Final Floral Consult

On Monday, I met with my awesome florist - who also happens to be a family friend - to go over the floral plan for the wedding.

Wow.

I had no idea how many decisions that would involve me making! Not just the style of my own bouquet, but also the numbers of everything else, styles of the bouquets for others, floral arrangements on tables (and just figuring out how many tables would need flowers was crazy!), boutonneires, and anywhere else that flowers can go.  Then deciding on colors and types of flowers I like...and I know absolutely nothing about flowers.

It was fun, but also challenging because I don't know anything about flowers - which are which, when they're in season, what looks good together, cost, etc. - but also because I don't think I have that many strong opinions on flowers.  I did learn, though, that I have more opinions on them that I would have guessed.

I mean, I like flowers.  I think they're pretty.  I like the way they smell.  I have a couple fave-ish, and a couple hate-ish and that's about where it ends.


Regardless, I know that these flowers are definitely going to add a lot to the overall look of the wedding...and I now know that I looooove the smell of tuberose. :)

It's also really, really nice to know that I can trust my florist and I don't even have to worry about it because I know it's going to be gorgeous.

THE Dress Arrived...Last Month

When I got the call that my wedding dress had finally arrived at the bridal shop, I was both thrilled and anxious.

Now, that happened, several weeks ago (in point of fact, I began writing this particular blog post on February 11th....it is now well past that date) and I have since tried on the dress and, just yesterday, I scheduled my first two dress fittings!

I realize now that I should probably explain the anxious part of that first sentence.
As you may know, I bought my dress quite some time ago and had first found it even earlier than that.
It was just about six months between purchase and when I learned that it arrived at the bridal shop.  That's a looooooong time to wait in between viewing what is arguably the most important and  expensive dress I will even wear. Especially when our culture puts such a premium on finding the just-right dress; I want to look exactly how I want to look on my wedding day and the dress itself is a huge part of that.  Thus, I definitely do not want to have any serious doubts about whether or not I picked the right dress.

For myself, I tried on dress after dress after dress and had a difficult time finding the right style for me and for what I wanted.  I love clothes, and so it was easy to imagine myself getting married to Christopher in many of the dresses I tried on.  I'm not really sure what ultimately sold me on this dress, and so visions of what I remember this dress looking like when I tried it on danced in my head along with visions of a dress I almost bought and ones that I seriously considered.  Who knows?

So six months without seeing the dress and no taksies-backsies can make a gal go a little silly.
Thus, when I got the call the dress was there, I definitely got nervous that it wouldn't look the way I had remembered and that it would be the wrong size and that I picked the wrong version of the color white for it.


[[NOTE to CHRISTOPHER:  STOP READING HERE!  No spoilers for you, young man!!!!]]


Sorry, I need to eliminate the possibility that he accidentally sees some key words that will give it away -- I don't know why exactly, but I've decided to go with near-mystery on how I will look the day we get married.  Except for my shoes and that I'm wearing a big-ass flower in my hair because...well, of course!! on the latter; not wearing a flower would just be silly!!!


Ok.
Better.

:)

Fortunately, though, when I arrived at the bridal shop with parents and a sister in tow (along with no less than 3 trial shoe options, two hair fascinators, a veil, earring options, and a bracelet) and tried on the dress it was what I remembered.  RELIEF!  Wearing it, I felt beautiful.  The size was the right size to have ordered - although it will have to be taken in in the waist and a little in the bust, it was the right size for my hips which, proportionally, is where I am the biggest.  BUT because of the rest, my dress saleswoman, had to hold back all the boning so that I wouldn't look like I was swimming in it.

I think, also, that I feel like keeping the rest of how I will look a bit of a mystery from the world-at-large, as well (because obviously, 8 kajillion people read this blog religiously!).  If you want to see some of the photos from the try-on, let me know and I'll happily share, but I think I'd rather keep it a bit under my hat for now.

Suffice to say, I loved it.  I can't wait to put it on again and make the changes in the sizing and in the adding of the halter strap (which I am convinced will make a huge impact on my silhouette).  
So I for my wedding-day look I have:
(1) the dress
and
(2) the shoes

I still need to make a decision on:
(1) hair accessory/ies
(2) bracelet
(3) shoe clips
(4) earrings [post to come on that one]
(5) hair
(6) make-up
and
(7) nails

That's good progress, right?

Hapy New Year!

As promised, with the new year's arrival, I am back in the saddle of wedding planning already.

And, this year, when the clock struck midnight, I had one thought:
This is the year I am getting married.

Although, because he had to work, Chris could not be with me on New Year's Eve, my thoughts were with him just the same as the 2011 was ushered in as the year when he and I will wed.

On that point, I find myself once again amazed to realize that there is/are
4 1/2 Months until the wedding
OR
128 days.

To me, this means that now, more than ever, it's buckle-down time on the planning.

Thankfully, we have nearly all of the major pieces nailed down.

• Venue: Check!
• Caterer & Menu: Check! (Yes, we had our *real* tasting, and it was de-lic-ious! I'll write a post on that later)
• Hotel for Guests: Check!
• Officiant: Check!
• Photographer: Check! (Had a meeting that I still need to post about!)
• Videographer: Check!
• Florist: Check!
• DJ: half-Check! (We're just waiting on some confirmation)
• Invitations: Check! (They arrived...again, something I have failed to blog about yet!)
• Wedding Dress: Check! (It's been ordered, and should be here soon!)
• Groom's Clothes: Check! (Now it's just left to decide on the black suit or the grey suit.)
• Bridesmaid's Dresses: Selected, will order soon!
• Wedding Bands: Selected, will order soon!
• Cake: Baker selected, just need to choose a cupcake bakery!

I'm sure there's more, but you get the idea.  The only major piece that we need to make sure we do is to rent all the tables, chairs, and etc.  That's the last big slice that absolutely, 100%, MUST happen or the wedding will be a disaster.

Anything else that isn't done can be done without.  Not that I have any intention of going without all the small things, and details, and everything; I'm just trying to lower my stress level by reminding myself that, yes, all the things that must be done are in process.

E-Party!

First, I want to add a kind of explanation regarding my absence.  You see, I have been meaning to write new blog posts and actually post them, truly.  Lots of things have been happening and I have tons of ideas about what I want to write about and say.......it's just been a crazy-life a Chez Carolynn. So, hopefully I'll be better at being diligent in keeping up so that all 4 people who read this know every detail. (Please note: I am laughing at my own narcissism and shaking my head at my own feeling of needing to apologize for having gone *gasp* TWELVE DAYS ZOMG! without posting about my wedding planning for a wedding that is 10 months away.)

Aaaaaaaanyways.....

My family threw Chris and me (and yes, that's the correct grammar) an engagement party last Saturday.  We invited those who we thought would be able to make it out for the party and tried to keep the guest list manageable.  It was held in my father and step-mother's backyard, with tacos and quesadillas made to order, a chocolate fountain, and a beautiful (although very hot) day.
Chris' mother, stepfather, and brothers all made it out from Hawai'i and New York for the party, which was truly lovely.  Because my family lives in the area, it was easier for them to make it, so I had lots of family and friends there at the party which was excellent.
Here are some highlights:
--Chris was embarrassed by a game we were forced to play by my parents (think "Newlywed Game" style questions)
--We failed miserably at the game....whoops!
--My father and stepmother surprised us with a gift of gorgeous toasting flutes (we weren't registered for any)
--Chocolate from the fountain got all over the place
--Siblings and parents gave speeches
--I completely forgot about my camera after guests started arriving, so I only have photos of the decor.
--The flowers were amazing!
--I hardly saw Chris at all, because we were socializing with different groups at different times
--I feel like I didn't talk much to anyone at all!! (I guess this will be more intense at the wedding!)

There was more, but that's what comes to mind at the moment.
All in all, we had a great afternoon and evening, and it was wonderful to see our families mingling and getting to know one another better.

For those etiquette sticklers: yes, I know that, typically an engagement party is held 1-4 months following the actual engagement and, thus, our party is a little out of line with that, being 14 months post-engagement.  We have our reasons for that being the case, but I don't feel the need to justify it.  It's frustrating, though, that people would be irritated with this 'breach' of tradition as if it were a big deal...because it's not.  I trust and hope that there weren't any invited to the party who chose not to attend for that reason alone.

The Day After: Successes and Failures

First, a failure: liveblogging.  I tried, I really did, but the internet at the hotel wasn't working and when I posted from my phone (even though I'm supposed to be able to do so) it ended up as gibberish.  So, although I'm pretty sure no one really noticed, I feel sheepish; I don't like saying I'll do something and then not following through.

Second, a very important SUCCESS:  It happened; my mother got married yesterday.  All important people showed up (the wedding party, all vendors, and most of the guests), everyone was clothed, fed, and danced.  The ceremony happened, I signed the wedding certificate myself.

While the bottom-line necessities went as needed, there we hiccups along the way:

1. Friday, it took my sister and I (with my delightful fiance driving) more than an hour to drive 17 miles...on the freeway.
2. During this drive, we could not get a hold of my mom, so we had no idea what was going on....so we just kind of did what we supposed we should.
3. We still had many, many errands and tasks to complete Friday evening AND yesterday.
4. My mom's hair and makeup appointments were in another city, and she was gone for more than 4 hours in the middle of the day....without answering her phone.
5. My mom and the third bridesmaid arrived back at the hotel about an hour before we needed to leave for the venue.
6. A surprise cake for the groom's parents in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary was melted in the 85-degree heat.
7. My dress was extremely uncomfortable and the three bridesmaids were all wary of having a wardrobe malfunction in the chestal region. (None happened, though, thank goodness!)
8. Some of the personal touches that the bride and groom wanted to have didn't happen at all.
9. The groom forgot his wedding band (we had a stand in available, though).
10. There wasn't enough lighting for the end of the evening.

Because of all of this, and because of all the frustration that overshadowed some of what I'll list below.  For me, the stress and irritation I had been feeling was so overwhelming at different points over the past two weeks, that I felt relief that the event was happening and then over.  Knowing this makes me sad.  I wanted to enjoy the event with abandon, rather than with this unfortunate sheen laying over it.  

More importantly, though, many things went right:

1. My mother looked beautiful.
2. The groom choked back tears while reciting his vows.
3. The toasts were well-received (I was pretty proud of my short-and-sweet toast, given the amount of time I had to prepare).
4. No nasty scenes happened, despite some close calls.
5. People seemed to have a good time.
6. The food was good.
7. The booze was good.
8. There was lots of leftover booze. (My brother took home four cases of Sierra Nevada, my sister took home two).
9. The flowers were beautiful.
10. I have two new grandparents, who are just lovely (one of whom performed the wedding ceremony).
11. There are bound to be some amazing photos from the beautiful setting.
12. My siblings and I danced our asses off; we're pretty impressive dancers, busting out some cabbage patches and altogether looking a bit like this.
13. The music was good.
14. Mom and her new husband looked very happy.
15. I got to spend time with my former babysitter - the third bridesmaid - which was wonderful.
16. I got to dance with my very own fiance.
17. Everyone seemed genuinely happy for the bride and groom.
18. I got to meet some of my new extended family members.

Altogether, the event itself was and overall success, thankfully.

So, here's to my mother and her new husband:

CONGRATULATIONS MOM AND DAVID!!

Flowers, Galore!

Yesterday, I met with our good family friend who also happens to be a florist - and thus, our pre-selected wedding florist - to go over the preliminaries of discussing what our flowers will looks like for the wedding.

First, our lovely florist met me at a floral arrangement shop (conveniently near my house) where she has worked for some time. The shop itself is closed on Sundays, so we had the whole place to ourselves which was really lovely. I also want to say how much easier it is to have vendors whose work you know first hand (she did my father's and brother's weddings and is helping my mom with hers now) and who you can trust to be completely honest in every necessary way. I definitely wasn't worried about being talked into something that I wouldn't like or about choosing flowers that are too expensive for whatever reason. I could also trust her to be patient with me as I am not a flower or gardening type of woman. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy flowers, they're pretty, I like floral scents, but....you know, I simply don't know anything about them - especially not at a wedding level.

So we looked through books, she explained what was what, asked questions about the overall style, the bouquets in particular, the venue, and walked me through the whole process.

Another great thing on having someone you already know: I didn't have to tell her my wedding colors - she already knew them.

Ultimately, we came down to that we'll have a robust but not extravagant amount of flowers and the overall tone will be something with good dimensions, texture, interest, and with less structure and formality.

None of this:

More of this:

The latter fit the venue better, but more, they fit me better. I know I'm a control gal and I like things 'just so' often, but I'm also not prim. Nor am I simple. The variation and dimensionality are attractive to me and seem so much more interesting and appropriate for us.

Although we weren't actually doing any trial bouquets/arrangements or anything, our florist did pull out some beautiful flowers and put them into a rough sense of what it likely or possible (the colors aren't perfect, I took the photos with my phone):

It was so pleasant to just talk and look and touch and laugh and enjoy it.

So far, a lot of the planning has been fraught with difficulty for a variety of reasons and it was just wonderful to work with someone in a relaxed environment and just know that I was going to be able to have what I want from it.

We also set up a time to go to Rush Ranch together so that she can get a real sense of what it is that we're working with here and how we can make the most of our floral arrangements and choices.

Our florist also happens to do wedding coordination -- comes in handy, doesn't it?

Thanks, Elise!