Bride-to-Be Blogger Danielle: Decisions, Decisions (Rings? Gifts? Honeymoon!)


With invitations delivered, and the two-month countdown approaching, there are still lots of odds and ends to do before our wedding. But Tim and I are making headway. We spent a lot of time on the wedding this past weekend, and we’re pleased to report that we have accomplished the following:

Ordered wedding rings. We spent just over an hour at Steven Singer Jewelers on Saturday afternoon, and selected wedding bands for both of us. Tim had purchased my engagement ring there, as well as another gift for me a few years ago and really liked his jeweler. After trying on approximately a dozen rings, I narrowed it down to two. One of them — gorgeous as it was — doubled our budget. That made the decision simple and I chose the band that matches my engagement ring. I also very loudly declared that a second band is definitely not my style, though I would not be sad to receive an eternity band for an anniversary gift five or 10 years down the road. Tim picked out his band all on his own, though my Jedi-mind tricks worked and he selected the one that I liked the best out of the six or so he tried on. I also ordered a special surprise to wear on my wedding day that will be my “something old” — but I’m not giving up the details on that!

Purchased gifts for our wedding party and reader. Well, we’re almost done at least. Tim still needs to pick up a few items for his groomsmen, but we know what those things are, and it will be like a fun scavenger hunt. Without giving away too much detail, we tried to find something personal for each — something that we felt reflected their personalities and reminded us of them. Hopefully they will also remind them of us!

Started planning our honeymoon. That night I tossed and turned, I did figure out that we can pay cash for the wedding (something that was going to be a close one), and as such, we are comfortable going on a honeymoon right after the wedding, rather than waiting a few months. With that in mind (and Tim’s long-overdue passport renewal sent off in expedited fashion), we narrowed down the location to Riviera Nayarit, on the Pacific coast of Mexico. We’re going to spend the first half of the trip at a more luxurious, relaxing resort-type of property, then move to a more rustic (yet beautiful) location to live more simply. The first half of the trip will be dedicated to pool, beach, spa, eating, drinking and sleeping. The second half we would like to spend doing more active things like yoga, snorkeling, and (drumroll …) surf lessons! This is something I’ve always wanted to do and I’m thrilled Tim will take lessons with me. We did initial research, but we are lucky to have friends and family in the travel industry who are helping us with reservations. Tim is a little nervous about flight options, so hopefully by next week I can say this is booked.

Of course we still have a ton to accomplish. This week we will be trying to finalize the honeymoon plans, secure a ceremony musician, book a salon, and order our beverages (we get to bring in our own!). We’ll also be thinking about gifts for our parents and our officiant, who is very near and dear to us. The list goes on, but at least it’s getting shorter.  Finally I feel like we’re making headway and soon it will be just the details left!

When did you feel like you turned the corner on planning? How long did it take you to choose wedding rings? Do you and your spouse like each other’s rings? Are you personalizing gifts for your wedding party?

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