Mimi & Brian Tie the Knot!

9-9-06 has passed! We are finally married!

Friday, April 28, 2006

Soda Jerk

Nuts! I knew our caterer was providing coffee, tea, and water. And, I had spoken to my dad about the beer and liquor. I somehow didn’t think of the fact that we would need in-between non-alcoholic options as well. We did not budget for soda or juice but I don’t think there’s any getting around it. Sigh, one more thing.

Some good news: a contract for the tent is on its way to us and we may have found a less-expensive officiant who also seems to possess the skills and traits (read literate) that we were hoping for. I’m working on the chairs which are a pain in the butt (ha-ha!) because they will need to be carried up on to the deck of the ship.

We’re thinking of blocking off some rooms at one of the downtown hotels but it’s a little hard to tell how much of a need there is. Will folks from A2 want to stay overnight? Family from Michigan? We don’t have many friends/family who will actually have to fly in (though we can’t wait to see those who are: yay Betsy, Nick, Bart, and Liz!!!) so it’s tough to estimate. I think we’ll go ahead and do it since nothing is lost if no one ends up using them.

We have an appointment with the caterer and will also pick up cake samples from one of two bakeries we are considering on the 6th. On the 13th I'll go to the shop where I'm getting my dress and see how all that taking-in is going (it's being taken in from a size 20)...that's going to be really exciting.

Everything is coming along and it feels pretty good (even though I did freak out about the soda thing, sorry Brian).

M

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Gift Registry!!!

Mission accomplished! Brian and I returned to Bed Bath & Beyond today and completed our gift registry. It was a little difficult....I mean, what's our house going to look like when we grow up?? Plus, did you know that not all pots and pans are the same? Charles, the wonderful guy that helped us, asked which one of us was the cook...poor guy, he received two blank looks in return. Actually, both Brian and I would love to cook more but our kitchen is just so small. Dad got us a subscription to Bon Appetite for Christmas which has helped give us some ideas. But, I digress. We had a lot of fun registering and somehow, and I know this sounds hokey, but somehow it made the wedding and marriage and the whole moving on to the next phase of our life together thing seem very important. I never really thought of it, but it brings us that much closer to establishing "our life" together.

Serious stuff aside, I fatigued way before Brian did. Suddenly I felt like the 5-year old little girl who had been dragged to Monkey Wards by her mom and my eyes began to roll back into my head. Meanwhile Brian, trigger finger ready, was asking what I thought about spice racks.

So, family and friends, if you would like to take a peek at our registry, go to: www.bedbathandbeyond.com . Oh, one of the handy things about BB&B, in addition to being able to giftwrap and ship items selected online, via phone, or in-store, they hold on to our registry for 24 months after the ceremony in case anyone is looking for gift ideas later.

M

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Practice Registry

Brian and I went to a couple of stores to compare bedding and dinnerware as we thought these were pretty major items to agree on. It did take us a while - because we couldn't make a decision, not because we couldn't agree -but we did find place settings and a comforter we like. We figure everything else should be easy and hope to go back tomorrow to actually register.

Another success story: both moms have found their dresses which are sure to amaze our guests. Actually, my mom found her dress at the same shop I found mine. Once they cut about three feet of extra material off, she'll be all set.

The bridesmaids' dresses will be ordered next week which will be another comforting checkmark.

We have a call in to an officiant, so hopefully we can get that wrapped up quickly. I'm trying to remain calm, but just "yesterday" I was saying there was 5 months left and now it's more like 4 - yikes!

M

Saturday, April 08, 2006

Centerpieces - Check

Whew! Reception decor progress was made today. I was having a real hard time finding unscented pillar candles for some reason. Fortunately, with Spring comes wedding planning (apparently) because the craft stores are now full of them. So, the centerpieces are pretty much done other than the project Brian is taking on (see previous post). We also found some decorations for the bar and for the breeze-way area leading into the hall. This all means that reception decor is pretty much done. We need a guestbook, but other than that I think we're set.

We received the literature from the wedding officiant mentioned previously and, like her website, it's very thorough. Still working on this task...

We also stopped in a local antique shop today. A friend of Brian's had mentioned as where she found her wedding band. They had lots of beautiful rings, but we think we'll go with the band the engagement ring was intended to go with. It was good to see the other rings though because it pointed out that we prefer the original :-)

This week, we hope to go to some suit shops to look find Brian's outfit for the big day. We're not sure how this will work out. We'd like him just to wear a suit (which he would likely buy) but that creates a problem for the other guys in the wedding as it can be difficult to find places that rent suits.

M

Monday, April 03, 2006

Carrot Cake vs. Chocolate Cake

We've been busy lately...looking for a wedding officiant, bakery testing, checking out the reception site (again), etc. We found an officiant that is a definite maybe. Her background in communication and theater is very appealing but she's incredibly expensive - more than twice as much as anyone else we've come across. Officiant shopping is proving difficult as we want someone with a personality, but at least I, and I think Brian a bit, too, shy away from those with religious backgrounds - even those willing to conduct un-religious ceremonies. Most of them want a donation made to their church which isn't so bad except then I feel like I have to shop around so that our money doesn't end up in a church we completely disagree with. We can go the judge route, but then I feel like I need to know their political backgrounds so our money doesn't end up in Texas. I know, I think too much! Anyway, it's proving quite the task.

Last Saturday we bought cupcakes at two of our favorite bakeries: Wixey and Sweet Occasions (formerly Strauss). After careful deliberation, thorough research assisted with milk to cleanse the palette, and input from family members....we ended up with an even-split vote!

After picking up the aforementioned yumminess, we stopped by the train station which was set up for a wedding. It was set up completely different from the last time we saw it so that was interesting. The layout is a bit unique...so we're tossing around ideas for how we want it.

Speaking of tossing things around, when we made it home the next day I nearly tossed the centerpieces out of the window. Brian has agreed to take the lead on that project because my frustration with following through on what had seemed a simple and easy idea is mounting. Sorry, can't give too many details out or you guys won't have a reason to come (i.e. if you know everything about the day).

Lastly, we stopped by a salon named Ahava (www.ahavaspa.com) that's right downtown so it would be super convenient to get my hair done there. Don't know much about it, but it looks nice. Still deciding...hair up or down?

M