WOW is all I have to say! The number of friends reading my wedding blog is overwhelming! I've heard so many of you say such nice things after my meager 3 posts. THANK YOU!

 I always write them because I like to write but its even better when people actually read!

My blog has already generated a few comments, a few facebook posts and a bunch of emails so I thought I'd try something new.... I set up a forum. I've never run one before and I have no clue if anyone cares to post there but I thought it'd be more interactive for people to post their thoughts and suggestions there. Then other can comment and add their two cents.

The forum is at the top now. I've created a few topics. One is where I hope you'll all share some of the best things you've seen at a wedding! I'm curious to see what people like. In the same vein, I've created a spot for your horror stories. I'll take anything from vendor nightmares to the horribly cheesy things people do!

Then there's a spot for discussing my actual blog, so if you have something to agree, disagree or add, feel free. And then there's a free for all for whatever you think needs discussing.

First things first, I have to have a place for the wedding. I must refrain from picking out candles and flowers until I know where I'm going to put them.

I think Andy and I are going for the reception and ceremony at the same location. We don't want to get married in a church and have a reception elsewhere, so we're looking for something to can encompass both parts of the wedding. We also want to have this place be fairly close to hotels so people don't have to drive too far. We're really debating where to have the wedding. We know we'll do it on the Gulf Coast but I don't know if that means in Mobile or over on the beach in like Destin, Florida. I think we've also settled on an October wedding (October next year... I need time to do this).

I've been trying to think about things I want to have in a reception site. I know I really enjoyed two things about Kelly's wedding 1. it was at the hotel we stayed in and 2. there was "drunk food". They wheeled out delicious snacks at like 11pm. Fondue = awesome. I also enjoyed my cousin Kali's wedding a lot because her reception and ceremony were at the same place. There wasn't a huge amount of down time in between the wedding ceremony and reception. In fact, there were hors d'oeuvres almost immediately upon going into the reception site.

Now that I've sketched out some things I think I want , I'm sitting down with my arsenal of books, magazines and websites to get ideas of venues and ideas of what I want at those sites. I figure I can't look for sites if I don't know what I want. Luckily for me, all my resources are happy to tell me what I should want at a reception location.

1. couches. Yep, tables and chairs aren't enough. If I want my guests to be comfortable and have a good time, I need couches. I've only been to one wedding with a "lounge" which means I guess I've only been comfortable at one wedding I've attended.

2. A photo booth. Forget disposable cameras on the table, now we're on to photo booths. I can either rent one like at the mall or set up my own with a digital camera and a photo printer. My DIY book and the knot both say so.

3. a Surprise choreographed dance. This is EVERYWHERE and I'm not doing it. I can't dance and neither can my friends and the last thing I'd do is force you to watch us try. It won't be charming, funny or endearing. It'll be awkward.

Alright, Martha, its your turn. The knot is getting me nowhere.

Martha, I don't care if you grow special super secret flowers, you actually gave me real advice. I'm sorry I doubted you. I'm still calling my mom for appetizer pairing though.

Martha says I have to determine my needs. Do I need a full service facility or am I doing this myself? Ugh. I don't know. Ideally, I LOVE the idea of setting up myself. I mean, arranging the guestbook table and stuff will be fun but now I'm having to think about reality. If I can only get into a reception site the morning of my wedding and everything has to be set up and I have to get ready, how will I do this? Seriously, I have no idea. If I craft custom votives to surround my centerpieces, who will put them there?

Oh good, Martha is even giving me a list of questions to ask when I call to setup appointments so I don't waste my time. Unfortunately, that magical reception site hasn't appeared to me. I have a few more things to consider on the list while I look but unfortunately, I don't feel like I've gotten anywhere.

Oh well, I guess I'll keep surfing.

Step one. Join TheKnot.com.

Seriously, these days I don't think the engagement is truly official until you change your facebook status and you make yourself an account on The Knot. Now I can surf thousands of pictures of color schemes and get the handy dandy links on where to buy them. My Bridal Bargains book has already warned me about The Knot. Its like the Walmart of the Bridal Industry. The Knot doesn't actually care about my feelings or my budget, I'm supposed to remember this at all times as I look through endless pages of things I can buy in teal in order to get the best bridal bargains out there.

On one hand, there's the lovey sugary sweet bridal industry and then there is the ruthless money sucking monster who will entice me to stamp my name all over every item at my wedding regardless of the cost. OK. I have a graduate degree, I'm a smart person, I can handle this. I will not let them pull a fast one on me, I'm onto their tricks.

But, really, isn't everyone onto these tricks. Does any bride-to-be wake up and truly think "I must have monogrammed toilet paper in the reception hall even if its $9.99 a roll" I just have a really hard time seeing anyone fall for this. Then again, if I spend hours looking at wedding websites I may become the same way, I'll have to be on the lookout and monitor my feelings on excessive monograms. Shanna, if I stare to long at any monogrammed dental floss, please let me know, I'm sure you'll be the first to notice if I slip to the dark side.

Alright, so I'm good to go. I can officially start wedding planning. I have a knot account and a 3 ring binder and accordian folder. I've got bridal magazine and books. Tomorrow is Sunday and I don't have much on my plate so I plan to do some serious wedding planning. Wish me luck.

I love weddings. The Martha Stewart side of me kicks in and I could dream up color schemes and rehearsal dinner menus all night. If I could be the Barefoot Contessa I'd be in heaven.

Then I got engaged and I suddenly realized I know absolutely nothing about weddings other than picking color schemes and eating food. Luckily, I've got some amazing married friends Carly, Kelly and Amanda who don't bat an eye when I send them a frenzied email within a day of getting engaged begging them for wedding book recommendations. Of course, they responded and an hour later I've ordered 4 books off Amazon.

Next, its off to town with Shanna for normal errands but I decide I also need wedding magazines. Specifically, I need Martha Stewart Wedding. Well, Walmart was a total let down, they didn't have a single wedding magazine. I ended up at the drug store and got two but no Martha. This is a serious problem, I mean, how am I going to have perfectly paired appetizers without her. ugh. Actually, I've since learned that Martha Weddings is full of items that either cost a bazillion dollars (no surprise here) or are things you can't actually get (i.e. a strain of flowers only grown in her garden and maybe 12 other gardens in the world). Scratch Martha, my mom is way better at entertaining, I'll just call her when I need to pair appetizers.

This week, another friend Carla who just got married a few weeks ago brought me her stack of bridal magazines. I think I'm pretty well equipped to start this whole process now. I've got a book on bridal bargains, one on etiquette, another one of saving money and a DIY wedding crafts. Obviously, there will be crafts. I think I'd be a complete disappointment to my mom and sister if I didn't want to make things myself. In my family, we do a lot of crafts.

So, this is where I'm starting. Now, I've got to figure out what to start on first since every book and magazine seems to give me some sort of timeline. At this point I really just want to decorate votive candle holders but I suppose I should start by looking for a place to perhaps have the wedding.

And yes, I still want to wear a teal dress. I'll let you know if I change my mind.