Friday, August 27, 2010

Maybe I should change my name somehow?

As you may have read in @msrib's blog the other day, we're having identity crises. We both currently have very unique names and are going to be marrying into very common ones. I'll take the risk and post my name here because I really want some feedback.

My current name is Sarah Ann Proto. Common first and middle, rare last name. (Also, my initials suck. Seriously Mom?) When I take Simon's last name, I will be Sarah Ann Nelson. Not only are there a gajillion Sarah Nelsons (one in the race I ran Friday, I went to school with one and am still friends with her on Facebook, etc.), but there are other Sarah Ann Nelsons! The Sarah Nelson I knew in high school (middle initial K), her sister-in-law is Sarah Ann Nelson! Luckily she lives in Germany, lol. But seriously. My name will be SO common.

I do not want to keep Proto in any way, as cool as the name is. It's my dad's last name, and I hate my dad. (Long story.) I also don't want to get rid of my middle name, because that's what my beloved late mother named me. So what to do? Hyphenate my first and middle and choose a new middle? Sarah-Ann Louise (my mom's name)?

I really think I'm probably just going to leave it Sarah Ann Nelson. Messing with your name can be iffy. My nickname, though rarely used, is Sari, so maybe I'll go by Sari Nelson professionally. Sound good?


After seeing a pic of Twitter friend @PhysicistLisa's husband @theryanburke wearing ablue 8-bit tie for their wedding, Simon just had to have one. He knew I'd been debating changing into a more comfortable gown halfway through the reception, so he wants to change his tie to that, in red, when I change.

That got me thinking it might be fun to geek up my own ensemble and let loose as our true selves for the last couple hours, so I snatched these up on @Etsy:




Good to go!


1 day past RSVP deadline, 51 accepting and 32 declining. Most missing RSVPs will be declines. Waiting on 12 out of 57 RSVPs.

My RSVP deadline was Monday. Still got a lot of RSVPs that haven't been returned. Most of them are Simon's extended out-of-state family, whom he hardly knows, that his parents are now going to have to call. One of his dad's siblings is coming, so it's not out of the question that others might. We just need to freaking know! I gave them a month and a half window to send them back. The stamp is already on it. It would really be nice if people actually cared enough to send them back. Argh!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Wedding shower

Sunday was our wedding shower!  It was awesome!  Twenty-six people came, plus six kidlets.  My aunt hosted it, BBQ style as we discussed.  I think the guys were far more comfortable than they expected to be.  Successful co-ed shower!

There were so many cute touches, from my aunt’s towel cake:

(…which contained two wash cloths, 2 hand towels, and 2 bath towels!)
…to the sweet sign (containing a pic we have no recollection of ever being taken, lol):


…to the ADORABLE Beau Coup favors (BBQ sauce and chocolates!):



She really outdid herself.  My bridesmaids led the group in a couple of games: make as many words as you can from Simon’s and my names, and a wedding word scramble, and gave out prizes to the winners.  They also had an egg timer going while we opened presents, and whoever’s present we were opening when it dinged, got a prize!  So cute.

My aunt’s house is right on the water and made for many great photos, like this one:



We also practiced our wedding cake cutting!



We had a blast.  It was such a perfect day.


I just have to share my latest DIY projects, my wedding arch:

…and my old family wedding gowns:
 
 


The wedding arch is something I had been dreading, because I do NOT sew.  I finally buckled down and did it, pricking my finger about a dozen times.  But it’s done!  And I love it!  We will have to disassemble it for transport, but the cloth all stays attached thank goodness.

The wedding gowns idea I got from some bride on Twitter (I forget who, sorry or I’d give you credit!).  I have my mom’s gown from 1975 and my great aunt’s gown from around 1940.  I called Simon’s mom and she says she has her gown (but it can’t be found at the moment, which may be a problem).  Display them on mannequins at the reception, and voila! Instant conversation pieces.  I just recently got the idea to make some “displays” at the reception, as it IS in a museum!  I have old pics of Simon and I and our siblings, and our parents’ wedding pics:




Each will be accompanied by a little display of facts about the picture or gown.  I love how it ties into the venue; it’s the little touch I’ve been searching for to make our wedding unique!  Plus, my ever-present problem of how to entertain people with no dancing.  I’m also displaying the scrapbook I mentioned last week.  I think that’s enough at this point. I’m trying not to add any new projects, since the wedding is just over FIFTY days away! OMG!

Also, happy 3-year anniversary to my sweet, handsome, wonderful fiancé Simon!  I love you baby, this has been the best three years of my life!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

What do I have left to do??? I know I'm missing something!

I'm desperately trying to check things off my list at this point. I needed to MAKE a list! My bridesmaid Beth suggested the one on The Knot, but I said it was too confusing because it includes so many things I'm not doing, like a florist, DJ, etc. Then Simon suggested I just check off the things I'm not doing so they go away. Duh. I did that and now have a very nice list. I have a secondary list of things I'm doing that aren't on there, like displays of the mothers' wedding gowns, pictures displayed at the wedding, bathroom baskets, scrapbook (see below). Slowly but surely I'm making the list smaller.

Like buying wedding rings! On Saturday, we rode Simon's motorcycle to the shop to pick mine up, then we both rode to the jewelry store. The one I had liked the last time was sold, but a similar one with 0.10 more carats for only $15 more was available. Twist my arm why dontcha? ;) So we bought it, and it was just big enough to be engraved inside. What we chose, which we've planned on for ages, is “I has you.” Why? Because we're so obsessed with LoLcats that that's how we say “I love you.” No joke. :) Also, my ring size has gone down from a 7 to a 6.5 since losing weight! Going to get my engagement ring re-sized when we pick up my wedding ring.

So of course I had to take care of Simon's, so I ordered his tungsten band online, and of course engraved with “I has you.” His will be here in 2 days. I love fast free shipping!


As you read last week, I bought a whole mess of stuff to go in the bathroom baskets. I also picked up some nylons, batteries, and safety pins. Then I filled and decorated them and I think they came out pretty nice!



Another thing off the list! Then my new veil arrived:



Yes, that's a super geeky shirt. Anywho, I needed a new veil since choosing a diamond white gown instead of pure white. Luckily they were cheap. I love Etsy!


I keep trying to think of new things to display at the wedding to keep people entertained and amused. I was going to make a scrapbook anyways, so I'm doing it before the wedding so people can look at it then. I started with the very first email he sent me in response to my personal ad on Craig's List. Oh the memories! I also have our engagement announcement, invitation, etc. Lots of memorabilia. Pics of our kitties, pics from our anniversaries, our new house, everything. Got a good chunk done on it. Can't wait to see the final product! It's in an adorable fairy tale themed book with “Once Upon a Time” on the front. It's so cute! I hope people enjoy it. :)

Sunday, August 8, 2010

FREAK OUT

I'm getting married 2 months from tomorrow.  I am officially freaking out.  I have no idea if I have a comprehensive list of what I have left to do.  I could be forgetting something.  Will I even be able to do it all in time?  FREAKING.  OUT.

Here's my list:

decorate the ceremony arch
tie up the favors
decorate my shoes
take pictures of everything how I want it set up
food tasting Aug. 26
makeup trial Sept. 1
rehearsal dinner favors
one more piece of music for the ceremony
meet with the venue coordinator to go over day-of details
finish paying everyone
ask Jen to be my wedding day go-to person
finalize menu for rehearsal dinner
make bathroom baskets
make hair, skin, and nail appointments
find someone to do wedding day hair
set up moms' wedding dresses and info cards
set up pictures and info cards
order Simon's wedding ring
wrap parent and bridal party gifts
buy each other gifts
make scrapbook to display at reception

What am I forgetting?  Can I even do this all in time?  I hate that I'm waiting on stuff before I can finish other stuff.  I need my card box and favor box from Creative Custom Card Boxes before I can take final pictures of my set-up for the coordinator to use.  I need pictures and wedding gowns from the moms which I won't get till our shower next weekend.  I'm meeting with my bridesmaid Beth this week to tie up the favors, cuz I will lose my mind doing 100 of them alone.  ;)  I can't ask the hairdresser to do my day-of hair until we see her at Simon's hair appointment Saturday.  I can't put my mind to rest about the day-of schedule until we meet with the coordinator Aug. 26.

Speaking of which, my old coordinator is leaving the museum and her manager is taking over my wedding.  2 months before.  I AM SO PISSED.  I also lost my catering coordinator a while back and got a replacement, but at least that was plenty ahead of time.  I am SO worried that this lady will be more used to managing people than weddings and it'll be a disaster.  Very very very unhappy about this.

So yeah.  Anyone wanna try and calm me down?  Be my guest.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Bathrooms and Music

During a Twitter conversation with @msrib and @brokebride2be (I love my wedding weekend buddies!), I realized I had forgotten about bathroom baskets for the reception. Luckily @msrib found a handy list of items to include in one.  I considered getting it all at CVS, but they don’t exactly have the most extensive selection or best prices.  I browsed around drugstore.com and found pretty much everything I needed.  It adds up though! Here’s what I got from there:

Men:
Solos Shelf Shine Shoe Polish Cream
Ting Foot & Jock Itch, Antifungal Spray Powder
Speed Stick by Mennen Deodorant, Regular Scent, Travel Size

Women:
Revlon Nail Enamel - Clear
Stayfree Maxi Super Long with Wings, Heavy Protection, Pads
o.b. Pro Comfort Non-Applicator Tampons, Super Plus
Vidal Sassoon No Crimper Braided Elastics
Vidal Sassoon Bobbi Pins, Black
Lady Speed Stick by Mennen Antiperspirant & Deodorant, Powder Burst

Both:
Salon Grafix Professional Freezing Hair Spray Styling Mist, Mega Hold
Rite Aid Pink Bismuth, Regular Strength (Pepto Bismol)
Aleve All Day Strong Pain Reliever
Easy Care First Aid Kit
Kleenex White Pocket Tissue
Germ-X Hand Sanitizer
St. Ives Intensive Healing Hand Cream, Fragrance-Free
Tide To Go, Instant Stain Remover Pens
Evercare Magik Brush 2-Sided Lint Brush
Singer Sewing Kit With Polyester Thread
Q-tips Cotton Swabs, Antimicrobial
Visine Visine, Eye Drops, Advanced Redness Relief
Bausch & Lomb Biotrue Multipurpose Solution for Soft Contact Lenses
Sight Savers Eyewear Repair Kit
Revlon Emery Boards
Rite Aid Professional Grooming Deluxe Nail Clippers
Conair Brush Styling Essentials Super Comb
Preserve Mint Tea Trea Toothpicks
LISTERINE PocketPaks Breath Strips, Cool Mint
Ricola Herb Throat Drops, Natural Cherry-Honey
LifeSavers Candy, Pepomint
Butler Dental Floss, Fresh Mint

Then from Amazon.com I bought nylons for the women, and batteries for both (cameras, etc.).  I’ll be buying baskets from AC Moore, and it’s already cost me $200!  Jeesh.  I did buy a third of some of those things for my own wedding-day emergency kit, and we can keep and use whatever’s leftover, like toothpicks, mints, and whatnot.  Great idea, very convenient for guests, but NOT cheap.

I’ve been putting off making my wedding playlist.  We own a TON of music between us and I knew I needed to go through everything to make sure I got a good mix of songs.  It took me two days (and a bottle of wine) but here it is:

All I Ask of You - The Phantom of the Opera
All You Need Is Love - The Beatles                           
Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson                              
Because You Loved Me - Celine Dion                     
Before Your Love - Kelly Clarkson                            
Beyond The Sea - Bobby Darin                  
Bubbly - Colbie Caillat                    
Butterfly - Mariah Carey                                              
Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles                              
Can't Help Falling In Love - Michael Bublé                             
Can You Feel the Love Tonight - The Lion King                    
Close Your Eyes - Juliana Hatfield                             
Come Away With Me - Norah Jones                       
Come On Over - Christina Aguilera                          
Commitment - LeAnn Rimes                      
Crazy For You - Madonna                            
Cruel To Be Kind - Letters To Cleo                            
Daydream Believer - Susan Boyle                            
Ever Ever After - Carrie Underwood       
Family - Dar Williams                      
Forever Love - Anna Nalick                         
From This Moment On - Shania Twain                   
Game On - The Guild                     
Get Out The Map - Indigo Girls                 
Girl in the Valley - The Secret Garden
Gorgeous - Idina Menzel                             
Head Over Feet - Alanis Morissette                        
A Heart Full Of Love - Les Misérables
Heaven - Bryan Adams                 
Hello,Young Lovers - The King And I
How Can I Keep From Singing? - Enya                    
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) - James Taylor
I'd Rather Be in Love - Peter, Paul & Mary                            
I'm With You - Avril Lavigne                        
I'm Your Angel - Celine Dion/R. Kelly                      
I Could Not Ask For More - Sara Evans                   
I Don't Want To Miss A Thing - Aerosmith                            
I Knew I Loved You - Savage Garden                      
I Love You Always Forever - Donna Lewis                             
Ice Cream - Sarah McLachlan                     
In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel                        
Kiss Me - Sixpence None the Richer                       
Let Your Troubles Roll By - Carbon Leaf                 
The Longest Time - Billy Joel                       
Love Story - Taylor Swift                                              
Love Will Find A Way - Christina Aguilera                              
Medley: Tetris - Video Games Live                          
A Moment Like This - Kelly Clarkson                       
My Favorite Things - The Sound of Music                             
My Girl - The Temptations                                                          
Naturally - Selena Gomez                            
One Sweet Love - Sara Bareilles                                 
Penny's Song - Felicia Day           
The Power of Love - Celine Dion                              
Power Of Two - Indigo Girls                        
Put Your Head on My Shoulder - Michael Buble                
She's an Angel - They Might Be Giants                   
Slide - Goo Goo Dolls                     
Straight From The Heart - Bryan Adams                 
Sweet Surrender - Sarah McLachlan                       
Take Me As I Am - Jekyll & Hyde                                              
Tears in heaven - Eric Clapton                    
Thank You - Dido                             
That's How You Know - Amy Adams
This Kiss - Faith Hill                          
This Love - Maroon 5                     
A Thousand Miles - Vanessa Carlton                       
Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper                
To You I Belong - B*Witched                      
Truly Madly Deeply - Savage Garden                      
Way Back Home - The Wreckers                                               
The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson                           
The Wedding - The Pirate Queen
What's Simple Is True - Jewel                    
Who's to Say - Vanessa Carlton                 
Wishing Heart - Lisa Loeb                             
With You - Pippin                            
You're Beautiful - James Blunt                   
You're Still The One - Shania Twain                          
You're Still You - Josh Groban                    
You And Me - The Cranberries                  
You Are the Sunshine of My Life - Stevie Wonder
You Found Me - Kelly Clarkson                  
You Get Me - Michelle Branch                   
You Set Me Free - Michelle Branch                         
Your Sweet Voice - Matthew Sweet                       
2 Become 1 - Jewel                        

Yes, I know, what a crazy mix!  Old and new; Broadway, rock, pop, and country; fast and slow.  We’re not having dancing, this is just going to be playing in the background. Should be something for everyone in that mix!