Shellyon Wedding

It's official! I'm getting married!

Of course, I knew that back in September when Jolyon proposed. But now, I'm officially getting married. Or, at least now it feels official. When experienced wedding-goers ask me, "So, when's the wedding?" I no longer shuffle my feet and blush, muttering, "Uh, this fall...sometime... you know. We're still, uh, looking" as they chuckle and walk away, clearly disappointed at my lack of planning.

(Screw you, Wedding Industry. Who are you to tell me how long my engagement should be? Stop cramming magazines and bridal shows down my throat. Who are you to dictate what my "perfect day" entails, anyway? Who are you to tell me that spending $1,000 on a dress I'll wear once is justifiable? And, PS- I'm capable of doing my own makeup, thankyouverymuch.)

I'm glad we took our time to research venues, rather than rush into something that just wasn't "us." And I'm proud of myself for not giving into the various subtle guilt trips that floated in and out of my email inbox and facebook page:

Don't make us travel too far, now. You know we're all located in this one area. Oh, but ultimately the choice is yours. But just remember...

::Drumroll::

We're getting married on October 17, 2009 on Captiva Island, west of Fort Myers, FL.

In a previous post, I had mentioned Tween Waters Inn as a potential wedding location. I take back all the slightly mean things I wrote about their sales manager. (Apparently her true personality does not translate well through email. I should know this; much of my job requires heavy email communication, and after awhile, you just need to get to the point and aren't overly concerned about your tone.)

Upon arrival at Tween Waters Inn two weeks ago, Jolyon and I were greeted by a friendly woman, who enthusiastically drove us around the resort via golf cart. She showed us the various reception venues, answering our questions without an agenda, and she even gave us a tour of some of the onsite guest rooms. She was open and honest with us, which was a pleasant surprise, especially after some of the reviews I had read. She wasn't pushy; she truly just wanted to inform us of everything they had to offer. And she genuinely wanted to help us: "I want to see you guys get married," she said with a laugh. "I don't want to rip you off."

Almost immediately after arriving at the resort, I knew this was the place for us. Its casual ambiance was prevalent: small, rustic cottages were nestled in the palm trees, the registration building consisted of a single room, complete with faded couches, and the Gulf of Mexico was directly in front of the resort, with only a small road dividing the inn from the sand.
When the sales manager showed us the reception room that would be suitable for our wedding size, I melted. The room, accessible by stairs or elevator, overlooked the gulf, courtesy of several french doors. I walked out onto the balcony and looked out onto the beach, and my heart did a bit of hopskotch: there was a volleyball net on the beach. A wonderful, permanent, privately-owned volleyball net for Tween Waters Inn guest use only. I was sold.
Jolyon and I celebrated the selection of our wedding venue at the resort's pool bar, where the sales manager treated us to lunch (grilled cheese and nachos, yum!), and the friendly staff congratulated us and insisted on taking our picture.
We wandered around the small "downtown" area of Captiva Island, immersing ourselves in what felt like a tiny piece of the Caribbean: unique art shops, colorful buildings, and sand in the streets. We passed a woman who had set up shop on the side of the road, art canvas and all, to paint a portrait of the unique architecture on one of the side streets. I fell in love with Captiva Island and I want to learn more about its few year-round residents.
After we returned to Orlando, news spread quickly that we had officially set a date and booked a venue. Naturally, my planner instinct kicked in (as well as a "39 emails?! Oh this can't happen" reaction), and we completed our wedding website, which is full of useful information for our guests. It's a way for me to stay organized, a medium to excite our guests about our untraditional, destination wedding, and also a way to simply avoid a few nagging phone calls: "So, where are you getting married? What time is the cermony? Where should we stay?") Provided we have the correct email address for our family and friends, we shouldn't hear the excuse, "Well, had I known about it in advance..." or "Oh, I didn't know it was a beach wedding..."
Even though we've officially booked our wedding, I'm still glad that we've given ourselves enough time to simply enjoy being engaged... to talk about our futures, to spend time participating in our mutual hobbies, and to find new ways to love each other and those around us. After all, the wedding is just one day (or a short weekend, in our case). It's the days after the wedding--the marriage itself-- that truly matter.

I look at our engagement as not only the period of time in which we're promising our lives to each other, but we're working together to plan what will hopefully be the most memorable day of our lives. It's the first of many projects we'll undertake as a team: it's Jolyon and Shelly vs. The World. Watch out!