No matter your budget, it's hard not to get swept up into the monstrosity that is the wedding market. While I could do without ice sculptures, entrances on horseback and fireworks displays, I'm not one to pass up crafty projects that make weddings unique.
It unnerves me a little when couples choose aspects of their weddings that they feel represent them as a couple, only to have people (naysayers) exclaim: "oh, that was so over-done last year" and "lanterns are really over-used and uncreative". While no one has said this to Matt and me (yet), I have read about it enough on plenty of wedding blogs, and I am embarrassed to say that I almost started to fall for this bull crap.
Bottom line is, the wedding planning market is just like any other sales market, they push new colors, textiles, themes each and every year to encourage brides to buy into new trends and therefor (in most cases), spend more money. Because of the sellers, people subconsciously climb on board and then all of a sudden Chinese lanterns (which we're having at our wedding) and mason jars (which we're also having!) are boring.
Fortunately for me, I am a bit stubborn, and after almost falling for all of the negativity, I now don't care, because I happen to LOVE lanterns and mason jars. Despite what we (engaged couples) are fooled to believe, our weddings are going to be unique no matter what we decide to use as decorations.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that the majority of people coming to my wedding will have probably never seen at least a few aspects in my wedding, if not all of them. I have never been to a wedding (although I admit I haven't been to very many yet), that had Chinese lanterns, mason jars, paper origami cranes, yard games and a home made photo booth. Have you? It's hard to step back and realize that while I spend countless hours a week pouring through wedding websites and Pinterest, the majority of people aren't immersed in crafty wedding ideas on a day to day basis, and therefor don't come across dozens of mason jar wedding pictures.
No matter what, even if everyone attending my wedding HAS been to a paper crane affair, my wedding is going to be unique, because DUH...it's Matt and my wedding, not anybody else's!
I can't wait to get going on all of these projects in the coming months!
150 DAYS to go! (Matt remembers when there was 450!)
This is the first time I've ever commented on a blog before, but I just LOVED reading this! My Fiancé and I have been planning our wedding (August 2013) since February 2011! The first couple months, I searched the Internet and attended wedding expos to see what the ideal wedding would cost--boy was I surprised! Our budget wedding ideas were created with the idea that we are a unique couple, so our wedding will also be unique. No sit down dinner in a fancy ballroom for us! Campground wedding (camping with friends and family over the weekend), BBQ comfort food, lemonade/ iced tea in mason jars, quart size mason jar centerpieces, thrift store mismatched floral china plates, wildflowers, a dessert table with cake and pies, and of course s'mores! We are also having a home made photo booth!! Thank you for sharing your wedding thoughts--it's really nice to see another crafty couple with similar great ideas!
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