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In the most recent issue of Modern Bride, there was an article called Early-Bird Brides about women who have their entire weddings perfectly planned out - from the dress, to the flowers, to the venue. The only thing they’re missing… is a fiance.
A poll they conducted found the following results:
I think I bought my first wedding magazine when I was in my junior or senior year of high school (I was boyfriendless at the time). That’s when I started cutting out pages of things I liked, covering them in page protecters, and putting them into a three ring binder - neatly organized by category of course. (Uh, can we say obsessive compulsive freak?)
It’s not like I had this overwhelming desire to get married at the time, but like most girls of course I’d dreamt about it happening one day - finding my Prince Charming, having the fairytale wedding, and living happily ever after. I know I’m not the only one - my friends always wanted to look through my wedding binder whenever they came over.
So I purchased a couple of wedding magazines well before any hope of getting engaged, (ok it was more like 50, maybe more)… and went to look at venues 4 months before getting engaged (we were long distance so we had no choice I tell ya - Mr. Bee was with me). Ok fine, I picked out the cut of my diamond too. But I’d never go so far as to book a reception venue (hello Monica!) before getting engaged.
When did you first begin planning your wedding? And what early-bird bride activities are you guilty of?
he and i both went to look at the rings before getting engaged….about a year before. i started looking at venues about a month before we got engaged…..
thankfully for weddingbee, i still havent had to buy a wedding magazine yet!
freshman year of college when i first met my fi. seriously, i just knew that he was the one so i had this desire to get everything all ready. i am so happy now because i dont have to shop for my dress, i know where the wedding is going to be, what the flower arangements are, and what my brides maids will be wearing.
i didnt start before i was dating anyone though. i started as soon as he said he loved me.
Oh man, I am guilty of too many early-bird crimes. I’ve been drooling over wedding magazines since high school (when I met Mr Ant)… I actually *subscribed* to a few wedding mags during college, years before we actually got engaged.
Okay, before any guy reading this starts feeling sorry for Mr Ant.. you should know that he’s just as guilty as I am. Years before he proposed, he created an excel spreadsheet that projected our financial assets for the next 50 years! He even took into account my PhD, a house, and 2 kids. =o) awwww
i’m guilty of looking at engagement rings before getting engaged. i guess thats normal. never bought wedding mags until i got engaged. only have a handful of them now…..like 4 to be exact.
What are the top wedding magazines that you would suggest, looking into signing up for some subscriptions
Martha Stewart Weddings and InStyle weddings are my favorite. Only Martha is available via subscription though.
I worked at a bridal shop in college so…. totally guilty of the wedding magazine thing. But what could I say…
I have been obsessed with weddings since I was 4, no joke If you look at my wedding planning you can see I have always wanted a fairy tale wedding complete with my own Prince I have wedding magazines from like 1996 I even entertained the idea of becoming a wedding planner and even interened with some in my area I love every aspect of weddings and have and probably always will
I never planned…I called it “window shopping.” 
I looked at magazines beginning in HS (I’d buy one EVERY time I flew) and looked at engagement rings about 1-2 years before the engagement (obsessively). No shame in my game! hee hee.
we set a date before the actual engagement. we had to because of our crazy schedules…but, i didn’t book anything until i actually had a ring on my finger!
We’ve been ring shopping and talked about the date, but I’m still waiting for the actual proposal (any day now!).
If it doesn’t happen soon I’m afraid I might lose the venue I really want since it’s usually booked a year before to the day.
I have my “wedding porn” hidden right now. The BF knows I’ll look through the mags from time to time, but doesn’t know I have 7 or 8 with pages flagged!
Like Beth, we have been ring shopping, and I feel like I’m in “engagement limbo” right now! I know it will be this summer, and I am worried about things getting booked.
My early-bird bride stuff consists reading wedding stuff online - here, the Knot, etc. And I may or may not have a few saved gowns and articles on The Knot
Though I have purchased wedding mags here and there in the past (the last when I was sick last year and needed a pick-me-up), I have held off. Not that there’s much difference between online v. glossy, but I just have this picture in my head of the two of us making a post-engagement trip to pick up some wedding magazines and a planner.
Hmm…this is interesting, I had just posted on my own website about how I am “one of those” who plan their weddings before they’re even engaged.
We’re in this weird place where we both talk a lot about our weddings and sorta kinda plan things. We’ve looked at rings and he’s designed the engagement ring. He’s also picked out our wedding rings, it’s just a matter of time before he finally proposes. But we’ve already got a few reception places in mind, our budget, guestlist, and when to have it. I bought my first magazine the other day… but I still feel guilty. I’m an OCD planner by nature, but I’m glad at least he indulges me too. “Who’s wedding is it anyway?” have been having marathons on STYLE!!!
Oh I knew a whole lot of things about my wedding long before my beloved popped the question! I decided it would be outdoors when I was seven. I chose the actual site the day my brother and his wife took me with them to scout out locations for their wedding. Actually, my SIL and I took one look at the place and told my brother, we don’t know where you’re getting married, but this is where we’re getting married! At the time I hadn’t even started dating my beloved. It was another seven years before we tied the knot. But I knew where it was happening, and he knew long before we booked the place that it was the spot of my dreams.
I also picked out my engagement ring before he popped the question. It was something that was generally available at that store, though, so I didn’t show it to him until post-question.
Magazines? Planners? I had a library of them. I’m a complete wedding junkie and I still buy the odd magazine, even though I’ve been married thirteen years (we hit the anniversary next week). I just love weddings.
But booking venues or services before you’ve got a fiance? Come on! Even in Muriel’s Wedding she restrained herself to trying on every wedding gown in the city until there was a wedding to plan! Are the women who do this at least with someone they expect to marry sometime soon?
Research and dreaming are great time savers in the long run, because then you know what you want which makes it easier to find. Putting down deposits on goods and services you may not get to use because you haven’t met Mr. Right…I can’t even imagine doing that.
hi ladies… what are the best blogs to do research on what kind of engagement rings are out there? I’m looking for something maybe antique, or different (the cartier trinity ring with yellow and pink diamonds blows my mind… and so does the $52k price tag…)… i still don’t quite know what i want: any suggestions?
xxx thanks…
I picked out my ring too and we designed it together. He picked out the side stones. -That was in Feb thru May 2005. In June 2005 , we found our church & reception site before we got engaged too. The place we wanted books minimum a year in advance and we wanted to see about booking the church in august and Aug was already booked up. We were able to book it for Oct 7, 2006 instead. I have 3 boys and my ex husband is never reliable & can’t stick to a schedule. It’s whenver or whatever when it comes to spending time w/our boys. So..the alone time for my fiancee to propose wasn’t readily available. He proposed on August 27, 2005.
As the daughter of an amature (family, friends, friends of friends, etc.) wedding planner I’ve been involved in the planning and execution of a few weddings. My sister and I used to introduce our mother as “This is my mom. She plans weddings.” With each wedding I’d find myself saying things like “There’s no way I’d do it like that.” Or “That’s a really cool idea !” So eventually my mom encouraged me to start writing these thoughts down so when the time comes I won’t be like “Now what was it that I said I’d never do ? Because it SO didn’t work for the other couple.” And little by little it has grown to the point that I know exactly what kind of dress I want to wear, and the kind of flowers, songs I like, etc. Now when it comes to rings and venues, I have LOOKED. I admit it. *holds out hand to be rapped on the knuckles* When it comes to the rings, I have come to the conclusion that I don’t want to pick out my ring. I’m a little old fashioned I guess, I want my future husband to pick it out and that in itself will make it special, even if it’s not the most exquisite. (Hey, let me keep my fairy tale illusions. 
) And venues, well, a girl has to know what’s available in the area. I mean, come on ! Besides it’ll save time and stress because I already know which ones aren’t big enough ! LOL There’s a lot that I decided to not decide on. Does that make sense ? I want my future Mr. Right to have his input because it is after all his wedding too. So what do you think, Lemon cake or Triple fudge ? . . .
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Mrs. Bee, New York Age and Occupation: 29, Weddingbee Publisher Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Internet Engagement Date: May 7, 2004 Wedding Date: March 5, 2005 Venue: Westside Loft, New York About Me: Yes, my name really is Bee! I love my blogging, wikis, and tabasco sauce!
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