I have a beef dear readers. And no, it’s not with anyone here. Sharing the unfolding details of my NEPA wedding have been fabulous here. Elsewhere… There’s been issues.
I know I’m not alone with this. I’ve seen it discussed on the Wedding Bee forums and as Ariel at Offbeat Bride will remind you – YOUR WEDDING IS NOT A CONTEST. My wedding is not a contest. I want to throw an awesome party and get married in front of all my friends and family. BUT, I would be happy just getting hitched as long as it was to my fella.
So why are so many other people convinced that my wedding is a contest, and I am so clearly losing?
I’ve had a few recent instances of people telling my plans were not good enough. Um, excuse me? It’s not good enough that I’m marrying the love of my life and that we’ve found a nice place for the party? Just because there’s no windows in the reception hall, where we’ll be having our evening reception in OCTOBER. Or cause a single broken ceiling fan is going to make us look trashy? Really?
As Eric Cartman would say: “Get the fudge out.”
Here’s the deal. At the end of the day, it’s your wedding. You have to decide what’s right for you, and roll with it. Should you ask for advice from trusted friends/family? Sure. Should you listen to your mom or FMIL when they have an idea they want you to hear? You bet. But unsolicited negativity ain’t gonna cut it. I’ve been mad about this for days, but that’s not going to solve my problem either. So therefore, I present to you the NEPA Bride Creed:
I will…
Have a wedding that I love, and remember that it’s all about the future hubs and me.
Ask for advice and help when I need it.
Listen to our parents advice. We don’t have to take it, but we should hear them out and try to use a few of the ideas we like, since they are kind enough to contribute to the wedding.
Not go broke paying for this wedding.
Not let anyone else go broke paying for this wedding.
Make sure our guests have fun.
Do some mad DIY-ing and add some personal touches to our day.
I will not…
Stand for negativity.
Let anyone else dictate the type of wedding I should have.
Let stress pile up until I wig out.
Be pressured into a huge, expensive wedding. (If you want to do that and can – kick ass! Go do it. But you should never, ever feel that you have to have anything in your wedding cause it’s expected of you)
Wear a dress I can’t breathe in, shoes I can’t walk in, or any other ridiculous fashion contraption.
DIY until my fingers bleed. We only start projects that really matter. And that we’ll actually finish.
Do the chicken dance (SRSLY).
I hope I’m not the only one. Your wedding should be awesome. When the stress starts piling up, lets take a deep breathe and remember this post. And then tell everyone to Get. The. Fudge. Out.
Ooooh today we have a special guest poster – the NEPA Groom himself. After our victorious trip to the Golden Palace, he wanted to share his side of the story with you. Enjoy!
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This past Easter I went to an Easter Brunch with my parents at the Golden Palace in Wilkes-Barre. After eating, my mother and I were waiting for my father when I spied a flyer for a wedding reception package. NEPA Bride and I had been speaking about getting engaged, married, breeding kids and driving them to succeed so we could mooch off them and live easy…I mean raising a loving family. At that time that was all between the two of us and no one else knew. After shoveling down tons of delicious kielbasa, mashed taters, baked ham, ice cream, and other heart attack inducing foods, I wasn’t quick enough to snatch a flyer without my mother noticing. I enjoyed the food and the atmosphere of the place. I was thinking ahead for our eventual reception. I had done good!
Fast forward to this summer and we visit the Golden Palace to get some prices and ideas. I honestly don’t remember much of the details but it was all pretty good. NEPA Bride really liked it though. I do remember that all the tables get floral center pieces. Why do I remember that? Oh maybe because the florist that does it is MY FLORIST! Maureen’s in Ashley, PA. The place I’ve been getting the birthday, anniversary, I’m sorry I head-butted you when you tickled me flowers for m’lady for the past few years. And did I mention that she loves these flowers and this florist does an awesome job? Yeah. I love the smell of freaking victory! And those flowers give a nice aroma too.
As soon as we walked into the parking lot, NEPA Bride turned to me and says, “I want it here! I want it here! I want it here!” Tee-hee. I won’t make a certain joke. Allow me to be a little more smug and bask in the glory that is mine! I suggested the reception place that my bride loved! Yeah. All the other places we visited or thought about were dumped down the crapper. It was this place or nothing. I think I can use this as a “Get Out of Jail” card for the next few years.
This week’s song might actually be sappier than I can actually stand. It’s what Brian McKnight does best and would make an amazing first dance song. I don’t know if it’s “us” enough to qualify, but I’d love to feature it some time during our reception. What do you guys think?
All right folks. Hold on to your hats, seats and anything else dear to you. I think we have a winner. NEPA Groom and I went to visit A Touch Of Class Catering at The Golden Palace last week, and I was THRILLED. We were supposed to take our parents back yesterday for a visit, but that’s been postponed a week since NEPA Groom put his leg through some plate glass and is currently hobbling like a old man/Dr. House. Of course, he was the one who suggested we visit the Golden Palace, so he’s forgiven for delaying the process a bit. :-*
Anywhoo, when we went to visit, the banquet coordinator sat with us and showed us all their wedding packages, and some other event packages that some people who have been looking for more economical solutions have been using as well. She also showed us their preferred baker (who actually works out of her home) along with some of her work. It looks like their baker can do a diverse amount of cakes, so I don’t doubt she can do what I want. Next, we saw a sample of the centerpieces that are included with some packages. This is when NEPA Groom’s head started to swell – not only did I love the space (his suggestion) but their florist is Maureen’s Floral & Gifts in Ashley, who his family has gone to for years and years. Every bouquet I’ve ever gotten from him has come from there, and they are always wonderful. He’s still having trouble getting through some doorways due to the ego boost this gave him.
Here are some shots of the lower ballroom, which is what we’d use since we’re trying to have a smaller reception:
I saw this today and I was really excited. Shaba at A Blog Of Her Own has decided to start organizing and sharing proposal stories from across the web. How cute is that?? I love reading the stories, just like I love telling my story. Isn’t that the first thing everyone asks when you get engaged: “How did he do it?”
I posted the day we got engaged, but I never really shared the whole story here. FH and I had been talking seriously about marriage for about 6 months. We had gone ring shopping a few times and I had picked out what I wanted. Then I waited for him to save up. We had some ups and downs in that time, cause I was impatient and so was he but he did a better job of dealing with it than me. We went and put the money down and then I waited some more. I spent every second primping just in case ‘today’s the day’.
He came over my house one night and I could tell he was really fired up about something. I was in the back yard playing with my dog when he came over, and as I hugged him hello I felt something in his coat… it turns out it was the ring box!
We came inside, and we were just hanging out, watching tv in my bedroom for a while. I’d been having some headaches and neck problems, so he was being a good boyfriend – giving me a neck rub. All of a sudden, he says – I’ll be right back, and goes out to the living room (I live with my parents) and I hear him talking with them, for a while. So yeah, I was thinking – OH SNAP THIS IS IT! He’s asking their blessing, IN THE NEXT ROOM! I knew he wanted to tell them before hand, but I thought he might, you know, do it when I wasn’t there, haha.
Sure enough, he came back in and got on one knee with the ring. I totally flipped out and started hugging him and crying on him before he could even say anything. He already knew my answer. It turns out he had picked up the ring that day, took it home and tried to think of how he wanted to give it to me. In the end, he was so excited he couldn’t wait and gave it to me as soon as he could. We’d waited so long that he couldn’t take it any longer!
So there you have it. Short and sweet. Now it’s time to share yours.
I loves me some blues, and Stevie Ray Vaugn is one of my favorites. This is an up tempo song, so I don’t know that it would make a good first dance song, unless you’re feeling adventurous.
I’d really like to find a way to incorporate this. Maybe during introductions? During cocktail hour? Any ideas?
