Lindsey Dillingham

My big spring break plans were nothing other than staying at home all week! I hadn’t been home since school started so I was quite okay with just going home. Since I have been home my mom and I have discussed nothing but my wedding. We sat down (without my dad) to figure out my wedding budget. My dad thinks that everything is too expensive so it is best to just leave him out of everything and just give him the final total. Planning a wedding can be very stressful, especially when you are on a tight budget from your family. My mom and I tried to plan how much everything would cost so that way I can have an idea of what I can spend on everything. We divided everything into categories, such as my dress, bridesmaids attire, flowers, photography, location fees, food, decorations, invitations, etc. I’m hoping I can stay within the limits that have been set. Now that I have a budget I feel that I can really start researching what I want and what I can afford. Planning your wedding budget should be one of the first steps in planning your wedding.

The wedding party is becoming less conservative. People are now including their best guy friend as a bridesmaid. Bridesmaids are typically female. My fiance and I are discussing how many people to include in our wedding party. Ty doesn’t want more than just a maid of honor and a best man. I would like to include more of my friends. One of our mutual friends is getting married in August. She is having eight bridesmaids. The more bridesmaids you have the more money you are going to spend. You have to buy their dresses, shoes, pay for their hair and makeup and their bouquets. My maid of honor will be my sister, but picking my other bridesmaids is not an easy decision. I have several friends that I would like to ask, but don’t want to hurt anyone else’s feelings. An ideal wedding party would include an equal number bridesmaids and groomsmen. I don’t see this happening for my wedding. I guess I will just have more bridesmaids than groomsmen. Our ringbearer will be my adorable nephew. He will be five at our wedding. Our flowergirl will be his niece, who will be three and a half. They will be so cute!!

I am so excited because my parents are coming up to see me this weekend. I haven’t been home since school started and have only seen my mom when we went wedding dress shopping. They are coming up for the basketball game on Saturday. We are going to look at a few wedding locations while they are here. My fiancee’s parents are also coming up for the game. Our parents have already met. We are from the same town, so they actually see each other quite frequently. It will be nice for us to all go out to dinner and discuss the wedding and potential dates for it. I’m really excited to see my parents! My dad hasn’t even seen my ring yet, except in a photograph I sent via e-mail. I’m excited to actually get started on making some decisions. I am one of those people who like to have everything planned out way in advance. I think that quality drives some of my college friends mad, because I am not very spontaneous. It will be a fun weekend.

I have been told one of the hardest things about marriage is combining two different lives into one. My fiancee is applying to medical school. He is deciding which schools he wants to apply to. I am realizing that I will have to get a job wherever he gets into school. I know that he would love to stay in Oklahoma, as would I. Even in Oklahoma, there are two different schools. One located in Tulsa and the other in Oklahoma City. It is very scary to think about finding a job, but then knowing that I will be in a certain city and not have a choice of anywhere I want to go. Maybe this sounds like I am not ready for marriage because I don’t want to give up some of my dreams, but really I am. I am just scared about finding a job in the same city as him. I would love to work for an NBA team and from the looks of things, Oklahoma might have one whether the N.O./Oklahoma City Hornets stay or not. If Ty gets a job in Tulsa then that wouldn’t work. I am afraid that the opportunities will be there but I won’t be living in the right place. I would rather be married and living with him than to have a job I really wanted. Besides my true dream job is to own a dress shop one day. Once Ty is out of medical school I might try that, but until then I will continue to worry and pray that everything will work out.

My mom, God bless her, has been looking at decorations to buy for my wedding. She has great intentions and I really appreciate her looking at stuff for me. She called me earlier today to ask if I wanted white paper heart doilies. Her tastes are not similar to my tastes. A couple of days ago she called asking if I wanted her to buy fake baby’s breath for anything. I hate baby’s breath! Everyone has told me that my relationship with my mom will be tested while planning my wedding. Nothing so far has been a big deal, but we will see!

I am trying to decide where to get married. I would like to get married in Stillwater. My fiancee and I are from the same town and my mom wants us to get married there, Elgin, Oklahoma. (For those who don’t know where Elgin is, it is right by Lawton.) I have been looking into Stillwater locations. I want to have an outdoor wedding so finding a location is hard. I am thinking about getting married on the plaza at Willard. Ty proposed at Theta pond and we have always joked about getting married there. To rent the Willard plaza it is $80, which is a very good price for a location. White Barn also offers outdoor weddings, but I don’t think I want to get married there. At the Stillwater Bridal Fair I discovered that the new Conoco Phillips Alumni Center can be used for weddings. If you are looking for a place in Stillwater to get married it might be something you would want to look into. My mom is coming up to visit soon to look at Willard. If it rains I think I will just have it at the church Ty and I attend now, although Willard does offer its living room as a backup plan. I can’t decide where to have the wedding reception. I have the choice of Willard but you have to use University Dining to cater the event. I could look into Meditations, the Alumni Center, or White Barn Estates. If I choose Willard I need to find somewhere to rent white chairs from, so if anybody knows of a good place to rent from let me know!

I am from Elgin, Oklahoma. Which is in the southwest part of the state. I am a junior studying public relations. I have an internship with the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets doing game operations, which is basically all the entertainment aspects of games. It is so much fun! I would love to work for an NBA team one day.

I am president of my sorority, Alpha Chi Omega. Alpha Chi and my internship keep me pretty busy! My life basically revolves around the two. I recently got engaged to my high school sweetheart and will be getting married in May or June of 2007.

I have two brothers and one sister and an adorable nephew! He is one of my most favorite people in the whole world! He is three and a half years old and very hyper. He just started preschool and can’t stay out of trouble.

My favorite color is pink. I love grilled shrimp and corn on the cob. I love vacationing by the ocean and eating fresh seafood. My family goes to the ocean every summer. I am currently looking for an internship with some public relations department in Oklahoma City or Dallas.

My blog is going to be about weddings and all of the planning that goes into one. I recently got engaged and I am starting to plan my wedding. This blog will include helpful hints, my progress and links to my favorite wedding Web sites. This is a picture of me and my fiance.