The Backstory

Welcome to the first post from LemonBride. Thanks for stopping by. Here I’ll post random things related to my wedding: inspiration, crazed thoughts, pleas for help and ideas, and of course actual wedding things…once that stuff is sorted through and chosen.

My boyfriend of 6.5 years proposed to me a few days before my 25th birthday. It was a surprise; he got me, all right. What I thought was just a birthday dinner at home turned out to be much more. However, I’m a girl who swore she’d never get married. I won’t knock it for other people; I just never thought it would be something I wanted. I was never the girl who dreamed of Her Special Day. I never hummed wedding bells or picked out bridesmaids’ dresses instead of completing homework. The best part is, in my spare time, I’m a photographer who shoots many weddings. I never rolled my eyes or laughed at anyone’s ceremony, but I certainly didn’t burst into tears. I’m not a sappy person, unless you show me one of those Pedigree commercials with the wise shelter dogs in them–then I’m a mess.

Many members of my family are divorced, including my parents. I didn’t exactly have a great example of marriage, not until my brother got married anyways (the day he and my sister-in-law divorce is the day I quit at life). I’m a very independent person who likes her quiet time, prefers staying in on the couch with her Jack Russell, and listens to rock and roll music. Not a gushy, “by god my maid of honor WILL wear bubblegum pink!” kinda girl. However, it seems that my relationship had decided the natural progression would be marriage. And in the last few weeks, I’ve grown okay with that. And while looking at all the “wedding porn” online (as the Offbeat Bride calls it), I’ve noticed that more and more women (independent, career-oriented, modern ones, I might add) are doing their own thing when it comes to nuptials. Brides are choosing Chuck Taylors for their groomsmen, book pages made into bouquets by BookwormEatsFlower instead of roses, and throwing amazing parties on tiny budgets. It’s pretty inspiring. I’m seeing it doesn’t have to be old school, makes-me-slightly-nauseous weddings anymore. They can be fun, modern, and best of all, on a budget.

I’m not terrified of the marriage. We’ve been together for 6.5 years, through college, long-distance, two cities, different jobs, deaths, and all sorts of other obstacles, and we’re still here. I’m almost afraid to say it aloud, but I’m sort of…well, excited about planning a wedding. I’ll take any excuse to buy pens and paper, adore list-making, and a real reason to be a beautiful center of attention control freak instead of just plain, everyday, control freak? This may, in fact, be a dream day for me.

But. Oh, the but. I have zero idea where to start. There are millions of colors, all sorts of themes, and the problem isn’t that I don’t know what I want–the problem is that I want ALL of it! I’ve always been a bit of a chameleon when it comes to my style. And I’m trying so very hard not to get overwhelmed, but cripes–the dress! the reception! the drinks! the ceremony! the DOLLARS!

So this is me, LemonBride, hopping on the wedding train and trying to stay sane along the tracks. I promise to try and not get too sour on the road to nuptials, but my cynicism never lets me truly guarantee anything. There will be rants about marriage and its misgivings. There will be pleas for help and advice. There will be frustrations over budgeting versus wants. But there will be photos of inspiration, links from fellow brides, and memory lanes to remember exactly what the whole marriage is about in the first place. I promise to try not to go too bridezilla. But I may need a reminder once in a while.

And posts are always better with pictures, here’s one of me and groom from my freshmen year of college (almost 7 years ago!):

LemonBride & Groom