Making decisions

This past week was a busy one — wow. I don't think I've been that busy in a while. Between working (at the magazine and part time for my aunt), wedding planning, keeping everyone in the loop, and staying in touch with friends, I was feeling pretty stressed. Poor Mike took the brunt of all of it, but we both feel a million times better this week.

The reason being — we've made some pretty important decisions as of late! Finally, some of the big "to dos" are getting crossed off our long list. We were in touch with about three different photographers, and this past Friday, Mike and I sent an e-mail to all three saying we were looking at our budget to see what we could afford and what option to take. A couple of hours later, one of them (the one we were leaning towards!) e-mailed back, saying she would give us a discount because a) she has known me for about 3 years (she does freelance photography for the magazine) and b) she would love shoot such a "nice looking couple at such a lovely location." Her words, not mine! ;)

The price she gave us was too good to pass up, so we immediately got back in touch with her and said we'd love to have her as our photographer. So, we now have a lovely wedding photographer who is such a nice person. She'll be bringing along an assistant photographer, so we'll have two photographers during the evening, and she'll give us a CD with all of the images. All for under $1,000! I know it sounds like a lot, but the normal price for wedding photographers is $1,500 and more! You can check Kirsten out at: spotteddogphoto.blogspot.com

Now onto the other piece of news...as of yesterday afternoon, I have officially ordered my wedding gown! I had an appointment yesterday, and tried on another handful of gowns, but kept coming back to the one I found a week ago. I told myself, if I keep comparing every dress to this one and I like it so much, then I should just order it and call it a day. I am so thrilled to have found The Dress and at such an amazing price! It was on sale for $249!!!! And, the salesperson told me it will take less time to get it ordered, and will be here in about 6 weeks for alterations and such. I'm happy I will be able to get everything done with plenty of time to spare.

As for the last piece of good news...we have decided on a florist — BobbyMark's Designs. We met with them for a long time last week and got every single detail down on paper — what I want my bouquet to look like, what we want at the altar, for the reception tables — everything. We have a good bit of work ahead of us in terms of trimming down on the costs of all the flowers, but they are more than willing to work with us and our budget. They are so fun to talk to and we both feel incredibly comfortable with them. Check out their work at: bobbymarksdesigns.com

So, with the essential decisions more or less done for now, I am looking forward to a much needed breather. Tonight is Mike's 26th birthday, and we are definitely going to celebrate and relax!!