Panic Mode still!

I've really been going full speed this week with wedding planning, while still managing to get all my work done in the work week with a condensed work week. Without caffeine too. Bridal adrenaline! It's like my MOH said, I've really got a fire lit under me.

I had an budget bride epiphany with wedding planning this week: everything is out of budget because I'm paying San Francisco prices! Solution: shop outside of San Francisco for vendors when possible because it's cheaper to pay the non-Bay Area vendors to travel, than to pay for someone local. I'm on a budget, but I don't want to sacrifice quality for price either. I totally respect why the San Francisco vendors charge what they do because they need to live at San Fran prices, too, but as a budget bride, I can only spend the funds that I have. I think that with the Dress (henceforth, referred to with capital D), I have to stay in area because it would be a pain if I got my dress alterations at the dress shop and it happened to be 3 hours away. 3 hour drives to fittings? No, thanks.

Progress this week:
Photographers- chatting with a photog tonight (love his style) that is within the stretch budget, reaching out to a promising one (i.e. yay i like her pix, she was highly recommended by a coworker, and she's within budget!), and still on the hunt

Caterers- chatted with one today, email correspondence with another. Both look promising and within budget! Yay! Suck it, other brides with my wedding date!

DOC- still on the hunt. Using my bridal epiphany in the search for this vendor.

Dress- Went dress shopping at David's bridal last week. Found some nice dresses, sufficient dresses, and that was without even looking at prices. But I really think that the Dress should be the One, and I'll know it's the One. I'll know it's perfectly what I'm looking for. And I'll have shopped sensibly at a store within budget, so the Dress will be within budget. And I'll look gorgeous. And I'll want to cry because I know it's the One!

Bridesmaids- I've got a MOH and a bridesmaid now. Hopefully, I'll have 2 more bridesmaids after tomorrow, at which point I think I can share pix of my lovely bridesmaids gifts (not like any of them read this blog)! And then one more BM gift to deliver after that.

Woot woot! Full steam ahead. Can't wait til I get to the fun decorating ideas and flowers and stuff part! Happy 4th everyone!

XO, Ms Shopaholik

Gettin' Hitched in 365!

I'm hi-jacking my own shopping blog to document my wedding planning. Shopping will always be a great love in my life, and really, I'm still shopping, but I'll also be shopping for wedding vendors, and wedding outfits, and wedding rings....you get the idea. I might still blog about my normal shopping hauls and adventures as well, since everyone knows that habit hasn't stopped just because I'm supposed to be saving up for the wedding. Mostly, this is to serve as a journal, as blogs were originally meant to be, but if some future bride might find my research helpful, then even better!

I'm getting married in exactly 365 days from today. And here's what I have booked so far for Mr. Shopaholik's (who's not a shopaholic at all) and my wedding:

Wedding Venue

...

...

...

yup, that's it! I know I've got time, but boy, it sure does feel like the clock is ticking. A 1.5 year engagement should mean that I get my first choice in everything, right? Unless I'm a procrastinator bride. And hey, I totally honed those procrastinating skills in college. 

Next up: Finding a photographer (oh this one's been a doozy of a search)

Also: Asking my lovely ladies to be bridesmaids. I made them (boozy) gifts and cards--handmade with LUV. I'll share pix once they've all been delivered so as to not spoil the surprise.

Also queued up: Wedding dress shopping

Full speed ahead, captain wedding planning!