It’s official. I’m getting hitched. And it seems that finding the man was the easy part.
The cost of a kidney on the black market is cheaper than the cost of a nice wedding. And I’m not even talking about “Hollywood” nice. I’m talking about “beautiful, but not over the top because I’m not a celebrity making millions” nice. I’m no Beverly Hills princess; I’m just a nice girl from the Chicago suburbs and all I want is a tasteful reception that isn’t held in a tacky banquet hall that looks like it came straight out of “My Big, Fat Greek Wedding” – is that too much to ask for? Apparently.
So here I am. Just at the start of my wedding planning and I’ve already had bridal induced heartburn.
I recently read an article about how although the economy continues to decline, the wedding business continues to increase and the amount of money spent on receptions rises quicker than prices at the gas pump. Some couples are going broke just so they can host an event where they will most likely not be able to eat or drink what they are paying for, be forced to slow dance with creepy Uncle Lester and crazy Aunt Marge and then be left with a collection of useless kitchen gadgets. On top of that, the planning for this blessed event probably consumed 12+ months of their lives, caused numerous arguments and was the source of frequent tears. Well, when you think about it, I guess that’s actually a lot of bang for your buck.
You may start to wonder... why would I even bother planning a traditional wedding? Why waste money, tears and antacids when I can just hop on a plane to Vegas? Or better yet, why not just make a toast with tequila and do a beach wedding in Mexico? Yes, the thought has crossed my mind and it may cross my mind again when I’m battling over who gets cut from the guest list... but at the end of the day, I’m THAT girl who dreamt about her wedding since she was little and I didn’t envision getting married by Elvis or having a mariachi band as the entertainment. Plus, I don’t have a creepy Uncle Lester, so I can rest assured that my tushy won’t be squeezed by any drunk, twice removed relatives.
So, my childhood dreams have put me in a wedding vendor headlock – I will have to succumb to extra fees and upgraded linens... so I’ll just skip my daily Starbucks run to save more money, I’ll try to leave my sensitivity at the door and realize that I can’t please EVERYONE (this will be the HARDEST thing for me to do)... oh wait, there is one thing that I have to deal with that can’t be avoided: competition.
My sister got married 1.5 years ago and she had a lovely wedding. The venue was great, the food was great, the music was great, the speeches were great (ahem, one of them being my own, ahem), and it all happened for a great price (or at least “great” in comparison of what I’m looking at). Grrrreeeeeaaatttt.
The pros of having gone through my sister’s wedding planning is that we know what won’t work... but I’m more concerned about what WILL work. And will my wedding be as great? Okay, okay... I hear you... I shouldn’t compare my day to anyone else’s, but if you were in my shoes you’d feel the same way... its like telling someone the mountain size zit on their forehead doesn’t look “that bad” when you damn well that they look like they have a mini Mt. St. Helen’s on their face.
But enough whining – where do I go from here? Sell one of my kidneys on the black market? Eh, I probably shouldn’t. Snap out of pity party mode and plan the big, fat Chicago wedding of my dreams? Most definitely. As I try to stay level headed, I’ll run into tears, heartburn and bouts of “let’s forget about all of this and go to Vegas”, but in the end it will all be worth it because I'm THAT girl who has dreamt about her wedding since she was little and my dream come true will be waiting for me at the end of the aisle... and THAT is what matters. (oh, and good reception food matters because no one likes a hard potato and tasteless chicken)
The cost of a kidney on the black market is cheaper than the cost of a nice wedding. And I’m not even talking about “Hollywood” nice. I’m talking about “beautiful, but not over the top because I’m not a celebrity making millions” nice. I’m no Beverly Hills princess; I’m just a nice girl from the Chicago suburbs and all I want is a tasteful reception that isn’t held in a tacky banquet hall that looks like it came straight out of “My Big, Fat Greek Wedding” – is that too much to ask for? Apparently.
So here I am. Just at the start of my wedding planning and I’ve already had bridal induced heartburn.
I recently read an article about how although the economy continues to decline, the wedding business continues to increase and the amount of money spent on receptions rises quicker than prices at the gas pump. Some couples are going broke just so they can host an event where they will most likely not be able to eat or drink what they are paying for, be forced to slow dance with creepy Uncle Lester and crazy Aunt Marge and then be left with a collection of useless kitchen gadgets. On top of that, the planning for this blessed event probably consumed 12+ months of their lives, caused numerous arguments and was the source of frequent tears. Well, when you think about it, I guess that’s actually a lot of bang for your buck.
You may start to wonder... why would I even bother planning a traditional wedding? Why waste money, tears and antacids when I can just hop on a plane to Vegas? Or better yet, why not just make a toast with tequila and do a beach wedding in Mexico? Yes, the thought has crossed my mind and it may cross my mind again when I’m battling over who gets cut from the guest list... but at the end of the day, I’m THAT girl who dreamt about her wedding since she was little and I didn’t envision getting married by Elvis or having a mariachi band as the entertainment. Plus, I don’t have a creepy Uncle Lester, so I can rest assured that my tushy won’t be squeezed by any drunk, twice removed relatives.
So, my childhood dreams have put me in a wedding vendor headlock – I will have to succumb to extra fees and upgraded linens... so I’ll just skip my daily Starbucks run to save more money, I’ll try to leave my sensitivity at the door and realize that I can’t please EVERYONE (this will be the HARDEST thing for me to do)... oh wait, there is one thing that I have to deal with that can’t be avoided: competition.
My sister got married 1.5 years ago and she had a lovely wedding. The venue was great, the food was great, the music was great, the speeches were great (ahem, one of them being my own, ahem), and it all happened for a great price (or at least “great” in comparison of what I’m looking at). Grrrreeeeeaaatttt.
The pros of having gone through my sister’s wedding planning is that we know what won’t work... but I’m more concerned about what WILL work. And will my wedding be as great? Okay, okay... I hear you... I shouldn’t compare my day to anyone else’s, but if you were in my shoes you’d feel the same way... its like telling someone the mountain size zit on their forehead doesn’t look “that bad” when you damn well that they look like they have a mini Mt. St. Helen’s on their face.
But enough whining – where do I go from here? Sell one of my kidneys on the black market? Eh, I probably shouldn’t. Snap out of pity party mode and plan the big, fat Chicago wedding of my dreams? Most definitely. As I try to stay level headed, I’ll run into tears, heartburn and bouts of “let’s forget about all of this and go to Vegas”, but in the end it will all be worth it because I'm THAT girl who has dreamt about her wedding since she was little and my dream come true will be waiting for me at the end of the aisle... and THAT is what matters. (oh, and good reception food matters because no one likes a hard potato and tasteless chicken)
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