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Miss Doe, Northern California Age and Occupation: 24, Real Estate Assistant Fiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Recycling Manager Engagement Date: December 25, 2010 Wedding Date: May 2012 Venue: Monte Verde Inn About Me: I’m a Rat Pack fan and a Christmas nut that loves to read, good wine, cheesy ’80s movies and ’90s sitcoms. My wiener dog with an attitude problem and lazy basset hound are my constant source of entertainment. He's a hunter and I like cooking so it's not rare to see wild game on our dinner menu. Both of us were born and raised in a small historic farming town where our feet are still firmly planted. We have been together for nearly a decade and have shared many life experiences together, including birthdays that are only one day apart. We are two old souls that are creating our long-awaited wedding with loads of tradition that blends our two styles into rustic elegance in the foothills of Northern California.
About Miss Doe

Keeping Your Eye on the Prize

October 21st, 2011 @ 7:32 am by Miss Doe

I recently had a phone date with one of my really good friends who I grew up with. She now lives in Washington so we don’t see each other often, which means we try to keep our phone dates fairly regular. Over the past year our conversations have turned to wedding discussions because we are both getting married one month apart.

Keeping Your Eye on the Prize :  wedding northern california 188366 188366_

{I know you are wondering if we finished that sundae…heck yes we did!}

We started the conversation with the normal exciting wedding jibber jabber. The vendors we had booked, the registry, dress, and so on. The conversation took a slight turn when things started to get real. Basically we had fun talking about all the pretty fun stuff, but then we started to dig deep into the side most people don’t talk about as far as weddings go. The stuff that is not exactly fun to talk about with the general population because they just don’t understand. However, I feel many brides go through this and it is something we all can relate to.

The amount of pressure that is placed on us is huge. The pressure to pick the right dress, vendors, food, invitations, and so on. God forbid someone disagrees with you on a decision you made. There are just so many (too many) options out there for everything in the wedding industry. It all can be a little daunting at times.

She was discussing her frustrations with immigration (she is marrying a Canadian) and irritations with registries. I was ranting about videographers and rehearsal-dinner plans. We both caught ourselves and realized—hey, none of that matters.

Because you know what? At the end of the day, your dress is just material. Your flowers are just plants. The catering is just food. Your venue is just a place to hold the wedding.

When all is said and done, none of that will change whether or not you are married. They are all material things and we place too much importance on them sometimes. Yes, it is all fun stuff, but it should not become the bane of our existence. So when the craziness hits and we can’t see the forest for the trees, just sit back and remember the reason for having a wedding. The number one most important thing is that I am marrying my best friend and the wedding is the start of eternity for us.

I know Mr. Buck would marry me barefoot in the middle of nowhere.

Keeping Your Eye on the Prize :  wedding northern california Skmbt C02 SKMBT_C02

Hive, I bet your fiance would do the same. Just something to remember when you start to feel overwhelmed.

Keeping Your Eye on the Prize :  wedding northern california Wedding079 Wedding079

{Image via Hello World!}

{Unless otherwise noted, all photos are personal.}

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16 Responses to “Keeping Your Eye on the Prize”

1.
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Miss Aardvark (message)  635 posts, Busy bee

What a refreshing post! Thank you so much for writing it!

 
2.
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Miss Honey (message)  1,069 posts, Bumble bee

I love that quote!!! Such a good reminder, thanks Doe!

 
3.
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Mrs. Pony (message)  4,175 posts, Honey bee

Great perspective Doe!

 
4.
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Ellis2bee (message)  65 posts, Worker bee

I personnally could not agree more, I now have been married for a week (as of today :) )and my FI and I had a huge blowout the night before the wedding because of all the stress. Needless to say the day of the wedding there was a lot that I planned for that was never taken care but in the end I am still married, the ceremony was gorgeous, and we had a fantastic time with beautiful pictures to look back on.
I think that we all stress so much over ALL of the details because we want it to be perfect, but in the end being married and spending your life with your soul mate is what we are after. All of the major details will be done and forget about the small stuff if it doesn’t get done and enjoy the day.

 
5.
alicia1745
Member
alicia1745 (message)  501 posts, Busy bee

Such a great reminder!
Thanks for posting this at the exact time I needed to be reminded of all of this =)

 
6.
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Miss Fox (message)  859 posts, Busy bee

Beautifully written, Doe! Definitely something to remember when things get incredibly stressy.. I tend to freak out more than necessary, but you are 100% right - it’s about the person you are marrying above everything else. Heck, I’ve even seriously considered scratching this whole planning thing and just eloping! I definitely just want to be married to the man already ;)

 
7.
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Miss Warbler (message)  154 posts, Blushing bee

Good post, Miss Doe. I am also very proud that you finished that sundae!

 
8.
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Miss Dalmatian (message)  480 posts, Helper bee

I literally got the chills reading this. So very true, and so very well put.

 
9.
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MrsRose (message)  31 posts, Newbee

I’ve been a terrible bride and the stage manager in me has been sneaking through about my wedding planning. I have at least once called our wedding a show, and our outfits costumes. I’m horrible and thank you for reminding me that this isn’t a show, it’s a party. :-)

 
10.
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Soon to be Mrs. C (message)  35 posts, Newbee

Thanks so much for writing this! Just today - I found myself contemplating whether to take a Groupon for a photobooth because I wasn’t sure what our guests would think! Am I crazy - it’s our wedding, we’re footing the bill so we can do whatever we want!!!!! It’s refreshing to know that other brides go through the same thing - thanks for sharing :)

 
11.
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Miss Mole (message)  985 posts, Busy bee

Great post to remind us all about what this is really about.

(And epic sundae!)

 
12.
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RobynD99 (message)  109 posts, Blushing bee

Thanks for reminding us all what’s it’s all about. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the wedding stress. Good luck with all your planning ;)

 
13.
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Miss Sunhat (message)  865 posts, Busy bee

I love this. It is not a performance. I am so guilty for getting wrapped up in worrying what others will think. This is a great reminder for us all.

 
14.
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Miss Doe (message)  540 posts, Busy bee

Thank you everyone so much! This post really meant a lot to me, I am glad it resonated with all of you as well. I kiiiinda want to take that last image and tape it all over my house to try and remind myself haha. We do forget sometimes the real reason of the wedding. And it is important to stop and keep the right perspective sometimes :)

 
15.
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Aud1628 (message)  395 posts, Helper bee

Thank-you for this post! I always say us brides can get too caught up in the “wedding” and start to loose sight that we’re getting married to spend and share our life with the one we love. I love that end quote defintely have to borrow it!!

 
16.
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Mrs. Parasol (message)  2,132 posts, Buzzing bee

Thanks for sharing such an honest post with us, Miss Doe! As brides, we need this kind of perspective on a daily basis. The wedding is just a party…a really nice one, but just a party nonetheless. Marriage and the love you share with your SO are forever and worth more of our attention.

And BTW, that sundae looks amazing!

 

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Miss Doe
Miss Doe

Miss Doe, Northern California Age and Occupation: 24, Real Estate Assistant Fiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Recycling Manager Engagement Date: December 25, 2010 Wedding Date: May 2012 Venue: Monte Verde Inn About Me: I’m a Rat Pack fan and a Christmas nut that loves to read, good wine, cheesy ’80s movies and ’90s sitcoms. My wiener dog with an attitude problem and lazy basset hound are my constant source of entertainment. He's a hunter and I like cooking so it's not rare to see wild game on our dinner menu. Both of us were born and raised in a small historic farming town where our feet are still firmly planted. We have been together for nearly a decade and have shared many life experiences together, including birthdays that are only one day apart. We are two old souls that are creating our long-awaited wedding with loads of tradition that blends our two styles into rustic elegance in the foothills of Northern California.

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