As soon as Joe and I got engaged, the planning began. I knew I wanted to keep the wedding small and have it in Chicago, but that was all I knew. To be honest, I’d always wanted to meet the right person first (though it took a little longer than I expected!), and then I'd think about the actual wedding. So when I began to plan, I didn't know what style of dress I wanted, what type of flowers I liked, or what kind of cake to serve my guests. Fortunately, most of my friends are married so I really relied on them heavily to help me along the way.
We wanted to plan the wedding quickly; therefore, I didn't want to waste a lot of time. I took recommendations from friends regarding the DJ, florist, invites, cake, etc. I trust their opinions, so rather than agonizing for months over where to go and who to use, they helped me make my choices swiftly and easily. WeddingChannel.com was a fantastic resource for me as well (wink, wink).
Photo: Jason Pohuski/Star Quality Photo
Jen Schefft busy planning her upcoming wedding to Joe Waterman.
Luckily, Joe and I have agreed on most things. He's pretty laid-back, which is good, because I can be a little high strung sometimes! We’re both very budget-conscious, but he's a bit more practical than me (he's a finance guy). He's definitely kept me in check budget-wise. He persuaded me into things like hiring a DJ instead of a band and choosing the more reasonably priced invites even though they weren't exactly what I wanted. When all is said and done, he's been right, as it's easy for a bride (me) to get carried away!
Our toughest challenge has been narrowing down the guest list -- we're currently at about 100 people. Like I said, we want the wedding to be small so we can really spend time with those closest to us and, ultimately, each other. That said, we've had to make some tough choices about who to include. This has been the hardest on my mother since she has so many friends and never wants to hurt anyone’s feelings. Sorry Mom!!
Now that we’re in the midst of planning, Joe and I have realized that no matter what, the day will be amazing. We're doing the best we can, making smart decisions that make us both happy. While our wedding day will be special, what matters most isn’t that everyone loves our invites or our centerpieces -- it's that we're getting married to each other.
Jen Schefft is the author of Better Single Than Sorry: A No-Regrets Guide to Loving Yourself and Never Settling.
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-- Jen Schefft
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