Bridal Magazine Envy

So earlier this week I cracked open a bunch of bridal magazines for the first time in probably two months.

I was looking for hair style inspirations but I quickly got distracted by all the great décor-type images these magazines contain. While I’d seen all of these pictures before, some of them really caught my eye this time around, generally images that were really elaborate, original or expensive looking.

And then I felt a bit sad because my wedding isn’t going to have an archway made out of flowers or personalized name cards on the back of each seat or even table overlays with matching charger plates.

I know, I know, it’s stupid. The whole point of these magazines is to give you unrealistic expectations so that you spend more money but still, I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed in what we had planned so far. It just all seemed so predictable and boring.

And it’s not even just an issue of money. Sure, a bigger budget would help, but more than a few of the ideas that caught my eye could probably be done for a reasonable price if you had the time and the manpower. Sadly, I don’t have much free time and am not the least bit crafty, nor do I have group of crafty friends who I could put to work.

So no breathtaking, original wedding for us. I know this and most of the time I accept it but just every now and then, when I see a certain image or item, I have to remind myself that while gorgeous flowers and clever escort card displays make for wonderful pictures, they don’t guarantee that a wedding will be fun and enjoyable (and isn’t that really what’s important?).

In fact, I can see how an elaborate wedding could be quite the opposite, especially if the bride and groom can’t really afford the event and have put their friends and family to work, running errands and making seating cards.

So I’m taking comfort in that fact along with the knowledge that at least Shawn and I are throwing an event that won’t put us in debt, exhaust us or destroy friendships.

Our common sense wedding might not be the prettiest but I think in the end it’ll work for us.