Wedding planning is all about lists. Who to invite, what to serve, decorations, traditions, to-do's. The Knot can offer you a list for whatever mood you are in. Want to think about your registry? They have a list of the top registry items. In the mood for modern customs? They have a list for that too.
During the time when I was trying to envisioning my wedding, these lists kept creeping in. I generally knew what I wanted, but once I realized how many beautiful and creative options there were for decorations it became difficult to narrow it down to one cohesive idea.
We are having a fiesta themed wedding. I didn't select any specific colors because I wanted it to be just plain colorful. I wanted manzanita center pieces, papel picado banners, multi-colored table cloths, succulents in colorful pots, confetti, paper puffballs... I wanted to venue to look so festive that our guests could help but party!
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| Manzanita Center Pieces |
| Papel Picado |
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| Color Everywhere |
| Puffs |
More color. I needed more color. It got to the point where I was equating color with festive, festive with fun, fun with the wedding, the wedding with my marriage, and oh my god if there is not enough color at the damned wedding we'll be divorced within a year.
The Lion Man has a good head on his shoulders and gently tried to keep me away from turning our wedding into a tacky nightmare, but he could only do so much.
It wasn't until last week when we met with our wedding coordinator Shelley (If you are getting married in the Santa Barbara area, please look her up here, she is wonderful) that I actually saw the light.
There we stood, in the middle of our gorgeous, historic venue while I rattled off all the things I wanted to fill it with.
She let me finish then asked "Why do you want to cover such a beautiful space?"
Uhhhhh... because the interwebs told me I had to fixate on decorations? Yeah, I didn't have a good answer for that one.
To give you an idea of what she was talking about, here is a picture of the location with no decorations:
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| The lights are already there, so we don't even have to worry about those. |
She was right. All the space needs to dress it up is some white table cloths, colorful napkins, and well placed candles. There is no reason for me to hand cut sheets of papel picado, sew table runners, or make a single puff ball. The place is exactly what we wanted, so why change it?
If you are planning a wedding, I urge you to take some time to sit and absorb your venue. Take your phone and look at the decorations you are thinking of spending hours creating while you are sitting in the space. Will they really look good, or are you forcing decorations just for the sake of decorations?
Once I realized more decorations would be detrimental rather than beautiful, a huge weight was lifted. My endless lists of things to do had been significantly shortened. Our wedding was manageable again and I no longer had to dread crafting late into the night. In fact, we had already taken care of almost everything!
To all you other obsessive do-it-your-selfers out there, just remember to breathe. It's your wedding. There is no need to try to prove you crafting skills when all you should really want to prove is how much you love your partner.
Besides, with enough booze and food, any wedding will be a blast!
Keep it Fancy,
Jett
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