sprinting to the finish line

Starting in January, my company began using an organizational system called "Sprints" as part of preparing for one of our biggest projects.  How it works is we meet once a month and determine the tasks and goals we plan to accomplish between each meeting (which is spaced about 4 weeks apart).  While there can certainly be large tasks listed, we try to break each one down into smaller, more doable items so that the big picture gets done faster.

So, being the planner that I am, I've decided to apply my work methods to my wedding.  In order to prepare for the big day (t-minus 7 months!), I have broken down wedding tasks by month.  To make it "cutesy," I named each Sprint after a winter word.

Here's an example:

I'm hoping that if I give myself little goals, like addressing 50% of the invitation envelopes, then I won't feel so intimidated to work on my calligraphy.  It also gives me a sense of how much time I'll need to set aside each month in order to plan my wedding.

Of course, after looking at my full Sprint list, I began to panic.  How the heck am I going to get all of these things done?!  Keep in mind that this is just MY wedding planning. None of these tasks are related to my sister's bridal shower, bachelorette party or wedding plans! 

Do any of you ladies have other suggestions on how to keep yourself organized?  

When would you say is the MOST stressful time?  The week before the wedding?  Or the seven months before when you realize how much stuff needs to get done?

in vendors we trust

So now we're down to 7 months and most of my vendors have already been booked.  Some of them, like the hall and the photographers, were hired quite early while others, like the florist, were recently contracted.  All of them, however, required some sort of a deposit at the time we booked them.  On average, I would say each vendor asked for at least 25% of the total cost in order to reserve the date.

Now that my wedding is getting closer, I'm considering whether or not I should be paying off more of that wedding night balance.

On one hand, if I pay off little by little each month, it won't feel like such a financial dent in my wallet.  I've been pacing myself with all of my other wedding purchases and I really think it's what's helped me stay relatively calm about spending so much money.  Fifty dollars here and $100 there doesn't hurt as much because it's spread out.  It also means that on the night of the wedding, I won't need the Best Man or Matron of Honor (yes, Lyndsey, you will be a MATRON) to be worrying about all that cash they'll be carrying.

On the other hand, I am quite paranoid about prepaying for a vendor who may bail on me last minute or not end up providing the services they promised.  I've heard so many horror stories of vendors who take your money and run. 

One example I posted in a previous entry was around Enzo Bridal who unexpectedly closed its doors and left brides without dresses.  Depending on the cost of your dress, a bride may have left thousands of dollars down as a deposit only to have to deal with a lawsuit right before her wedding in order to get it back.

Another example is Celebration Studios, who took thousands of dollars from couples and then ended up filing for bankruptcy in 2008.  I can't even imagine knowing that I will never get to keep the only lasting memories of my wedding day!

So how can we protect ourselves?  Here's what I've been doing so far.

1. Check out their reviews on Wedding Wire.  Not only can it legitimize the vendor by providing other brides who have used this vendor, but it can let you know if there were any problems or issues.
2. Search for the vendor on Better Business Bureau.  Smaller and more local vendors may not be accredited by the BBB but it can at least provide ratings for those who are.
3. Ask for referrals!  Even though I absolutely adore Papillio Photography now, I was still a skeptical bride when I met them so I asked them for references of past brides.  I was assuaged of my fears when a former bride emailed me and answered all of my questions. 

Considering I'm still new to this whole wedding business, is there anything else that you married ladies can suggest?  I'm sure my fellow brides would appreciate the advice!

moving back with the 'rents

So it's going to be a pretty big week for me.  Tomorrow is my 28th birthday (gasp!) and by the end of the week, I'll be living back at la casa de my parents.  That's right, I am moving back in with my folks, or at least until I get married in 7.5 months!

So I haven't been able to blog much lately due to the fact that I've been cleaning out my little bedroom in order to move everything out.  It's amazing how much clutter I've accumulated in just three short years!  But as excited as I am about moving on to the next chapter in my life, I'm really sad about saying goodbye to this one.

When I moved into this apartment, I had no idea what the future was going to bring.  All I knew was that I wanted a fresh start; a change to my life.  Little did I know just how much of a change this one little move would bring me!  The night I called this apartment home, I met the man of my dreams.  The man I am going to marry.  He literally arrived at my doorstep and was standing in my living room when we were introduced.  And believe it or not, I knew from the moment I met him that he was the ONE.  Cliche, but true.

So here I am, getting ready to leave the place I've made my home and move back to the place that made me.  And as much as I tease Momzilla, I'm actually excited about living with my parents again.  MZ and I will have a lot of fun with our wedding plans and when I leave that house on my wedding day, I'll really be leaving from it.

I promise to write more once I'm settled!  Till then, happy planning!