The Planning Begins

Posted Friday, June 27, 2008 9:50 PM

I approached Jonathan and told him that I think we should begin planning. I don't mind being casual about the planning at this point, but I think a year is a decent amount of time to plan what I have in mind. Also, considering that I will be working and schooling full-time throughout the planning process, a year can seem inadequate. 

 I've been considering my problem of not being able to find a color/colors for the wedding party that compliment the color of sunflowers, and I may (or may not) have come up with THE idea. Pomegranates! I probably won't incorporate the actual fruit -- if so, it will be a tiny accent of the decor -- simply because that could drive up the budget for the wedding. (Pomegranates can be quite expensive! I also think they would be out of season...? If I'm remembering correctly, pomegranates are usually available in the late fall. Maybe they'll ripen early next summer! Ha ha, likely to much to hope for.) The color of pomegranates, though, could make very pretty dresses... or at least add a splash of color to what could be a colorless wedding. I cannot come up with any other options, honestly. [Let's see... A deep red... And almost a burnt yellow... I think it could be a very pretty display of people standing in front of a setting sun. Tell me if you despise the idea. I don't think Jonathan's fond of the color scheme, but I think he's just having a hard time picturing it.]

 I had the fond, yet unlikely, desire to have a themed wedding. I would absolutely love for Jonathan and the groomsmen to wear 1940's-inspired suits, along with fedoras and suspenders -- as hollywood did it! A major problem with bringing a theme into the wedding is finding appropriate clothing. I have a feeling that the gentleman will be much easier to dress up than the ladies. Where am I going to find a wedding dress, reasonably priced, that reflects the 1940's period? I'm not willing to wear a used wedding dress, so antique stores and consignment shops are out of the question. I think I'll probably just toss out the idea. It was a cute one, but I think it would require too much time... more time than I have to devote to the wedding. If I happen to come across dresses by chance, then I may pick up the idea again, but until that happens, I will not be planning for a themed wedding. 

 Jonathan, being a music major, has bunches of friends who could play at our wedding, so I think I'd like for us to have a stringed quartet or some sort of live band to play during hors d'ouvres and maybe even during dinner as well. I would also like a DJ for dancing, though. Would that be too much? ...To have both? Depending on how nice his friends are, we may be able to pay the band and still have money leftover for a DJ. Guess Jonathan should start kissing ass!

 I still cannot decide what I'd like to do for catering. Jonathan thinks that a seated dinner is too much, but I don't like his suggestion of just having a buffet. Having worked in banquet halls as much as I have, I've become disgusted by buffets, hot and cold. I really like seeing the appetizers carried around with cocktails by the service, and having a plated dinner would just make my day perfect... but... There is the money issue. 

 And that's another story. Haven't announced our engagement (not **exactly** even officially engaged yet), so I haven't felt comfortable discussing the wedding with my parents. We probably should consider doing that soon, though, since I need to begin planning, and I'm not sure what kind of budget they had in mind for the event.

 I guess that's about all I've come up with so far. I told Jonathan today that I'd like to know what he wants for our wedding, so that it doesn't become "MY" wedding, and he can enjoy it just as much as I plan to. We'll have to wait and see what ideas he comes up with. ;-D