Wow! It's been a while since I have posted. However, that doesn't mean that not a lot of progress has made. Since my last post, we've put in a deposit for our reception venue, held the date for the ceremony venue, and have hired a wedding coordinator!
The big day? August 2, 2014!!
At the 16 month mark before our wedding, I think we are doing pretty well. I read that most engagements last about 16 months (from proposal to wedding), so by that statistic, we are for sure ahead of schedule. Having a long engagement was at first a logistical decision (my job post-MBA will have me traveling the first year), but ended up be a great choice because it gives us first pick of everything and also gives us time to save some money. On top of that, we've also decided to postpone the honeymoon until some time after the wedding (maybe a year?) to make sure that we will have time to spend with our families while they are in town and also to make sure we have enough money saved up to have a luxurious vacation. It took us 6 years to get engaged, 2 to plan a wedding so it shouldn't be a surprise that we're taking honeymoon planning slow too :)
I guess the big development has been the decision to hire a wedding coordinator. At first, we totally didn't think we needed one. We have the time and the resources to do the research ourselves. What we realized very quickly is that there are a lot of choices to be made, and a LOT of different options out there. Googling vendors can be overwhelming because you get a ton of results and over time it's hard to differentiate one from the other. Also, in trying to negotiate with our reception venue, I realized that we (the couple) don't have that much leverage over the vendor. We are a one-time relationship and on top of that, we are emotionally charged and invested in the decision! Talk about a compromising situation (this analysis actually occurred to me was I wrote about this negotiation for a paper for class!). While I'm sure it's probably possible for a couple to negotiate with a vendor, I was not successful and am pretty excited to see if our coordinator can get us further. Wedding coordinators are able to build long term relationships with vendors and who it motivates them to provide us with the best service and to give our coordinator (and thus us) a good deal so it looks like she's doing an awesome job and also to get referral business. We've only been working with her for a week or so, so the jury is still out, but so far I'm optimistic and curious to see how that "investment" will turn out!
Aside from that, next up to bat is finding a photographer. Outside of the venue, I think the photographer is probably the most important vendor so we're taking this next step pretty seriously. We did our own research and our list was supplemented by our coordinator. We are currently doing interviews with them to better understand their working and photography style.
H has been a total angel this week. After booking the coordinator, we went straight into intense planning mode and so I've peppered him with invites to these meetings, which is kind of terrible since he is in the middle of busy season. I would totally understand if he can't make it, but he pops onto the calls and, although quiet most of the time, offers his opinion here and there, when I know he has a million other things to do on this plate. I know he's doing it to be supportive and it makes me feel so lucky to be marrying such a sweet, loving man :)
No comments:
Post a Comment