Choose bridesmaid dresses: check!

After several dress adventures with some lovely ladies (and a handsome groomsman), the bridesmaid dresses have been chosen! My girls are picking their dress of choice from the following:

               

The third one will be the same length as the first two, and each will be black as shown. We (and by "we" I mean "MOH Moxie and/or Mom") will add a sash to the first and third while sash is already built into the second dress. The sash color is called Petunia and looks like this: 

Junior Bridesmaid Tinkerbell has been very specific in her wants for a dress that is opposite in color from the rest of the girls, so she will likely wear one of the above dresses in Petunia with a black sash. Since Ringbearer Melmo (his adorable way of saying Elmo) really likes being naked, he may be wearing nothing but a Petunia bowtie. We'll see how things end up for the kids in the spring, lest they grow like weeds after buying their current size!

Now: how to tie the pink in with all of the groomsmen? Here are our options, let me know what you think!

Save the Date success

Our Thanksgiving weekend, though quite booked, did in fact afford us a few moments to snap some pictures for our save the dates. They are ordered (and cheaper, thanks to a black Friday deal!) and will be processed in the next week, but in the meantime I thought I would tempt you all with a few teasers.

First, remember this post? My non-photogenic tendencies flared a couple of times during this "shoot," resulting in these beauties:

                                   

When guests start receiving their save-the-dates in the mail I will share the actual document (it's a magnet!), but until then you can see two possible versions. 

Version 1: The there's-no-way-I'm-mailing-our-loved-ones-pictures-of-us-looking-like-this. Each of these had some sort of theme, such as "We're horrified by this process," or "We're pensive." Their unifying theme is now "We're blooper shots."

Version 2: The close seconds. While none of these ended up in the final product, we gave some thought to including each. It turns out we are quite good at taking pictures of us kissing, but not so good at taking pictures that aren't direct smile-at-the-camera shots. We'll keep working on it for the slew of couple shots we have coming up in the next few months!

**thanks to Vader Prime for taking all these pictures!

Holidays and completed wedding tasks: r=.99

Go ahead, look up what "r" means. Or better yet, read here.

I am REALLY looking forward to the holidays this year! I love family gatherings and holidays in general, so this is not particularly news. However, since the holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas, more specifically) also mark our longest periods of time spent in Maine, we are fitting in several wedding tasks to our time home before and after each holiday.

This weekend when we're not stuffing ourselves full of turkey and green bean casserole we will be taking photos for and creating our save-the-dates. And, though I never plan on any Black Friday deal snagging (I love saving a buck, but HATE throngs of people fighting over gifts), if we find ourselves within the vicinity of a craft store I may be unable to look the other way. Either during Thanksgiving break or Christmas break I am also hoping to secure the hair and/or makeup services of my childhood hair-cutter for the day of the wedding.

Over the Christmas break, we will be taking our engagement pictures! I had initially dreamed up photos of us in sweaters in an apple orchard, but since the first photographer cancelled we had to reschedule the appointment with our new photographer. We are hoping it snows in Maine before then so our engagement pictures are filled with snowball fights, rosy cheeks, and mittens rather than dead grass, dead trees, and frostbite. I am also secretly hoping my dress arrives before Christmas so that I can try it on and coordinate fittings with a hometown seamstress.

Finally, it looks like over Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend we might be doing our tastings for our menu!  We have been looking forward to this for a year now and it will be nice to choose the food. Currently we are  trying to narrow down our choices from which the chef will select a few options, and that is stressful enough!

This year in addition to friends, family, and overall happiness and healthiness, I am thankful for my teaching career and the short breaks it affords me this time of year to get wedding tasks done. And to work off the pie.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Ring drama

A few days ago Jared (the store, not a person) sent us a flyer advertising a sale this weekend for past customers. We had originally planned to look at wedding rings closer to the wedding, but as the flyer suggested we might be able to save $200 on rings we headed out to Burlington, MA this morning armed with the coupon. Also with no breakfast, which probably made matters worse.

Vader knew exactly what he wanted, and that's what we got. Here it is: 

I didn't have a specific idea of what I was looking for, so I went in with a few ideas and tried on a lot of rings the saleslady suggested. The plain bands were overshadowed by my engagement ring while bands with a continuous row of small diamonds looked very strange on my finger. Luckily Vader knew what I wanted AND has excellent taste, and when I tried on his third or fourth pick I was happy to see that it had the "interesting" factor I was looking for without being too much. Here's what I chose:

We were happy with our choices and ready to find some lunch and head home for some football, but with Vader's giant fingers it became apparent we would have to special order his ring to fit properly. The $$$-saving deal seemed like it would still work, but after a lot of confusing conversations with our saleslady we began to feel uncomfortable with the arrangement. Basically, had we bought the rings today we would have had to: 

• buy my ring
• buy the wrong ring for Vader
• hope the main customer office for the chain would let us combine the orders to get interest-free financing for one year
• rely on some person's confirmation over the phone that we would be able to exchange the "wrong ring" for Vader's special order ring when it comes in
• hope that the price for the larger-than-standard-size ring wasn't much more than the ring we saw.

It was too risky for us to justify saving a bit of money, but our saleslady wasn't hearing our "no". She concocted several schemes for how we could save the money AND secure financing without interest, each of which relied on a mysterious person's confirmation over the phone to the saleslady with no written guarantee. As my stomach growled audibly and Vader grew visibly more annoyed, she continued to push the sale and we dug in our heels. Though she never understood where we were coming from (and continued to try to convince me to buy both rings while Vader was searching for coffee), she finally heard our emphatic "No!" and cancelled the sale. So, we left with no rings. However, we did order Vader's special order ring and we'll buy that and my ring together when it comes in. And, since we were there, we left my engagement ring to be resized (again!) and cleaned. 

The adventure was not entirely unproductive, but we sure wish we could have those hours of our lives back. With any luck our next Jared experience will be quicker and easier! 

To do 'til "I do"...or at least 'til 2013

I LOVE making lists. Preferably on post-it notes lined up parallel to each other and the bottom of my desk, despite Vader's and my students' best efforts to foul up the lines. I'm the sort of list-maker that puts things like "make to-do list" or "eat breakfast" on the list to immediately cross them off. In fact, I made my bed daily in college largely so that I could put "make bed" on my to-do list in between "write 12 page paper" and "read 300 pages."

I digress.

Wedding websites/blogs/magazines/vendors also love making lists, and have published several in hopes of helping future brides stay organized and keep on track with wedding planning. Most of these pre-made to do lists start at 12 months out, and so for the last two years (As of this past week we have been engaged for two whole years!) I have been twiddling my thumbs and making my own list with items such as "deter Vader from Star Wars planning" on it. Since this summer, however, we are finally able to use a canned to do list to help keep track of "traditional" wedding decisions.

Now, some lists are better than others. A popular wedding reference site, TheKnot, composed a list for me. On it are items like "take dance lessons" and "make a list of family wedding customs" which just aren't going to happen. It also thinks I still have 155 things to do before the wedding, and that I have only thus far completed 19, so I may be biased in the interest of sounding productive.

Another wedding planning site (Real Simple) has a comprehensive to do list that features my favorite item: "reserve structural necessities." The Portland Club features a roof, a foundation, AND walls, so that's a big check off my list!

My to do list of choice which I am using to keep track of our wedding decisions is a pull-out 12 month calendar planner from Real Maine Weddings. At eight months and 1 day out from the wedding, we have accomplished a lot of the tasks this list says we should have by now in our planning. I was, however, surprised to find that we were behind in some areas!

So, here is my to do list for the end of 2012, partially inspired by Real Maine Weddings ideas. And, for good compulsive-list-maker measure, a few items I've already done.

To do:

1.) Mail save the date cards (...and create them...)
2.) Order wedding gown
3.) Determine ceremony music
4.) Order (decide on, really) bridal headpiece and shoes
5.) Choose bridesmaid gowns (pending!)
6.) Choose the wedding party
7.) Keep making decoration-type crafts
8.) Select attire for the kids in the party
9.) Enjoy holidays with our families while not consuming my weight in fudge and/or egg nog.

Which one is that?

Though Vader knows who my bridal party is composed of, even he is having trouble keeping track of everybody's blog names. Since most of you don't know them, I thought I would introduce them a bit and explain where their silly nicknames come from.

First: why the names? The answer is threefold:

1. I read far too much Weddingbee.
2. Our friends and family didn't sign up to be featured in a wedding blog, so silly names allow them to remain anonymous to the rest of the world.
3. Why not? 

Now, who are they and where did their names come from? Read on!

Maid (Matron) of Honor Moxie: My big sister who has looked younger than me since I turned 14, this true Mainah loves her flannel and Moxie (a disgusting soda recently branded the official soda of Maine). She hates dresses and girly things, and therefore must really love me to be willing to stand beside me and hold my stuff during the wedding! She also, conveniently enough, now has a family of her own. Her adorable children will be featured in the party as well.

Bridesmaid Comic-con: Vader's little sister by only a year, she can give me all the dirt on her brother I don't know already. She is a video game aficionado, and keeps Vader up on what games he should play when she isn't keeping me snorting with laughter inappropriately at family functions. She's a little too helpful in the Star Wars-themed wedding plans, and risks a frilly pink bubble dress should she continue to suggest Leia costumes and the like...

Bridesmaid (-matron?) Madonna: This lovely lady was my roommate in college for a year and a half, and began our relationship suspecting that I was a cheerleader based on my discussing pink room decorations. Over the years we have had a lot of adventures, the biggest of which has been her wedding this past summer. Why the name? Well, she wrote her college thesis on how Madonna queered every categorical variable you can think of, and we all listened to (with varying amounts of agency in the decision) so many Madonna facts/songs/videos that we can't take it anymore!

Bridesmaid Irish: Red-headed (well, reddish blonde), Celtic-music-singing, best-potato-roll-baker-of-all-time, this friend of college origin was the easiest to blog nickname. She's done more than her fair share of weddings lately: listening to the details and helping plan for BM Madonna's wedding and now helping me with my own, and she's done it all flawlessly! 

Bridesmaid Cupcake: Though she originally pegged me as "loud and obnoxious", this college friend and I bonded over a shared love for brass instruments, cake decorating, and falling asleep during movies late at night. When she's not solving the world's medical problems one cell at a time in New Haven, she is experimenting with new flavors and combinations of cupcakes. Hence, the name. 

And those who you'll be hearing about soon...

Bridesmaid Flamingo: Though we originally met in elementary school Sunday School, we officially became friends during a very animated pre-calculus class. We couldn't stop giggling in school or at church, and haven't stopped yet. Our most epic adventure involved filming a Sound of Music rip-off in Salzburg. During college and study abroad we got sick of signatures on e-mails and decided instead we would just write different iterations of the letters/words in Flamingo, which is where her name comes from. My favorite variation remains Flamin' Go. 

Bridesmaid Fairy (Tale): This friend and I have traveled A LOT together. We toured Europe, went to the 2010 Olympics, and road tripped to Maine more than a few times during college. Though she lives on the other side of the country now, we still see each other fairly often thanks to friends getting married and her prowess at conference presentations. While she is fairy-like in that she is very small and dances up a storm, this bridesmaid's name comes from her field of expertise. She studies all things fairy tale, and is currently after a Ph.D. in hopes of someday teaching college kids about the greatness of Beauty and the Beast. The (Tale) is in parentheses because Bridesmaid Fairy rhymes well with....

Bridesmaid Hairy!: The final female of our college clan, her body hair (thus the name) is a topic of conversation almost as much as her love for dinosaurs and wearing head to toe purple. She is currently in the Midwest finishing up her Master's degree (hooray!) in plants and stuff and secretly hoping to someday star in a Bollywood film. Thus far into our friendship she has only been comfortable in Maine when wearing three sweaters and an L.L. Bean parka, so next summer's extravaganza should be an interesting experiment. 

There's the bridal party! Plus a junior bridesmaid, who I'll have to think up a name for. She has very specific wants for her junior bridesmaid look, so maybe she'll be specific about blog name requirements. Do eight year olds know what a blog is? 

Someday Vader will think up some names for his party (trying on dresses is much more of a production than getting suits) and I'll introduce the groomsfolk. Until then you'll have to live with the teaser that was Groomsman Peanut Butter's introduction in my last entry!

Bridesmaid Dresses, v.2

Sandy threw a wrench in the plans of some of my college friends and I this past weekend, re-routing to avoid  underwater subway navigation and HOV limits that would prevent us from driving into Manhattan. Flexible adventurers that we are, we instead invaded the apartment of Bridesmaid Cupcake for a weekend of relaxation and falling asleep in piles even though it was 3 p.m. Clearly we've all gotten old.

When we gathered the energy to explore downtown New Haven, we hit up a local dress shop so Bridesmaid Madonna (technically Bridesmatron, which I intend to keep calling her because it sounds so absurd) could try on dresses and help narrow down the girls' selection. The shop had the coolest dress-trying-on experience I've seen so far-we all trudged down a narrow hallway that ended in a private dressing room with a wall of couches for ideal judging viewing. Luckily BM Madonna has no problem with a bit of exhibitionism, so we all sat around and watched her try on the favorites of the other girls and chime in with her own opinions. Her standards were high: twirly skirt and straps. We now have two front-runner dresses so far with three bridesmaids to go. I'll keep you updated when the decision is made!

Though the dress experience was as girly as in the past, featuring myself and bridesmaids Irish, Cupcake, and Madonna, we were joined by a blog newcomer: a groomsman! Groomsman Peanut Butter (Vader thought I should call him Sexy McBeast, but it seems a little awkward...) decided that sitting around with friends watching his wife try on dresses was a lot of fun! Four years of college with a tribe of girls prepared him well for the experience, and he was a valuable resource. Until he chimed in his support of sword gifts...

In all seriousness, Madonna and PB WILL be and already have been a terrific resource of all things wedding, as it's only been a few months since their own nuptials and we have so many questions.

I'm looking forward to sharing more about the groomsman (and groomslady) as we get closer to the wedding and we start making suit decisions and the like. 

**Officiant Ewok, I haven't forgotten about you, but writing about your role in the wedding would mostly involve making a long list of things I have no answer to. More on the ceremony details later...