Weddingbee Blog

When I see friends and family that I haven’t seen in some time, they always want to ask about the wedding. Quite frankly, this conversation is one that I’ve somewhat come to dread over the past year of my and Mr. Cardy’s engagement. It’s almost always the same, and it goes a little something like this:

Friend: So, how’s wedding planning going? Are you done yet?

Me: Um, well, not quite done yet (?!?!), but we’re getting there!

Friend: What have you been doing for the wedding?

… And this is where I pause. I want to tell the truth, but I hate what comes after my answer.

Me: Oh well, I’ve been doing a lot of crafting. Right now, I’m working on (insert some crazy ambitious DIY project here).

Friend: (blank stare) You’re WHAT? You’re doing that for your wedding? Gosh, it must be nice to have all that free time! I can’t even imagine… (blah blah blah, insert more gushing about how insane I am here).

It happens every time, y’all! And I don’t know what to do! For some reason, people just don’t seem to understand why I’m so interested in having such a hand-crafted wedding, and they really don’t understand why I’d want to spend my free time doing something so ridiculous as crafting (said almost like it’s a dirty word).

But… I enjoy it. And it’s important to me, and to Mr. Cardigan. In fact, the other night as I was sitting at the kitchen table working on napkins, he told me how proud he was that I was making the napkins for our wedding, and that he’s really excited about them, because it’s so just special and meaningful that I’m making the napkins myself. He said it really means a lot to him, and he appreciates how much I’m pouring my heart and soul into the wedding.

That. Right there. That’s why I do it. This day is a representation of my and Mr. Cardigan’s love, and it’s just what feels right for us. I’m one of those people that cooks a homemade dinner almost every night, and refuses to bake anything out of a box—so why would things be any different on my wedding day? I want to be able to look around on my wedding day and know that I have put love into each and every element there… I want to know that I have injected as much of Mr. Cardigan and myself into that day as possible.

Now, none of this is to say that weddings without homemade items and tons of personal touches aren’t beautiful and meaningful. This is just to say that for Mr. Cardigan and me, a DIY wedding was just what fit best. It fits our personality, and it fits our relationship—I can’t imagine doing it any other way. It’s an extremely personal decision, and there is no right or wrong way to do it.

I think what it really boils down to is that those of us who are planning weddings (or who have planned them, or who just love them) are so immersed in the “wedding world” that it seems almost natural that we would want to take on DIY projects and make our weddings as unique as possible. It’s what we’re inundated with every time we visit our favorite wedding websites! Everyone is doing it that way, right? But, in reality most of the people who are attending our wedding are not as interested in this whole world as we are, and they have no idea that “everyone” is having DIY fauxto-booths, making their own décor, and writing their own vows. They mostly only see the regular, every day weddings that aren’t featured on blogs. And those weddings are just as wonderful as the ones we’re bombarded with daily. So, of course when people hear that I’m sewing 120 napkins by myself for our wedding, they think I’m a bit crazy. But you know what? That’s okay.

I know that what I’m doing for the wedding is what works for Mr. Cardy and me. And I know for certain that our wedding day will truly be a great representation of us as a couple, and I can’t wait to see it all come to life.

In the meantime, when people as about the wedding, maybe I should just tell them that we have everything done.

Have you had people question your reasons for various wedding choices? Have you ever felt like you need to defend yourself against your choice to have a DIY wedding?