Great Expectations

Well hello, hive! I apologize for my absence over this past week. Truth be told, I've been knee-deep in trying to design our invitations, and it has not been without stress. After obsessing over our save the dates for months before finally getting them out the door in March, I'm feeling a little burnt out over trying to come up with something spectacular for our invitations. And, since I plan to model the rest of our stationery and decorative touches after our invitations, I've got a large list of design projects looming over my head and I've been feeling a little overwhelmed by it all.

It has forced me to think about these great expectations that we brides set for ourselves. I am completely guilty of leaving no stone unturned when it comes to seeking out the "perfect" ideas that will knock our guest's socks off. I pore over wedding blogs every day, trying to grab bits of inspiration that will make our wedding a conglomeration of magnificent ideas and personal touches. Some days, I am excited and thrilled with all of the possibilities and awesome ideas I have piling up. And other days, I just feel exhausted from it all. I see photo after photo after photo of all of these gorgeous weddings in exotic locations with charming little everything and I feel like I'm a failure of a bride.

These are the days I have to remind myself to step back, prioritize, and not obsess over every. single. detail. These are the days that I escape from it all by going to Iron Hill with Mr. Cupcake to people-watch, have a drink, and laugh with each other.... and that's when I'm reminded that that's what it's all about. Not the perfect invitations or the perfect signature cocktail or the perfect jewelry or the perfect perfect perfect.... it's about the perfect guy for me and how perfectly happy he makes me, and how perfect our wedding will be to us — not because of all the details, but because it's ours.

That's not to say that I don't love me some gorgeous bouquets, or adorable favors, or fantastic shoes, or drool-worthy stationery. And while there's nothing wrong with trying to add lots of personal touches to our wedding and making sure it's a day our guests will enjoy, I do have to learn to focus on our big picture instead of everyone else's big picture that I want for myself.

How have you dealt with setting expectations for yourself with wedding planning? What do you do to remind yourself that it doesn't all have to be perfect all the time?