
It might seem strange to have Dad as your wedding planner, but with my circumstances, it just made natural sense. (As I've mentioned in past posts, my fiancé Michael is deployed in Afghanistan, so I'm planning our wedding in San Diego from across the country, in New York.) A couple of months ago, I realized I needed to call in reinforcements, so I found a planner in Cali who completely shared my vision. I was enamoured with her ideas—until I got the quote. I was seriously considering dropping $2,400 for her help, but when I brought it up to my dad, he enthusiastically offered to plan the wedding himself. I knew he'd always have my back, but I was surprised by just how thrilled he was to take part in my wedding. It was a big relief.
Since I've asked him to take over, my dad has secured the venue, DJ, rentals and linens, florist, and photographer. Basically, all the heavy lifting is done. Luckily, we haven't had any disagreements yet. He's happy to hear me out if I don't like something or would prefer a more affordable vendor, so I never feel pressured to go with his first choice or afraid to say no. The planning process is new to both of us, so we're learning everything together and having fun in the process! Dad's a natural—he talks to strangers with ease and even thrives on it (much to my embarrassment as a teenager). He loves to brag about his son-in-law, too, so he'll use any excuse to bring up his brave soldier in conversation.