I was tagged by Hallie to provide 26 random factoids about myself using the alphabet. Which I am very grateful for because it is Monday, and other than telling you about all the wonderful fall clothes I bought yesterday (including Joe’s Jeans on sale!), my brain is in a serious Monday funk. But because I did manage to do a little wedding planning this weekend, I’m going to make them all wedding facts.
A – Anxious. Not about getting married, just about getting everything done, affording everything, hoping things go smoothly.
B – Bridesmaids. I’m really happy with my decisions and all the girls have been great. I even sent them the first edition of the Aisle File, a bridesmaid newsletter that introduced them all to each other, provided contact information and told them about getting measured for their dresses. Yeah…it’s a bit much. What can I say.
C – Cost. Holy crap, weddings are expensive. Of course I knew this going in, but once you start making deposits on things it becomes very real very fast. Michael and I are paying for most of it by ourselves and we will make it work. But it’s still overwhelming. See letter ‘A’.
D – Dress. I LOVE my dress. I wish I didn’t have to wait six months or so for my first fitting. When I went home the other weekend they let me try on the sample again…mostly because the store wasn’t busy and I said I wanted Jen to see me in it. The truth was I just wanted to put it on again!
E – Engaged. Nope, not getting old. We’ve always been so happy together, but since the engagement those feelings have been heightened ten-fold. There’s so much love in our house it’s sick. You have to be careful walking through there or you might emerge covered in honey and flowers and hearts. My fiancé? He’s awesome. Love you, babe.
F – Father/Daughter dance. I’m stumped on this one. I really don’t want any my little girl/I saw her first/butterfly kisses type of thing. My dad and I are close, but that sappy stuff won’t do. Any ideas?
G – Guest list. It’s currently at 204. That is about 30 too many. We figured out about 25 who we can take off so hopefully we’ll be inviting around 180 and some of them won’t come!
H – Honeymoon. The main problem here is Michael is terrified of flying. So he’s going to have to take some serious drugs and hopefully not be on a plane for too, too long. Right now I’m kind of leaning towards St. Lucia.
I – Invitations. A friend of ours does invitations on the side so she’s probably going to do ours. Whatever I want she can do. Except…I don’t really know what I want! I saw a picture of a Kate Spade invitation with leaves that I thought was beautiful. I might have her recreate that.
J – Juniper. Actual name of one of the colors of bridesmaid dresses. Along with Banana Yellow. Ugh. I’m leaning towards a deep red.
K – Keepsake. I have a wedding box. It was a gift from a former bride who insisted I have one. Inside is every card we’ve received, scraps of wrapping paper, color swatches, photos, etc. That’s in addition to the The Book, which holds all official papers, ideas and contracts.
L – Last name. I’m going to have a new one! As excited as I am about getting married and becoming Mrs. Michael, the new name part is still a little weird. I’m very much going to take his name…it’s just going to take some getting used to. I had dinner with my friend Elizabeth on Friday and she gave me a beautiful handkerchief with my new initial on it. I had to hold back tears.
M – Music. Music is VERY important to me. I know what I want to walk down the aisle to, what I want our first dance to be. I also want a DJ, but Michael wants a band. He says a band can really make the party, which I agree, but here’s my argument. When people hear a song they love it gets them out on the dance floor. A DJ can’t mess up the song. He’s just pushing play. Also, a DJ is cheaper. And is only one mouth to feed.
N – Not me. Here’s some wedding things that are just not me: wearing a blusher, sparkles on my dress, updo’s, big floral centerpieces. Oh, and another thing that’s not me? Marly. Who’s Marly? I’m not sure, but it’s not me. We’ve gotten a few cards from Michael’s relatives addressed to Michael and Marly. And one to Mollie. At least that was closer.
O – October!
P – Photographer. We met with one who we really liked and are meeting with another later this week. I’m really going for that photojournalistic look where they capture emotions you don’t even know you’re showing. Sure, we’ll get a couple of posed group shots, but I really want most of it to be candid.
Q – Questions left to answer: where are we having the ceremony? What time will we start? How many rooms do we need to block? Where will we get our hair done? Should I hire someone to do my makeup or have the salon do it? And on, and on, and on…
R – Rehearsal dinner. We haven’t asked yet, but I thought I would leave this one to Michael’s mother so she feels included. Although I’m not sure if she’ll go for the place I want to have it; a great place near us that has 69 beers on tap.
S – Signature. I think the cookie bar will be our signature thing. It’s very much us, and I hope to incorporate a whole bunch of cookies, including black & whites for my New York heritage and some oatmeal/cranberry/white chocolate type cookie for New England.
T – Toasts. I think we’ll go with parent’s toasts at the rehearsal and the maid of honor and best man at the wedding so the toasts don’t get too long. Although I’d really like my friend Elle to give a toast, since she said some beautiful things about my relationship last time I saw her. (Hear that, Elle? Start writing!)
U – Understanding. I know Michael will understand when I’m a stressful wreck the week before, because when I’m walking towards him on our wedding day, it will all be worth it.
V – Veil. When they put a veil on me at the bridal salon I got teary. It makes it so real. I won’t be wearing a blusher, but a simple fingertip length veil that cascades over my back.
W – Words of advice. Everyone has some, but one of the most interesting piece I received was from a complete stranger this weekend. She said, “always keep a piece of yourself for yourself.” She said women often lose themselves when they get married. “Love him with all your heart,” she said, “but don’t forget who you are.” I liked that.
X – (not) X-rated. Michael isn’t into strippers, but his friends might be. I don’t care if they go to a strip club for his bachelor party, but I draw the line at private strippers. They are nasty.
Y – “Yes!” Can’t wait to answer the question “do you take Michael to be your husband?”
Z – Zany. I want my wedding to be a blast, everyone dancing, everyone having fun. I want it to be crazy! In a good way, of course.
34 comments
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October 29, 2007 at 12:35 pm
littlespoon
Goodness! I cannot believe how organized you are! It’s amazing.
I.hate.blushers. Why do they even exist anymore? I find them tacky and dangerous.
Also, I ❤ you 🙂
October 29, 2007 at 12:40 pm
dreamgrrl
is it bad that i dont know what a blusher is?
also, a lot of your concerns/worries are mine too! dont worry we both have a long time to figure it all out.
we’re also having a DJ after realizing that a good (and inexpensive) band is hard to come by. my man is pushing for live music during cocktail hour, but he knows its up to him to coordinate – meaning, it wont happen.
im having pretty green dresses for my girls, and i hate that my MOH keeps saying in little ways that she wishes they werent green. ITS NOT YOUR CHOICE!
we can do this!!!
October 29, 2007 at 12:42 pm
clinkny
I love this post! Pretty much all my thoughts about the wedding, right there, in your writing.
October 29, 2007 at 12:43 pm
pomponcrystal
Dream – I don’t have a GD clue what a blusher is, I was about to ask the same thing. I’m guessing it’s that tacky thing that goes in front of your face like a fly net.
I imagine if I was getting married I would have many similar feelings. I get anxious driving to the movies and back.
But you see the goal, the silver lining as they say. And I believe it’s totally worth it too. He seems like a great guy.
October 29, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Michelle
that handkerchief was such a nice gift! and you are ridiculously organized – i love it!
October 29, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Jess
Yay! Wedding post! It sounds like we have similar plans and ideas and hopes for our weddings. Though yours will have more guests.
October 29, 2007 at 12:57 pm
bloggingbarbie
love, love, love this post. even though you know, there is no bling in sight for me, i can’t help but get excited for my own wedding/engagement time. because you know, that’s how i roll.
heart you as the future mrs. michael. heart your thoughts on all things wedding related…
…and aisle file? lurve.
October 29, 2007 at 1:04 pm
kristen
i totally agree with you about the whole sappy father/daughter dance. we decided to go with upbeat songs when we got married. my husband and his mom danced to the beatles (i forget the exact song) and my dad and i danced to frank sinatra “the way you look tonight.” which was great.
here is my piece of advice: PICK A SHORT SONG for your first dance as husband/wife. we picked “our” song, which we never realized was like 6 minutes long…luckily the DJ realized we were getting a bit sick of dancing so he faded it out after about 4 minutes.
October 29, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Sassafras
Ha ha, I had to laugh at E. It is totally true and I’m going through it right now after getting married. I keep wondering when BHF is going to stop being so “lovey”
Yay for being so organized and on top of things! =)
October 29, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Sarah
Did I miss you posting a picture of your dress?
October 29, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Amanda Brown
Yay for zany! I wanted to have a wedding that people would look back on and remember as fun. It happened, and I’m so glad, and I wish the same for you.
Hope the Monday funk clears up soon.
October 29, 2007 at 1:42 pm
itsallabouthallie
This is awesome! What is a blusher?
October 29, 2007 at 1:58 pm
kwarterlifecrisis
I can’t wait until I can make one of these posts. Le sigh.
Also, I am your friend and I do invitations on the side too. I am serious when I say let me know if you need any help with anything like that. 🙂
October 29, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Peter
“Aisle File” <— Love that.
Made me laugh. In a good way.
October 29, 2007 at 2:11 pm
verybadcat
Re: father/daughter dance…
Remember Wonder Years? Remember that song they played at the hippy big sister’s wedding? “There is Love (Wedding Song)”, by Peter, Paul and Mary? It’s a nice, slow song, and meaningful, but more in a whole world, hippy kind of way, and not in a butterfly-kisses-isn’t-she-lovely-Dad-and-I-are-close-but-this-kind-of-stuff-makes-us both-want-to-retch-kind-of-way.
http://www.peterpaulandmary.com/music/21-66.htm
Or what about Landslide?
Yeah, I know, I’m no help. Loving the newsletter for the attendants. Great idea!
October 29, 2007 at 2:29 pm
sdh
I loved my photographer if you’re still looking for one.
http://www.kharberphoto.com/
I can send you some from our wedding if you want to take a look.
I hired her because she was the least expensive I could find, and I only wanted her for 2 hours (a lot of people will only do a full day). She is very flexible and super nice. And has a cute baby named Oscar.
October 29, 2007 at 3:09 pm
DG
How fun is your post!?? I want to see a picture of your dress!
October 29, 2007 at 3:35 pm
beingmccrary
Gosh, I can remember it like it was yesterday….trying on all those dresses…yeah, yeah these are pretty and then I found the one and they put the veil on and I was like woah! It was just a completely different feeling with the veil on, I swear I loved my veil more than the dress! I can relate because I found my dress and veil the first week too! 🙂
Are you gonna spill the song detail that you know you want? Music was very important to me too and I swear all I care about when I go to other weddings is the “important” music because I’m a dork like that!
My dad is a huge Elvis fan, so we danced to You Will Never Walk Alone by Elvis. Does your dad have any aritists that he likes that you could do some investigating of their songs? Ask your dad what he thinks…he might have something in mind. My dad and I had 2 songs picked out and he made the final choice.
October 29, 2007 at 4:01 pm
furrychocolates
My dad and I danced to ‘I hope you dance’. It wouldn’t have been my first choice but I left it up to him with a disclaimer tagged on the end that I had final say, of course! I figured it was one less thing that I would have to do and it would be super meaningful for him too.
October 29, 2007 at 4:10 pm
Becky
I love the song “Long Line of Love” by Michael Martin Murphy (there are a few versions out there). I think I am going to ask my sister to play guitar and sing that song for my father-daughter dance. I totally hear you on the being close to my dad but not in a “butterfly kisses” kind of way. I know “Daddy’s Hands” is also a popular song, and I like that one as well, although not as much…good luck!
October 29, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Each
my fav. is W.
I totally agree, after watching my mother not exist for too many years in her marriage, her HAPPY marriage. to my DAD. and they are STILL married (29 years yesterday!) until the past 5 years there was always just something missing. it was hard on her and my parents relationship. she is working on it and she is much happier and she gave me and my sisters the same advice; to not forget who you are and what makes you happy and you, well YOU!
October 29, 2007 at 4:28 pm
erbear
father/daughter dance: james taylor’s “you’ve got a friend” or natalie merchant’s “thank you”…those are just my ideas. : )
October 29, 2007 at 4:41 pm
A Lil' Irish Lass
Loved this post, Marly. Umm, Molly 😉
PS – I have referred best friend Eve to your blog as she prepares to dive into her own wedding planning. It’s saving me a lot of time on the phone reading her your posts lol!
October 29, 2007 at 4:42 pm
Lisa
With you on the strippers. Too skanky. We made a deal – no bachelor party for him, no bachelorette party for me. If I ever find out he had one, I’m going to remove a stripper’s g-string with my teeth (hi, I’m sure you know where this is from). It’s going to be nasty, but it’s just something you gotta do. Hehe.
October 29, 2007 at 6:09 pm
libby
ooh whenever i do get hitched the father/daughter dance is the exact. same. thing that would stump me.
if anyone lets you know a good idea – pass it along so i can file it away for sometime loooong long away in my future :p
October 29, 2007 at 8:40 pm
leah
I love this post. It makes me look forward to getting married. Which is probably not something I should be thinking about seeing as I am not engaged. I know you and Michael were together a long time before the engagement but I have no idea how you were so patient. It’s been three years and I am already incredibly antsy. Antsy not so much for a proposal but to know what the future holds for us. Patience is not one of my virtues.
October 30, 2007 at 6:06 am
Charl
Um. I’m not done reading yet, but since I’m the annoying nerdy kind, I just couldn’t help but wonder if you meant “first edition” and not “addition?” Just asking. Okgoingnowpromise.
October 30, 2007 at 6:14 am
Charl
Done reading now. Have to say, you are so thorough! Wow.
October 30, 2007 at 9:11 am
CuriousC
My bet is the people who call you Marly are from New England! Being from the Midwest and living in Mass, I HAVE to see how things are spelled in letters on paper. Somebody somehow said Michael is “mah(r)ying a guhl named ‘Mahly’…
October 30, 2007 at 10:15 am
Princess Extraoridinaire
I definitely think you could publish this list to group of soon-to-be brides !
October 30, 2007 at 8:05 pm
mikesgotnothin
I still get to go, right?!
November 5, 2007 at 5:51 pm
Shana Leigh
It didn’t even OCCUR to me that Im going to need to make a speech. yipes!
November 9, 2007 at 1:56 pm
tia
my dad and i danced to “what a wonderful world” by louie armstrong. it was nice and not too sappy.
love love love your blog, got here by way of blogging barbie and clink.
March 11, 2008 at 10:57 am
Wedding Alphabet Soup « These Little Moments
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