Sunday, August 11, 2013

8/11/13

Well, this has been an interesting week.  Kevin and I put together our guest list.  Yeah, a guest list.

See, the way I think about it is, you can't go anywhere for planning a wedding until you figure out the guest list.  This helps you figure out how big of a venue you need.  Once you find the correct venue, then you can figure out your theme and so forth.

I've been thinking a lot about this.  Apparently, we have a large bridal party.  There is 8 people on each side.  Yeah, that's a 16 person bridal party.  Normally, I'd laugh and make fun of the idea.  Come on now, pick your bestest of best friends.  Kevin, however, has lots of bestest of best friends, and I struggled to keep up.  I got my 8 ladies, though.  This is going to one hell of a wedding.

So our guest list is a little under 200 people.  So, I guess I need a decent sized venue, huh?  This is going to cost an arm and a leg.  I was hoping that by planning the wedding almost 3 years in advance, maybe we would get a discount, or have more time to save money.

That's by next part of trying to plan my wedding is saving money.  I'm broke.  When I tell you I'm broke, I tell this to you in a very honest and very sad tone.  I'm seriously hardcore broke.  I have a large amount of student loans.  An obscene amount, actually.  This has been a big discussion on the radio.  I listen to talk radio on my drive to and from work.  One day, they had callers call in about how much they owe in student loans, and I was in tears.  All of these people talked about they owe so much money, but they owed at least $20,000 less than me.  Parents were calling up about how they help their kids pay the loans.  My parents provide me with a roof over my head, a car, car insurance, a cell phone, and food.  That helps a lot.  I appreciate what my parents do for me.  It just makes me mad that people are complaining about owing so much money, but their parents are paying for it.  On top of that, the kids are still living at home!  Some people just make me sick.

Anyways, I've been trying to come up with clever money saving ideas.  I'm thinking of making a decorated change jar for the family to drop their unwanted change in.  Maybe sell some things on EBay.  This will be thought out further in the future.

This is a problem for future Gen.  Present Gen is going to make dinner.  :)

Sunday, August 4, 2013

8/4/13

I remember when I was 16.  I wanted to have a huge sweet 16 party.  My cousin had one that was out of this world.  It was in a fancy hall, with an outdoor patio with pillars and a trimmed garden.  I remember there being classy white walkway stones and the grass was cut so perfectly that this part of me thinks that it was fake.  The inside of the hall was huge.  The floor was a wood grain, and was as smooth as the floors on a dance studio.  The dj was loud and his lights were typical dj lights.  All the boys were in suits and ties and all of the girls didn't wear a dress that cost less than $100.  I remember wanting a party like that for me so badly.  I wanted to glide across the dance floor with my friends, and having all of the attention on me.  I wanted a big, pretty, puffy dress, with all of the sequins and sparkles.  I wanted a dress with so much tulle it would put most fabric stores out of business.

My cousin is two years older than me.  I had been to other sweet 16 parties that weren't her's, but her party was the party I wanted to have as my own.  So over the course of two years, I went to my friend's sweet 16 parties.  I observed what they had done.  Most of my friends had a small hall.  The event didn't have a hired caterer, but always had a dj and a dance floor.  The birthday girl always had on a pretty with all of the frills, but it always seemed out of place.  Then it was my turn to have my party.

I had a huge, frilly dress.  It was a $400 dress.  I remember it was the weight of a small child.  It was beautiful.  It still hangs in my closet.  It was a teal, off the shoulder gown covered in brilliant beading and sparkling sequins.  The skirt was full enough to hide a small family of four.  I felt like a princess in it.  I fell so hard for that dress.  It's still one of the most beautiful things I own, even though I can't fit in it.

My party was never like my cousin's party, simply because I could never afford it.  I'm no mad about it.  I don't get upset.  I don't cry at night knowing that my cousin had a glamourous sweet 16 and mine wasn't as glamorous.  I just know that if my cousin decides on something, there is a good chance that even though I may love it, I'll never be able to afford it.  Sometimes it's cool to get a small taste of the things you can't afford, and other times, it's disheartening.  

There is a point to this story, though, I promise.  My cousin is getting married on 9/28.  Yay!  Congratulations!  I'm happy for you!  I'm not being a sarcastic bitch about it!  I think it's nice that she is getting married and moving on with her life.  It's always happy to see someone get to do that, especially when you feel like you're stuck in the mud.  I haven't told my friends about this blog yet, simply because I don't have a ring.  I know I've mentioned this in earlier posts, but even so, I've got three years.  It's a long time, especially since the last three years of mine feel like they have dragged on so slowly.  

I graduated college three years ago in May.  I was unemployed for nine months.  One and a half of those months I worked about 20 hours a week.  I got a job after six months, but it was an on call job, and I didn't work much when I got called in.  Then I worked a job doing on the phone customer service.  It was awful.  Every day I was insulted by customers one way or another. Mostly, I was called a liar, but sometimes I was personally insulted.  One woman asked me if I was hard of hearing, which I actually am. (I have difficulty hearing the difference between e, t, d, b, p, and c sounds, to start.  Words blur together constantly.)  I was asked if I was so desperate for money that I would work at such an awful place.  I was constantly insulted about the way I spell my name.  I don't spell my name with a G to be hip, it's how it's written on my birth certificate.  I was named after my great great aunt.  Asshole.......

Anyways, so it's nice to see my cousin getting an opportunity that I haven't been able to achieve yet.  It's also an interesting to see what she does at her wedding and learn from it.  How big is the venue?  How many people did she invite?  Who is the DJ?  What does she do her father daughter dance to?

The place she had her bridal shower at yesterday was a place I had seen on wedding websites.  Getting to go in and take a good look at it was really cool, considering that I liked the look on it online.  It's just intriguing.  

So now is my time for a nice shameless plug.  To help in my wedding escapades, I need some extra funds.  If you are interested, please check out my Etsy shops for some awesomely fun jewelry and crocheted items.  I'm also have a crazy summer sale, so take a look!


Thanks everyone!

 
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