Tell Us About Your Pre-Proposal Wedding Plans!

[laughwithme]

I know a bunch of us on here are already planning even though we are not engaged... so what wedding plans has everyone already gotten started on? Anything you''re 100% sure you''ll go with? Some ideas...

Date
Ceremony location
Reception venue
Colors
Dress or dress styles (attach pics/links!)
Bridesmaid dress styles
Cake ideas
Flowers
Honeymoon location
First dance/other important songs
Rehearsal dinner thoughts
Jewelry
Favors/centerpieces
Any other details I forgot!

 

[SailorsSweet<3]

Im going to look at a venue site Sunday with two of my future bridesmaids (with my SO's blessing, of course! Hes on deployment so he cant come haha) We realllyy want 7/3/10 as our date because its the 4th anniversary of the day we met so we decided to start looking at venues. This was really the only one I was impressed with so my list is short lol Hopefully I love it as much in person. I have a photographer in mind but shes only if our budget doesnt shrink anymore and same thing with the dress - I'd love POB or Melissa Sweet but we'll see. I'm also multi tasking because I'm in school and I dont want to have to plan a wedding in under a year while finishing my thesis project =O!



LWM.. what are you thinking? Please share any of your plans

 

[SailorsSweet<3]

heres the inspiration board from a while ago. Thats my fab POB dress and the venue

 

[SailorsSweet<3]

oh god, sorry for the 3rd post.. haha.. but THOSE bridesmaids dresses I''m in love with and Rachel Bilson designed them for her good friends wedding and theres no way other than to get them custom made =( So if anyone knows of anything similar thatd be a great help

 

[ringless]

Date, color scheme, town/area, reception/ceremony ideas.. and I love saving photos from photography blogs to get ideas of what I want at my wedding & for engagement pics

I'd like to limit some of it until I actually get engaged. I want my engagement to be all about planning and the excitement that comes along with it.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I am not much of a planner, so there is no way I am going to plan anything before I get engaged. I just know very general stuff. My and my BF have talked in general terms about what is most important to us. I know I want a beautiful venue with an outdoor ceremony site, and I know this might sound picky, but I want hardwood floors at the reception site. I will budget for a very nice dress (I am not usually a big spender on clothes, but this will be the exception). I will also budget for a wedding planner, there is no way I can plan a wedding by myself with my work schedule. He wants a blacktie wedding. I don''t know if that would work with my family, but I am sure when it comes time, we will figure it out.

That is about all I have.

 

[that_someone_special]

I decided I want cupcakes instead of a traditional wedding cake. There is a place where I live that makes 8 billion flavors that are SO freaking good. I am not budging on this. Haha. BF thinks it''s a good idea too!

I have been throwing around wedding colors, ones I like:

brown and pink
blue and deep, rich purple
tiffany blue and white

and I looked at wedding dresses online, and have decided I want sleeves of some sort.
AAAND, Ideally, a 10/10 wedding. Maybe 11/10.

Oh, and we picked out my ring too

 

[KatyWI]

The only thing I know for absolute certain is that I''m getting married September 4th... whether it''s 2009 or 2010 depends on what FF wants and what we can do about the money situation.

My mom and dad and my grandparents on my mom''s side alike were married on Sept. 4 and it''s important for me to carry on the tradition!

I also know who my dream photographer is, and additionally, my dream entertainment. A couple of good friends of mine are in an AMAZING band, and I''m pretty sure I can''t afford them, but maybe they''ll cut me a deal.

After that, the details? I have NO clue.

 

[laughwithme]

Sooo I must be a more obsessive planner than all of you? I am not 100% sure about anything, but I am 90% sure about lots of things... the ceremony location (a very pretty chapel of glass and wood,) I''ve narrowed it down to 3-4 reception venue options (yes, I''ve already gotten pricing info on like 15

), the colors, the date (~June 2010)...and then random details that I''ve thought about like style of BM dress and possible centerpiece ideas. Like one of you said, I am also waiting until I am engaged to give myself the thrill of *real* planning... and I refuse to buy a single bridal magazine until then!

 

[misskitty]

We know our date. No clue about colors or styles or venue, or even what city it''ll be in. The funny thing is, we''ve also designed our save-the-dates and we know what song we want the wedding party to be introduced to at the reception. So, you know, we''re all set on minuscule details

 

[Clairitek]

The only wedding detail that we are 100% sure on is our first dance song (odd, I know). I was listening to the local rock station where we live and they were doing a huge Led Zeppelin block. The one caller requested "Thank You" because that was going to be his first dance song with his wife for their upcoming wedding. I love the lyrics of the song (he wrote it for his wife) and Led Zeppelin is FF''s all time favorite band! I figured this was one wedding detail he wouldn''t mind talking about BEFORE we get engaged.


"If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.

Kind woman, I give you my all, Kind woman, nothing more.

Little drops of rain whisper of the pain, tears of loves lost in the days gone by.
My love is strong, with you there is no wrong,
together we shall go until we die. My, my, my.
An inspiration is what you are to me, inspiration, look... see.

And so today, my world it smiles, your hand in mine, we walk the miles,
Thanks to you it will be done, for you to me are the only one.
Happiness, no more be sad, happiness....I''m glad.
If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me."

 

[absolut_blonde]

Date: I think we're going to go with a winter or early spring wedding... but some of that comes down to when he actually proposes. He isn't big on making any real plans til he does.
Ceremony location: Outdoors. Definitely not in a church.
Reception venue: No idea! We haven't decided between a larger, traditional wedding and a destination wedding.
Colors: I'm stuck on this one. I really liked Dreamgirl's (I think it was her) inspiration board of Tiffany blue with corally pink. Kind of depends on the season as well, though! Winter vs spring will make a big difference. If winter, we'd probably have to incorporate some richer colours.
Dress or dress styles: I don't have any pics at work but I definitely don't want a poufy dress. I'm petite and it would overwhelm me. I think something sleek, feminine, possibly lace. I don't really want sleeveless as they look bad on me, so maybe a capsleeve or something.
Bridesmaid dress styles: Very simple, not frou-frou. If a winter wedding, maybe black.
Cake ideas: Cupcakes! I know it's gotten uber trendy lately but I don't care.

I don't think I've thought anything else through yet. Good food is important to me... what else? Mostly I'm still focused on the engagement stage. We'll see when that happens -- things will come together after that.

 

[gwendolyn]

I''m so boring. I don''t know anything, not even in what country it''ll be. All I''m sure of is that we''ll have cake!

 

[Bia]

I haven''t thought about it too in-depth. I am liking the idea of a destination wedding but I have a feeling its not going to happen. One thing I do know I want is really good food, good photographer and a great band.

 

[tessari]

I didn''t think I had all that much planned out but after reading this thread I realize that I actually do...but I don''t really want to set anything up until I''m engaged:

-the ring: we pretty much figured out what we''re going to customize down to the basics
-engagement party: May 2009 we already bought our tickets to go celebrate with our relatives abroad and chose a location--but won''t invite anyone until he proposes sometime before march
-wedding date: May 2010
-location: we like one place in the wine country, but still have to visit and it''s super expensive--clearly, we''re also open to other spots
-dress: i love lazaro...sweetheart neckline, lace, no pouffiness--slim line--slight mermaid, but haven''t tried any on so don''t know if it will look good...
-shoes: whatever christian louboutin has that will match my dress
-colors: kind of a champagne/blush color with ivory
-flowers: ivory roses and pink roses
-honeymoon: Italy--we''re most excited about this

But then with the way the economy is going it feels wrong to have such an expensive wedding and the planning sounds stressful bc all my people are too opinionated and will second guess every decision--so I often think about eloping.

 

[sammyj]

laughwithme, we''re planning a June 2010 wedding too! Perhaps we will be date buddies

.
Sailorsweet, that pic of the bridesmaid dresses with Rachel Bilson is beautiful! What gorgeous dresses!!!

I haven''t actually planned anything and I refuse to buy a bridal magazine too, but I''ve put together some canvases and I''ve thrown a bunch of things into a word document...

venue: I''d love to get married and have our reception at a mansion or estate. 2nd choice would be a golf course. We will not be getting married in a church.

dress: Melissa Sweet Fern is my #1 choice. My 2nd choice is a Reem Acra (don''t know the style name/#)

colours: Orange!...for the flowers and accents on the invitation. Maybe pair it with a deep purple and ivory??

size: maximum 100 people

invitations/stds/programs/placecards: diy with my gocco!!!! (hopefully)

It''s so fun to hear other LIW''s ideas! Keep ''em coming!!

 

[Amanda.Rx]

OH man... so much to think about (and so much I''ve dreamed about)

All I know is that I want a fairly small wedding with ONLY close friends and family. I''m not inviting the whole extended family or neighbors or coworkers or people I knew from 10 years ago (unless I''m really close to them). I think 30-50 people would be ideal. I really would like to be able to have a nice sit down dinner and open bar for my guests, so a small guest list is a must, plus its so much more intimate (and I don''t want to feel exhausted after talking to 300+ guests).

I don''t think I want a church wedding. I think outdoors would be nice (as long as you had some cover if it were to rain) I don''t want to be married in my home town either- too many people I know. I think we''ll probably do destination USA or whever we settle down for a little while.

Other than that, it''s a toss up- I''d like an amazing photographer (that''s something that I don''t mind dropping the $ on)- the rest I''ll get to when the ring is in place!

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Date: 11/21/2008 11:32:46 AM
Author: Clairitek
The only wedding detail that we are 100% sure on is our first dance song (odd, I know). I was listening to the local rock station where we live and they were doing a huge Led Zeppelin block. The one caller requested ''Thank You'' because that was going to be his first dance song with his wife for their upcoming wedding. I love the lyrics of the song (he wrote it for his wife) and Led Zeppelin is FF''s all time favorite band! I figured this was one wedding detail he wouldn''t mind talking about BEFORE we get engaged.


''If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.

Kind woman, I give you my all, Kind woman, nothing more.

Little drops of rain whisper of the pain, tears of loves lost in the days gone by.
My love is strong, with you there is no wrong,
together we shall go until we die. My, my, my.
An inspiration is what you are to me, inspiration, look... see.

And so today, my world it smiles, your hand in mine, we walk the miles,
Thanks to you it will be done, for you to me are the only one.
Happiness, no more be sad, happiness....I''m glad.
If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.''

I have heard that song about 3 times and it always makes my heart melt. I remember thinking....wow, this would be a great first dance song for a wedding (I am a huge Zeppelin fan).

 

[gryffindor]

I attended 4 weddings in August scattered across the US and Canada leaving me exhausted and broke. In September I decided that I am 100% certain I will not get married in August. I''d rather get married during an "off peak" month so I hopefully can avoid being "just another social obligation" and maybe save some money too!

I am flying home the weekend after Thanksgiving to attend one of those bridal expos with my mom so we can get some ideas and information about the venues and services available in their new hometown where the wedding will be.

The quality and presentation of food is very important to our guests and my FF. So that will be of high priority when we come to make decisions on it.

FF thinks "Lady in Red" is his favorite slow song and will be our song. I have no idea how he got so attached to that song, it''s so unlike all the other rap and hip hop stuff on his Ipod. I''m not sure I love that song as much as he does and there will definitely need to be a discussion.

Maybe Santorini to honeymoon?

I think a lot of the decisions will end up being "times two." We will make all the decisions for the wedding + reception which will be held where my parents live. However, his parents will likely want to throw a reception in the city where they live so it will become reception planning times two.

 

[purselover]

I didn''t start thinking about weddings til recently but there are a few things I''m planning on (at least at the moment) I really want to get married outside on the beach I''m thinking in the Bahamas. I plan on being barefoot but would like a pair of turquoise Manolo''s (my fav shoe designer) or Jimmy Choo sandals for after. I also want to walk down to something other then here come''s the bride, I''m thinking Here Comes The Sun. Other than that I don''t really care about colors or decorations, someone else can do all that, and I''ll just have final approval. Of course I may feel differently once it actually comes time to plan.

 

[KatM]

Date: 11/20/2008 9:14:09 PM
Author: SailorsSweet<3
oh god, sorry for the 3rd post.. haha.. but THOSE bridesmaids dresses I''m in love with and Rachel Bilson designed them for her good friends wedding and theres no way other than to get them custom made =( So if anyone knows of anything similar thatd be a great help

sorry, a little unrelated, but where is that wedding dress from? it''s gorgeous!

 

[ice_angel]

Oh wow, I must be more obsessed than most of you, I have so many ideas!

dress
colours
reception venues (I have a couple of options)
table decorations
bridesmaid dresses
bouquet
invitations
honemoon location
... and probably a few more

Oh my poor boyfriend! Ha ha ha, what can I say I''m a planner, and I want to marry him

 

[FrekeChild]

Um...

I have no idea on:
Date
Shoes (I''m going to have to buy about 10 pairs I bet)
Probably a bunch of other stuff I haven''t even thought of yet

I have an idea on:
Dress style (empire/something other than white)
Colors (blues, silver, black, white, but these will not be obvious)
Probably Mandalay Bay or Planet Hollywood
Dinner probably at Mix, Aureole, sea blue or Aquaknox
Season (Fall or Winter)

And these are concrete (until further notice

):
In Vegas
I''m marrying FF
No wedding cake
No "reception" only dinner at a nice restaurant afterwards
Great food
Open bar (because my dad insists on it, and he''s paying for it)
Less than 20 people
No flowers
No centerpieces
FF will wear a charcoal pinstriped suit with flip flops, and no tie
No favors
MOH dress (I know exactly what I want her to wear and I can''t find it!)
Since it''s a DW, not honeymoon, we''ll just stay in Vegas longer than everyone else
A fantastic photog
No videography

 

[ckrickett]

Hmm all I have is a color scheme and a dress picked out. I want to do a soft vintage theme with soft shades of pink, rose with golds and peaches. Flowers I love baby''s breath with some white and green and Ivory. I just want everything to look soft and elegant and I guess Victorian. If that''s the right style I can think off.

This is the dress I fell in love with. So I''m hoping for this dress or something very similiar.

 

[Still_Waiting]

Long before we had the serious marriage talk, we''d thrown around the possibility of a destination wedding. So, I hit the internet hard after we did have our "talk". As much as we''d love to have a beach wedding in the Caribbean, Mexico looks like the best option for us financially. There are some REALLY amazing resorts and locations! It''ll likely happen in Playa del Carmen.

Definites:
dw on the beach
small, close family and friends only
one-stop-shop kind of place, the resort will provide it all so we don''t have to do much planning!

Likely:
no traditional bridal party, just the two of us since the wedding will be so small
two-week stay: one week for the wedding (you have to get there early to have bloodwork done, etc., and to spend time with our guests that will have traveled
so far and spent so much money) and one week honeymoon with just the two of us
gorgeous, lace dress! I love Pronovias!!!

Originally, we thought we''d be able to pull it off next summer, but now it''ll probably be more like 2010. Besides, I''d much rather NOT do it during the middle of the scorching summer! Oh, man, I''m getting all excited about it again (I''d put it on the back burner for awhile since we''ve modified our timeline so drastically.).

 

[Lauren8211]

The only thing I really know is that we''ll be getting married in Fall 2010. Most likely early October.

Man, I''m lame.

 

[Dreamgirl]

Date- July/August (On our anniversary. We kind-of have 2 of them first being in July, second in August. I'd prefer our July date because this is the day we met our primary anniversary)
Ceremony location- A place not far from home here in the mountains. Outdoors surrounded by trees. It's dreamy.
Reception venue- Same location as the Ceremony. Only, the reception will be held indoors preferably in the evening.
Colors- Tiffany Blue, Coral (pinks & oranges)
Dress or dress styles (attach pics/links!)- Something incredibly romantic and lacy that fits close to the body (I don't want to look like Cinderella in a huge ball gown)
Bridesmaid dress styles- Tiffany Blue with possibly white ribbon
Cake ideas- Tiffany Blue, fondant classic 3 or 4 tier cake with coral flowers on top
Flowers- Well, originally I was thinking roses but now I'm so in love with peonies. I'd love to have peonies.
Honeymoon location- I'd love to go to Italy (Lake Como, the Amalfi Coast) or Hawaii (Oahu)
First dance/other important songs- Kiss From A Rose, Seal (FF gave me the single CD and it was the first thing he ever gave me. It's OUR song)
Rehearsal dinner thoughts- I'm thinking either this local pizza place (more casual) or Carino's Italian Grill would be awesome.
Jewelry- Tiffany's (of course) I have my Pearls by the Yard necklace FF gave me for my birthday last year that I hope to wear for my something old. I think it would look very elegant with my idea of a lacy romantic gown. My something new would be the matching earrings (which I will have to get new for the wedding!) And obviously my dream Tiffany engagement and wedding rings...

Favors/centerpieces- I'm thinking gift boxes with candies inside for favors, centerpieces I like flowers inside of "looks like" Tiffany boxes.
Any other details I forgot- I will more than likely have a smaller, intimate wedding (probably well under 80) as so much family lives out of state (unsure how many of them would come.) Also, I'd like a classic wedding car from the 40's........And lastly, I think I know who our photographer will be. I came across him and his wife last year online by accident and I love his style. (On a side note- we have some major stuff in common with them and I'm the type who believes in fate!)

You can view my inspiration board here to get a visual by scrolling down a little bit. (I've posted this thing about 3 times already I didn't want to do it again lol)

Yeah, that's right. I wont get engaged for a while yet but I like to plan things out so that they are completely under my control once the situation comes along...lol There will still be so much planning to do because while I like a certain style dress for example, I am SOOO picky that I'll probably try on tons of gowns before I find "the one" and shoes, I love me some shoes but I am very picky about shoes. It will probably take me months to find a pair that would be perfect. Food, I have no clue what we would have for food. I'm a vegetarian but the only one so surely we would have some sort of meat. I'd prefer a buffet style but never really thought much about that part. So while it seems like I have the whole thing planned out, I really don't. But I'm glad I have an idea anyway so that when I am engaged, I can enjoy it and not be overly stressed about planning....

 

[miss_flo]

Oh I am sooo guilty of pre-planning this stuff. Part of the extensive research was the fact that the boyfriend and I had previously thought we were getting married in 2009. When I found out that if I got married I''d lose my free grad school tuition, we had to push it back to 2010 and we''re STILL not engaged yet. Oh well (*eye roll*) At least now I''ve got less to think about when we do get engaged.

Date: Summer 2010
Ceremony location: Main Post Chapel in the Presidio of San Francisco
Reception venue: Golden Gate Club in the Presidio of San Francisco
Colors: Peacock blue with gold accents
Dress or dress styles: Lots and lots of tulle

Bridesmaid dress styles: See below
Cake ideas: No major preference
Flowers: Simple red bouquets.
Honeymoon location: Europe or a tropical island
First dance/other important songs: "What a Beautiful Day" by Chris Cagle
Rehearsal dinner thoughts: Hopefully Va de Vi in the Presidio
Jewelry: Diamonds
Favors/centerpieces: Not sure yet
Signature drink: Mojito - flavored, maybe raspberry or peach.

 

[SuiteLady]

Our engagement will be less than a year. We have the budget mapped out. We will probably get married on a Friday night. I have a venue in mind, but ultimately it all boils down to logistics and price.

Date: Late Summer – end of 2009
Ceremony location: The Chapel at my College
Reception venue: An Art Museum
Colors: Black with magenta, dark plum, lilac, and deep red
Dress or dress styles: I have my gown…Watters 9043b
http://watters.com/product.php?style=9043B
Bridesmaid dress styles: NO ATTENDANTS
Cake ideas: It must taste good. The place that does my birthday cakes will do the cake.
Flowers: I want roses and mini callas.
Honeymoon location: Miami, San Juan, or Los Angeles
First dance/other important songs: No idea
Rehearsal dinner thoughts: My future in-law’s backyard.
Jewelry: Haute Bride (I have this)
Favors/centerpieces: Probably floating candles and flowers in cylinders.
Signature drink: Martinis made of my favorite vodka – Grey Goose.

 

[ckrickett]

Date: 12/2/2008 1:29:20 PM
Author: news_girl
Oh I am sooo guilty of pre-planning this stuff. Part of the extensive research was the fact that the boyfriend and I had previously thought we were getting married in 2009. When I found out that if I got married I''d lose my free grad school tuition, we had to push it back to 2010 and we''re STILL not engaged yet. Oh well (*eye roll*) At least now I''ve got less to think about when we do get engaged.

Date: Summer 2010
Ceremony location: Main Post Chapel in the Presidio of San Francisco
Reception venue: Golden Gate Club in the Presidio of San Francisco
Colors: Peacock blue with gold accents
Dress or dress styles: Lots and lots of tulle

Bridesmaid dress styles: See below
Cake ideas: No major preference
Flowers: Simple red bouquets.
Honeymoon location: Europe or a tropical island
First dance/other important songs: ''What a Beautiful Day'' by Chris Cagle
Rehearsal dinner thoughts: Hopefully Va de Vi in the Presidio
Jewelry: Diamonds
Favors/centerpieces: Not sure yet
Signature drink: Mojito - flavored, maybe raspberry or peach.

have you thought of doing maybe a lemon basil mojito, those are incredible.... or a mango one!
MMMMM