I recently became acquainted with Valerie, who also happens to be newly engaged. After just a few minutes of talking with her, I knew she would be the perfect person to write a diary of her wedding planning adventures for IZZY. So with out further ado, let me introduce you to Valerie…
Wedding Planning – November and December 2009
Gregg and Valerie
My fiancé Gregg and I met in a very cinematic way that still blows me away. I remember that day as if it was yesterday! From the very moment I met him, there was something special about him – I knew he was “the one”.
Fast-forwarding a few years later to September 30, 2009 after many shared moments of happiness, laughter, an argument here and there, smiles and vacations, Gregg made me the happiest girl in the world!
He proposed! In order to surprise me he knew he would have to do something very special and very unexpected. He had contacted my boss who agreed to be in on the surprise!
My boss had told me that a friend of hers would be in town from Italy for her birthday but unfortunately she could not make it out to meet her friend. She had asked me to deliver a nice bottle of champagne and pick up some flowers for her friend, who would be waiting at the Saint Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco in a limousine.
I completely fell for it. I had no idea that Gregg would be the one waiting for me.
When I got there I was in utter confusion, my first words were, “Oh, hi there. What are you doing here?”.
Gregg smiled and grabbed me by the hands and told me to come with him as he led me to the waterfront over looking the Golden Gate Bridge.
I finally started to realize what was about to happen. He got down on one knee, told me how much he love me, and asked me to marry him. I gave him a huge hug and said yes!
After the proposal, we got back in the limo, opened up the bottle of champagne and made our way to Napa Valley for a wonderful afternoon of wine tasting.
We are getting married on August 28, 2010.
Like any Bride-to-Be, I wanted to start planning right away! After we announced your engagement to family and friends we started on the right track by beginning a list of important phone numbers from wedding party members to the florist and musicians.
I am grateful to have had friends that had experience planning their own weddings because I didn’t know where to start. Our good friend Joe and Sarah have been a big help so far. Sarah had passed down a Wedding Spreadsheet that has been passed down through many of the friends. This list was broken down to help with a “To-Do List” and establishing a budget and a timetable.
I have learned that in the beginning stages of planning always have a really good “To-Do List” for you and your fiance and anyone else that may be of help in the planning process. For me, I utilized the list in “Real Simple Weddings” and customized it to what was appropriate to us. Like the Wedding Spreadsheet that our friends gave us, I organized my “To-Do List” by Category and assigned tasks to my fiance and I, my Maid of Honor, Best Man and my mother and future mother in law. Along with assigning tasks I assigned a due date to each according to the time frames that everything should be completed. This list has been extremely helpful in getting everything done and keeping organized.
Tomorrow…Valerie’s favorite resources for wedding planning!