wedding planning

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I cannot believe it's been more than half a year since I said 'yes' to Joe and we shivered our way home with a new ring on my finger. It has been so lovely. Everyone loves to talk about an engagement, and it's such a sweet time for us to dream about the next big steps in our lives...graduating, a wedding, new jobs, a new home...
But planning for our wedding is honestly something we've not devoted a lot of time to. For awhile, we were trying to make magic happen. We wanted everyone there, we wanted beauty and comfort, we wanted amazing food, and we wanted it for cheap. Then I got sick of calling venues and Joe got all philosophical about the meaning of marriage, and we both sat down and had a big talk about what we really wanted this day to look like for us.
For the record, I love weddings. I love getting a new dress and seeing everyone in their finest. I cry when any couple says 'I do'. Food and liquor? Give me more. And since the time I let go of my teenage fear of embarrassing myself, I will happily spend the whole evening dancing my pants off (not literally...I wear dresses to weddings...come on).
But for us...planning a big wedding is just not our style. In the fantasy world where we have abundant time and dollars, our wedding looks a little something like this.
But that's not this world. I am not one of those brides who has an opinion on everything anything. And I have to tell you, since we backed off our plans a bit, a huge weight has been lifted from our shoulders.
Now, we're not going all elope-y on you, but we are cutting out a lot of the major elements people usually have to plan for weddings: rehearsal dinners, bridal parties, a DJ, and the list goes on. The plan for right now is to have a small ceremony with our closest beans, followed by a big dinner at a big restaurant. That way, we can include most of our loved ones without having to work out too many details. And the biggest perk? Having a big dinner is a lot cheaper than having a reception.
And since the stress has decreased tenfold, I'm finding the whole planning experience to be so much more fun...and isn't that how it's supposed to be?
The one place I'm still uncertain about is flowers. They are such an expensive part of any wedding, but I'm so drawn to the idea of lavender and sunflowers and wheat, and it's hard to let go of that fantasy.
What kind of wedding do you want or did you have? Any advice?