Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Late Night Text

On the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, I got the following text message from my sister:


Now, this is at 2:25 AM, and apparently she didn't think I'd be up (despite my lifetime of insomnia), but I immediately knew in my gut that she was engaged, and I was hoping one of the favors would be standing up for her as MOH (maid of honor, for those of you who don't frequent wedding sites). So, I called her back immediately and I was totally right! Yipppeeeeee!!!!!

The other favor, for those of you who are curious, was to come up and pet-sit for her giant menagerie for a week. She's got a bunch of parrots, a dog, 5 cats, and assorted aquariums that always seem to have something new in them, so it's a huge job. I used to live with her, though, so all the animals are used to me, and I could sure use a week in the country! Plus, I'm going up a few days early to start the wedding planning. I can't wait to see her!!

The weirdest thing is, I love her fiancee already and I'm meeting him for the first time on Friday. He treats her like she deserves and makes her feel good about herself, so he's automatically my favorite guy she's ever been with! He's also been nice and very funny on the phone with me, always a good sign!

They are probably holding the wedding in a friend's backyard (which I hear is really nice, hopefully I'll see it this weekend) and they've set the date for next July.

I've been asked to do a lot of the planning, as I love organizing and planning events of all kinds, but this is my first somewhat traditional wedding (the one other time I was MOH, it was a destination wedding and very tiny). I've become a wedding site junkie already, and it been less than 2 weeks!!

The thing is, I'm more happy for her than I would be for myself, it's just the way I feel about any of her good news. Of course, it probably doesn't hurt that I'm not really the marriage type myself, but if I change my mind someday, at least this will be great practice, right?

Here's my question, for anyone who has had a wedding or planned one, how do I make sure this is as easy and stress-free for her as possible? I'm the sort who is at my best when under pressure, so I'm not so worried about myself, but I also want to make sure I'm giving her what she wants, not what I want (luckily, our tastes are fairly similar). Any advice at all would be appreciated.


Joy said...

Well I say brainstorm first. The ultimate thing is being a buffer for her. Whip whomever is involved into shape and shield her from the unneccesaries. So all she has to do is say I want this, I want that, yes, no, and lots of reminders on the to-do list. From there, everything else will flow...I think BUT I've never been a bride lol. Carrie, Pnut, anybody???

KT said...

Thanks, Joy. That's pretty much my plan as of now, I'm even putting together binders for the key players, so we can all stay organized. Folders for receipts, planning checklists, calendar pages, and more! That's sort of my engagement present for now. :)

BOSSY said...

How do you make sure this is as easy and stress-free for her as possible? Suggest elopement. (or keep it small and sweet)

Joy said...

Bossy's on the money with that one. If I ever find the man, I may elope. Yep, small is wonderful.

Carrie said...

Oh boy! What fun! (not being sarcastic) I'd be a wedding planner in a heartbeat if it didn't mean giving up all my weekends. Oh, and if I didn't have to deal with psycho brides (which is why I don't do wedding dress alterations for anyone but my friends anymore)

1. Budget is the most important. Start there. Once you know how much there is to spend, you can plan everything esle.

2. How formal does she want it? More formal=larger budget.

3. Research, research, research. Do careful background checks on any vender you plan on using.

4. Keep it simple.

hm...that's all I can think of at the moment....