It takes a village to raise a child

“It takes a village to raise a child”

 

The Buck and Doe:

Some people might think it is tacky; holding a ‘fundraiser’ for a wedding.

I understand this. But, there is so much more to it.

Where I come from, it is common for people who are getting married to have a buck n’ doe before the wedding. A community hall is rented, booze is purchased, games are played and everybody hits the dance floor.

I know, it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

In a community like mine, however, this is what we do. It is the way we do things. We show support for one another. The best thing about this is, people you have grown up with, have gone to school with, played sports with, from any point in life want to come out and support you. It’s truly astonishing.

Not many other communities have buck n’ does like my community. This past Saturday, Five hundred people came out to support Jamie and I. How amazing is that? Five hundred people. People who know they won’t be able to show us their support at the wedding. People who, because they know us, know our families and our friends, want to show their support as we enter marriage.

That’s what buck n’ does are all about. So sure, some people may think they are tacky and they might not be for everyone. You think your community has spirit? Come out with me on a Saturday night in the months of February to June and you will see your community has nothing on mine!

I am so grateful and proud to come from a community like this and to know there are people in this world that show their support for me as I enter the next stage in life!

 

We took a break

Last weekend was a long weekend. We could have spent the extra time meeting with all of the people we need to coordinate to make our day happen… Instead, we chose to get away.

I didn’t take anything wedding related with me.

I barely even spoke about the wedding!

We had a few drinks.

We had a lovely meal.

We spent two hours in stop-and-go traffic talking about anything under the sun.

We went on an adventure.

We rested.

All in all, we reconnected.

 It’s so easy to get caught up in the day by day (everyone knows this by now), so it was nice to have the opportunity to disconnect from the world. That’s what we did. We were in a place with no cell phone reception. It was amazing.

When planning a large event like a wedding or a move (Jamie and I are tackling both right now) it is also easy to create a rift between two people. Getting caught up in the nitty-gritty could cause you more stress than you ever imagined. I was able to look at Jamie, my best friend, in a light that isn’t always visible when concentrating on getting by day-to-day.  It was refreshing!

I encourage anyone, at any time in their marriage or relationship to partake in a break… but not the kind where you part from one another J

Gift Registry- Theory

Theory of gift registry= bizarre. (From Wikipedia.org) A managed registry system has several goals. 1. It facilitates communication between gift givers and receivers. Recipients can compile a gift registry and make it available to anyone who will present them with …

Gift Registry

Well, the wedding savings bank account is slowly but surely depleting. Crunch time also means putting deposits on any service we wish to incorporate in the wedding.
BUT I made the gift registry which was fun and cost-effective!

It really was the ultimate shopping experience. I have to admit, I have a shopping problem. So, by creating a gift registry, I was able to feed my addiction while not spending money and do it in style! (The scanner guns they give you to use are pretty fun to work).

Jamie opted out of coming, so I brought my mom and sister along with me. We worked quick and were done within two hours. I was so happy to have them there with me, since thinking of every little thing you might need throughout marriage is a daunting task.

For example, my sister, whom was married last summer, suggested I go through each room in my house beforehand to brainstorm what I might need. Sounds practical.

So, I started out in the bedroom. Easy. Bathroom. Easy… but by the time I got to the kitchen I felt lost. Will I need baking utensils? Of course? But what’s that one thing called? And that other doohickey… So, like a true product of my generation I took to Google. This is what I found:

The Knot Registry

Real Simple Registry

Amazing. Of course! Someone has already blogged about it. I ended up comparing the two and compiling one taking some from each, and working from there. It was easy and efficient. Just what I like.

Save the Dates

According to my wedding timeline, I should be sending save the date reminders at least six months before our wedding. Well, our date is June 22nd, so six months prior is quickly creeping up!

So, I finished mine the other night… And by “finished” I mean, I made them myself. See, part of my post-grad program was graphic design and I haven’t been able to use the skills I learned as much as I want to in my current job. So, I thought I might as well!

This was such a fun project for me and I enjoyed almost every minute of it. Sure, there are sites you can go to such as wedding paper divas to design your save the dates and invitations, but I chose to do it my own way. And it didn’t take long at all!

However…

At one point a thought crossed through my mind… Are save the dates a waste of money?

They are traditional, sure.

Do we sometimes get caught up in following tradition before thinking about what is practical? Wouldn’t sending out a Facebook message or an email be even more efficient?

Also, I am not sure if there is anyone we intend to invite who doesn’t know the date of our wedding!

Perhaps they are more useful if you have a lot of out of town guests?

In the end, I designed mine, emailed them to Staples and they are printing as we speak. I guess I got wrapped up in a fun project and tradition.

I guess I could show you what I designed, but then I’d really be wasting money if anyone saw it who is getting it in the mail. Promise I will do it on a later date!

Two lessons learned

Hi friends, sorry for the delay this week. I was away late last week until Monday so it took me a few to get back in the swing of things!

I’m learning two more lessons on the way to June 22^nd (wedding day)…

Perseverance – not every phone call will be successful. You might not always see eye to eye with your fiancé, your florist, a photographer… You might have to make two, three, four calls to one caterer and one, two or three emails to another in order to
a) get in touch with them in the first place b) discuss their menu items, and c) negotiate pricing.

This is one of the most frustrating things, however, shopping around for the companies and people who will make your day the way you want it to the best of their ability, really pays off. After what seems like a two month process, I think we have found our caterer!

Organization – in the process of planning a wedding, this is a must-have personal trait. So many people and factors need to align in order to pull off one event, so no matter how organized you are, I’m not sure if you ever feel like you are on top of things. So, am I a crazy control freak if I have started a wedding binder? I felt the need to have a place to go and find, well… everything. Reminder notes, contact numbers, ideas, etc. When it comes to event planning, you can never be too organized.

Welcome!

Welcome to Celebride.

 

Tracy Piett lives in Woodstock, Ontario with her fiancé Jamie and their one-year old Alaskan Malamute, Rookie. In her mid-twenties, Tracy has noticed herself settling in to a new stage of life, as she has attended multiple weddings over the last few years. With her own wedding setting upon the horizon, she noticed she has many thoughts, ideas, and stories to share.

Tracy achieved her HBA in Communication Studies and English from Wilfrid Laurier University and holds a post-graduate diploma in Corporate Communications and Public Relations from Fanshawe College.

Her knack of observing and discussing, and for lack of a better phrase, picking apart customs, traditions and happenings comes from her educational training, and in no way is meant to criticize those who engage in such.

This blog is written from Tracy’s opinion (as most are) and she hopes to help you to plan and celebrate your big day as well as make you think, enlighten you with refreshing ideas, and even entertain you with the topics she chooses to discuss.

 

Enjoy!