The Odd Couple (Combining Styles)

First, I have to preface, that there are over two years till Craig and I get married.  So, there is not a rush to come to any consensus.  But I am already surprise at how my greatest wedding-planing difficulty is creating a wedding that both Craig and I want.  Originally, Craig claimed he just wanted to 'show up,' but it turns out he's quite opinionated on our special day.  Almost as opinionated as I am.

Ideal:

Craig: (assuming he has to even have a wedding) - totally casual, kinda punk, and all of the food is covered in nacho cheese.

Me: tasteful, sparkly, tapas, and a chocolate fountain

Hmmm... noticing a bit of a difference?  Me too.  Trying to combine orchids with a tux that has the arms and legs torn off.  It's going to be an interesting journey to be sure.  At least we agree on the following:

• fun
• memorable
• pool party

But at least no matter what kind of flowers we have and even if there is nacho cheese (though I hope not!), we are getting married.  And big picture, I guess that really is the important part (that or the honeymoon).

Think about it.  Oh yeah.

Wind It Up Means I Love You

Craig doesn't plan a lot, but when he does, he makes it count!  Once, he told be to leave a night free.

November 29th, 2006 (man, I keep a good calendar).

I meet him at my place and we get in his car and drive around,  a lot.  After getting a little lost, we get to a concert venue.  Already running late, we race to our seats.  Running along the outside of the stadium, I hear these opening notes.

I should also add that the Barenaked Ladies are my favorite band.  I had already listened to the CD 'Wind It Up' was on so much that I knew the lyrics by heart.  Steven Page leaving the band has me a bit heartbroken, but that's another story.  So this guy I'd been dating, semi-long distance, took me to see my favorite band.  And the show was amazing.  I remember sitting way up in our see watching the tiny performers rock out, and I thought how I was damn luck to be with this guy.

Later that night, curled up and almost ready to go to sleep, I decided to doing something terribly rash.  I wanted to tell Craig I loved him.  Seemed in part a ridiculous idea to tell that to a guy I'd only dated 4 months.  Plus, I'd been hurt before telling that to guys I'd dated much longer.  So I thought, I'll wait.  Probably till he says it first.  But still... I was so happy, and wanted to share it with him.  I went ahead.  The conversation went something like this.

B: Honey...

C: Yes?

B: I have something...to... uhhh.... tell you...

C: Yes?

B: I.. uhh.... think I love you.

At which point, Craig said the second best thing someone could say in that situation.

C: That's awesome.

Then he said the best thing someone could say.

C: I love you too.

Happiness all around.  

:)

P.S. Looking for a good 'Wind It Up' video, I found this amazing fan video.  It has puppets.  Enjoy.

More Important Than the Wedding

Flipping through channels last night, I ended up watching 'Bridezilla.'  One woman used a whistle (yes, a whistle) to command people's attention, yell at them, and order them around.  Another took her poor fiance to dance lessons till 1am.  Ok, it is TV, and probably the worst of the worse.  But whenever things aren't going the why I 'planned' or I have to make comprises because of a tight budget, I remember why I'm doing this.  

Because I'm marrying the person I love!!!

With that prospective, the rest- the wedding, the party, the reception, the honeymoon... they're all icing on the (wedding) cake of life.  Here is a free way to stress less when things don't go as planned or you ha

ve to cut costs.  Just remember- you

're marrying this wonderful person.

Whenever I get stressed about a tight budget, I just try to remember what I'm getting, no matter if we have centerpieces or not.

My Fiance...

He's weird, and he's mine!

• Makes me dinner when I come home tired and hungry from work.
• Does the dishes when I'm too tired (even if he cooked dinner).
• Let's me keep another cat.
• Keeps trying to teach me how to maintain my car, even though I'm terrible at checking the air and changing tires.
• Doesn't get upset when I'm uber-cranky because I'm hungry.  He'll even get me a snack.
• Listens to me when we argue, and always ends fighting by hugging and making up.
• Does the heavy lifting, kills the bugs, and gets the glasses on the high shelf.
• Indulges me- whether it's getting me Ben & Jerry's Dublin Mudslide ice cream at 11pm or driving over an hour to my favorite restaurant for my birthday.
• Love me and is there to support me- no matter what.  Lucky me.    
  

Craig, being useful.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on what helps you un-stress about your wedding!

Hello all you lovely people and welcome to the new Thrifty Thrilling Bride blog!  I recently proposed to the love of my life (yes, I proposed to him!).  While our wedding is not for a while (9.10.11 to be exact), it is giving us a lot of time to plan the wedding.  Considering he is an ex-punk pacifist and I love shiny things, it will take a while to plan a wedding that will suit both of us.  I've found that planning (and even re-planning) is a ton of fun.  I'll come up with several themes a week.  I think I may need to throw a bunch of parties to use up all these themes.

What I've noticed is that with some creativity and work, weddings can look absolutely amazing and be a ton of fun without costing a fortune.  And so I've created this blog to help you have a fabulous and wonderful wedding without breaking the bank.  Stay tuned for idea, thoughts, and photos.  Feel free to email me any suggestions or photos and stories from your own wedding or wedding planning adventures.

Best,

Brandie