Now what?

I find myself asking this question all the time.."now what?"  I'm pretty sure this was the first thought in my head right after I said "Yes" to Pete and called some immediate family members to share the good news.  In my immediate circle of friends I'm the first one getting married.  I'm also the first grandchild getting married.  My childhood best friend got married last year and I flew in two days before to stand next to her as a bridesmaid.  To be honest, I have never planned nor been around someone who was planning a wedding.  So after those initial first moments of awe and excitement were over I realized that I was in over my head and totally overwhelmed.  I always thought I would know exactly what I wanted and that I would have the entire wedding planned out by the next day.  However, it's not the case!  There is so much to consider that I could never just plan something in a day! I think it's so easy to get caught up in EVERYTHING at once and get really lost and burnt out.  So I'm taking things one at a time.  There are a lot of wedding planner guides available in bookstores and online but even with those guides I am feeling my way through this process and going at my own pace.    We are about 3 months into planning and have set our wedding date and location.  That's it.  That's all I know so far.  People ask me all the time if I've done this part or decided on that and all I can tell them is "I don't know yet," because it's the truth.  I haven't gotten to that part yet because I don't want to jump around to different things.  So now that date and location are set...now what?


What I'm using to plan my wedding

Ok so first I should probably start out with what I'm using to get my planning in gear.

First thing I did when I started planning was buy a folder.  I needed something that I could use to hold onto important receipts, papers, contracts, etc. and take around with me when I go to visit venues and vendors.  I also signed up for a few wedding websites like The Knot and Wedding Wire to help me stay up to date with current trends, ideas, inspiration and venue choices.  Just beware of the reviews for the venues.  After reading through a bunch of them I realized that almost every review is written by a bride/groom who had their wedding at that specific location.  So of course the reviews will be biased because let's face it, they chose the place so of course they are going to love it!  Another website that I'm using is Etsy, which is an awesome website to buy handmade/original and really creative stuff through independent vendors.  I like going on this site to browse through various different bridal decorations, invites, favors, etc.  You don't have to order from the site to find inspiration and get ideas!  I'm also using Pinterest to get wonderful inspiration for the wedding through pictures.

The Next Steps...

1. Vendors: My goal for this summer is to find and book some of my vendors.  I'm planning to find a wedding officiant, DJ, and photographer/videographer.  I have a few others on my list but these are the ones I would rather book sooner than later.   
2. Workout/Diet plan: Because let's face it, we all want to look fabulous on our wedding day!  I was doing so well but fell off the wagon last summer.  I'm back on now and have been working out about 3-4 times a week for about 40-60 minutes doing moderate/high intensity workouts at home.    I'm doing both cardio and strength training with hand weights.  I'm debating on whether or not to officially join Weight Watchers but I'll probably just do it on my own.  I will post a different day about the exact workouts/diets I'm doing.  Also, Pete just joined a new boxing gym nearby.  I'm so glad that we are both making an effort to get in shape for our wedding! <3 
3. Keep pinning: Since I'm still in the early stages of planning I am still open to ideas and gathering inspiration.  I'm still very open to the many possibilities and this is such an important day that I want to make sure I plan every last detail.  I've been using the Pinterest app on my iPhone to pin images that give me wedding inspiration or an idea that I want to use.  

I think that about sums up where I am so far with everything.  Which isn't too far but I have more than enough time so there's no need to rush. I hope my next post will have more fun details! Stay tuned!

-Michelle G