Wow it’s already been two months since Andy popped the question!  It’s no doubt been a great year so far.  There has been lots of celebrating with our friends and family and the planning of engagement parties and the wedding has already begun.

I’ve always said I don’t want a huge big to-do wedding.  The reason being, I don’t want to go in to debt over one day.  I’d rather put more of that towards an amazing honeymoon or house (really though, honeymoon is where it’s at).  With that said, of course I want to have a beautiful and fun day that reflects who me and Andy are and celebrates our relationship.

So I do have an exciting announcement.  We picked a date and a venue!  Venue shopping was super fun, probably due to the fact that we looked at three different vineyards and well… that includes free wine.

Being engaged for two months now, telling friends, family, strangers, and acquaintances, looking  at venues, and wasting hours of my life on Pinterest I’ve already learned a few things about this whole wedding planning stuff.

1.  There’s no such thing as a budget or cheap wedding when you have extremely large families. Unless you do it in your backyard and order pizzas.  I always said ‘I’d get married in a backyard’ to save money.  That’s not where the cost comes in.  It’s the food, alcohol, and catering.  And well if you know Andy and I then you know we are definitely not going to skimp on the food or drinks.

2.  A rustic wedding is not unique.  I thought I was different with wanting a barn wedding or mason jars with sunflowers.  Oh no,  I was very wrong.  Everyone and their mother wants a rustic wedding.

3.  People have strong opinions about what your wedding should look like, how big it should be, and when it should occur.  ‘Do it quick’, ‘No need to wait’.  ‘Give yourself plenty of time’, ‘No rush’. ‘Do not have a big wedding!’

4.  Getting engaged makes you extremely popular.  Andy and I never knew we had so many friends with the amount of recognition we got on Facebook.  It was really nice to know how many people care and take the time to congratulate.

5.  Fall is expensive.  August is cheaper.  Friday is cheap too.  What’s wrong with Fridays?

6.  The wedding industry is where it’s at.  The amount of money the wedding industry must bring in is insane.

7.  Taxes and gratuity are no small number.  Find out what they are before!

8.  Lots of people notice a woman’s engagement ring!

9.  Weddings become the topic of many many conversations.  Especially when a lot of your friends are also planning or are already married.

10.  Being engaged is exciting.  I always find myself thinking back to the feeling I had when Andy got down on one knee.  It’s fun to talk about the life we want to create together!

How about for you guys?  If married, or engaged, what have you learned? Any tips for me?!