JamieBLT

Oh my, it’s been quite a while since I’ve blogged, lovely readers ! If you are still following this blog, here is a big virtual *hug* and thanks from me to you :-).

For the past few months, a huge chunk of my time has been occupied with…wedding planning! Yep, your favorite little San Diego adventurer (That’s me! Right? ;-P ) got hitched to her favorite travel partner, Tim ! It was such a wonderful day, and Tim and I were humbled at how much love we were surrounded by.

Traveling is a central part of our lives, so many of our family and friends assumed that we would be planning a destination wedding. Believe me, we did entertain the possibility of a jazzy wedding in New Orleans, a tropical wedding in Hawaii, or a magical wedding in a Scottish castle but then we looked at our bank accounts and got real :-P.

Luckily for us we live in America’s Finest City which has proven to be an epic and romantic backdrop for whatever kind of wedding your heart (and wallet) desires. So, with a modest budget and TONS of help from our amazing families, talented friends, and local acquaintances we had the most beautiful day ever.

For all the lovely brides to be I have a few simple tips:

1. Pick good bridesmaids/maid of honor.

Those three ladies who stood by me as I married my love really came through for me. My sister, godsister, and best friend helped with the planning, calmed my worries, and made sure the reception went off without a hitch. I love them forever!

2. Hire a wedding coordinator. 

Since my husband and I wanted a simple wedding, I figured me, my mom, and my sister could just plan everything. 3 months away from my wedding, I gave in and hired a day of coordinator for the ceremony. By the week of, I wished I hired them for the whole thing. There are tons of details and little things that pop up even for the simplest wedding so take my advice and invest in a great coordinator. It will alleviate a lot of stress for you and your loved ones.

  3. Do something relaxing for yourself before the big day. 

My Maid of honor took me for a massage (bless her!), and I went for a nice little meditative hike solo to erase any wedding planning stress (thank you late RSVPers ) the week of. Your body will thank you!

This month is dedicated to getting our bearings as a married couple. Then, in May the traveling starts again! This year we are off to Minnesota for my cousin’s wedding, Austin, TX for an annual adventure with our hiking friend Myles, French Polynesia for our dream honeymoon, Japan to visit some friends, and of course our beloved New Orleans !

If you have any suggestions on things to see in these places, questions about wedding stuff, marriage advice, or just wanna say “Hi!” drop me a line in the comments! I love hearing from you all!