Community Corner

The Surreality of Engaged Life

Each week, check in to see how wedding planning and engaged life is going.

I'm having fun calling Zach my fiancé. 

Even though , being engaged still feels very surreal. 

This is to be expected, I'm sure. We've only been engaged for three weeks, after all. 

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If I take a lesson from, "Say Yes to the Dress," I would know that for many brides-to-be, the "Oh my gosh I'm getting married moment," is closely tied to finding the right dress. 

I've watched five seasons of this show (hey, each episode is shorter than 30 minutes!), so I've seen this powerful, emotional reaction dozens of times. 

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Finding the dress might make this all seem real to me. Or maybe it will be something else. There are certainly flashes of reality, when I realize that I'll be moving next year or when I put down that deposit on the reception site. 

Zach and I have our first pre-wedding consultation at Gloria Dei Monday. Maybe that will trigger the reality response. But I'm okay with easing into this transition. 

In terms of wedding planning, there's nothing much to report.

I've been gathering information; perusing the books that I bought with my mom at Barnes & Noble. 

I registered an account on The Knot but haven't used it too much yet. I've just checked different color combinations for fun and checked out the vendors they have listened for the Chicago area.

I'm talking with other girls I know who have been married recently or who will be married soon to get their take on how to approach everything. 

I've freelanced for a bridal publication before, so I know about some things bridal (e-registries, where you can buy a used dress, the importance of a videographer, etc.). Some of this knowledge may come in handy, but there's a lot I'm learning from other girls I'm talking to, and that is a great comfort. 

If you have any advice, I'd love to hear it. As always, you can e-mail me at melissat@patch.com. Thanks for reading! 


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