Sh*t Fiances Say

Just in case I ever start complaining about Mr. M not being involved enough in our wedding planning... here are some of his most recent wedding related suggestions:

"I'm going to fart out 'Unchained Melody' while you walk down the aisle."

"We'll ride in on a chariot pulled by [our two cats]!"

(While at a 7-11) "Ooh, let's register for that nacho cheese dispenser!"

"Let's design the invites to look like they're coming from a bill collector."

"I have an idea for the passed appetizers: bacon-wrapped Peeps!"

"For the after party, I'm going to dress up like Billy Bob Thornton in Slingblade. You can be John Ritter."

Guys.... what would I do without him? :D

Finding our church!

So there we were, Mr. M and I - we had booked our reception venue but still had no idea where to do the actual ceremony. We could have held it at the Botanic Gardens, of course - they were happy to provide space and time for the ceremony, but Mr. M and I both knew that we wanted to have a Catholic wedding. We were both raised Catholic, but had stopped attending church in recent years, so we started off by looking around for a parish to join.

Our coordinator at the gardens had suggested a church in a nearby neighborhood, but when I called them, the parish priest told me that since I lived outside of their parish boundaries, they wouldn't be willing to let us get married there. "Even if we attend Mass there every week?" I asked. "Even then," he replied, "You should go to church whose parish you live in." Oh man... denied!

We found another church close to us and went to Mass there the next Sunday. While the church and the parishoners there were absolutely lovely, it just... didn't feel right. It didn't feel like home for some reason. So the search continued. 

Finally, I called St. Joseph's to ask about joining their parish and the requirements for getting married in their church. From that very first phone call, I had a really good feeling about St. Joseph's. The folks I spoke with were warm and lovely, and they encouraged us to come attend Mass one Sunday and speak with the Monsignor afterwards about pre-Cana and becoming members of the parish. So, next Sunday, I dutifully reported for Mass... and was blown away. 

This church... this church felt like home. There was just something about it. Even before the Monsignor began his homily, I felt like... this is where I'm supposed to be. This is not just where I'm supposed to get married, but a place where I can really allow my faith to blossom. A place where Mr. M and I can become part of a community. And then the Monsignor stepped off the altar and walked into the pews to begin his homily, and he was just so thoughtful and passionate and wise. My decision was solidified. This was it. This was our church. 

I went back the next week with Mr. M, and he agreed a hundred percent. We scheduled our first meeting with Monsignor to begin our wedding preparation, and we've been going back for Sunday Mass every week since. It's a really wonderful thing for us, I think. It not only makes us feel happy, and feel restored every week, and feel closer to God.... it makes us feel like a family. 

Location, location, location!

The first time I visited the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, long before meeting Mr. M, all I could think about was how what a perfect place it would be for a wedding. It really is a magical place, I think - an oasis of greenery and flowers and wide open space in the middle of the busy streets of Brooklyn. But it was probably super-expensive, and there was no groom on the horizon anyway, and even if there was, we could totally never afford to get married there... right?

Well.... not quite! When I had an inkling that there was a very special ring in my near future, I started researching wedding venues - both in Brooklyn and in upstate New York, where I grew up. After my initial rustic wedding-in-a-barn idea was roundly dismissed by groom and parents - although I really don't know who *wouldn't* want a pig and a bonfire (hello, s'mores!) and mason jars with flowers at their wedding - the venue search narrowed to places in Brooklyn. I looked at traditional catering halls, restaurants and some totally DIY, raw space, bring-your-own-furniture venues... and finally, with my fingers crossed, I called to inquire about the pricing at my dream venue, the Botanic Garden. The answer? For an afternoon wedding on a weekend in June, shockingly reasonable.

With a brief venue visit to seal the deal - on the day that Mr. M officially proposed! - we selected our date and booked it, crossing our fingers that we'd find a Catholic church that would marry us on that day. (At fifteen months out, I knew we probably wouldn't have a problem, but June is awfully popular - and a bunch of dates at the BBG were already booked for Spring 2013 when we visited in January 2012, which made me extra paranoid!)

One of the best parts of getting married at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden? We get to visit all the time! Sometimes Mr. M and I take a walk through the gardens on a Saturday afternoon to scope out the crowds and peek inside the Palm House to see if any weddings are in progress. This weekend, we're almost exactly a year out from our wedding, so we took a stroll to see what will be in bloom this time next year. (Spoiler alert: Roses!)

I got seriously mushy on this walk-about today. Just a tiny bit more than a year from now, I'll be standing here in this garden with my family and friends, our wedding party and our photographer - and my brand new husband. I'll be Mrs. M, for real. And we'll walk around the garden like we walked around it today - beside each other, holding hands. Totally happy, totally in love.

 Ohhhh.... I can't wait!