Wedding Planning: 2007 vs 2018

If you’ve hung around here much, you’ll know I’ve been married twice. The first time was in 2007 and the second in October 2018. You wouldn’t believe how much the wedding planning process has changed in 11 years.

Quick & Simple Wedding Planning

In 2007 the planning process felt much different. Putting together a wedding in less than 12 weeks wasn’t a huge issue back then. You had a few main elements: attire, food, entertainment, photography, venue and color scheme. Many of these elements were DIY or found locally or through a wedding show. My exhusband and I were engaged on February 17th, and set our wedding date for May 10th. With the help of friends and family, we had a lovely wedding, all planned in less than 12 weeks.

Detail Oriented Affairs with Unlimited Possibilities

Engagements are getting longer as couples focus on making their wedding day dreams come true. My second engagement was about 13 months, from September 23nd to October 31st of the following year. A few reasons behind this were: we wanted time to plan a wedding that suited us and we were already living together, so there wasn’t the pressure to get married before one of us moved in. Now, you have unlimited possibilities for your wedding as well; from venues of every sort, wedding themes, all colors of dresses, etc.

Finding the Venue

While there were a few venues around, many weddings I attended were limited to a church, community center or someone’s backyard. I personally was married in my home church for the first time, so I left that option for a last resort the second time. The number of wedding venues boggles my mind sometimes and I swear you can throw a stone and hit 2-3 without trying. In the Bonney Lake/Sumner area alone, there are about 5 unique wedding venues (not including churches). A few of my favorites are: The Kelly Farm, Laurel Creek Manor, Windmill Gardens, The Attic and the Hanson Place.

Not only were options limited, but most hosted ceremonies and receptions in the same location. While a benefit was not having travel time, it did leave other aspects, like the decor, a bit stuck. Especially if you wanted different feels for your ceremony vs reception. Now, you can add in a lot more creativity by hosting your ceremony one place, and your reception in another for even more flexibility. In 2018, We chose to get married in the middle of Main Street Sumner then head back to McMillan Grange for our reception.

Wedding Day Attire

This was probably the one I had the hardest time with during my Halloween Wedding Planning Process. Not only are there HUNDREDS of bridal boutiques now, but I wanted a very specific look for my wedding day. Black. I wanted a black dress. My first wedding, I wore a traditional white dress, a la Runaway Bride. (Maybe that should have been my sign. I kid, I kid.) At the time, bridal boutiques were mostly limited to David’s Bridal and a few others. Alterations were limited to putting in bustiers, taking in or letting out side seams, and creating a bustle.

Now, you can have dresses completely revamped (and I mean COMPLETELY… more about my dress nightmare in another post) to tickle your fancy. They can be dyed, features added, features removed. Your bustle can be long, short, french or tied. Again this is another spot where the possibilities are endless and only limited by your imagination.

All the Delicious Eats

While planning in 2007, food was another aspect that seemed really limited. Many caterers appeared to serve two types of food: Pasta or a fancier chicken/salmon dish. If you had the budget for a fancy caterer, you might get a hor devours table or servers to pass those. I however chose to go the more DIY route, where friends and family helped with a costco/potluck style wedding smoregasboard.

Planning in 2018 gave us a lot more options for catering. From tacos to fish, Indian cuisine to American BBQ, the options for catering is another bunch of possibilities. While we chose to go the DIY route again, our taco bar was an eccentric blend of both vegan and regular tacos. Surprisingly, even our non-vegan guests loved the sweet potato taco recipe we used.

Vendors for Every Style

When it comes down to choosing vendors, you can be incredibly picky now. In 2007, I found a handful of professional licensed photographers, DJs and most beauty vendors were simply the salon down the road. Now there are hundreds of wedding professionals ranging from floral specialists, Hair and Makeup Artists, Photographers, DJs, MCs, performance artists, etc. By choosing carefully, you can easily craft a wedding day experience that your guests (and you) will get to enjoy. Be advised though, to always ask that your vendors are licensed and insured (proof is always good too). This is for your protection as well as the protection of your guests.

The Theme of the Night

Where there used to be no themes, only colors, there are now endless options. You can base your wedding around a holiday, a color scheme, that new movie you watched last week, etc. My husband and I love Halloween, and it’s the one holiday that’s always been a favorite. Thankfully, our guests played along and we had a full costume party for our wedding.

No matter what your style or how you choose to celebrate, you are in control of your wedding planning process. You can go simple or big. The choice is yours.