Wedding Coordinator (or lack thereof)

Have you met my wedding coordinator?

Oh hiiii... it's me, Meredith! Yes, we've met before, on the internet. I've been hired to put together this little shindig going on in October, maybe you've heard of it? I'm dirt cheap, which I'm pretty sure is the main reason I was hired. My fee consists of multiple bottles of Cabernet, a little dark chocolate, and the occasional sobfest every month or so from the sheer weight of emotion: I'm excited! I'm scared :( I'm so tired, what, it's 1am?

Yeah, that's my coordinator. She's cool.

I obviously had to cut a more professional coordinator out of my modest budget to accommodate for things like cake and wedding rings and beer. But I keep daydreaming about hiring a day-of coordinator: someone with a Type A personality (much like myself) whom I can completely trust to flawlessly execute my perfectly laid-out wedding day plans. (In case you were wondering, I've already arranged for my wedding to be perfect.)

Dream on! I looked into costs for said awesome coordinator, and anyone in the Austin area with the slightest shred of reliability or clout will run you at least a thousand bones. For one day. Really, for one half day. And that's only the stinkin' base package!

Unfortunately I'll have to let that one go and allow my sweet, sweet bridesmaids and bridal party (whoever you are) to help out with any day-of execution plans (lucky them). But you know, this whole string of wedding coordinator research got the ol' wheels in my head a-crankin'. What if... [pause for dramatic effect]... I became a day-of wedding coordinator? Me? The crazy organized girl that knew absolutely nothing about weddings until about 4 months ago?

What if I started my own business? A business that began with day-of wedding coordination, and then evolved into wedding planning, which then evolved into general event planning / coordination. I could be my own boss, work my own hours, admittedly deal with some of the most freaky people on earth (bride-to-be's), but then also get to share in the joy of forthcoming marriages, the budding formations of lifelong partnerships. Which could be pretty cool and awesome and totally worth the 24/7 bridezilla contact. Great idea, right?

Ok, so this really wasn't my idea. It was Clay's. But I do think about it every now and then, how different my life would be with this new challenge before me. I already have 3 awesome ladies in mind that could partner with me: Lauren D., wedding etiquette extraordinaire; Courtney (future sister-in-law), wedding fashion expert; and Lauren C., wedding resource specialist. Put that together with me, super organized crazy freaky woman, and we would be unstoppable!

Too bad I already have a pretty nice job.

But that's one of the things I've come to love about this whole engagement / wedding planning business. There's this whole surge of new energy, of forward thinking, of bursting creativity, that for all the worry and anxiety and occasional tears make the nuptial journey that much richer and worth the ride.

I’m glad I’m getting married. I’m glad I’m having a big white wedding. Life has managed to surprise me this way. And I embrace this surprise. I embrace the unknown.