The OurWeddingDay.com Blog

Real OurWeddingDay.com brides, sharing their personal planning experiences.

I’m rather excited today. I just confirmed that Jonathon and I can get the second set of engagement pictures taken on Friday. They are low-key and informal. We aren’t even taking a real photographer, just a friend who is good at photography and understands how to photograph us well. But these engagement photos are special. I wanted to do something really nice for Jonathon. Boys don’t get into weddings the way girls do. Thus, I contemplated how to make the whole event special for him as well.

That’s what I really want to talk about. The special engagement session I’ll show you next week. But most brides have this notion that the wedding is all about them, it’s their day and they have been imagining it since they were young girls. I imagined my wedding a bit as a child as well, but mostly it was just me and some guy and big dress and punch and little girl dreams. I have grown up and I also know that marriage (and the wedding) is about TWO people. So, I have tried very hard to include Jonathon in the planning process.

We had weekly meetings when we first started planning. We discussed every detail. He put in many comments, said no to some things, and had great ideas. Often I was surprised how great and romantic his ideas were. He helped me pick the venues, the guest list and even went to the florist with me. He helped pick our color scheme. He helped with the invitations, the dress (and while he has seen the dress he hasn’t seen it on me yet and I don’t plan for him to see it on me…. until our wedding day), the entrance, the music.

That is what a marriage is about… a partnership from the beginning. Plus, wedding planning is a whole lot more sane when the groom has veto power. Big poofy pink and hearts is probably not most guys thing. I’m really proud of my man. He has been the best and most involved groom I know. He is invested in the wedding with more than money. It shows, he cares about the wedding and what goes on. Do you have an involved groom?

Oh and the engagement pictures? Well, it’s a surprise for him and you.


-Amy

You learn a lot about the wedding industry while you plan your wedding. Some brides learn more than others because they have more time, are pickier, and want things a certain way (without paying a certain price) that is more than some countries GDP.

My budget (and advice) is on the table today. Like most girls I have been dreaming of this day since I was about 15. I mean, wedding magazines have littered my room since that day, and at almost 27, I have had a while to dream big. But I also have a sense of financial responsibility that I can’t shake because of some fantasy. Thus, enter sensible dreaming bride budget.

The very first thing I did was decide what the most important thing to me was. It was easy. Wedding photography is the one part of your day that you will see again and again. You will have pictures around your house, albums that you will scour again and again. Your children and grandchild will pour over them. I still look at my mom’s wedding pictures. Thus, I knew I wanted to get this right. So, I went to town looking for a photographer that I loved. When I found the photographer I signed and love, her prices were a bit high. However, we talked and came to a conclusion on things I could live without (like online ordering) and things I had to have (a CD of the digital negatives with reprinting rights). I spent about  38% of my budget on her.

The next things I knew I wanted were easy. I wanted fresh flowers (but I would have my mom arrange the centerpieces and buy wholesale to save on the cost), nice invitations, and a sit-down dinner. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy in my family. I grew up in a region of the south where fake flowers, a buffet, and cheap invitations were the order. But I knew what I would like. And on our $8,500 budget, I knew I would have to work hard to get what I wanted.

Next week, I’ll tell you how I got letterpress invitations, a sit down dinner, and a bouquet with roses and ranunculus without breaking the bank.

-Amy

Rush Hambleton, a 33 year old entrepreneur, has developed a "computer-based kiosk" for wedding receptions, and is looking for $500,000 to turn his concept in to a business.

The idea is that people deposit their camera memory cards into the kiosk as they leave the reception, and the photos are transferred to a thumb drive that the bride and groom can take home.

Rush says he got the idea when he got married and he left the wedding reception on a vespa scooter and his photographer missed the shot...BUT his friend got a great picture.

Let's see if this idea takes off!  Check it out over at The New York Times.