Here Comes the Bride...and Corperate America

Stefan and I have been dating now for a little over two years now, and it is basically understood that we will someday get married. We plan to first live together, in our own apartment, and then get engaged if we still feel like we can stand each other (J/k). Anyway, since I have come to this realisation that Stefan is "the One", I have thought much about our far-off wedding day. (I'm a Girl. So shoot me.)

Weddings are quite facinating for me. I am finally getting to that age where my friends are getting engaged and I am getting invited to their weddings. Friends of mine from work are getting hitched in March of next year, and I am really looking forward to attending. Mostly because I care very much for the couple, and I wish them the best. However, this is not to say I am not at least a tiny bit excited to steal ideas from their ceremony and reception. You see, I am a crafty lady. It is my nature. So a wedding seems to me like the biggest craft project ever! Center pieces, thematic colors, flower arrangements, invitations, favors, etc., I am so there! My inner crafting goddess is elated at the mere thought. Here's the catch: I am dumb-founded at the idea of inviting a bunch of people I don't know watch Stefan and I on the most intimate day of our lives. (It really weirds me out to think of all the people at our reception wish us off to our honeymoon, knowing full well what'll go down. EVERYONE THINKS IT, and if you don't you're lying.) Another concern is the fact that Stefan's family might feel excluded because they don't speak English fluently. (His mother I'm not worried about because she can make friends with anybody) They are wonderful people, and I want them to feel as important as they are. All of these concerns though are not worth worrying about presently anyway, so I will refrain from talking about them any longer.

Anyhoo, because of my facination of weddings, I have discovered that corperate America has a lot to say about what you "have to do" for your wedding. I promise, no matter how stressed, I will not be the crazy bridezilla that you see on those wedding shows. It's not my style. Plus, I doubt that I will feel like dishing out $700 for little monogramed tea napkins that'll be thrown in a trash can anyway. And don't even think for a second that I need a big seven teired, fondant and royal icing grand princess-y cake. Oh, no. We're having cute cupcakes and that's it. No cake/face smashing either. It's tacky. I went on "The Knot" website (just for fun, I swear!) and found a fun little gizmo called a "budgeter". Out of curiosity, I wanted to see how much a $3,500 would cover for about 80 guests. I only checked the boxes next to items that I felt like I would absolutely positively would HAVE TO purchace (that I couldn't make or provide myself). Looking at it, nothing made any sense. It budgeted about $200 for a photographer (yeah, right), $35 to rent a ceremoney site (I won't hold my breath) and about 70 cents per favor. It makes me think that corperate America is causing people to become more engaged in the wedding details than the people who their engaged to. Most likely, whoever made this little gizmo thought that it best to calculate the things that brides will really want to a low percentage of the total budget, so that they'll recalculate and splurge elseware too. I love Stefan, and I know that he loves me too. I don't need to wear a wedding dress worth more than my car to prove it either. He met me in an outfit that probably cost me 20 bucks, so I don't see why we need to spend a year's rent on a dress I'll wear for no more than 8 hours. Just rediculous. It seems to me that the whole thing could cause a girl to begin dreaming of Vegas. Hopefully, I wouldn't be driven to that level of disgust, but for now I am a bit perterbed at the whole situation.

Does anyone else feel this way? I hope I'm not the only one.