Bride-to-be Blogger Carly: Coming Down the Home Stretch!

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With just a few short weeks until our Big Day, things are getting very busy in the Day-Meluney apartment. Just one look at our kitchen table, covered in half-written thank-you notes, stacks of RSVP cards, versions of ceremony programs, and a very daunting to-do list, illustrates the chaos I am feeling at this point in time.

Don’t tell my boss, but I’ve been spending downtime at work making phone calls, sending emails, and trying to get everything in order for the wedding. Right now it all seems never-ending, except it is—on June 29th, ready or not, I am getting married!

The latest project that’s been occupying my time has been finding the perfect gift for bridesmaids, groomsmen, and our parents. Sean and I both appreciate the help and support we’ve felt from this group of people and it’s important to us that we thank them, not only with words, but with thoughtful gifts to remember this experience.

I’ve spent a lot of time reading blogs, wedding boards, and various websites to get ideas for the perfect gift. A Google search of “What was the best bridesmaid gift you’ve ever gotten?” proved fairly unhelpful, as many commenters took the opposite approach, highlighting ungrateful brides and their terrible gifts.  Not that I think my bridesmaids would slam me, but reading about how much many girls hated what they got didn’t leave me feeling confident that I could do much better than the awful jewelry and thoughtless gift cards (their words, not mine!) that these bridesmaids ranted about.

So this gift thing had been on my mind pretty seriously for about two weeks when it hit me: I had the perfect idea. I’m not going to spoil it for my girls by posting what it is on here (although I promise to share after my wedding!) but I will say that Etsy has played a huge role in all gift buying (and this includes for groomsmen and parents!).

Etsy has not only inspired my gift-giving but also my creativity. I’ve seen some projects on there that I decided to take on myself, including making hand-painted champagne flutes for the girls who joined me for my bachelorette weekend, and really pretty fan-programs for the wedding ceremony (and without air-conditioning in the church, we are going to really need those!).

With the gift buying pretty much out of the way, I’m now able to turn to the many details begging my attention. June 1st was the date we asked for RSVP responses, and we’ve gotten almost all of those back—which sets us up to begin planning our seating arrangements. We’ve got to finalize our ceremony design, send a must-play list of songs to the band, assemble gift bags, and I need a rehearsal dinner dress!

But, with all this on my plate I’m trying my best not to sweat the small stuff. I have a tendency to want things just so but I’m learning that sometimes pretty good to me looks pretty great to others and so I’m just going to have to prioritize my to-dos and do the best I can. I’m feeling calm right now but the stress certainly comes in waves and spurts (there may have been a few tears on Sunday when I was feeling less calm!).

But, if I take a step back and look at the bigger picture, I am going to be a Mrs. in 23 days! Hold on to your hat (I have to tell myself)—this is going to be a wild month, but it comes with a very happy ending!

How did you not lose your mind during the crazier times of your planning process?

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