After our whirlwind engagement in New York over New Year’s, Mr. Wallaby and I returned to Houston and resumed ordinary life. We began to talk to our families about guests lists, so we could get a general idea of how many guests to expect when we searched for venues. (Fifty guests? One hundred guests? Two hundred guests?) During this time, I also picked up some wedding-planning books from the bookstore. My favorite was A Practical Wedding. A lot of bees have blogged about this book, and it really shaped how Mr. W and I have come to envision our wedding. I read a few chapters of it every evening after work while riding the exercise bike at my gym, and afterward I would excitedly tell Mr. W all about pre-1900s wedding traditions, DIY DJ-ing, and the like.
Photo via A Practical Wedding
One suggestion from A Practical Wedding is to brainstorm some words to describe your wedding: What kind of theme do you want? What elements do you want to see repeated in the decor and details of the day? How do you want your wedding to feel? Mr. W and I turned out to be on the exact same page. We decided we wanted our wedding to be personal and fun above all, and also whimsical, unique, creative, spiritual, and romantic. I’ll share an inspiration board later once I reveal the venue and other details.
The annual Houston Bridal Extravaganza took place a couple weeks after Mr. Wallaby and I got engaged. He heard about it from someone at work, and he suggested that we go to get some ideas. (Hang on, moment of appreciation for a groom who is the one pushing to go to the bridal expo!) The day of the expo, we entered the large convention room, and we. were. overwhelmed. Houston is a large city (fourth largest city in the US!), and the wedding industry is prominent here. Not to mention how important weddings are in the South! We had been planning to divide and conquer, but once we set foot in the expo, we were intimidated and clung to each other’s hands. My honest conclusion was that the expo was an overload of information. We were not prepared to talk to bakeries, linen rental companies, or ice sculptors. We just wanted to get some help picking out a venue…or even a theme! Furthermore, about 90% of the vendors who attended the expo are involved in putting on modern, glitzy weddings, and Mr. W and I were looking for something more rustic and nontraditional. In the end, we got a couple cute photo booth pictures, we ate some very delicious appetizers, and we came home with two bags overflowing with glossy brochures (which, admittedly, ended up in the recycling).
Event decor rentals displayed at the Houston Bridal Extravaganza / Personal photo
The Bridal Extravaganza had reinforced Mr. W’s and my vision of a whimsical, somewhat casual, creative, DIY, rustic wedding. With the help of our families, we drafted a rough guest list of about 150 invitees. With that information, we set off on the venue hunt!
How did you find inspiration for your wedding in the early stages of wedding planning?
That was my reaction too to the Extravaganza. I went the week after getting engaged and OMG info overload. The only thing I got from there that I used what the wedding binder/organizer. My awesome MOH organized all the flyers into there for me.
I’ve always wanted a fall wedding and since I’m marrying a teacher Thanksgiving is the perfect time to get hitched. We’re letting the colors of the season guide us and so far leaves have turned into our theme.
APW for life!!! I just ordered 2 copies of the book for a newly engaged friend and a soon-to-be-engaged friend. It really is the best book ever. Mr. T and I both read it, and I read the blog religiously. It’s required reading, in my opinion.
As I have begun planning my wedding, APW has been a serious blessing…so much sane advice on how to plan and execute the day you and FI envision in the beginning! Glad to hear that it has held up throughout the planning process.
@Highness: Lol!!!! Expos are overwhelming aren’t they?!
I looove fall weddings, I’m sure yours will be very romantic 
@Mrs. Treasure: Awesome!! I need to remember to buy copies for friends that get engaged. I love the blog, too.
@paigesbook: Yes, agreed – APW has helped us let go of “all of the things.”
I read the first page from Amazon and immeaditely felt more relaxed with planning our wedding. I’ve been so super stressed about it all and wondering how to NOT break bank. I can tell this is going to be a GREAT read. Thanks for the suggestion!
@krislynn_sd: I’m so glad you found it helpful!! Read up – there is SO much good advice in there!
We found the bridal expos to be equally as helpful. If anything, it showed me what we wouldn’t do! Our vendors were based on recommendations from friends or lots of personal research.
Aww the couple expos I went to were not huge so they weren’t overwhelming! My favourite one was a boutique bridal expo, smaller more intimate and lots of variety!
Mrs. Wallaby, Houston Age and Occupation: 24, Environmental Engineer Engagement Date: January 1, 2012 Wedding Date: November 2012 Venue: Oak Tree Manor About Me: I'm a free-spirited, adventurous girl who loves anything active, reading, traveling, cooking up new dishes for my fiancé, and working on my budding garden. My fiancé is an athletic, intellectual, animal-loving guy with an obsession with basketball and who treats me with the deepest compassion and respect. We are both engineers, and we met at our workplace. Together we complement one another and make a great team, and we are excitedly counting down the days until our outdoor wedding in Houston in November. We're planning a green wedding with lots of Persian cultural touches, and I can't wait to share all of the before-and-after details of our special day
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