Wedding Planning... from Ireland

As most people know, I got hitched on St. Patrick's Day of this year. When my boyfriend-at-the-time found out he received his position in Dublin, we decided to get married. It was a simple decision -- there was no doubt that we were going to be together forever (to be honest, I knew before I agreed to date him) and he let me know that he had already been planning to propose soon. It just sped up the process a bit!

Being the good girl that I am, I was a little unsure about veering from the traditional route. I try not to plan out my life, but I definitely admit I had the idea that we would be engaged for a little while (or at least longer than 3 days!) and, like most girls, I wanted the proposal to be a surprise. 

Well, even though I sort of knew it was coming, it made zero difference. It was wonderfully surreal and romantic, and just perfect. I still cried like a baby when it happened, again when I retold the story... oh, and again at the ceremony...

Now, I love our unique tale. It's the best of both worlds. We got to have a fun, quick ceremony (literally 1-2 minutes!) and day of celebration in Chicago with family, but we're still planning a traditional wedding for the summer. It took the stress away from the moment and let us just focus on committing our lives to one another.

NOW comes the stress. Whether you've planned a wedding or not, anyone can agree it can be a major production. I know everyone says this, but I'm really not the girl that has imagined her wedding since she was little. I don't care much about invitations, flowers, programs... all the things you don't think about until you're forced. Thank god for Pinterest!

And if you think planning alone is difficult, try doing it from another country! I'm trying to schedule fittings and tastings while I'm home for 1 week over the holidays, when all I really want to do is kick back with family and enjoy those activities at a separate time. I can't just fly home and meet with people, and will probably not be home again until a week before the wedding. I'm reduced to Skype calls and e-mail contacts in the meantime. It's a challenge!

Luckily, I have family and friends that are more than willing to go out of their way and make our lives easier in all of this. To those people, I'm so appreciative! 

Quite frankly, I sometimes think we did it right the first time around -- cheap and painless! However, I know it will be worth it when the day comes. I can't wait to walk down the aisle with my Dad, stand with my best friends at my side, have my first dance with my husband, and, of course, dance my ass off at the reception! Most importantly, we'll get to share our happiness with all our loved ones. 

For now, I'll do my best to relax and enjoy the planning process! I'll keep you all posted on how that goes...