wait...you mean I'm getting married?

Do you ever forget you're engaged? Because I do. A lot. I think it's mostly because we haven't set a date yet. Our goal is to set the date by Jan 1, 2010. We do know that the wedding will be summer of 2011, but we have to decide our guest list, budget and date. By Jan 1. It's not that hard really, we just want to make sure it's right.

We both knew that we wanted a long engagement, because we'll only be engaged once, and we want to enjoy it, and not be crazy busy planning every micro detail. But...it is a little hard to not micro manage when we have the time to micro manage. Right now I've been trying to take his take on his perspective, which is, don't think about it for awhile, because it's only one day and the more you stress about it before hand, the more control you'll want to have on that day and the less you'll enjoy it, and the more you'll want to go back and make it happen again.

I don't want to be one of those brides who has regrets, wants the wedding to be over now because it's so stressful or wants to re-live the spotlight of the wedding day (and I don't want to spend ridiculous amounts of money for something like a ceremony program that if we're lucky will be recycled and not thrown away). Frankly, I don't want to be in the spotlight. I'm a dancer, and I perform all the time and that is an adrenaline rush I don't want on my wedding day. It should be about bringing our families together to witness our public commitment for life. That's rather humbling, actually.

The greatest thing about all of the wedding blogs out there, is that as brides we can get a little glimpse of each couple's special day, and how they decided to interpret a wedding. And while I love a beautiful party, and making name plates out of Goldie Locks spun hair as thread for home made paper from the loves notes of my fiancee......that's not what a wedding is about (to me, at least) I'm not marrying myself, and the good Lord knows my fiancee isn't marrying me to watch me unravel in a pool of desired perfection for our guests to be wowed at. I'm finding that the more I read about other people's weddings, the more I'm drawn to couples that decide to elope privately, or with a very small guest list. It seems much more cost effective, and personal.

What do you think? How did you decide the feeling you were going for at your wedding? Cool and casual? Formal and romantic? How did you come to those conclusions? Help a sister out!