and I went to the show with a roll of labels. GENIUS. I already won $250 off a DJ Package (which I won't be using since I'm getting married in Wyoming) since I stuck my label on just about every stick-able surface in the place. 

Another great tip: create an email address just for wedding crap. No need clogging up the 'ol inbox with David's Bridal coupons. 

Ok, I've got one last Wedding Planning tip. You probably already know it. A friend of mine gave me Meg Keene's book, A Practical Wedding. I had never heard of Meg and I put off even opening the book for a couple of weeks. Then one day, while avoiding 16202 after work because I didn't feel like unpacking or cleaning, I parked it in a coffee shop with a cup of tea and started reading. I must of been way more stressed then I realized because after about two pages I was concentrating on what Meg had to say like my life depended on it. "A wedding is about a marriage, a union of two people, not a party. Don't let other peoples' expectations drive your decisions for big moment with your future life partner. It's just a party, you don't actually care what the chairs looks like." 

Cue up "life lesson being learned" music.

I felt the lump in my throat. My eyes felt hot. Heysues chreesto! Why was I so tied up these silly little details. Deep breath. Sip of tea (ah too hot.. hot hot). Sink back in the chair. Ok. Ah Ok. Crazy bride reset. I was ready to move forward again. Thanks, Meg. I owe ya one. 

I've also poked around on Meg's blog -  http://apracticalwedding.com/ - a bit. It's just great. 

I'm sure they'll be more to come! Stay tuned, my friends.