Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Did you plan it before he put a ring on it?



I have a wedding planning confession to make… I started planning my wedding about a year before I got engaged. That’s right, a full year before I had the bling I was crusing around theknot.com saving articles, “right-clicking” on photos, swooning over dresses, and comparing wedding venues. I didn’t dare let the Mr. know this – I felt like it was a bit too much “psycho girlfriend” for him at the time (of course now that we’re married I've clued him on my former craziness).

While planning our wedding I started reading wedding blogs and I realized that I was not alone. In fact, lots of ladies out there had been covertly planning their weddings for years. Some had even been reading Martha Stewart Weddings since High School.



So girls, it’s your turn to confess. Did any of your start planning your wedding or hunting for wedding ideas before you got engaged? If so, for how long? Or if you’re not engaged yet, do you ever lurk on wedding blogs or theknot.com?

Please tell me that I was not the only one!


And just for fun, here's a picture of me the night I got engaged.

I wonder if I'm thinking, "let the real planning begin!" Kidding!

28 comments:

Heather said...

I always had ideas of themes and colours. I began looking at wedding sites about 6 months before he proposed, and was really looking and making plans about 3 months before he proposed.

But he knew all of this. We had been planning to get married in 2008 and I knew I wanted at least a year to plan. So I had to start early because I was passing that 1 year mark with no proposal. We booked the venue a week or two after he proposed because I had already been scouting. I felt like I was already way behind!

My sister thought it was strange that I was planning a wedding before we got engaged. But we already knew we were going to get married. My husband was just waiting for money to buy the rings.

Right after he proposed, people were asking about when it was going to happen. I already had a date picked out!

Katie said...

I love reading wedding and engagement blogs! They are all so sweet and full of love, plus a lot of amazing ideas!

I think every girl has some idea of what she wants at her wedding before it happens, but sites like blogger and theknot just make it that much easier to get excited for the big day... whenever that may be :)

Crazy Shenanigans-JMO said...

I love reading wedding magazines. I've been addicted to them for years. Matt and I are not engaged, but we've talked about it. Have I started looking at stuff in books and magazines. Yes. Have I started looking online and venues, etc? Yes. Have I actually went out to places and stuff. no. lol

Sarah said...

I was addicted to wedding mags, and website while we were dating too.. I already had a lot of the planning done before we got engaged

Shaina said...

I didn't start actively planning ahead of time, but I LOVED to look through wedding mags and had a small collection of MS Weddings stashed away in a secret part of the closet. :) Nothing wrong with that!

Nicole-Lynn said...

I have this blog as an outlet, love looking at other wedding related blogs for ideas and inspiration. I especially love photography blogs! I also buy magazines on occassion, but nothing overload. i would love to save the real planning for when were actually engaged. I think the blogging world is my outlet and my beau doesn't mind it at all. Hoping to be engaged SOON! :)

Lucky in Love said...

I had ideas of colors and who our attendants would be...even though I had never asked him :) But I didn't REALLY start searching for ideas until about 6 months after we got engaged. I know...weird right? Well I was in grad school and I was basically waiting to graduate before I started. Just too much going on at once for this girl!

Molly said...

I did plan some before, and I even bought a set of pots and pans, and china! We got engaged after dating only 7 months, so there was not too much time to do sneaky planning. :) We were engaged for 2 1/2 years so I got sooo sick of wedding plans by the time the day came!

Liz said...

Oh yes, I did the same thing!

Becky said...

Nope...no 'serious' planning beforehand. A few of my friends were engaged before me so I would flip through their wedding mags. One of my friends even set a date with the church and reception a full 9 months before they were engaged!!!! Yup, that marriage lasted 4 months.

Laura Sue said...

i'm not engaged yet but i'm waiting... we've been dating over 2 years now. i have a "wedding binder" that i have written things i like and etc in and everything. then i have a "my wedding" folder under pictures on my computer.... ok, and under my favorite i have a "my wedding" folder that i save websites too...

Sara said...

No, I guess I'm the only one. His proposal was a surprise. And, honestly, I had more ideas of what I didn't want to do (based on other weddings I'd been to) than what I did.

Prouts said...

You are not alone, I have been stashing pictures and articles for a while, even with no groom.

Mrs. Not-so-Domesticated said...

I have to say that did but didn't. One of my best friends got married around the time we got engaged, so while I was "helping" her with her planning the year before I was definitely scoping out what I wanted for my own. There were things I knew I wanted, but the rest of the details waited until after I got the ring...

June said...

It's so funny that you are blogging about this topic today. In the past my boyfriend has said that he doesn't want to get married for at least 5 years. Although this statement perturbed me a bit I figured he would probably change his mind as he usually does. Well lately he's been talking a lot about how he wants to get married sooner than he thought. Well of course the planner in me has become obsessed! I've spent the last 2 days doing tons of research on theknot.com. So I wanted to let you know that you aren't the only one and I love that now I know I'm not the only one :-)

Pollyanna said...

Not only did I have the wedding planned, but I had the name of our first born picked out. Good thing we had a girl, it would be weird to have a boy named "Cupie".

Jess said...

Yep... I don't even have what could be considered a "maybe groom" and I still "plan" my wedding.

Like someone said above, it's more casual research than planning, lol.

Shoshanah said...

I'm not engaged, but I am guilty as charged. I don't see myself as being a very good planner, so I feel that if I don't start getting an idea of what I want now when I do actually HAVE to plan, I won't be able to. I'm not talking about making major decisions, more ideas of the type of dress I'd want or cute ideas for table names, things like that.

Rhiannon Bosse said...

Oh my gosh! I love your blog haha I just found you today (how did I not know before?!) and am so happy about it hehe I got engaged last July to my man of 3 and a half years and we are planning our wedding for 2010 (OH the waiiittt). Secretly, I knew we would be married 2 months into our relationship and I started a file folder probably in high school of the things I liked hehe I promise I'm not crazy :) Happy Thursday!!

Anonymous said...

Sure I think everyone does. I will admit to looking at wedding magazines, and the knot. Though I never did wedding dress shop, I always knew I would wear my mother's wedding dress.

Tara Gibson said...

I so did! my hubs and I were together for 4 years before we got engaged and the year before i so was secretly planning : )

Anon said...

I planned in hiding for months before I got the ring! I would stash my wedding mags in my closet! It was so hard not to!!!!

LWLH said...

What girl hasn't!?! lol.
I totally do the same things and even have my little avatar wedding party on davidbridals...I told Big Man and he laughed at my craziness, he already thinks I'm nuts soo it can't be any worse :)

The Hnou Mrs. said...

Hahaha! I so did that! Haven't fully let Chris know yet even though the wedding's in 4 months! He'll know soon! heehee!!

Mrs. Happily-ever-after said...

Of course! I mean really, most girls do...my husband (at the time boyfriend) caught me looking at theknot.com when he surprised me with flowers one day! Luckily, he wasn't totally freaked out and married me anyways.

Karli said...

I AM planning our wedding. I browse theknot.com and have our date and colors set in stone, but the Fiance to be knows all of this. As the date and colors we decided on together.. We have been looking at rings for a while now but today I found the one I know I want and he knows to buy, so hopefully soon I can say that I am engaged. It's nice to see that I'm not the only one out there planning before the ring lands on the finger! Also, just found your blog and I love it!!

Anonymous said...

OMG I love that I read this on Friday - and agreed with what you wrote - and got engaged on Saturday!! :) :) So I think I am ready for your excel spreadsheet now... :)

kim_brough said...

When I was dating the guy I thought I was going to marry (before he changed his mind and bolted) I had already typed up a guest list and looked at rings to match his grandmother's wedding band, which is what we were going to use. I won't do that in any future relationships b/c it was just too painful. But get this, a friend of mind bought her wedding dress before she was engaged!! The store was going out of business and she practically stole it it was so cheap. Once they were engaged he asked when she was going to look for dresses "Um...."

Blog Widget by LinkWithin