Husband and Wife

So the wedding is 99% planned and ready to go- vows written, center pieces assembled and the gown is being steamed this weekend, but wait- that is all for the "party"- now it time to prepare for MARRIAGE.

Isn't that what this is all about anyway?

I come from a long line of successful marriages- and did I mention "religious family", so every single relative; aunt/ grandma and mom has shared their own advice on how to have a long lasting happy marriage.

Honestly- the articles, scripture and "Oprah books" are a bit overwhelming. Half of them talk about what do when your spouse hits a mid life crisis, money runs dry and or the kids are acting up. I understand the importance of being a team, having an open/honest relationship and loving one another- but is there anything I should be preparing for, anything that will change right after we say "I do".


Well, I'm stuck- we kind of already live like a married couple
1) We live together- we have been since May 07.
2) We share just about everything- a checking account, a bed, a car.
3) We take of each other when we are sick
4) Celebrate occasions together, birthdays, Christmas...etc.
you get the idea..

Besides a name change- and a fabulous honeymoon is there any other life alternating change I should be prepared for in those first couple of months as newlyweds!?

Wedding Weather

From the Farmer's Almanac-Northeast region!

September 2009
1st-3rd. Record low temperatures

and fair skies. 4th-7th. Clear and unseasonably chilly air shifts into the Northeast, after showers. Pleasant, dry, and cool for Labor Day. 8th-11th. Continued unseasonably chilly and dry. 12th-15th. Lots of cloudiness 16th-19th. Showers move in from the west. In addition, there’s a hurricane threat for the coast. 20th-23rd. More light showers. 24th-27th. Variably cloudy skies, with more widely scattered showers. 28th-30th. Increasingly cloudy skies.

Yea- cool and dry by labor day!!! perfect wedding weather.

Keeping my fingers crossed- only 12 more days to go :)

Hair Issues

This weekend was fun- we got a lot of wedding stuff done - including our marriage license!! and also spent Saturday in Newport with friends, so it was good!

But yesterday was stressful- I went for my "hair trial" so that the stylists knows exactly what to do on wedding day. She is a wonderful woman and super nice, but I just wasn't in the mood for some reason.

She spent hours- washing, curling, spraying and fooling around with different looks- All I want is something SIMPLE, very natural and simple looking. Its a beachy wedding, nothing too formal- and I just felt like she wanted to make it over the top.

I was in no mood to argue, so I just let play. Then came the veil.

I mentioned before that I am wearing my mother's veil- it is suppose to be the kick off of a new tradition between the girls in my family. At first I thought this was great- but now I'm realizing- I HATE the veil, not my mother's veil, just the whole thing- any veil, I DO NOT like it on my head!

Maybe I'm just super moody (menstrual) and stressed out- but yesterday was a disaster- between my MIL to- be telling me how important it is for a bride to wear a veil and my stylist sticking sparkles in my head all I wanted to do was cry. Whats wrong with me?? I just do not like this "fancy bride look"- the veil and sparkle headgear has me stressed out. I just prefer simple- nothing weighing me down.

I think I also really miss my bridesmaids/sister and mom. They understand my style more- and get the fact that I just won't be comfortable wearing the veil for more than just the church- and would hate sparkles in my hair.

It sucks that they are so far- but it just 10 days everyone will be in the Boston area and ready to help me with those last min. details! whew.

What are other brides doing with their hair? Veil?

Holy Heatwave!

Its hot out- like really hot! and humid, gross!

This is probably a good sign- because I think that since it rained all June/July that means a good chance for a sunny August/September!

And because all my formal wedding pictures will be taken at the beach (Duxbury, of course) good weather is crucial- therefore my fingers are crossed for sunny skies.

Till then I am grateful for our central air, and will be staying inside gluing, cutting, sewing, and finishing all these last min. DIY wedding projects.

Time has really flown.

In just 19 days I will be a Mrs. :) and in 21 days my new hubs and I will be lounging on the beaches of Aruba! Can not wait!!!

Weekend Wedding Hoopla- please use your imagination!

Before I dive into the MANY things Fiance and I accomplished this weekend- let me apologize for my lack of photos. I promise I will add them later- when I'm not at work and have access the to many illustrations.

First off I never realized how "DIY" this wedding actually is! One, we are paying for it- that's right, every last cent we are responsible for. ( with the exception of other wedding events such as showers and rehearsal dinner) At first this seemed impossible but, we did it! We saved, salvaged, and cut back like whoa. The perks of this is that- WE decided everything! Guest list- bar- time-date, everything was what WE wanted :) Two, Because we were very caucious of cost- we did a lot of this "stuff" on our own, from scratch.

Lets recap the DIY projects this weekend.

Programs- we built the programs we will be handing out at the church. A four sided piece of "off white" card stock paper with brown color font, covered by a piece of navy cardstock and tied together with a brown/white printed piece of ribbon! 120 finished and ready to go!!

Hotel Guest Bags- We have a lot of guests from out of town- so we wanted to make some goody bags for them to recieve when they check in. A brown gift bag, with a welcome tag attached with ribbon thanking them for traveling. Inside: two water bottles- some cape cod chips, a baggie filled with red lobster gummies and an insert with information about the area. 45 bags- DONE!

Table Numbers- We order these cute little silver sailboats that hold pictures or placecards- and backed a piece of light blue cardstock with left order navy cardstock- printed the numbers in navy- cut-glue and BAM we have table numbers! 18 finished- check!



My "guest book"- We decided to go with the trend and have an untraditional guest book. We went down to the beach found an old oar- about 6 feet long. Sanded it down and engraved our name with the wedding date at the paddle. At the wedding people will sign the oar with paint pens then we will lacker the oar to make all the signatures permenent. Then we will proudly hang it in our home!!

Ring Bearers Pillow- Yup, made this too! I bought some kacki fabric, sewed together a 8x8 pillow and then tied a navy ribbon around the top. Since all the men are wearing the kacki pants with navy blazer, it matches perfectly!! the shiney white ones at the store did'nt quite fit the casual/natuical theme I have going on. Pillow- DONE!

Card Box- Big cardboard box- wrapped in navy paper- same brown/white ribbon- and hung a sanddollar shell from the bow!

Whew- and I still have a list a mile long to complete- in the next 20 days!!!!!

Again- I promise to share pictures!!

Now What...

Recently one of my friends/co-workers got engaged (Yea)! So office talk has turned to wedding planning all the time. Between my count down and her initial planning we have turned our section into a party planning hub!

So this got me thinking- as I research dresses, vendors and themes for my dear friend "S" I realized that in a little over three weeks, it will all be done!

Yes, it gets stressful, and its very expensive/time consuming- but... I LOVE doing it.
I really enjoy the planning, coordinating, research, details, and I am going to miss it- A LOT.

In the mean time I have volunteered myself to aid "S" in all her wedding planning for her Kentucky wedding. Which is so fun- already we have found southern carriage houses- discussed a brunch menu, complete with mimosas and bloody Marys ( which would fit her yellow/red color scheme).

Basically what I'm getting at here- is that I'm sad to see it all go. And I'll be happy to assist any other bride to be out there with wedding planning :)

Engagement Story

So today is kind of slow at work- we had a new intern start today, and she is starting a big a project for me- hence my down time. Rather than online shop (my number one weakness) I spent a good amount time blog reading and realized that one of my favorite things to read on “wedding blogs” is the engagement story. Which brings me to my point – I have not shared “our story” yet, so in my down time I have written it out, with incredible detail so everyone can “aw”

It was a Thursday- October 4^th 2007 to be precise.

I remember waking up in our bed to find Fiancé already dressed and ready to go. He was wearing a suit and searching through the closet for a matching tie when I asked him about his fancy attire. He claimed that he had an “off site” meeting with a client and may be able to come home right after it was done.

Well this thrilled me, because at this point in time in our lives we were both working different jobs, not the ones we have now. I was employed by the devil and was working a crazy schedule, sometimes weekends, lots of overnights and never predictable. So, it just happened to be that this weekend I had off Thursday- Saturday and we had planned to get away- maybe camping up state. So the fact that he would be home early was awesome because then we could go shopping for the trip together and get an early start on the road.

Fiancé left and I proceeded to draft up “to buy” lists and research some sites on the internet. Then at around 1pm he called and said he was done and on his way home- he also mentioned that his parents put the boat in the water, due to the warm fall weather and asked if I wanted to go for a quick ride around the harbor before shopping.

I happily agreed- honestly I can never say no to a boat ride. I grew up on the water as did Fiancé so I have a sense of belonging out on a boat.

So, we got dressed and headed down the shore to the harbor. When we arrived I jumped right in and started to review with him my lists and discuss what we needed to buy that afternoon. Then I noticed he was acting funny- but thought nothing of it, just kept rambling.

Finally he asks- you hungry? Well of course I am, I am ALWAYS hungry. He replies good! and turns the corner into the “back river” part of the harbor. Then I see, set up on a dock a table and chairs, candles and a bucket of champagne. (No joke, seriously like just out of a movie). Immediately I am thrown off, my legs turn to Jell-O and my head feels foggy.

He parks the boat alongside the dock and helps me out- then we sit down. I make some comment about the lobster dinner that was displayed in front of me, but then he turns and says “I can’t wait a second longer”.

Down on one knee he looks into my eyes and pulls out the most beautiful ring I have ever seen then asks the most important question – “will you marry me”.

I naturally start to cry and I nod my head yes. Meanwhile in the house across from the dock, about 10 little girls run outside and start cheering.

See, the dock is owned by that house- and when Fiancé went down that morning to set everything up ( he never had a meeting, he took the day off) he explain to the owners that he was proposing, so the little girl invited some friends over to watch the magic happen first hand. It was sweet!

After the ring was placed on my left hand and the tears stop flowing, I totally forgot about the amazing dinner in front of me and called my family. Eventually I got off the phone and enjoyed some food- and lots of champagne.

He did an amazing job.

"The most important day of your LIFE"!

No pressure- right? WRONG!

Lots of pressure, tons of stress and a whole lot of emotions.

Forget a new chapter in the book of life- this one day is the start of a whole new story, the story of your life as a "couple", a family- an adult ( gasp).


So since this is such a big event- all the pros, i.e. magazines, websites and blogs ( hehe I could be a pro) suggest a pre-planned beauty regimen to help prepare the Bride <--me, for the special day.

This so called regimen usually consists of dieting, working out, some sort of tanning, facials, etc. So lets discuss what this Bride to Be has been doing to gear up for her big "I do" moment... nothing! :(

As I mentioned before the whole process is a bit stressful, so I have no time to think about any of this- until now- when I only have 3.5 weeks left!! ( oh boy)

Here are the issues;
1) My skin sucks! and all this stress is NOT helping. As I am writing this post I can feel another blemish forming on the tip of my nose, which is forcing me to look cross eyed every few minutes as I constantly check to see if its noticeable yet. I can picture it now..."the bride, cross eyed with a big red nose"
2) I hate working out! I don't know how people get excited to "go for a run"!- I get bored. And while my gym is literally feet from my apartment I still can't muster up the motivation after a long day at work. Dinner and DVR always wins my attention.
3) FOOD- I love to eat. However the good part here is that I do keep a healthly diet, I hate fast food and most greasy dishes just upset my stomach so I usually binge on fruits and veggies. BUT I have a weakness for desserts- chocolate, cake, cookies, you name it!! I have a serious sweet tooth.

So with that- I ask for help. I need skin remedies, quick easy workouts that would maybe help tone my arms, and maybe some yummy recipes for lowfat desserts?!!?

oy vey!

Days 29 &28

I had a very busy but extremely productive weekend.

Where to begin..

Lets see on Saturday was the Fiance's bachelor party so he was occupied all day and night which left me free to wedding plan with my mother-in law "to be".

First stop was the reception hall, where I had a final walk through so I could "envision" everything and discuss how I wanted it to be set up for the big day; 18 tables, one sweetheart table- gift table- etc. The place looked GORGEOUS!

Next, a quick trip to the bakery for a final design appointment. I decided to go with white Adirondack chair toppers, (rather than the topper I found online) and white chocolate sea shells placed sparely between the tiers. Since I'm also a bride on a budget we also decided to opt for a smaller three tier cake for display and have a large sheet cake in the back that will help serve all my guests. This was a great move- we saved about $200 on a cake and were also able to pick out two flavors. The "cutting" cake is vanilla and choc. cake with choc. butter cream filling- and the sheet cake is white almond with raspberry filling. The finance doesn't like fruit in his cake and I love raspberry dessert so this was a happy compromise.
Last errand of the day- the tailor. I needed to drop off my viel for some alterations and my shoes which need to dyed Ivory. See, my viel is actually my mothers, which is awesome because its not only "something borrowed" it is also a nice tradition to start with the women in my family; my mother-myself and sister will all wear the same viel on our wedding day. The only issue was this viel is from 1982- so it was a bit dated. However, my AMAZING tailor made some great suggestions that were very minor- so the viel is the same viel just with a little update. Don't worry I did'nt pull a "27 dresses" and cut the whole thing up!

Then on Sunday I had a quick meeting with my photographer to go over pictures. We discussed locations-times- prefered poses- etc. Finace and I agreed to have all our pictures taken at the beach- because thats "us", and also a couple at the habor.So location was easy but poses is a bit a tricky- I'm not sure of what I really want/ don't want. Therefore my mission this week is to stalk wedding pictures and come up with a couple of must have pictures that I want taken. Suggestions are always welcomed!!!

Side note- as for the bachlelor party festivities- the Fiance was still in "recovery" when we went into work this morning :) I think it was a sucess!!

30 Days to go

I still can not believe how fast the time has gone. Thinking back to when we first got engaged- I thought the wedding was FOREVER away, and I had all the time in the world to plan the perfect wedding.

Well- talk about a wake up call, reality is I didn't kick into full gear plan mode till the 6 month mark!

So back to the count down- day 30. I got my "one month" e-mail from the theknot.com and according to them all I should be doing is thinking about honeymoon wardrobe, bridesmaid gifts and seating charts- (HA). It goes without saying- this bride to be is very behind..but look on the upside, I work GREAT under pressure... (ehhhh)

Its Friday (yea) , the start of a super busy weekend. This afternoon I should be able to take advantage of the office summer Friday policy and leave a little early. Which will allow me to shop around the back bay area for wedding party gifts and jewelry for me! I'm looking for some earrings and maybe a fun bracelet. I decided no necklace because there is already a lot going on with the dress in that area.

Then tomorrow the fiance has his bachleor party- which means I have no excuse to get sh*t done- no distractions! The plan is; morning appointment at the reception hall to finalize layout- early noon appointment at the bakery to go over cake design- ( we already did the tasting, trust me the fiance would never agree to miss that appointment)- and then off to my AMAZING tailor for a fitting, and shoe dyeing.

In addition to all the appointments I need to print/fold/stuff wedding programs and start building/hot gluing centerpieces. We will see how much of this actually gets done- because with the fiance gone all day/night all I really want to do is sit infront of the TV with some wine and watch Sex and the City eposiodes on demand.

Oh and on top of it all we are writting our own vows...which I thought was an awesome idea at the time- except with only 30 days to go I have the WORST writer's block.

Countdown

I'm well aware its been MONTHS since I have posted- in my defense life did get pretty busy, BUT enough of the blame game- point is I'm back, and I'm on mission.

I want to make these next 30 posts a countdown- a true recap of day to day activities/emotions of a bride to be.

I started to blog about my upcoming wedding in January of 09 and it was a lot of fun to share stories about planning and the Fiance. Even now just looking back to almost eight months ago its fun to read.

So with that let the count down begin!