How We Made the Wedding of Our Dreams
the one where James and Tabitha held the wedding of the year
Your friendly neighborhood listings editor finally had a wedding of his own. After 10 years, my wife Tabitha and I celebrated our relationship with about 150 of our friends and family. Not to pat ourselves on the back, but we did a damn good job at it. We spent a reasonable amount of money and time, made incredible memories, and left our guests with a day to cherish. And Spending nearly 10 years editing this catalog of wedding resources was a big help when it came to doing our own. Looking back at the experience, here's a glimpse at what I’ve learned.
Time vs Money.
My mother always says that everything costs time or money, and you need to pick what to spend. Never was that more true than for our wedding. Once you decide how much money you can comfortably spend, put together a plan for what parts of it you can do yourself. We planned our wedding over the course of about two to three years. While this might seem like a particularly long time, it allowed us to make a budget and plan ahead for the eventual costs to get the wedding we really wanted. We often found that just because something is more expensive doesn’t mean it’s better, and it certainly doesn’t mean it’s better for your event. Often, pieces of the event that are more creative and cost less money are more memorable to your guests.
Who is Your Event For?
Our wedding was primarily for us, but it was also to celebrate our relationship with the network of friends we've built along the way. A lot of them were eager to help in the days and months leading up to the event. As a result, a lot of the reception was about the guests. An example of this is a game played at the reception where guests could roll a 20-sided die, the result of which would determine an impromptu anecdote, embarrassing story, short speech, or other shared moment. This was a fun way to bring guests into the celebration while also keeping the energy moving.
Leave Your Mark.
The wedding industry likes to gravitate toward certain trends, and with a lot of good reason! Many of them do remain charming and elegant. But considering the amount of time and money that goes into a wedding, pay special attention to how you can make the event yours. And guys, that means you too. Your creative decisions will be the thing people remember. The Masonic Temple where we held the reception was kind enough to let us put up extensive decorations very early, giving us time to build the autumnal fae wedding of our dreams.
Be in the Moment.
Things will go wrong. But you’re with the person you want to be with when that happens. So breathe, embrace your friends, smile with your partner, and enjoy it.
