Putting the Cart before the Horse
Again, in the spirit of full disclosure, I’ll share a small detail that maybe isn’t the most romantic. We started, and completed, a big part of the wedding planning before Mr. Outer Banks formally proposed. Mr. OBX announced that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me in November on a hike to Old Rag. My immediate response (after giving him a big kiss and telling him that I felt the exact same way) was “So what does this mean?!” He said he wasn’t proposing right then and there, that he had a plan for that, but he wanted me to know that he was sure that I was “the one for him” :)
Well, the planner in me just couldn’t sit on this information – and we were so excited – so we started talking about EVERYTHING right away…including ideas for our wedding. Immediately, we decided on the Outer Banks because it is such a special place to us, our first (and annual) vacation together was to the OBX, and our family is scattered throughout the country, so it made sense. The decision to pick the Whalehead Club, in Corolla, was equally easy – we had been on bike rides past it and had each thought to ourselves that it would be a perfect place for a wedding. So the planning really SHOULD have stopped there. But we were talking about a short engagement, we both loved late summer for a wedding, and the Outer Banks books fast, so I told him I wanted to call the Whalehead Club to find out their availability.
Turns out, it was a good move. The only Saturday in September that they had available was September 26, 2009. We talked about it, agreed to book while we could, and sent in a deposit – and just like that, we knew our wedding date BEFORE I knew my engagement date. From there, in hindsight, the planning spiraled a bit out of control. I let myself be convinced that I wouldn’t be able to find a decent [fill in the blank] vendor unless I booked immediately. So, Mr. OBX agreed that we could keep planning. He didn’t want to plan before we got engaged, mostly because he didn’t want the proposal to be an afterthought (which it totally wasn’t) and he STILL maintains that “it’s not that difficult to plan a wedding, all you need is 2 months, really”, but he loves me and he knew I needed to PLAN. So plan I did. We booked the location, caterer, photographer, officiant, and rental company (for tents) before we got engaged. I tried on dresses with my mom before I had a ring on my finger because she wanted to be the first person to see me in a wedding dress and she lives far away.
And then the most wonderful thing happened – Mr. OBX proposed in the sweetest, most romantic, best surprise ever (even though I knew it was coming one of these days)! I contacted family and friends and told them the wonderful news and was able to tell them to save 9/26 for our wedding!! I basked in the newly engaged happiness without feeling crunched by the fact that we were getting married in less than 7 months and I had to start planning PRONTO.
Did anyone else start planning before the official proposal?
Well, the planner in me just couldn’t sit on this information – and we were so excited – so we started talking about EVERYTHING right away…including ideas for our wedding. Immediately, we decided on the Outer Banks because it is such a special place to us, our first (and annual) vacation together was to the OBX, and our family is scattered throughout the country, so it made sense. The decision to pick the Whalehead Club, in Corolla, was equally easy – we had been on bike rides past it and had each thought to ourselves that it would be a perfect place for a wedding. So the planning really SHOULD have stopped there. But we were talking about a short engagement, we both loved late summer for a wedding, and the Outer Banks books fast, so I told him I wanted to call the Whalehead Club to find out their availability.
Turns out, it was a good move. The only Saturday in September that they had available was September 26, 2009. We talked about it, agreed to book while we could, and sent in a deposit – and just like that, we knew our wedding date BEFORE I knew my engagement date. From there, in hindsight, the planning spiraled a bit out of control. I let myself be convinced that I wouldn’t be able to find a decent [fill in the blank] vendor unless I booked immediately. So, Mr. OBX agreed that we could keep planning. He didn’t want to plan before we got engaged, mostly because he didn’t want the proposal to be an afterthought (which it totally wasn’t) and he STILL maintains that “it’s not that difficult to plan a wedding, all you need is 2 months, really”, but he loves me and he knew I needed to PLAN. So plan I did. We booked the location, caterer, photographer, officiant, and rental company (for tents) before we got engaged. I tried on dresses with my mom before I had a ring on my finger because she wanted to be the first person to see me in a wedding dress and she lives far away.
And then the most wonderful thing happened – Mr. OBX proposed in the sweetest, most romantic, best surprise ever (even though I knew it was coming one of these days)! I contacted family and friends and told them the wonderful news and was able to tell them to save 9/26 for our wedding!! I basked in the newly engaged happiness without feeling crunched by the fact that we were getting married in less than 7 months and I had to start planning PRONTO.
Did anyone else start planning before the official proposal?
posted by Diana at 4:39 PM
3 Comments:
Oh yeah...I called it "research" but I totally almost booked a place before we got engaged because I felt pressured. I am SO happy I didn't because we would not be at Glen Echo.
That's an awesome story! I love it that you knew your wedding date before your engagement date!
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