9 Wedding Things: A Little Update, Five Months Out

Confession time: I've reached that about-to-have-a-breakdown-every-time-I-think-of-wedding-planning place. I'm not bridezilla-ing - that's not at all my jam - but I am feeling incredibly anxious, which is right on par with what I expected of myself.

As of Sunday, we're exactly five months out, & I just can't tell whether or not we're, like... on track?! Here are a few little updates of things that are going well & things that have me spazzing juuuust a little. If you've planned a wedding & have any guidance, feedback, or ideas, let me know!

1. Hey, weddings are expensive.

Real talk: This is the number-one thing that has me wigging out. I mean, we knew it wasn't going to be a cheap affair, but there's almost no way to keep costs low. We've been frugal & thoughtful in our expenses, but still. The industrial wedding machine is real, y'all. What an industry.

2. We don't have a caterer yet. 

Originally, we were going to do pierogis from Sokolowski's, but then we realized we needed catering staff, too, which they don't provide. The food truck route didn't work, either, & last week we met with a caterer we loved, only to receive a quote that makes them all but impossible for us. At this point, I stay up at night worrying about how late in the game it is for us not to have catering worked out - but I think/hope that as of a meeting we had on Monday, we've identified a caterer we love!

3. We hired a wedding coordinator.

After meeting Denise, the mastermind behind McPherson Events & Design, at a bridal show earlier this year, I decided this was an expense worth investing in. She's not planning the wedding, just helping us to coordinate all the details, especially as the big day looms nearer. She is, unsurprisingly, on me to find a caterer ASAP.

4. Our bridal party is uneven.

I have four bridesmaids, & Mike has five groomsmen & a groomswoman, his sister. We'd planned for six on each side, but one of my would-be-bridesmaids is pregnant & due too close to the wedding to attend... & then I had a massive falling out with my intended maid of honor. I feel sort of awkward about all of it. Will our pictures look weird? Will it look like I don't have friends? But also, oh well.

5. My bridesmaids insisted on a bachelorette party.

I wasn't going to have one because it seemed like asking too much of my four bridesmaids, all of whom live out of state & will already have to travel for the wedding itself. But they colluded by email without me, & now I'm having one in Savannah in September. I'm really excited, actually. (Only rules: No sash, & no penis-shaped stuff.) Hoping for a fun, chill weekend catching up with some of my favorite people & enjoying some nicer-than-Cleveland weather.

6. No real flowers here!

I didn't want to deal with the hassle or the expense or the allergies of real flowers, so I ordered paper bouquets made out of books from TheOpenBookShop, & we'll add some baby's breath & greens the day of the wedding. The paper bouquets arrived at my mom's this week, & I can't wait to see them.

7. I'm really excited about our vendors.

The book flowers are just one of the elements of our wedding day that I really love. We hired The Oberports, an award-winning husband-wife team from West Virginia, as our photographers, & I'm working with Ink With Intent on a custom ketubah (wedding contract) design. My wedding-day earrings come from local seller Bombay Taxi, & I bought my hair accessory from Kosmima Jewelry at Cleveland Greek Festival last month. We picked out invitations from Minted.com that I think are perfectly us, & I ordered those little cocktail napkins with our names & our wedding hashtag. Sometime it's the little things, guys.

8. There's a lot of stuff we haven't done yet.

In addition to not having a caterer, we also haven't hired anyone for hair & makeup (I've sent emails, but no one has responded), & we haven't set up transportation between the hotel & the venue. We haven't designed a ceremony or figured out how to build a chuppah or even scheduled our meetings with our officiant (a rabbi who's also a dear friend of mine... & a wedding guest!) I know we've still got time, but there's a lot still left to be done.

9. I do not love wedding planning. 

I know that Pinterest would have us all believe that wedding planning is a wonderful & fun & ethereal & fantastic experience, but... man, it's just not. Like, it's not terrible, but it's also not something I necessarily enjoy doing. Let's just say I'll be really excited when the big day arrives & we can enjoy it instead of planning for it.

So that's where we are right now: A little stressed, can you tell? But also not that stressed, fortunately. There's still plenty of time to pull things together - & at the end of the day, I'll be married to my best friend, which is, frankly, all I'm in it for, anyway. Stay tuned!