Howdy!

When The Backyard Groom proposed two months ago, the first thoughts that went through my head pretty much went along these lines: FINALLY! *swoon* I get to spend the rest of my life with HIM! Officially! *bigger swoon* Must call Mom. Ooh! Now I can buy wedding magazines!

As a lifelong magazine junkie, I couldn't wait to get my grubby little (now diamond-adorned) hands on Martha Stewart Weddings. And Real Simple Weddings. And InStyle Weddings. And The Knot. Unfortunately, we were out of the country when said proposal occurred, and I couldn't find wedding magazines in any of the bookshops. One of my first stops when we arrived back home was the overwhelming newsstand at a chain bookstore, where I quickly stocked up on as many thick volumes as I could carry.

A funny thing happened when I plopped down on the couch to pore over those pages. I realized I didn't want a magazine wedding. I didn't want to spend an entire paycheck on a cake or centerpieces. I wanted us to start our life as husband and wife without the looming spectre of debt. I didn't want it all to be about Me!Me!Me!. I wanted it to be about us. And nothing that I saw in those wedding magazines felt like us.

I knew other girls had to feel the same way, and luckily, I found the stories of many amazing ladies online through their blogs and communities (special shout out to Weddingbee!), all of whom are more dedicated to making their weddings an expression of their love than a recreation of a page from a magazine.

After lurking on and stalking those sites and blogs, I finally decided to hop on the bandwagon and start my own. I'll talk about how I became The Backyard Bride and how I'm planning an intimate wedding on a budget less than the price of my dress.

Thanks for reading!