I admit that I did make my life a little easier by deciding to use a reception hall instead of doing all the work myself. Even so, there are a lot of decisions to make: which photographer to use and which package, what food to serve, how many people to plan for. Still, not having to worry about the linens or the centerpieces, or arranging people to serve the food and clean up afterward is a tremendous relief. If I wasn't working full-time I'm sure it would be different. But my husband and I are happy with the choice to use a reception hall vs doing all the work ourselves. On the Big Day I want to enjoy everything and not stress about the details.
It's somewhat ironic, because when I got married 24 years ago I let my mom plan it all. I was more interested in getting our home figured out and looking forward to starting life after the wedding. Luckily for me, my mom was fine with that. My daughter is more interested in the planning than I was for my wedding, but she and her fiance are focused on finding a condo to buy more than choosing wedding colors. But that's ok. I know exactly how she feels.
We went to Yellowstone National Park last week, and my daughter's fiance, Blake, came along. Here is a cute picture of them at Old Faithful:
