Adrian & Jenny’s Wedding

Yes, we may only be on Day 3 of Engaged Life, but today I did some….what I guess you could call Wedding Reconnaissance.

I went to Borders.

I leafed through some wedding planners, list makers, etc. and took some notes. So yeah, I treated Borders like a library, but who doesn’t? It’s not like I didn’t end up purchasing lunch there and a book, but I’ll get to that.

One thing I found out by going through these cookie-cutter wedding books is that they’re all very….well, cookie-cutter. Adrian and I have discussed how we want our wedding to be an intimate, relaxed, and rather nontraditional event and none of the books Borders had to offer suited these themes. OK, I used to dream of a huge wedding with swathes of tulle as far as the eye could see. But I was 6. Now, the very thought of a bright white poofy dress, white aisle runners, and 350 guests, most of which we have never met in our lives kinda makes me want to puke. Now, if that’s your thing, that’s your thing, and it can be done beautifully (I’ve photoed many weddings like this), but it’s just not OUR thing.

So I ate my grilled tomato & cheese sandwich, drank my water and left Borders for Target.

I decided I’m making our OWN organizer. From scratch.

So I bought a 3-ring binder and dividers and plan to try my hardest to organize all the thoughts that have gone through my head about our wedding for the past 3.5 years. This is why I’m glad Adrian’s the man I’m going to marry. He is a LOT more organized than I am (the man always bought 3-ring binders for each of his classes. He even had a 3-hole puncher. I admire that.). I think we’ll make a great team organizing this wedding.

So, what book did I buy at Borders? All About Us by Philipp Keel. I’ve been eying this book for a while now and always meant to get it for us to fill out together. I figure now is the best time for that, having just gotten engaged and all. A great keepsake to have, I think.

I also got two books in the mail today from Amazon that I had ordered just yesterday (thank you, Amazon Prime) that I think WILL fit what we’re trying to do with our wedding: Offbeat Bride: Taffeta-Free Alternatives for Independent Brides and The Engaged Groom: You’re Getting Married. Read This Book. Adrian doesn’t have to read it of course, but I thought I’d get it just in case. It seems to be steeped in good humor and helpful info. Well, both of them do. I’m pretty excited about Offbeat Bride ’cause I’m subscribed to their blog and it rocks. Lots of, well, offbeat brides and grooms and weddings to peruse.

And one more thing: be aware, if you do see a post in this blog by “husbandintraining”, that’s Adrian. He picked out the name (I LOVE IT!).

Jenny

The Bride

P.S. I am in no way referring to traditional weddings as cookie-cutter weddings.  I use the term ONLY for the selection of books at Borders (and pretty much every other place that sells wedding books).  Just wanted to clarify that!