Becoming the Bride: 9 Months Out

Becoming the Bride is my honest wedding planning series – part reflection, part behind-the-scenes, and all the ups and downs. It’s about finding peace in the planning, joy in the small moments, and gratitude in this season of preparing for change.

If you haven’t read the first post in this series, you can catch up here.

When the ball dropped at midnight on January 1st, I felt two things at once.

I kissed my fiancé. I cheered with everyone in the room. And then, as we walked back to our hotel room – the same hotel where we’ll be celebrating our reception – the panic set in.

Nine months.

It took me a couple of weeks to write this post because, honestly, I didn’t really want to sit with that feeling.

It’s close enough to feel real, but far enough to still feel unfinished. And it’s the unfinished part that makes me anxious.

What surprises me is that most of the big things are already done. What’s left is “the little stuff” – but when I think about it too much, the little stuff starts to feel big.

I was reminded recently that the whole point of all of this is to be married. To start a life together. And even if everything else went wrong on that day we would still be married. Which puts things in perspective.

So, just as I’d tell my coaching clients – I don’t need to get over these feelings so I can keep planning. They aren’t taking away from this experience. I can feel them both at the same time. It’s part of the process – trust it.

In the 1st Becoming the Bride post I mentioned our engagement photo shoot, so here’s a look at some of them. They are all fabulous but these are some of my favorites:

Here’s where things stand at the nine-month mark:

Timeline

300 days to go on the countdown.

Sent out our Save the Dates November 2025 – We made magnets on Shutterfly and love them. We saved our design to make sure we liked them and Shutterfly sent us a coupon code because we didn’t order right away. So , maybe that’s a pro tip, haha.

Yes, they cost extra to mail because they needed to be hand stamped individually showing that they are magnetic. But it was only 2 stamps each. We already had flag stamps at home and just used those. I didn’t care to worry about a specific stamp design that will be marked by the post office and then promptly thrown away.

Wedding Showcase November 2025 – At this point we already had vendors booked or knew who we wanted to book but our venue was hosting this showcase so we thought it was a good idea to go look at the space again (we really do love going there!) and see the hotel rooms our guests will be staying in.

Officially booked our DJ December 2025.

Picked a restaurant for the rehearsal dinner December 2025.

Celebrated the start of our wedding year January 2026 – As I mentioned before we spent NYE at the hotel where we’re having our reception. They actually hosted a party with fun drinks and a DJ which was such a fun experience. It was M’s idea to stay there so we could start our wedding year at the place we’re celebrating our wedding. How sweet!

Hired a coordinator January 2026 – M and I have done all the planning, vendor searching and booking ourselves, so far. And that has been fun for us! But, I love the idea of having someone there the day of the wedding to be the point person (instead of me) and ensure we are all getting from place to place throughout the day.

Plus, with our venue we have to set up and tear down that same day. I really don’t want to be putting away table decor at 11pm after a long day. And I don’t want family and friends to do that either! For me, having a coordinator is the peace of mind that everyone (especially M and me!) will enjoy the day as much as possible and everything I need will be taken care of. They say you can’t buy happiness but I do believe my mental health is worth the money, ha. Also, creating a timeline for the day already stressed me out. I know there are templates online but this way my coordinator can do it and it’s one less thing for me to worry about.

Currently working on:

• Narrowing down hairstyles, shoes, and jewelry for me
• Marriage prep classes through church

Up next:

• Picking invitations
• Food tasting at the reception venue
• Narrowing down decor (what we want for the ceremony vs. reception)
• Wedding bands
• Cake tasting

Things we aren’t doing:

• Extra signs and decor (It’s a small venue – do we really need a sign telling them where the desserts are? And then where does it all go after the wedding – the basement? haha)

Things we (still) aren’t sure about yet:

• Plated meal or heavy hors d’oeuvres
• Seating chart (if we do heavy hors d’oeuvres)
• Our wedding song – we have some ideas but haven’t narrowed it down yet.
• Speeches
• Dances – like mother-son and father-daughter

I’m really trying to follow my gut when I make decisions. I tend to overthink which makes decisions hard. Plus, with so many options for wedding related things, decision fatigue is real. So when I decide or give someone an answer – I go with it. I also trust M. When I feel overwhelmed, he’s my voice of reason. And that reminder always brings me back to what this season is actually about: preparing for a marriage and a life together after the party.

As I look back at the pictures of friends and family helping us celebrate and plan – I’m truly so thankful. It means a lot to have people in my life that will take the time to chat about the tiniest details, give ideas, or just let me vent about how wild this experience really is.

This season of Becoming the Bride looks like trusting the process, letting things be imperfect, and allowing joy and overwhelm to coexist.  If you’re preparing for any kind of change, I hope this blog post encourages you.

If you want to follow along as I plan, cry, and celebrate this new chapter, make sure you’re subscribed to get new posts to your inbox. I’ll be sharing more updates – and eventually a few photos – as the big day gets closer.

And if you’re a bride or bride-to-be, I’d love to hear what this season has been like for you.