Making it All Work

There's a struggle sometimes to have the wedding of your dreams match the reality taking shape in front of you. I'm struggling with that right now.

Our wedding is on a really tight budget. As in we can't actually afford everything we want for our wedding and so we're calling upon all the creative people we know to help make our wedding day happen.

I have days when I think it would be so much easier to just hire someone to do all of the things for me. Then I think that it wouldn't truly reflect who we are.

Compromise is a huge part of my life right now. I had to trade paper products for our homemade invites because I couldn't justify $100 on card stock when I could get all the paper I need in the same style for $40 by just having regular paper. Jeff also wants to have lights in each of the lanterns we are buying and hanging in our reception room. I hate to squash his dream there, but buying little battery-operated tea lights for the lanterns is just more than we can handle. I keep telling him that we'll have our 4 giant strands of twinkle lights peeking through the lanterns, but my words are falling of deaf ears.

I'm currently making my own blusher birdcage veil since we can't afford to buy one (or find one that I really like). It's costing me $8 dollars (for the netting) and everything else I already have at home. It's taking a lot longer than I thought it would, but I'm excited to get it done and then have my hair trial in November so I can see what it'll look like with my hair all done up.

There are countless little details that need to be organized and sorted out for our wedding that sometimes I think it might never get done. But then Jeff wraps his arms around me, kissed my shoulder and tells me he loves me...and suddenly all is right in the world and I can accomplish our dream wedding on pennies and start our marriage off with an amazing day.

What have you struggled with? Is your real wedding matching up to the dream in your mind?