12 days till I get married. Go away cold, please? *cough, sniffle*

As the countdown gets closer and closer, more and more things go wrong. Of course, right?

I have my second cold in a month, when my last one was YEARS ago. My cat missed a jump onto my chair and got my neck instead, resulting in a puncture and 4 scratches down the left side of my neck and shoulder. OUCH. And wedding guests are canceling left and right; they have legitimate reasons, but it sucks. Okay, so I only lost 3, but still. I have less than 60 guests anyways, and it's Simon's relatives canceling, which there are few enough of as it is.

All I can do is breathe and try to make things better. I'm treating my cold the best I can, and it's slowly fading. I slather Neosporin on my shoulder three times a day and my cuts are healing. Nothing I can do about canceling guests.

Even as things go wrong, I'm finally more excited than stressed about my wedding. ;)

After the disaster that was my reception dress, I went shopping. Simon went with me to Burlington Mall and we must have gone into 8 stores. Not a single white dress to be seen. The next day I went to two wedding shops, neither of which had anything in my size in stock. Then Goodwill, which had nothing. I gave up at that point. I wasn't dragging myself to any more stores.

My back-up plan was dresses from PacificPlex.com. I got my rehearsal dinner dress from them:

They have a huge selection of gowns, many in multiple colors, including white. I hadn't wanted to get another dress online, in case that didn't work out either, but Simon suggested I buy two or three and return what I don't choose. Good idea! I only really liked two of them, so I ordered them on Thursday, they shipped on Friday, and arrived on Monday. Very nice for standard shipping.

I tried on both when they arrived. It's good that I ordered two, as the first one was immediately wrong. It's the one Iwanted to like, all fairy-like and handkerchief-hemmed. So cute. But the bust lining ended like three inches too high and you could see the line across my chest through the thin white fabric. The skirt was just a tad too long and the style is almost impossible to hem. The back zipper bunched up over my butt. It just didn't work at all.

I was nervous about the second dress, I didn't think it would look good on me. Luckily, it did! I was so excited. I really really love it.

I just took it to a tailor to hem it and attach the optional straps it came with. I'll have it back the Wednesday before the wedding. I feel so pretty in it, and it's LOADS lighter than my gown. Best of both worlds!

Then we got to have our final meeting with our wedding photographer, Lisa Rigby. I chose her because she did my cousin's wedding, the same cousin who's officiating mine. She's older than me and has great taste, so I'm glad I took her advice and hired Lisa! And that I did it early. She has EIGHT weddings this month. She got three inquiries for our wedding date after we booked her. So, yeah. Pretty psyched. She's ours. ;)

The meeting was to go over the day-of schedule and portraits list. That probably would have taken 15 min. total. The other hour we were there was pure chatting. She is super sweet and we have tons in common with her. We must have talked about our cats for half an hour alone! It's really a sign of a good vendor when you feel like you're their friend. I have a really good feeling about our wedding photos.

It's almost that time folks! OMG!

My wedding reception dress came...and I hate it.

ARGH.  Simon and I went to visit friends in Canada for the weekend, and came home on Monday night to a boat-load of wedding stress.

First, my reception dress had arrived.  Yay, right?  I excitedly tried it on…and immediately hated it.

The brown sash is too light of a brown.  The over-layer isn’t really lace, it’s sheer mesh with some floral designs and sequins.  The back is too low to wear a bra.  It looks frumpy and thick and makes me look 10 lbs. heavier.  It sucks and I won’t wear it.

AWESOME.

So now I have yet another dress to sell on eBay.  I’m not too worried; it’s really quite pretty and unique and should sell easily, it just wasn’t right for me.  This means I now have THREE dresses to sell on eBay, since I bought and changed my mind about two others.  And while I still love my actual wedding gown, I can’t help thinking I should have bought something just a little more comfortable so I wouldn’t have to worry about a reception dress.  It’s GORGEOUS, and looks amazing on me, but it’s hot and heavy and tight.  I will not be able to eat much in it.

Back to the drawing board.  Going dress shopping ASAP, in actual stores so I can try them on.  I don’t expect to find much; white, preferably lace, dresses are rare even in summer; but I’ll do the best I can.  I’m sure I can find something…right?

So while I’m pissed about that, we worked on the other bomb that was dropped WHILE we were on vacation: Simon’s mom not making it to the wedding rehearsal.  Which, obviously, is NOT an option.

Here’s the story: Simon’s dad, Charles, comes from PA, and most of his relatives still live there.  Simon’s grandmother (Charles’s mother) is coming to the wedding, and was going to get a ride from her daughter and son-in-law, who were also attending our wedding.  Well, her son-in-law’s mother became gravely ill, and they are no longer attending our wedding.  In order to get his elderly mother to our wedding, Charles wants to drive down to PA and pick her up.  His plan is to do this the day before our wedding, Friday, and meet us all at the rehearsal.  Charles and his mother would then spend the night in a Boston hotel.

This leaves Simon’s mother, Barbara, to drive alone from CT. This wouldn’t be so much of an issue, except she is responsible for driving Simon’s brother John, and Charles and Barbara’s housemate Adam, from CT to Boston for the wedding. Their solution was for Barbara to skip the rehearsal, and have me “fill her in” on what she’s to do in the ceremony on the day of the wedding.

Um…NO.

I’m going to be more than a little busy on my wedding day. While I love her to pieces and don’t want to start any fights, this is NOT an option.  The ONE thing I need from his family is to have both parents attend the rehearsal because they have a part and a spoken line in it.  I wrote a part in for both sets of parents because family is important to me.  Simon briefly suggested I take that part out to solve this problem, but I shot it down before he could finish the sentence.  I want the ceremony to remain how I wrote it.  Whether they’re in it or not, his parents should be there anyways!

I know it seems like this shouldn’t even be an issue, but here are the other problems: John and Adam, for various medical reasons, cannot drive themselves to Boston on Saturday.  They cannot all come and spend Friday night because Barbara has cats and John has a bird that all need to be fed.  No, no one else can do it.  NOW his parents are saying Barbara can drive up here Friday night for the rehearsal, but drive home before the dinner so she’s not doing a 2-hour drive late at night.  I also don’t like this plan, because the mother of the groom should be at the rehearsal dinner, dammit!

Simon and I have this solution: Charles picks up his mother in PA and meets us, with her, at the rehearsal.  Barbara drives herself to the rehearsal.  Charles, Barbara, and grandma all spend the night in Boston.  Simon and I hire a driver, or allow a friend to volunteer, to pick up Adam and John in CT on Saturday.  That way Adam can feed the cats and John can feed his bird Friday night.  Adam and John drive back to CT with Barbara after the wedding.  We have pitched this and are waiting for Simon’s dad to stop making excuses and agree to it.

My other issue…I don’t for a second trust that Simon’s dad can make it from PA to Boston by 5 pm on a Friday without being late.  He just isn’t reliable enough for me to be confident in him.  We have one hour to rehearse; the space is booked after us.  We cannot start late.  What if we make all these arrangements for Barbara to make it and his dad misses it?  Do you realize how PISSED I will be???

Simon and I really don’t care THAT much if his grandmother comes.  Simon barely knows her, and she and his mom do NOT get along.  This could all be solved by her just not coming.  But Charles is a momma’s boy and won’t in a million years accept that solution.  So we’re stuck.  There are SO many things that can go wrong here, and it’s still not 100% solved anyways.

STRESSED.  OUT.

I'm like a mom on prom night. This is just too cute.

So Simon has officially experienced that male rite of passage: the bachelor party. Saturday night, he and four friends piled into a stretch limo and drank the night away. They got booze on the way and drank in the limo...they went to Dave and Buster's and drank and gamed...they went to a strip club and drank and, well, YOU know...they got back in the limo and drank...they came home and drank.

photo

I should mention that Simon pretty much NEVER drinks. He stumbled into our bedroom at 3 am and declared, “I am SO...BEYOND drunk right now.” Needless to say, he had a great night.

And needless to say, he was sick the whole next day. ;) Poor guy! But he had a blast! And yes I was fine with the strip club and told them all so beforehand. Once you've been to one yourself, it's hard to have that much of a problem with them. They're really not that big of a deal!

Finally. I've heard from every guest in one way or another. 59 out of 103 people are coming to our wedding. So that's about a 57% acceptance rate. I was hoping for about 60, but even of those 59 there's two or three maybe's. Oh well, better than the 50 I was expecting! A few of Simon's out of state relatives that he hasn't seen in decades surprised us by saying they're coming. A lot of my dad's side of the family can't make it because they all live out west and can't afford to come to Boston for my wedding AND go to Mexico next April for my cousin's destination wedding. Disappointing, but understandable, and I'll see them all at her wedding.

So of course that saves us some money, 63 isn't a lot. And since we're having an hors d'ouevre reception, if the final count is off by a couple, it's not as big of a deal. I'm sure what food there will be will get eaten! Our cake is for 70 people, since that was the smallest number you can get with three tiers. Simon wants any leftovers. ;)

We're getting there! Final details time, just a few weeks left! And Oct. 2, MY bachelorette party, woo hoo!

Okay, ordering my reception dress! In white, ankle length, dark brown sash.

I did it! I ordered a separate reception dress. We're going to change (Simon only his tie) about halfway through the reception. I'm not wasting my expensive gown on the ceremony alone. I want to show it off! But I will be more comfortable in something else. It's also the lace I wanted all along, so I get the best of both worlds.

This company, LilyWedding.com, is very good at customizing. They will make the dress floor length for me (tea length is SO not flattering on short and heavy), make it in white, and make the sash dark brown. I'm really looking forward to getting it; it only takes them about 3 weeks. Which is good, because I don't have much time!

I'm going crazy not being able to finish all my projects. I asked my aunt weeks ago for her wedding dress and picture, and only last week does she inform me she can't look in her old house for it because it's being rented. I just want everything to be DONE.

I almost had a disaster with my makeup woman; she's allergic to cats and we have THREE. In the end we agreed we'll do my trial at her house, and she'll brave my house the day of the wedding because the cats will be in another room.

This still leaves hair. I found my stylist on Facebook (I hate phone calls THAT much) and asked her if she does in-home wedding day hair. It turns out the salon does it after all, but she's booked that day and will ask if another stylist can. I wish I had just called the salon to begin with! Still haven't heard back from her about another stylist. Getting antsy.

So when you read this blog, I will be getting married in ONE MONTH. Yes, I am completely panicking at the amount I have left to do. Please, someone...save me.

Wedding food tasting!

Well, we finally got to do our food tasting, and we were both sick.  I was at least mostly recovered, but Simon was in the middle of the cold he caught from me and was downright miserable.  Unfortunately, all they served us was the antipasti bar food, not the passed hors d’ouevres or desserts, which I was more looking forward to, especially since I don’t like shrimp or olives, two of the things we were served.  What I did eat was delicious, and I have no doubt they will serve amazing food, as I’ve attended another museum event they’ve catered.

The best part about the tasting was meeting the new venue coordinator.  You may recall that my original one left the museum TWO MONTHS before my wedding and I freaked out. Her replacement is actually her manager, so she’s not new, but I was very nervous she’d be more used to managing people than weddings.  Well luckily I was dead wrong.  She is AMAZING.  I like her more than the other lady.  She’s bubbly, excited, outgoing, and just infectiously happy.  She asked all the right questions, and was very organized and helpful.  I feel 100% better now.

We also finalized little details like chair and linen colors.  I love how the venue and catering coordinators know and like each other and work hand-in-hand.  They’re just great.  Sheryl White Vincent and Keith Mahoney at the Museum of Science, I love you!

Finally!  I have my resized engagement ring, and both of our wedding rings.  See, after losing 30+ pounds, your ring tends to get a little loose.  ;)  I was without it for three days, but it’s perfect now.

Here are our wedding bands:

And here’s my engagement and wedding rings together (had to try them on!):

Yay!  Pretty!