Wedding Pics

We've been married just over a month. We're starting to write thank you's and are still opening beleated gifts. Technically, not belated as guests have one year to give a gift to the happy couple. I find myself speaking in the terms of the royal 'we' more and more. In addition, I seem to stumble on my words when remembering I have a new last name...(not officially, but more on that later).

As I said in my last post, the wedding was fantastic and a whilrwind of activity. From what I've heard, guests enjoyed themselves, the food was great and the music helped keep everyone moving. Our friends serenaded us with our song, "Tell Me" by Sara Evans. My cousin's and sister wowed our guests with a Bollywood routine to "Desi Girl". I have no idea where it came from, but it was perfect with a combination of Hindi and English. During the traditonal garba (Gujarati Folk Dance), I snuck out and changed into the beautiful gold lenga choli that my Groom purchased for me earlier this year. Here are a few highlights of the day:

Caketopper

To personalize the couple, choose one that looks like you with interchangeable brides and grooms! You can find them at Ice Standard for under $20 each. I'm not positive if the Indian bride will work with the Dancing Caucasian Groom without looking a bit awkward. There's also an Indian bride in a white sari which is cute but not for me since I'm wearing a big white dress!

So Far

I will organize all these thoughts in a much more sensical manner over the coming weeks...however just get you started:

Here's the order I'm approaching this event:

1. Discuss and set a budget together...then do what you need to do to stick to it!

www.theknot.com/budgeter is useful in the determining the traditional breakdown of a wedding. If you're profecient with a spreadsheet software, it will work just as well. If you two haven't talked about finances already, this would be a wonderful time to explore your relationship with money and expectations for the future.

2. Think about how many guests to invite. Make sure you're using the same glossary of terms.

For example: immediate family means 100 people (my parents are each one of six children) to me and it means 5 people to my fiance.

3. Think of the big picture.

Black Tie at the country club or a casual beach or forest preserve wedding? I found it helpful to write down 3-6 words indicating what I wanted our guests to feel/think/see when they walked in the door. Then I asked him to do the same.

4. Solicit specific information from the groom.

My Groom tends to get overwhelmed by the details. I asked him to pick one or two elements that he cared most about: the reception venue and menu. Based on his input about what type of food & cake shape/designs he likes, I can build the rest of the event.

5. Now, with 300 people in attendance, I am NOT trying to spend his money.

I'm always looking for ways to cut back without sacrifcing style. Visit websites through your airlines, credit cards, etc to make purchases to either earn cash back (Chase Leisure Rewards, AmEx, Discover, just to name a few) or miles (American Airlines & United).