Wedding Week Has Arrived
It’s about time! Even with a short engagement process, this wedding has felt like it was never going to get here. Finally, we have made it to wedding week! While I’m no expert on how engagement is supposed to go I thought I would compile a list of things I learned throughout the process.
- Weddings are expensive! Chelsie’s parents are being very generous with their decision to fund our wedding and we are SO grateful for them. Even though I wasn’t writing the checks I was still occasionally struck by the cost of wedding ‘things.’ Did you know that it’s cheaper to rent a venue on Monday-Friday than it is on Saturday? Well now you do and so do we. We’re fortunate that our photographer is both reasonably priced and amazing and don’t even get us started on catering. Now that we’ve seen the light at the end of the tunnel I’ve started a savings account for the wedding of the daughter we don’t have yet. (Upside, if we have all boys and don’t need it, we’re spending a month in Europe.)
- There’s something awesome about putting together parts of your wedding. Chelsie and her bridesmaids built their own bouquets and had a blast playing around with the design. She also designed all of our printed materials; invitations, RSVP cards, table numbers, etc. and they look amazing. Some of our family members are bringing desserts for a family dessert table that is near and dear to our hearts. And if you’re asking what I did, over the weekend Chels and I finished off the backdrop for our ceremony; a 7′ tall hexagonal arch that I designed and we (along with her dad Jim) built from scratch. Knowing that a ton of pictures are going to feature that piece gives me a sense of pride. Chelsie, our families, and I have worked hard and on Friday it all pays off. If there’s something you want to do for your wedding, do it. You won’t regret it.
- The last month has been a lot of ups and downs. A few weeks ago I sat in a car and wondered what we were even arguing about because neither of us knew anymore but we both knew we were right. From talking with other couples we have come to learn that’s very normal. At the same time, we got our engagement pictures back, bought wedding day gifts for each other, and painted a window with the phrase ‘We the Freemans’ for the wedding. Sweet moments offset with frustrations and annoyances. Words of advice; worry less about others and details and worry more about each other. We love each other so who cares if the bridal party colors match exactly (Me… I was the only one that cared.)
- It’s all about what happens after the wedding. Not that our wedding shouldn’t be beautiful or that the guests, music, and decor aren’t important but when the candles are blown out and the food is gone we’re married for the rest of our lives. Focusing on Friday night has been fun but we are both so excited for what comes after that; a honeymoon, a week to learn how to cohabitate, and a life we’ve been working to build together. Last week we started moving her things into our apartment and it all started to become very real. Whether it’s dinner together every night, driving to church together every Sunday morning, or not having to go home at the end of the night; we’re ready!
I’ll say it again; it’s wedding week y’all! I love this girl and this week is going to be a blast sharing it on-air with you. Chelsie will be in on Friday to hang out on air and we’ll have some wedding-themed questions of the day this week!