wedding planning – OLIVIA COLLETTE

For those of you who know a little bit about me, I can hardly believe it either. I’ve never been the kind of woman that needed to get married to prove anything to anyone. But here I am. Married. And it’s nice for many reasons.

For one, it’s just sunk in that I’m officially not alone. I’ll admit that this is the weirdest part for me. I got used to my solitary rhythm. I had it down to a science. Now, every decision requires a vote, and that can be challenging for the modern bachelorette. The upshot is that I’m no longer flying solo through turbulent times, and that’s something I can definitely get used to.

Before the husband unit and I decided to take the plunge, his father advised us to make it as special as possible, because we only get one shot at the big day. That’s when I started doing what most brides-to-be probably do: I bought a wad of bridal mags and started sifting through reams of ideas. The fact is, I haven’t spent most of my girlhood dreaming of the perfect wedding. I wasn’t a pessimist so much as an opportunist: I figured I’d think about it if the situation ever presented itself. So here I was, flipping through these magazines, trying to pull something together, and fast.

It’s not easy. Every detail comes with its own lexicon of details. Nobody gives you a discount. Everybody has an opinion on what you should do (based on what they would do on their own big day; not what you want to do on yours). And none of this changes even if you agree on a small wedding.

Nevertheless, it all came together quite beautifully. I believe I have a solid group of friends to thank for that. Seriously: I really lucked out here. Of the 48 or so guests, about 50% of them were somehow involved in the wedding. With their help, we didn’t have to worry about music, transportation, photography, graphic design, delivering and placing chairs for the ceremony, hair, makeup, the family dinner, and fashion. My father, who’s a jeweler, also made our rings, which was the cherry on top.

Was it a perfect day? Absolutely. Did everything go as planned? Absolutely not. But it’s funny how it just doesn’t matter in the end.

Okay, I admit it. I’ve been bad. Real bad.

I haven’t posted a blog in almost a month and a half, and to be honest, I’ve missed it. I’m actually a little embarrassed that there are no archives for July. But here’s why: I’ve been real busy, like. Trust me, this isn’t a brush-off. You know I’m committed to this thing we have going on, you and me. It’s just that for the first time ever, I’m actually seeing one of my personal projects through, and that means there’s less time for blogging. I thought I could manage both, but it turns out that one needs to outperform the other, and it’s apparently best if the distraction doesn’t win this round.

Saying that, I hope I’m not jinxing it by talking about something that’s not finished yet. But we’re far enough along that it’s unlikely to be abandoned, so I think I’m allowed to be excited.

The project? It’s a series of webisodes. The scripts are written, which took forever. We’ve had auditions. We’re almost completely cast. And in September, if all goes well, shooting begins. Naturally, I have to use this blog to talk about this project as it progresses. It would be stupid not to. So stay tuned…

Otherwise, many other things have been keeping me busy. I’m a bit reluctant to share extremely private information here, but then, most of those who read me are friends (by the way: thanks), so I suppose it’s okay to talk about it.

I’m getting hitched. Very soon. In less than a month. And planning a wedding, even a small one, is something only crazy people would undertake willingly if they actually knew, in advance, what it entails. Maybe you’ve thought about it your whole life, which is fair enough. But I can guarantee you’re not prepared for the wedding vortex, which is made up of a plausible infinity of details you thought you were too cool to care about…until you realize you’re just as vain as everyone else. All I know is I thought I was the “hip” bride who just wanted things simple and clean, but once flowers were introduced to the equation, I suddenly became very concerned with how it would all come together. And before you know it, I’m going through 3 florists just to get it right.

In all this, I’m still freelancing when wedding plans and webisodes aren’t conquering my schedule. I wouldn’t call the state I’m in auto-pilot. It’s more like “constant-pilot,” and I fuel up at some gas station in the sky.

Despite the serious time shortage, I’ve been able to take in a few noteworthy things. And they’re as follows.

The ceremony is not sacred.
The marriage is.
Marrying someone is like inheriting a new family, and that’s exciting. The married couple also becomes a new family onto themselves, and it’s great to share that little bubble with someone. I won’t lie.
You don’t need to be get married to experience “the bubble.” In fact, people should recognize it out of wedlock more often.
There are a good many things that go into a wedding, and almost none of them really mean that your partner loves you. Not the ring, not the venue, not the limo, not the boutonnière, and definitely not the cake. The only real thing is what you know you and your partner share. The rest is just a party.

In completely unrelated news, I’ve posted a second blog on the new Lomography site, and it prompted me to experiment with my new Diana camera. It doesn’t give the same sort of results as my beloved Holga, but it’s interesting just the same. The above picture is from my first roll. It may not be the best photo I’ve ever taken, but I can’t wait to keep experimenting. I have more fun trying than perfecting. Is that wrong?

Tag: wedding planning

Nupped up

Where Livvyjams been at