Planning in the Suds

Mr. S and I really laid a lot of the groundwork for our wedding over the winter. Sure, we booked our reception site last May and our photographer and church last July. But our florist, day of coordinator and limo were booked in the winter, while many planning details and projects were thrown around.

So, on a regular basis we held wedding meetings right here:

Source

At first we tried having wedding meetings at Starbucks. Even though it got Mr. S away from distractions such as his laptop, he still had that pesky iPhone. Which of course meant that getting his attention at home was virtually impossible...I could never get him to focus in on the task at hand. Since I opened Mr. S's eyes to the wonders of the bubble bath at the beginning of the winter, I knew I had him right where I wanted him!

We're blessed with a fabulous deep-soaking tub. No, it's not one of those big fancy corner units with lots of space, but with a little finagling we manage to fit - bubbles and all, maybe even a glass or two of wine on the side if we're feeling saucy.

From the very start Mr. S has been very engaged in the planning process, and I've done my best to get his input on almost everything, and I even try and listen and understand his feelings when he's going completely against what I want to hear! I'm very, very blessed that he doesn't roll his eyes as I show him three different examples of escort cards or when I have him weigh in on which white flower looks the most like "us."

So, when we held those fabulous meetings in the tub this winter, we were completely free from distractions, inspiration overload and real life. Instead, we could just pick a topic and plan it out from top to bottom. This was how I found out that he had a great idea for the guest book that he really wanted to do (when previously I thought he didn't care one way or another). Having that relaxed and focused "us" time really brought us together as we were planning, while also quelling some of my wedding planning stress and frustration!

Now summer is here (although it doesn't feel that way in Chicago most days) the baths are over and we're 70-odd days away from the wedding (eeeh!). While we have our disagreements about the wedding from time to time, I find that they're more grumbles than all out fights, and I truly believe it's because we've really invested the time in planning a wedding that reflects both of our wants, wishes and ideas.

How have you and your significant other approached your planning?