Wedding Expo 1

As someone never really "sold" (until I met Adrian, of course) on marriage, the fact that I attended a bridal expo today conjured some odd feelings today; mainly that I'm a sellout.

With my mom (an awesome teammate and wonderful person to have in my corner) and her best friend (or, BFF as she calls herself) in tow, we walked the few sunny blocks to the bridal expo.

I felt overwhelmed the moment I walked in! It's uncomfortable to have dozens of strangers "congratulate" you because their well-wishing is so dishonest; most of them are seeing dollar signs -- not your ring or your beautiful (future) wedding gown. I spent one hour on both floors, picked up lots of information and spoke to a few people. My main objective was to find a ceremony site, reception site, and photographer. What a tall order!

I found one great woman hoping to do a wedding photography start up, a few great bridal shops (so NOT on my radar), zero ceremony sites, and one or two reception sites to check into. As good as it was for an information gathering mission, I was not moved by the wedding industry -- and yes, it is an industry.

I reviewed the information I gathered and organized it tonight. Thank you KJZJ for making me that AWESOME wedding binder -- I'd lose my mind without it. Adrian and I went through the high points tonight and it was so great to have him there with me, sharing thoughts, giving input, and hearing what he thought were good ideas. I kept hearing him say that he didn't need to be involved in decision-making, that it was "my day", etc. but I should have known better. Adrian is so attentive and involved in our everyday lives, I should have known he'd be just as intimately engaged (no pun intended) -- and I'm so thankful for that!