It’s been a little over a month since I’ve updated y’all on my wedding plans! December flew by. Part of me feels like I still need to prepare for Christmas, not 2014. Since my last update, we have made a lot of the big decisions.

Here is what we’ve been up to:

• Mr. O and I asked my oldest brother to officiate the wedding. In Massachusetts, anyone can marry you pending you apply for a one-day officiate license from the state. I’m so glad someone so important to us will be officiating.
• In Massachusetts, you don’t need to get your marriage certificate from the city/town you’ll be getting married in (as long as you get married in the state), so we’ve found a town right near by where the cost of a certificate is half the cost to get it in our city. Boom-Half the cost works for me. (I’ve got to thank Mrs. Jetsetter for this knowledge!)
• I purchased my wedding ring. I’ll need to get it sized, but here is a picture of the two together.
• We booked our DJ and our photographer. The DJ ended up being a super easy decision for us, as she had the best prices out of everyone we queried, and I’ve known her since I was a child. We’ve seen her DJ before and she does a great job. The photographer search was ridiculous. It was one of the toughest decisions I’ve made so far in the planning process. There were five photographers I was considering. One was above my price range. Even though she was totally worth the price, I knew I didn’t want to pay the cost, so she was out. The second was a friend from high school, but he didn’t have the day we chose available, so he was out. The last three were “tied” in my mind. One had a lot of experience, but only digital rights available. The next had two photographers and a few “extras” in the package, but it was only for four hours. The final is a fabulous photographer who is somewhat “new” to the business having just opened about a year ago. She is who I chose. Her package costs were super reasonable, and I was able to get extras included (such as an engagement shoot and an album) along with digital prints. Many people told me to make sure I “clicked” with my photographer, and they were so right. I did want to get the biggest bang for my buck option-wise, but what really sold me was how much fun I had with her when we met for a coffee. I’m so looking forward to working with her in the next six months.
• I created (in my opinion) the world’s cutest “save-the-dates” and included them with my Christmas cards (which went out late). I have one hanging up in my office and it makes me so excited every time I see it!
• I purchased the wedding invitations. I’ve decided to go the DIY self-printing route, and even though I know that can be a pain, I’m very excited by my choice.
• Most of my girls have ordered their wedding dresses, and two have even gotten their dresses in!
• Part of my gift to my bridesmaids will be jewelry, and I’ve ordered the first piece of jewelry!
• I have a bunch of DIY projects to do for the wedding. I will be doing a display like this for behind the sweetheart table. I’ll also be making my own veil for the wedding, and I’ll be sure to update you all on the projects as I get to work.
• We are going to have photo guest books at the wedding. I’m thinking I will have two (or three) of them, so that more than one person can sign at a time. I ordered and received the first book and I love it. I used all candid pictures of us throughout the past three years. In the next book, I plan on using only engagement photos. If I make a third book, I might do a mix of the two (or possibly photos from the bridal shower?)