I was at my FMIL's house last night for a BBQ with some other folks, and the group of us got to talking about weddings, and how expensive they are. FMIL said that they're only expensive if you allow yourself to get wrapped up in them. Okay, this can certainly be true, but from what I've looked into, if a couple wants to have a more traditional wedding and celebrate with their loved ones, venues and service providers have to be booked. FMIL at one point suggested that we have our supper at a local food festival, and give each guest $30 to go get their own food, then meet somewhere on the grounds.
I'm the type of woman who didn't start dreaming of a wedding, or getting married, until the ring was put on my finger. I never thought I'd get married, so I didn't see the point in fantasizing about it. Once I started thinking of it though, I kept picturing a beach and the ocean. I've known some people who have done destination weddings, and they are far more cost effective than a traditional one, even with flights. Plus, the happy couple gets a honeymoon out of the deal, and the guests who are able to attend get a holiday. This is what I'd have loved to do. FH said that his Mom won't fly, and his sister cannot fly. He has since said though that they probably would've gone along with the plan. Second choice was to elope, which I begged FH to do once we decided to go the traditional route and start planning. Everyone stuck their noses in, criticized, kept throwing things at us that FH felt obligated to look into, and I was beyond stressed. He said no to eloping, then he got busy with work, and the planning (all of it, at that point), fell to me. I was planning a huge 250+ person wedding that I honestly didn't want in the first place. Now, my opinions have changed a bit. While I would drop everything and do the beach wedding in a heartbeat, I'm actually looking forward to seeing extended family, friends and family friends (one lady, I haven't seen since I was in grade 6!)
The thing that I keep going back to though: did I let myself get suckered into the world of wedding planning? We both agreed that we could save about $700 to organize caterers, bartenders, etc. ourselves, but decided to go with a middle-of-the-road place in terms of food/bar services that would organize everything for us. To us, that was worth the money. They weren't the least expensive, nor the most expensive, and we've since learned that they go above and beyond and are wonderful to work with! I designed ALL of our printed materials, printed them, and put them together (I'm a graphic designer). Photography is expensive, really, no matter who you choose. I have a friend who is planning to do our makeup at a seriously reduced price, I'm not going for a hair trial, ceremony is in my folks' backyard so the dogs can be involved. I don't really see how I went overboard, but worry now that I did. FMIL had always said that she wanted to contribute something, but it took her 7 months to get used to the impending change, and to wrap her head around the large wedding (that, in my mind, we're planning mostly because I was told they wouldn't/couldn't do a destination wedding), and now she's looking for an accordian player for us (to play us into the reception area and "introduce" us, I think). She cannot find one though. I got online and found a group of them within 30 seconds, although I've kept that info to myself!
Maybe it's just the severe lack of sleep, but I would just like to hide my head in the sand until we leave for our honeymoon. Plus, while I love my dress, I need to lose a few pounds to fit it properly, and diminish the back rolls. That's bumming me out, plus lack of sleep.
