Welcome Knotties... Part 2!!

Yesterday, I told the story of what let up to the wedding planning, and today will be a recap of the major decisions that we've made thus far...

Let the planning begin!!!

We had talked about getting married before we were engaged.  We had even talked about our wedding.  We had talked about the fall, with warm colors like oranges and reds, but when we really thought about it, that time of the year was not convenient for anyone (including us) and although your job should be able to be put on hold for your wedding, we just decided that we could find a better time.

We decided that summer would be good for both of us and our families and we decided that because we were getting married in Indiana (1,000 miles away from were we currently live and just about as far for his family and our friends) we would have a long engagement to give the travelers enough time to plan their trips.  We also thought that the 4th of July weekend would be a good option for travelers who would probably have Monday off work.

We looked at our fall color scheme and although I'm a big believer that you should have whatever colors you want at your wedding, regardless of the season, those colors just didn't seem right anymore.  I don't know how we made a final decision on our colors... but we did

So our lives have revolved around these colors for almost a year now, and there have been tons of decisions made and things purchased.

I found my bridesmaids dresses at a department store, on clearance, for $45 each.  It was REALLY early (like, February, maybe) but I loved them and you can't beat the price!  I still see a similar style in every bridal magazine I get, so I still feel good about the choice!

Since we are 1,000 miles away from our wedding location, we have had to do a lot of work on the big decisions when we have been at my parents' house for holidays and vacations.  We did take one trip up there last April with a focus on wedding planning, and that was the first time that we did anything other than research online.

J's mom met us in Indiana and during that weekend we picked a date, a location, a photographer and I got a dress!  It was very successful!!!  The following summer, we were up in Indiana again for vacation and took engagement pics, picked a DJ and booked our hotel block.  All major decisions were made a year before the wedding... now THAT'S what I call efficiency.

I was back in Indiana just last month and while I was there, I took my bridal portraits, found some suits to rent for the men of the bridal party and went back to our venue to check it out again and make some final decorating decisions.  Our facility is basically a big white box with a little bit of black accents, so my mom and I went to a rental company and talked to them about renting some can lights that we can use to add some color to the walls.

The only thing that we have left to decide is WHO is going to marry us.  Yes, I know this is probably the most important part of the wedding, other than making sure my fiance is there, and yes I know that this is something that ALL of the wedding websites have on their checklist as something you do a year out.  We have some "backup" ideas, so I don't feel like it's an urgent matter, but it would be nice to have this nailed down.

So, that's where we are on the major steps of planning.  We are doing A LOT of different DIY projects and I'll talk more about those in Part 3 of my recap, tomorrow!  Happy Tuesday!!!