This is going to be one of those posts that I’ll reflect back on when I compare my 2017 goals to my 2019 reality. I can tell you that much before I even write it.

The Engagement happened in late July 2016, so I’ve had a bit of time to think through this “Wedding Vision” between then and now. From day one, I have said that I refuse to plan anything major until August 2017, but somehow planning finds its way into my brain while I’m at work, watching TV, or seeing other weddings taking place, so I guess you could say I’ve broken my own rule a bit.

A few things have stayed the same since the day I started my Pinterest-Planning phase, where I just pin everything with a certain color scheme and cutesy decorations, and my current Oh-Man-This-Is-Actually-An-Event-I-Have-To-Plan phase:

1. I love “twinkle lights”
2. I really like a shade of light blue that I have not yet been able to define to anyone in any store
3. There will be nothing “rustic” involved in the decorations. This includes, but is not limited to: a barn, unfinished wood, burlap, cow-girl boots, mason jars
4. I don’t want to step on any grass while wearing heels on the wedding day – I don’t care what you say, nobody is that well-balanced, and the last thing we need is me falling in the mud while wearing white
5. The groom

Vision for the Rehearsal Dinner

One word: Pizza.

This is also where I anticipate any speeches would happen, either coming from the fiance and me or parents or friends. I think most people would prefer the low-key environment of talking to those closest to us instead of saying nice/funny/embarrassing things in front of our entire extended families during the Reception.

Vision for the Ceremony

Every time I picture the wedding, I never see it being a big event with a lot of people. I know this is something that happens, whether you plan for it or not, but I just never picture many people there. I imagine the guest count will be mostly extended family of mine and my fiance’s, and about 15 friends of ours. The Wedding Party won’t be big; it will mostly consist of siblings on his side (he has so many), and close friends + his little sister on mine. If his older sister agrees, I would love to have his two nieces as our flower girls.

As far as the ceremony venue, I would love to have a rooftop wedding. I don’t really care where or how scenic the view, but I would love to be outside with a sunset. A rooftop would be ideal because it’s a good halfway with nature. I have never done well with bugs, and you saw my note about grass + heels above. A rooftop venue may also have a way to cover the rooftop if rain becomes a last-minute issue (look at me, coming up with a rain plan).

The fiance and I have discussed that the ceremony won’t be long and won’t have too many religious/unity elements. I know how antsy people get sitting around through a long ceremony, and we definitely want a lot of time to enjoy the company of family and friends while the we celebrate our first day of being “married” (still strange to think, even stranger to write down).

Vision for the Reception

The venue for this one is really up in the air for me. I can see food being served indoors, I can see the dance floor being on a roof top (like the Ceremony), and I can also see the whole thing happening in the same space if we can just move the tables around a bit. All I know for sure, is those “twinkle lights” had better be everywhere to light the venue.

I’m thinking the reception will include a full-fledged dinner. Many of the weddings I have been to have had a buffet-style setup for dinner. Though that is more relaxed, I have a strong feeling that my Sous Chef fiance and parents who own a restaurant of their own will insist we do something a little more elegant.

I imagine there will be some form alcohol distributed during this part of the day (most likely wine), but if we’re being honest, that gets pretty expensive, so we’ll see. I just know that some people will want to loosen up a bit to hit the dance floor.

One thing I know for sure is that I want this to have a fun atmosphere. I don’t want people sitting around chatting (or worse, not chatting). I think if it’s done right, the families will be up dancing and making fun memories. The photographer might can make it look fun if it isn’t, but I want it to actually be fun for everyone. Maybe there will also be a photo booth or a DJ – just something to keep the energy high.

Vision for the Dress…and other attire.

I haven’t tried on any dresses yet, so all of my favorites are based on pictures of people who are a Size 2 wearing them.

My ideal gown would be either a larger A-line, or a smaller ball-gown that is tight around my upper ribs then flows out from there. I have no idea what type of sleeves or bodice I will fall in love with yet, but I have a feeling it’ll just hit me when I finally go to try them on. My favorite designers so far are Lazaro and Hayley Paige. No, I won’t be able to afford one of those at full-price, but maybe I can find my dream dress on sale or maybe it will be a more affordable brand that happens to look similar to one in those collections.

I’m still dreaming about bridesmaid dress colors. If I could ever find that blue (mentioned above), I bet I’d want them to be that color. If not, I may go with a mismatch neutral theme. I have seen it done before, and it always looks stunning! No matter what, the dresses would be floor-length and flattering on all body types. I know too well how it feels to be in a dress you didn’t want to wear that is a little too loose or too tight.

For the groomsmen, I imagine the tuxes will either be black or a shade of gray. I will leave that decision up to the groom (c’mon, he’s gotta plan something!).

For the mother-of-the-bride and mother-of-the-groom, I don’t know how much say I’ll get in their attire, but I would love to see my mom in something sparkly. She has always been a little modest, but maybe she’ll dress up more than usual on that day.

The only hope I have for the flower girls is they look as cute as they already are. I saw a pretty gold sequin/taffeta dress on Amazon that caught my attention. Maybe it’ll still be in production in a couple of years! If so, I see them walking up the aisle looking like sparkly, happy princesses.

Additional Notes

I know all of these things are subject to change once we share plans with family members, again when the budget is finalized, and even more when we start contacting vendors and venues. For now, it’s fun to dream big.