Lights 30 June 2009

What has Jeremy been working on for the wedding that’s gotten him excited? And required a Digi-Key order? And some circuit design?

The centerpieces.

(Angus has been helping, too.)

He ordered the parts last week, and cannibalized some extra cat5 we had in the basement to create no-flame, reusable lights for the tables. It’s not going to get really dark at the MGH until near the end, thanks to an 8:50pm sunset, but the little leds do look nice a bright with the glass vases.

After the wedding, we can turn them off, thanks to a switch in the circuit, double them up, and use them as back yard lights hanging from the shephard’s hook ceremony decor. And then use the leftover jars for canning.

Announcement 27 June 2009

My hometown newspaper has our announcement online. It’s just in time for my 10-year High School reunion picnic tomorrow, so I guess there will be something to talk about!

Ceremonial 27 June 2009

Last night and this morning, we worked on finishing up the ceremony. We’re finializing the details of the ceremony itself after some input from our officiant, but when we went to look for some sort of “this is the front! Gather ’round here!” markers, we lucked out. We originally thought a garden arch or arbor would be nice, but also thought they were pretty expensive. Lowe’s had our favorite from our online browsing last night.  So, on the way to Lowe’s we stopped by Target… and found that we could get two fancy shepherd’s hooks and a trellis for way less than an arbor, and those pieces were on clearance. Sold! We can definitely use them in our yard afterward and they’ll be easier to decorate and transport than an arch.

Another transportation option 27 June 2009

Pedicabs! Apparently, these bicycle cabs are right at home in Decatur.

Counseling, self-directed 1 24 June 2009

Since we were a little disappointed with the previous marriage-prep seminar we attended (recap: the biggest benefit we felt we got out of it was checking off that we’d done some kind of marriage-prep thing), we decided to make up our own marriage prep course. Last weekend, we undertook step 2: massage counseling (more on step 1 after I finish going through the photos.)

We chose the Decatur branch of Natural Body Spa for their Instructional Couple’s Massage, and it was pretty great. I’d been having some back pains after fite club, and Jeremy was definitely ready to ask questions about what he could do to help (since it was in the same places that he’s had muscular back pains.) Our therapist/instructor was great, showing him techniques that would help and, when he was the one on the table, showed me how to get rid of some of his tension spots, some of which he didn’t realize he had. As a bonus, one technique involved balancing on just my knees on him. I like a balance challenge.

We both learned a bunch from the class and feel confident that we’ll be able to get some of those small aches out, but also learned that a real massage from a pro might be a pre- or post-wedding necessity.

Reminder 20 June 2009

This is the friendly reminder that, if you’re still holding on to a certain green, mad-lib-containing postcard, please fill it out and drop it in the mail asap.

Or email one of us.

Fitted 20 June 2009

The Dress fitting on Thursday went very well. I changed into the dress…

and was excited to try the dress with the shoes. Gotta say- I’m very happy with the shoe decision. They’re from Sofft, and very soft. I really like the padded footbed and soft upper, and I’m hoping they’ll stay on all night without a problem.

As for the dress: the top still fits (with a bra I already own, too), the length is just right with the fabulous shoes, so all it really needed was  a bustle. we tried an American bustle and a French one, and both Sydney, Jennifer and Emily (the alterations lady) agreed: French was the way to go. So, Emily pinned it in place, and Syd  & I will head back next Thursday to try it on and learn how to do the bustle.

And then, we cooed over Paul, who was being a really good sport.

Improvements 17 June 2009

I’ve been talking to Kim, the rental agent at the Mary Gay House, and she said that “the brick patio has been pressure washed and the front room will be painted next week!”

Hooray!

Listies 16 June 2009

Lately, I’ve been feeling like I’m living in a giant check list- email these people, set up an appointment here, coordinate meeting other people there, figure out why X doesn’t work, call someone else… and, unfortunately, updating the blog has been getting shoved down the list. Now that we’re under the one-month mark, the volume of emails has skyrocketed- I could spend all day emailing vendors and arranging things and searching the internet for solutions!

The most recent things checked off the list:

• Decide on centerpieces. Mom and I worked this one out while she was here.
• Find or make Team Groom gifties. Team Groom is done. I’ve been slacking on Team Bride (blanking on ideas), but most of the rest of the Wedding Posse items are done or picked out.
• Email Target about why the registry was no longer, um, there at all. Today’s moment of panic, though I don’t know why I’m really worried about it. Appears to be back online, and they did seem to either personally reply or have really specific form reply emails. (Apologetic worried bride reply email- definitely worked.)
• Print rehearsal dinner invitations. We’re doing a small dinner before a casual meet-up at Twain’s on Friday night, so there weren’t that many to print (though I still managed to print 1 or 2 fewer than I thought we needed, but plenty of envelopes. It will work out.)

Things to finish up this week:

• Decide on cupcake flavas. Yum. As a side note, if you’re in the Atlanta area and have an extra cake plate you don’t mind us borrowing for these cupcakes, please let me know.
• Figure out hair appointments in the greater Decatur area. I don’t like calling places, and keep forgetting to do it in the “salon recently opened for the day” time frame.
• Make a rough wedding-weekend plan. Including scheduled naps.
• Decide on veilage. Do I still have time to make one? Will Bridal Sense have the right one at the right price (worth it for materials & time)? Should I just skip it all together? All questions that should be answered on Thursday before I…
• Take Teh Dress to be altered. I’m taking it where cousin Jennifer took hers, where they turned this dress into this one.

Next week’s bigger tasks:

• Start on that playlist. We’ll start from your requests, and fill it out from there.
• Decide what the guest book will be. We have a sign-able photo frame that I ended up with after a gallery showing, but I’m worried about space. Still thinking.
• Do a walkthrough of the MGH with the caterer. Decisions on room setup, linens, etc…

And it’ll keep going. I’m hoping to get most, if not all, of the do-ahead items done a week ahead of the wedding, so I can enjoy the company of those who are coming into town early, plus work on the “has to be last minute”, group tasks.

Returns 4 June 2009

The number of returns has slowed down considerably, and we’ve just got a couple left to re-mail. Right now, we’re getting back invitations that, though we applied extra postage for their “can’t go through the machine” fee, still got put through the machine at the recieving end, rubbing off the address. We’ve also gotten one back where it looks like someone opened, then taped closed, the envelope. I’m hoping it was the postmaster, trying to figure out where to deliver it (though the person’s name was still clearly visible, as well as their address.) Still hoping we haven’t lost any to some kind of USPS purgatory!