My first love...

As the few of you who actually read this blog probably know, I'm sort of into movies. Ever since I was a wee girl, I've been obsessed with film. Everything about a movie is so magical to me. While I'd like to say Adam was my first love, the truth is it was Jaws. And Norman Bates. I'm a little strange, actually. Jaws changed my life; it gave me my passion for film and years later, Psycho would introduce me to the fantastic world of Alfred Hitchcock. Luckily, Adam shares my love for movies (although not quite as much). He listens and participates in my endless monologues about particular movies and is currently taking part in my greatest quest, watching all the Oscar Best Picture winning films. And trust me, not all of those films are a treat.

So, what does my love for film have to do with wedding planning? Well, as Adam and I dream of our wedding and plan our big day, I'm often reminded of the weddings I've seen in movies. Inspiration comes in many forms, and I'm willing to take it from anywhere. So, what should our wedding day be like? Should we emulate a wedding we've seen in a movie? Let's discuss...

1. Wedding Crashers
This is one of my favorite movies, ever. The wedding in this movie is a huge affair; hundreds of people, some famous. There's a ton of fabulous food, live bands, gorgeous clothes and the beautiful outdoors. There are a lot of great aspects of this wedding, but some negative as well. For one, I'm not sure I want my wedding to be so large and impersonal that crashing is a possibility. I mean, if someone's going to crash my wedding, I'm at least going to give them a challenge. Another negative, the ceremony takes place in a church, and that's just not our style.

2. 27 Dresses
I don't even know where to start. If we wanted to do any sort of theme hardcore, this movie would be my guidebook. But none of these weddings are good for us. Do we look like the Gone with the Wind type of couple? Why is getting married while you're scuba diving a good idea?

3. Where the Heart Is
Adam may work at a Wal-Mart, but I'm not getting married in one.

4. Runaway Bride
So many weddings to choose from. Let's see, I don't want a crazy hippie wedding where I jump on a trampoline to reach Adam. Awkward. Nor do I want to ride a horse to the altar; horses creep me out. There is something to be said for a wedding with only the bride and groom; I like the idea of a personal, intimate moment. However, I would miss...everyone else. None of these weddings really fit us either. Especially the whole leaving-the-groom-at-the-altar bit.

5. The Wedding Date
If you haven't seen this movie, rent it immediately. It's one of my guilty pleasures. Every time it's on TBS (and that's about every other week) I sit down and watch it. I. Love. It. The problem with this wedding is I do not want crazy drama like someone finding out their ex-boyfriend slept with their sister at my wedding. It is in England though, which is awesome. And, the bachelorette and bachelor parties are referred to as "stag and hen" parties. Also awesome.

This is hard. I'm not sure I've ever seen a wedding in a movie and thought, "That is what I want my wedding to look like." Have you? Personalizing your wedding is the biggest planning challenge, I think. People go to weddings all the time, and the last thing I want is a cliche, same-old-same-old wedding. Maybe we'll include all the good parts from the weddings in those movies. Like the crab cakes in Wedding Crashers. Or James Marsden from 27 Dresses. Or the several parties leading up to the actual wedding from The Wedding Date. Or the simplicity of the final wedding from Runaway Bride. Or the great sense of friends and family from Where the Heart Is.

It's not so easy planning your special day. It's too bad there wasn't a wedding in Jaws or Psycho to serve as a rubric.