Ridiculously long engagement...

[MavenOfFunkMutation]

Hooray for extended engaements.  It's amazing how many years of planning can go into an event that only lasts a few hours!!!   I'm still a year and some months off from being married, but the time is going to fly by with all the preperation that goes into a wedding.

I would highly recomend starting your planning with a rough draft guest list.  Once you have an estimate of how many people will be there, you get a better idea of the mood, budget, location options, etc.  It's all about the guest list!

A magazine I would recomend to everyone planning a wedding is "REAL SIMPLE: WEDDING".    Believe me it will help you organize your planning and set up a timeline.

High five for Love!

[sometonguewithakiss]

I agree with many of the comments about collecting ideas, finding a vendor, and forming a guest list. I've been engaged for 2 years and have another 10 months to go. I haven't had to think much about finding a vendor because I decided a long time ago that I want my wedding on the family farm. That decided, I've spent the last two years accumulating ideas and making decisions as to what is important and what I want vs. what others (mothers, family) want. I'd suggest taking time between now and the 12 month mark to really consider what you want and what will make you the most happy. This is going to be your big day and it should be something special.

[opheliareborn]

This isn't really a crafting idea, but I'll throw my two cents in anyways.  Its way too early to order a dress, but some small boutiques will let you start making payments now, so that when you do order one, you don't have to rely on credit.  Assuming you don't want to make your dress, that is.  And, at last most of the smaller boutiques around here are willing to order from wherever you like.

[nataleeza]

Thanks for the input you two

I actually have decided to (maybe) make my own dress.  This summer I'm making a few party dresses since I haven't dealt much with tricky fabric, and when I see how good I am at the detailing on those, then I'll start making a muslin of a dress.  I mean, surely I could make my own dress within 2 years?

[mimsyborogove]

I know your pain! P and I got engaged on April 21, 2007...and our wedding still isn't until March 13, 2010. We've gotten through it so far by focusing more on getting organized and doing our research. Now that we can start actively planning, we've laid all of the groundwork for a less-stressed wedding.

[gimmemoresalad]

I've been engaged 2 years already (well, as of Jan 4th it'll be 2 yrs), and the wedding date hasn't even been nailed down to a specific *year* yet.  2013 seems likeliest at this point.  That's a kinda long engagement    But we knew that was what we were signing up for.

We're waiting until after college (grad 2010), then after he finishes grad school, then we're going to catch our breath from all that, and *then* we're going to set a date that gives us about a year to do actual planning.

I skim the websites and formulate ideas (muwahaha) but I can only do so much at this point... especially since it's OUR big day, not MY big day, so I need his input too, and my sweetie's OCD goes absolutely bonkers if I bring the subject up at this point.  His poor brain won't let him think about it until it comes time to pick a date.  (This is real OCD I'm talking about, not the colloquial version of the term.  He'll be better when there are fewer "steps" to be completed between now and then.)

[dancedupapillon]

We're waiting until after college (grad 2010), then after he finishes grad school, then we're going to catch our breath from all that, and *then* we're going to set a date that gives us about a year to do actual planning.

I skim the websites and formulate ideas (muwahaha) but I can only do so much at this point... especially since it's OUR big day, not MY big day, so I need his input too, and my sweetie's OCD goes absolutely bonkers if I bring the subject up at this point.  His poor brain won't let him think about it until it comes time to pick a date.  (This is real OCD I'm talking about, not the colloquial version of the term.  He'll be better when there are fewer "steps" to be completed between now and then.)

Haha! sounds a lot like my situation.  We're not engaged yet, seeing as we both still live with our parents and he decided it would be better to be independent from one's parents before formally pledging to bind yourself to someone else.  I must say I agree. 

We also know we want to finish our degrees first (he's grad 2010 plus a year or two of grad school, I'm grad 2011) and start careers, so we're looking at 2012 at the very earliest.

My sweetie's not OCD, but he can be a bit neurotic, so he tends to go from fantasy planning with me to making jokes because he wants me to stop talking about it.  I'm with you on the scanning of websites, though...

[oxynitrate]

Totally nothing to do with crafting.  Everything to do with my psych classes. A long engagement is actually healthier for a relationship (on average, please people don't jump down my throat thinking I'm attacking anyone, this is merely statistics).  Generally people who are engaged for 2 years or there about have a better marriage success rate than those who get married right away. 

[gimmemoresalad]

Totally nothing to do with crafting.  Everything to do with my psych classes. A long engagement is actually healthier for a relationship (on average, please people don't jump down my throat thinking I'm attacking anyone, this is merely statistics).  Generally people who are engaged for 2 years or there about have a better marriage success rate than those who get married right away. 

Haha, yay!  The 2nd anniversary of our engagement is coming up on Jan 4th    I dunno what it says about us that we've only been dating for 4 months longer than that... lol.  I think it proves right the phrase: "Sometimes you just know."

[dancedupapillon]

Totally nothing to do with crafting.  Everything to do with my psych classes. A long engagement is actually healthier for a relationship (on average, please people don't jump down my throat thinking I'm attacking anyone, this is merely statistics).  Generally people who are engaged for 2 years or there about have a better marriage success rate than those who get married right away. 

that's comforting