Wedding Day Hype...not so much

I was never that little girl who dreamed of her wedding day. In fact, I didn't start dreaming of my wedding day until I started dating. Even then, I didn't feel the need to have a big wedding.

I've always liked simplicity when it comes to weddings. I feel like the marriage is more important than the wedding. The wedding is just one day in your lives together while the marriage lasts for the rest of your lives.
It has been difficult for me when it comes to planning the wedding. It feels like we're wasting a lot of money just so everyone can "experience" our wedding with us. To be perfectly honest, I would be just as happy having a small ceremony with just the closest family and friends in attendance and a cook-out to celebrate. I still want the dress, a bouquet, cake, and pictures, but none of the fanciness is really needed.

Phil strongly feels that the wedding day is important, not just for us, but for others as well. I get it, really, I do, but the price tag is what gets to me....especially when we are still waiting to hear if his job will be extended past November.

Overall, I love planning the wedding and get excited when there are things to do for it. I'm sure that I'll look back and be so happy that we decided to have a traditional wedding, but for right now it's hard to wait. The wedding is pretty much planned and there's not much to do for a while. Despite it all, one thing is for certain...I can't wait to marry my best friend.

I'm wondering if anyone else felt this way or did they focus on the wedding day and look forward to all of the special events?

Prepping the Apartment...

Planning for the wedding has been so much fun. Planning for what happens after the wedding...not so much! Don't get me wrong, I am totally looking forward to the marriage more than anything (including the wedding), but it's getting everything to fit in my tiny apartment that is causing the most stress.

When I moved into my apartment in January of 2009, I didn't have much. In fact, most of my furniture belonged to Phil's family. Over the past year and a half we were able to get more furniture that either I bought or that we bought together. Every time new furniture came in, the old furniture went back into storage. It was working well for a while, especially when we were thinking of moving into a bigger apartment after we were married that was, until my job term ended and I was unable to find a good full-time position.

We thought long and hard about it and decided that we would both live in my apartment after the wedding. Of course, this means big changes to the layout of the furniture and how much space I have for my things. It has been difficult for me to manage changing everything around to accommodate another person when it feels like there's barely enough room for me! I know it can work, it's just a matter of making it work for us.

We have a plan and I've started by moving furniture around and emptying out a whole dresser for him. We will make it work because it is the best decision financially for us. I am excited to have Phil be able to go over and help me and to have his opinion on what would work the best. It will be such a relief to be able to get this done so that we can both focus on other things and have less stress as we get closer to the wedding.

Now, if I can only get everything ready to start teaching in a couple of weeks...

I want what I can't have

It seems to happen that I can't have what I want the most. Right now that is two things...a new apartment and to get married. I am completely ready for both of these, mind you, but it looks like they are both on hold for the moment.

I went apartment searching yesterday since I was home from work and feeling better. It seems that my price range yields some very interesting apartments...either too small, run down, or in a shady neighborhood. At this point I am starting to consider my current apartment a luxury one. I asked Phil's mom to go with me to one yesterday. At the end of it our conversation went as follows:

Me: I guess I must have really high expectations or something.
Mom R.: No, I just think you have expectations in general.
Me: Well, at least now I know I'm not crazy!

Ya, my expectations are things like a decent sized apartment that has been well-maintained, nothing fancy, and in a decent neighborhood. I guess that's too much to ask for right now.

On the marriage front it seems to be at a stand-still. I have been ready to get married since before Phil and I started dating. He, on the other hand, is not. This has to be one of the most frustrating things to deal with ever. I am completely obsessed ready to get married and he could seriously wait another few years. We are working on a compromise, but it's hard not to want a ring right now.

I feel like I am doing everything I can to show him that it will be a really good thing for us, but I feel like I am wearing him down and that's not what I want. Right now I am trying to focus on not talking about it and not stressing about it hoping that he will do it in his own time. I just wish that his time was closer to my time...which may or may not have been six months ago, but still. Oh well...it's  he's worth the wait. I love him so incredibly much and know that he is the one God has for me.

Gotta just keep praying.

Congratulations to Chris and Heidi!

I love weddings! Today just happened to be the wedding to a really great couple, Chris and Heidi. I've known these two for just under two years now and it has been great to see their relationship grow into something beautiful.

They had an amazing outdoor wedding at a small church in Virginia--which meant Phil and I had to drive three hours to see them and three hours back today because the friend we were going to stay with has the flu :( I love how they incorporated teh fall theme into just about everything from the colors to the centerpieces adn even to the cake. It was incredibly lovely and I was happy we could be there.

And if God has not given us a million signs already...Phil ended up with the garter! It landed close to him so he was the only one who stepped over and picked it up....haha!