So much to report on, it’s hard to remember all the little things that have been accomplished! I’ll do my best…
We went shopping yesterday for a suit for Matt, and were completely overwhelmed with possibility. We went to Bloomingdale’s first, since I knew they would have a large, if expensive, collection. We weren’t really trying to buy anything yesterday, it was really just his first attempt at trying to figure out what kind of style he wants to get. He tried on a lot of jackets from different designers, and I think he pretty much settled that he’d like to get a black or dark charcoal suit, with a subtle pinstripe or texture to it. Pretty basic, but it will last him for a long time and he will get a lot of use out of something like that.
Since I cut my hair short, I’ve started looking for something to wear in my hair, like a headband or flower clip or something. I’ve mostly been looking on Etsy, and definitely have some favorites at the moment… Once I get my dress I’m sure I’ll be inspired to a more specific idea.
Our wedding rings are being made now; Amanda has been great, keeping us up to date on the process of the rings and everything. Just like when we bought my engagement ring, its really cool to be part of the process of design, to metal choice, to rough sketches and the inevitable ‘ugly phase’ and then to finally see the finished product. I can’t wait to see them.
The invitations are all done, stamped, sealed, addressed, etc. Tomorrow they will put in the mail, hooray!
Matt and I have been finalizing the details of the food with our caterer. We’ve decided to do a large spread of heavy appetizers, enough for a full meal, without doing a more typical salad + 2 entrees + 3 sides etc. We want to keep the food casual, the kind of stuff you’d serve to your friends at a housewarming party or while watching a Badger game. ;-) So we’re working with Bill at Bluephies to come up with a custom menu of appetizer-sized comfort food, like tenderloin sliders and fries, mini cheesesteaks, wings, and of course lots of veggie options too. We’ll probably also do some fruit, bread, and cheese to get things going.
We talked to our alcohol supplier, which is always a fun phone call, and they said we don’t need to order our booze until a week or two before the event, so we’re good holding off on that for now.
I was thinking of wearing these under my dress:
:-D
What else… Oh! We decided on a honeymoon location – we’re going to Bar Harbor, Maine! We decided to stay stateside so we can make the most of our time off work, plus we’ve talked about going to Maine for several years now. We’ll definitely want to spend a day or two in Acadia National Park, plus we’d like to go whale watching if we can, see the puffins that Kira has told me so much about, eat lots of good meals, etc. We’re both really looking forward to it! Oh, and according to the Acadia National Park website, one of the great activities for the time we’ll be there is “leaf peeping,” which is a truly awesome way to say that the leaves might be changing colors and that it will be pretty. :-)
Matt has scheduled his bachelor party for the Thursday before the wedding in Madison, and I have scheduled my bachelorette party for Labor Day weekend in Carlisle, PA (where Colleen lives). Colleen has graciously offered to host the bachelorette party at her house, and I cannot wait! It will be small, just four of us girls as long as everyone can make it (Colleen, Kira, Stephanie and me). We’re planning on going hiking or something similarly outdoorsy on Saturday, hanging out that night and playing silly board games, then on Sunday going apple picking. It should be a lot of fun! And as far as I know (boys don’t need to plan as much I suppose), Matt is planning on getting drunk with his buddies. Haha :-)
I’m working on getting a day-of coordinator (or coordinators) to help run everything on wedding day. Because we’re piecing together everything on our own, it makes the more mundane things (like making sure the caterers can get into the pavilion, or having the kegs delivered and set up) seem complicated, so we’ll be hiring someone to help run those aspects of the day.
Flowers: Right now I don’t think we’re planning on doing a whole lot of flowers. Matt and I will probably hit the Farmer’s Market pretty early that day and pick out whatever’s pretty.
Officiant: As of right now, I’m pretty sure we’re not going to have an officiant. I did some research into the Wisconsin Family Code (which contains the provisions on marriage) and I found an interesting clause that allows couples to ‘self-solemnize’ their unions if it is traditional within the couple’s religion to not have an officiant. Now, its pretty clear that this provision is intended for the Quakers (in the Quaker tradition the couple’s community solemnizes a marriage as opposed to a particular person), but there are several other religions that either a) allow couples to self-solemnize their marriages or, more often b) do not have any particular traditions regarding marriage and allow the couple to do as they wish. I am working the County Clerk in Madison to determine what additional paperwork we’ll need to complete to be able to self-solemnize our marriage, but after we figure all that out, it seems like Matt and I will be able to marry ourselves! Of course there will still be other people involved in the ceremony, but as far as the actual, legal paper-signing and proclaiming that we are married, we should be able to do that ourselves, legally.
I keep coming up with more things to write about, but if I keep going I will never actually get anything done tonight! Haha. More to come, I’m sure of it…
Just Another Wedding Blog 