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The man of your dreams finally
popped the big question. You couldn’t be happier; you’ve been waiting
for this day for your whole life. After the hoopla has settled down, you
finally sit him down and figure out a date for your wedding. He picks
one...two years later!!! How can you possibly wait two whole years to
become his wife?
Don’t panic. In the past few years, long term engagements have become
quite common, especially if the couple is still young and trying to finish
school or build up finances for the wedding.
Having a long term engagement can be very beneficial in your wedding
planning. You now have a year or two to make sure all the details are
perfect and to make sure you have the wedding of your dreams. Start
gathering ideas for gowns, flowers, cakes, and what not for the wedding.
The best idea is to make a wedding binder to organize all of your ideas
in. Jot down the names of girls you would like in your wedding party,
colors you would like to use and anything else to make your day special.
Gathering ideas is an important part of your planning.
Once you have some ideas, make a huge to do list of things you need to do
for the wedding. It might help by talking to other women who have gotten
married recently to get ideas from them. Making a list will help you
figure out everything you really need to do. Don’t overlook the smaller
details, such as trial runs and finding a person to take your gifts home
after the wedding, when you are making this list. Break down your list
into time frames so you know when you would like to accomplish each task
and how much time you need to accomplish it. This will help make you a
more organized bride.
Weddings are pricey, so take this time to start saving. Open up a savings
account with your fiancé and put in a little bit of money each month. Over
your engagement this money will grow and you will have more money to spend
on your perfect wedding instead of going broke at the last minute paying
all the vendors and bills.
Don’t forget to include your fiancé in this preliminary planning. Ask
him if he has any ideas for the wedding and if his family has any special
wedding traditions. Also, talk to his family about their wedding ideas.
Ask them and your family if they have any friends who have special
talents, such as flower arrangement or photography. Using friends or
family members may save you money in the long run. also, take this time to
get your family and his family together to meet and get to know one
another, if they have not already met. Having a longer amount of time to
break the ice between the two families can be helpful.
When deciding on a ceremony and reception location, search through your
local phone book to get ideas of places in your area. Booking these places
first is most important, since you can work the little details around
this. Spend time looking for the locations that both you and your fiancé
like, instead of just picking the first one you see. Also look through
your phone book for florists, photographers, bands and any other persons
and places you need to hire.
With such a long engagement, crises might arise. You may have to change
your date due to your dream reception site not being available. Or a
bridesmaid may decide to drop out of the wedding. This is perfectly
normal. You may change your idea on colors or flowers or even your dress,
so try not to buy anything too early. The best bet is to book locations a
year in advance and buy things, such as your dress, about nine months in
advance. This will give you plenty of time to deal with any mind changing.
Finally, enjoy your wedding planning. This is your special day, the day
that you have dreamed about since you were a little girl. Take the time
you have to make everything perfect and not rush into your planning so
that you will be calmer once the big day approaches. Don’t forget to
enjoy your time as a fiancé, because you will never get this chance again
(we’re hoping you don’t). |
