Planning Sarah Elizabeth Gets A Planner

I get lots of questions regarding the web address of my blog. No, I'm not a wedding planner and I'm 80% sure that's not in my future. However, I love planning ahead and I've been researching/planning this wedding for a solid 2 years BEFORE we got engaged. Hence the name Planning Sarah Elizabeth. I feel as though "Sarah Elizabeth" is pretty self explanatory, but since we're on the topic I'll clear up some confusion on that as well. I grew up in the DC area, not SEC country. That being said, my name is simply Sarah, not Sarah Elizabeth. I responded to the later while being scolded in my youth, and it does in fact sound more professional. However, I am not a user of the ever common southern "double name".

Onto the topic of this post...I referenced earlier the amount of planning that's already been put into this wedding. After I nailed down the big players (dress, photographer, church, venue, etc), I knew I needed to leave the details up to a professional. There's only so much my little type-A brain can handle, before I start going into a state of nighttime tooth grinding wedding planning meltdown. As Mr. SE and I started choosing the big aspects of our wedding, be both decided that having a "day-of plus a little more" would be well worth the financial commitment. It's important for me (and my mom, aunts, & bridesmaids) to enjoy our wedding day and not stress over the little details. We met with our planner last Saturday, and I can honestly say I felt a weight lifted already!

She's pretty much fantastic. Not only does she have some great weddings under her belt, but she just planned her own Nashville wedding (don't worry- she hired a planner for the big day too). Please meet Kristin of Simply Stunning Events. She's all that and a bag of Garden Salsa Sun Chips. Yeah, I said it. Mr. SE was even excited. Hello? Mr. SE doesn't normally get excited about wedding-related issues.

What was one thing that really lifted your wedding stress? Perhaps a cocktail, girls' night, etc? I could use both of those...

{as we begin booking our big players, I'll be sure to give each of them a shout-out. Also- I'll be providing links to their sites on the left sidebar of my blog}

Changes

***I would like to thank the following wonderful ladies for providing advice and kind words in my time of intense WPM: Little Miss Southern (I heart our gchats), Future Mrs. Smith (I got my hair cut by Kristen and I loved it), The Thirty Something Bride (Don't even know where to begin- you're probably the coolest person I know), The Answer is You (thanks for the lunch date. Can we have another please?)***

I thought about starting this post with some Tupac lyrics, but it turns out those were a little too intense for this G-Rated blog! Mr. SE and I have been undergoing some changes on the wedding front. To make a long story short- I had a total WPM two weeks ago. Don't know what a WPM is? A Wedding Planning Meltdown. To help aid in the confusion and mass pandemonium that will likely ensue, I've created a chart of sorts.

Things that are staying the same: still marrying Mr. SE @ the Cathedral on August 14, 2010
Things that are changing: reception venue, COMPLETE theme of wedding, budget

We're much like T30SB & The Candyman, in that this wedding symbolizes not only our love for one another, but we also want to spend time with close family and friends who we are blessed to have in our lives. Intimate, and personal- that's our goal for the big day.

That being said, our guest list right now is at 180. We've looked at all the normal RSVP rates, but ours is a little different. Yes, it's a destination for 90% of our guests. No, it's not too far (ie Caribbean). We have NO CLUE how many people are going to come. The majority of our guests are within a 4 hour car ride or a 2 hour plane trip. That's a whole different issue that I'll save for another post.

Miss SE's rule on budgets: just because you have it, doesn't mean you have to spend it. Can I also add another one of my favorite sayings regarding money? Yes, it's my blog. You can spend a lot of money and still look trashy (Kendra and Hank. Hello?). There it is- I said it.

Mr. SE and I have decided that while my parents are footing the bill for this fabulous wedding, we're not going to lose sight of the real reason this is all happening (we love each other). Because of this, I will here and now take a vow (to you, my faithful readers), that I will keep the important things (Mr. SE and our promises to each other) at the forefront of my planning. Thank you Liza for that one.

So now Mr. SE and I are embarking on a 359 day wedding planning adventure. We are (I am) going to keep an open mind about ideas, and we're going to stay focused on the prize (Mr and Mrs). I can't wait to be his wife, he makes me the happiest lady in the world! Keep reading as we'll start to reveal our new inspiration boards and style ideas (omigosh I know you can't wait. And I can't believe you're still reading at this point). Okay I'll add a picture because blog posts suck without them.

{sufficiently awkward. i love us}