Doing Stuff in the Wrong Order

One of the things I've found weird about knowing you're going to be engaged for a while before you actually are is that you start planning stuff that's way too far into the future to make decisions on. Most websites seem to agree on a basic timeline and I know we're more than a year out at this point, but I keep looking at stuff that actually has to wait for other decisions.

One example is bridesmaid dresses. I've been looking at a couple of websites to see what's available and price points. But until I know what time of year it's going to happen, I can't really know what I'm going with.

I also can't really ask the bridesmaids until I know when the wedding is going to be. I guess I could tentatively ask them, but the majority would have to come not only from out of town but out of the state altogether. If I had my way and got everyone I want, one would even be coming from out of the country. But how can I expect them to give me any sort of answer when they would have to make actual plans involving travel?

But there is one decision that might seem a little early but I was able to make with complete confidence. And that was "popping the question" to my Maid of Honor. Let's meet her, shall we?

Looking super cool

MOH M (still not using any real names) is one of my first cousins on my mother's side. I have 14 of them. One of the things that makes our relationship special is that we are almost exactly the same age. The two of us and one other cousin were all born very close together. I was first, he followed 10 days later, and M followed a month after that.

He's in the middle for multiple reasons.

Because of this, we spent a lot of our childhood together. I lived in the straight up suburbs, while M was more of a country girl. Yes, she has horses. But until high school, the drive was only about an hour. Now that we've both moved, it's two or more.

This last Thanksgiving I took her aside (it was at my parents' house) and asked her if she would be my Maid of Honor. I know that I would ask her if it takes another week or a couple of months before the engagement is official.

Bonus for me? She's been in maybe a couple of weddings before.

These are just the ones I found on a quick glance of Facebook

When the time comes, I will be one of those unusual brides who has never once been a bridesmaid. I was a flower girl once, but I couldn't find any pictures of that. 

That's about it for my wedding experience. I think M has been in more wedding parties than I've attended weddings. That's what happens when you're a super friendly, sweet, caring person like my MOH is. She and I have some pretty different interests, but I feel like we don't struggle to find ways to talk to each other. 

For one thing, she's pretty religious. I was sent to Catholic School for eight years, but I don't currently have any religious convictions. She talks about her beliefs in conversation, but it doesn't bother me because... well, how do I say it... she's not an asshole about it. She knows that I have enough cultural references to understand most of what she's referencing and she has never tried to tell me what or how to believe. And that's just cool. She's also a very calming person and listens actively to what you have to tell her. In a Four-Temperament Ensemble, I believe she'd be Sanguine.

I absolutely can't wait to do wedding planning stuff with M when the time comes. She's the only other person who also currently has access to my secret Pinterest wedding boards. Yes, that includes Mr. Wolf. He sees what I show him. 

M has excellent taste in several things and I know she will help guide me to make the right choices for me. And she lives close enough that if I give her advance notice and she's not already booked, she can come to look at stuff with me. 100% I intend to take her with me dress shopping. 

She's never pointed me wrong before.

We got dressed alike by accident a lot