Hurry Up and Wait

There are many benefits to having a long engagement:

1. We can save money at our own pace, so we don't go into debt for our wedding (Mr. T is adamantly against any debt).
2. We have a lot of time to research ideas and vendors, so that we get exactly what we want within our budget.
3. Hopefully, we'll be a lot more relaxed during the process of planning it, instead of feeling rushed and panicky--for example, if we do DIY our invites, we can do a few at a time, so we don't get sick of it.
4. We can give out of town folks a lot of notice about when the big day is (once we get the venue, that is), so they can book their travel.
5. We can go to friends' weddings this year and next and take notes about what we like.
6. If I got off my butt and into the gym, I could theoretically lose weight for the all-important day of wedding pictures.
   
7. Half-off decorations after this year's Halloween!

However, there's a downside, too. No matter how much research I do, it's still all just theoretical. We are not making any decisions right now; it's way too soon and we don't have a venue yet. So it feels a bit like "hurry up and wait!" It's been 10 and a half years, and as I told my belly dance teacher last night, "I'm ready!!"

I know things won't really ramp up until this Fall at earliest, but I'm antsy.

For no reason at all, I leave you with a photo of a wedding dress made out of condoms. I guess that's one way to have a budget dress! Although, how much would 13,000 condoms cost? Can you buy those in bulk?