Things are falling in to place. We now have a venue, the Ann
Kolb Nature Center in Hollywood, FL, and a date, February 2,
2013. 2/2/13 is also Groundhogs Day and the day before the Super Bowl. Being a
Floridian, Groundhogs Day has never meant much to me. Who wants to watch a
groundhog, anyway? Now if it were Penguins Day, that would be completely
different.
I’m excited about the date,
even if our anniversary will also compete with a national display of men in
tights and shoulder pads. But I suppose we’d have the same issue if we
scheduled our wedding during Fashion Week. Though our first choice, 11/10/12,
was taken, we are excited about both the venue and the date. After over a year
searching for the perfect venue in four states, we finally found the perfect
place for us.
We’ve locked in a DJ, catering, and a decorator. We’ve
decided on a color scheme -red and white, a preliminary menu, and the type of cake. There will be plenty of little things to deal
with, but I think most of the major decisions are done. Of course, I may have
forgotten some huge, expensive detail, but so far I’m actually close to my
budget. (If only because the budget keeping rising.)
Thanks to her cousin Nhu, Linh (D) has even looked at a
dress or two. Thank you, Nhu!
The one thing I never thought about before was the rings. We
are both fickle creatures, so the idea of wearing the same accoutrement for the
rest of my life is daunting, to say the least. I had no idea how many ugly
rings there!
(Update) After searching for several weeks in three cities
we finally found the perfect rings for us. Huzzah!
Also, we’ve decided to throw tradition to the wind and not
have a wedding party. This way all our guests can have great seats for the
ceremony and enjoy themselves during the reception. Plus, we won’t be asking
friends and family to purchase dresses that will never be worn again or to rent
tuxes. It seems easier this way.
Frankly, I don’t see the need for this tradition anyway. The
best man was originally the best swordsman the groom knew, who acted as his
second in case the bride’s family objected to the marriage. I already got D’s
family’s blessings, and I’ve called no take backs. As for bridesmaids, they
were originally there to prevent the bride from running away. I have faith that
this won’t be issue. This isn’t an arranged marriage. D and I both know each other
and have thought about getting married for some time now. So, I don’t see the
need for a wedding party. It’ll be easier and less expensive for everyone.
Since this will be a destination wedding for most of our guests, we are trying
to keep things simple by not inundating friends and family with the traditional
tasks given to a wedding party. We just want our guests to eat, drink, and be
merry.
