Hi, my name is Katie...

... and I'm a wedding magazine addict.

It's almost like a sick obsession - I can't walk past a book store, drug store, grocery store, or newsstand without thinking "I wonder if the new Modern Bride is out?" Ryan says that if I added up all of the money I've spent on wedding magazines in my lifetime, we'd easily be able to pay in full for our honeymoon. While that may be true, I can't shake the feeling of hopefulness each time I spot a glossy new cover. Hope that I'll find the perfect hairstyle, the perfect honeymoon location, the perfect beach cover-up, the perfect lipstick. Even now, 9 months into our engagement (with just 5 months to go!), I still find myself mindlessly purchasing wedding magazines, even though I've already bought a dress, have our color scheme, and decided on favors. Why do I continue to buy them?

Because I love the glossy pages of pictures, declaring that our wedding can be anything we want it to be. I find, of course, that this generally entails a large bank account and the ability to not hold a full time job, but the pages of inspiration call to me nonetheless. I think it is fun to see what others have done to shape their nuptials into a day they will always remember, and to see all of the options we have to truly make our day unique.

But at the end of the day, we're still on a budget and we can't afford to do the things we see in magazines, and thats when I turn to websites like WeddingBee. There is such a duality in media - there are sites that show you things you want, but can't afford, and sites that offer the look for less with a little hard work. That is why I can appreciate both wedding magazines and DIY websites - one offers a vision, the other offers guidance. It just depends on how you look at it.