I’m a planner. I like to plan things. I need to plan things. I plan out my days and I like to plan events. I plan trips and write out schedules for everything. I include bathroom breaks into my daily list. OK, not really, but it is almost that serious. I will probably have an itinerary for the upcoming honeymoon, much to Jacob’s annoyance. He likes to “be in the moment” and I like to be prepared for the moment.

So, planning my wedding is exciting. There’s so much to plan! Weddings are a planners dream. There’s the dress and the cake, the venue and the caterers, the theme and the decorations.

My Mississippi wedding is going to be dripping with southern sweetness. Cotton will grow out of bright bouquets and biscuits and sweet tea will provide for delectable treats. Everything is going to reflect the southern belle theme. I live off of southern food and music.

Daddy is trying to grow cotton, a plant that hasn’t been grown on our land in a long time. My MoMo used to pick cotton that her daddy had grown in a field where my parents’ house now sits. Our Lincoln County Extension Agent, Rebecca Bates, graciously obtained seeds for me. Hopefully, it will grow. If not, you may be hearing about my adventure to the delta to pick cotton.

A few weeks ago, I met with my wonderful caterers to plan the menu. There’s nothing better than southern comfort food. No one will leave hungry; that is for sure. Jacob and I tasted cake samples last week and decided on some perfect cakes after coming down off the delicious sugar high. Don’t be surprised if shotgun shells or arrows are included on his cake and maybe even something that looks like dirt. Opposites do attract.

Daddy and Jacob have offered to build several items for the wedding. Daddy has been working on a big deck coming off of the back porch of our house. I’ve enlisted him and Jacob to build some benches and other décor. Thank goodness they’re handy. I tried to put an over-the-door shoe rack together one time. Something didn’t look quite right, so I asked Daddy what might be wrong and he pointed out that the bars holding everything together were put on backwards. I have a feeling if I tried to build a bench, there would be much commotion during the ceremony with all the collapsing that would be happening.

The ceremony planning is coming together. It seems to be a trend these days to put a lot of emphasis on the reception, but not much on the ceremony. After a ten-minute ceremony, everyone whisks away to the four-hour reception. I don’t plan on having an hour ceremony, but I want it to be special. The ceremony will be a worshipful service, thanking God for joining Jacob and me as one and for His plans that included Jacob and me meeting someday. I wrote a song about a year ago for my future husband and little did I know it would fit Jacob perfectly. “Eternal Country Road” will be played at the wedding. My sister and I recorded it a while back in a makeshift studio (a closet).

There are still many plans to be made and sometimes I get overwhelmed with all there is to do, but I’m enjoying every step. Jacob doesn’t care about whether its white or off-white or chairs or benches, two songs or one, lace or burlap. And I like it that way. I get to plan it all!

Lifestyles Editor Jessica Boyd can be reached at The Daily Leader at 601-833-6961 ext. 134, by email at jessica.boyd@dailyleader.com or you can write to her at P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven, MS 39602.