Details

Today was program-cover day. I made the template for the covers yesterday, copying a passport cover, adding an inside pocket, and elongating it to 11" vertical. It's basically the size of half an 8.5x11" sheet bifolded vertically. Then I traced the template onto 15 sheets of brown card stock, four up on a page. Today I cut them out and scored all the fold lines, and tomorrow I'll glue up the inside pockets and round the corners on each. Then I'll proof the program pages (editorial and format), print them out, cut them, hole-punch them and attach them to the cover. Last step: print out driving and parking directions (wedding to reception) and slip them into the pockets. Then it's on to making my veil. On Wednesday after I take my dress back to the tailor, I'll pick up the table map from the restaurant and work on the seating chart and table rosters. I've been making up our iPod song list over the last couple of weeks and we'll get that final in the next week, also. I was down with food poisoning the last couple of days, which slowed my progress considerably. But I woke up today feeling healthy (just in time for our annual Super Bowl bash), so I need to rev back into high gear. Can't let momentum lag, because I have the rest of life (which includes fiction writing) to attend to as well.

Oh, Lordy. Almost there.

There are twenty-two days to go, and I was really stressed out this week. But tonight we went to our restaurant reception site and had dinner and picked our menu and somehow that just made me relax. The manager brought us various wines to try and I think it added up to seven full glasses. We got a little tipsy and were happy we were within walking distance of home. The restaurant setup precludes escort cards for each guest, so yahoo, one less project to do. This, too, helps with my peace of mind. I've finished beading my wrap. I still have to make my veil. I'm making my veil because I'm too damned stubborn to pay $100 or more retail for $7 worth of netting and a 25-cent comb. I have netting, I have combs, I have satin cording and I even have some crystal beads. So after this weekend perhaps I will have my veil. If not, then certainly by the end of the coming week. I do believe I'll have some time in which to tuck in some fiction writing.

1 month, minus 1 day. And counting.

Last night as I settled in to go to sleep, it occurred to me that I had fewer than 30 days to get everything done for the wedding. Actually, as I'd like to have 90% of it done by the week before the wedding, I have much less time. With that, my mind yawned, stretched, and started working. Soon I had to get up, because it was clear I wasn't going to get any sleeping done for a while. I went back to bed around 2:30. Bleah. I hate anxiety-induced insomnia. One other thing that's caused anxiety is our lack of ability to invite everyone we'd really like to have there. It's a little sticky, because if I talk about the wedding without their having received an invitation, the subject just sits there between us, silent and petulant, and it doesn't matter if I say we're keeping it small. Small or not, no invite is no invite. Damn. It doesn't mean I don't love these friends, it just means we can't stuff them in--and if we could, we wouldn't be able to afford to feed them. (*sending up my zillionth silent question about why I wasn't born into untold wealth*) I wish I could send out old-fashioned wedding announcements after the fact, but I've read on countless boards that those are currently considered blatant bids for gifts. Horrors. Sigh. Anyway, back to Anxiety-Provoking Topic Number 1: the sand flowing from the top chamber of the hourglass to the bottom. Here's what I still have to do:
- Nail down a rehearsal dinner spot and send invitations. Will probably have to be eVites.
- Make my bridal veil
- Finish beading my bridal shawl
- Select organza for my sister's shawl and take it to my tailor
- Embroider the names of my single friends into the hem of my dress, then
- Take my dress back to the tailor for another fitting, because I've lost some inches (weight workouts finally kicking in!)
- Meet with our reception venue manager to determine menu. This will be fun. The Hunky Scientist and I will make a dinner date of it.
- During above-mentioned menu selection, find out whether restaurant has microphone to go with its nice sound system. If so, sigh contentedly.
- If not, book a microphone and all needed accompanying gadgetry, so we can have toasts at our reception and my brother can read the poem he's writing just for us. If can't book, plan for hollering.
- Get hair cut and colored
- Make escort cards and holder
- Make table numbers and holders
- Make playlist for sound system
- Do day-before and day-of mapping and determine who's helping set up and take down reception.
- Confirm with wedding-night suite, photographer, florist
- Oh yeah: order flowers (we're not using many)
- Clean up Wedding Planning Central (meaning, get the whole house cleaned up, including the disastrous basement level)

Yes, Mr. Future Husband is helping with all this. Still, it seems Herculean.

Wonderful visit

Friend Lisa came over today and we got some wonderful one-on-one time. We had tea and snacks, and then she cast a critical eye on my wedding gown and noted that my recent weight loss (thank you, Mr. Trainer Guy) meant I'd have to shlepp it back to my tailor. We decided the back needed a bit of work, and that adding a halter strap to the bodice would make the dress that much more fetching. We also figured out the veil dilemma, so now I have a good idea of what I'm going to make. This was important, as I'm going to the hairdresser on Friday for a trial run. I still have to figure out the flower thing. Next week I'll go investigate a flower farm in East Palo Alto and see what their selection is and if their pricing meets my requirements. Only a little more than a month to go, and still a lot of things to do. But I'm confident I'll be able to sort it all out. Anyway, it was hugely satisfying to have some girl time with my friend and also to get the sisterly bridal-wardrobe advice I'd been craving. It helped me feel better about the whole ensemble.

Paperwork. Check!

We went to lunch today at a nice Japanese place near where I work, then zipped over to the county clerk's office and got our marriage license. That took 15 minutes with a bored and joyless county employee. We signed, payed, and practically sprinted out of there, giggling all the way. Then we went to the church and signed the affidavit for the admin to send to the diocese for our eccliasiastic marriage license. So, the paperwork is all done. Yay!

On to the next challenge

Invitations are largely out of the way. Batch 2 stands ready to be released into the postal river on Monday or Tuesday. There are some folks we'd love to be able to invite, but it depends wholly on how the RSVPs fall. Conversely, I'm bummed about some that've come back declines. I do understand the reasons, but still. Waa. I wish I had unlimited funds so that I could (a) afford a bigger venue, and (b) afford to fly out the friends and relatives who are unable to attend due to distance, finances, or both. The first round of final RSVPs are due 1/10; the next are due on 1/24. We're hoping to have almost all answers in well before that, so we can advise the chef at our reception site. The next challenge: My attire. I started beading my white organza wedding shawl today. Naturally, this makes me want to go get silver thread and embroider the whole thing. As there are only 50-some days left before our nuptials, this is not going to happen. I have some beading to do on the dress as well, and a veil or other headpiece to make. And some jewelry. With any luck, the veil thing will be done within the next week. They're easy to put together; I just have to settle on what silhouette I want: sophisticated birdcage blusher? nonchalant femme fatale sweep of tulle? Or regular ol' bridal veil? We shall see. I have to wait for the future hubberoonie to get out of the house so I can put on my dress and play with the veiling material.

Got the first RSVPs today!

And all three say "Accepts with pleasure." Yahoo! Somehow this makes the whole thing seem even more real.