I'm all about weddings, but good grief!!!

[doxielady5569128]

My sister in law is getting engaged soon.  However, she and her boyfriend want to get married by Dec. 15th.  I don't think she knows how hard it is to plan a wedding in that short amount of time.  Plus, she asked me to help with all the planning, so I'm going to have a stressful two months ahead of me.  I am so happy for her, but just wish she would give us at least 6 months to plan.  I'm afraid its gonna be a disaster!   Please tell me if I am just overreacting.  Am I the only who sees how impossible this is going to be?   

She wants a BIG wedding we're talking 100-200 guests.  She wants me to make her invitations. I just don't think I'll have time in just two months to get everything done!   :crazyeyes:  There is no way she could order them and have them be here in time.  AH!!! Im stressed out over this.   Plus, since I'm her only sister, I am going to be the maid of honor, which means I plan the shower too.  So....if I'm absent for a few days, you will all know why.  Their engagement is no even going to be "official" for another 3 weeks!!!   But, invitatons need to go out by the first of November so everyone that lives far away can make arrangements to come. 

I trid talking her into waiting until spring, but she wants a winter wedding.      So..I asked her why not wait until next winter?  Her response,"I just can't!"   Keep in mind this girl has Bi-polar and is very impulsive.  So...I've got my work cut out for me.     I am really excited that she and her boyfriend are getting married, please don't take this wrong.  I'm just overwhelmed by it all. 

[Sandishooligans]

Sounds like this could be a new Reality Show......WEDDING IMPOSSIBLE!    just kidding.  Seriously, that does sound like a very small period of time to get 200 people together.  I hope everything turns out right, but don't make yourself sick over this.  Roll with it.  Have fun

My wedding story:, Mark and I have been married for 26 years and we had a grand total of 8 adults and 3 kddies at our wedding and we've stuck together.  A good ol' fashioned Justice of the Peace worked well for us. 

[doxielady5569128]

I wish my sister-in-law would say that.     Anyway..I went ahead and told her that I wouldn't be able to do all the planning in such a short time period and she needed to hire a professional instead. She was a little upset, but maybe when the professional tells her this is petty much an impossible task, she'll get it. Then again, maybe not. We'll see

[Teresa]

My co-workers son is leaving for Iraq on the 24th of this month. He got engaged the first of August and he really didn't want to leave without his fiance having his last name. At the time they got engaged, he was going to be in a remote area in Iraq and one that was quite dangerous (they have since changed the area he will be in, which makes everyone happy). Their wedding was Oct. 6, which gave them about 8 weeks to plan it. The difference, however, is that his fiance had her mom, aunt, and grandmother helping her pull it all together.
Your sister-in-law may be able to get her invitations done pretty fast, depending on who she uses. If she doesn't want to do something formal, she can have a nice picture taken of herself with her fiance (it can be taken by anyone) and have the invitations done using Shutterfly or one of the online services. I do think she is going to have to scale it down a bit. The wedding of her dreams in an 8 week time-span may be pushing it a little!

[MimisMomma]

I am glad you told her to get a professional. That just sounds like the best thing all around. Plus you can concentrate on the shower. What about other family members? Can they help? Or even friends. If she really doesn't want the professional then spilitting it up amoung a group would help out a bunch. After all that you have been through lately it would be such a great deal more stress on you and right before the holidays!! I wish you all the luck. Keep us posted.

[doxielady5569128]

Well I'm glad I told her that too.  Although it didn't do any good.    She is just going to "do it herself"  We are going shopping for her wedding dress, the bridesmaid dresses and all the rest of the stuff on the 26 or 27th. It will be an all day affair since we have to go to Colorado to get it.     Plus...guess who gets to be the official model of the bridesmaid dresses cause I'm the thin one and the only one that can go?   :crazyeyes:   

I am taking advantage of the trip though. I'm taking my wedding gown with us to get it vacuum sealed and put into a box.  Nevermind that this cold have been done for free 2 years ago!!!  But, someone (me) never found the time to go to Colorado.      So..I guess the trip won't be all bad.  Plus, it wil be a great way to spend time with my sis and mother-in-law.   :thumb:  So..I should quit whining and focus on having fun!! 

My boss said she can't guarantee the 15th of December off work for me since its such short notice, but she'll try.  Oh great!!  Wouldnt it be nice for the maid of honor to be late?!     Oh well, I'm sure everything will work out. And if not??? Well, what can I do?    Stressing out about it won't help anybody.


Also...as far as the invitations go, she wants me to make them for her.  If she picks the design I'm hoping she'll pick it will take an afternoon for me to print them and put them together. She's in charge of stuffing envelopes and all the addresses.  I had enough fun with that for my wedding 2 years ago.   :crazyeyes:  I made my invitatin=ons myself for that too. 

[Mike]

My boss said she can't guarantee the 15th of December off work for me since its such short notice, but she'll try.

Oh my!!! 60 days is short notice?  Do you have to sign up for lavatory breaks a week in advance as well?

[Jeri]

Good luck!  Umm...has anyone checked to make sure the bride has been taking her medication?  Seriously, make sure she is on meds and stays on them, or this rush wedding could become a crisis.

[doxielady5569128]

   Mike.  The reason that is considered short notice is at my work I am a personal trainer and we have appointments set with each trainer for 6 months in advance.  Plus, December and January are our busiest months!!   We are also short staffed right now leaving only 5 trainers available for each work day.   So...I'm crossing my fingers that i can get that Saturday off!   


Jeri,
I totally understand your concerns.  Yes, she is living in a home where they make her take her medication and monitor her EVERY action.  So...she is safe. the problem lies in the fact that they keep having to "tweak" her medication to get the right dosage so it doesn't really put her off balance chemically.  Also.. her fiance is really good about keeping her in line. Which is why the whole family loves him.   Although I don't agree with the whole rushing thing.  Seems pretty impulsive to me because they have been dating since June, got engaged on Sunday and now are getting married on the 15th. Kindafast in my opinion. She is known for being impulsive and I don't want to see her or her boyfriend get hurt if things don't work out.  I hate to be the one to say that to her though.  Her mom is all for it and her dad, like me and my husband, has reservations about it.  But, what can we do...she's 19 we can't really make her listen.     i just pray everything works out. 

[MimisMomma]

I hope everything works out well too. Sounds like she can get bad with the meds and that won't make for a happy ceramony!! What happens to her when she gets nervous? That changes the body's chemicals as well so hope the meds are good ones!!

Glad to hear the trip to Colorado won't be so bad. I remember having to take my Grandmother there for Christmas shopping when she lived in Scottsbluff. It was either Colorado or Whyoming. I loved those shopping trips. Lunch out too!!

Mel

[doxielady5569128]

I am looking forward to the trip.  You can't go wrong with going on an all expenses paid trip right?!   I'm just worried she will say something mean to her mom and then I have to be stuck in the middle of the whole drama.   :xfinger: Hopefully that won't happen.  Either that or she'll be her usual loud boiseterous self and embarrass the heck out of us.  We'll see. At the very least, the trip will be interesting.    

Also...I'm not too worried about the ceremony. That should go fine.  I hope.   I'm more worried about  1. where are they going to live? 2. will either one of them end up brokenhearted, and 3. will she keep her sanity until all of it is over.  Sounds kinda mean, but i think these are legitimate concerns.   

[DP]

I know I'm late in posting but my husband and I got married and planned the wedding in 9 weeks.  We had an August wedding planned but jobs and living arrangements meant i was moving to Houston sooner than expected so rather than living in sin we moved up the wedding date.  Its amazing what can be done in 9 weeks.  The only long lead time items will be the dresses, and the invitations.  We had nothing done when we changed the date.  The first Saturday after the change we found a seamstress picked material ordered invitations picked patterns for everything.  It is so much easier when there is no time, you pick what you like at that moment and you don't agonize over the decision. 
By the way we only fed about 900 people at the reception.  The hall we used normally only seats 850 but people were getting up for those that had not eaten yet.  the serving lines went outside the building.  We had a small town Texas wedding where your friends will barbecue anything  and every hall has about 5 40' long pits.  The hardest thing to find was enough wood for all of the meat to be cooked.  we bought a few calves a few pigs and a couple of hundred chickens.  A short engagement can work, all you have to do is simplify the choices and don't read all of those wedding magazines that tell you all of the things you must do like the pre ceremony brunches and all of that stuff.  Pick colors, pick locations that are available, and DO NOT AGONIZE OVER THE DETAILS!!!  The most important thing is the marriage after the ceremony. 

p.s.  It will be 18 years for us on on our next anniversary

[Ruth in MT]

 900  people  ?

[DP]

900 give or take a few we actually had about 1500 sign the guest book if you counted the children.  Many of the people invited to the wedding ate at the local restaurants.  I heard that there was 30 minute waits at all of the sit down restaurants in town.  We had a dance and we limited the budget to 20 kegs of beer.  After that one boot was passed for the bride (right) (a tradition where I come from) and the other was passed for the beer (left) and that bought another 5 kegs from the hall.  We did not have anyone stumbling and all of the guests were having a good time without any nastiness from too much beer.

p.s.  My husband and I both come from large families and even larger extended families.  It didn't hurt that Dad was the pastor of the largest church within 50 miles and we had an open invitation to all of the members of the church.  The whole thing was a bit more than I wanted but it was a great party!

[cheryl186]

ALL I CAN SAY IS WOWWIE

[papbouv]

My poor daughter-in-law decided to plan the wedding herself trying to save monies,decided to have a sleep over at the church the night before the wedding she wanted to decorate the church.Her sister brought her little kids,sister-in-laws brought their little kids dumped them on them on my daughter-in-law.This wedding took place in August very,very hot here in Tulsa they turned the Air Conditioner off the night before the wedding with my daughter-in-law and all the little kids in the building trying to decorate,& then sleep.She got about an hour or two of sleep. Was up all the next day getting hair done,getting the cake, food and tables set up.The church was extremely HOT for every one.Then the music would not work the minister called my son by another name twice plus forgot the part of the exchanging of the rings.The mother of the bride & I were to lite the Unity candle my lighter did not work. They finely were married someone took their plates of food that had been saved for the bride & groom.The one sister of the bride was jealous she took big hunks of the wedding cake none left for the bride & groom to take home.Then they did not get to go on their Honeymoon a hurricane was where they were to go.
I do hope your sisters wedding turns out wonderful you just take deep breaths when you get stressed and everything will turn out great.
Papbouv

[doxielady5569128]

Wow. Papbouv!  That sounds like a stressful thing.  My husband and I had reserved a trip to the Maldives islands for our honeymoon almost right after we got engaged.  The December before we got married was when they got their Tsunami there so we didn't get to go.  Plus we lost out on all our money we put into it.      

I consider myself blessed.  My grandmother had to spend her wedding night tied to the front end of a Model T holding a flashlight, in the rain.    When I saw tied, I mean literally tied.    The whole family laughs about this story all the time.   Can you imagine what was going through her mind?   "What in the world have I gotten myself into?"  LOL

[papbouv]

Why was your Grandmother tied to a Model T in the rain with a flashlight???? If I'm too nosy just say so just got my curiosity up.
Papbouv

[TerriL]

My daughter is getting married on December 8 and she (meaning we) have been planning this for the last year.  She is having a formal wedding ... late afternoon mass and early evening cocktail hour and then dinner for about 180.  I cannot imagine trying to get it all done in two months!  We are coming into the home stretch now and it seems like there are still a million little things to get done.  Fun but exhausting!  Let us know how things go....  I'm still laughing about trying to feed 900 people!  In my family that would mean about 1000 bottles of wine!  LOL!!!

[doxielady5569128]

Papbouv,
She was tied on the front of a Model T because it had no headlights. Since the roads were muddy it took longer than they expected to get to their honeymoon destination.  They didn't make it before nightfall, hence the need for a light, so grandpa could see where he was going. Also, grandma did not know how to drive otherwise grandpa would have held the flashlight.