In 35 days, I will no longer be a Metheny. We are a little over a month out from our wedding, and things are starting to get REAL. Even though life has thrown us a recent curveball, I must admit that I’ve really enjoyed planning the wedding of my dreams and I cannot wait for it to finally be here!

Throughout the entire process of planning, I’ve done a lot of soul searching. I never thought wedding planning would be so intense or personal, but it is. If you’re reading this and you remember planning your wedding–I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.

I’ve been one of those girls who has dreamed of her wedding day since she was a little girl. So I have set pretty high expectations 🙂

I have collected a few thoughts during this past year that I thought I would share.

The Dress

I won’t give away much about my dress, but it was not at all what I thought I would pick. I had this idea in my head about my dream dress–and even tried it on. It was pretty, I thought, but it wasn’t that Say Yes to the Dress moment I had  hoped for. The woman that was helping us saved one dress for last, mentioning that she thought I might come around after all. I had my doubts, but when I tried it on–it was the OMG I SAID YES TO THE DRESS moment. I even teared up a bit. It was perfect! I also found the dress close to my hometown in Michigan, so it was special being able to share that moment with my mom and sisters.

Moral of the story? Keep an open mind. You never know what will strike you as the perfect dress–the cut, the material, even the color…you will know when you try it on!

The Ring

The most special thing about my engagement was that I had NO IDEA that it was going to happen or what the ring would look like. I had mentioned what I liked to my fiance in passing before (silver, square diamonds, bling-bling) but we never went together to pick out rings. He figured out that his pinky finger was the same size as my ring finger (I have very small hands) and went and picked it out himself. He was literally trying on engagement rings with his pinky finger at Jared’s.

The fact that he took the time to pick out the ring himself and surprise me was enough to blow me away.

We actually went together to pick out our wedding bands last weekend…so I was able to pick out something myself too 😉 It was worth it!!

Bridesmaids

This was literally the hardest because I have SO many awesome friends in my life. There is no easy way to do it, unless you’re me and you pick 7 bridesmaids and have four lady ushers 🙂 I just really couldn’t narrow it down. Pick who you couldn’t picture without you when you’re heading down the isle. I needed quite a few there 😉 My fiance also has a plethora of great friends as well, so we made it even on both sides.

Guest List

I learned quickly that this can be a touchy subject, but you simply cannot afford to invite everyone. And you don’t need to invite everyone you know or every person you have met. My rule of thumb became a simple saying to myself: “Can you picture your big day without them?” If it was a yes, then it made it that much easier to trim down the list. Of course, do this with your partner! But together you have to form some common ground and make those hard decisions. There are some easy ones though:

-Your dad’s second cousin twice removed who you’ve met once when you were eleven. Nah–skip!

-Old college friends you haven’t talked to since Freshman year. Not necessary. They can look at your gorgeous pics on social media 🙂

-Ex’s or parents of ex’s. Just no. Tacky and inappropriate. C’mon people is this even a thought!!

-Your hairdresser, nail lady, masseuse…they love you and you love them but let them help you prepare for the big day.

At the end of it all, you have a certain number to hit. Yeah people might get offended, but they should understand. If they don’t? Eh, water off a duck’s back. People show their truet colors eventually and it doesn’t matter after all.

The Beauty Routine 

Call me vain but I want to look my best for my big day! I’ve come to learn a lot about discipline these past several months. I’ve been eating good, exercising, moisturizing, using clarifying face masks three times a week, taking my vitamins…I feel great! It’s amazing what a little motivation can do for your self confidence and sense of accomplishment. There is absolutely nothing wrong with making time to take care of yourself and it can completely change the way you view yourself and the world around you.

Not only have I been focusing on my physical self, but also my mental self. I’ve been taking time out of my day to relax, to enjoy and to reflect. I feel as though I am constantly on the go and I know the importance of making time for myself to unwind. I’ve made time for blogging (my new venture!!), reading and research on my passion (Ag!)

When you feel good, you do good.

Honeymoon

Call me traditional, but I’ve always heard that you should try and take your honeymoon right after you get married, or you never will! Which makes sense, because let’s face it, we all get busy.

Our honeymoon decision was fairly easy. We both have always wanted to go to Alaska and thought it would be a great time in our life to do so.

A lot of our decisions together as a couple have been very easy because we are very similar in our interests, likes/dislikes and dreams. When you truly find the person you’re meant to be with, these things come easy.

The Disagreements

Although we do agree on most things, there are times we do disagree. This is when you need to flex your muscle of compromise. Compromise = success and happiness. I wanted to spend a little more money on flowers because I LOVE flowers. My fiance thought it was a waste. We came to a compromise and subbed out some flowers with other items (Again, don’t want to spoil the surprise ;))  So you’ll just have to wait and find out!

As we are nearing the end of planning, I’ve learned a lot about what I want, who I want in my life and how I envision my future with my husband. I am thankful for every step of the way!

 

 

XOXO

 

Chelsea