Sandy & Jeff 05/23/09 [Archive] - OneWed's Wedding Chat

sandy03

11-15-2008, 11:12 PM

I'm seriously thinking about de-bridesmaiding one of my girls. I know she has a life and a lot of stuff going on. She's a full-time student like me, and she also works. I know it makes life crazy and she has more to think about than my wedding, but something just feels off. She was more than willing to help me try on and pick out my dress early on but I literally have seen or heard from her twice in the past 4 months.

The engagement party - Jeff's mom hosted an engagement party for us. It ended up that only one of my bridesmaids was able to go because it was so close to the start of school and so late on a Saturday in Alabama (and for those of us who are divinity students, Sunday is a work day!) Well, not only did this girl not come, she never RSVP'd and never responded to several e-mails from my MOH about carpooling. She never even said anything to me about not going until about two weeks AFTER the party and I don't think she would have if I hadn't happened to see her and mention that we missed her at the party.

The dress situation: All my bridesmaids are students, just like me. I know being in someone's wedding is supposed to be an honor, but I know it can also be REALLY expensive. My dad was really generous in his offer to pay for our wedding and the deal is that whatever we don't spend, Jeff and I get to keep. So I decided that I could give up some of my "fun money" that would be left and be nice and pay for the bridesmaids dresses. All I asked was that they go to David's Bridal and try on the style dress I finally picked out and give me their size. I gave them about three months to do this. Everyone got it done (some barely under the wire, but they managed to make it happen) except for this one girl. I sent them reminders within a month and within two weeks of when I needed the sizes so I could order the dresses so I know she didn't just forget. If she had even e-mailed me and said "hey, I'm crazy busy right now but I'm going to go a week (or even two) after the deadline" - The deadline came and went almost two months ago and still have heard nothing about it.

I know she's busy, but she somehow manages to play around online every single day, go to parties, and do all kinds of other things but can't take half an hour to go try on a dress or even let me know that she needs a little extra time. Several weeks after the deadline I sent her a message about getting together to catch up. Her response was "well, I can't do lunch, but I can do dinner later in the week." I told her to let me know when was best for her (since my schedule is a lot more flexible) and that was the last I heard of it. I waited several weeks and sent her another message and her response was the same - yes, definitely let's get together. Are you around this weekend? I told her yes and to just let me know when was best for her. Again, that was the last I heard of it.

I finally gave up on waiting for her size and ordered the dresses for the others. I really don't want to burn a bridge or ruin a friendship, but at this point it doesn't feel like there is much of a friendship and I really have to wonder if she even WANTS to be in the wedding. I'm going to talk to my MOH about it which may not be really appropriate, but I think as "head bridesmaid" she needs to know where I stand and, if this girl stays as a bridesmaid, the challenges she is going to have in coordinating stuff.

*SIGH*

I suppose that since this is the biggest stressor I've had in planning, I'm doing really well.

sandy03

11-16-2008, 07:56 PM

I have decided that I am very frustrated with traditional planning timelines and vendor "requirements" on checklists. They are just not applicable to me. I understand that they are good guidelines, but there is no way to customize it easily.

I would love it if there was some sort of software (preferably free and available online) that prompts you through the steps of things to consider, then allows you to add or take away based on what you determine you need. I also hate the categories. There is a huge difference between "six months" and "twelve months"and it makes it difficult to gauge how well you are sticking to your schedule.

For example, I'm not using traditional "wedding" vendors (although all my vendors do weddings on a regular basis). The only one that actually seemed to fit the traditional guidelines was the photographer. The caterer, the florist, the church, and so many others I can't even think of now are just SO laid back about everything which has been great. However, whenever I go to work on stuff, I start looking at my checklist and I get a huge list of things that are "past due" with these urgent little reminders and there is no way for me to say "they aren't past due, they need to be further back on my agenda".

The best example is my florist. They told me that technically I don't need to order anything until 6 weeks before the wedding (so like mid-april, around Easter) but I can order earlier if I want (I will be ordering them in December). But they don't require I pay a deposit. They don't require I pay ANYTHING until about 2 weeks before, then the balance is due the day before or day of the wedding. It's a great problem to have, but incredibly frustrating for someone like me who swears by checklists!

I'm constantly having to make and re-make my own lists because none of the ones that are available meet my needs.

Seeing as how I am not technologically proficient, I don't know if this is even possible or how to make it happen, but here is my dream - A wedding planning software that takes you step by step through all the decisions you have to make and then allows YOU to set when the deadlines are so that they appear in order on a personalized timeline. It starts with the most basic info - the wedding date. Then prompts you to the whole "begin thinking about these things" like guest list, venue, etc. and then lets you customize the facts and figures related to them once you know (number of attendants, number of guests, deposit for location and when it is due, when the balance is due, etc).

It would be REALLY ideal if it also had the whole customizable budgeting tool (i think wedding channel does the best job of this currently, because it re-distributes your budget if you take away something you don't want like a separate reception venue or cocktail hour music or the like) - but my change to it would have the separate lines for deposit, payment, and balance (allowing you to add as many as you need) and also include a sales tax line (with a calculator that you can enter), a shipping cost line (or additional fees line(s) that you can customize), and even a note about whether a particular vendor is typically tipped and how much (or allows you to work in gratuity to the overall cost). If I had to guess, a lot of people who end up going "slightly" over budget, it's because the face value of stuff stays within budget, but when you incorporate "taxes and fees" it pushes them over.

It would also be great if it could produce PDF/printable pages and allow you to re-order them however you see fit (want to put services in alphabetical order by the supplier's name? no problem! rather keep them organized by topic? fine. Need everything put in order of when things need to be addressed? just click!)

But I suppose since nothing like this is available, I'll just have to stick with doing it myself.

sandy03

11-19-2008, 07:08 PM

I had one of the most amazing, affirming wedding-related experiences today. I was talking with my friend Tim today before a meeting and he was asking me about wedding stuff. I recently found out that he and his wife are expecting their third child and so I was debating about whether or not to send them an invitation since our wedding is now less than a week after Becky's due date and I don't want it to seem like I'm fishing for a gift (he didn't know any of this though). As we were talking he asked about the date and when I told him, I said something to the effect of "I'm guessing you'll be otherwise engaged." And his response was "Maybe so, but we still expect to get an invitation!" I know it's just a silly little thing, but it made me feel so loved. It told me that they wanted to be a part of celebrating this special time in my life, even in the midst of a very special time in their own lives! It really doesn't take much to make me happy.

val24

11-21-2008, 10:24 AM

I have decided that I am very frustrated with traditional planning timelines and vendor "requirements" on checklists. They are just not applicable to me. I understand that they are good guidelines, but there is no way to customize it easily.

mine was the same way i bought a planner and just put in there on the monthly who was due and on the weekly i put what day they were due and how much i would owe them. It worked out easier for me when having to pay my vendors.

BarceloMayaPalaceBride

11-21-2008, 11:19 AM

Sounds like you are getting everything in order!!! I know it can be tough when BM's get flaky! Just remember it's you and your hunny's big day and it will be beautiful in the end! :)

sandy03

12-01-2008, 05:53 PM

Holy cow! It's December 1st! When did that happen? Let's start with the wedding panic since that is what this journal is supposed to be about.

I have so much to do before the end of the year. I had grand visions of getting all kinds of stuff done this past week while I was home for Thanksgiving. Yeah, that didn't happen. I never even made it to White Flowers to see if they still have my garter. UGH. In the next few weeks, I have to convince my dad to go use his credit card to reserve the hotel rooms, write the save the date letters/cards, order stamps, order the Save the Date magnets, pay the deposit to the caterer, order the overlays for the tables, and order my flowers. GAH! No pressure! Truthfully, I could probably knock out most of it within about a day, but it just seems so intimidating!

Now on to the family stuff - Jeff and I had everything pretty well situated as far as spending family time and who we would see when. His mom is NOT happy, but we offered the best compromise that we could come up with. If she doesn't want to do it, I'm sorry but we did our best and I WILL be spending more time with my family this year. Like it or not, they're going to have to compromise. She admitted that once we have kids she will probably be more willing to go along with what we want to do with our family, but she also implied that she won't bend until then. Unfortunately, she is going to have to. I bent over backwards to do their stuff last year and I am doing my best to compromise this year but not everyone is going to be happy and that's just part of it.

Now on to the school stress. All my final stuff is due within 9 days. AHHH! I had been procrastinating because I figured I'd be able to get a lot of work done while I was at home for Thanksgiving. Yeah, that didn't happen and now I'm really up spit creek. I've got to present my research and outline for a 15 page paper on Wednesday. Do you know what I have done? NOTHING. I don't even have a firm topic or title. EGADS! I hate this but I know it's my own fault. It's going to be a long week, but once it's over I can enjoy a little bit of freedom.

I'm going to see my god-daughter on the 15th. I haven't seen her in several months and I'm so excited! She's getting so big, I can hardly believe it! It'll be nice to get some good baby cuddles. That should make me feel better.

sandy03

12-03-2008, 11:29 PM

I got a call this afternoon telling me my bridesmaids dresses are in already. YAY!!! It only took three weeks to get all four dresses, under-skirts, and sashes. It's such a relief to know that's one less thing I'll have to worry about. Now if I can just figure out what to do about the last BM and dress...

I decided to try and get serious about the centerpiece hunt tonight. I am still not sure that I want candles. The room where the reception will be is a part of the church, is huge(2 stories tall) and literally has two walls that are windows. They look out onto the street and the view isn't terribly beautiful (one side looks across the street at a bail bonds agency!) but the reception will be about 3pm so it will still be pretty light out (unless it's just pouring buckets). I guess I could have the shades closed anyway but I don't think the lights are on a dimmer since it's the church fellowship hall and church events rarely call for mood lighting, so either way candles wouldn't really get noticed.

I found a few really pretty candleholders that would look really nice even if the candles aren't lit (or noticed). On the other hand, I found some paper rose topiaries that are kind of small but would look really nice. I'm kind of wondering if a 6" topiary would even be worth doing on a 66" tabletop without some other sort of accents, but they would certainly be cheaper (and easier to give away at the end of everything!) I'll think on it and see what Jeff has to say.

I'm also kind of kicking myself for buying my ring pillow and flower basket so early. I mean, I still love the ones I got, but I just found another set I also love and might actually go better with the stuff we have (or at the very least, my dress). I'll have to think on it for a while. It may come down to whatever outfit I can come up with for the kids (especially Gavin). I guess I've got some time to decide.

sandy03

12-04-2008, 06:32 PM

It seems like all my life crisis is resolving itself, slowly but surely.

I feel much better about the two major papers I have to write. Now I just have to make myself actually do the work. I have a good outline for my Esther paper and hope to spend most of the day tomorrow getting my 15 pages written since I now have to turn in a hard copy. boo!
My thesis is coming along. I had a good meeting with my first reader today and feel like I'm making some great progress. I'm re-typing the whole thing rather than copying and pasting so I can make sure everything makes sense and all my grammatical errors get fixed. It's been very helpful because I've found a lot of stuff that has needed to be re-worked, but it's long and somewhat tedious. I feel a lot better about it knowing that even though this is a final draft, it's still technically a draft and I'll get to make revisions before it goes to my second reader and my defense.
I haven't even started thinking about my history final. I know it's horrible, but I doubt I'm going to study for it. I just want to pass and get out (which I'm pretty certain I will!)

After some serious centerpiece hunting, I've finally found several that I really like and feel like I can afford. One is more expensive, but would make a more dramatic presentation. One is smaller and less expensive so it wouldn't look as good (I don't think) but would be much easier to give away when it's over. And then there's the question of whether I'm willing to live with fake flowers or if I would rather settle for candleholders.

I still haven't made it to David's Bridal today. I had planned to do it after my meeting this morning but it just didn't happen. I figure I can wait another hour or so for the traffic to thin out and then go, or I can just wait and go tomorrow. I guess it will depend on how badly I decide i want brownies.

Moon.Dust.

12-04-2008, 07:10 PM

do you have pisc of the centerpieces? I'm nosey.

sandy03

12-04-2008, 07:23 PM

http://www.bridalpeople.com/floral-centerpieces/20351.asp

http://www.rumors.com/topiary-wedding-favor.html

http://cacshack.mybisi.com/product/0/WEDDINGS-10-Ivory-Elegance-Candleabra-Centerpieces--NEW_407190.html

http://cacshack.mybisi.com/product/0/WEDDINGS-10-White-Fancy-Lanterns-wStands-Centerpieces_92640.html

Moon.Dust.

12-04-2008, 07:34 PM

I love the mini topiaries and the candelabras!!!

Angel1na3

12-04-2008, 08:24 PM

I really like these:
http://www.bridalpeople.com/floral-c...eces/20351.asp
Very pretty! You can add some candles around it as well if you wanted to =) small cadles in little glass votives. I made topiaries for decor for my best friends bridal shower two month ago =) But, they ended up costing about 20 each so its about the same price to buy them from that site.

sandy03

12-04-2008, 11:05 PM

I don't have any pictures of me wearing my dress, but here are some of the dress I got. It won't look like this on me because I'm NOT that busty, but I'm also having straps added made of the same type of lace from my mom's dress.
http://www.davidsbridal.com/images/fashions/thumb/f07_9T9211.jpg
http://reviews.davidsbridal.com/7294/19936/photo.jpg
http://reviews.davidsbridal.com/7294/20268/photo.jpg
http://reviews.davidsbridal.com/7294/19935/photo.jpg

sandy03

12-04-2008, 11:17 PM

My headpiece
http://www.davidsbridal.com/images/product/detail/P_4835_2_117162.jpg

My veil (this is a bad picture, it's not really that poofy, and mine has the champagne edge)
http://www.davidsbridal.com/images/fashions/full/s07_418.jpg

My shoes (yes, they are the champagne color)
http://img.davidsbridal.com/db/f08_audrey_20080617.psd.xml&cmp-color=color,x000&ftr=5&cmp-end=1&wid=330&hei=460&cvt=jpg

sandy03

12-04-2008, 11:24 PM

This is my bridesmaids dress, except the dress is black, and the sash and underskirt are champagne.
http://www.davidsbridal.com/images/fashions/full/s08_81591_wacc2.jpg

Tux style (very simple, one button), will be worn with an ivory shirt
http://www.menswearhouse.com/media/images/tuxedo_products/division10/1780PRO/1780PRO_F07_DF_v4_m56577569830548028.jpg

This is the vest with the regular tie. The groomsmen are wearing the champagne, the ushers are wearing black, and Jeff is wearing ivory.
http://www.menswearhouse.com/media/images/tuxedo_products/division80/8855GECHM/8855GECHM_F07_DF_v4_m56577569830548702.jpg

The ring bearer and flower girl outfits are still to be decided. I'll have to wait and see what is available around easter time next year (and what size the kids are!) I can tell you right now Gavin will NOT be in a tiny tux. I am fundamentally opposed to those.

EarlyBird

12-05-2008, 03:16 AM

here ya go.. these are very pretty and you could use two or so pillar candles around it
http://cgi.ebay.com/8-99-Rose-Bridal-Bouquet-Topiary-Wedding-Centerpieces_W0QQitemZ280291571253QQcmdZViewItemQQ ptZWedding_Party_Supplies?hash=item280291571253&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

these are even more awesom
http://cgi.ebay.com/20-VictorianE-Rose-TOPIARIES-Wedding-Supplies-Wedding_W0QQitemZ400013434443QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH _DefaultDomain_0?hash=item400013434443&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A2%7C294%3A50

they both add some height..

i agree, i love the 6" toparies, but UNFORTUNATLEY. i dont think those alone would be nice.. to tiny.. my only suggestion might be to do something like this,
The toparies, a table runner and some votives --- that all together would add some more drama.. would wind up being about 10.00 a table though so it just depends whta you want, the look YOU want.

heres another question though.. why not MAKE them?????
i know walmart sells them fairly cheap for the 10-15 inch ones

also.......can i make ONE more suggestion.. i looove this idea and its easy enough -

you know the pomander balls??? why not put those on 12-15 inch ornament hangers (esp after xmas you could find them on clearence)
here is a link
http://www.finehomedisplays.com/ornamentstands.asp
then hang the pomander from there.. you could make your own.. or buy the pomanders from acmoore (i got mine for about 3.50 a piece using the 40% off coupon)
they would look like this but table top
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2006/1780532424_38cbe5fb04.jpg?v=0

here are some other things
http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/hydrangea-topiary/index.html

Angel1na3

12-05-2008, 09:38 AM

ooooohhhhh very great ideas for the topiaries =) I definitely agree, that alone would be too plain. that you need to add candles or something of the sort with it. you can also do loose petals on the table around them with the candles =)

sandy03

12-05-2008, 11:22 AM

Thank you for the thoughts on the centerpieces! Keep them coming. Let me answer the questions that have been raised and give a little more detail.

I'll have 15 round tables (66" tabletop) with floor length white table cloths. The chairs are the traditional banquet chairs with the burgundy and I'm not even going to mess with trying to cover them. It's not worth being stuck with 250 chair covers when it's over!

Since my colors are black, champagne, and ivory the white table cloth was a bit troubling to me (because I'm anal like that) so we are going to use a square black sheer overlay (probably 90") on each table to cover the top. I've never liked the look of the runners on round tables (no offense if you do) so I wanted to cover the whole thing.

All my flowers are going to be ivory. At the moment I'm trying to extend this to everything, including the reception. Jeff and I haven't been able to agree on any other colors, so we're keeping it simple.

As for the question of DIY - I love to be crafty as much as the next gal (even if it doesn't save me money) but right now TIME is what I'm struggling to budget. Next semester I'm going to be taking 4 (possibly 5) classes and finishing/defending my thesis, working at the church (which is supposed to be a part time job but usually sucks up every free moment), plus all the pre-wedding parties (i think we're up to about five showers right now and two or three bachelorette parties) and keeping up with life in general. My graduation from Div school will be on Friday, May 8. My last day at the church will be Sunday, May 10. I will probably be moving home in phases between the end of April and graduation weekend, hopefully pulling home my last load of stuff on Sunday. That will then give me less than two weeks to do all my last minute wedding stuff. If it were one or two topiary trees, I might consider making them but since it's 15 (plus probably a couple to replace the ones I screw up) I don't see that as do-able.

Keep in mind that this is just an hors d'oeuvres reception, not dinner. People will probably be doing a lot more mingling than they will sitting at the tables, there will be no assigned seating, (there won't even be enough tables for all the guests!) I'm estimating the whole thing to last about 2 hours start to finish, maybe two and a half if the ceremony moves quicker than I expect it to.

To be continued...

sandy03

12-05-2008, 02:52 PM

So continuing what I started earlier -

Here are my thoughts on the various centerpieces and how I would use them.

The large topiary - I might tie a champagne ribbon around the middle, but for the most part they would just sit in the middle of the table
Pro: I think they're gorgeous, probably my favorite of all of them. The setup would be minimal and as far as price is concerned, what you see is what you get. Nothing else is really needed
Con: They're expensive, and what in the world am I going to do with 15 giant topiaries when it's over with?

The small topiaries are definitely cute and more along the lines of what I was looking to spend. I would probably use a paint pen to write our names and the wedding date around the pot, and again maybe add some ribbon. I might sprinkle some freeze dried rose petals around the base and maybe a few pearls and/or crystals to add a little something
Pro: they're cheaper! And they would be much easier to give away (i can already think of homes for at least 1/3 of them!) They're short enough that people could see over them so they can talk across the table.
Con:The fake flower thing again, and the fact that they are sort of short and would need stuff added to it.

The candelabras are beautiful, but again they are expensive. I could again just stick these in the middle of the table without adding much. I would probably see if I could find some black or champagne colored pillar candles (preferably kind of sparkly on the outside - if I can't find any that are sparkly i would probably add my own bit of sparkle to them)
Pros: they are pretty, and very simple to set up. They'd add some good height.
Cons: they're expensive, I'd still have to find like 45 pillar candles, and again, i'd be stuck with them (plus they're sold in sets of 10 so I'd have 20 to give away rather than 15!)

The candle lanterns are my least favorite because they're white rather than ivory/cream and I'm just not terribly crazy about them. They'd be cute and I'd put a candle in them, but I wouldn't necessarily have to light it because you wouldn't notice it.
Pros: They're pretty cheap and they're unique
Cons: the color, I'd still be stuck giving away 20, and they really don't go with anything else i'm doing.

The hanging pomander balls are a very cute idea but I'd have to find (or make) some really small ones. I started thinking of different ways of doing it but I just can't come up with one I really like. Maybe inspiration will strike later.

I did get an idea looking at the table-top ornament hangers. I found a two-sided hanging picture frame ornament (2x3) that I could put a cute picture of us on one side and some sort of fun fact about us/the picture on the other. It would be cute, but still pretty small and it might need something else.

So that's where I am right now. When I go home next week and see Jeff I think I'll show them to him and see what he thinks, but I'm guessing he'll pick the small topiary.

EarlyBird

12-05-2008, 07:26 PM

i just read that it is NOT a traditional sit down dinner.. do you knw that usaually those dont call for centerpieces of elaborate sorts because people want to be able to see across the room to mingle :)

i think you could do half the large toparies and half the smaller ones - on every other table :) worth a thought and would save some money!

sandy03

12-05-2008, 08:06 PM

Most of the receptions I've been to at the church haven't had centerpieces at all. The last one I saw pictures of just had like three little white votive candles in glass holders and you don't even notice them sitting on the white table cloths. I know I don't HAVE to do them, but I really want to do something different from everyone else. I'm too anal to do different things on different tables (which is why we aren't recycling the bridesmaids bouquets as centerpieces).

If I do decide to get the smaller ones for my tables, I may look into getting one or two of the big ones to go on the table with the guestbook or with the favors.

Angel1na3

12-05-2008, 08:29 PM

are you 100% set on Topiaries? If not im just here thinking something simple but yet elegant and not expensive. what if you did something similar to this. just some other thoughts:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/meadow22/wedding-centerpiece-ideas-11.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/meadow22/300_179799.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/meadow22/300_206199.jpg

sandy03

12-05-2008, 09:47 PM

I have considered doing a small, simple floral thing. My first thought was to get a silver mint julep cup and put about three roses in it or something very similar, but it would still be very small (probably even smaller than the small topiary i had picked out) so I don't know that it really is that much better of an option.

Another option was to put a gardenia in a floating bowl, but they're so freaking expensive, it's just not worth it to me. Plus I'm not using gardenias anywhere else.

I saw something cute that was a bunch of hydrangeas in a "float bowl" with roses around it (which is similar to what I think I'm doing for my bridesmaids bouquets) but white/ivory flowers discolor pretty quickly and I just don't want them looking brown and icky by the time everyone gets to the reception (because it would have to be done before the ceremony)

I still haven't made up my mind about how I feel about doing candles at all. If they were scented (so they served a purpose other than just light) i might consider it. But I also know my friends and family members, and I'm not sure that ADDING fire hazards is a bright idea for anyone! (I just have this awful vision of someone knocking over a candle and setting my train on fire!)

I do really love the topiaries. I'm not really sure why, either. I just think it's a great, elegant look. Maybe it's a southern thing. I don't know! If I had money to burn, I'd be getting some four foot tall ones (live ones) to go by the doors. I hope to one day have at least one real one on my porch.

sandy03

12-08-2008, 10:10 PM

In between studying and writing like a crazy person, I have been looking for the pictures of what I want my flowers to be. But i can't find any, so you'll have to settle for descriptions for the time being.

My bouquet - cream roses in a teardrop shape. I don't want any greens at all, just the roses. I also want to see if I can have some pearls stuck in. Not necessarily in the center of the roses, but just in between them. If they can be kind of the champagne colored pearls, that would be even better, but I haven't found any so I'm not holding my breath.

Bridesmaids bouquet - I'm sort of debating this now - I was originally going to do one white/ivory hydrangea in the center, surrounded by 7 or so ivory roses. The stems would be wrapped with black or ivory satin ribbon with a small bow of champagne ribbon.
My second option is to do a simple, hand tied bouquet of just six or seven ivory roses. The ribbon would look the same.

Flower girl - she will drop freeze-dried ivory petals

Boutonnieres - Jeff's will be one large ivory rose. I'm debating whether to use one large rose or two mini roses for the groomsmen, but theirs will be ivory too. Same for the dads, granddads, and ushers.

Mother of the Groom and grandmother(s) - pin on corsage of mini roses - I haven't decided on color. If i do something other than ivory, it'll probably be peach or pale pink.

step-mother of the bride - I have no idea, probably whatever she wants (but probably a pin on something)

Liturgist and musician - pin on corsage, probably of two ivory roses

Program, guestbook attendants - "bracelet" corsage of mini roses, probably either ivory or pale pink

Church doors - we're putting pearl wreaths on the front of the church rather than flowers.

Pew markers - because of the shape of the top of the pews, we can't use those. I may still do some hanging vases of hydrangeas or roses, but I'll have to wait and see.

Altar arrangements - we're not actually putting flowers on the altar because we are serving communion so we will have the bread and cup and the candles on the altar. But we are doing "altar flowers" - we'll do two arrangements of ivory roses, hydrangeas, and baby's breath (MAYBE some white lilies, I'm really not sure because I've always been taught that lilies are funeral flowers) in silver trumpet vases on stands on either side of the altar.

Balcony - I really don't know if we're going to do anything on the balcony. I love the idea of doing some pearl garlands, but the balcony is on three sides of the sanctuary and that would be a LOT of pearls to be left with! Maybe I'll just do some bows or something.

Mother of the Bride - I saved the best for last!!
My mom passed away two years ago, and I really wanted to do something special to honor her during the ceremony. Tulips were some of her favorite flowers, so I am going to have a special, hand-tied bouquet of tulips (i think french tulips) in either white or ivory (depending on what we can get) and during the seating of the mothers, have my brother carry them in and lay them in what would have been her seat in the church had she been alive. (It's a good thing I won't be in the sanctuary for this because it would probably make me boo-hoo!) I am thinking about getting a little pin-on locket/picture frame and putting a photo of either her or me and her in it. Then I'll probably take the flowers to the cemetery after the wedding and lay them on her grave.

We're not doing a unity candle, but we may still have a memorial candle for Jeff's dad, my grandparents, and my identical twin who was stillborn. We haven't decided what we want to do for that yet.

sandy03

12-10-2008, 06:40 PM

I'm almost done with school for the semester. I took my final exam for history, turned in my final paper for my bible class, and now I'm just a page and a half away from being done with my Thesis! its a very happy moment (although will be much happier when I get the thesis turned in!)

I had a good talk with my "problem" bridesmaid today and things are good. She has had a lot of crazy and pretty awful stuff going on in her life, so my wedding stuff has been at the bottom of her priority list, as it should be. I'm still a little miffed that she didn't at least let me know, but I understand. It was nice to catch up and I'm glad we're on the same page again. I sort of feel bad for getting upset with her now that I know what's going on, but at the same time, I was making judgements off of what I knew, and that's all anyone can do.

I'm home for a few days for a meeting and our first family Christmas thing of the year. I'm not terribly excited just yet because of all the work that will go into cooking for 20 people, but I know it'll be worth it. Hopefully I can get a wedding-related errand or two done while I'm home. If not, I'll do them after Christmas.

sandy03

12-11-2008, 01:11 PM

*Hallelujah chorus playing in the background* I'm done for the semester. HOORAY!

I got the proof of our Save the Dates yesterday. http://by130w.bay130.mail.live.com/att/GetAttachment.aspx?tnail=0&messageId=c54a5199-a3cc-49fd-b6bd-a586863c05d4&Aux=44|0|8CB290DEE123150|

These are magnets. I still haven't decided what kind of card I'm going to put them with (or what it's going to say!) I'm working on that. The cartoon on the top will also be printed on our napkins for the reception, a large chocolate heart that will be the topper for our small cutting cake. We're also getting it printed on chocolate coins that we had thought about using as favors, but now I'm thinking about putting them on the top of our cupcakes. I'll go to the bakery hopefully tomorrow at some point and see if they have any cute little mints or something that we can put on top of the cupcakes instead.

Jeff and I looked at the centerpieces last night and, just as i predicted, he chose the small topiary. One less decision for me to make! Now I've just got to order/reserve everything!

I really am wondering if there are any other decisions I have to make other than finishing the ceremony.

Kay

12-11-2008, 02:45 PM

Question for you ~ you stated your flower girl was going to drop "freeze dried rose petals" ~ I am flower ignorant ~ can you explain?? I'm just wondering if this is some old rose petals you've been saving in the freezer?? If so, I should start saving now ~ FF buys me roses/flowers constantly!! :bbredface:

sandy03

12-11-2008, 02:58 PM

No, I'm buying freeze-dried petals - it's a way to preserve them but it keeps them looking fresh. I can get a whole bunch that are "less than perfect" for cheaper than fresh and can order them ahead of time. That way I'll have them and my flower girl will have some real ones to practice with and then use for the ceremony. I'm also going to use them to decorate the cake table (possibly all the tables) and then have everyone toss them rather than rice or birdseed when we leave.

This is the company I'm ordering from - http://by130w.bay130.mail.live.com/att/GetAttachment.aspx?tnail=0&messageId=c54a5199-a3cc-49fd-b6bd-a586863c05d4&Aux=44|0|8CB290DEE123150|

Kay

12-11-2008, 04:19 PM

Thanks for the info! That links takes me to Hotmail??

EarlyBird

12-11-2008, 07:14 PM

yah i was wondering about the link too and it wasnt working. i would love to order some of these!!

Angel1na3

12-11-2008, 07:18 PM

sandy03

12-12-2008, 12:22 AM

I honestly don't know how exactly freeze drying happens. I've seen it advertised as a way to preserve flowers, especially your bouquet, and it keeps them looking fresh (rather than what you think of when you think about dried flowers!) I haven't ordered the petals yet (it's on the to-do list) but once I do, I can let you know more about what they look and feel like.

Supposedly, if you wanna do a petal toss for your "getaway" rather than rice or bubbles or something you have to be careful about using fresh because colors (especially red) can stain the white dress - personally i think that would be kind of hard to do and i'm using ivory petals anyway and i'm changing into something different for the getaway so it wasn't a concern for me, but i guess it is something to think about.

For me, the thing that put the freeze dried ones over the edge was the price - you get so many for so cheap (plus they have some really cool blends!) and I can use them all over the place. Plus, they'll already be preserved, so i won't have to worry about trying to dry and store some to save!

sandy03

12-12-2008, 12:23 AM

yah i was wondering about the link too and it wasnt working. i would love to order some of these!!

the name of the company is Flyboy Naturals. You can just google search them and get the link.

sandy03

12-12-2008, 01:36 AM

I was just talking to my cousin, Katie, who happens to be one of my bridesmaids. She was engaged once before and called it off less than a week before the wedding. It was really the smartest decision she has made because the guy was a real jerk and the whole family was wondering if he wasn't abusing her emotionally. Anywho...

She found out today that her ex-fiance's little sister is now engaged and wearing Katie's ring! It seems to me that there would be some serious bad juju associated with those rings at this point! I mean, it has been almost 3 years, but still! It would be different if they had belonged to a stranger and you hadn't know how it ended!!

I told her that I figured at least one of the guys was being pretty cheap (probably both of them!) Her ex wanted the money from them and the sister's fiance wanted cheap rings! We had a good laugh about it, but that is kind of weird. I don't see how it doesn't bother him to see Katie's ring on his little sister. Then again, maybe guys don't think like that.

It kind of makes me wonder how I would feel if my step-mom was wearing any of my mom's stuff. Not just her engagement ring or her jewelry for that matter, but anything that I really associate with my mom. My mom and I had a wonderful relationship and my step-mom and I also have a good relationship so it's not like there's a lot of tension, I just think it would be weird. Then again, I'm emotional about stuff like that.

There are actually a lot of family things going on that i can write about too, but it's kind of long so I'll put it in another entry.

sandy03

12-12-2008, 02:56 AM

Planning my wedding has been a real emotional roller-coaster for a variety of reasons. This is not terribly well thought out so my thoughts may be a bit scattered, so for that i appolgize

My mom was one of my best friends. We were just alike and so I constantly ask myself what she would tell me to do about stuff. She died of cancer in November 2006.

My dad started dating a good family friend almost immediately after my mom died. Truthfully, they were sort of dating (nothing inappropriate) even before my mom died. I knew he would probably marry Catherine but it was still hard when they got engaged in July 2007. They were married in June 2008. Now I can really look at it as a good thing. My dad is absolutely helpless on his own and needs someone to take care of him. She's been really great at helping my dad make sense of what I'm doing professionally because he was never really interested while my mom was alive. He and I have a kind of strained relationship, but we've learned to sort of peacefully co-exist.

Jeff's mother has been married three times. Her first marriage was about 30 years ago but didn't last more than a couple of years. Her second marriage was to Jeff's dad and lasted about ten years. Jeff is an only child, but has two half-brothers from his dad's first marriage. Jeff's dad had a drinking problem and that is the main reason they split. I get the feeling that she is still sort of pained by the whole thing, and I know being a single mom was hard for her, but she has a very different opinion of Jeff's dad than Jeff does. His dad died several years ago so I never met him. Jeff can definitely recognize his dad's failings, but he also has some really good memories of times with his dad . His mom got re-married again just a few years ago, but they dated for at least 10 years so his step-dad was an important part of his life even before he was his step-dad.

His mother is one of five children, and both his grandparents (his mom's parents) are still living. Right after we started dating I told him that if we broke up, I got to retain custody of his family. All the aunts, uncles, and cousins live within an hour of his grandparents' house (except for one cousin and her husband who just moved down to the coast, but are still less than 6 hours away) This makes for some very interesting family dynamics that i could write counseling papers on forever! At the family holidays there are about 40 people there usually! Personally, I think a little separation would be good for all of them, but that's just me.

His mother has no idea how to be a mother-in-law because she hasn't had one since her first marriage 30 years ago! All she has ever seen is how her own mother has acted as a MIL to other family members, but that's still not the same. She has also mentioned that there is a part of her that always wanted a girl that she never had. She and I have had a somewhat strained relationship because I sometimes get the sense that she is trying to jump in and take the place of my mother and make me the daughter she never had. I doubt that this would bother me nearly as much if my mother was still alive, but since she's not (and I will admit I'm probably overly sensitive about this) I feel like it's disrespectful to my mother's memory and our relationship. I know she means well, but she honestly has no idea what it's like because she hasn't ever lost a parent. Even Jeff's grandmother has said that she is trying to act like my mother, not my MIL, and that won't work for us to have a good relationship.

Because she was a single mother, she has never had to compromise on holidays or have to be away from her family, especially on Christmas. Unfortunately, now that Jeff and I are forming our own family this just won't work! Last year I didn't get to see my mom's family at all (who are what i consider to be my family) because we spent like three days doing his family stuff. This year we are going to see my family and he'll be away on Christmas day, but it's just part of it.

I already told her that once we have kids, we won't be going ANYWHERE on Christmas day, and she agreed that we should do that. But she also implied that until we give her grandkids, she owns us on holidays. Well that doesn't sit well for me for a number of reasons - the most obvious is that I want to spend time with my family. The second is that Christmas is a very busy season for me professionally. The same will go for Easter. These are work days for me! Right now I'm home and we're doing Jeff's step-dad's family christmas on Saturday. But when we finish that, I have to drive back to Nashville for a week because I have two more Sundays that I have to be available to work at the church. Next year, when I'm not a student, I won't even have the guarantee of a few days off until AFTER christmas (probably after new years!) because of Christmas eve (and possibly even Christmas day) services, plus as the low person on the totem pole, I will probably have to fill in the week after Christmas and Easter while the senior pastor takes a breather. THEN I can have my break.It's not going to go over well, but it's just a part of the reality. Thankfully, my step-mom gets it because she's worked this schedule before, so they are more than willing to bend over backwards to work around it. I hope when it comes down to it his family will be willing to do the same. I know this is a totally new and foreign way of thinking and living for them, but eventually things have to change!

I am living in a very different reality than Jeff and his family as far as family relationships and traditions and the like. I am still very close to my mom's family because they were "the family" as I knew it. I really don't have much of a relationship with my dad's family, in part because of his strained relationships with them. All of my grandparents have died. I have a set of very good family friends who have been like surrogate grandparents to me and my brother throughout our lives. At the time I was born my parents didn't have family anywhere close and their son was in the navy, so was halfway across the world. It was always sort of a running joke that I was Papa's first grandchild (I always called him Papa, just like his grandkids when they were born!) and they have always been very special to me. But at our engagement party when we had to put on nametags and include everyone's relationship to either me or Jeff, his mother put "Sandy's other grandmother" on Fay's nametag (papa couldn't go). I know what she meant, but I don't know that I have ever really classified them like that and was sort of offended that she thought she had the right to do that. Again, maybe I would feel differently if my grandparents were still alive, but I want to honor their memories, not just try to fill that "gap".

The whole understanding of family and relationships and all that has been a huge stressor as far as the wedding goes, particularly the whole "seating of the mothers" tradition. I honestly had never even thought about seating my step-mother during this part of the service. If she had been a part of my life since I was little I might, but I see her more as a friend than a maternal figure. I think part of the reason we have such a good relationship is that she has never tried to be or replace my mother. She is the one that told my dad that his name would be the only one on our wedding invitations and I don't think she cares what I do with all the wedding stuff. Jeff's mother does not share this perspective. Her first fit was when I told her that neither my mother's name nor Catherine's name would be on my invitations (you DON'T put a deceased family member's name on an invitation, only in newspaper announcements!) Then, she flipped out when I told her what I was planning for the flowers to honor my mom because i wasn't going to seat Catherine as the mother of the bride! Umm, Catherine ISN'T the mother of the bride and wouldn't take that role if i offered it to her (which i wouldn't!) I have lucked out a little in the sense that our church has two aisles so it's really easy to put people on either side of the aisle and still have them on the "bride's side" - this is exactly what I'm going to do! I'm using the seating chart for divorced parents in a two-aisle sanctuary. Catherine and Fay will both still have corsages, but I'm not sure if I'm going to have them "officially" seated as a part of the service.

I've also had some really awkward interactions with my aunt (my mom's sister) about the wedding stuff. I had one REALLY bad conversation with her about stuff where she basically ripped every idea I had insulted everything I was doing. My brother told me that she later expressed that she was sorry she'd done that (it left me in tears) but she never apologized to me directly. We have had a very weird relationship ever since my mom died and i feel like that was just the final nail in the coffin of our relationship.

I am a bit of a stickler for etiquette rules. I can't help it, it's just the way i was raised, and I'm a little OCD. I'll bend the rules for special circumstances, but I believe that there is a right and a wrong way of doing things, especially in a formal setting. There's a part of me that's tempted to get his mom one of those "guide for the mother of the groom" books but I'm afraid she'd be offended by it. It probably would have been more appropriate last year right after we got engaged. Oh well. I know it'll all work itself out eventually.

EarlyBird

12-13-2008, 03:34 AM

hi sandy, i have a quick question.. by any chance, is your fh family italian? Im italian, and it sounds alot like my family. fh Grandparents have been gone many years, he calls my grandmother grandma like the rest of us, and she would never consider herself different. in an italian familiy, its usually not a question of calling in laws mom and dad either, and if one parent is out of the picture (for example mob) then usually the mog steps in to do the mob duties. my mother had this exp. as her mother wasnt around for wedding planning and my other grandmother, the mog stepped in. She has mentioned "it was the right thing to do, not let her go it without a motherly figure" So i get the feeling his mother might think its her duty and the right etiquette to do these things. Personally, i think its something you should sit with her and speak about. Losing your mother was no doubt, the hardest thing, and will continue to be, esp. during this time. however, as you said, she never lost a parent, she doesnt understand. MOre likely then not, she doesnt want to offend or step on toes, and would appreciate some guidance.

sandy03

12-13-2008, 08:07 PM

She and I have talked about it before and she has said that she doesn't really know what she's doing, and I think a lot of it is just her personality. I think she and I both have a tendency to be stubborn, and that may be why we run into trouble with one another. Her idea of a "suggestion" is to say "you HAVE to do this" but she will then say it's not a mandate - well, I take her literally. Jeff is used to "de-coding" what she says, but I'm not. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually, It'll just take time.

I guess it would be different if I DESIRED that "motherly" figure, but I really don't. I mean, I'm 23 years old so I don't really NEED mothering anymore. If my mom were around, sure I would be asking her about stuff, but it would mostly be a "what do you think of this" type of question or "what am I forgetting?" And maybe that is just a product of my mother's and my relationship, too. She also has a thing against one of her sisters-in-law and anything that she has ever done (including for her daughter's wedding) so if anything I suggest is even remotely close to Jeff's cousin's wedding, his mother is going to HATE it and just bash it, even though I'm not going to do the same things or in the same ways.

His mom and I have just never really gotten a chance to get to know each other because I've always been several hours away in school. We'll do stuff together and chat occasionally, but we just haven't really had a chance to feel each other out (which I know that even in the best of relationships, this will keep happening for years anyway) One of the things that crawls all over me is when she gets all upset about something involving my step-mom (which most of the time does not involve her at all! Catherine and I have never had a conflict about anything that I can recall!) She is just approaching things from the whole attitude that being my dad's wife equates to being my mother, and it certainly doesn't to her or to me!

Maybe I will feel a little different once we are actually married and I can think of them a little more as an extension of MY family, but for now they are still Jeff's family. I feel like there is still a lot I am left out of, and part of that is distance too that nobody can help, but it does make things harder.

This is going to sound conceited, but I have heard it from several people on the outside looking in - I think Jeff's family is a little intimidated by me. I won't say I'm smarter than them, but I'm more well educated. The only other person who has about the same level of education as me is Jeff's cousin's wife and they don't seem as fond of her either. I don't know if it's jealousy or what, but my family is a little more well off than his. We don't lord it over anyone and we're not RICH by any means, but my dad gave us the house where Jeff is living right now! It was the house where I grew up for the most part, and when my dad got married he moved into her house because it's a little bigger so Jeff lives here rent free (just maintains the house and pays the bills for living here!) I doubt we'll actually stay here after we get married, but it's a pretty great deal for us for the time being (and when we do finally sell the house in a few years, it'll definitely help us with some of the financial hurdles that most young couples have to face!)

His mother has also mentioned that she refuses to be a "long distance grandmother". I understand where she's coming from - Jeff's step-sister has a little boy who's just over a year old and they live in Portland (which is a long way from Alabama!) But her definition of "long distance" in regards to us is an hour's drive away! Umm, right now that's Jeff's commute, I don't consider that long distance!! The problem with that is that with my job, I may have to move every four or five years, and it could in theory be all over the state! So unless she plans to move all over creation every few years, she's GOING to be separated from her grandkids at some point. Not by a whole lot, you could still make a day trip to see us, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it!

sandy03

12-14-2008, 01:38 AM

We had Christmas with Jeff's step-dad's family. It wasn't really too much hard work because we got so much done on Friday. Granted, I didn't get to bed until 2am and had to be up by 8am to get lunch started, but once I got up I wasn't TOO rushed. Unfortunately, several people were late so lunch had to sit for almost 45 minutes after it was ready before we got to eat, but it was still quite tasty.

We ended up with an extra dirty santa present somehow. Somewhere, we had two extra presents so Jeff and I got one and one of the kids got the other. He got a wal-mart gift card (which is probably going to be for Cocoa's Christmas present), I got a men's razor gift set (so obviously Jeff gets that) and we got an electric griddle (so I guess I can claim that as my present!) It was a fun time. Plus his aunt brought us a "hostess" gift of a Christmas cactus! By the time everyone left I was worn out! I fell asleep on the couch waiting for the dishwasher to finish a load! Jeff was such a sweetheart, and when he saw me passed out on the couch, tried to be really quiet and finished all the dishes for me!

I only napped for about an hour. Neither of us could muster the strength or interest to actually sit through a movie at the theaters right now, so we decided against that. We have decided that we have a new favorite (and very cheap!) date - the brown bag special at Sonic! It's really nice when we want dinner but neither of us are starving or really in the mood for anything in particular. After dinner, we went riding around and looked at some Christmas light on the way home. And our whole "date" still only took an hour :) Gotta love small town life!

I love being domestic and hosting parties and stuff. Plus, I held everyone hostage and told them they weren't allowed to leave until they wrote down their addresses for me (which filled in a lot of the empty spots on my wedding list!) This is really only the second time I got to meet the majority of this part of his family, but strangely enough I felt like I got to spend more time talking to most of them today even though I was busy playing hostess. I guess because I wasn't quite as awkward and shy around them, and I was in my house so I was a little more comfortable.

All in all it was a good holiday. I really enjoyed myself, even though I am really feeling it now! I'm looking forward to the next week of REST!

sandy03

12-19-2008, 10:29 PM

I'm still alive, I swear. And unfortunately, I haven't accomplished squat.

I went to see some friends of mine for the week and their beautiful little girl (my beautiful goddaughter!) a few days before I left, my friend (who I've known since high school) told me that she and her husband are getting a divorce, just so I'd know before I got there. They're still living together so they can share the baby's first Christmas, and then she's moving in with her brother. To say that things were tense would be the understatement of the century. But we all survived. It was very strange being so excited about my upcoming wedding in the middle of their marriage ending.

It wasn't a shock by any means (which I guess is why I didn't think twice about going to see them still!) but it's still sad. If not for them, for the baby. They've had problems for a long time (probably since before they got married!) but I know that it's the sweet baby girl that's going to suffer the most through this all. I just hope they can still act like adults through this all!

On a much happier note, Jeff made some AMAZING new year's eve plans for us. He got us tickets to see the Alabama Symphony that's playing at the Alabama Theatre (this awesome old theatre built in like 1927 that's been completely restored!) I have never been to the Alabama which is a real shame, but I won't be able to say that for long! He also got us a room at the Tutwiler Hotel (also very old, very cool, and I've never been!) Now all we have to do is pick a place for dinner. I'm not too impressed with the restaurant at the hotel (at least their dinner menu, we'll probably get dinner there after the show!) so we'll pick someplace else. There are lots of cool places downtown and in Southside, so I'm sure we'll find something good.

I don't get to go home for Christmas until Monday. It kind of stinks, but I guess it's good practice for next year when I may have to have everyone come to me for Christmas! At least next year I can come home to Jeff every night and feel like I'm doing SOMETHING to prepare and be in the spirit.

I swear sometimes I hate the weather in the south! I am thrilled that it's finally been feeling like winter around here (and yet I am still able to wear my flip flops, as long as there is no snow on the ground!) Monday when I drove over towards Memphis I had to be really careful and make sure I was there by dark because of the threat of ice and freezing rain and yucky roads and crazy drivers. And today when I left, I had to strip off my sweatshirt between their door and the car because it was 73 degrees outside! And on Monday, it's supposed to be back down to 37. Then on Christmas, it should be back up in the 60s *sigh* I don't mind the cold and I don't mind the warm, but for goodness sakes I wish it would PICK ONE!

I guess I'm a glutton for punishment, but I looked up my spring schedule to see if the books were in the bookstore yet. Only about half of them are. But the books for two classes are going to cost me $450! CRIPES! What a way to end my schooling career! Oh well, my professional library will be well stocked, and after midterms I can start moving some stuff home for good!

And finally for the wedding update. I haven't accomplished much since my last update. I made a list of everything I have left to do/buy and it fits on one page. Woohoo! At the same time, it's still a long list that I need to get cracking on! The most pressing issues are the hotel and the catering deposit. If i can get the flowers and the invitations done while I'm home, that would be icing on the cake.

I decided that since we're doing business card sized magnets, I'm going to use the long (i guess their called "tea-length") cards to mount them on and mail them. I figured the cheapest way to go would be to get some ivory DIY invitations and use them. The problem is that I wasn't able to find any on my first couple of ventures out. I'll try again when I get home, but it's disheartening. I also need to work on a draft of what to put on the cards. If I can't come up with the cardstock, I'll just write a letter and print it on cute paper or something!

Ok, I'm hungry and can no longer feel my fingers or toes so I guess I'm done here for the night!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Moon.Dust.

12-20-2008, 10:28 AM

sounds like everything is rolling along!
I'm so happy you've got awesome plans for new years.
As for your friends... yeah it's hard to be excited about yourself when those around you are just bitter on the whole experience. Sorry about that.

Docsgirl

12-20-2008, 10:40 AM

Just read through your journal for the first time and wanted to say that I love your dress and it seems like the planning is coming along nicely! :D

sandy03

12-24-2008, 12:33 AM

We celebrated Christmas with Jeff's grandparents tonight, since I'm a horrible person and taking him away from his family on Christmas day (In case you can't tell that's dripping with sarcasm and a long story that you can probably guess all the details about!)

The day started as a bit of an adventure for me because I had to do a little last minute Christmas shopping for Jeff's step-dad (actually, it's something his mom wanted to give his step-dad. I'm still not entirely sure how obtaining it became my responsability, but again, I'll worry about it later). Then, since Jeff had to work, I had to meet him at his grandparents' house. I've been out there a dozen or more times, but Jeff always drives and we never take the same way twice. Last night as we were literally laying in bed, he starts rattling off the directions, but doesn't write anything down, so I remembered none of it. So, I mapquested the directions. (I like them better than google maps, in case you were wondering). Well, what they, and Jeff, failed to mention is that there are two streets by the same name within a quarter mile of each other but one is in Birmingham and one is in Center Point. Yeah, I turned on the wrong one and got lost. Luckily, I knew enough of where I ended up to know that I was very close. So I called Jeff for directions and of course the battery of my cell phone dies partway through. Fan-FREAKING-tastic! Luckily I was close enough that I could figure it out, but not a great way to start the evening.

Anywho, we all arrived safely and got to open presents. Jeff got a retractable extension cord and I got a beautiful green top with black beads all around the neckline (I will be wearing it on Christmas day!) We gave his grandmother a pretty poinsettia pin (from me) and some angled measuring cups and a cord keeper (from Jeff). I gave his grandfather a little tool to help pick up pecans (or other nuts) without bending over because they have several big pecan trees that put out a really nice crop every year so we have fresh pecans to bake with. Jeff got his grandfather an old-fashioned gumball machine. It was kind of a joke because they had one that Jeff broke when he was about seven or eight. He said he would replace it, but of course never did. So when we saw this one, Jeff HAD to get it for Papa. It was really cute.

We went to dinner at a mexican place that Jeff loves. I can take it or leave it. Don't get me wrong, I love some mexican food, I just haven't found a favorite thing at this particular place. I'll keep trying until I find something I really like.

I've also been on a baking kick. I've never fancied myself much of a baker, especially when it comes to cakes and stuff. I think I hate baking because of the clean-up involved, but this time it wasn't too bad. I made chocolate chip crunch cookies, pecan snowballs, coconut snowballs, and smores bars. Tomorrow I'm making oatmeal-craisin cookies. Eventually I'll try some pineapple bar cookies (they're supposed to be like pineapple upside down cake, but we'll see). I've been reading the bakery murder books by Joanne Fluke and they always have some good recipes in them. I've been through three books in the past week. I have one more and have a feeling I'll get it knocked out tomorrow or maybe Thursday in the car, we'll see.

Tomorrow is Jeff's family Christmas party. I'm not sure how I feel about it because it'll be the first time that I can remember that I won't have gone to church on Christmas eve. That was always one of my favorite services every year. We were going to go to Jeff's old church but they changed their schedule and aren't having church on Christmas eve. I'm tempted to ask if we can't stay here for our service and then go to the party, but I know he won't go for that, especially since we'll be with my family on Christmas day. Oh well, it's all about compromise.

It was a nice evening, and we got to spend some time with his grandparents which was really nice. Truthfully, we don't actually get to spend a lot of time with them on Christmas day anyway because everything is so crazy and busy. He and I grew up with very different ideas about family gatherings. Theirs is always big and loud and crazy. It's every man for himself as far as finding a place to sit. Often, couples or families don't even get to sit together and basically as soon as everyone has had a chance to get seconds, the food starts getting put away. As soon as you're done eating, the folding tables and chairs are put up. Then you open presents and then everyone just sits around and stares at each other. It's not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not what I grew up with, and he got his first real taste of that at Thanksgiving. It was the first time in a long time that we didn't have place cards. And after dinner, we all sat around and talked for quite a while and then after the table was finally cleared, we worked a puzzle together. I think in some ways my family holiday experience was a lot more laid back than his (not that his was uptight, it was just more frantic). At the same time, his was more casual (paper plates and plastic forks) than mine (fine china and good silver). I totally understand it - I mean, it's just a matter of logistics - his family has to feed 40 people! I don't know many people that own a 40 piece place setting of fine china or silver! My family has always stayed around a dozen or so, so it's much more doable! At the same time, I understand that this has totally colored the way I understand entertaining, especially for his family - they are very used to potluck style where everyone brings something. I'm used to a traditional idea of the host does everything (Personally, I think that's just good manners!) I'm used to using REAL dishes and everything having a tablecloth and it being a nice, SPECIAL, experience. When we had our Christmas, Part I there was a big debate over whether or not to use china or paper plates. I ended up winning with the china, but we compromised and bought a couple of sets of buffet plates that could go in the dishwasher rather than using the fine china that had to be hand washed. I'm sure we'll get our traditions sorted out eventually!

sandy03

12-25-2008, 01:12 AM

We did Christmas Eve with Jeff's family tonight.

He got off work at noon today so we went out for lunch, then out to the farm to see the goats and then back to the house to finish getting stuff packed up. I didn't get Dad's weathervane wrapped for tomorrow, but I'll figure something out tomorrow.

We left the house around 4pm and stopped by to see his aunt, uncle, and cousins and give them their Christmas gift. They actually had something for us too. It was a very sweet picture frame with the picture of us from the cruise (my avatar) and then his cousin gave us a big one that says "home" that has clips on it for pictures. We also got a nice box of chocolates that I have already ripped into!

After there, we went to his other Aunt and Uncle's for the Christmas Eve "party". I use the term very loosely because basically we all went over to eat baked spaghetti and the young kids sat in the den watching the Christmas story Marathon and the "senior" members of the family sat in the formal living room. Somehow, we ended up in the living room with the older folks. I was kind of out of the conversation, so I could listen to the movie.

After we left there, we went to ANOTHER Aunt and Uncle's house to pick up a delivery from "santa" for his step-dad. Then we went to his mom's house where we ate cookies and drank wine. His mom showed me some china that belonged to her parents right after they got married that she would love to complete. We pulled out the computer and started looking. No luck so far, but I'll keep looking. That would put me in her good graces forever! (She also told me what she wants for her birthday which is next week) so one less thing for me to have to think about!

I'm totally worn out so I think we're going to bed in the next few moments.

The plan for tomorrow is for santa to come, open presents and have breakfast here. Then be at my dad and step-mom's by 10 and do presents and eat there, then leave for Gatlinburg at noon. It'll be a long day!

sandy03

12-27-2008, 08:54 AM

I survived all of Christmas (basically). Woo hoo!

Part IV was Christmas morning at Jeff's mother's. It went pretty well. Neither of us wanted to get up as early as we had to, but we made it work. I got some really nice things including the outfit I picked out, some new kitchen containers, and a gold chain for the pendant I got for my birthday. Jeff got a shop vac, a shirt and tie, and an old-fashioned looking radio. Then we got breakfast ready and had to wait for his grandparents and great-uncle and aunt to come over.

His mother had timed it REALLY closely for when they should get there, how long it would take us to eat, and when we could leave so of course when they were late, it made us late. I was in a tizzy because I hate being late ANYWHERE so we called my brother and told him to scoop up the gifts and just meet us at my dad and step-mom's. Well, he was even later than us! (I think I woke him up when I called!!) Overall though, the whole thing went well. We had a nice lunch and got some great gifts to boot! This is the first time my step-mom has really been able to "do" christmas in a big way for a really long time, so she went a little overboard but it was really nice. I got the outfits she and I had picked out, my Kindle (coolest gadget ever. If you've never looked at one go to amazon and check it out. I'll wait...) and a few nice surprises including a GREAT LLBean tote bag with my name on it. (I'm a nut for bags)

In between the stress of trying to get home and get packed up and being absolutely exhausted, my brother and Jeff got into a fight. No punches were thrown thankfully but there was a lot of yelling for about ten minutes. Then everyone was ok. I think they both just needed to vent some frustrations. Then we piled into the cars and drove up to Gatlinburg. Because of everything being thrown off earlier and the boys' little tantrum we were MUCH later than we expected to be, but we made it eventually.

My family got us some GREAT gifts. My aunt got me a "top chef" chef's jacket with my name embroidered on it. My cousins got me a really pretty necklace. My aunt got me a beautiful wall cross for my collection. Plus we got a whole bunch of little things including some bath stuff, puzzles, and other goodies. Jeff got lots of little tools and things plus a gift certificate to home depot and one to ruby tuesday. It was surprising how much stuff we got!

Yesterday we went to the hollywood cars museum and wandered around for a while on the strip. Then we all went out for a late lunch/early dinner at the Apple Barn. It was quite tasty and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Jeff didn't eat till he got sick like the rest of us, but he'll learn! After dinner we didn't go back to the cabin. Instead we just wandered the strip and looked at lights and checked out a few more shops. I bought a lot more fudge than I should have, but alas...

Today the plan is to get checked out of the hotel and probably go to the aquarium then maybe meet up with everyone for lunch. I want to stop at the giant Christmas store on the way out of town and we may decide to stop in Chattanooga on the way back too, but we'll have to see.

We were hoping to go see his brother's family on the way back but we forgot to make plans ahead of time and from what we can figure they're out of town (which makes sense) so we will just have to go see them another time!

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

sandy03

12-29-2008, 11:06 AM

We all survived Christmas, thankfully, and I am back to thinking about Wedding stuff.

We got our Save The Date magnets on Christmas eve so I was able to deliver them by hand to most of the family. That should save me a tiny bit on postage. The magnets are like twice the size I was expecting (I guess it's my own fault for not looking at the measurements). Oh well, I'm not too concerned about it. If anything, I'm a little relieved. My previous idea won't really work anymore, so I can stop worrying about finding the long cards. At the same time, they're also too big to fit in a long envelope so a standard piece of paper won't work either. So I'll have to try to find some cards or something. Oh well, maybe I'll come across some really good ones. As long as they are ivory, I really don't care too much. Let me know if you have any good suggestions!

Next on the agenda is the catering deposit and hotel reservations. I need to do the invitations soon but it may be at least another week before I can get that done.

Suddenly it's almost 2009 and I'm freaking out just a little bit!

Kay

12-29-2008, 07:52 PM

Can you post a pic of your save-the-date magnets??

Good Luck on finding envelopes. Everyone here is soooo helpful. I am currently looking for 3 X 5 RSVPs and not having any luck...

sandy03

01-03-2009, 12:01 AM

I attached the proof of my magnets. They actually came with envelopes that I could just send them in, but I am still in search of cards that I can use to send info on the hotel rooms.

For the groomsmen & ushers I'm working on a letter about getting fitted for their tuxes and the details about the rehearsal and schedule for the day of the ceremony so people can make travel plans.

For the bridesmaids, their letter will be a reminder about what they need to go with their dresses (I'll give them their magnet with their dresses which are still in my closet!) and the stuff about the hotel, the rehearsal and wedding day, and getting their hair and nails done and the like.

School is starting back on Monday and I've got a whole lot more left to do than I wanted to be stuck with at this point. GAH!! 2009 is here and while I'm extremely excited, I'm unbelievably stressed.

Is it wrong that I'm already looking forward to spring break?

Moon.Dust.

01-03-2009, 09:05 AM

they are so cute!!

no there is NOTHING wrong with looking forward to Spring break. I don't know how you're doing school and planning! I was going NUTS last semester and had to drop my classes 'cause I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Wait. I actually had one. a mini one, but enough that FH and I decided my sanity needed to return.

caligal85

01-04-2009, 05:09 PM

Just a few more months! You're almost there. I always looked forward to Spring Break. Mainly because it felt so deserved. Glad you had a great Christmas.

sandy03

01-05-2009, 02:52 PM

The wedding stuff and becoming a "grown up" is all suddenly very real. Maybe it's the realization that I'll be done with school in just a few months. Maybe it's the fact that the wedding year is finally here. Maybe it was the handing out of some of the save the dates. I don't know. All I know is that it's real.

Something about the whole invitation thing has been really uncomfortable for me. With the exception of the wedding party, there are very few people on the guest list who are just my friends, not co-workers or former housemates. I was planning to issue an open invitation to the whole church, but yesterday a few of the people (a couple of whom I didn't even know if they really knew me!) asked if everyone was invited to the wedding and if they could make a road trip out of it. I know it's dumb to let something like that give me such an ego boost, but it makes me feel sort of grown up in a way, that I'm a colleague and an equal. (In case you haven't figured it out, I have issues with authority, mostly my own!)

I also distributed the first of my save the dates at choir practice last night (I joined the choir this semester. I'm kind of excited about it!) It was sort of weird. I started sorting the save the dates that can just be sent as-is and those that need the letter with travel info and the like. I also made a distinction between those I can hand-deliver at school and church and those that need to be mailed (so I don't have to buy a whole lot of extra postage).
I made a nice little stack for church, which I took with me to hand out.

I made a separate stack for school people that I planned to take this morning and now **** if I can't find them! I still have lots, but I wrote on the envelopes so I'd know who I had and who still needed them. I would have just gotten a handful more to bring with me, but I don't have many extras and I don't remember how many were in the school stack so even if I find them, I don't know if I'll run out of envelopes. I honestly don't think it's that big a deal, but I'm being anal right now and it's got me a little freaked out. Plus, I know that if I go ahead and bring more and write all the names on them, I'll get home and immediately find the misplaced stack even though I turned the apartment upside down TWICE yesterday and again before I left this morning looking for them.

sandy03

01-05-2009, 04:36 PM

I just got a call from the owner of Deep South Classics, one of the shops we registered at for our china and such. Apparently, our everyday china is being discontinued because the designer is retiring. So now I have to pick something else!

I found a couple of patterns I like at Bed Bath and Beyond already but I feel sort of bad about possibly not including my new registry picks on their registry. I still have my christmas china, flatware, glassware, and table linens there plus probably several accessory pieces that will be added later so it's not like I'd be canceling my registry with them, but I really do love the two I've picked out (and I'm really leaning toward one over the other). I guess I shouldn't fall too much in love with one before I at least go look at what else they have, but it certainly won't be easy since they don't have a website.

*SIGH* This is the first frantic phone call I've gotten in all my months of planning, so I think I'm still doing ok. I'll make it. I just have to remind myself it's nothing in the long run.

sandy03

01-08-2009, 12:52 AM

I know it's silly but I'm breathing a little easier now. I have a concrete list of what I need and where I need it from that I can start working from.

I finished typing up the letter for all the guys in the wedding party so I can mail out their save the dates soon. Now I just have to finish up the bridesmaids

I found my magnets that were MIA (they were in a normally empty pocket of my notebook so I actually had them with me on Monday! oh well, no biggie!) They all got handed out at school today. Several other people saw them and gushed over how cute they were. I'm quite proud of myself.

I also invited my future MIL to go shopping with me on Saturday to pick out our new china pattern. She's been wanting to go over there and see the deli where we will probably have the rehearsal dinner so hopefully we can have a little bonding time.

On a totally unrelated note - Grey's Anatomy is coming back tomorrow! I know it's awful, but the past few weeks have been torture! I want to know what's going on!! I want to skip to the end of the season and then fill in the rest later. Oh well, I'll make it.

NOTKT

01-08-2009, 03:54 AM

Everything is coming along very nicely! Glad you had a good holiday and I look forward to the rest of your journal!

sandy03

01-09-2009, 04:02 PM

I took a little side trip down to Deep South on the way home today to check out the casual china and see if there was something else I like. I'm just not crazy about any of them. There's nothing wrong with them, they're just not me. Jeff won't like any of them because they're all stoneware, which he hates.

I also looked at the flatware to see if they had anything that is gold-plated which Jeff wants to go with our China because I think three of the patterns have a gold edge. They didn't have any, but they did have one that had a gold accent that we may end up changing our everyday flatware to.

The Christmas china pattern I have always loved was also there. I really love the accent plate but am not as crazy about the dinner plate. We already registered for a different pattern of Christmas china, but the more I think about it the less practical it seems to have a whole different set of china that might literally be used twice a year when I can just get a few accent pieces to go with the basic china I already have. I'll see if I can talk Jeff into it!

My solution for the casual china was to get a pattern of stoneware from Bed, Bath, and Beyond that I really like because it also has matching melamine plates (not from BBB, but I can still get them) We can use that for everyday use (because it's lighter and less likely to break) and eventually it will also be perfect for kids. There are lots of cute accent pieces and there are enough different colors in it that it would go in almost any color kitchen. Now if I can just convince Jeff of it...

Let the games begin!

sandy03

01-11-2009, 02:45 AM

Today, Jeff's mom and step-dad came up to see us and we went to lunch at Rumor's Deli which is the place we were thinking of having the rehearsal dinner. They really enjoyed it and we booked the deli. It's a really fun place that probably has the craziest, most eclectic decorations of anyplace I've ever seen. Everything from the German flags and old pictures of Cullman to random license plates, signed dollars on the ceiling, a bike strung up from the ceiling, a tuba hanging over the dessert counter, and a pirate dummy climbing a rope over some of the tables. It's a very fun, laid back place so it should be a good party.

In the process we also started talking about how to decorate the deli. Obviously there's so much going on that it would be almost impossible to compete with it, but his mom wants to do SOMETHING that's kind of "wedding related" so we may do something little for the tables. I suggest little candles with personalized ribbon around it but we'll see what we come up with.

We also started talking about invitations. There is a neat little stationary store near my apartment in Nashville and I had scoped out a few ahead of time and gotten a photocopy of one that I really liked, but is kind of expensive. She and I were looking online and I found a really neat pattern I liked but I hated the colors. So when I got home, I started playing around and came up with my own version of it in a slightly different setup and different colors. I'm pretty proud of myself. I've sent them to her for approval and then I'll probably get them printed through VistaPrint. I tried to attach it but it wouldn't attach so I'll have to figure out some other way to show it off later.

We're also working on favors for this. We had just about decided on personalized stadium cups that say "stolen from Sandy and Jeff's rehearsal dinner" and possibly have the date. At first the thought crossed my mind to use the same design on the other side as on the save the dates and such but I haven't been able to work it into the rehearsal dinner invite yet so I'm not loving that idea. Plus, there are places that will print the cups for cheaper although I don't know what design would go on them since the invitation at the moment is just dots. I know I'm being a little too picky, especially since I just started thinking about it, but I can't help myself.

Oh well, it's way past time for bed so I'm going to try to sleep.

NOTKT

01-11-2009, 02:56 AM

The personalized cups are a GREAT idea! I think everyone will really like them! You will work something out with your invites, the more you research the more you find! :) If you need any help, let me know or give me the link to the cups and I can help you come up with something. :)

sandy03

01-11-2009, 04:38 PM

First off, I'm going to try to describe the invites I have come up with (and the various versions I have created today) - This was my inspiration - I love the style but hate the colors http://www.invitationconsultants.com/images/catalogpics_j/PP20460PCIE.jpg

Now imagine that I take this basic design and turn it sideways so it's going long ways and it's 4" high by 8" long. My design that I drew is a little different because I couldn't do the tiny circle border and I have a solid white background. The first one I did was an indigo/purple, school bus gold, teal, lime, and a dark-ish green (I thought they looked pretty good).

While I saw surfing around last night and looking at various places that print the cups I found one that would print any design but requested a black and white copy in order to do a single color imprint on the cup. I basically just did two overlapping dots (one black, one white with a thick black edge) The large black one would say "stolen from Jeff and Sandy's rehearsal dinner" and the smaller one with the edge had the date.

And in the process of making my black and white drawing, I discovered that the black and white didn't look half bad. So I started playing around with it. And I ended up with a black, white, and gray one; a black, white, and red; black, white, and blue; and a black, white, and lime green one. I did a black, white, and gold one but those have been my school colors for forever and as appropriate as it would be for being in my hometown, I can't stand the thought of anything wedding related looking like something I would have gotten in high school.

Thankfully, one of my friends in choir is an architect/graphic designer so she is going to look at what I've got and give me some feedback tonight. The way I figure it. The more basic the colors, the better my chances of being able to coordinate the other stuff with it. Clearly, stuff matching is very important to me!

Moon.Dust.

01-11-2009, 06:11 PM

I agree I love that design!! hate the color.

sandy03

01-12-2009, 08:31 PM

It looks like the thing approaching the most quickly is the showers, parties, and teas. I promised Jeff that he didn't have to go to anything that ended in the words "tea" or "shower" (which is why the thing his aunts are giving us is just being called a "party")

His aunts were asking about doing our tool and garden party in early March. I just got an e-mail today from my MOH's mother who is helping to host a tea at my home church and they want to do it on Saturday, Feb. 28th. As of right now they have SEVEN people helping to "host" this thing (with at least one more group e-mail going out to see if anyone else wants to help! YIKES!) It's nice to feel loved but holy cow!

With the parties looming I have a few things that need to get done, especially engagement pictures, the engagement announcement for the paper, finishing out my registry at Deep South so that my registry info can be published in the paper, and shopping for dresses/outfits for everything.
GAH!!

sandy03

01-14-2009, 01:31 PM

Ok, so I am the most directionally challenged person on the planet. I am NOT the person to ask to navigate unless I have very specific printed directions or a GPS. I don't do maps if I can help it.

And I have now been asked to come up with directions to go on the back of the rehearsal dinner invites! It's really not that hard (it's less than half a mile and involves exactly one turn, so I'm not sure why we need it in the first place, but whatever) but I can't draw anything to scale to save my life.

This is going to be interesting.

Moon.Dust.

01-14-2009, 05:30 PM

mapquest or google maps then do a print screen and attach the image to the back!

ta-dah!!!

sandy03

01-14-2009, 10:23 PM

I thought about google and mapquest and neither would work. We have to actually have it printed on the card because otherwise it won't be oriented right or fit since it'll be a 4x8. I think I did ok drawing it. It's numbered streets less than half a mile away so I figure as long as people have an address and a rough sketch they can figure it out. If they're that worried, they can mapquest it themselves before they leave home!

sandy03

01-14-2009, 10:26 PM

I think I finally finished the invite and found a way to post it here. If it works, let me know how you like it. If it doesn't, I'm sorry and I'll keep trying.

http://www.vistaprint.com/sf/_langid-1/_/vp/ns/livepreview.aspx?Log=0&doc_id=689439497&page=1&width=440&renderMode=3&quality=1&assr=1&ts=633675687136818695&clicktext=False

sandy03

01-15-2009, 12:55 PM

I'm sorry for the multiple updates but I'm a bit on the stressed side.

While I feel like the rehearsal dinner invite situation is pretty much handled, I'm still working on centerpieces, plates, and various other little details.

I finally got some stuff confirmed or in the works for showers/teas/parties. My first one is going to be Feb. 28th. The next two will probably be within two weeks Hopefully my last one(s) won't be until early April. I'm really stressing about what I should wear for these things.

I know this isn't a "modern" fashion rule, but I grew up with the attitude that you don't wear white before Easter. The "after Labor Day" i can stretch a little just because I live in the south and it stays hot, but as a general rule, it's all shoved to the back of the closet by the end of September at the latest. I still can't shake that. It just feels like a part of who I am.

Oh the other hand, I was told that brides was always supposed to wear white to all her pre-wedding parties. I have a couple of issues with that - #1 is that I'm so pale that I look awful in white and finding something in ivory is quite a challenge. #2 is the whole "before easter" thing.

One of my friends who recently got married just wore cute dresses to both of her showers. Unfortunately, I don't look good in short dresses, I look better in skirts and tops. And I'm having a really hard time finding anything I like. I've checked all the websites of places I normally like and fit me well and they don't have anything.

I have one outfit that is kind of fun and bright and still a winter outfit, but I'm kind of self-conscious in it because it doesn't fit me as well as I'd hoped it would but I think it still looks ok even if it's not terribly comfortable.

Part of me is tempted to just get a simple ivory sweater and black skirt, but I feel like I should wear something a little more special/unique.

I'll save anyone reading from suggesting accessories - I have four that I will wear and that's it - a small pendant (one silver, one gold depending on what I'm wearing), diamond stud earrings, a silver watch, and my engagement ring. I don't do "fun", "funky" or "trendy" because it's not appropriate for who I am and the image I aim to portray of myself.

I guess I'll figure something out.

NOTKT

01-15-2009, 01:23 PM

I didn't wear white to any of my parties, don't worry about that. If you want to check stuff out, try outfits online first to see them on a person. Try to find a site that has girls your size/shape. Everyone will know that you are the bride, you don't have to be too dressed up if you don't want. Just my 2cents. :)

sandy03

01-16-2009, 02:37 PM

Jeff always said that he was going to get a cardboard cutout of himself for the reception so that he can sit down and eat and enjoy the party. I just laughed and said "yeah, right". Well, in working on stuff for the rehearsal dinner I stumbled across a site that actually makes the life-size cardboard cutouts, so I think I am going to get one of us to go at the rehearsal dinner (it will be hidden away before the wedding!) It seems to go with the random craziness of Rumors. I think it'll be really funny.

It looks like my bachelorette party will be a relatively low-key affair involving a friend's lake house and several bottles of wine. I'm excited. I'm not a bar-hopping kind of gal.

Showers #2 & 3 are about to fall into place. It's crazy but exciting at the same time.

Ok, I suppose I should quit procrastinating and head out into the freezing cold.

sandy03

01-20-2009, 05:02 PM

The date for the tool and garden "party" has been confirmed for April. I'm a little leery about it because it's hovering right around the time of my finals, but I agreed so I'll just have to deal with it. At least I know the week after I will literally be trapped in my apartment for the better part of Saturday because of the Marathon (the Country Music Marathon literally runs right in front of my apartment and there is no possible way to get out because of the street closings for the race) Hopefully I can get some serious writing done then.

Is it wrong that I really don't want to go get my engagement portraits taken? I don't think I photograph well and don't have the money to spend on another new outfit for me and for him so we'll match, hair, makeup, and all the stuff that has to go into having portraits taken. In a way I'm dreading my wedding pictures too, but hopefully people will be paying more attention to the dress than they are my face and my photographer is good enough to make it all work.

I'm in a real funk today. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe I'm still exhausted from working this weekend. Whatever it is, I don't like it. Everything is making me want to cry.

I talked to Jeff's mom today and she told me that she likes the green and brown invitation (posted above) better than a teal and brown variation I also sent her. I know it's something stupid, but the more I think about it the more disappointed I get and the more I want to cry. Maybe it's because the color teal has special meaning for me. Maybe because I'm just crazy about little things like that. Whatever it is, I know I'm making myself nuts over nothing.

I'm definitely getting some sadistic pleasure out of digging at his aunt who delights in giving us hell. I have not mailed any of my Save the Date magnets yet because we are waiting until we reserve the hotel rooms so that info can go out with them. I did, however, hand deliver several of them to his family members that were at the Christmas Eve party and now to some friends at school. Well, the other night she noticed the magnet on his Grandmother's fridge and started asking if they had been mailed out yet. Jeff honestly told her no, they hadn't. I'm now feeling really ugly because, even though I know she wants one, she is technically not on my list to receive one because I know they aren't going to stay overnight at the hotel or drive more than an hour so I don't consider them "out of town" guests. I'm really wanting to be ugly and not send her one. I know I shouldn't start stuff but this is the woman who wore white to my engagement party. (and if she tries to wear white to the wedding, I'm going to have someone tell her she has to leave!) She just HAS to be the center of attention all the time and I know she is afraid of having her daughter's wedding (which she took control of anyway) be shown up. And I know I'm mean, but I'm determined to show her up. Don't get me wrong, I hope in the long run people aren't still talking about my wedding the way they do hers (because it's definitely NOT a compliment) but I do want to get in as many digs as I can. I would bet money that any gift "we" get from them will be for Jeff, not me. Oh well, after this we really don't have to have much to do with them!

sandy03

01-23-2009, 12:11 AM

I am currently sitting in my car shaking and I have no idea why. I know why I'm in the car and online - I can't pick up a signal at my apartment and it's too cold (and I'm too lazy) to walk the two blocks to the coffee shop, so I drove the half mile to school and am sitting in the parking lot using my computer here. But I have no idea why I'm shaking because it's not that cold, and its not a shiver.

I've been in a funk the past few days. A very crazy, angry, unpleasant funk. I don't like it one bit and I know the people around me don't like it either. I went around my apartment ranting and almost screaming to myself, the TV, and the dog about how stupid the "coffee hour" we have at school every Friday is because our program is a very temporary situation and we're never going to see our classmates again after we graduate so we shouldn't waste time and energy on something as stupid as socializing. If you have the time to socialize you should be a full time student who is getting out of here in three years so there will be no long-term friendships to be forged. If you are not a full time student and will take you longer to finish what should be a three year program, you shouldn't have the time or money to socialize so again, a pointless pursuit.

I realize in my head how irrational this argument is but it's just how I feel in my gut at the moment. I don't like feeling this way because I don't like being the crazy, bitter, hateful person. But alas, it's where I am at the moment. I just started my period so I'm blaming it on the hormones. If it's not better by next week I'll get worried.

If you're the praying type, say a little one for me and Jeff this weekend. He made the mistake of wanting me to come home this weekend and I am, but if I keep feeling like this, I will probably end up screaming at him or hitting him or something before the weekend is over!

Moon.Dust.

01-23-2009, 07:49 PM

could it be nerves & stress??

Sounds like you need a cocktail & a warm bath

sandy03

01-25-2009, 10:30 AM

It's official - I'm going to be the world's worst pregnant woman and I am not going to get pregnant for at least a couple of years! My crazy angry mood was definitely hormones and it quickly shifted to a pitiful, sickish, sad mood. I can't decide which I like less! Friday night Jeff desperately wanted to go out for pizza and the thought of it just made me sick to my stomach. The only thing that sounded really good to me was something soft and creamy like chicken and dumplings or mac & cheese. We decided to go to a local steakhouse because I figured I could get mac & cheese and then I almost cried when I found out they only offer it at lunch! Literally, I got sniffly in the middle of the restaurant. Oh well, I survived. (I never did get my warm creamy dinner though!)

On a much more positive note, I got a surprising amount of wedding work done this weekend. I ordered the overlays for the tables and the small topiaries for centerpieces. I found my freeze dried petals and am going to order those next week. I also ordered my invitations and was very pleasantly surprised that I don't have to pay for them until they come in! (gotta love doing business in a small town!) We got the hotel rooms reserved and even got an extra $10 off per night from what I was originally quoted! Hooray!!

On a very upsetting note, I went back to hobby lobby and they don't have the pearl garland I was using to make the wreath so I'm going to have to do some serious scrambling to find something else very similar for my second wreath or find a new use for the one I already have! I should have gone back at Christmas, so it's my own fault.

I still have lots to get done, but I'm feeling better about my list and hopefully can get lots of the online ordering done soon. The in-town errands need to get done ASAP and this is going to be a tad problematic since I won't be home again for almost a month (and that'll be just one week before my first shower!) Oh well, I'll find a way to make it work.

Next on the agenda - getting SERIOUS about finding cards so I can get these magnets in the mail!

sandy03

01-26-2009, 03:36 PM

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I am incredibly blessed to have so many people that love me and want to give me showers/teas/parties before my wedding. In the case of the one my church at home is doing, I know there's a certain level of etiquette and reciprocity because my mom helped to give so many of these parties and my family was (and still is) so involved in the church. I am sure that deep down there's a level of pity in the sense that I don't have my mom to help do stuff for/with me because I know of at least 7 people who have volunteered to help host this thing and most of them have known me since I was a baby and have watched me grow up.

Now comes the challenging part - we come from a big enough church that inviting everyone isn't an option. On the flip side, I know (and have known for quite a while) at least half! I know that when my mom helped with these things, it was the Sunday School class that did it. Unfortunately, of all the women helping there are probably at least two or three different classes represented plus who knows how many other groups.

I sent them a list of non church members to invite (basically, the wedding party and jeff's family) and told them to decide who to invite. They didn't like that idea so they want a list from me. There are a few people who are obvious - the members of the sunday school class I taught the summer before my mom died, the woman who directs the hispanic ministry my dad volunteers with, my confirmation mentor, and a couple of families I used to babysit for. But then it gets a little more challenging about parents of people I went to school with or the ladies who taught my pre-school sunday school class. I will probably come up with a list of 20 people and then tell them to add anyone else they think would like to be included.

I got my petals ordered and they shipped today so I'm pretty excited. I went out on a limb and got the champagne petals. I really hope I like them! If not, I'll probably pout for a while, obsess for a while, and probably ultimately roll over and buy more (but not as many)

I tried ordering some cute tissues to go in the hotel bags and have been having a bit of an issue with customer service so I'll probably just cancel the order and be done with it. I really want to have cute tissues, but I'm sure I can find some others I like somewhere else. They may not be as cute, but they'll probably be cheaper and I will not have to deal with jerks.

sandy03

01-27-2009, 04:35 PM

Once again I am almost in tears. I have been trying really hard to be as diplomatic as possible with all of the wedding plans and have been pretty successful so far. I know there are some people that aren't going to be happy with anything but I have done my absolute best to keep everything as neutral and "user friendly" as possible because the last thing I need is more stress and conflict in my life.

Yes, I have given up some things that are important to me in the course of this and agreed to some decisions I don't particularly like. And no, the idealistic "this is your day you should do what you want" doesn't fly with me because it's just not true. Nobody (especially a bride) lives in a bubble.

So in the process of the whole shower planning thing, I came up with a list of about 12 people in addition to the family and bridal party, which I thought was a perfectly acceptable number. Just to be on the safe side, I e-mailed my dad and step-mom to see if there was anyone else I should include. My dad did not reply, but he forwarded my e-mail to our neighbor (who happens to be one of the 7 ladies who is hosting this tea) and she told me to "invite everyone your mom ever knew or worked with" WHAT?? So I have not added a good half dozen to both this list for this tea and another shower I'm having. Normally this would not be that big a deal, but a lot of these people weren't even on my wedding list to begin with and now they will have to be added! I already ordered my invitations so I'm hoping to goodness that I will have enough (thankfully I ordered 25 more than I thought I would need!)

My MOH basically told me "yeah, invite everyone you can think of because this will be your one big, formal shower". Well that's all fine and dandy, but I don't feel like it's right to fish for gifts or try to take advantage of this situation. I'm not getting married so that I can get a whole lot of new stuff, I'm doing it because I love Jeff and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. If nobody gave us anything, I think I would be ok with it. I would much rather get a stack of cards and letters with people's good wishes than I would a whole bunch of stuff that I will have to try and find a place for.

I REALLY want to elope right now. I want to take my dress and my fancy shoes and hop on a plane to Vegas and be done with it.

Kari&Jeremy

01-27-2009, 05:22 PM

I'm sorry for all the wedding stress! I know how that goes...*hugs* I hope it gets better. Just remember that your big day will make it all worth it.

sandy03

01-27-2009, 11:32 PM

When it rains, it pours

On the up side, I got my last bridesmaid's dress ordered today. While we were there, I also found a cute dress to wear to my showers. I was tempted to just go ahead and buy the black one they had in my size, but decided against it and got a bright blue which I think will be nice. It needs the straps taken up a little, but otherwise it's perfect.

On a negative note I got a phone call from my brother who has the opportunity to go study in London for the summer. It's a great opportunity and I'm super-jealous of him. So why is it a bad thing? He would have to leave the week before the wedding. I told him I am ok with him not being there, and I am, but it still makes me really sad. I know it's a great, once in a lifetime, opportunity for him and I don't want him to give it up on account of me, but I will miss him being there. I don't know for sure if he'll get into the program, but I am guessing he will.

My biggest issue with the whole thing is the fact that my dad was an absolute jerk to him about the fact that he had the wedding date written down wrong originally (which is why he even started to pursue the program in the first place, because he thought it would leave after the wedding) I know the reason my dad was jerk was that he doesn't want John to be able to get out of it and him still have to go. Daddy has never been shy about the fact that he doesn't want me to have a wedding if for no other reason than he doesn't want to have to go! If he says anything to me about it, I'll just tell him that he doesn't have to be there and give me away if he doesn't want to because I'd rather him not be there than be a jerk about everything.

I guess for now I am just going to focus on the happy stuff like my new dress.

NOTKT

01-28-2009, 02:04 AM

:( I'm so sorry you are having a bad couple of days. Is there anyway you can contact your neighbor and tell her how you feel? You really don't have to invite everyone. This is a marriage between you and Jeff. You and him deserve to surround yourselves with people that you want. Just think it through!

I can't wait to see the dress!

sandy03

01-28-2009, 04:24 PM

I did reply to her message and told her that I will invite some people to the other shower I'm having and I just added a few to each list so not counting the family or the wedding party (or the hosts) there are about 25 people on the church list and 15 on the other list.

I will admit that I'm a really detail-oriented person and I like to be in control. I really wanted to plan my own bachelorette party! I have really been trying to let some stuff go and let other people take care of things and do things for me. I know it's really rude and selfish to try and take over when someone is giving me a party. But I feel like everyone is completely going around me or through someone else rather than dealing with me directly and that is somewhat frustrating. I don't think I'm being too unreasonable in that.

I feel like my life is a television show right now and everyone is watching in eager anticipation of whether or not I'm going to crack. To be honest, I'm wondering about it myself. My brother told me to take advantage of it and go ahead and be a bit of a bridezilla because people will give me a pass because of the wedding. I know in some ways he's right, but as I told him, I'm going to hold out until I'm pregnant to play the crazy card (of course be then I very well could be crazy, but who's to say I'm not crazy now?)

sandy03

01-31-2009, 11:11 AM

8 am phone calls are never good, especially on a weekend.

So the last week or so I have ordered a ton of stuff for the wedding. I knew at least one had come since Jeff came up Thursday to see me, and my dad is feeding the dogs for us while he's gone so I figured he'd bring it in. And even if he didn't, I wasn't worried because we have great neighbors and really, who would want to steal organza table overlays and freeze dried rose petals?

Well, they didn't get stolen. But my dad didn't see them and bring them inside. Instead, he let the dogs out to run last night (which he shouldn't have done in the first place) and left them out all night! Yeah, they ate my boxes of table covers and flower petals!! My neighbor across the street found the remnants in her yard this morning and collected it. I talked to her this morning and she said "some of it is definitely salvageable" That's a little unsettling but there's nothing I can do about it now. Jeff will have to go pick everything up tomorrow when he gets home.

They also got ahold of the box with my cake pedestal and cutting set but thankfully they didn't get too far into that one and the box is still in one piece. My dad is going to check today for more boxes to see if anything else gets delivered but hopefully it won't.

I guess it's a good thing I ordered everything early. At least I know I can replace everything that got messed up!

sandy03

02-02-2009, 02:37 PM

I just started typing this about how I'm having a nervous breakdown and thankfully I am now much calmer thanks to a phone call from my officiant and partner in crime!

He is a second career minister who has been a great mentor to me ever since I was in high school. We used to go to church meetings and conferences together and eventually were forbidden from sitting together because we laughed too much and had too much fun (and therefore weren't paying attention!) When we get together things get a little dangerous, but are always entertaining.

We had a great talk and he made me laugh, which I really needed. Plus, he's looking at the ceremony for me so I can be working on plans to get programs made and get my contract turned into the church.

I think I have finally decided on my ring bearer and flower girl outfits. Now I just have to figure out a weekend when I can go to Atlanta to visit the kids and go buy the outfits!

I also have to find a weekend to go down to Montgomery and go shopping with my cousins because I promised they could help me find my "going away" outfit. I really want a cute dress with jacket or suit because I'm going to have it do double duty as my ordination suit, too.

I need a break. A lot of chocolate wouldn't hurt either.

NOTKT

02-03-2009, 02:16 AM

mmmmm chocolate sounds so good right now. Hang in there, girl :)

sandy03

02-03-2009, 10:45 AM

Well, the doggy damage is not as severe as I had thought it might be. They didn't eat my rose petals, but they did eat some of my centerpieces. Jeff said only two had been destroyed and the rest were ok, but I'll look at them myself when I get home. Normally, the fact that they only ate two would be great because it means I'm not out too much money. But here's the problem - there is a minimum order on these things of a dozen. And I didn't get any extras. I thought about it for a minute while I was placing my order, but decided that it would be ok without extras. Well, the joke's on me.

Now I have a few options - I can order a dozen extra and find a place to donate them when I'm done, I can try to give them all away as sort of extra favors to the family and wedding party, or I can make do with only 13 centerpieces.

If I only use 13 I have one table that is troubling. I was planning to use one of the tables as sort of a "kids" table with coloring pages and crayons and the like so if there is no centerpiece on that one it'll be ok. But the last table becomes my issues. Now, I have WAY too many people to seat them all because the church only has 15 tables, so I can get a MAX of 150 people around them (I'm going to shoot for 120 so it'll be at least a LITTLE comfortable.) We'll have extra chairs set up around the edge of the room so in the end there'll be seating for about 250. Since there won't be nearly enough seating for everyone at tables, I doubt anyone will notice if we remove one table and only have 14 instead of 15. The church only owns 15 of the round tables to begin with, so if we use one for anything else (like the cake or guestbook or the like) we won't have it for people to use anyway.

My only other option I have thought of at this point is to reserve one table for the parents and grandparents. Jeff's grandfather will DEFINITELY need a place to sit and while I don't doubt anyone's manners of giving up their seat for an adorable little old man with a cane, I figure it can't be such a bad idea. Especially if I use a table near the cake or whatever, he can be right up front for all the cake cutting ceremony action! If I do decide to "reserve" the table, I could probably get away with just using a pretty calligraphy sign in a picture frame or something rather than the same centerpiece as everyone else.

I'm definitely going to have to replace some of the table covers that the dogs ate, but thankfully not all of them. While I'm ordering those, I'll probably order a few for the cake table as well because I hadn't decided what I wanted for the cake table before. I'm also going to get some folding chair covers, but those are just for me!

All my other stuff arrived safely - the rose petals, the hotel bag supplies, the gifts for the kids, and the communion set that we finally agreed on and purchased. Now everything seems to be working itself out. I just have to keep on keeping on!

sandy03

02-05-2009, 12:55 AM

So a group I am the secretary for at school is helping to host what is basically a professional schmoozing dinner for tomorrow. I got recruited to help with decorations (centerpieces especially) since I'm working on wedding stuff anyway, which was fine. I was going to do something simple, cute, and not terribly time consuming.

Then I got my budget and went shopping. I had to get tablecloths for at least 21 round tables plus 8 rectangular display tables, and centerpieces, for under $50. Yeah, that's impossible. It cost me $85 just for the table cloths! I bought two sets of wine glasses (because I needed them anyway for a party I'm doing later) and made some paper shades for little wine glass lamps. We'll see how they look tomorrow!

I also got another semi-frantic registry related phone call today. Apparently the holiday accent plates we picked out have also been discontinued so I had to go back to the original Christmas china I had picked out. There's nothing wrong with it, I just personally don't like it as well. Jeff likes it though, so I'm ok with it. I'll go pick my miscellaneous items on Saturday.

The one thing I really love about the whole boutique registry thing is the way they do it - They have a big dining table that they set with each bride's china and silverware and crystal plus whatever miscellaneous pieces you may pick out so people can go in and pick what they want. Plus, when you have showers in town they deliver all your gifts and set up a little display. I think it's so cute and it's something I've always looked forward to having since I was little because it was just what I grew up with.

Hopefully I'll get some good errands run this weekend plus we're going to look at another apartment. I'm pretty excited!

sandy03

02-05-2009, 10:55 PM

Well, the dinner tonight went well. It was REALLY long (5:30-9!) but it was SO good! Our speaker was great and I can't wait to hear what he has to say at the conference tomorrow.

I got SO many compliments on the centerpieces (wine glass candle lamps) and several people even asked me for the pattern, including one guy! I feel really good about that and am starting to wonder if maybe I shouldn't be using those as my centerpieces for the wedding! Fortunately I like the centerpieces I have, and they should be about the same height as these lamps so that makes me feel a little better about them.

Ok, no more procrastinating, I HAVE to write a paper by 8am. Happy Thursday!

NOTKT

02-06-2009, 01:51 AM

Great job on the dinner! :)

Mrs.Goff

02-06-2009, 02:01 AM

Do you have pictures of the party centerpieces? I've love to see them. Glad everything went well.

sandy03

02-06-2009, 09:05 AM

Sadly I do not have photos of the centerpieces from the dinner. I honestly don't think anyone had a camera or took any pictures last night. I have all the pieces back at my apartment so I may try to put one back together and take a picture of it soon. I got the pattern from www.save-on-crafts.com (but mine looked different from theirs because I used cardstock rather than vellum and the shades were not as long as theirs so you could actually se the candle in the bottom of the glass, but it was fine, they were still very cute)

Mrs.Goff

02-06-2009, 10:06 AM

Those are SO cute! If I hadn't already bought my centerpiece I would totally do these.

sandy03

02-08-2009, 12:13 AM

Well, it looks like most of my table covers are ok. The ones that got strewn around will need to be steamed, but I can tackle that the day before the wedding when we go to set the tables.

I am rather disappointed with my centerpieces. They aren't as tall as I thought they would be, and while they are absolutely adorable I just don't know if they'll be sufficient without some serious help. I can still use them somehow, I'm just not sure how! I may actually end up using my candle lamps after all (or doing something else along those lines!)

I'm rather pleased with my rose petals. I was a little nervous about the champagne color, but I think they'll look good.

I'm in the process of putting together our hotel bags and boxes for the kids. Once I get them more together, I'll take some pictures.

I was really pleased with what I came up with for including our STD magnets with hotel info - I bought some simple ivory cards that I can print the info on, then use stick-on photo corners (like what you use for scrapbooking) to attach the magnet to the back of the card so that it can be easily removed without having sticky stuff on the card or the magnet. Unfortunately, my card jammed in the printer so I will have to find a different printer that can take the cards.

I picked up my invitations today! I am very pleased with them. I will try to take a picture or scan one for everyone to see. I also completed my registry at Deep South and found out that my crystal (and my second choice) were both discontinued this year. While it's incredibly frustrating, I really appreciate the fact that they won't let me register for something that I can't complete or replace if something happens to it.

I still didn't get my errands run to the caterer, the post office, the florist, or the bakery. It'll just have to wait a couple of weeks I guess! I'm hoping we can run by the restaurant tomorrow to at least pay my catering deposit and mark that one thing off the list.

Moon.Dust.

02-08-2009, 02:19 PM

I'm so glad most of the stuff was salvageable!!

sandy03

02-08-2009, 11:57 PM

I'm still working on a solution to my centerpiece dilemma. I discovered it's even more perplexing than I thought because I actually am one centerpiece shorter than I thought (so now I'm down to 12). It looked ok at first glance, but I noticed that some of the flowers were a little smashed. Then I picked it up and found a hole on the back side where at least one had come off and another fell off in my hand. Oh well. So now I really have to decide - do I want to use these as centerpieces or find some other use for them (perhaps as markers on the buffet or accents on the cake and guestbook tables?) The more I think about it, the more I may go with the wine glass lamps. If I get the right kind of shade I can use the little battery operated tea light so i won't have to worry about fire hazards or anything like that. I thought about making the shades by printing photos of me and jeff on velum, but I don't know if I want to mess with that (especially because I'd have to tweak the pattern I have at the moment and I'm not much of a whiz when it comes to photos and formatting them to odd shapes)

In other news, we did get the hotel cards to print and put all of those together and addressed them, so now they are just waiting to go to the post office. I'll probably do that Tuesday or Wednesday.

We also made our hotel reservations today. The only thing left to decide at the moment is whether we want to try to go out for dinner on our wedding night or just get fast food and then order room service at the hotel (the reception will end at 5pm and we'll have a 3.5 hr drive to the hotel). I can just see it now - "what the hell, I'll super size it. After all, it is our wedding night!" I did recently find out that my aunt, uncle, and cousins tailed my mom and dad after their wedding for like half an hour (I believe it included a detour through some sort of random field too!) until they all finally stopped at Shoney's and my parents bought them dinner so they'd leave them alone! I can honestly see her doing that to us, too (even though she is now an adult with two teenage daughters!)

sandy03

02-10-2009, 05:36 PM

So I have pretty much given up on finding taller topiaries. The best I've been able to come up with would also involve a lot of work on my part and a ton more money than I'm really willing to spend. So I have two other options instead.

Option #1 - the wine glass candle lamp

http://us-dc1-edit.store.yahoo.com/I/bevfabriccrafts_2015_1845589967

Option #2 - a candle in a glass bowl with little glass shapes around it. Except, rather than using snowmen (like the picture) I would probably use doves or roses or hearts

http://images.ltdcommodities.com/images/itm_img/209-01-09-CP-01-LTD/ZKD_mn.jpg

Thoughts?

Moon.Dust.

02-10-2009, 08:27 PM

I like both though the wine glass candle lamps are my fave.

Mrs.Goff

02-10-2009, 10:33 PM

I'd go with the lamps. I fell in love with those the moment you started posting about them. :)

sandy03

02-11-2009, 12:13 PM

I attempted to talk to Jeff about the centerpieces last night, but he has a cold and was a little doped up, so I don't know how much he'll even remember today. I'm kind of kicking myself for not having more color, at least in my reception. The black and champagne are perfect for the ceremony because the sanctuary has several colors in it and is pretty ornate and it'll be very elegant and classy. But for the reception, I think we need a little something more. I mean, we're using a cartoon on the napkins and having cupcakes and it's in the afternoon in the summer. I feel like a little fun and color is called for.

For that reason, part of me is leaning towards the candle in the bowl because I can get a whole bunch of little glass hearts in assorted colors like so
http://www.megaglass.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/94941lg.jpg

But at the same time, the wine glass lamp would be cheaper for me to do and there wouldn't be any fire hazards. I'll show Jeff pictures this weekend.

Kfancii

02-11-2009, 12:24 PM

I like the wine glass lamp better too. Maybe you could add some color by spray painting the vellum shades on the inside- It might be worth trying anyway. In the flower shop I worked at we used Design Master floral paint to paint flowers with and it was a nice translucent paint. I have seen it for sale at Michael's stores if you have those.

Either that maybe instead of candles, use the colored LED lights to light the lamps with. That might be really pretty!

ETA - one more thought - what about lining them with colored cellophane?

http://cdn.dickblick.com/items/112/19/11219-OB-2ww-m.jpg (http://www.dickblick.com/products/transparent-cellophane/#photos)

Micah's bride

02-11-2009, 12:50 PM

I've been reading your journal, but haven't commented yet. I was a theology student, as well and have a bachelor's with a double major in Religious studies and criminal justice.

I understand where you're coming from with the lack of color. I'm doing champagne and latte, so I decided to add a little baby pink here and there to break up the monotone look. Maybe you could add a little pop of color here and there in the reception area, too?

Also, I like the wine glass lamps. Those are so cute.

sandy03

02-12-2009, 02:00 PM

I'm having wedding nightmares almost every night now. Clearly the stress is getting to me.

On the plus side, I found out what my first wedding gift is going to be. Yes, I couldn't help myself and I snooped at my online registry. I am actually really surprised that my first gift is my stand mixer. I actually kind of doubted I would get it. Well, I know someone loves me!

I've been thinking about the centerpieces and the more I think about it, the more I think the wine glass lamps look like something you would find at a restaurant or a dinner. That's fine and dandy if we were having a dinner reception, but we're not so it doesn't really seem to fit.

If I end up deciding to go with the candle, I also thought about using pearls around the candle, especially since I'm sort of working pearls in throughout the rest of it and we have mother of pearl on our cake stand and knife set.

Another option would be to do small potted miniature roses. I originally nixed that one because I thought they would be too expensive, but I have done a little digging and I think I can make them work. I could just buy them in bulk straight from the nursery and then put them in a plain pot that I would wrap with fabric in my colors. I think we're going to the farmer's market this weekend so I will look into it. Maybe I could use different color roses or some other kind of flower to add a little fun.

Ugh, too many decisions!

EarlyBird

02-12-2009, 11:43 PM

i definatly like the idea of potted flowers wrapped in your colors.

i think thats nice

sandy03

02-15-2009, 05:58 PM

So this was not our most romantic Valentine's weekend, but it was very nice. His parents came up for the weekend because I had to preach today. Friday we acted like tourists and Saturday we spent most of the day running around doing errands. While we were out we went to a fun little boutique near my apartment and bought his mother's dress for the wedding. It's really pretty and she looks great in it and it will compliment the rest of the wedding party very well.

We talked about the centerpieces and still haven't come to any major conclusions. The best we could come up with was that if we do the potted flowers they would have to be done only a few days in advance and it would be a **** shoot as to what the flowers would even be and how they would look. I'm still trying to decide if that is a gamble that is worth it. Knowing me, I will probably go ahead and get all the stuff to do the candle centerpieces and also go ahead and paint the pots just in case I decide that is what I want to do.

My step-mom is going to call her seamstress and see if she is willing to do my dress for me. It'll probably cost a small fortune, but it'll be worth it to know that my dress is in good hands.

I don't think I'm going to get to go home next weekend. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that just yet. On the one hand, having a relatively low key weekend (especially where I can potentially get some homework done) would be great. On the other hand, it's always nice getting to go see Jeff, and I still have wedding things that need to get done. As always, I'm working on my list of things that need to be done and then I can try to get as many done as possible while I'm home for the shower and over spring break.

Gosh, I can't believe I'm only two weeks away from spring break! The wedding is now less than 100 days away, and graduation is right around the corner. Holy cow! It's hard to believe how much of my life is about to change. I have been a full-time student for the past 20 years! I am going to have to do some serious re-evaluation of my self-identity because I'll be a whole new person - new name, new job, new title, new home, new friends, new responsibility. I know it's all great stuff, but it's still a lot. It'll take some time to sink in.

Moon.Dust.

02-16-2009, 09:41 PM

just a quick::hug:

sandy03

02-17-2009, 11:24 AM

Aww thanks! I need that this week.

sandy03

02-17-2009, 05:20 PM

I just found out that my brother will definitely be able to be in the wedding! Hooray!! He's not going to Europe! I don't even have to be insensitive to celebrate which makes it that much better. If he'd applied and been turned down I would have at least waited a day or two before doing my happy dance, but he just decided that he's so burnt out on school that he can't do another straight summer, and two classes in six weeks is really a lot of work so I totally understand. So he's taking the summer off from school to do whatever he wants and that means he'll be able to be a groomsman in the wedding AND be there for my ordination! That makes me really happy because I am really close to my little brother and really want him to be a part of all these major life moments with me! Somehow, just knowing that he is going to be there to keep me sane through everything and I can talk to him about wedding stuff makes everything seem SO much better and my stress level SO much less!!

In other happy news I started thinking about packing for the honeymoon and I ordered my PJs yesterday. I'm not much for butt floss or tassels that twirl, so I just bought a little nightie and robe set with matching slippers. I'm pretty excited about it. It's something I'll actually continue to wear, too. I'm still tempted to get one of the big sleepshirts that says "this IS my sexy lingerie" but that may have to wait for our first anniversary.

On Friday I went to a b'day party for my MOH and one of my other bridesmaids (the one whose dress was ordered just a few weeks ago) told me that she had picked up her dress. What? They never called me and told me it was in! She was up there and just happened to ask and it was in so she took it home with her. So I decided that I should call them today and sure enough my dress is there. I'll probably go pick it up tomorrow. I just have to try and get it altered in a week, but hopefully that won't be a problem. If it is I'll get a cute sweater to go over it (which I'll probably do anyway) and just pin the straps up.

That's pretty much everything going on but I'm much happier now!

NOTKT

02-18-2009, 12:03 AM

What great news! Your brother and your dress! Yay!

sandy03

02-18-2009, 11:14 PM

So yesterday I got an e-mail from my friend/co-worker who is supposed to be helping me with all my music and singing for the wedding. He was inquiring about the time of the wedding. Of course I tell him and ask if there's a conflict. His response is, "no, I just get back into the US the night before and have a rehearsal Saturday night" (he leads a local youth orchestra too!)

HOLY COW! The last thing I need is a jet-lagged tenor! Let's add to this that I recently found out that my alto is a member of the church who doesn't like me at all! She sort of agreed to sing at the wedding but we haven't talked about it recently so I really don't know where she stands (but I need to find out pretty quick).

Ugh. If it's not one thing, it's another. I know Joe is a professional and if he thought he would be too impaired from his travels he wouldn't try to do too much, but it still has me worried. He really does fly by the seat of his pants far too often for my liking.

So here is my choice - I can just nix the vocalists completely. We can still use the songs we had originally chosen, just have them played rather than sung. Or I can find new vocalists. My problem is I really don't want to hire random strangers to sing or play for me. I want people I know and who are a meaningful part in Jeff's and my life.

I know everything will work itself out in the end, but it's all just so frustrating!

Thankfully, Jeff's family is complaining about stuff and his mom is taking my side. She called me today basically to gossip, which was a really nice change. We talked about shoes to go with her dress and all kinds of stuff. Apparently at least one sister-in-law is mad because she isn't getting invited to all of my showers. Keep in mind, this is the aunt who none of us particularly like and I just plain don't really know except in passing. Jeff thinks she doesn't actually care about the party she just doesn't want to be outdone, and I'm somewhat inclined to agree. (she's also the one who spoke up and said she'd give us a tool party and then just left it at that so now his mom's sisters are having to do it!) Pile on top of her complaints that two of Jeff's cousins are also complaining because they aren't invited to everything! Umm, they're helping HOST something, I thought I was being nice by not inviting them to everything. Oh well, if they want to get us two presents and come to multiple showers, that's their choice!

Ugh, I've got the crud. I don't like it because it makes me cranky and I don't like being cranky. I'm a horrible sick person.

sandy03

02-20-2009, 12:31 AM

Ok this is going to sound absolutely crazy, but it's actually keeping me sane at the moment.

My wonderful FH used to own his own lawn and landscaping business called Jeff & Co. (I know, he's terribly creative). His cousin also had a lawn business (he's several years younger so he got into it after Jeff got out of it, I think taking several of his customers). He also got out of it a couple of years ago in favor of a "real" job. Well, a couple of years ago they were joking around and created a make believe company called Advantage Services Inc. This is their sort of playtime hobby because they are constantly coming up with "mergers" and new branches. It's actually very involved. At first it really annoyed me because I was thinking "really? aren't we a little old to have a pretend world?" Well, as I have gotten to know the family and stay up on the latest ASI updates, it's actually gotten to be a lot of fun.

Anywho, I was recently made the VP of promotions and am now on the board, helping to coordinate the soon-to-be formed ASI International which will include ASI Tours, Advantage Events, our newly acquired resorts, and our soon-to-be established cruise line.

So how does any of this apply to here other than the fact that wedding planning has driven me absolutely bonkers? Well, the major focus of ASI Events is going to be - you guessed it - WEDDINGS! Particularly weddings at our tropical resorts.

Basically, this gives me a chance to play around with planning beach wedding(s) that I don't get to have in real life. Once we have established a strong base for these (translated: when i get bored with beach stuff) we will begin the development of our fairy tale wedding(s) for our european resorts.

This is great because I get to play and pick out all kinds of fun stuff and toy around with all different themes and color schemes and not have it cost me a cent and not have it matter if I get bored or fed up with it.

Let me know if you want to play too!

sandy03

02-21-2009, 12:11 AM

So help me, if one more person decides to "poke fun" at me about changing the date of the wedding I'm going to have an ever-loving fit!! We have had this date set for OVER a year, I'm extremely stressed about all of the stuff I have going on, and the last thing I need is people telling me what an inconvenience this is, I don't care how playfully they're doing it!

On the up side, I think I finally finished up my program/order of worship (except for maybe a tiny bit of formatting). I finally picked the scriptures I like and got all the responsive parts formatted so that it all fits and looks ok on the pages. It's one less thing I'll have to deal with later.

I'm currently on the lookout for honeymoon clothes. I definitely need some new jeans and maybe some khaki shorts and a few nice tops that I can wear with anything. I also need some new shoes, but I think I know what I want. Now I just have to find a day to go shopping!

Moon.Dust.

02-21-2009, 10:03 AM

I've been there though the teasing started right away with us.
Don't worry.you did it for a reason they can deal with it or not.

sandy03

02-22-2009, 04:55 AM

Ever since I found out that something had been bought off of my Bed Bath and Beyond Registry, I have been checking on it pretty regularly. It went over a week and still nobody had gotten anything. I was a little surprised because there isn't a Bed Bath and Beyond in my hometown (where my first shower will be and most of the guests live) so I figured if they were going to get me anything for my shower next weekend, it would need to be ordered in time to be shipped. Well, feeling sick and stressing about other stuff I haven't checked on it in a couple of days. Then tonight I looked at it and a whole bunch of stuff has been purchased! Yay!

I feel a teensy bit guilty for looking knowing that I have a party less than a week away, so I've been doing penance and mentally justifying it by pre-writing my thank you notes. But I'm probably going to have to re-write some if some of the smaller things get combined with some of the bigger ones (like the apron with the baking pan set or the coasters with the canister set) Oh well, I guess I'll see soon enough.

I'm actually getting a little nervous about my shower. I'm not entirely sure why. I know it'll be great and it'll be nice to see a lot of the people from home I haven't seen in a long time.

Micah's bride

02-22-2009, 12:21 PM

My shower is next weekend, too. And I am also guilty of looking at the registry. Mine started because my mom wanted me to make sure that the gift she had purchased had been taken off, since the girl at the cash register couldn't seem to get it off while my mom was there. When I looked for her, other things had been purchased. My MOH and FH both gave me grief about looking and made me promise not to do it again, but it's really hard. :)

I think it's natural to be nervous about the shower. It's not possible to blend in when you're the bride. I know for me it's just a matter of hating to be the center of attention. I'm also having a time with what to wear. I found an incredible dress, but I don't want to be overdressed. GRrr.

Hope you have a wonderful shower!!

sandy03

02-23-2009, 05:15 PM

I officially started packing for the honeymoon today. My new PJs came and got my bathing suits together. I've got a list of clothes I want, so hopefully I can go shopping sometime next week while I'm running wedding errands over spring break.

I'm going to pick up my dress for the shower on Wednesday. I still need shoes. That may have to happen on Friday because I am not going to have time to go before then!

On the up side, my paper that was supposed to be due Friday night got pushed back two weeks, so I will have time to work on it over spring break and it might actually be kind of good. We'll see.

sandy03

02-24-2009, 12:37 AM

Things that need to at least be addressed in the next week:
Take my deposit to the restaurant catering the reception
Go to the florist
Go to the bakery and check on ordering the cupcakes
Go to White Flowers and see if they have my garter
Start looking for round black candles & pearl beads
Call to make hair/nail appointments
Order cupcake stands
Find a German Wedding Cup we like
Order favors and napkins
Order tablecloths to replace the ones the dogs ate
Talk to FMIL about invites and cups for rehearsal dinner
Put together hotel bags/kid boxes
Copy coloring pages
Buy and print labels for hotel bags
Attend shower
Write thank you notes for shower gifts
Address invitations
Buy stamps for invitations

Oh yeah, this is going to be a relaxing spring break!

sandy03

02-26-2009, 03:57 PM

I still haven't heard from my music guy, which is somewhat distressing. Thankfully my organist is helping to keep me sane. He is very laid back and keeps things in perspective but is also very reliable. I apologized last night for not bringing him my list of songs and he just laughed at me! I need him to keep me in check.

I am getting really excited about this weekend. I'm still sickish but I sound a lot worse than I feel, so that's good. I think everything that is going to be purchased from my Bed, Bath, and Beyond registry has already been purchased. I picked up my dress last night, and I think I may wear some shoes I already have.

In other WONDERFUL news, I found out that one of my bridesmaids who I didn't think would be able to come is going to be able to be there!! She just got married in November and she and her husband just bought a house. They thought they were going to close on Saturday and be moving this weekend, but they worked it out so they could close today and they'll just move next weekend! I am thrilled that she'll be able to come because I haven't seen her since her wedding. I'm also very excited about their new house. Something else to celebrate.

I'm really excited about getting to see everyone and hanging out with my friends. I'm really in need of some down time and I know I will feel much better after I relax a little.

sandy03

03-01-2009, 11:04 PM

This weekend was actually very nice, even if it was an adventure at times!

Friday Jeff and I went and looked at houses. We're not in a position to buy right now, but there are a couple for rent in a very cute neighborhood where one of my friends lives, so we went down to poke around and actually found a couple more to look into. We also went to the RV show to look around. Again, not in a position to buy right now, but we found a model we both really like so that in a few years if we ARE in a position to buy, we'll have a good place to start looking. We had fun. We also went to dinner with his mom, step-dad, and a groomsman and his wife. It was a lovely evening of doing couples stuff.

Saturday was the shower. I was up WAY too early for a Saturday to get all ready to go by 10:30 because Jeff's mom and grandmother were coming up to meet me for lunch and then go to the shower. They were an hour late, but everything worked out fine. We get to the shower early and the ladies get me started opening presents immediately! (most of them were delivered ahead of time by the store in town) At first it was kind of odd just opening all these presents without anyone around, but it ended up being really nice because then I got to actually socialize with everyone! It was lots of fun and we got a lot of great stuff. We have to decide what we want to do about our Christmas china and if we want to keep all the pieces or just the salad plate and the cup and saucer and exchange the dinner plate and bread plate. We'll figure that out this week.

The bachelorette party at the lake was AWESOME. We went out to the middle of nowhere and sat around and drank wine and ate junk food and talked and listened to music and played card games. Basically it was an elementary school slumber party except with "grown up grape juice" and no frozen underwear. When we got up this morning it was SNOWING. in Alabama! it snowed HARD for several hours and we got several inches. We actually were starting to wonder if we were going to snowed in at the cabin because the steep little one lane roads to/from civilization aren't fun in rain, so snow would be doubly bad. Thankfully the sun came out and a lot of it melted and we were able to come back.

I was a very good girl after I got home and sat down and promptly started writing thank you cards. I got almost half of them done and I'll do the other half tomorrow. I also got my cake ordered this weekend, so one less thing to have to deal with!

I found out my next shower is going to be March 28th. It'll be small and very casual, which will be nice (of course I'm still getting a new dress just because I can!)

In the process of checking over my registry to make sure everything from this shower got taken off that should have been and I discovered that someone had bought two place settings of my everyday china that were NOT given to me at the shower. So now I'm going to be checking my registry all the time STILL to see if anyone else is buying stuff. Oh well, the guessing game continues!

Hopefully I'll get the rest of my thank you notes done tomorrow and if I'm feeling adventurous I can go out and run errands. If not, I'll just be home body and put together hotel/kids bags.

sandy03

03-03-2009, 06:24 PM

On Sunday while we were out at the lake, my dad called me and told me "the music director at church wanted me to tell you that you need to get on somebody's calendar soon because they're getting booked up fast and she knew you hadn't asked her or the organist." No worries, I've got an organist - the one I work with every week in Nashville! It really made me laugh the way he did it and the way he even thought I hadn't considered that yet! Clearly, he doesn't know me!

I was very proud of myself and I got most of my thank you notes mailed today with the last few written and waiting to go out tomorrow. I had literally just finished writing the last one when my step-mom called and told me that I needed to go to the local store where I registered because there were some presents that didn't get delivered to the shower! Oh the irony... It is exciting to know I got some more gifts though. At least the idea of more thank you notes isn't overwhelming because it's not a huge pile anymore. Even if I have a dozen more gifts, I can knock out those in a couple of hours.

I got almost all my kids bags put together and a dozen of my hotel bags done. I haven't even started on addressing the invitations for the wedding, but I'm going to order everything else that needs to be ordered when I get back to Nashville. My FMIL and I are going to sit down and do all the rehearsal dinner stuff tomorrow.

Tomorrow I'm going to pick up my other presents, talk to the florist, see if a store in town has my german wedding cup, finish the kids boxes, and make my hair appointment. I'm pretty impressed with how productive I am being.

sandy03

03-05-2009, 11:48 PM

Yesterday I was semi-productive and came up with a sample of the centerpiece for the rehearsal dinner. I was very pleased with the way it came out and it will come out very cheap! That's very exciting! I got the stuff to try out the ceremony centerpiece but I never got to play with it. That may happen tomorrow.

Today I was VERY busy and productive. I went to the florist, Hobby Lobby, the bank, added to my registry at Deep South, and got to visit with my friend Gloria who is helping to host my next shower. I also talked to Jeff's mother about four times! We just couldn't get our act together to get everything we needed into one conversation. It was kind of funny!

I discovered why I didn't get any of my flatware at my shower - Deep South didn't have any in stock!! I don't blame people for not wanting to give me a gift certificate for flatware if they can give me an actual piece of china for the same place. So I committed the cardinal sin of registering and registered for my flatware at Bed, Bath, and Beyond so I am now registered for it at two places. I figure if I get too much I can return part and exchange it for serving pieces or specialty pieces or something.

Jeff's mom told me that I needed to update my registry for my everyday china because "someone" got some of my everyday china and it didn't come from Bed Bath and Beyond. Ok, fine. I knew Belk carried it and several members of his family frequently shop there. That's no problem. Then she told me that I only need one more place setting of my china. I start doing the math - I got two sets that came in the mail today (nothing excites me quite like unexpected presents in the mail!) so I have 11 now? It's such an odd number (literally and figuratively!) So that means whoever was out shopping to me 9. It turns out that Belk had them half off so the purchaser (I think his mother, although it will probably be divided among several family members) cleaned out all that they had, which happened to me 9. Well, rather than changing the requested quantity to 3 and have people think I'm just completely nuts, I changed it to 4. If I end up with one extra it would probably be a good thing because of breakage. Worst case scenario, I have to take one back and exchange it!

Jeff and I went to have dinner with my dad and step-mom tonight. It was very tasty and we had a good time. They had a TON of bubbles left over from their wedding in June so I took them off their hands. When they told me they had a lot left, I was thinking maybe 40 or 50 little bottles. Umm, no try 140! They were tied with ribbons that had their names and the wedding date on them so I went through and cut off those ends on about 50-something bottles tonight. That way I can finish almost all the kiddie boxes tomorrow and seal up the ones that are done - one less thing to deal with!

Tomorrow the agenda includes going to the little German gift store in town in search of a wedding cup, to my salon to make hair and nail appointments, and possibly to see about the catering. I guess that means it's time for me to say goodnight moon!

sandy03

03-10-2009, 12:32 AM

Well, I didn't get everything done over spring break that I wanted, but I made a very large dent in the list, so things are shaping up. Obviously I still have things to do between now and the big day, but the list is getting smaller every day! It's exciting.

I must admit, the first legitimate days of spring put me in a very good mood. It's warm enough that I can get out and enjoy it, but still cool enough that the bugs aren't back, so I can open my window and enjoy a nice breeze.

I'm officially less than 2 months away from graduation. I think today was 75 days on the wedding counter! That means I have about three weeks to get all my invitations addressed! Part of me wishes I could just use labels, but I know that's a big no-no and I don't think I could live with myself if I did it.

School is going very smoothly. It looks like most of my remaining assignments are pretty well staggered. I don't think I have more than two things due in the same week, and I don't have more than one thing on any given day, which is really nice. I found out who my second reader is and need to set up a time to meet with both readers soon. Before too long I'll be completely done! YAY!

Wednesday is going to be another big ordering and phone call day, but really that will only take a couple of hours tops. I LOVE the internet. I don't know how brides did it before they could tackle a dozen tasks at one time and then have everything delivered! If I were trying to do this 20 years ago, I would have promised my firstborn for a wedding planner!

sandy03

03-10-2009, 01:32 PM

The more time I spend on this board, the more I realize how different my thoughts on etiquette and proper behavior and people's expectations are. I'm an odd duck. My poor kids are doomed.

sandy03

03-11-2009, 08:53 PM

I finally got off my butt and took my paycheck to the bank so I can start ordering more stuff tomorrow. It'll give me something to do during class.

Remember American Bridal's fabulous $5 bag sale about a month ago? Well, I ordered a combination makeup/jewelry case for all my bridesmaids and a dog tote for my chihuahua, Cocoa. Everything finally came today. I had to leave my UPS driver a note telling him when I would be in class just hoping against hope that the package wouldn't get returned because I was never there to sign for it. Thankfully he took my sticky note, stuck it on my box, and got it to me tonight JUST as I was walking out the door on my way to church. Of course I opened the box immediately and I was VERY pleased with the bags. I'm sort of disappointed I didn't get one for myself! I'm debating whether to get each girl's first initial monogrammed on it or just leave it as is. I may just get personalized tags to go on the handle.

I have been in conversation with my officiant this week and we are getting the ceremony stuff sorted out. I'm so thrilled with how supportive he has been of everything. We are doing communion instead of a unity candle, which is not a terribly unique thing. The thing we are doing differently is that we are serving communion to EVERYONE. Yeah, it's going to make our ceremony take longer but I really don't care. It will totally be worth it. That's one of the things I love about the United Methodist church is that we offer an open table and EVERYONE is invited to participate, whether you're a church member or part of another denomination, or not affiliated with any church/denomination at all as long as you profess to be Christian. Bob has never officiated a wedding where everyone took communion so it will be a learning experience for everyone, but I'm really excited about it.

sandy03

03-13-2009, 04:58 PM

I'm in a fabulous mood today! I had a meeting with the readers for my senior thesis and I am now FINISHED with it! It is tucked away into my little folder where it can stay quietly hidden for at least the next six months. Then I only have to deal with it if I choose! The biggest critique was something that ultimately wasn't my fault, it was the fault of the institution for not introducing me to a discipline that would have been really helpful.

On the wedding front, I've got several things ordered so it's that much less I have to think about. Next weekend my FMIL and I will go to take care of several others so I'm also very excited about that!

I was really upset about my bowls. I went to order them today and the shipping on them cost more than the bowl itself. WHAT? So tomorrow I will be journeying to every wal-mart across Davidson County in search of these bowls. It'll be nice to get out after having been cooped up working all week. I have almost two weeks before I have anything else due for school. YAY!

sandy03

03-14-2009, 09:46 PM

Today was one of the most productive days I've had in a long time, but also one of the best for my mental health.

It actually started last night. I got into my pajamas way too early, put on a movie I've seen a hundred times, and got to work addressing my invitations, then went to bed early. I actually made a lot of really good progress.

Today I went to two different wal-marts, two craft stores, David's Bridal, and several stores in the mall.

The reason I went to two different wal-marts is that I am on a hunt for the glass bowls for my centerpieces. They have some that I like and are the cheapest I have seen, so I go and buy them out. I got 4 at the first one and 11 at the second. There are two more relatively close by, so I am going to try to hit them tomorrow. I only need 8 more! I also got more scrapbook pages, a basket for the favors at the reception, coffee beans for the rehearsal dinner centerpieces, and some groceries so I can eat this week!

At the craft stores I got stickers for some scrapbook pages I'm working on, candles for the rehearsal dinner centerpieces, and candy making supplies (more on that in a bit)

At David's Bridal I got a purse to match the blue dress I wore to my first shower because I'll be wearing it to a formal next month and a purse for my FMIL to match her dress for the wedding. I have one just like it that she had complimented and I was going to let her just borrow mine, but I figure since she has the dress and I know she'll wear it again, she might as well have the bag to go with it!

At the mall I got some new jeans. They don't fit exactly like I'd hoped they would, but they were only $15 so it was worth it. I also went to Victoria's Secret in search of a bra to go under my dress since it looks like I'm going to have to wear a strapless one. They didn't have the long one in what the lady said was my size, but the size she quoted me can't be right, so I'm just going to have to go back another day and try some stuff on.

Now, to the candy making stuff. Adri, I blame you and your adorable little suckers for this! I decided that I couldn't justify spending what we had planned to spend on the chocolate favors, no matter how cute they were! And while I was out, I noticed the the "cookie molds" for the chocolate covered oreos. So I got one mold and a couple of bags of melting chocolate to try it with. The first batch was a mess, but I learned! The second batch came out much better, but still not something I'd want to give anyone! I'm debating whether to try a third batch tonight or not. I think if we do them, I'm not going to mess with trying to do the two-tone thing. The white will be fine. If I really want to add color, I can use colored icing or something! I ate one from the first batch, but the rest of them are in my freezer where there are supposed to stay for the next week. That way I can test how well they freeze (so I'll know how far in advance I can do them!) and so I'll have some I can take home and show Jeff and his mom next weekend.

If we decide against the cookies, I'll probably just do little bags of the printed M&Ms.

sandy03

03-16-2009, 06:01 PM

second usher - check
bra - check
guys gifts - check
family gifts - check
program attendants - check

Yup, things are going well.

Favors are almost done

sandy03

03-20-2009, 12:08 AM

I got a lot done today and I'm pretty proud of myself.

I ordered the gifts for the parents, grandparents, the last thing for the bridesmaids, a few other helpers, and most of the groomsmen. I'll do the last ones tomorrow. I had to double check a few things with my groom since they are coming from him and all!

I ordered the napkins and cake topper and the candles for the centerpieces.

I bought the water bottles for the hotel bags and found my hoodie outfit for wedding morning (now I just have to decide whether or not to have it monogrammed because i don't think iron ons will work)

I ordered the programs and they should be delivered tomorrow. Yay! I ended up getting 50 less than I wanted because they were on clearance and I bought them out. But I ended up spending about half of what I expected to. I could order more but they would be WAY expensive and I think 150 will be enough.

The cupcake stands and table cloths were delivered today. Double Yay! I'm going to Hobby Lobby this weekend to buy the fabric to cover the cupcake stands.

I'm going to the post office tomorrow to buy stamps so we can work on stuffing and sealing invitations this weekend! Once that's done, there's no turning back! (not that there really is now anyway or that I would want to!)

I still have to call the tux shop and change the name of our second usher. We're going to finalize the plans for our favors this weekend. I'm also going to get all the rehearsal dinner stuff finished up with my FMIL this weekend. I'm also going to call the alterations lady about my dress and if she can't get me in ASAP I may check with the tailor under my apartment. I've also got to go by my salon at home and see about getting appointments for everyone.

I'll probably go pick up the wine for the rehearsal dinner some time next week.

I can't believe stuff is finally winding down!

sandy03

03-20-2009, 03:29 PM

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I LOVE the laid back way of doing things in a small town.

On the drive home I called the tux shop and got the second usher's name put on the list so he can go get fitted.

It took me all of one hour to run around town and get everything done that I needed.

I set up hair and nail appointments for me, my FMIL, and Jeff's grandmother.

I went by the restaurant and set up all the catering and finally paid my deposit. I was a little bit nervous that they would already be booked but thankfully they were wide open. Yay!

I went by the post office to get stamps, but they are all out of the wedding stamps here, so I'll have to get them next week in Nashville.

I'm tempted to take my shoes into town and see if I can't find a "going away" dress.

I can almost relax now!

Kay

03-21-2009, 10:10 PM

Hi! I was just wondering what your parents gifts are?? I am still looking for ideas for our parents.

Also, did you know the price of stamps is going-up next month?? 44 cents! Just wanted to make sure you knew that!

You sound very "together" and relaxed about all this. Good for you. :)

sandy03

03-21-2009, 11:56 PM

Our parents gifts are handkerchiefs from www.thelaceshop.com that are embroidered with the role ("father of the bride", "mother of the groom", etc.) and our names and the wedding date. The parents will also get a small photo album as a part of our photography package.

Thankfully, all of our stuff (except for the thank yous for gifts received at the wedding, if there are any) will be mailed BEFORE the postage change. We are making SURE of that (and stocking up on the forever stamps!).

I was disappointed with the cupcake trees. They only hold like 50 each - I need them to hold close to 150 each! I'll have to try and figure something out. I really don't want to spread cupcakes all over the table but I really don't want to spend a small fortune on new cupcake towers. We'll see what I can come up with!

Today I got the last of my everyday dishes! FMIL and I went to get some stuff set up for the rehearsal dinner and decided to "swing by" Belk. Yeah, that's a mistake. She bought my last place setting of china, 6 pasta bowls, and a platter. She got a whole bunch of clothes, including her shoes for the wedding and a dress and shoes for the rehearsal/rehearsal dinner.

I got some plain black heels to wear for graduation (and anything else!). I also got a great pair of sandals that match an outfit I got for Christmas. It was a summer outfit on clearance when we got it so I haven't had a chance to wear it. I'll wear it for my shower next week rather than buying a whole new dress. I also got a great dress for the rehearsal/rehearsal dinner. Being the dork that I am, I found a dress that is brown and green so it will match the invitations and other stuff for the evening. I'm excited. Now I just have to find an outfit for Jeff!

I almost found a "going away" outfit, too. I think I'm going to find a skirt and top rather than a dress. It's just more flattering on me and I think it will be easier to find something I really love.

My newest list of things to do is to come up with final menu/head count for rehearsal dinner, buy stamps, stuff and mail invites, find going away outfit, finish hotel bags, order M&Ms for favors, and get fitted for my dress.

Am I together and cool about everything? Not at all. I'm a very anal and neurotic mess, but I'm too organized for my own good and so excited I don't know what to do with myself! Hopefully this will keep me sane in the coming weeks.

sandy03

03-23-2009, 04:39 PM

I'm still trying to decide what I want to do about the cupcake stands.

I'm about to order the last two groomsmen's gifts. I think they'll be really nice.

We decided not to do the oreos for the favors. I think I'll do some and just put them in the hotel bags. We're going to probably get printed M&Ms for our favors. I think we're going to try and do the ones with our pictures printed on them. I'm a little scared, but Jeff thinks they're cute so I guess it's worth a shot.

Apparently someone gave a gift to my dad and he brought it over to the house yesterday. But whoever it was didn't include a card or write their name on a tag or anything. My dad didn't write it down either, just told Jeff who it was from. Well, Jeff was on his way out the door so he didn't have a chance to write it down either and then couldn't remember who it was from when he was telling me about it last night. Jeff told me it was tupperware but I've yet to see it.

This weekend I'm definitely going down to Birmingham, so hopefully I can get my garter. If White Flowers doesn't have one I like I really don't know what I'll do because I haven't even looked into alternatives! I should do that.

sandy03

03-26-2009, 01:27 AM

It looks like our well-laid plans for the honeymoon are going to have to be shifted a bit.

We had decided not to do a brunch or anything the day after the wedding because not a whole lot of people will be staying after. We specifically chose to finish everything up before dinner so that most everyone could get home at a decent hour. For the majority of our guests, "home" is several hours away so they would not be coming back for anything!

Well, Jeff is having a few far-flung family members come in and stay for a day or two. Because of all the craziness, we won't really get to see or spend much time with them before hand. This is nothing new in the world of weddings and I don't think anyone would expect anything different. His mother was planning to host most of them for at least the rest of the weekend, which we knew and everyone was on the same page about.

Well, she got to thinking about it and how all these people would be here and not get to spend much time with us and it would be lot easier to spend time with everyone if they went back to their house (about 45 minutes away) on Saturday night rather than staying in the hotel an extra night. Ok, fine, whatever. Then she decides tat they want to have a barbeque on Sunday for everyone to come and hang out. AND that Jeff and I need to make an appearance at this event. She said we didn't have to stay and eat, but let's be real - if his step dad is making BBQ, I'm going to be eating it!

Originally our plan was to leave the reception and drive about three hours to Atlanta for our wedding night. We'd spend the night there, get up and go to the Aquarium and the Coca-Cola museum on Sunday morning, then have lunch at the Varsity and drive the rest of the way to Savannah. We made reservations and everything was set.

A couple of weeks ago we got to thinking about it and Jeff decided he really didn't want to drive all that way that night, so we had just about made up our mind that we would spend Saturday night at the Tutwiler (very cool historic hotel in Birmingham, where we stayed on New Year's Eve) and then just drive straight to Savannah, skipping Atlanta. It would only involve changing one reservation and wouldn't be that big of a deal. We hadn't changed anything yet, but had pretty much decided that's what we would do.

Well, if we stay in Birmingham AND try to make an appearance at the barbeque, we won't be able to drive all the way to Savannah in one day without killing each other. Something tells me we'll still be worn out anyway and won't want to.

His mother was very nice about it and said she'd bribe us to come to the Barbeque - she'd pay for a honeymoon suite for Saturday night for us in Birmingham at the Tutwiler or anywhere else we want to stay.

So now it looks like we'll be spending Saturday night in Birmingham, Sunday night in Atlanta, and then Monday-Wednesday in Savannah and Thursday-Friday on Tybee Island.

I think I'm ok with all of this. I was a little upset because there was a special tour I wanted to do on Sunday night in Savannah that we can't do now, but I'm glad we'll get to do the stuff in Atlanta because I was really looking forward to that.

I'm surprisingly ok with all of this. I really can handle change as long as I have some time to process it and don't have a million other things going on at once!

Docsgirl

03-26-2009, 06:34 AM

It still sounds like a great honeymoon to me. :D And kudos to you for being flexible about it!

sandy03

03-26-2009, 01:29 PM

I think I found my going away outfit! I stumbled upon a skirt I really like yesterday while I was wasting time so I'm headed to the store today to see if they have it. I'm really trying to wear just black and white. I'll have my red shoes (which is what I want to be the focal point anyway!), a red corsage, and maybe some red jewelry. I figure I'll get the skirt (black, with white flowers on the bottom), a white cami, and a black sweater. Originally I wanted a suit, but I think I'll hold off on that. I'm hoping this outfit works. One less thing to think about.

I've got to go to Costco for the beer and wine and the last few things for the hotel bags. I am wondering if they sell wedding stamps, too. If not I'll swing by the post office on my way to the liquor store for the bridesmaids gifts.

I ought to be studying rather than running around town, but alas.

sandy03

03-26-2009, 08:12 PM

Well, my shopping expedition today was a success. I got my going away outfit, one full outfit for the honeymoon plus an extra top, and my outfit for another shower (that will probably also make it into the suitcase for the honeymoon). I also couldn't resist the $3.99 panties at victoria's secret and I scoped out some sapphire and blue topaz earrings just in case my garter doesn't work out.

I got all the wine for the rehearsal dinner plus the stuff for the bridesmaids gifts, all my plates and silverware for the reception, stuff to finish out the hotel bags, and some hot pockets for lunch next week! I'm so random!

I still need to get the beer, but there's time for that. I didn't make it to the post office in time to get the stamps, so I'll have to do that in the morning on my way out of town.

I talked to my aunt who lives in Ohio today and she is coming down for my shower this weekend! I'm quite surprised! I actually didn't have her on the list to be invited because I figured she wouldn't come down just for that. Plus, we're having another one the day before my great-aunt's birthday and I figured she'd be down already so she could come to that one. It was really nice to get to talk to her for a while and catch up and it will be nice to see her.

I can't help myself, I've been sneaking peeks at the registry again. This time there's baking pans, silverware, and the salt and pepper grinders. It'll be interesting to see what gets purchased friday night or even early Saturday (since most of my stuff last time came off at the last minute).

Yup, life is good.

sandy03

03-27-2009, 10:42 PM

Well, I finally made it to white flowers today in search of my garter. I perused the whole store (I haven't been in since they moved to the new location) and looked all over but couldn't find that garter. It couldn't be that hard to miss, I mean it's a blue-ish silver garter in a store that is completely white! They had one white garter that was a very different style from the one I wanted, so I asked the owner, fearing the worst.

At first she told me that the white one was all they had but they were getting some off-white ones in the next week or so. Then she asks if there was something in particular I wanted. I mentioned the blue one that she'd had years ago. She knew EXACTLY what I was talking about and actually finished my sentence when I was describing it. She told me it was a custom piece that had been special ordered but the person ended up not wanting it and it had been in the store for a while but had sold within the last two weeks. I seriously thought I was going to cry in the middle of the store!

THEN she tells me that the artist who makes the white ones they have is the one that made the previous blue one and she could make one for me. I asked if she could get it done by May and she was like "oh absolutely, it would probably only take a couple of weeks"! I was so excited I thought I was going to cry tears of joy! I just wanted to hug her!!

Not only am I getting the garter of my dreams, there will only be a few like it in the world (I think there are currently two of these floating around, mine would be number three). I am so thrilled there just aren't words!! I also saw a really pretty necklace I liked but refrained from buying it. Maybe the Easter Bunny will bring it to me!

Moon.Dust.

03-28-2009, 08:32 AM

That's wonderful! Can't wait to see the finished product!

NOTKT

03-28-2009, 02:38 PM

Yay! That's so great! Mine was handmade too, I loved it.

sandy03

03-29-2009, 06:04 PM

Shower Number 2 was yesterday and it was great. It was a very small group, which was actually quite nice. Our big gift from our hostesses was an adorable picnic basket, which we both really loved. We also got some silverware (which was a wedding gift from my aunt who will be in China during the wedding), salt & pepper grinders, steak knives, mixing bowls, a set of kitchen tools, and some gift cards. We had a great dinner and really enjoyed getting to visit with everyone. It was really a lovely evening.

All the invitations got stuffed too. Now they just need to be stamped and mailed!

sandy03

04-05-2009, 07:03 PM

Party number three was last night. It wasn't actually a shower because we didn't really get presents, but it was hosted by two of my bridesmaids and called "A Toast to Love". We had wine and cheese and some fabulous desserts and just hung out and talked and enjoyed spending time with everyone. It was especially nice because at lease half the people there won't be able to come to the wedding so it was a chance to celebrate with them.

We did get a couple of presents - my cheese grater and a beautiful bread tray that says "give us this day our daily bread". LOVE IT!

I finally found someone to alter the dress after a bit of challenge. I may end up having to take it back to David's Bridal to get it hemmed and bustled, but I found a lady who is willing to make my straps for me, and that was my main concern.

So yeah, everything else seems to be going well.

Micah's bride

04-05-2009, 09:37 PM

Glad you had a great third party. Just wanted to tell you, the David's here told me that they wouldn't touch my dress if someone else had already altered it. So you might want to have the hem and bustle done first if you're doing it there. I had some beads missing and I was going to have my mom bustle it before I took it to be beaded and steamed, but they said they wouldn't do that if she had already altered it.

sandy03

04-06-2009, 03:12 PM

Thanks for the tip. I was afraid of that, and I think that's what I am going to have to do. I may take it and get measured for the straps and have her put them together so that once I get it back, all she has to do is attach them (since this will also have to be done across state lines and be a royal pain in the rump!)

Micah's bride

04-07-2009, 12:57 PM

Did you get your garter yet? Can't wait to see it!

sandy03

04-07-2009, 01:02 PM

Nope, no word on the garter yet. I'm going to give it another week and then call if I haven't heard anything.

Invitations are getting mailed today. Yay!

sandy03

04-07-2009, 07:17 PM

It seems like the more I get done, the longer my to-do list gets! On the up side, the to-do list is getting much more specific.

I haven't been able to find a red purse I like to go with my "going away" outfit. I saw a black one with a big black flower on it that was cute and would work, but I'm not willing to pay that much for it, so I've found a pattern for making a silk flower, so I'm going to try to make a flower for my purse. It seems easy enough. The only danger of this is that if I figure out how to do this and it's actually as easy as it seems, I may end up with fabric flowers on everything I own! I'm going to try to go to the store after class to get the stuff and try it out tonight.

After searching all over and going to at least three different post offices, I finally found the wedding stamps. I got them yesterday and got all my invitations stamped so they could be mailed today. I know that the design on the stamps seems like something that is very silly and insignificant. And maybe it is. Maybe it doesn't matter to anyone else, but it matters to me. It's just who I am. I am a detail-oriented person. I care about the little things. Nobody else may notice, but I will notice.

sandy03

04-09-2009, 11:32 PM

We have a home!

We signed a lease for a condo tonight! Jeff will move in at the end of the month and then I'll move in after the wedding. I'll probably start moving stuff down when I start moving out of my place in Nashville, but I won't officially move in until we return from the honeymoon.

It's a really nice place in a great neighborhood that's so convenient to just about everything! It's so nice to have one less thing to worry about!

Mrs.Goff

04-10-2009, 04:25 AM

Congrats on finding a place.

TeacherSonja

04-10-2009, 09:58 AM

Congratulations! Moving is one of the most exciting things!

sandy03

04-12-2009, 09:14 PM

Jeff gave me my wedding present early (or at least part of it, according to him) - a new digital camera. I used to be a photographer but haven't really done much in the past couple of years because I would rather spend my money on things other than film and developing (I never had my own darkroom or anything like that). But now, I can actually get really creative again! I'm so excited! I was taking pictures of EVERYTHING this weekend.

Hopefully I'm getting my dress fitted this week. I'm trying to find a time when my MOH can go with me, but I may just have to go alone because it really needs to get done this week. It's getting to be crunch time!

The favors are ordered, the parents gifts should be shipped this week, and all i need to do now is finish purchasing a few little random things. Next weekend is the tool party which should be a lot of fun. I'm going to have to go by myself for my first dress fitting, but we're all crazy busy and it's my own fault for waiting so long to do this. I'm determined to make it work!

I got my first RSVP for the wedding this weekend! We aren't doing dinner so we didn't do RSVP cards, but one of my friends called to RSVP anyway. She's coming down all the way from NYC, so that's very exciting. I haven't seen her in a couple of years now so it'll be a fun reunion.

I'll probably be rather absent from here for the next couple of weeks because I need to seriously focus on school and getting everything done. Once classes are over I can dive head-first into the last of the wedding stuff. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

sandy03

04-21-2009, 06:14 PM

I'm still not done with school, but I'm getting closer. Less than one week to go!

Our tool and garden party was a nice party. We got a few big presents and a couple of little things. I got a couple of things, but most of the stuff was for Jeff, but it needed to be because he needed new toys too! Jeff was really excited about his new workbench, even though it will have to stay in storage for a little while. We also got a great upside down patio garden that we will start as soon as we get moved and settled. We're going to probably have herbs, peppers, and tomatoes for this year.

I'm going to get fitted for my dress FINALLY on Thursday. I'm ready for everything to be done.

I went by the church while I was home last weekend and met with one of the ladies of the church and she helped me sort out the arrangement of everything for the reception. I've got most of the church stuff taken care of so that's nice. I'm going to have a little snafu with my Friday scheduling, but I think I can make it work, I'll just have to play with it a little.

Things are going well, I've just got to wait another week to get through school and then I can throw myself head-first into wedding and moving stuff. I really need to get my thank you notes written this week, so that will probably be my break from writing for school.

So yeah, that's about all that's happening right now. You are officially updated.

Moon.Dust.

04-22-2009, 10:54 AM

that last week of school is almost PAINFUL to get through because you're so CLOSE!

I love the idea of a tool/garden party

sandy03

04-22-2009, 12:05 PM

Yup, I am officially not motivated to do anything. Anything that I have potentially learned from these assignments is going into la-la land. All I really care about at this point is PASSING. At least I'm keeping all my books, so that anything important is getting marked (because it makes it so much easier to go back and find later for quotes!) and it will stay on my shelf so maybe one day I'll find it again and actually be able to hang on to some of the information!

The irony of the whole thing is that there's a really popular chapel/wedding venue RIGHT by the divinity school that I have to pass every day. I usually park at it when I drive and sit there when I need to work online and don't feel like going all the way to school. I walk past it when I walk to school and can actually see the bell tower from my bedroom window. For the past couple of weeks it seems like they are doing wedding photo shoots there every day! It's always different models and it's usually different photographers. It's not like walking by on a Friday afternoon or during a Saturday and "oh someone is getting married today!" because I've seen that and expect it. This is like lunchtime on a Tuesday. It's clearly models so I'm guessing this place is going to be featured in some local wedding magazine or something or some bridal shop is using it as the setting for an ad campaign or something, I don't know. It's so random and it's so distracting when I'm supposed to be working on school stuff and keep having this little white bride-demon sitting on my shoulder like in the cartoons trying to steal my attention!

And allow me to correct myself, the official title of the party was "tool and gadget". I always say "tool and garden" just because that's how it was referred to originally and most of our gifts were more garden related than gadgety. Either way, it was a great party.

sandy03

04-23-2009, 06:20 PM

So I got fitted for my dress today. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't need to get it hemmed! I'm so short that this is probably a first for me, but with my shoes the dress was just right (I kinda felt like baby bear, it all fit just right!)

I was forced to make a split second decision and the alterations lady didn't ask me if I wanted a bustle, she just told me I had to have it, so I went with it. She asked someone else to come and do it since she was busy which was fine. But the lady who came out didn't ask me what kind of bustle I wanted or tell me what she was doing, she just started cutting the lace off the lining and pinning it up. I paid for it and left and didn't really think about it until I got in the car.

Well, two hours of driving gives you plenty of time to think and I just started crying because I really don't want an american bustle. If they can't do a french bustle I'd almost rather not have one because I don't want the back of my dress ruined by having all this cra@p hanging off my butt. So I called one of my bridesmaids and she tried to calm me down a little and told me I should just call them and ask about it. So I called and the girl I talked to didn't tell me anything except that someone would call me back when they finished with their customer. Well, that was over an hour ago and still no word.

At least I've finally stopped crying. Hopefully I'll talk to somebody soon.

NOTKT

04-23-2009, 09:25 PM

I absolutely hate how they make all these decisions for you! Especially at the alterations place. It's not your fault they have hundreds of girls in and out of there! Ugh! Hopefully someone has called you back...

Moon.Dust.

04-23-2009, 09:49 PM

no no no! this is THEIR mistake!
Give 'em heck when you do get to talk to them!

Mrs.Goff

04-23-2009, 10:36 PM

Please don't let them make you except something you don't want. Make them fix it. I paid $344 for my alterations and absoletly hated my bustle. So whatever you do, don't settle for what you don't want. Make them fix it.

I'm sorry this is happening and I hope that it works out for you.

sandy03

04-23-2009, 11:30 PM

Well, after about the second hour of waiting my bridesmaid called me (because I was supposed to call her after I talked to the people at the store) and basically told me to call them back. I did and finally got to talk to the manager or head seamstress or whatever her title is. As soon as I was talking to her I turned into a blubbering mess and she just told me to come back in and she would fix it, answer my questions, and she would be the one I would be dealing with. She was very nice and seemed very accommodating so hopefully it'll all get sorted out on Monday.

Moon.Dust.

04-24-2009, 01:09 PM

good! I'm so glad it could get straightened out.

ChristineLS

04-24-2009, 02:06 PM

I'm crossing my fingers for you! Hopefully it works out :)

sandy03

04-26-2009, 01:18 AM

In case anyone is looking for the perfect wedding workout, I have your solution - MOVE!

The move went surprisingly smoothly, and while it's not all done yet, the place definitely looks and feels like home now. I'm very excited about it. I'm also totally exhausted and still have a lot of homework to get done before Monday night so the celebration will have to wait a little longer.

Moon.Dust.

04-26-2009, 10:43 AM

good for you!
we've lived in this place for 2 years and STILL I haven't made it homey

Kay

04-26-2009, 02:08 PM

good for you!
we've lived in this place for 2 years and STILL I haven't made it homey

LOL!!! We moved the last week of March and I'm quite sure it'll be a year before we are "homey" feeling!

And you are correct ~ moving really does help the weight loss.

sandy03

04-26-2009, 09:54 PM

I'm a nester, it's what I do. Plus, I am not terribly helpful when it comes to moving furniture and whatnot, so I stayed out of the way and unpacked stuff and arranged things. The office is a wreck (and it's only half done, none of my books are in yet!) but the bedrooms are almost put together and the common areas are done. I have a few little things that I want to add, but for the most part all I'll have to move into the new place is my clothes, a whole bunch of books, and a few electronics.

Now all I have to do is figure out what to do with all my other stuff! I'm looking forward to the chance to purge and get rid of a whole bunch of stuff I don't need but I still need to give a lot of things away.

We're having our first official guest at the new place on Wednesday. Bob, our minister, is coming over to meet with us and talk over wedding things. I'm very excited.

sandy03

04-27-2009, 09:58 PM

I went back and got re-fitted for my dress today. It ended up costing me an extra $110 but I think it will be worth it. I am really glad that I was dealing with the alterations manager because she was very good about looking at everything and making sure it was just right. She actually helped me readjust my skirts and slips and everything and took another look at it and we decided that a few tiny alterations DID need to be made to the hem. The satin lining is the right length, but the lace over it is actually a little too long. Not much, but we do need to take up a little piece right in the front. Then we looked at the bustle and I ended up with TWO bustles - a french AND an american. As crazy as it sounds, it's actually the perfect setup for my dress. The satin underneath is french bustled, but the lace is too delicate for that so it's american bustled at one point on top, and it all looks really nice!

Oh, and by the way, I am DONE with my Master's Degree! Woo hoo!

Mrs.Goff

04-27-2009, 11:00 PM

I'm glad that you were able to get your dress fixed. Can't wait to see pictures.

and

CONGRATULATIONS, on finishing your Masters!!

ChristineLS

04-28-2009, 11:21 AM

Micah's bride

04-28-2009, 11:44 AM

Congratulations on finishing your master's degree, that's so exciting. I'm also glad you are happy with your dress, can't wait to see pictures!! You're almost there now.

sandy03

04-28-2009, 01:23 PM

Congrats on finishing your Master's degree! Does this mean that you can be ordained, or do you need a doctorate before that can happen?

I am actually already in the process of getting ordained and if things continue to go according to plan, I will officially become a clergywoman in early June. I promise to let everyone know.

ChristineLS

04-28-2009, 03:23 PM

I am actually already in the process of getting ordained and if things continue to go according to plan, I will officially become a clergywoman in early June. I promise to let everyone know.

That's awesome, and good luck! I'll be reading attentively :D

TeacherSonja

04-29-2009, 06:39 AM

Congratulations on the Master's Degree! I'm glad that everything's ok with the alterations-feeling great in your dress is definitely worth the money spent on alterations.

sandy03

04-30-2009, 02:33 PM

I got my first taste of what I think married life will be like the past couple of days. I got to go down and stay will Jeff for a little while in our new place. I didn't do a whole lot except be domestic - cook, do laundry, walk the dogs, etc. But it was still really nice. It was nice being able to piddle around OUR place!

We got to plant our new patio garden while I was home too. We've got four tomato plants, one banana pepper plant, plus basil, thyme, and parsley. Now all I need is a rosemary bush and I'll be good to go! Between that, my dad's garden, and Jeff's step-dad's garden we will have more fresh stuff than we'll know what to do with! I'm going to try canning this summer - particularly tomato sauce and pickles. Maybe next year I can get into making jam and jelly!

NOTKT

05-03-2009, 02:35 PM

That's so great! Congrats on the Master's Degree! Looks like everything is falling into place!

sandy03

05-05-2009, 08:35 AM

I finally got my garter yesterday. At first I was a little disappointed because it wasn't exactly what I remembered, but now I think I actually like it better. Instead of the gray pearls that were on the original, this one has white pearls on it which will actually match my stuff better. I'll try to get pictures of it soon.

I'm going to have a crazy few days trying to get everything packed by Friday. I had figured I would have until Sunday before I had to move everything out, but it turns out all my big, strong men are only going to be in town Friday for graduation, so I'll have to move everything out then. Oh well. I'll be glad when it's all over with. I love Nashville and will go back to visit I'm sure, but I will be glad to be done with the back and forth and finally be settled and have one home again for the first time in six years!

sandy03

05-06-2009, 06:13 PM

Everything has finally been confirmed and I have a new job! I will be licensed as a Local Pastor on June 5th and then I will begin serving Village Falls United Methodist Church. My first Sunday in my new pulpit will be June 14th.

Oh and I picked up my cap, gown, and hood for graduation today. YAY for exciting things happening.

Message from my brother today: "The transformation to a bridezilla is beginning. I always thought it was an urban legend, like the lochness monster or the superdevil, but it's oh so real. Just kidding, love you."
I laughed really hard when I read that! I love my baby brother and his crazy sense of humor! I'm glad I have him to keep me laughing for the next few weeks. He will definitely add some comic relief to the craziness that is to come.

TeacherSonja

05-07-2009, 04:56 AM

Congratulations on your new job! Your brother has a great sense of humour!:)

Kay

05-07-2009, 10:04 PM

Wonderful news! My future in-laws are Methodist. Nice church.

sandy03

05-09-2009, 10:34 PM

Graduation and moving are officially done. Tomorrow is my last day at the church, then it will be full-time wedding work.

My MOH and I are going to pick up my dress monday, then it's home for my final appointments, putting together favors, printing the programs, and any other last-minute things I can think of that need doing.

ChristineLS

05-09-2009, 11:50 PM

*looks at calendar* *looks at topic name*

Wow, you're almost there! All that work you've put into it is going to pay off really soon :D

sandy03

05-12-2009, 09:30 AM

I got the dress yesterday and I'm very happy with it. It took my MOH and I a long time to get into it but hopefully it will go quicker with the four other bridesmaids to help too! At least we know what we're doing now!!

My newest challenge has become working on the candy table that Jeff wants instead of a groom's cake. I'm trying to come up with a creative way of arranging everything that can sort of reflect his personality but still go with everything else we're doing. I'm leaning towards a fishing theme so any suggestions would be welcome.

I'm going to meet with my photographer in just over an hour. Then when I finish there I'm going to run by the florist, go check on the hotel rooms, and hopefully swing by the caterer. I'm also hoping to go by office max and hobby lobby, but I may not have time to do everything today. We'll see.

sandy03

05-12-2009, 06:07 PM

Today was a very busy day but in a good way. I met with my photographer, florist, and confirmed everything at the hotel for our out of town guests. I also picked up the gift for my guestbook attendant, ordered the gifts for the organist and Jeff's aunt that is making our cake, got thank you cards for everyone, picked up tissue paper and ribbon so I can finish up the hotel bags, got the rest of my new clothes for the honeymoon, did my grocery shopping for the next couple of weeks, picked up our last few things for the rehearsal dinner, and have just about finished putting together the bridesmaids gifts.

I'm going to take a little nap and eat some dinner, wrap the gifts for the parents and grandparents, unload my car, finish packing for the honeymoon, make the guest bed, type up the directions to the church for the hotel bags, start putting together the favors, and make some more hotel bags.

Tomorrow I have to go talk to the caterers, pick up a gift for my liturgist, go get the containers for the candy table, call the lady who was going to put the straps on my dress, drive down to birmingham and go to costco, godiva, publix, and meet with the minister so I can start printing the programs and make sure there isn't anything else I need to be doing.

Oh yeah, I'm relaxing now that school is done!

sandy03

05-15-2009, 02:03 AM

I've been running really hard all week and I've been really stressed, but today something clicked and I started feeling happier than I can remember feeling in a long time. I think the last time I felt like this was when we got engaged! It's AMAZING!

My brother has been an absolute saint. He got to come home earlier than he thought he would and he has been a huge help to me and we have gotten to spend some really great quality time together. Last night we sat up putting together little bags of M&Ms for the favors until 2:30 am. I don't think either of us intended to stay up that late, but we were having such a good time talking that before we knew it it was beyond late! Tonight he came into the bedroom where I was printing programs and just crawled into bed to watch tv and keep me company while I was working. I think we've both needed this!

My pile of empty boxes is getting higher. All my boxes of supplies aren't boxes of supplies anymore! Slowly but surely, projects are being completed. It's really great to see things completed and to realize how close we are to the big event!

I think I have given up on having the straps put on my dress. It's just one more thing to do and I'm really pretty happy with the way it looks without them. I didn't think I would be, but the more I look at it the more I like it as-is. I think I'm still going to take something off my mom's dress and put it into mine, but it'll probably just be a little piece of lace or something that I'll pin into the inside.

I'm really tired so I'm going to bed. Tomorrow is going to be another busy day but I'm looking forward to it.

sandy03

05-18-2009, 01:28 AM

The weekend was good. I got some more work done but didn't have a whole lot of time for laziness. I can't say I was surprised, but I was a little disappointed. Oh well.

I went to visit my new church today. Everyone was very nice and very friendly, but it's still going to be a challenge. It'll be an adventure, but I'm looking forward to it.

Thankfully everything is winding down for me! I have half the programs totally done and the last half are about to finish printing. I can put them together tomorrow, run to Hobby Lobby one last time, go to the dry cleaner, and run by Belk. At some point I have to go by the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner and confirm everything, but after that my main job is to finish changing sheets and getting rooms ready for company!

I'm getting married on Saturday! Hooray!!

Moon.Dust.

05-18-2009, 12:22 PM

OMG!!! How exciting!! Remember to breathe.

sandy03

05-18-2009, 09:02 PM

While I was down in Birmingham this weekend I got our rings from Jeff and brought them back to be put with the rest of the wedding stuff. We pulled them out of the boxes to look at them and noticed two spots on the brushed part of Jeff's ring. We had never noticed them before but didn't think a whole lot about it and I told him I'd take it to the jeweler's today while I was running around and get it cleaned. I had to take it to a local place my family has used for years, even though we didn't get our rings there to start with.

The first person who looked at it wasn't quite sure that anything could be done so he asked a couple of other people in the back and I found out that the spots were actually caused by fumes from the glue in the ring box! They can't necessarily clean it off, but they can re-plate that part of the ring to cover it up. When the lady told me that I know I got this "deer in the headlights" look on my face thinking it would take weeks. They asked when I needed it and I just told them "the wedding is saturday" so they promised to have it for me on Thursday since Friday is the rehearsal and I would be so busy!

I love working with local vendors in a small town! They really do seem to have solutions for every crisis that comes my way!

Everything else seems to be going ok. I still haven't made it to Belk to get the rest of my stuff for the rehearsal dinner but that's not a big deal because I can go tomorrow. The house is slowly coming together, too. Hooray!

PGDesigns

05-18-2009, 09:16 PM

Congrats on getting so much done! (And I'm glad the jeweler can have the ring replated and ready for you to pick up Thursday! I can imagine the bit of panic you felt!)

Saturday will definitely be here before you know it, and I know you and Jeff are going to have an AMAZING day!

petulantfem

05-18-2009, 09:55 PM

Wow, you are getting so close!! I hope you have a beautiful day!

sandy03

05-21-2009, 05:48 PM

Whew! I'm beat! I had intentions of getting to bed at a decent hour last night (midnight-ish has become decent to me) but that didn't happen. I got to working on my scrapbook and then trying to get all the empty boxes and whatnot out to the curb for the garbage men, and I didn't end up going to bed until 4:30. Then about 9:30 this morning the madness began!

I got four presents today and am rather proud of myself because I already got the thank you notes for those written. I am really going to do my absolute best to get thank you notes written for EVERYTHING I get before the wedding (even if I get it tomorrow!) It'll be that many less to worry about when I get back from the honeymoon.

I think I have done all the running around that I need to do. All I really have to do now is change the bed in the master bedroom for my friends that will be staying here and finish picking up a few things here and there.

But before that, I think I need a nap.

Mrs.Goff

05-21-2009, 09:12 PM

OMG, you're getting married in 2 days! I'm so excited for you. Can't wait to see pictures. :D

TeacherSonja

05-22-2009, 04:21 AM

Wow, your wedding is so close! I hope everything turns out great! Enjoy your day!

NOTKT

05-24-2009, 02:21 PM

I hope you enjoyed your day! Congrats!

Kay

05-24-2009, 02:24 PM

Hello Mrs! Congratulations! Excited to hear how everything went!!

ChristineLS

05-24-2009, 08:48 PM

~*I hope you had a beautiful wedding! Congrats!*~

PGDesigns

05-24-2009, 09:20 PM

Congrats MRS! I hope your day was absolutely wonderful!

Mrs.Goff

05-24-2009, 11:15 PM

Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs. I hope your wedding was everything your dreamed of and I can not wait to hear all about and see the pictures. :)

TeacherSonja

05-25-2009, 09:03 AM

Congratulations! I hope you had a great time! Can't wait for pics!

NOTKT

05-26-2009, 10:12 PM

Have a great day!

sandy03

05-31-2009, 04:24 PM

I'm back and I'm hitched!!

The wedding was great! I really don't have any major complaints. There were a few things I wish had gone a little differently, but in the end they're really insignificant. The service was great and the reception was really nice. We ended up with a LOT of leftover cupcakes because everyone wanted to eat our little cake that we just were using for pictures. I was a little upset because that one was supposed to be just for us, but oh well. They saved the top for us so we can eat that.

The honeymoon was really nice. We had a good time and had a chance to recover from all the wedding craziness. I'm going tomorrow to do all the name-changing stuff and then I'll have a few days to get settled into our new home and get all my thank-you notes written before I have to work on coordinating marriage AND work.

I have no pictures yet, but will post some once i have them.

alli816

05-31-2009, 07:18 PM

Congratulations Sandy, glad to hear you had an awesome day...cant wait to see your pics...

PGDesigns

05-31-2009, 07:46 PM

Welcome back, Sandy! Congrats! I'm glad to hear there were no major mishaps and that you enjoyed your day!

ChristineLS

06-01-2009, 12:46 AM

Congrats Rev. Mrs. Herren! :D

sandy03

06-01-2009, 12:53 AM

Congrats Rev. Mrs. Herren! :D

Thank you! Save some of the congrats for this coming weekend - I won't officially become Rev. until Friday afternoon!

horse345

06-01-2009, 02:30 AM

Congrats! I can't wait to see the pictures...I bet you had a wonderful time!

EarlyBird

06-01-2009, 01:06 PM

I thought about you at my rehersal and said a little prayer for you hoping it all went good. i have not seen pics up.. ?

sandy03

06-01-2009, 07:15 PM

Ok, the computer freaked out on me and posted this before I was done with it, so the title isn't right - there aren't nine pics, I was trying to put - (not professional)

1) the whole wedding party - my favorite pic so far

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v4647/225/22/423975/n423975_39182384_2231388.jpg

2) me and the girls in front of the church. you can see my brother and step-mom at the top of the steps watching us.

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v4647/225/22/423975/n423975_39182352_3791075.jpg

3) me (obviously). I haven't decided if I like this one or not

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs090.snc1/4647_674578077965_423975_39182351_7587061_n.jpg

4) my program (with the beautiful monogram Brandi made for me! I got so many compliments on it!)

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs045.snc1/4420_1151853923401_1439220028_30391136_1406241_n.j pg

5) leaving

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs090.snc1/4647_674578966185_423975_39182396_1603227_n.jpg

Mrs.Goff

06-01-2009, 08:59 PM

Wow, what a beautiful bride, I LOVE your dress. Can't wait to see more. :D

Kay

06-01-2009, 11:09 PM

O! Your wedding was just beautiful! And that picture you can't decide if you like yet or not???? I LOVE IT!!! You look wonderful. Congratulations!

sandy03

06-04-2009, 10:54 AM

I'm still getting used to being Mrs. Herren. It's really weird to hear people call me that and it's going to take me a little while. I always have to stop and think about how to sign my name!

The process of officially changing my documents has been a bit of a headache. We got back from our honeymoon on Saturday evening and spent the night at our place. Sunday morning we took the T-Bird back to his mother's and retrieved his truck. Then he took me up to my hometown to get my car and so that I could spend the night and do all my name changing on Monday.

Late Sunday night I realized that all the papers for my car title were in a bag that had ended up at our condo and I didn't think to grab that bag before we left on Sunday, so it was still sitting on the dining room table. GREAT. So Monday morning I didn't have much choice except to drive down and get them. My tag was officially expired and I had to get a new one! So I made the drive. It wasn't too bad, a little over 2 hours round trip since I missed the traffic, but still a pain.

THEN I get back and find out that Monday was a state holiday and the courthouse was closed! I couldn't even get the marriage certificate so I couldn't go to the bank or social security or anything! So I spent another night away from my husband.

Tuesday I got up and tried again. I got the car title and tag taken care of pretty easily. But they were all out of my tag (for my college) so they had to get one from their warehouse and it would be there on Wednesday. NOT the way I wanted to start my day. Thankfully, they were nice enough to mail it to me so I wouldn't have to go back and pick it up. I got the marriage certificate with absolutely no problems. Then I went down the hall to get my license changed and the license system was down state-wide. How does that happen??

I left the courthouse and headed over to the social security office. Or, what I thought was the social security office. Apparently they moved about 9 months ago! I knew I would have to go home and look it up, so I just moved on to the next thing.

I went to both my banks to do stuff there. The first one got the name changed really easily and gave me a few papers to have Jeff sign but it was easy. I figured I would have to just order a new card and have it mailed. Well, the good news was that they had an "instant issue" debit card machine! The bad news is that it was broken and I'd have to come back. Oh well. The second one they had to change my name TWICE because she mis-spelled it the first time. Then, the system didn't process the change right away so they couldn't order my card and I'll have to go back and do that.

After all that I got some lunch and went home to look up the location of the new social security office. I waited around a little while and then went to that office. Thankfully it went smoothly too.

I suppose the whole thing could have been a lot worse. Most of the people I dealt with were very pleasant and I never really had to wait in line very long which is a lot more than most people can say!

Yesterday I got my new cell phone so that was exciting.

Tomorrow I will officially be licensed as a local pastor and gain the title of "Rev." Yay!