Wedding Update #5 - Gown down

My major achievement this week: wedding gown is ordered...woohoo!!!

It really took a lot less time in stores than I ever could have hoped or imagined. That is probably due to the countless hours browsing the web. In the end, the dress that looked the best on me was the one that I fell in love with online. It is a beautiful Alfred Angelo design which is so incredibly flattering, it looked great even a few sizes too small :) Did I mention I LOVE the Alfred Angelo designs?!? The dress is scheduled to arrive in mid-October, so now the waiting begins.

Work has let up a little, which has helped lower my stress level a bit. That, and the fact that I discovered that I have 4-1/2 vacation days which I still have to plan against. I'm looking forward to taking a day off here and there just to keep the sanity and I might need them to go meet with florist, photographer and the like.

I'm actually really enjoying the wedding planning right now. It's fun to think of the fun details and find the best bargains, while not skimping on taste. I've found that I do best by taking all the big pieces one step at a time. First I worked on determining the reception venue, then the ceremony location, then the dress. Now, it's engagement photos (this weekend), following by "save the date" cards. In conjunction, I'll be working on narrowing down the photographer, florist, and DJ. I'm hoping to have most of those selected by end of August.

I also find it helpful to have a target date for finalizing certain details. It helps to keep me on track, especially with such a busy schedule with work, volunteering at the pet rescue, visiting my love, and house hunting. I missed my target for booking the reception venue by about a week (no biggie), but was way ahead of schedule on the gown (target was end of July:)

I can totally see how people can get overwhelmed and hire a wedding coordinator, but I don't think I could ever be satisfied doing that because I would miss out on the fun of planning.