Inspiration Overload!

Our new bride-to-be feels the pressure to plan the most perfect day.

By Jessica Solloway

I am going to Cleveland in a few weeks and my mom and I have tons of appointments set up to get the ball rolling. We're meeting with the florist, the cake baker, the photographer, and the event director at The Ritz. And I know that all of them are going to ask me what I'm envisioning.

But here's the thing ... I'm just not sure.


Thanks to great recommendations from my friends, it was easy to book the vendors. But in terms of what they will be doing ... that's another story. I have been to so many weddings, clicked through thousands of wedding blogs (my favorite is Style Me Pretty, I could spend hours on this site), and scoured through stacks of wedding magazines. And as a result, I am now totally confused and going into "inspiration overload". The more I see, the more indecisive I get.

Just when I think I want purple flowers, I stumble upon pictures of a gorgeous wedding that's white and green. Just when I think I want something warm and romantic, I see something cool and contemporary that totally throws me off. I was even almost convinced that I should have my wedding in a barn in Idaho after looking at someone's blog. I have never been particularly interested in barns or Idaho, but it just looked so pretty...

Point is ... the more picture perfect images I see, the more anxiety I have about creating my own picture perfect day.

My mom thinks I'm nuts and assures me that when we actually sit down with the vendors, it will be much easier to create the look we like. Luckily, my mom and I have similar tastes, so I know we'll be on the same page. Plus, they're the experts and are used to helping clueless people like me. I know Sara felt similarly during her wedding planning.

And guys are so lucky. Do you think Seth is losing sleep over this? Definitely not. I asked him about flowers and he told me to get "pretty ones". If only it were that easy.

What it comes down to, I think, is this pressure to create the most perfect day. This is a once in a lifetime experience, and I want every detail to feel special. I want my friends and family to look around and think it's unique, elegant, and memorable. I guess this is why some people hire wedding planners, so they don't have to worry about this stuff!

Do you guys have any advice?