Congratulations to you and your fiance! And, as a wedding photographer, I agree with taking portraits beforehand if you don’t care about that superstition/tradition. Makes for a much smoother day.
Best Wishes.
It seems awfully fast, and not just because this is Rebound Guy. But it’s probably because of Internet Time. You know, how it seems like it was just two weeks ago something major happened in someone else’s life, and they assure you that no, the baby’s not premature.
<toss confetti madly>
Congratulations to both of you. Have many happy years!
So how you doin? 
That was the last time you got married, uh?
I do hope that your own wedding goes better than the one in that song, Zsofia - it shouldn’t be too much to ask!
Here’s my piece of wedding advice: You won’t remember it.
It’ll go by so fast that it’ll all blur into one solid lump of memory. You won’t notice the flowers. You won’t get to see all the guests. You won’t remember what the cake tasted like. You won’t remember what songs the DJ did or didn’t play.
So just don’t worry about it, OK? I know women are trained to think that weddings are the biggest days of their lives, but they’re honestly not that important in the long or short run.
Well, it is rather fast in the grand scheme of things, but we feel really good about it.
Plus, god knows everybody ELSE couldn’t seem to stop dropping hints. Some of which were more like “hints”. My dad’s friend at dinner a few weeks ago, when I said I need a vacation, said “Why don’t you get married and go on a honeymoon?” Evidently he caught hell from his wife in the car, but he was not ashamed. 
Not that that’s why we’re doing it, but it did spark the discussion.
Actually, my wedding was kickass. It was after hours in an aquarium and we did our own flowers and music, so I keenly recall both (the crowd went crazy for “Hungry Like the Wolf” for reals). It was just planning it that made me want to brain my parents with a brick. They said the stupidest shit*, and acted so continuously helpless and incompetant, that I’m not sure I can ever look at them the same way.
*My favorite reason why I should not have my wedding at the Aquarium: “it’s in a working class neighborhood. You can’t get married there.” Yes, they said that, out loud, and unironically.
ETA: DAMN I’m being a downer! Yikes! Sorry OP. Best wishes for you, and your marriage and your wedding :).
Nah, it’s okay - my mom still doesn’t get my problem with the racist country club. “It’s perfect! Anyway, they let black people in as guests!” And as maids, one assumes.
We ran by a local venue on my lunch break - I think I’ve made my mind up! It’s cool and historic and big enough even for all my parents’ damned guests. I’ll go look at one of the hotel-ish conference-ish ones to make my mom happy, but I think I know what I want. 
Congratulations. Wishing you both a lifetime of joy together.
You’ve got the right idea, getting your venue nailed down early. Most other things can be fit in, but the venue has to be booked what seems like an outrageously long time before the wedding, especially if you want a Saturday wedding in the prime wedding seasons.
Next, the gown. I don’t want to be a downer, either, but don’t be surprised if this makes you cry at some point. For some reason (maybe because designers hate women) wedding dress sizes are much smaller than normal sizes, because hey, brides don’t have enough stress in their lives! Let’s make them feel like landwhales, too!
Now this is the one thing I didn’t cry over. Mizrahi for Target baby!
OP, if by any chance you want a free butter-colored size 6 (street size 6, not “wedding” size 6, which I’m pretty sure is like a -27 in real world sizing) wedding dress, drop me a PM for pics & more info.
I need to call and ask, but I’ve heard that the nicer bridal stores where they might have something beyond the boooring strapless David’s Bridal things often only carry sample sizes for you to try on, so if you’re not a sample size (I mean, I’m no whale, and I’m planning on losing some for the wedding, but I usually wear a 12 in dresses) they just, like, pin the dress to you? Because fuck that noise.
From what I hear, they pin the dress to you while sniffing that they “don’t have anything in the store to fit such a huge creature, and how much weight are you planning on losing?”
That’s just what I hear. But from personal experience in the bridesmaid’s dress department, bridal stores insist you must order a completely excessive size then charge you more than the dress costs for poorly skilled alterations and the dress never looks right and you’re still trying to pin it into some semblance of order and good taste while the bride’s walking down the aisle, goddamnit.
So what you’re saying is I should definitely bring some Spanx to try all this business on. And not drink anything carbonated.
Exactly! Unless you know a very skilled seamstress. Then you figure out what you want, have it made to order, and save money and angst.
(Seriously, my grandmother was a tailor/seamstress of great skill. I wanted a very simple dress, so I found a pattern that, with minor alterations and a couple of embellishments, matched my vision. She made it, I was happy, and the bridesmaids dresses were simple: modified versions of mine in a different fabric and color. This was back in 1989, but even then a bargain - about $500 for all four dresses including paying for tailoring for my maid of honor’s dress since she didn’t have enough time off to go to my hometown for three fittings. And I know I chose well, because all three bridesmaids wore their dresses at least once more.)
It worked for me! (Of course, when Tony and I married, I found a lovely street dress for $5.99 at Goodwill, $16 for a quick alteration, $10.50 for dry cleaning, and wore shoes I already owned. We’re just as happily married as if I’d gone to Kleinfeld’s and spent the equivalent of a new car.)
I called the fancy bridal place near where I work (I’m just trying to find out what sort of dress would be flattering to me, so hell, why not try the expensive ones?) and was assured that they have “oh, just LOTS of different sample sizes” and (recall this is to reassure me and get me into their store) “anyway there’s a huge difference between street sizes and wedding dress sizes, I mean, I’ve seriously seen somebody who wears a size 2 in street dresses walk out of here with a size 12!” Yeah, thanks for that. I feel way better.
I mean, I am not one of those people who will squeeze into a pair of jeans and fall all out of them just to have a certain size on the label, but I really think I might cry if they start special ordering size 28 for me. WTF, bridal industry?
Oh, its all part of the plan of the Wedding-Industrial Complex to make any aspect of the planning that might be slightly enjoyable into a miserable death march, while constantly reminding you what a wonderful time you’re having.
Ann Taylor Bridal carries standard street sizes up to 18 and are having a 40% off everything sale today.
J.Crew bridal is both more expensive and more varied in design, with standard sizing up to 14. They have 25% off + free shipping deal at the moment.
Coco Myles is a cool site for semi-custom formalwear. You choose from various necklines, sleeves, hems, skirt styles, etc, then choose your fabric, embellishments/beads, etc. They advertise as being for bridesmaids, but if you order one in white or cream, I won’t tell.
… and arrrgh, my mother is totally confused about why I’m so concerned about asking his parents to foot the bill for the rehearsal dinner, which where I come from includes all the out of town guests. All OUR FAMILY’s numerous out of town guests. Sigh.