Time of our Life

The big day came and went - just like that. And we had the time of our life.

What would we have done different? Not much. We didn't have enough wine and had too much beer. Oh well, you win some you lose some. I would have gotten a hot pink bra to match my hot pink dress. Then I wouldn't have had a few moments where white peaked out. Oh well. We could have used a little more seating. Wow!! Who knew most everyone would come on a holiday weekend?? What a lovely predicament!!

Did everything go perfect - heavens no! There was the slight problem of us not having had the marriage license notarized prior to the ceremony. Whoops!! Thank God our photographer had a friend who graciously ran down to the reception and helped us with that little detail. That was exciting for a few moments!!

There was also the part in the exchange of vows where the bride and groom got the giggles. He was making faces at me I tell you. After that we couldn't make eye contact at all lest we bust out laughing again. That sums up our life together I'm happy to say.

The best part was that we had the time of our life. The worst part is that it went by so fast. So, so fast. Not bad considering we started planning this wedding five months ago. Not bad at all.....

What a day, what a celebration, what great memories we made in the beginning of our new life together.

Check List...

Groom, check. Dress, check. Rings, check. Family and friends to love us through our journey, check. Sense of humor, check, check, check. Faith, CHECK!! Yup, in preparation for tomorrow's celebration. We have it all.

Here is a visual though. A friend of mine said "wouldn't be cool if when you turned to face the crowd after your vows that in every single chair was a dog (pointers, no doubt) wagging it's fool tail off?" For some people that would be a nightmare. Not for me.

I don't believe in dressing up dogs in little bride and groom outfits. But I do believe in brides and grooms being as in the moment and joyous as dogs are. Dog's don't sweat the small stuff and we know it's all small stuff.

So in my check list I need to add, let heart wag like the tail of a happy dog. Check, check and one more happy check.

High Maintenance

I don't think I have ever been described as high maintenance. Crazy dog lady?? Yes. A bit shy, yes. But pretty much a down-to-earth girl. Make-up takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. Hair about as long as make-up. But, when it comes to preparations for my wedding, I'm crossing over to the dark side.

I now have acrylic nails. I've always wanted long, lovely nails. I wasn't able to grow 4" inches (vertical, not horizontal) before the wedding, but I can have long nails. I think they make me look skinny.

In all honesty, I thought as they were being applied, that I would be completely immobilized by them. They have slowed me down a little as I get used to them. But, they make me look skinny, so I don't mind being slow. It gives me time to savor the experience. I do wonder how on earth I'll be able to pull my Spanx up to cover a multitude of sins when I dress for the wedding. My girlfriends keep telling me if I need help just ask - hahahahaaaaa.

I think this will be a one time thing. Just something to primp for the wedding. Several weeks from now I'll go back to my normal working girl hands. Hands that dig in the dirt, create, and take a little abuse. For this week I'll indulge in a little maintenance. It's okay to do that...I'm the bride.

Jitters

The dance the Jitterbug must have been created by a bride-to-be. But overall, I think having jitters is probably a good thing.

The first time around, many many moons ago, I was blissfully unaware of anything but the wedding. He was perfect, I was perfect, life was perfect...all systems go. Boy was I clueless!! This time around I am ever so aware of how not perfect we are and how much more faith has to do with the success of a marriage.

For every time I may roll eyes at something my beloved does, I know he has ample opportunity to do the same. Frankly, this time around it is scarier. That's probably because I wasn't smart enough to be scared the first time around. I am experiencing post traumatic first marriage jitters and jitters for our pending wedding.

Do I doubt that it's the right thing to do? Heaven's no. Do I worry? Oh yes, because I am a woman, and because I am more of a realist now. I worry whether being married will easier or more difficult. I wonder if we'll be lazy about investing in our relationship after the I Do's. I wonder what challenges lay ahead. I wonder if my feet will hurt during the reception, and if my dress will make me look fat. I wonder if I've forgotten anything totally important for the ceremony and reception. I wonder if the airport will close due to flooding making things crazy for our guests.

Jitters? Yup, checking them off the list of things occurring before the wedding. Accepting them, understanding some are valid, some are manufactured and all are okay. Knowing this too will pass and I'm perfectly normal, jitters and all.

Now I Know

I have such an enhanced understanding of brides now that I am a bride, or a repeat bride, whatever you wish to call it. Maybe I'm an encore Bride, or a born again bride, or a repeat offender bride. But, plain and simple, now I know.

I know that no matter how careful you are the budget can take on a life of it's own. I know that what I want to do, and what I can afford to do are a gazillion $'s apart. I also know, after all is said and done most people will only remember it was lovely and the food was good. And, of course that the bride was stunning. Other than that the details will be generalized into an overall memory.

I know that if we can laugh though what ever little things go wrong, and they will, it will all be okay. We will be just as married if there aren't enough chairs, or if there is a horrible food faux pas. For the record I do not wish to jinx the caterer....that is just a random example.

The wedding isn't the celebration and the marriage is not the wedding. The marriage is the sacred part, the rest is just sharing our joy. No amount of money spent can express the depth of that joy. This I know.

Gifts

We received our first wedding gift yesterday. Wow! It makes it all so real.

Here is our take on gifts. We don't need a thing, really. We are completely blessed as it is. Now, tongue-in-cheek, if someone wants to give us a house, on a lake, in the mountains, near the ocean, well, we would graciously accept it. And write the worlds most gracious thank you note!

We tell people no gifts are necessary. If someone insists, a donation to either Pointer Rescue or Outward Bound, in our names would be wonderful. This wedding is celebration enough, and those who share it with us is a gift in itself. Still heartfelt gifts are coming our way.

We will be toasting with a gift of champagne at the reception. It seems a good way to start our life together. Light, bubbly, celebratory....and with those we love most. The toast holds more than wishes for the future, it also honors the journeys of the past that led us to this day.

We are gifted, by those who love us and share life in good times and in bad, in sickness and health. For that we give thanks.

Counting Down

So it's count down time. It's gearing up time. It's pay the balance time. It's a bit of a weepy time. It's almost wedding time.

In the something old category - well, besides the bride that is. I have the pleasure of using vintage footed cake plates to serve cake at our reception. I'll be using my Mom's and Reno's Mom's cake plates. It doesn't get any better than that. I love the vintage look, I love including treasures such as these to grace our event.

Something new, well that is an easy one. New hopes and new commitment. New directions and new challenges. Bottom line, we are renewing our faith in marriage. Kind of a good thing at this time in our lives, huh?

Something borrowed - hmmmmmmmmm. I believe I'll borrow some strength to get me through the next two weeks. Does anyone have any they'd like to lend me??

Something blue....I'd be lying if I said I haven't had some weepy, blue moments recently. It goes with the preparations, the stress, the challenges of getting married, getting a house ready to sell, leaving a job and moving to a new city. Have I mentioned I'm a wee bit emotional these days?? I'm also very excited and slightly terrified.

So yes, I'm counting. Counting down, counting on things being better than we dreamed. Counting on sharing and celebrating. Counting on my best friend to meet me at the altar in just about two weeks.

30 Days

We attended a wedding over the weekend. It provided an excellent checklist for ours. I think we are in pretty good shape. Well, except for the fact it's 30 days from ours, the house will go up on the market soon and I have to/get to travel 15 out of the next 30 days. No pressure at all.

What I was impressed by in the wedding we attended, was the gratitude of the Chad and Emily for the love and support their family and friends give them. Gratitude is everything.

When you look past the gowns, the flowers, the food, the booze, the whole facade of the wedding you get to the important part. Family, friends, vows, commitment and gratitude.

That is what I plan to focus on this next 30 days. When the packing, cleaning and showing of the house pushes my buttons. When my hormones threaten to go ballistic. I'll try to sound an alarm when that is about to happen, but no promises. Whenever the details threaten to overwhelm me, and they will, I'll try to think of Chad and Emily. And what is really truly important.

Family, friends, vows, commitment....and oh yes....gratitude. The rest will sort itself out, thankfully.

Spanx You Very Much

As a young bride the dress is probably thee most important aspect of the wedding. Well, besides the groom. As an older, and hopefully more mature bride, I think the proper girdle is the most important aspect of enhancing the dress for the wedding. Foundations, the sort with spandex and lots of it are vital. Except now they don't call them girdles. The brand I got, from a smart purchase off of eBay, is a Spanx.

So far I love my Spanx. Not quite sure how to easily get into it, but I love it. Have some concerns about getting out of it and not looking like a dork, but I love it. Wondering if it has any idea the g-forces it will need to pull to make me look svelte and fabulous, but hey, I trust it!

As mentioned, I did buy it on EBay and was a wee bit disappointed when it came and I realized it was missing a key component. Like the little straps that attach it to your bra to keep it from rolling the waves of a not so thin midriff. No worries, I'll just check out their website thinking certainly that would be a accessory you could buy separately. Hmmm...not the case. Again, no worries. I'll just write then and explain my predicament.

Obviously the good people at Spanx know their product is the stuff miracles are made of. They also know customer service. They happy offered to send me them free of charge. Sweet! Thanks to the kindness of strangers, and industrial strength spandex, my Spanx will stay safely in place during the wedding. Phfewww....that is a good thing for everyone involved.

Thanks Spanx!

Inviting....

You are just inviting trouble? We invited guests for dinner? She/he has an inviting personality? I have never pondered invitations so much before.

We are making progress. Today I dropped the invitations into the mail. I'd be remiss if I didn't say that was an act of faith. I took small stacks of them and prayed them into the mail box. You probably think I'm nuts. If I am, so be it.

But why wouldn't I do that?? I prayed for those we love, to pray for our love. I prayed we are making the right choices. I know, strange time to be wondering that. I don't doubt the relationship, but I'm wise enough now to know it's not to be taken lightly. The first time around I just assumed all would be hunky dory. This time I'm inviting faith, our family and friends, and the world to support us in this life journey. That makes those invitations pretty precious if you ask me.

We also met with the Pastor who will preside over our wedding. Ahhhh, how comforting to have His hand to guide us. It may be a marriage to two people, but it is a union of three. We need the big guy upstairs to keep us safe, sane and from being stupid along the way. Lord knows we have those "what was I thinking moments".

All that said the invitations we've extended are a very big deal. They are more than lovely paper, dates/time and directions. They are precious words and heartfelt wishes for people to share our day. Turns out those invitations are sacred in their own way. You have to love that.

Black and White

The invites are here - it's all in black, white and hot pink. Oh baby!

I don't recall being as excited about the invites the first time around. Perhaps it's a maturity thing? Maybe a revelation about where I/we are in life. It's darned exciting. Perhaps it's because I've invested some time and energy in the creation of these invites. Rather than flipping through a book and saying "I'll take that one!"

Now, lest you think I'm a creative genius I will say I had help. Lots of help. Elizabeth, from Social Grace, http://social-grace.net, is the master mind. I kept throwing random idea's out and she was able to snag a few from left field, right field and from the dug out and shape them into a winner. I had her scrambling a time or two. No, they are not baseball related, but that is analogy that came to mind so I ran with it.

Of course, now I wish my handwriting was precise and oh so elegant. Okay, how about even neat and tidy? Maybe the cursive Fairy will sprinkle some magic fairy dust on me and my penmenship will blossom like a Spring garden. Or, maybe, my handwriting will pale with the joy that is written into the address of those we want to celebrate with. Ya, I think that's it.

Those we love won't notice the writing. When you get to the black and white of it, only the love will shine.

Wedding Mania

This could be solely about me. Or it could be about Kate and William. As in Kate and William and the Royal Wedding. Both are fairy tale stories. One in a very royal manner, one in a happy little second chance in life manner.

True, I don't have multiple dresses just waiting for the big day. I'm not trying to keep the details of my wedding as secure as a state secret. Actually, the state doesn't do well with that either. Obviously, there won't be a mad rush to do a knock off of my gown, like there will be Kate's gown. Frankly, that all sounds like a royal pain in the arse. I'd rather not know my dress is fashioned just like someone elses. But I digress.

I have to wonder what Kate's stress level is about now. If she is so done with the process, if she longs for some solitude, and if perhaps she would envy the intimate little event we are planning.

I will be watching her celebration. Part of me will be in awe of the pomp and circumstance, the fairy tale magic of it all. But the rest of me will be content with our personal ceremony. Too much mania is not a good thing for cherished moments. That is what we will have, cherished moments, hopefully sans the mania.

Threads

Nice threads, new threads, picking up loose threads, the threads that hold us together. So many threads that sew our lives together. One often thinks of wedding dresses as a symbol of purity, well at least 30 years ago when I was a bride they did. Now it's a different story.

Still, it is a dress to remember. I hope I am being more deliberate with my choice (choices) this time around. I bought fabric yesterday to have my dress made. It's lovely and colorful, and while I can't visualize the finished product as well was I'd like, I trust my seamstress. Isn't that reminiscent of how we live our lives? We choose one part and build around it. Sometimes we alter the plan, other times we rip out and start again. In the beginning, and all parts of the process, we trust the maker.

I am certain, as a first time bride, I neglected to celebrate the dress. And the bride, for that matter. I'm working on that. We put on our wedding dress to look beautiful. When, in fact, we are beautiful, and then we put on our wedding dress.

Who What When Where How

Or, Invitations 101.....

When you consider of all the excitement, the feelings, the information, the love that leads up to sending an invitation it really makes you think. Okay, it makes me think. It almost needs to be an animate object rather than paper and envelope.

It contains years of the relationship growing and developing. It contains hopes and dreams. It contains pertinent information. It reflects your personality. For us, it should come with a little dog fur stuck to it, some bling, and something to toast with. Maybe we should send out wine glasses or dog bowls, I'm not sure which.

At the very least it should be stuffed with confetti, enveloped with love, sealed with faith, sing, dance and do the wave. Of course, it's a challenge to pack all this great stuff into one envelope.

Maybe I'm thinking too hard. Or maybe every step of this journey needs to be celebrated. Ya, always room for celebration...let's start today.

Count Down

Let me say I love that Reno has a countdown going on his computer until the big day. Maybe it's because he's a numbers guy, he's counting his last days of freedom, or maybe because he's as excited as I am.

We are making progress on planning. Granted we are doing this planning while trying to get a house ready to sell, while phasing me out of my job, and with him immersing himself in learning a new job in a new city. No pressure here. Not at all.

Just like life in general, and our relationship specifically, blessings are rolling our way. We selected one location for a wedding, the big guy upstairs had a better plan. My way is decidedly limited in vision, and that is okay.

We have the venue and we've ordered the alcoholic beverages. Yes, I think our priorities are in order. I have a seamstress and a pattern. And, we have friends stepping up to the plate to grace our day.

I am the most sporadic member of a bible study group. I rarely get the reading done for the group. Often I can't attend because I work some weekends. And yet, they embrace me just as I am. Even more wonderful I found out these same ladies have a tradition. A food ministry of sorts. They prepare and serve the prenuptial dinner for those in this wonderful little group of faith filled women. They offered to assist us in this lovely way.

All this gives me pause to be thankful and to enjoy the process. Counting down and counting blessings - all good things.

New Appreciation for Indecision

I work with brides on a daily basis. But, now I have a better appreciation for them. For someone "in the industry" I am exactly as clueless as many of those brides I encounter. I mean that in the nicest possible way, and in the most humorous way.

What colors are you using? When is the wedding? What would you like? What are you doing for centerpieces? Who is the photographer? What is the plan for music? At this point I can safely say I have a dress pattern, seamstress, a ring for both of us, and a groom-to-be I adore! The rest is still sorta, kinda, mostly up in the air.

Many others know what I want way more than I do. I find this rather frightening! They know what I should do, how I should do it, and why I want to do that way. Wow! That's pretty impressive.

A dear friend of mine told me I can't have silk flowers for my wedding. Oh, he may have a point. However, I have the best silk flowers out there in my department. It would be a shame not to use them! On the other hand, if it weren't for fresh flowers I wouldn't be in the silk flower business. Stay tuned for more on that detail.

The other question that came up regarding the venue we are about to nail down is if dogs could attend. I wonder if it would be tacky to set up an Exercise pen and bring the boys to the reception. I have looked at the fine print on the rental agreement. No where does it say you can't bring dogs - lol. If I put them in their pet therapy service vests will they be more welcome? Some stressed guest may just need a little puppy loving.

So I will be more understanding of the brides who have more questions than answers. Frankly, I can totally relate.

Venue Schmenu

Well, alrighty. We had a venue all planned. But then we discovered the University adjacent to the park we were getting married in was having their annual Shakespeare on the Green the same weekend as our nuptuals. Our guest list numbers about 65. Their guest list numbers several thousand. We're thinking we'll just let them have the park.

Of course, that sends us back to the drawing board. I will say, being a second time bride, I'm less inclined to fuss over every little detail. While we are 111 days away from the celebration, I figure it will all sort itself out. We do have a lovely backyard. At first I wasn't gung ho on ceremony there. Now it has distinct possibilities. Plus the dogs could attend that way.

I've also discovered I have many friends willing to help if only I ask. That is something I need to embrace. I don't know about you, but I get used to doing for myself. Sometimes I do those things with minimal effort, because hey, it's for me. How nice to discover I can lean on others during this process, and afterwards too.

So to that I say Venue Schmenu. All will be well and the celebration will be blessed. I have no doubt.

The Date & The Venue

Nobody said it would be easy.....but we have nailed down the date, the venue and the guest list. That pretty much sums it up doesn't it?

But even I have to question why I described it as "nailed down". Perhaps because it took a fair amount of deliberation, back up by decisive choices. That goes for the groom and for this bride. I once had someone describe me as an optimistic realist. I like that definition. I believe that means I'm positively delusional, in the nicest possible way.

So many of the choices the first time around don't even make the list to consider. While I am more spiritual that my first time around, I am less comfortable marrying in a church. That is a good thing because the Catholic Church wouldn't welcome me anyway.

We are opting to marry in an old grotto in a park. I like that idea. Life began in a garden, so will our marriage. Gardens grow and evolve, so will we. Gardens are unpredictable, so are relationships. Gardens grow by faith....so does marriage. Gardens have weeds, so does marriage....oh wait...marriage has lots of opportunities for growth...ya...that's the ticket.

Breathing New Life

It's time to breathe new life into this blog. Okay, it's time to breathe any life into this blog. Either way its a good thing.

We are finally in wedding mode. Phfewwww.....didn't think it would ever happen. Well, perhaps that's a little sarcasm talking. Knew it would happen, but waiting patiently was not, and has never been my forte.

So instead of selecting a date a year down the road or more, and strategically planning our event...we've picked one that is 118 days away. Shift to high gear and lets get this show on the road. Except it won't be a big show for a number of reasons.

Think small scale, think intimate, think tasteful and relaxed. Okay, I may be hallucinating on the part. But here is our truth, second wedding, more selective on what really matters. Plus, we just came off a year where the economy used us at it's whipping post! It did not, however, dampen our faith, love or enthusiasm.

Stay tuned for details, hang on for a wild ride and get ready to celebrate with us.

Weddings Weddings Weddings

Long time no wedding blog. However, the New Year puts weddings on the brain. Last weekend, on New Years Eve, my niece got married. You have to love ending the year with a celebration such as this, and beginning a new life journey together.

This weekend we celebrate with Reno's niece as she exchanges vows with her Prince Charming. Following that I work two bridal shows courtesy of my job. This time of year the brides come out in force to plan those weddings. Very similar to the chant "gentlemen - start your engines" the rally is "ladies - plan those nuptials".

That is just the way of it. The holidays are over, summer is a long way away, kids are already in school.....there must be something to shop for! Weddings!!

All kidding aside, okay, most kidding aside. Most of us believe in marriage. Frankly, we need every reason we can get to celebrate. We love to dress up - well the women do. We love the ceremony just like men love football. We love to plan, to prepare, to primp, to pose and to party. Who of us wouldn't like another day just to shine?

And, lest I forget, who wouldn't like a partner to share the journey through life with? Now there is a reason for celebration, a reason to say I do.