Reflection on My Summer Activities

Katie's Summer Bucket List

Watch Avengers: Age of Ultron

Spend a week at the beach

Paint room a bright happy color

Possibly start refinishing furniture in a not white color

Obtain recipe for and make green tea cookies

Experiment with adding things to green tea cookies

See Pitch Perfect 2 (out May 15)

Watch Tomorrowland (out May 22)

Watch Minions (out July 10) in IMAX if possible

Visit WWII Museum in NOLA

Visit Insectarium in NOLA

Catch up on Dr. Who
Cap. America/ Iron Man/ Thor/ Avengers movie marathon

Looking back on my bucket list, I have to laugh. I had all these plans to work hard and have fun on my off days, do a few projects, and maybe be a tourist in my own town. I wanted to get out of my house and DO while I was still able to rely on my mama for the important stuff.

Little did I know that fifteen days after composing my list, my boyfriend would propose on the beach and this would become a summer of planning, budgeting, and browsing online for deals on wedding dresses and suits, and agonizing over a guest list.

3 Things I Learned This Summer

1. Weddings are expensive

When my fiancé and I started this process, I had a dream of spending $2,000 total on the wedding, getting a tent for the backyard and pulling off some sort of cute barbecue reception. I was NOT going to be one of those brides that asked to be queen for a day. After deciding on a date and zeroing in on dancing as a major part of our vision for our day, my fiancé and I agreed that an indoor wedding would probably be best for midsummer. We then found out that our church does not currently host weddings. Our main goal became finding an acceptable place for both the wedding and the reception to happen in a seamless, inexpensive sort of way. Let me tell you right now, there's not much around here that will do it for cheap. Price quotes ranged anywhere from $5,000 to $10,100 just for a basic wedding and reception for 100 guests with a buffet and well bar package. In the end, we chose Annadele's Plantation Restaurant and B&B to help us make our "vintage burlap and lace" themed day a reality.

    2.  Guest lists are more about family than friends

When a couple is not hosting (read: paying for) their own wedding, they must take in the wishes of their parents/ monetary contributors. Upon composing the first draft of the guest list, my fiancé and I discovered that we knew a lot of people. Between his extensive family, my two sets of parents, and his fraternity, we knew this was going to end up being a massively expensive day ($45 dollars a head, hello). We had a THREE HOUR conversation one night about who we wanted to invite, who would get offended if they weren't invited, and then created a secondary list of people who would fit in Annadele's 100 provided ceremony chairs. This was the most stressful part of wedding planning so far and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. 

    3.  Wedding dress shopping is a tiring, but overall pleasing experience

Today, I took my personal matriarchs and my maid of honor and two bridesmaids to my local David's Bridal and tried on wedding dresses for an hour and a half. I had no idea what I was getting into. Did you know that wedding dresses require special undergarments that rival what women wore in early 20th century England? They cost more than a cheap prom dress from Penney's. Also, there is the fitting fee and the bustle fee, the garment bag fee, and the heirloom package; not to mention accessories should you choose to purchase them. 

The experience was fun though. Learning about what my body looks like in certain silhouettes and fabrics was fun and I legitimately appreciated the critiques I got from the ladies I brought with me. My Maid of Honor in particular was good at asking questions and voicing concerns about the pieces I tried on that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise, and my mom (who didn't think she'd have much of an opinion) was helpful in pointing out what dresses were good for summer and pumping my ego when I needed it. 

In the end, I got to say "yes" to a $400 dress and ring the wishing bell for new beginnings. I decided on a $50 bustle and only need to take a few inches off the bottom of the dress which the fitting lady said shouldn't cost much. I am so excited to try it on again!!!

I look forward to planning the rest of my wedding with my fiancé and our bridal party and families, but most of what I look forward to is spending the rest of my life with the man of my dreams. None of this would be happening if he wasn't around. I would forgo this whole experience to be his wife right now. 

Next up: DJs, photographers, finding a pastor, and clothing the bridal party.

Note: This bride is willing to accept pro-bono services as wedding gifts. I am not joking.