So it’s 2012. The holidays and life in general sort of put my wedding planning on the back burner… but I woke up sometime in early January and thought, “Oh man. I’ve got ten months. I need to get it together.”

Since then I have started looking at dresses, researching caterers and thinking about colors. It’s a little overwhelming for someone like me (meaning the, “I’m getting married? Whoa.” type…) but I’ve found a few sites and apps that have been really helpful in keeping myself of schedule and on budget.  Before I get into that, though… Napkin and I made a decision on our wedding venue! ONE THING DOWN! 700340343834958739485722200 THINGS TO GO!

We are officially getting married at:

St. Thomas Preservation Hall

My friend Jammer and I had talked about a few places and had visited another site… but nothing really caught my eye. Then Napkin’s mom (God Bless her) mentioned this place and so we decided to go and see it. I can’t stress enough that I’m not really the wedding type. It isn’t something I’ve thought about or dreamed of or written the script for… so I was really surprised to find myself on the verge of tears when I opened the door to St. Thomas. It’s right downtown in Wilmington (which is where we decided to get married because it’s where he’s from and where I love) It’s a large, open space with huge, stained glass windows and a long, straight aisle that I can’t wait to walk down. One of the things I love the most about it is that it’s such a beautiful space that few decorations will be needed. Something to amplify the colors in the stained glass, soft lighting for the evening… that sort of thing. Here are some pictures:

View from The Far Wall (with chairs for another wedding set up)

The Stained Glass Windows

View From The Front Door

The Turn Around Room Downstairs (A big plus! More about that below!)

A Close Up Of Where The Ceremony Will Take Place

I took all but the first picture (Which is From Their Website) when I went to see the space this past November. As you can tell, they were setting up for a wedding that day… so there’s very little frill. Isn’t it beautiful?! When I opened the front door– I just knew. I saw Napkin at the end of the aisle, I saw my sister… It just clicked.

One thing that was really important to me was that I wanted the ceremony and the reception in the same place. I wanted to avoid extra travel around downtown Wilmington if at all possible. St. Thomas has a downstairs ‘turn around room’ where the guests can enjoy a cocktail (or something) hour and laugh at how nervous/wobbly/weepy we were while the staff at St. Thomas sets up the reception accordingly. It’s all included!

So the space is locked down. Whew. 2012.