D.I. Myself Wedding
With only 52 days left, will the pressure of a friend's perfect wedding and the bride-to-be's DIY nature be too much to handle?
We have now passed the two-month mark, and things are starting to get very stressful. It didn't help that I was a bridesmaid in my best friend from college's wedding on July 24. She had every detail finely tuned--from the out-of-town bags filled with candy, lotion and personalized water bottles to the very generous bridesmaids gifts (I'll just say that among other things, my goody bag contained both a "little blue box" and a leather Coach wristlet).
Jamie's Cleveland wedding was perfect, sans some in-law drama. The weekend began with manis and pedis followed by a tea party luncheon (which the mother-in-law was unable to attend due to a once-in-a-lifetime exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame). Later that evening, the rehearsal went off without a hitch and was followed by a glutenous dinner at Buca di Beppo.
Before bed, Jamie obsessively checked the weather forecast, which consistently predicted an 80% chance of showers and thunderstorms. As luck would have it, we awoke the next morning to sunny blue skies. It was unbearably hot, but at least the sun was shining. There wasn't a drop of rain in the sky until after we arrived at the reception.
The ceremony was beautiful, and the happy couple barely heard the priest call them both Jamie on several occasions. The reception was picturesque, with elaborate lighting and stunning floral centerpieces, and not even melted raspberry sorbet or a sister-in-law’s temper tantrums could put a damper on their special day. Overall, the entire weekend was perfect, and the newlyweds rode off into the sunset on a three-week honeymoon in the Maldives.
Spending Jamie's entire wedding weekend with her, and watching how calm she was just minutes before walking down the aisle really put things into perspective for me. Yes, there were plenty of dramatic moments, but in the end, she didn't let any of them ruin her dream wedding.
I'm trying to keep that in the back of my mind, as Mr. Right patiently waited as I spent hours at the craft store picking out paper and 
stamps, as we were tirelessly tying ribbon onto our handmade invitations; and when the company discontinued the bridesmaids' shoes and one maid was left with none. But its hard not to get caught up in the moment and freak out about the smallest, most insignificant things.
I know its my fault for insisting on a DIY wedding. I'm a naturally frugal person, and I can't stand to pay someone else to do something I am capable of doing on my own. Why would I pay $5 per invitation when I can buy a box of 50 for $19.99 at Target and print them myself? Do I really have to pay a florist $600 for wedding party flowers, when I can get 250 Gerber daisies for only $300. I think not.
So, I've sentenced myself to DIY hell, and as the clock ticks, its only going to get worse. I swear, I'm not a bridezilla, I just have a tendency to overreact. It's times like these that make me so thankful to have such a kind, patient and forgiving husband-to-be.
52 days to go...
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Reader Comments:
Sounds like your friend is definitely not a simple, country girl. From the kind of laid back, simple, country wedding you are busily planning and creating for yourself, it sounds like there won't even be room for comparison to your friend's wedding. Besides, your wedding day will be perfect too simply because you and Mr. Right will be together and it will be the first day of your newly married life.
Try not to stress yourself out too much on the DIY stuff either... I can say from experience that the more stress you put on yourself making sure that everything is perfect, the less you will be able to relax and enjoy the end result. I wish that I had enjoyed the ride of planning my wedding, so to speak, more than I did because once you get to the actual day, it all goes very fast. If you find that you have worked so hard and stressed so much to only have the joyous event over and done with before you can even blink, it can seem disappointing even if the day is completely perfect.
I enjoy reading your blog and wish you and Mr. Right all the best. I don't mean to give unwanted advice, I am just reminded of my own recent wedding experience as I read your whimsical words. I look forward to reading about the rest of your memorable experiences!
~Favorable Follower~
Not that I don't commend you for your journalistic saavy, openness in sharing about your big day in a public blog, and determination to have the wedding of your dreams, but not a bridezilla? Your blog about the guest list screams BRIDEZILLA just by itself!
And frugal? I looked into Armstrong Farms myself recently, and I would say that all frugality goes out the window when you pay for that venue as opposed to a simple, country church.
Crap, is Armstrong Farms really that bad? I just got engaged and Armstrong is our #1 pick .... like $5000 bad? Or like $2500 bad?
While Armstrong Farms may seem expensive, there are certain costs you won't incur by having your wedding there. The property comes with two guest houses that hold a total of about 12 people, so you can save on hotel rooms. You can choose your own caterer, which allows you to shop around. You can bring your own alcohol, which is a huge savings. By holding the ceremony and reception in one location, you don't have to rent a limo. Kathy, Armstrong Farms' owner, and Cat, our event coordinator, are so helpful in giving recommendations on vendors, timeline, etc., you don't need a wedding planner. Plus, if you want the venue badly enough, you can choose to DIY certain things and save a ton of money like I am!
"Fellow corn on the cob appreciator" here. I am anxiously awaiting to hear back from the farm with any info they can share with us before a tour. I have heard there is a significant rental fee but from what I understand you have the guest houses for the whole weekend (which includes breakfast?) and so you can also have the RD on site. Now there's another popular farm venue in the area that is almost $8000 and that's for 12 hours, includes linens, china, bartender and set-up/take down.
The rental fee is less than $8,000 and includes the barn, ceremony site and two guest houses from Friday afternoon through Sunday, breakfast on Sunday morning and a day-of coordinator. Plus, they have also offered little things like votive candles and mirrors for centerpieces.
The rehearsal dinner can be held on site, including tables, chairs, picnic tables, bon fire and even a grill.
Linens, china, bartenders and set-up/take down are part of the catering fee.
Armstrong Farms is a great wedding venue and at less than $8,000 for all that is included it is a relatively reasonable wedding location! There are many locations in the city for more money that offer less. And it's a really romantic location!
Steel City Bride
www.steelcitybride.com