Shortly after my boyfriend proposed, I started planning the wedding.
I’m fortunate that I had my mother and sister to help me.
I had no idea how many details went into arranging a large event. I thought that taking a year to plan everything would be more than sufficient. However, finding the perfect venue with availability and sufficient seating was a challenge. Choosing a caterer who would accommodate vegetarians and a grandmother with a nut allergy was difficult. I also needed to decide on the flowers, the colors, the dresses, cake, music and photographer. One of my main focuses was all of the printed materials. I wanted a theme to carry throughout the bridal shower, ceremony and reception. I wanted this theme to be reflected in the invitations, seating charts, napkins and thank you cards. When I started looking online, I was overwhelmed by the number of options. There are a million companies specializing in wedding invitations. I really was hoping to be very traditional. It was important to me that the verbage used on the invitations was sophisticated and the font elegant. I was looking for a heavier paper stock, and I wanted to include all the little pieces of tissue paper, RSVP cards and offer directions to the venue. I was absolutely terrified of misspellings. I spent hours reading customer reviews and discounted every print company who’d gotten too many complaints. I finally settled on a company that offered a more personalized service. I was able to consult one-on-one with a girl who was friendly, competent and extremely helpful.