Weddings to remember …

June’s bride is January’s wedding planner—though these days it’s not only the bride who’s doing the planning and organizing. The groom is often busy, too, booking food and drink caterers, searching out a good venue, arranging the party music, and wondering why it is that so many people insist on getting married in June.

January, you may have noticed, is the month when local impresarios put on their annual bridal showcases. That’s because it can take as long as six months to pull a wedding together, and starting early is the best way to lighten the stress load. Couples who plan to marry in June definitely should be scoping out what’s available in January and, where appropriate, making reservations.

Creating a wedding is a lot of work, and there are cynics who say it’s the first real test of a marriage. With the right attitude, though, it can be great fun. The important thing is to see the process as the beginning of your married life together and enjoy each moment of it, staying aware that you’re creating something truly wonderful: a celebration of your love and commitment to which you’ve invited all the people in your life who are important to you. Keep that in mind, stop often to connect with each other, remember that your wedding doesn’t have to be perfect to be splendid, and the whole thing will flow together just fine.

We’ve got a couple of stories in this special issue that may be helpful for those of you who are planning weddings. In “Pearls of wisdom,” CN&R contributing writer Shannon Rooney interviews a range of wedding providers, from caterers to bridal-gown vendors, to discover the single, most important piece of advice each has to offer. And in her first-person account of her recent wedding and the events leading up to it, CN&R News Editor Melissa Daugherty shows, with humor and insight, how it’s possible to pull off a fabulous wedding even when time is short. Enjoy.