Plan a $1,000 Wedding in Two Weeks! - Part 1: Making the Plan

The first thought on my mind when I opened my eyes at 4:30 in the morning on November 23, 2006, is that I should set the date and finally marry the man who had asked several months before. After all, we already had a cruise planned for December 10th, and I could think of no better way to begin a marriage than a week-long honeymoon cruise. Over my first cup of morning coffee as I cooked his breakfast, I asked, "Would you be interested in making our cruise a honeymoon cruise?"

Once he got over the shock of my actually setting the date, we began to look at the logistics of how/when/where, and I started making lists.

Let me explain, too, that I am somewhat of a perfectionist and want everything to be just perfect. So I make lists of everything: what to serve, who to invite (with numbers), groceries I'd need to buy, supplies I'd need to buy, a list of things to do, from our getting the marriage license to how many bottles of wine we'd need to get in addition to what I already had, to making sure the breaker for the hot water is turned off before our cruise. In other words, I am a consummate list-maker! So I am listing below, the steps I have taken. These will vary from person to person, but my logic and plans should give anyone tackling this chore an idea of where to begin.

Step 1: Confirm the pastor's availability for a wedding ceremony. Robert had attended a church for a number of years prior to our relationship, and we had attended together often during our courtship. In the months since his proposal, we had discussed who would perform the service, and he wanted it to be Steve Bivins, his pastor. So our first step was to contact Steve as to his availability. Once Steve confirmed he was available on the proposed date of the wedding (though we were to arrange a lengthy conference with him and Pastor Lori, his wife), we began the next step.