Lee Enterprises - Western Region Bridal Guide 2024 | 15 edding P lanning CHEYENNE ROWE Grand Island Independent from a Bride-to-be W I feel like every girl grows up dreaming about her wedding. To be completely honest my Pinterest board was busy before I’d even gone on my first date. Did that matter, though? No. Did all of my ideas change once I finally became a bride-to-be? Yes. My fiancé, Nathan, and I got engaged in February of 2023. Now, a year later, we’re in the full swing of wedding planning and what I have dubbed “the wedding woes.” Aside from beautiful dresses, delicious cake and the romantic first dance of my dreams, there are a lot of intricacies that Pinterest never prepares you for. And they hit me like a truck in the beginning. Nathan and I had things we liked, or didn’t, and we’re confident in things like not wanting kids at our wedding and reception (surprisingly controversial). And then the opinions of everyone around you enter the chat. Said opinions are usually accompanied by the sentiment that “you can do whatever you want, it’s your wedding,” but if you’re anything like me (a serial people pleaser), ignoring the nagging need to make sure others are happy is easier said than done. My advice? Those people are right. Just go ahead and have that come to Jesus meeting you’re worried about. Your family will understand. Once you come to the conclusion that you physically can’t please every guest, the worry melts away. Yes, indeed, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. “Wait! It gets better, Cheyenne?” You bet, beautiful! After literally a full calendar year of engagement my fiancé and I actually found a venue! It came after a small argument, sure, but we’ve done it! We Google-searched our hearts out around the literal middle- point geographically between our families and found a single option. But it was perfect. And it felt perfect too. And believe me when I say that our wedding vision changed more than once over the course of our current planning process. We went from a wedding venue less than 5 minutes from our home, with more than 350 guests, to a micro-wedding in another state. Somehow, almost comically, we landed somewhere in the middle. The venue had our date (something not totally guaranteed within a year of our preferred date). It is big enough to fit our guest list (after a few cuts, careful selection and, yes, no children). It is flexible (no required vendors). It was almost half way between my family and his (Omaha and Central City). And, of course, it was in our budget (another topic worthy of a column entirely). Instead of the anxiety and unsureness that had come alongside all of our other ideas - and believe me, we had plenty - we seemed to be semi at peace. We asked all of our questions, listed pros and cons and more. Instead of hating the process, it was easy. Things might seem like a mess. You might be overwhelmed now trying to please family and friends. But I’m here to tell you to take a deep breath (and maybe a shot) and hang in there. The wedding planning woes will pass and the view and vibes on the other side aren’t too bad.
ADOBE STOCK ©
them, listen to your instincts and solicit references to verify your impressions. 5. Set your inner OCD free. Planning a wedding is the perfect time to indulge any obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Create a binder to keep track of all your wedding planning. It’s a great place to store photos and magazine pages of looks you like so you can share them with vendors, but it’s also the spot where you can accumulate all of your contracts, receipts, contact information and other documentation. When a guest or vendor calls with a question, you can put your hands on the information you need in mere minutes, keeping stress at a minimum all around. Planning a wedding requires discipline and patience, but the payoff is big – among the biggest in your life, in fact. Take a business-like approach to planning the details, then plan to enjoy your day to the fullest. Find more tips for all of life’s special moments at elivingtoday.com.
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker