This Cloud 9 feeling was amazing! But… once the initial excitement of the "I SAID YES" social media likes wore off and the vendors started quoting these ridiculous prices- Reality hit and the stress began.
A few months after we got engaged, I decided to dive in head first into wedding planning. Now, I can be “over-the-top” and everyone who knows me, knows I love to create amazing events. So, when it came to planning my wedding – I already accepted the fact that I was going to nail this! I had scheduled my first bridal shopping experience, reached out to our favorite NY vendors and was working on our Wedding Party list. However, I suddenly had that "Uggh, I have no idea what I'm doing" feeling and quick change of heart when I received a call back from our top venue choice. We spoke about our vision and then she mentioned prices with a quote that was about the cost of a 2021 BMW. (I know- we’re in 2018). I was torn between laughing in her ear and bursting into tears.
We really had to think about whether we wanted to get married in NYC or have a destination wedding. Chris was set on getting married in the Caribbean and made It clear he would not be paying for a “2021 BMW priced” wedding. This is how we landed on #TeamDestinationWedding.
I subscribed to all the hottest and most exquisite destination wedding websites out there! This is all I thought about for the next few months of my engagement. I finally made my mind up and knew exactly what I wanted. Insert the “Wade/Union” wedding. My idea of the PERFECT wedding. We started researching their venue off the coast of Miami Beach and quickly realized we lived in the Real World. There’s the pressure of having to keep up with the Joneses. Making sure my wedding is LIT and the talk of the town is playing in the back of my mind. Every couple wants to make sure their lavish wedding is one for the books. However, we were Champagne dreaming, thinking we could afford a multi-million-dollar wedding.
Chris and I needed to start over and reflect on what we both wanted, but more importantly how much we felt we could realistically deal with. Rather than stressing about whether the food is good enough, if the DJ is dope, or if people will show up to our destination wedding –We really needed to focus on why we are getting married and have FAITH. God has blessed us with good health, wealth, family and friends. This union is God’s work and this wedding will be FOR THE GAWDS! So, we’re taking a deep breath and reminding ourselves about what this whole wedding is really about; Black love and marrying your best friend :)
Even though it's our day, we can't say "I Do" without a select few. Welcoming "The Commission"... Stay tuned!
