It's my turn!

After three years of dating (almost two of them long-distance), AF and I got engaged in December 2008.  Throughout our relationship, I don't recall ever having picked up a bridal magazine or looking at dresses or jewelry, so I'm in overdrive and wedding information overload and hoping this blog will help me (and maybe you) make heads or tails of all of this.

AF and I are both in our mid-30s, have siblings, went to large colleges, so have spent plenty of time on the wedding and baby shower circuits.  We went to a destination wedding together last year, which was a lovely affair, but all in all, quite an investment (think long plane ride, plus hours-long bus ride, plus in-season hotel rates).  We ruled out the possibility of the destination wedding for our own within 24 hours of our engagement.

We chose Chicago for our wedding, as it's sort of our adopted hometown.  Our immediate families don't live here, but it's a reasonable flight, and (as we reasoned) is practically a destination wedding for our friends who have never been to this fine city.

Aside from the Chicago location, AF and I have decided our goals for the wedding are to:

• always remember why we are doing this
  
• keep the planning process and the wedding day stress-free
  
• have a unique, memorable and fun day (and life together)
  
• honor our friends and families who will be there for us
• not go broke!

Hopefully our wedding will take place sooner rather than later, but that may be a pipe dream at this point...our ideal (ie non-traditional) venues have probably been booked for ages.  So now that we've done most of the post-engagement things we've wanted to get done (call friends and family and tell them the good news, get the ring insured, read the many blogs of the smart and helpful brides who have gone before me), it's time to get down to business.