planning hiatus?

[mimzy]

so i''ve been engaged for just over two months, and i think i have a pretty good handle on things.
things checked off the list:
reception venue
church
my dress
BM dresses
60% of the decor
dj
photographer
wedding website (mostly)

i would also say invites, but our friend is going to design them and he just got a new job, and we have 10 months still, so i don''t want to pester him right now.

well despite the things i have gotten done, i still find myself laying awake at 2am thinking about whether or not the black magic roses will be dark enough to match the gowns or if it will be safer to go with the black baccara roses even though they will be more expensive. sooo...i think i need a vacation. i''m not burned out, but i feel like i will quickly get there if i keep it up at this rate....and the last thing i want is to hate anything wedding related with 8 months still to go.

i''m thinking that if i do NOTHING wedding related for a month that that would be a good amount of time to sort of relax and focus on other stuff. but my question is, can it be done? has anyone gone on a wedding planning hiatus? can you resist the sweet call of the latest martha stewart weddings? can you ignore the seductive whisper coming from your computer, convincing you to research vendors? tell me it''s possible!

 

[v!v!]

oh mimzy, your post made me laugh! i think it would be hard, but i think it could be done! do you have any hobbies you could immerse yourself in for a little while to get your mind off of it?

 

[zoebartlett]

It can be done! I took a break from planning for a while (a month or so). I think I probably still browsed but I didn''t actually get anything else accomplished during my break. It can get overwhelming pretty easily, so don''t be afraid to slow donwn and take time for yourself occasionally. We got engaged last May and our wedding''s in mid-July. I find that there''s a lot of hurry up and then wait. Each thing can be done within a certain amount of time and then you can rest until it''s time to work on the next thing. That''s been my experience anyway. I check the Knot''s checklist occasionally to make sure I''m right on track, and so far, so good.

It sounds like you''ve done a lot already!

 

[mimzy]

VV - haha i USED to love sewing.....until my sewing room became wedding headquarters and there''s no room to do anything anymore. i think that''s a good idea though - i''ll make sure that i clear all that stuff out and shove it into as small of space as possible in the corner so that i can get back into that.

Zoe - thanks, that''s encouraging! you''re right, it is a lot of ''hurry up and wait''. i think i''ll take a look at a checklist in one of the gazillion planners i have and see if there is anything else i should get checked before i take a break.

 

[sumbride]

I think you have to or you''ll make yourself crazy. You have accomplished A LOT. Sit back a bit and enjoy the fruits of your labors.

And yes, I frequently took breaks, but it wasn''t until almost the end that I really felt burnt out. And boy did I. That''s when I started to ask for help.

Good luck and enjoy your vacation!

 

[AmberGretchen]

I think its totally natural to have a hiatus, especially with an engagement that''s longer than 6 months or so. I mean, its hard to plan non-stop for that long, and really, you''d have to have no life.

I took a LONG hiatus (probably close to 4 months) in the middle of my engagement to focus on getting through my qualifying exams in grad school. There was still plenty of time to get everything done, and I think it helped me feel less burned out towards the end.

I think your plan sounds excellent

 

[Sabine]

Mimzy, I think you totally deserve a break, and it sounds like it might also be just what you need! If you are worried that you won''t be able to stop thinking about things, you might want to make a timeline of when you want to get all major tasks done...like make sure you have invitations settled at like 5 months before, plan rehersal dinner at x time before, etc. If there''s nothing you NEED to get done in the next month (or even two!) and you know when you are going to focus on everything else, it might help you be able to not think about it for your break. I took a break too, and I was much more enthusiastic when I started up again than when I stopped.

 

[ladyciel]

Mimzy, I''m just coming off of a psuedo break, and it''s helped a lot. The break wasn''t really planned, per se, but when I realized life was forcing wedding to the back burner, I wasn''t sad to see it happen. Go ahead and take a rest!

Out of curiosity, since we''re in the same region, who''d you pick for your photographer/florist/dj? (If you don''t mind sharing, that is.

)

 

[mimzy]

Date: 2/26/2008 10:45:10 PM
Author: ladyciel
Mimzy, I''m just coming off of a psuedo break, and it''s helped a lot. The break wasn''t really planned, per se, but when I realized life was forcing wedding to the back burner, I wasn''t sad to see it happen. Go ahead and take a rest!


Out of curiosity, since we''re in the same region, who''d you pick for your photographer/florist/dj? (If you don''t mind sharing, that is.

)

not at all! we just signed a contract with melissa squires of agirlinlove photography for our photographer. she is GREAT (at least i think so), very friendly and her prices were a LOT lower than other photographers. the dj we booked is a guy that my dad recommended, i think his name is mike bowdell? he charged us about 400 less (600) than most other djs in the area were going to. we are meeting with him next month i think, so after that i''ll have a better idea of him because i''ve never actually met him! we aren''t hiring a florist because we aren''t doing floral centerpieces or bridesmaid bouquets, and my sister in law used to work in a floral shop so she is helping with my bouquet. have you booked yours yet??

 

[ladyciel]

Our photographer and dj are both booked, but I'm still on the hunt (ok, I need to start..) for a florist. Our photographer was the first thing after the venues that we booked, because that was our biggie splurge. We're using Dionne Haglund (The Shooting Gallery). Our DJ's name is Marc LaRochelle - his company is In Play Productions. Not quite as great a deal as yours (just a little more) but it's for unlimited time and includes lights. Compared to the other quotes we got and personalities we clashed with, we were pretty happy to find him. Any chance your SIL has tips on florists? Like, who to stay away from, or who we should definitely check out??

 

[Aim_Turbo]

I think you''re making a very wise decision in taking a break Mimzy! I''m getting married in August and I got engaged in July so from July to October I was wedding wedding wedding!! When November came I had had enough of wedding stuff so I threw myself into work, the gym, the dog, my dude, my fam and barely even spoke of the wedding until close to the end of this month! Now that we''ve hit the 6 month mark i''m starting to get back on track and it''s been stress free and fun (except for my dress overreaction)! Take the break and relax..being engaged is a very special time...after that we''re "the wife", "ball and chain", "baby momma" etc

 

[tberube]

hahaha....you''re insane!

I dunno, but if you''re anything like me, in a couple months the novelty will wear off and you''ll come back down from "cloud bride." Hopefully you''ll still be in one piece. Haha. There is a period of calm, though, before the final heave, and I''ve been in mine for a few months now.

Now that you''ve got so much done...how about you take it easy and just enjoy being engaged to your man? It''s the best part, afterall...and you''re only engaged once.

Enjoy!

 

[lucy.lucy.80]

Date: 2/26/2008 6:39:45 PM
Author:mimzy
so i''ve been engaged for just over two months, and i think i have a pretty good handle on things.
things checked off the list:
reception venue
church
my dress
BM dresses
60% of the decor
dj
photographer
wedding website (mostly)

i would also say invites, but our friend is going to design them and he just got a new job, and we have 10 months still, so i don''t want to pester him right now.

well despite the things i have gotten done, i still find myself laying awake at 2am thinking about whether or not the black magic roses will be dark enough to match the gowns or if it will be safer to go with the black baccara roses even though they will be more expensive. sooo...i think i need a vacation. i''m not burned out, but i feel like i will quickly get there if i keep it up at this rate....and the last thing i want is to hate anything wedding related with 8 months still to go.

i''m thinking that if i do NOTHING wedding related for a month that that would be a good amount of time to sort of relax and focus on other stuff. but my question is, can it be done? has anyone gone on a wedding planning hiatus? can you resist the sweet call of the latest martha stewart weddings? can you ignore the seductive whisper coming from your computer, convincing you to research vendors? tell me it''s possible!

haha I have the same problem with that rose color issue!! Meeting with the florist on saturday so hopefully he can help me choose between those two shades.

 

[anchor31]

Definitely! I go in spurts and get tons of things done inside a week or a month, and then do nothing for an entire month or so. Those breaks are good for the soul, otherwise we''d probably all go crazy!