So it's less than 48 hours until my wedding. Am I a sobbing wreck? No. Am I stressed? No. Am I nervous? No, though everyone keeps guessing that I am and telling me not to be (seriously, my florist kept telling me I was nervous. I think I would know!)
What am I then? I'm excited! Excited that we are finally packed for the honeymoon (save for things like cell phone chargers and toothbrushes.) Excited that 3 of 4 wedding party members are on their way from Lubbock right now. Excited that my family will be here tomorrow.
What am I doing? Going over the packing lists I've been putting together for months to make sure I have everything (even though I checked it off as it went in our bags!) I'm also about to get in the shower. And I'm helping a friend find a hotel. Yes, that's right. My friends are very last-minute people. Romie didn't pack until tonight and Kevin, Zach, Shawna and John don't have a hotel yet. I could let it bother me, but they're never gonna change so why hold my breath? Don't get me wrong, I love my friends to death, but whatever happens is a result of their unpreparedness and the only have themselves to blame.
OK enough rambling. Time to move on to something else.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Saturday, October 13, 2007
It's been one week since you looked at me...
Holy crap a week from right this minute I will be in full bridal get up awaiting the signal that it's time to meet my handsome groom at the altar!!! I can't believe how fast it all seems to be going now, even though a few months ago I wished it would hurry up!
I'm done with work until we get back. This week I will tie up all loose ends (there aren't that many) and then focus on getting good sleep and eating well since I know that'll all go out the window on our honeymoon cruise :)
Eeeeeee I can't wait to see everyone in a week!
I'm done with work until we get back. This week I will tie up all loose ends (there aren't that many) and then focus on getting good sleep and eating well since I know that'll all go out the window on our honeymoon cruise :)
Eeeeeee I can't wait to see everyone in a week!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
No amount of words
First and foremost I want to wish a very happy birthday to Jason. I'm so glad that he came into my life, and it's so weird to think that for his next birthday I will be signing my card to him "From Mrs. Williams!" I thank God every day for being blessed with such a great guy and I look forward to sharing another million birthdays with him in the future :)
In other news, it's ten days until the wedding! With less than two weeks to go I'm still not stressing out. Tomorrow is my last day of work and then I have over a week off to get everything done, so that may be a huge reason why I haven't yet turned into Bridezilla. Of course, something like STILL not having all the RSVPs in is irking me, but I refuse to let it turn into a problem. I still have time to figure everything out that I'm working on, so it's whatever.
We got a very unexpected gift yesterday and it makes us appreciate what we have and will continue to have when we get married. Our families are our backbone and we couldn't have done any of this without them. I am just so lucky to be gaining more family members that I care about, and who care about me, just as much as my own family.
And the most exciting news from today: we got our marriage license! It's so authentic looking, with black scrolly writing on a yellowed paper. We just have to wait three days for it to process/clear, so we are golden. I will try to get a picture of it up soon.
Happy birthday to Jason again. God I'm a lucky girl.
In other news, it's ten days until the wedding! With less than two weeks to go I'm still not stressing out. Tomorrow is my last day of work and then I have over a week off to get everything done, so that may be a huge reason why I haven't yet turned into Bridezilla. Of course, something like STILL not having all the RSVPs in is irking me, but I refuse to let it turn into a problem. I still have time to figure everything out that I'm working on, so it's whatever.
We got a very unexpected gift yesterday and it makes us appreciate what we have and will continue to have when we get married. Our families are our backbone and we couldn't have done any of this without them. I am just so lucky to be gaining more family members that I care about, and who care about me, just as much as my own family.
And the most exciting news from today: we got our marriage license! It's so authentic looking, with black scrolly writing on a yellowed paper. We just have to wait three days for it to process/clear, so we are golden. I will try to get a picture of it up soon.
Happy birthday to Jason again. God I'm a lucky girl.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
A single score (as in four score and seven years ago)
Well friends and family, this is it. We are down to the final 20 days. I am starting to get excited! People keep asking me if I'm nervous, but why would I be? It's not like after dating Jason for 3.5 years I'm all of a sudden going to realize I hate him. Does that really happen to people? Well, I mean people in real life (*ahem* Burke and Christina!)
Though I'm starting to get a little busier putting together last minute things, I think going through everything, packing it up, labeling it and writing specific detailed instructions helps me double check that everything is in order. It also helps me de-stress, believe it or not. Our dining room is beginning to get piled up with boxes, which is a good feeling to see all the crap that won't be returning with us (well most of it won't at least.) I have a few little projects left to tackle, but if I don't get to them it's not a big deal.
This week we move into Danielle's house to house sit for her while her and Thomas are vacationing in Florida. While it will be nice to play house for 10 days, it kind of puts a damper on organizing wedding stuff in my spare time. So that's why I'm trying to take care of so much of it today and will continue chugging away tomorrow after work. I'm taking everything out, setting it up on our dining table, taking a digital photo of how it should look, and including that photo in the box to make sure when Jason and the boys set up, they can zoom through things instead of worrying what to do. As it is, Jason has banned me from seeing the reception room on the day of the wedding, so when we get announced and enter the reception, don't be surprised if I'm paying more attention to decorations than to you all. That will quickly pass!
On another note, RSVPs are due this Friday. I was hoping to get them all in by now, but it's my fault for making the date so late in the timeline. There's a very slight chance that we might be able to get away without a seating chart, but only if everyone we haven't heard from is a no. My biggest fear is that we would have enough seats for everyone, but somehow there would wind up being a single empty seat at each of the tables, and a dozen people without seats. We will see what happens Friday (ok really, we will see what happens Sunday when I call everyone I didn't hear from - I know it's going to happen because people these days don't bother to RSVP!)
I need to get my dress cleaned. I need to choose which bridal portrait to blow up to display at the reception (my sister and I have narrowed it down to two, now to make a final decision.) I need to drop the cake topper off with our baker. And I need to rob a bank to scrounge up the rest of the money to pay off the caterer and DJ and pastor, who all take cash or check only. Oh, and I need to pack for the honeymoon! In the meantime I'm house sitting, spending next weekend in Lubbock (be there bitches!) and attending the renewal of vows of Jason's aunt and uncle. Oh, and I have to clean the apartment so when we get back from the honeymoon it will be nice and tidy (with gifts piled everywhere, which will make it seem like a wreck.)
Thank God I took off the week before the wedding!
Though I'm starting to get a little busier putting together last minute things, I think going through everything, packing it up, labeling it and writing specific detailed instructions helps me double check that everything is in order. It also helps me de-stress, believe it or not. Our dining room is beginning to get piled up with boxes, which is a good feeling to see all the crap that won't be returning with us (well most of it won't at least.) I have a few little projects left to tackle, but if I don't get to them it's not a big deal.
This week we move into Danielle's house to house sit for her while her and Thomas are vacationing in Florida. While it will be nice to play house for 10 days, it kind of puts a damper on organizing wedding stuff in my spare time. So that's why I'm trying to take care of so much of it today and will continue chugging away tomorrow after work. I'm taking everything out, setting it up on our dining table, taking a digital photo of how it should look, and including that photo in the box to make sure when Jason and the boys set up, they can zoom through things instead of worrying what to do. As it is, Jason has banned me from seeing the reception room on the day of the wedding, so when we get announced and enter the reception, don't be surprised if I'm paying more attention to decorations than to you all. That will quickly pass!
On another note, RSVPs are due this Friday. I was hoping to get them all in by now, but it's my fault for making the date so late in the timeline. There's a very slight chance that we might be able to get away without a seating chart, but only if everyone we haven't heard from is a no. My biggest fear is that we would have enough seats for everyone, but somehow there would wind up being a single empty seat at each of the tables, and a dozen people without seats. We will see what happens Friday (ok really, we will see what happens Sunday when I call everyone I didn't hear from - I know it's going to happen because people these days don't bother to RSVP!)
I need to get my dress cleaned. I need to choose which bridal portrait to blow up to display at the reception (my sister and I have narrowed it down to two, now to make a final decision.) I need to drop the cake topper off with our baker. And I need to rob a bank to scrounge up the rest of the money to pay off the caterer and DJ and pastor, who all take cash or check only. Oh, and I need to pack for the honeymoon! In the meantime I'm house sitting, spending next weekend in Lubbock (be there bitches!) and attending the renewal of vows of Jason's aunt and uncle. Oh, and I have to clean the apartment so when we get back from the honeymoon it will be nice and tidy (with gifts piled everywhere, which will make it seem like a wreck.)
Thank God I took off the week before the wedding!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Smile for the camera
Yesterday I had my bridal portraits done. I want to say a huge thank you to my mommy who made the trip up from Houston to be there with me. Larry did take a few of us together at the end, and I can't wait to see how they all turn out!
One really nice thing about yesterday was that it was a sort of dress rehearsal for the big day. I have to say that I felt very pretty in my complete bridal outfit, but there will be some changes made with regards to scheduling, that's for sure. We started out a little late which shouldn't have been a problem, but everything took longer that it should have, and we got stuck in major traffic, so we wound up being almost 30 minutes late to the Japanese Gardens. In the end, we only lost about 15 minutes because we took some pictures after the gardens had closed, right outside the gift shop, where we were technically not in the gardens but in an area that still had a little bench and a waterfall and such. Thanks to Larry and Jill for staying a little late and waiting on our late butts.
The biggest issue of the day were the flowers. I went to pick them up from the florist, and they pulled this dusty pink and light purple bouquet out of the cooler. I was like um that's not mine but it had my name on it. Lucky for me they really wanted me to be happy, so they literally took apart the entire thing and I dug through their flower supplies in the back to show them exactly what I was going for. I'm still not sure where they got that pink was one of my wedding colors, or how they went so wrong considering I had multiple meetings with them, we specified exact flowers and colors, and I even brought lots of pictures to illustrate what I couldn't describe in words. Not to mention we have a contract that explicitly states all of that. They did manage to fix it though, and it looked fabulous. I took lots of pictures of the new bouquet and plan on sending them in to make sure that we don't have an issue like this on the wedding day (they'll be delivering the flowers to the Abbey, so we won't have the luxury of a fully stocked shop to fall back on. They kind of get one shot at it next time.)
All in all, the experience was positive. Now I can't wait to see how they all turn out! Sorry guys, you won't get to see them until after the wedding. A girl's gotta have some secrets! How else do I make you all breathless at the sight of my beauty on the big day?!
One really nice thing about yesterday was that it was a sort of dress rehearsal for the big day. I have to say that I felt very pretty in my complete bridal outfit, but there will be some changes made with regards to scheduling, that's for sure. We started out a little late which shouldn't have been a problem, but everything took longer that it should have, and we got stuck in major traffic, so we wound up being almost 30 minutes late to the Japanese Gardens. In the end, we only lost about 15 minutes because we took some pictures after the gardens had closed, right outside the gift shop, where we were technically not in the gardens but in an area that still had a little bench and a waterfall and such. Thanks to Larry and Jill for staying a little late and waiting on our late butts.
The biggest issue of the day were the flowers. I went to pick them up from the florist, and they pulled this dusty pink and light purple bouquet out of the cooler. I was like um that's not mine but it had my name on it. Lucky for me they really wanted me to be happy, so they literally took apart the entire thing and I dug through their flower supplies in the back to show them exactly what I was going for. I'm still not sure where they got that pink was one of my wedding colors, or how they went so wrong considering I had multiple meetings with them, we specified exact flowers and colors, and I even brought lots of pictures to illustrate what I couldn't describe in words. Not to mention we have a contract that explicitly states all of that. They did manage to fix it though, and it looked fabulous. I took lots of pictures of the new bouquet and plan on sending them in to make sure that we don't have an issue like this on the wedding day (they'll be delivering the flowers to the Abbey, so we won't have the luxury of a fully stocked shop to fall back on. They kind of get one shot at it next time.)
All in all, the experience was positive. Now I can't wait to see how they all turn out! Sorry guys, you won't get to see them until after the wedding. A girl's gotta have some secrets! How else do I make you all breathless at the sight of my beauty on the big day?!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The race is on
Well, friends, guess what. It's exactly one month until the wedding. People keep asking me if I'm nervous, and honestly I'm not. What's there to be nervous about? Emotions that I am feeling are excitement, anxiousness and impatience. I am so excited that Jason and I are taking the next step in our relationship and starting our own family. I'm anxious to see how many guests we will have on our special day, and I'm impatient because I want it to be here already!
Last night I sat in the living room watching Bridezillas and putting together stuff for the reception. Maybe it's just that I don't have ridiculous expectations, but people like that always make me wonder "why is he marrying her if she calls herself a princess and only cares for herself?" Seriously, the wedding I watched last night involved a glass slipper carried in on a pillow, a dramatic reenactment of the groom trying the slipper on all the wrong feet (a la the bridesmaids) and a trumpet bray as he finally made a connection with his Cinderella!
My mommy will be here tomorrow because I am meeting with the wonderful couple Jill and Larry of Larry Reynolds Photography for my bridal portraits! Yesterday I took my dress out of its garment bag, hung it up, gave it a good once-over with the iron, and blocked the room off from all directions so Jason can't enter. I even hung signs that say the penalty for peeking is death! In all serious though, I'm proud to say Jason has never even hinted at peeking. He knows how much it means to me and so he's doing his part to avert his eyes until the wedding day.
Now I'm down to working on the last-minute details - tying ribbon on the ceremony programs, creating a checklist, drawing up a master timeline of the day, and fudging a seating chart (hard to do when you have less than half the RSVPs - please send them back to me NOW! No really, I'll wait while you go to your mailbox...)
Yesterday I confirmed and paid for the rehearsal dinner. I met with a piercer who helped me take the bar out of my industrial in favor of clear retainers so the piercings won't show in pictures. Having previously booked our dolphin swim in Cozumel, I am now awaiting some transactions to go through at the bank so my poor self can book and pay for our zipline tour in Jamaica and our private charter in Grand Cayman. Then the cruise will be taken care of, except for packing!
I'm still trying to stay on top of everything so my last week as a single gal can be spent having fun with friends and family instead of working out things that could have already been done. At this point it's all in the details. Anything that doesn't get resolved or pan out won't really matter to me because it won't affect the wedding as a whole. Now we are working on sprucing things up to make what we have nicer. Sometimes I fantasize about what I would do differently if I could get all my money back and start from scratch. I know it's not productive, but it's all the more incentive to stay together for the purpose of implementing my other ideas into our 50th wedding anniversary extravaganza!!! Not that we need something like that to keep our marriage together though...
Tomorrow I will get to see what my bouquet will look like for the first time. I'm going in early, so anything I don't like can be fixed and I can have it just like the vision in my head (however faint it may be.) Then it's off to get my hair done like I did during the trial, but this time she will do my makeup as well, which we didn't have time to do last time. It will be the first time I see the entire look put together from the veil to the shoes. I'm excited my mom will be here, I'm excited to see how I mesh with our photographers, I'm excited to head out to the beautiful Japanese Gardens again, and I'm excited to soak up a few bridal moments before it all goes back where it came from for a few weeks. I guess you could say this will by my dress rehearsal. A time to figure out any problems that might arise and how to combat them. Bring it on!
Sorry this is so long. I'm obviously excited about everything that's coming together! Pretty soon we will be seeing all of you all dressed up and looking lovely :)
Kisses to all!
Last night I sat in the living room watching Bridezillas and putting together stuff for the reception. Maybe it's just that I don't have ridiculous expectations, but people like that always make me wonder "why is he marrying her if she calls herself a princess and only cares for herself?" Seriously, the wedding I watched last night involved a glass slipper carried in on a pillow, a dramatic reenactment of the groom trying the slipper on all the wrong feet (a la the bridesmaids) and a trumpet bray as he finally made a connection with his Cinderella!
My mommy will be here tomorrow because I am meeting with the wonderful couple Jill and Larry of Larry Reynolds Photography for my bridal portraits! Yesterday I took my dress out of its garment bag, hung it up, gave it a good once-over with the iron, and blocked the room off from all directions so Jason can't enter. I even hung signs that say the penalty for peeking is death! In all serious though, I'm proud to say Jason has never even hinted at peeking. He knows how much it means to me and so he's doing his part to avert his eyes until the wedding day.
Now I'm down to working on the last-minute details - tying ribbon on the ceremony programs, creating a checklist, drawing up a master timeline of the day, and fudging a seating chart (hard to do when you have less than half the RSVPs - please send them back to me NOW! No really, I'll wait while you go to your mailbox...)
Yesterday I confirmed and paid for the rehearsal dinner. I met with a piercer who helped me take the bar out of my industrial in favor of clear retainers so the piercings won't show in pictures. Having previously booked our dolphin swim in Cozumel, I am now awaiting some transactions to go through at the bank so my poor self can book and pay for our zipline tour in Jamaica and our private charter in Grand Cayman. Then the cruise will be taken care of, except for packing!
I'm still trying to stay on top of everything so my last week as a single gal can be spent having fun with friends and family instead of working out things that could have already been done. At this point it's all in the details. Anything that doesn't get resolved or pan out won't really matter to me because it won't affect the wedding as a whole. Now we are working on sprucing things up to make what we have nicer. Sometimes I fantasize about what I would do differently if I could get all my money back and start from scratch. I know it's not productive, but it's all the more incentive to stay together for the purpose of implementing my other ideas into our 50th wedding anniversary extravaganza!!! Not that we need something like that to keep our marriage together though...
Tomorrow I will get to see what my bouquet will look like for the first time. I'm going in early, so anything I don't like can be fixed and I can have it just like the vision in my head (however faint it may be.) Then it's off to get my hair done like I did during the trial, but this time she will do my makeup as well, which we didn't have time to do last time. It will be the first time I see the entire look put together from the veil to the shoes. I'm excited my mom will be here, I'm excited to see how I mesh with our photographers, I'm excited to head out to the beautiful Japanese Gardens again, and I'm excited to soak up a few bridal moments before it all goes back where it came from for a few weeks. I guess you could say this will by my dress rehearsal. A time to figure out any problems that might arise and how to combat them. Bring it on!
Sorry this is so long. I'm obviously excited about everything that's coming together! Pretty soon we will be seeing all of you all dressed up and looking lovely :)
Kisses to all!
Friday, September 7, 2007
C. Final answer.
I never really envisioned my wedding as a little girl - now, actually planning it, I don't have any nostalgic memories of elements I want or how anything should be. In the unique "made to order" society that we live in, just about everything can be customized to make it unique. From a myriad of invitations options (paper, vellum, cardstock, embossing, thermography, inks, letterpress, pocketfolds, A7s, etc. etc. etc.) to sensory stimuli (custom lighting, fabric draping, even signature scents) it seems like a no-brainer that no two weddings could possibly be identical.
While all the choices can be really fabulous for those with a vision, for someone like me they can make everything more difficult! It's easy for me to make a decision given two or three options (sit down dinner or buffet, dj or live band) but starting from scratch is so intimidating. I'm stuck at a crossroad between making our wedding unique and keeping it from becoming ridiculous.
Anyway, the point of this rambling post is to preface the fact that I have again changed my mind about wedding cake designs. Yes, we have chosen the shape, size and flavors (again a limited number of options) and will not waver on those, but for some reason what it looks like has been tormenting me. I see a design that I like, pick apart the elements I would change about it, then worry my vision won't all come together right. But fear not! Last night I made an executive decision. Ta dum:
The only change we will be making is the icing color. Imagine it in a deep royal purple. And we are looking for an alternative cake topper since we aren't sure what to think about the flowers.
What do you think?
While all the choices can be really fabulous for those with a vision, for someone like me they can make everything more difficult! It's easy for me to make a decision given two or three options (sit down dinner or buffet, dj or live band) but starting from scratch is so intimidating. I'm stuck at a crossroad between making our wedding unique and keeping it from becoming ridiculous.
Anyway, the point of this rambling post is to preface the fact that I have again changed my mind about wedding cake designs. Yes, we have chosen the shape, size and flavors (again a limited number of options) and will not waver on those, but for some reason what it looks like has been tormenting me. I see a design that I like, pick apart the elements I would change about it, then worry my vision won't all come together right. But fear not! Last night I made an executive decision. Ta dum:
The only change we will be making is the icing color. Imagine it in a deep royal purple. And we are looking for an alternative cake topper since we aren't sure what to think about the flowers.
What do you think?
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Dazzling!
Tonight I started using Crest Whitestrips. They feel really weird, like I have wrapped my teeth in saran wrap. I can't talk or spit while they're on because they shift really easily. So far, 5 minutes down, another 25 to go. I really hope I can continue to use them for the whole time I'm supposed to, because Romie's teeth were so white and pretty when I saw her and she said she's been using them and she likes them. I know my sister had issues with them when she first tried them, like they made her teeth really sensitive so she stopped using them halfway through the kit. Hopefully I'll adjust easier than that. With only 16 days until my bridal portraits, I hope I can at least make my pearlies a few shades whiter. If I like them I think I'll try them again right before the wedding but if not it's no loss since I got this kit free for being a first-time patient at my new dentist's office.
6 minutes down. Has anyone else had good or bad experiences with these?
6 minutes down. Has anyone else had good or bad experiences with these?
Monday, September 3, 2007
I hung out with the pool boy
Holy crap I'm tired. What a fabulous weekend. It started Friday night when Arthur, Romie, Thomas and Allison came to stay with us. It continued Saturday at our wedding shower where we were joined by Chelsea, our parents, Jason's aunts and uncle and grandparents. It continued Sunday though we lost Allison and Chelsea. And it came to a conclusion this afternoon as Arthur, Romie and Thomas headed back.
I can't even begin to describe how overwhelmed we were by the generosity of our friends and family. Not only did Jason's mom and aunt throw us a lovely shower, but we got so many nice and useful shower gifts including lots of stuff to use on the honeymoon!
Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend (more on Facebook). Thanks again to everyone who made it special for me and Jason. We love you all so much and are so glad you are sharing this time with us. We can now say that we are getting married NEXT MONTH!!!
I can't even begin to describe how overwhelmed we were by the generosity of our friends and family. Not only did Jason's mom and aunt throw us a lovely shower, but we got so many nice and useful shower gifts including lots of stuff to use on the honeymoon!
Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend (more on Facebook). Thanks again to everyone who made it special for me and Jason. We love you all so much and are so glad you are sharing this time with us. We can now say that we are getting married NEXT MONTH!!!
Friday, August 24, 2007
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes
Wednesday we got our first RSVPs in the mail :) They were all good news. Sadly, yesterday we got a "decline with regret" which is too bad, but I kind of knew the couple wouldn't be making it - still would have been nice to see them since they're family and we don't see them nearly enough.
Along with the loss of my computer, I'm mourning another loss involving my bank account and my car. Really glad I didn't buy a new laptop because I just spent that much to get the Focus fixed, with a list of things that still need my attention (and money...)
Hopefully this weekend will be good. We're not supposed to get any rain, and Sunday we are going to a water park with Jason's sister and her husband in celebration of their one-year anniversary :)
Along with the loss of my computer, I'm mourning another loss involving my bank account and my car. Really glad I didn't buy a new laptop because I just spent that much to get the Focus fixed, with a list of things that still need my attention (and money...)
Hopefully this weekend will be good. We're not supposed to get any rain, and Sunday we are going to a water park with Jason's sister and her husband in celebration of their one-year anniversary :)
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
So far behind
Hello again, everyone! Wow can you believe how long it's been since I posted? I attended the funeral of my laptop and have yet to replace it, so for now I am sneaking onto Jason's desktop to bring you bridal updates :)
All invitation pieces have been printed. All invitations have been assembled. Some invitations have been mailed (but not all.)
We had our final meeting with Rev. Jason. We figured out ceremony order, what we will have and won't have, and other day-of things. I just got his approval of my programs, so I will be printing them shortly (shortly = whenever I get to a computer that I can hook my printer to.)
I picked up my altered dress and I scheduled bridal portraits. I just need to find a reputable dry cleaner to take care of my dress between bridal portraits and the wedding. I also need to get my sister's dress to her so that she can get alterations started.
We've continued making purchases here and there to get everything taken care of. Still a few loose ends, but mostly coming together nicely.
We planned the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner.
I paid off some vendors, and will be making next payments to some of them soon. We are trying to pay off as many as possible with checks/cash, but a few vendors like our baker and our photographer take credit card, which is a huge help since we can keep paying those off after the wedding (I'm so glad I have good credit and just got a new card with no interest for another 14 months!)
Things are quickly coming together. The big things are taken care of, and anything that falls through at this point won't really affect anything that much.
Now off to rob a bank (attention Suzi!) to get enough money to pay the rest of it off :) And by rob a bank, I mean look for a job ;)
All invitation pieces have been printed. All invitations have been assembled. Some invitations have been mailed (but not all.)
We had our final meeting with Rev. Jason. We figured out ceremony order, what we will have and won't have, and other day-of things. I just got his approval of my programs, so I will be printing them shortly (shortly = whenever I get to a computer that I can hook my printer to.)
I picked up my altered dress and I scheduled bridal portraits. I just need to find a reputable dry cleaner to take care of my dress between bridal portraits and the wedding. I also need to get my sister's dress to her so that she can get alterations started.
We've continued making purchases here and there to get everything taken care of. Still a few loose ends, but mostly coming together nicely.
We planned the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner.
I paid off some vendors, and will be making next payments to some of them soon. We are trying to pay off as many as possible with checks/cash, but a few vendors like our baker and our photographer take credit card, which is a huge help since we can keep paying those off after the wedding (I'm so glad I have good credit and just got a new card with no interest for another 14 months!)
Things are quickly coming together. The big things are taken care of, and anything that falls through at this point won't really affect anything that much.
Now off to rob a bank (attention Suzi!) to get enough money to pay the rest of it off :) And by rob a bank, I mean look for a job ;)
Friday, August 10, 2007
Reality check
Right now I'm working on printing the response cards that will accompany the invitations I'm going to print tomorrow. Next week we will send out batch one (family from far far away to give them extra time to make travel plans) and wait anxiously for people to reveal their agendas for October 20 (and let us know if we are important enough to get penciled in!)
It's finally starting to feel real. The dress that I put on again for the first time in months, the bridesmaid dress that is hanging in my closet for me to look at whenever, the first gift purchased because someone loves us, and now the big indicator that it's real and that it's happening, our invitations and assorted inserts that will accompany them in their transcontinental journeys.
I'm so excited. And each day closer just adds to the excitement. I'm getting married to an amazing guy who loves me as much as I love him. God, what did I do to deserve something so fabulous?!
It's finally starting to feel real. The dress that I put on again for the first time in months, the bridesmaid dress that is hanging in my closet for me to look at whenever, the first gift purchased because someone loves us, and now the big indicator that it's real and that it's happening, our invitations and assorted inserts that will accompany them in their transcontinental journeys.
I'm so excited. And each day closer just adds to the excitement. I'm getting married to an amazing guy who loves me as much as I love him. God, what did I do to deserve something so fabulous?!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
19 years ago
Happy birthday to the best maid of honor and sister I could ever ask for. I know it's an hour too early here in America, but I'm 7 hours late where you are so I'm sure I'm not the first to say it to you. Enjoy the last year of your teens kid! I love you!
With 73 days to go...
Today I got two emails that items from our honeymoon registry had been purchased! I know the givers saw the info on the invitations to our (family-only) honeymoon shower - but the invites only went out yesterday! Obviously the first ones to see the registry info had an easy enough time using it. Let's hope that others do as well. I'm a little afraid for the older generation (older being grandparents) but that's why we also have two physical in-store registries too.
Of course we want to make it clear that we are NOT expecting gifts. Some of our guests we haven't seen in years, mostly because they are living out of state, so them being able to make it is gift enough. :)
Of course we want to make it clear that we are NOT expecting gifts. Some of our guests we haven't seen in years, mostly because they are living out of state, so them being able to make it is gift enough. :)
Thursday, August 2, 2007
It's mine, my own... my Preciousssss!!!!
If you have talked to me lately or even read any of my most recent entries, you can guess what finally arrived on my doorstep today after four months of waiting and getting anxious....
It finally arrived in all of its bridal glory, and of course the first thing I did was to whip off my clothes and zip that sucker on. I took caution to make sure my hands and such were clean, and I picked it up as I walked into my bathroom to look in the full length mirror so that it wouldn't pick up uninvited dust bunnies.
While I must say that it is fabulous, the bust is way too big for me! I must have lost weight or something, because when I tried on the sample at Alfred Angelo, I don't recall being able to fit a whole second set of my boobs in the bodice with me. So along with a hem and a bustle, it now seems that I will need to get the bust taken in. I suppose I should be excited that I've shrunk, especially considering some familial "mentionings" the last time I was in town.
Since you all are just going to have wait until after the wedding to see shots of the BIG DEAL DRESS, I leave you with these:
The good news:
You have no idea how hard it was not to rip into the box before getting a picture:
Inserts from Netbride that came in the box: a message saying they want to see pictures of me in the dress (so they can put them on their site), a thank you card with general pricing info they gathered about alterations costs in their area (Minnesota), and business cards so I can hand them out to others I guess.
[While I won't be handing them out per se, I would like to take the time to mention how amazing Netbride.com was to work with. All of my questions were answered quickly, even when I was being overly bothersome. The service was fast and I got my gown three weeks before the promised date. The best part is that I saved over 50% as opposed to buying direct from the company and still got the EXACT same dress brand new, untouched, with all the tags on it. I highly recommend Netbride.com if you need to order any type of formalwear.]
It finally arrived in all of its bridal glory, and of course the first thing I did was to whip off my clothes and zip that sucker on. I took caution to make sure my hands and such were clean, and I picked it up as I walked into my bathroom to look in the full length mirror so that it wouldn't pick up uninvited dust bunnies.
While I must say that it is fabulous, the bust is way too big for me! I must have lost weight or something, because when I tried on the sample at Alfred Angelo, I don't recall being able to fit a whole second set of my boobs in the bodice with me. So along with a hem and a bustle, it now seems that I will need to get the bust taken in. I suppose I should be excited that I've shrunk, especially considering some familial "mentionings" the last time I was in town.
Since you all are just going to have wait until after the wedding to see shots of the BIG DEAL DRESS, I leave you with these:
The good news:
You have no idea how hard it was not to rip into the box before getting a picture:
Inserts from Netbride that came in the box: a message saying they want to see pictures of me in the dress (so they can put them on their site), a thank you card with general pricing info they gathered about alterations costs in their area (Minnesota), and business cards so I can hand them out to others I guess.
[While I won't be handing them out per se, I would like to take the time to mention how amazing Netbride.com was to work with. All of my questions were answered quickly, even when I was being overly bothersome. The service was fast and I got my gown three weeks before the promised date. The best part is that I saved over 50% as opposed to buying direct from the company and still got the EXACT same dress brand new, untouched, with all the tags on it. I highly recommend Netbride.com if you need to order any type of formalwear.]
Tauting, teasing, driving me crazy!
Last night at 11:10 PM it was "In Transit" to Denton.
This morning at 7:20AM it was "Out for Delivery" in Denton.
WHERE ARE YOU MY BEAUTY???
This morning at 7:20AM it was "Out for Delivery" in Denton.
WHERE ARE YOU MY BEAUTY???
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
All's fair in love and... guest lists?
I come from a blended family. Both of my parents have moved on since their divorce, finding wonderful people to (re)dedicate themselves to. Both of these wonderful people have children from a previous marriage - four boys and a girl total. They are my siblings as much as my biological sister, except we don't have the foundation of years worth of memories.
My oldest brother got married a few years ago and now has a lovely wife and a beautiful daughter. The next two oldest brothers are both seeing someone, and both relationships are rather serious from what I can gather.
I love all of my extended family very much - they have all had a hand in making me who I am, even if it's only on a small scale. When it comes to my life I am happy to share it with them; rather than having to divide it out into smaller portions, I feel my heart getting bigger with each new addition. [I have heard mothers say this about second children you don't give each child half a heart, your heart just grows twice as much to handle all the love.]
One of the great things about my family is that, to my knowledge at least, they all accept and love Jason as much as they accept and love me. It's rare to find two families that come together with no sticky issues to work through. But somehow, we have managed to make it work so far.
Except for this one little snafu. Remember the Seely House I posted about last go round? The one that barely has enough table space for all those directly involved in the wedding? I kind of forgot to factor my other siblings and their families into the guest list. I know, it's a pretty major afterthought. And it's not that I don't want them there. It was just a horrible mindslip.
So now the question becomes what to do. Technically, none of them are involved in the wedding, so they don't HAVE to be invited to the rehearsal and its successive dinner. On the other hand, they are family, and therefore should be invited. Weddings are a time for families and love and sharing together, and it doesn't work with a big chunk of mine missing.
The easy solution is to cut out anyone that isn't directly part of the wedding (and their spouses, naturally.) That way there are no hurt feelings, there's a protocol to stick to, and a clear understanding of who would and would not be included.
But what about my stepdad's kids? And his father that's flying in from New York? And my mother's parents that are flying in from Florida? They will all be arriving Friday morning/afternoon and will be the responsibility of my mom and stepdad. Do we just give them the number to the nearest Domino's and tell them we will see them in a few hours?
And if we invite my stepdad's kids, shouldn't we invite my stepfamily from my dad's side too? And since we're doing all the extended siblings, wouldn't that lend itself to definitely adding invites for Jason's sister and her husband?
It's a snowball effect. Pringles if you will. Can't invite just one (without having to add four more, at least.) Either we offend someone by being extremely exclusive, or we risk offending Jason's parents by asking them to finance a small-dinner-get-together-turned-pre-wedding-gala.
The only solution I seem to like so far is to play it by ear. Only send invites to those that need to be there for the sake of the wedding itself. Then, the week of the wedding, check out Friday's weather and make phone calls to invite more people, in the event that the weather will be agreeable and we can bring extra lawn chairs and make more room outside.
Of course, the other option is to find a new place to hold the dinner...
My oldest brother got married a few years ago and now has a lovely wife and a beautiful daughter. The next two oldest brothers are both seeing someone, and both relationships are rather serious from what I can gather.
I love all of my extended family very much - they have all had a hand in making me who I am, even if it's only on a small scale. When it comes to my life I am happy to share it with them; rather than having to divide it out into smaller portions, I feel my heart getting bigger with each new addition. [I have heard mothers say this about second children you don't give each child half a heart, your heart just grows twice as much to handle all the love.]
One of the great things about my family is that, to my knowledge at least, they all accept and love Jason as much as they accept and love me. It's rare to find two families that come together with no sticky issues to work through. But somehow, we have managed to make it work so far.
Except for this one little snafu. Remember the Seely House I posted about last go round? The one that barely has enough table space for all those directly involved in the wedding? I kind of forgot to factor my other siblings and their families into the guest list. I know, it's a pretty major afterthought. And it's not that I don't want them there. It was just a horrible mindslip.
So now the question becomes what to do. Technically, none of them are involved in the wedding, so they don't HAVE to be invited to the rehearsal and its successive dinner. On the other hand, they are family, and therefore should be invited. Weddings are a time for families and love and sharing together, and it doesn't work with a big chunk of mine missing.
The easy solution is to cut out anyone that isn't directly part of the wedding (and their spouses, naturally.) That way there are no hurt feelings, there's a protocol to stick to, and a clear understanding of who would and would not be included.
But what about my stepdad's kids? And his father that's flying in from New York? And my mother's parents that are flying in from Florida? They will all be arriving Friday morning/afternoon and will be the responsibility of my mom and stepdad. Do we just give them the number to the nearest Domino's and tell them we will see them in a few hours?
And if we invite my stepdad's kids, shouldn't we invite my stepfamily from my dad's side too? And since we're doing all the extended siblings, wouldn't that lend itself to definitely adding invites for Jason's sister and her husband?
It's a snowball effect. Pringles if you will. Can't invite just one (without having to add four more, at least.) Either we offend someone by being extremely exclusive, or we risk offending Jason's parents by asking them to finance a small-dinner-get-together-turned-pre-wedding-gala.
The only solution I seem to like so far is to play it by ear. Only send invites to those that need to be there for the sake of the wedding itself. Then, the week of the wedding, check out Friday's weather and make phone calls to invite more people, in the event that the weather will be agreeable and we can bring extra lawn chairs and make more room outside.
Of course, the other option is to find a new place to hold the dinner...
Monday, July 30, 2007
EEEEEEEE! (bridal squeal)
Message from NETBRIDE.com:
Hello, Below you will find the tracking number for your package. From all of us @ NETBRIDE.COM, have a wonderful wedding!!!
Scheduled Delivery: 02-August-2007
Shipment Detail
Ship To:
Me
Myapartment
Mycity, Mystate, Myzip
US
| Number of Packages | 1 |
| UPS Service: | GROUND |
| Weight: | 8.8 LBS |
| Tracking Number: | ******************** |
| Purchase Order Number: | ***** Alfred Angelo NB |
~~~~~~~~~
It's FINALLY coming! It will be here this week!! Can you tell I'm excited!!! Eeeeeeee!!!!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Breaking up is hard to do
Last night Jason and I made it over to the Seely House, the little building next door to the Abbey, to check out its potential for our rehearsal dinner. It's really cute inside with bright colors and nice furniture. There's a kitchen area, a bathroom, and three rooms, all which have dining tables and chairs. There are also extra chairs, benches and couches throughout the house that don't go with any certain table but are still functioning (I don't really know of too many chairs that don't function...)
There are enough chairs for everyone who needs to be invited to the dinner, and we can invite a few extra (grandparents coming from way out of state) if people don't mind squeezing together a little tighter and making room, which I'm sure no one will.
My only concern is that everything is spread out between three rooms. We estimated there was enough room in the largest of the three to just move furniture around and have everyone, and everything, fit. But Naomi, the owner of the Abbey, said the dining table in the middle room can't be moved into the larger room because it had already ruined the floor from someone doing it in the past. The only way she will let us move it is if we call a moving company to come do it, and the last time they did that it was an $80 charge. On top of the $135 fee to rent the building and the cost of catering, plus a rehearsal dinner cake (paging Chef Meagan!) it just seems like a silly fee to pay.
Is this going to be a problem? Should I be worried about it? I just feel like if we are in three different rooms, it will force us to split into three groups, and no one will really stray outside of their family zone (ie the Williams family all sitting in one room) meaning that no one will really mingle, which is what we wanted. Especially since it'll only be the second or third time our parents have gotten together, I would hate for our seating arrangement to hinder them getting to know each other. Plus, it becomes a hassle for things like when Jason and I cut the cake or want to pass out gifts.
What do you guys think? It's been such a hassle to figure any of this out, I just want to make a decision, tell Jason's parents where to fork over their money (in more pleasant terms of course) and be done with it. Is a place that works in every other aspect (especially one so close to the Abbey) worth getting over the awkwardness of dividing into different rooms? Or should I keep looking until I find something that exceeds ALL my expectations?
Kitchen area, where the caterer will set up the food, buffet style:
One dining room (the largest room of the 3):
Second dining room (note Extremely Heavy Kitchen Table center stage):
Dining three (the smallest of the three):
There are enough chairs for everyone who needs to be invited to the dinner, and we can invite a few extra (grandparents coming from way out of state) if people don't mind squeezing together a little tighter and making room, which I'm sure no one will.
My only concern is that everything is spread out between three rooms. We estimated there was enough room in the largest of the three to just move furniture around and have everyone, and everything, fit. But Naomi, the owner of the Abbey, said the dining table in the middle room can't be moved into the larger room because it had already ruined the floor from someone doing it in the past. The only way she will let us move it is if we call a moving company to come do it, and the last time they did that it was an $80 charge. On top of the $135 fee to rent the building and the cost of catering, plus a rehearsal dinner cake (paging Chef Meagan!) it just seems like a silly fee to pay.
Is this going to be a problem? Should I be worried about it? I just feel like if we are in three different rooms, it will force us to split into three groups, and no one will really stray outside of their family zone (ie the Williams family all sitting in one room) meaning that no one will really mingle, which is what we wanted. Especially since it'll only be the second or third time our parents have gotten together, I would hate for our seating arrangement to hinder them getting to know each other. Plus, it becomes a hassle for things like when Jason and I cut the cake or want to pass out gifts.
What do you guys think? It's been such a hassle to figure any of this out, I just want to make a decision, tell Jason's parents where to fork over their money (in more pleasant terms of course) and be done with it. Is a place that works in every other aspect (especially one so close to the Abbey) worth getting over the awkwardness of dividing into different rooms? Or should I keep looking until I find something that exceeds ALL my expectations?
Kitchen area, where the caterer will set up the food, buffet style:
One dining room (the largest room of the 3):
Second dining room (note Extremely Heavy Kitchen Table center stage):
Dining three (the smallest of the three):
Friday, July 20, 2007
Three months out!
We are exactly three months away from our wedding. And we actually got something major accomplished today - the rehearsal dinner which I've been so unmotivated about :)
I've been emailing back and forth with a lady who works for a local barbecue restaurant (Sonny Bryan's). Their catering menu is neat because they also offer fajitas, which we figured would be different enough from what we are serving at the wedding to not bore people with the same food two nights in a row.
The lady I've been talking to followed up with me yesterday to ask if I'd gotten the stuff she'd sent me and if I'd like a personal price quote. I told her that Jason and I wanted to go in and eat there before we made any decisions. She told me she would set us up with free lunch whenever we wanted, which I thought was very generous.
As luck would have it, today I wind up getting off work 4 hours early, right around lunch time. I called Jason to see if he wanted to go to a different place (Dickey's barbecue) and he suggested we go to Sonny Bryan's. So I called Adrienne and she called the SB closest to us and told them to take care of us.
Boy did they! When we got there, this really nice guy helped us figure things out. I was all set to order a barbecue baked potato, but he made an even better suggestion. Since whatever we wanted was free, he said we should each get a three meat plate with different things, so we could try a little of everything. So today Jason and I sampled the following menu:
Pulled pork
Chicken on the bone
Pork ribs
Beef brisket
Roasted turkey
Ham
Green bean casserole
Barbecue beans
French fries
Macaroni and cheese
Hot dinner rolls
It was so much food we came home with a to-go plate big enough to make a whole extra meal! To top it off, we also got free drinks, and they even sent us home with apple and cherry cobblers!!
I am so glad we went for the variety. We were able to try everything and make a decision based on all 20 people that will be in attendance that night.
Here is the final menu we are looking at:
Pulled pork
Pulled chicken
Beef brisket
Mac and cheese
Barbecue beans
Potato salad
Dinner rolls
Tea, lemonade, water
Chocolate chip cookies
What's great about this is that they drop everything off and set it up buffet style. The food comes in those big aluminum pans, so whatever is left over can be easily taken home. All the plates, cups, napkins, silverware, and even sweeteners for the tea are included! In addition, they are also going to bring buns in case anyone wants to make a sandwich.
Now we just have to present this to Jason's parents for the final approval. I'm sure they'll say yes because not only do they know how bothersome this has been for me, they agree that there aren't a whole lot of options around here to do something otherwise. Jason and I need to make an appointment to see the house that we are holding the rehearsal dinner at, but barring any complications we should be all ready to go!
Thank God this ordeal is almost over... and yay for only three more months!!!
I've been emailing back and forth with a lady who works for a local barbecue restaurant (Sonny Bryan's). Their catering menu is neat because they also offer fajitas, which we figured would be different enough from what we are serving at the wedding to not bore people with the same food two nights in a row.
The lady I've been talking to followed up with me yesterday to ask if I'd gotten the stuff she'd sent me and if I'd like a personal price quote. I told her that Jason and I wanted to go in and eat there before we made any decisions. She told me she would set us up with free lunch whenever we wanted, which I thought was very generous.
As luck would have it, today I wind up getting off work 4 hours early, right around lunch time. I called Jason to see if he wanted to go to a different place (Dickey's barbecue) and he suggested we go to Sonny Bryan's. So I called Adrienne and she called the SB closest to us and told them to take care of us.
Boy did they! When we got there, this really nice guy helped us figure things out. I was all set to order a barbecue baked potato, but he made an even better suggestion. Since whatever we wanted was free, he said we should each get a three meat plate with different things, so we could try a little of everything. So today Jason and I sampled the following menu:
Pulled pork
Chicken on the bone
Pork ribs
Beef brisket
Roasted turkey
Ham
Green bean casserole
Barbecue beans
French fries
Macaroni and cheese
Hot dinner rolls
It was so much food we came home with a to-go plate big enough to make a whole extra meal! To top it off, we also got free drinks, and they even sent us home with apple and cherry cobblers!!
I am so glad we went for the variety. We were able to try everything and make a decision based on all 20 people that will be in attendance that night.
Here is the final menu we are looking at:
Pulled pork
Pulled chicken
Beef brisket
Mac and cheese
Barbecue beans
Potato salad
Dinner rolls
Tea, lemonade, water
Chocolate chip cookies
What's great about this is that they drop everything off and set it up buffet style. The food comes in those big aluminum pans, so whatever is left over can be easily taken home. All the plates, cups, napkins, silverware, and even sweeteners for the tea are included! In addition, they are also going to bring buns in case anyone wants to make a sandwich.
Now we just have to present this to Jason's parents for the final approval. I'm sure they'll say yes because not only do they know how bothersome this has been for me, they agree that there aren't a whole lot of options around here to do something otherwise. Jason and I need to make an appointment to see the house that we are holding the rehearsal dinner at, but barring any complications we should be all ready to go!
Thank God this ordeal is almost over... and yay for only three more months!!!
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