So I haven’t done any real planning lately. School decided it was more important than a wedding that is oer a year away, and I had to agree with it. But I had a bag full of brochures and stuff from that wedding expo and I bought an expanding file organizer and put the stuff in separate pockets. Then Ryan and I went through it to see if there was anything we could just count out from the get go–like reception sites that promised a “true southern experience” or was located too far away.
And so the stress starts setting in. As I told him about each vendor he asked “yeah but what does it cost?” That is, of course, the main question on my mind too, but nothing…nothing ever…has prices on it. They want you to take time out of your day to call everyone, visit everyone. They want to sucker you in, and I don’t want that. I want to see what you have to offer, in writing, and for how much, pick my top two or three, talk to them, and make a decision.
And now I do have to make decisions. I wanted to do it at this hotel, but it will cost an arm and a leg…but every thing is included. I thought maybe if I had to rent a hall, stuff for inside the hall, food, decorations, everything…it might work out in the wash and be around the same price. We figured it out, at a worse case scenario, and it still cost twice as much to do it at the hotel. No good.
I don’t really like making decisions, most of the time I just really don’t have a preference so I want the other person to choose their preference. Or the decision is very big and I don’t want to make it without counsel. Or I don’t know what I want. In this case however I know what I want, I only have to take counsel with Ryan (who is pretty easy to please), and I recognise that this is my (our) day and I can do whatever I want. The problem here is I get overwhelmed by all the work involved. I feel I have to find every reception site in Tallahassee and interview them, every caterer, every musician. And they aren’t easy to find, and no one gives me prices. I don’t like doing things that cost a lot of money and that is what is stressing me out so much…reception sites don’t go on sale.
I’m thinking about starting my research by finding a wedding planner. They might be an extra expense but my hope is that if I told her we want these colors, this theme, no country stuff, this kind of music, this kind of food…all for this price–well her job is to do what we want and maybe she could save us some money by finding and negotiating with vendors and getting a good deal. If she saves as much money as she costs, I’ll call that even and totally worth it.
