Opinions, opinions, opinions

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Please feel free to comment as much as you want on this and all of my blogs... don't let this one deter you... I would love to hear what you have to say!

My friend tells me that when you get pregnant, everyone has an opinion about how you should be doing things... telling you how they did things... telling you what they think would be best for you and the baby. I feel like weddings can be fractionally compared to having a baby regarding the "advice" department.

One of the main reasons that I have been doing so much research and working so hard to get myself organized in my wedding planning is that I wanted to have my own opinions before I was showered with the opinions of others. Before I continue, I do want to make a point of saying that I have great friends and family who have been awesome about not slapping me in the face with their opinions about how, when, where and why we should do things one way instead of another.

I know that I'm probably more opinionated than most, I have high expectations and I want things done... now. I have taken plenty of personality/aptitude type tests that has reaffirmed all of those things that I already knew about myself, most of which I not only do not deny but embrace. J and I have also had enough training on interviewing that we expect anyone who is competing for my business to be able to sell themselves and their organization to us in a sincere way, not as an ass kissing salesperson.

The Dress

I've only been dress shopping once, and I definitely learned some things from it. I should have gone in there knowing exactly what my budget was. The first dress shopping trip was just to help me decide what style of dress I wanted. I had absolutely no intention of buying a dress that day, but if I would have had a number to throw out there as my max, it would have saved me a little bit of time and heartache. I did find a dress that I loved, and it was too much. I've gotten over it since then, but it was still sad for me. Now I know that the first thing out of my mouth at my next experience will be, "My budget is X and I want a dress that has A, B and C".

This is one where I loved having opinions. The bridesmaids that went with me the first time were awesome... they were not affraid to say, "that makes you look short" or "that looks dumb when it's bustled" or "your ass looks velumptuous in that!!!" (yes, that last one was an actual comment). I never think things look good on me so it's nice to have people who will tell me that I'm right or wrong on that one.

The Flowers

I don't love flowers... they are nice... they are pretty... they are ridiculously overpriced. If you can find good silk flowers, what do you really lose? Smell? Allergies? The worry that your bouquet or centerpieces are going to wilt by the time the reception is over? I love potted plants, but killing perfectly pretty flowers is sad to me.

I have heard of more and more people who have had fantastic experiences with fake flowers, and I think that's the way to go. The boutineers for all of the guys are going to be made of herbs. I found it in a book and J and I both liked how it looked... this was actually the very first decision we made about the wedding. So, fake flowers may not smell good, but the boutineers will!

The Church

No one has really given me an opinion on where we want to get married. We are getting married in the church that my parents were married in and the church where I was baptized. This is something that I have always thought of and wanted to do and I am so appreciative that J understands how important that is to me and that he was so willing to agree to it!

The opinions on this one come from the actual church. People often joke that feeling guilty is just part of being a Catholic, but I feel like I'm about to actually experience it. Some people think that I don't care what other people think of me... by some people, I mean the ones who don't really know me at all. That is one of my biggest faults that I have learned to control in my professional life, but not so much in my personal life. I don't care if people disagree with me... life would be boring if we all agreed. It does bother me when someone does not like me or does not approve of the choices I make.

When you get married in a Catholic church you have to go to a class. I'm not exactly sure what we are going to learn, and I'm not upset that we have to do it... I am just not excited about the fact that they are going to tell us how much they disapprove of us living together. Yes... I understand that the church does not approve of it, but that's the decision I've made and it is not going to change, so can I just sign a piece of paper that says that I understand so that we can move on? Are you going to tell me that I can not get married in the Catholic church because if you are, can you just tell me that so that I can make a plan B?

Like I said, I'm trying to go in with a good attitude, and J says that he will as well (let's hope we start these classes when he's having a good day) but I just want to get these things going so that we can learn some new things about ourselves and each other and continue our planning.

Opinions, opinions, opinions... I'm sure there are more to come!