I got inspired by A Practical Wedding to start a blog about the whole "wedding planning process". I'm not sure if it'll work, or if anyone will find it remotely interesting, but...hey, it's for me. And if I don't find it interesting, then I'll quit.

The future-hubby and I went out looking at paper goods last night. Which translates to "we went to several office supply stores and I ran around with a pen and a pad of paper comparing prices while he followed around behind and occasionally vetoed things" (I wanted to mail our invitations in manila catalog envelopes. For real. But his metrosexual side came out and vetoed my zany impulsive side. So we settled on white catalog envelopes, instead).

Nothing was actually purchased, except for a cool travel-themed photo album ("Look honey! We can travel all over the world and then put pictures of ourselves in THIS ALBUM!"), but I did get an idea of our budget for invitations. The best prices I got in stores, for envelopes (two sizes) and paper (we're printing out invites and RSVP cards out of the same paper) was right at $60 before tax. I THINK I can do a bit better than that if I do some hardcore comparison shopping online, but compared to the $90+ we would have spent on boxed invites, I'm happy.

The best part about our excursion was that I had a FABULOUS idea for a reception. I was flipping through cool scrapbook paper in Target, wondering what on Earth I could use such cool paper for, when it hit me - have guests make scrapbook pages at the reception! There's always such a lot of downtime in between the actual ceremony and when the bridal party comes back from having photos done, and I'd like the guests to have something fun and constructive to occupy their time with.

Of course, the more I've thought about this idea, the more it seems to be getting complicated. As my Matron of Honor pointed out last night as I was gushing to her on the phone over my fabulous idea...Polaroid cameras aren't made anymore, and those are kind of central to my plan. Of course, they still EXIST, and they're supposed to be returning in 2010, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I can afford to purchase some for use at the reception. So far I've had one friend offer to loan one to me, so we'll see if I can just borrow a bunch.

But still, how cool would it be to be able to put together a scrapbook of the wedding made AT the wedding BY our guests? We probably aren't having alcohol (partly because of my family, but mostly because it's way too expensive and we've always managed to have plenty of fun without booze). And the second most fun thing next to alcohol is scrapbooking*, right?

*For the record, I have actually never done anything remotely akin to scrapbooking in my entire life, so I don't really know if this is true, but I'm sure SOMEONE out there thinks it is.