Wedding Planning Advice

by Crystal Paine

A very good friend of mine just got engaged last Friday. She is SO excited about it, obviously! My question is: Do you have anything to share about the planning of your wedding? I know her family would appreciate any advice/helpful tips on how to plan a wedding! -K.B.

What an exciting time! I love to talk about weddings -- since I'm such an advocate of marriage and children, weddings are very much one of my favorite things as well. My husband and I were married in a very simple, elegant indoor evening wedding ceremony in January of 2003. Being a practical and efficient and economical person, I kept things very simple. We had around 400 guests and spent around $4,000 and were engaged for 5 1/2 months. We could have done it for less, but our parents were generous (both our parents split the costs of our wedding -- I know, we're spoiled!) and allowed us to splurge in a few areas.

My sister got married this past summer and there were around 300 people at her wedding and they spent a little less than us. She "splurged" on different areas than me, which were important to she and her husband. Although her wedding cost the same and was held at the same venue, it was completely different than ours. It was fun to compare notes and see how our different personalities shown through in our respective weddings. She had a bright, summery, afternoon wedding (complete with the brightest turquoise bridesmaid's dresses you ever did see and bouquets of hot pink, orange, and other bright colors, and, of course, all the girls in the wedding party wore flip-flops! That's Brigette for you. It was cute and fun and bold and unique and TOTALLY her.) The exact opposite of Brigette, our wedding was much more formal and classic -- a rich blue and silver were our colors, lots of candles and tulle, and roses. You get the picture.

Contrary to most people, Jesse and I planned our entire wedding together. He went with me for every appointment -- from cakes to flowers to the wedding coordinator. It was a fun adventure and we loved every minute. My advice is to focus on what is really important: the marriage and years together afterwards. It is easy to get caught up in the the wedding planning craziness and lose sight of the whole purpose of a wedding: marriage. Enjoy the adventure of wedding planning, but do not stress out about it. It is a joyous occasion, not a time to be pulling your hair or anyone else's hair out. Major on the majors and minor on the minors. Plan ahead. Don't wait until the last moment. And above all, keep things simple or else be willing to be very flexible.

For some ideas on actual planning, see my article Wedding Planning 101. I will have to write down ideas on saving money on weddings that my sister and I gleaned from our weddings, but I'll have to save that for another day.

Crystal Paine is a 24-year-old homeschool graduate from Topeka, Kansas. She is the blessed wife of Jesse and joyful mother of Kathrynne. Visit her site, Biblical Womanhood, for books, articles, encouragement, and inspiration!

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