On planning a wedding

Source (Photo by Nick Scott for British Cosmo Bride)

Darryl & I got engaged a year and three months ago.  I'll give you that whole story at a later date, but we pretty much immediately started planning for a Fall 2013 wedding.  We went to venue open houses, met officiants, and picked out invitations.  I was obsessed with The Knot, and at least a dozen wedding blogs.  My pinterest boards were out of control.

Anyway, so about a year ago, literally the night before we were going to put down a deposit for a venue....I kind of panicked.

First let me get one thing clear: I have no doubts about wanting to marry Darryl.  I want to be with that man for-evah, no question.

But...planning a wedding?  The average cost of a wedding is something like $27,000.  (That's excluding the honeymoon).  I would never spend $800 on any single item of clothing, ever, but that's how much the wedding dresses I was trying on cost.  On any other day I would never pay to take a huge group of my friends out to dinner at $50 / plate but that's how much the caterers we looked at were charging.

I just have a hard time justifying it all.  I mean, Darryl isn't buying me from my father for two goats and some silver - all of the traditions just seem a little silly to me to still be doing in 2013.  I don't feel a need to feel like a princess for a day either.

So...we stopped planning for a whole year.  No rush anyway, right?  Unfortunately, Arizona isn't a common law state (trust me, I checked), so we have to do something.  And we've definitely considered eloping, but that didn't feel quite right either.

The more that time passes though, I think I'm actually starting to figure out what it is I really want out of this whole wedding thing.

1. To sign whatever piece of paper that gets me married 
2. To have all my friends and family there to watch
3. To have a big party afterwards (dancing, drinking, etc)

(I'd also like to wear a pretty dress, while I'm at it.)

I guess I say all of this to say...we started up the planning again.  Save the date...for Fall 2014 (tentatively).  Crossing my fingers for as little money (and stress) as possible.  And I'm inviting you on this adventure too!