WW: The Final Month!

As Kristin is approaching her final month til her wedding, we were talking about what our WW should be about. And then, the more we talked about this last month countdown, the more we thought we would have good things to share ...thus, a blog post- born! I wanted to talk about the things that I was stressed/exciting/thinking/wondering/worrying/anticipating about in my final month and thought she could do the same. With both of us having weddings at very different times, I have a feeling these will be very different posts!

First of all, I must say that I was lucky because my final month was when I was not working (teacher perk!) So, from the day that I got out of school, I was wedding 24/7. I can't imagine how Kristin is doing this while trying to teach full time. So, HUGE props to you, KP! I had to give up some fun things (like the Waxette, our teacher-friend group getaway! Which is always a blast) because I was just worried about getting everything in line for the wedding. Brandon was awesome about always asking, calling whomever, picking up whatever, and just being there to listen when I needed him. So, my first advice is to lean on your finacé for support totally. And still make time to spend QT with him or her when you are NOT talking about the wedding. In that last month it becomes so consuming, that it's easy to lose sight of just the two of it. Go on a date, take a walk, share some cocktails...just something that is not weddingweddingwedding.

*this was afternoon wedding prep, but after we had a pool party just B&E, and it was awesome*

My second piece of advice in that final month is to take help! There will be a bunch of people who will offer to help you, which is incredible. Planning a wedding is so humbling because you feel so much love from everyone .. and that everyone will want to help you! While I don't recommend taking alllllll that help, I do recommend asking a handful of really trusted people to help. If you really can't fathom not seeing what people are doing as they help you, maybe ask those bridesmaids of yours to come have a wine night with you and put together programs, or head out to lunch and run some errands. You can ask them for help and it can still be fun! I will never forget the morning of my rehearsal dinner trying to type up my seating chart and fit them into these random frames we had bought, only to find out that the frames didn't have backs you could take out (they were for real legit pictures). I was in such a panic I tore through my house pulling frames off multiple walls and probably finished the chart oh an hour before the dinner, STRESSFUL! So, seriously, do nottttt try to do everything yourself...

*a picture of my seating chart. my dad rocked my socks and got this old barn wood from a friend and recreated a door. just lil ole me waited until the last possible second to type up the names. yep, all those frames are from pictures that were in our house!*

*my awesome father-in-law took on this lighting project all by himself...turned out AMAZING*

...Which leads me to my next point: planning your wedding is HARD. I thought I had everything down. I aspired to be a wedding planner! I had read a ton of blogs, looked all over Pinterest, checked out every aspect of the Knot... but there were still things I definitely forgot or overlooked. Don't be afraid to get a wedding planner! Even for small parts of the process, or even for the actual day! I couldn't have done it without my day-of coordinator, Lindsay Bannasch (of The Fountains), who I knew I could put my total trust in. She was there the whole day and even when the night was way over I found her folding tablecloths (so of course, I had to get her a drink!) She probably worked as hard in that one day than I did in my whole planning. It became the best thing EVER to me because I never once felt stressed, worried, or even thought about what was going on behind the scenes. At one point, our outdoor porta-potty bathrooms (that were super delux!) were overflowing and I asked my dad about it, but Lindsay had already called and given the company a piece of her mind. Thanks to some handy guests, everything got fixed, but it was awesome that Linds was right on top of it. So, Lindsay, I love you dearly and still can't thank you enough for making my wedding day perfection! As far as wedding coordinators go, check her out at the Fountains, she is amazing. This is what Kristin & I hope to be one day, your go-to gals for weddings, parties, or any events because we KNOW what it's like and we love to plan/help!

*this is Kristin helping me AT the rehearsal dinner. we renamed chardonnay "char-day" and thought it was THE funniest thing. (we had maybe had a few glasses of char-day already) so thankful for her!*

So, if you are in your final month of wedding prep--congrats to you! You are almost there! Soak in this entire month because (and I know this is cliché) it will go by in a blink. Don't stress over details because chances are, no one will even notice them. If there's something that needs to get done, ask for help. Don't feel like you HAVE to do this yourself because you don't. On an upcoming WW I will talk about the things I forgot in that final month (and then also talk about how much it didn't matter when it came down to it), but today I just wanted to offer some support, throw out some advice, and hope that it calms you down a little bit. Even if it doesn't -- being a bride is one of the BEST experience I've ever had in my life, so I can promise you that everything you do up to the day will be SO worth it! XO, E

(PS: Other things you will want to remember in that last month: teeth whitening, eyebrow waxing/threading, mani/pedi, waterproof mascara, dancing shoes ... just to name a few) ;-)