The Adventures of SB. Kykes: Wedding Expoo...

There was always one thing that Brent was afraid would happen--that I would become the Nazi Bride as in becoming a complete control freak (not to be confused with a Bridezilla who throws unnecessary tantrums and makes ridiculous demands). Anyway, I'm definitely NOT a Nazi Bride but I am proud to say that I'm very in-control of our schedule while remembering to have tons of fun along the way. Brent actually accused me of still being a Nazi Bride who was having fun. I only asked, "What's so wrong with keeping everything under control?"

The answer came when my mom, sister and I visited the Wedding Expo at the Hawaii Convention Center today. Initially, it was going to be a weekend long affair--I'd got today to do the "girly things" such as dress shopping out of the way today and look for rentals tomorrow with Brent. He wasn't even on board about going until I explained that wedding expo's were like going to Costco for wedding necessities--everything is in one place, they usually offer samples and every where you turn, they've got discounts. It was going to be awesome and I was really looking forward to attending my first wedding expo. So what happened? Oh at first it was all rainbows and unicorn-shaped clouds in the sparkling sky. We pulled in to the $5 garage (worth it!), went down the escalator, filled out the bridal registration form (the incentive there was that we'd win prizes) and paid $8 a head (in cash) to get in to the grand hall of wedding-ness. The "Please do not take any pictures. No cameras" sign somewhat heightened my sense of anticipation. Upon our entrance, we were greeted by three big white dresses (a display by Casablanca bridal boutique) and I was excited...they're so pretty! Further in, there was a tent of people offering their planning expertise (pshaw, like I need help! They'd take away all the fun!) but they quickly lured me in by offering a chance to win prizes "if you fill out this form..." After I getting distracted by a few other offers to fill out forms for a chance to win more glamorous-sounding prize, I got over filling out forms and quickened my pace. But the further in to the exhibit hall we went, the less dazzled I became. I realized that every other booth was of photographers and videographers (both of which we we've already got lined up) and table linens. They also had a handful of jewelers which confused my all the more until I thought about how some people who visit may not be engaged and might want to take a look at their options. Besides that, there was ONE cake designer (not impressed) and a lone catering company (also a service we don't need at this point). After a while my mom and I looked at each other and asked, "That's it?" Where were all the tents, cakes, lighting and party rental companies? Besides Casablanca's display, I didn't see anything else quite as impressive nor compelling. My mom and I spent a total of $21 (the lady let us pretend Salena was five, even after an insulted Salena kept loudly complaining, "I'm seven!") and we walked out feeling pretty dissatisfied. The super hyped up expo turned out to be somewhat of an expoo...

In retrospect, perhaps it was because our standards are different. To be fair, my mom and I are persnickety people and we know what we like, plus we already had a lot of things figured out before we got to the expo, so much of it was of no interest to us. We are also highly capable of planning large-scale events like a wedding with minimal stress so I was very confused when planning companies kept giving me "you poor dear" glances when I mentioned proudly that I was planning our wedding without hiring. I merely clutched my 2" wedding binder (equip with two pens, color tabs and a built-in clipboard) with pride and said, I love doing it and I'm having a lot of fun so far. So instead of going back to the expo tomorrow with Brent, I think we'll just plan to visit rental companies and talk to them directly instead.

Today's inspiration board is of the bridal party. Enjoy!