First Things, First..Style

Before we get into all the nitty-gritty details of the Pryamid wedding planning, it's time to talk about something from the very beginning: theme.  Early on we started forming our ideas, and it helped narrow down our search and guided all of the decision making.  But the paradox here is that you don't know what kind of wedding you want without doing some research and work first.  But still, at the top of pretty much every "You're Engaged - What to do Now??" list is to determine your "theme."

On second thought, can we scratch the word "theme"? It brings up thoughts of this./Source: Back to the Future Wikia 

So let's discuss the style or vibe or motif of the wedding. What kind of party are we throwing? There are so many weddings options - modern, classic, elegant, tropical, rustic, casual, romantic, big, small, intimate,  religious, secular, magical, polka dot, rainbow...ok, you get it. Deciding on a type of wedding early on is obviously important, but highly overwhelming.

How did we muddle through it?  We started with a list of all of the "givens" and looked at where that left us.

• New Orleans Wedding - we are both from here, and a majority of our family is here. I had no desire to plan from afar.  With that decision, I knew that we wanted to have a good bit of NOLA flavor in our celebrations, for the travelers and the locals to delight in. We certainly wanted the festivities to be in the middle of the action, i.e., uptown or downtown New Orleans proper. 

• Catholic Ceremony - We are Catholic and likewise our ceremony.  Because of the ceremony and location, it definitely bumped our formality up a notch. 

• Biggish Guest List - do you have any idea how many people you know? Sure, you can assume that you aren't going to invite every person you're friends with on Facebook to the wedding, but the remaining list is probably much higher than you thought.  I never had delusions of a "small, intimate" ceremony.  A big, church wedding doesn't exactly lend itself to that. Also, we know a lot of people with whom we want to celebrate.  I wouldn't even say that we have a ton of friends! But between family, family friends, and our separate and mutual groups of friends, we are pushing around 215 people to invite.  I'm comfortable with this number, and I want to be able to celebrate with as many people as possible - within reason. 

• Non-Budget Wedding - Money is absolutely no object! Just kidding...I have a budget! But I don't consider myself a "budget bride."  And I AM still out to find a good deal.  Budget is an entirely different post, but basically, I want to be able to have all of the high priority things that we want at our wedding, so I am making it happen.  While our parents (and others) are providing money towards the wedding, I am funding a lot of this shindig myself.  I made the decision early on that I could save up throughout our engagement for most of the vendors and costs.  I am in a place to do so, and with a rigorous savings plan, I have definitely been able to keep on track for that. I'm not taking out a second mortgage on my house, but I am watching my spending and stowing my money away like a squirrel.  And to me, this is worth it. 

•  Personalized Wedding - I think a stigma of large, pricey weddings is that they are automatically "hands-off" by the bride.  Someone else is paid to do it, and it is beautiful but does it really reflect the couple?  I want to be involved in all of the decisions and details of the wedding, and only including things that are important to us.  I waited for this time for so long, I want to be all up in everything!

• Saturday Night Wedding - we were far enough in advance to get our pick of Saturday night venues, and that was a priority for us.  

With a good bit of research and some of these initial criteria, we were able to come to a bit of a conclusion.
Our wedding will be semi-formal,  mostly elegant and traditional, with personalized details, a few fun surprises, some Louisiana flair, and a healthy dose of glam with lots of good food and drink. Couldn't be a New Orleans wedding - or a Pyramid Party - without a knock-your-socks-off menu!

So as far as theme? After all that, I don't know if we exactly have one! There are some design elements that I want to bring through, and certain things that must be included (like the LSU Tigers, Saints, giraffes, and some Transformers for good measure), but those don't add up to a theme.  Overall, we are looking to have a classy wedding that's ready to get down and have a good time.  Yep, that fits my style for sure!

What were some of your easy wedding decisions? What kind of style did you end up with for your wedding?