Source: stylemepretty.com via Katie on Pinterest

My friends and I have long-running joke whenever someone is getting married. Actually it’s not a joke as much of a catchphrase, and we insert it in conversation whenever any woman is getting a little too absorbed in her wedding details. “But it’s my special day!” we say, and whoever can say it with the most bravado and melodramatics (I try to fall somewhere between a petulant child and Lucille Bluth) wins.  And oh, as much as we mock it, this special day mentality starts to creep into everything related to the wedding, encouraging you to spend as much money as possible. I’ve already got way too many “must-haves” on my list that are not exactly must-haves:

• Really, really amazing shoes (I won’t name drop, but yes, either that French guy or the Chinese guy based in London)
• Letterpress invitations
• A photobooth
• Professional hair and makeup

And we haven’t even mentioned the dress. This part has been hard for me. I’m used to sharing all my ideas with my fiancé, so not being able to show him the wedding dresses that have caught my eye so far has been killing me. Like, this one I saw that has a freaking cape! Do you know how much I want to show up to my own wedding in a cape?  But said cape is apparently $2,000, I know that I don’t want to spend a developing-world salary on a dress or worse, an accessory to the dress. So I’m not rushing into buying the dress. There are plenty of people on Pinterest (80% of Pinterest traffic) who are planning their weddings, and this girl’s board has given me a ton of great ideas.  I’m nervous about how much the wedding will cost us, but I also know that I am having fun and it’s supposed to be fun. It’s not about getting gouged everywhere you turn (flowers, chairs, music, photography, gee, this list is getting long!). We have lots of fun ideas and we’re two casual, relaxed people at heart. Our wedding will reflect that.  Because you know what? It’s my special day! (See how fun that is to do?!)