The Curse of Alana’s Fabrics
IIt was a dark gloomy, March day in Colorado, with a crisp chill in the air that said, “winter isn’t over yet.”1 My Mom and I walked into Alana’s Fabrics2 looking for a specific shade of 1.5 inch medium grey velvet ribbon for the tiers of my wedding cake. The shop keeper pulled out a book of velvet swatches and informed us she could order anything. She seemed a little suspicious, should she be believed?3 I decided to order the ribbon – it would arrive in the beginning of April with plenty of time to spare before the wedding on May 27th. On an afternoon on early April I dialed the number of Alana’s Fabrics. “Hello,” a voice said hoarsely from the other end.4 “Hello, this is Laurel. Has my ribbon been delivered?” I replied. “Oh yes,” she...
The Verdict Is In
UUsing project management to plan my wedding was definitely a bit of an experiment. I knew that it would help me be organized, remain on budget, and finish all my wedding tasks. But I didn’t know how much of a difference it would make in the end. And now I wonder would I have gotten to the same place without using project management? With the help of Olympian, McKayla Maroney I’m going to break it down. PRO: Best schedule ever All the work that goes into the initiating and planning phases of planning a wedding with project management (and that is lots and lots of work) outputs the best schedule you could ever imagine. It’s detailed, accurate with timing, and comprehensive. Yes, maybe there will be things you missed that didn’t make it onto the...
Meet Mrs. Bretting
II’m baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! I know you have all been waiting with bated breath for my return and the conclusion of A Very PMP Wedding. Of course I had every intention to write a blog post the week Justin and I returned from our honeymoon but eight weeks later I finally have the time. Apparently I fooled myself into thinking that after the wedding was over, I wouldn’t be busy anymore. Not the case. Alright, stick with me, this is going to be a long one. Our Brains are a Funny Thing First things first. I have great news for all you brides-to-be! No matter how much stress you are feeling, no matter how much you just want to throw in the towel, no matter how much looking at lace makes you feel like puking, you will forget it all once the week of your wedding...
Final Days as a Cagan
II can’t go into my wedding on Sunday without writing one last blog post. I don’t have much to say besides the fact that everything is planned and done. Thank you project management. Expect pictures and a full recap mid-June when I get back from my honeymoon.
The Wrath of the Bridezilla
MMy name is Laurel Cagan and I am a Bridezilla. I lost it in a meeting with our DJ handler. I had just sat in traffic for over an hour, missed three quarters of the meeting, and I was steaming when I walked in. Then poor Justin interrupted me while I was talking and I yelled at him. The DJ handler laughed uncomfortably, and my saintly fiancé apologized for interrupting me. Not one of my best moments. Yes, even brides-to-be who plan their wedding with project management can’t avoid the dreaded bridezilla alter-ego. I naively assumed that because I went through all the steps of initiating and planning, I could avoid what I defined as one of my wedding day bliss factors (success criteria). So, I’ve come up with a theory. Every bride-to-be becomes a bridezilla in...
Wedding Time and the Livin’s Easy
DDo you remember that feeling? That wonderful feeling you got in school the last day of the year when all your homework was turned in and all your tests were taken. And all there was in front of you was the fun-filled days of summer? I am sure you do because that is one of the best feelings in the world. You might have thought that you would never have that feeling again. Well, I am here to tell you, you will. When you finish your last big task before your wedding you will want to scream and jump for joy (I certainly did last night when I finished up designing the seating chart, programs, and table numbers). You will forget about all the stress you have experienced and your over-loaded brain and you will just look forward to the biggest day of your life. I...
Oh The Things You Can Buy
II just can’t help myself. A wedding catalog that shall remain unnamed (but I may have mentioned in an earlier post) provides me with lots of entertainment. The ridiculousness of some of the items in there make me giggle, even on stressful days when I have had way too much wedding planning. Disclaimer: I am very very sorry if I hurt anyone’s feelings. This is just my personal taste. Please feel free to make fun of me if I offend you. Bride & Groom Wine Bottle Cover Set Because every bride and groom need to dress up their beer to match them. Rusty Barbed Wire Cord Just in case your wedding guests try to escape. Star Balloon Arch Frame So you can remember the best night of your life up until tonight…your high school...
Wedding Goldmine
II was going to have an awesome post for y’all today but it’s going to take more work than I initially thought, so look for it next week. Instead I am giving you three small gifts to start off your weekend. On Wednesday morning I was reading through my marketing related RSS feeds (no not the wedding related ones) and found three new and FREE wedding related tools/websites that I think are fabulous. I felt like I hit a wedding goldmine. Lover.ly Lover.ly collects wedding photos from select wedding blogs and aggregates them into a Pinterest style layout. Then you can create bundles (boards) or “love” a photo. What I am excited about is the fact that I won’t have to stalk all my favorite wedding blogs anymore and the website has a great...
Wedding Truffles
JJust a few short, sweet stories to entertain you. The Cruise Chop I find this so amusing. I was getting my hair trimmed last night by my new, wonderful hairdresser, Chachi. He used to work in hair salons on cruise ships so I was asking him if he enjoyed it. Chachi told me that one of his favorite things about working on cruise ships was all the post wedding brides on their honeymoons who would come into the salon and ask him to chop all their hair off. Now I know this phenomenon may sounds strange to my small population of male readers but I am sure it makes complete sense to my female readers. You spend at least a year growing your hair out so you can have a beautiful updo at your wedding and you just get sick of it. It gets dried out and too long...
A Little Known Wedding Planning Fact
AAh, getting engaged, it’s a magical time in a woman’s life when she can’t stop dreaming about her wedding. Blah, being in the last two months before your wedding, it’s a terrible time when all a woman wants to do is stop thinking about her wedding. Yes, the bloom is most certainly off the rose, people. Why is it that nobody tells you that the last couple months before your wedding are no fun? Is it some secret that all married women keep from brides-to-be so they don’t elope? Well, I am warning all of you RIGHT NOW to brace yourselves. There comes a time during the wedding planning process when you will be sick of agonizing over every detail, emailing vendors, and eating cottage cheese every day for lunch. You will long for weekends that aren’t packed...
