Moseying to the chapel

This long-distance relationship business really is the pits. I only left my love in College Station 30 hours ago, but I'm so excited for my return trip this weekend (to move my brother into my old apartment) that I can't even fathom going to bed. I've started to think of this time apart as just an inconvenient hiatus between graduation and marriage and so I started looking into wedding venues, dresses, and centerpieces in earnest today. It doesn't help that TLC and the Style Network are flooding their line-ups with wedding-themed shows during this season of getting hitched. Every time I change the dadgum channel I see some bride cutting a cake or trying on a dress and the wheels in my mind start turning. Nevertheless, did you know that you can often get better deals on caterers and venues if you have your wedding during the "off-season" (October-April)? Glad Sean and I detest this miserable season and set our hearts on mid-October almost a year ago!

I took a quiz about the type of groom I have and it turns out that he's a "Planner Extraordinaire--thoughtful, strong, compassionate, and researches right along with the bride" (I already knew this). Luckily, Sean and I have VERY similar taste and are usually happy to hear each other out when our opinions do differ, so we aren't likely to come to blows over many of the details: "I think a fireplace in the reception venue would be just lovely in the fall." "Why, yes, darling, that idea is absolutely splendid!"; "I'm not at all attached to a particular floral arrangement, all they do is cost a fortune and then die straight away. How would you feel about centerpieces made out of candles and other fall vegetation?" "That sounds brilliant, love. We really ought to save as much as we can on the wedding so we can afford to reno our house afterward." "I heartily agree: granite countertops mean so much more to me than a dress that I will only wear once."; "I'm afraid, sweetie, that I will be a DIY-bride--save the dates, invites, programs, none will escape my creative touch." "Oh I am sure of this, but I look forward to seeing what you come up with!" I figure that it's never too early to start having these tough conversations.