Garden vs. Patio

There is always a chance that weather is not going to cooperate on your wedding day. Having an outdoor wedding or ceremony makes this all the more risky. Not only is weather a concern, but shoes are too. Our initial thought was to have a garden ceremony, then I started to consider how the heel might sink into the ground. I find wedges less comfortable and attractive than heels and my ankles seem to roll when I wear them. I wouldn't be completely opposed to wearing flats, if my fiancee weren't 6'7" and me 5'4". However, I have to consider my bridesmaids and if slate would be a better option than grass for everyone. The garden feels more wedding-y but I'm sure the patio dresses up nice.Because I have the grace and coordination of a two year old learning to walk, I am pretty sure I'm going to trip while walking down the isle anyway. Now, do I want to embarrass myself in heels, on slate or in wedges, on grass?

Attire

I have found two different bridesmaid dresses that I am leaning towards. One is coral/rose from J. Crew. One is sage green from some website I have never heard of. I am not convinced of either dress and still haven't officially picked my colors. There has been no luck finding taupe suits for the men and I just can't picture another color of suit going well with the palette. I never thought finding attire would be this hard.

In the Kitchen

My cooking skills can be described as "non-existent" and "comical" when I attempt to. Today I decided to try a recipe my sister made. It's a REALLY simple dish, even for the culinary challenged (read: myself). All you need is:

1. sausage
2. one red pepper
3. one tomato
4. orzo or rice (even pasta if you prefer)
5. some garlic powder
6. one jalapeno

First cook rice, orzo, or pasta. Roast the peppers on stove-top to soften. Cut up tomato and red pepper. Put in skillet. Cut sausage, put in skillet. Add garlic powder and jalapenos. Cook for about 25 minutes, stir occasionally. Serve over rice. Add sriracha hot sauce if desired.

Cooking has made me realize I need to stop being so spoiled and make more of an attempt to try new things. It also made me realize that I can't wait to get our registry finished and get some new cookware! I have two can openers, both of which are pretty rusty and don't work well at all. I am concerned about catching tetanus after opening a can of olives!

Thoughts On Hair

Hair is a huge factor in the way a bride looks. It polishes her off and can almost make or break her look. I am not a fan of up-do's. I think they are too formal and uptight. However, I feel like wearing my hair down is too casual and not special enough. I really like a slight mixture of the both. I want something side swept and laid back. That being said, I think the two pictures below best say what I want. Romantic, not fussy, and definitely me!

So Many (Awful) Options

No one should have as many opinions as I do. That being said, read on: I was going to post some pictures of wedding gowns that make me cringe, but after looking through them I realize the thought of wearing most wedding dresses makes me want to hang myself. My first idea of what I wanted was something more on the princess-y side. Corset top, ball gown-ish skirt, perhaps ivory or off white. The more I looked at them though, the more ridiculous they look to me. It's hard for me to understand, for my lack of one, but I guess some people have more "personality" than others. Trendy, edgy, hip, current, modern, tasteless... whatever you want to call it when a bride wears something that hugs her body and then poofs out at the bottom.Large trains,bows, anything pleated, colored sashes are all going to look dated in ten years.I DO understand how someone can wear something "over the top" and in my opinion, tacky. It's one day, where else can you dress like a glitter princess and get away with it?!I know I sound am really judgmental but getting married has made me realize a lot about myself. For instance, I always knew I wasn't an "all eyes on me" kind of gal but I now realize I don't want this to be MY day.

Things That Freak Me Out

1. Spiders
2. Clowns
3. Flying
4. Heights
5. Changing my last name

It's not that I don't want to take on my fiance's last name. It's not that I'm too proud, or feel it's sexist. It's all about identity to me. Sure, a piece of plastic or government paper doesn't define me. It's not the emotional, mental, or spiritual make up of my being. It doesn't change my background, interests, or personality. It can't change my beliefs, or goals, or morals. I am who I have always been, who I've always known. Through the growing, through the happiness, through the dream of one day seeing my name published on a hardcover. It's scary to let go of this piece of me by giving up my last name. I'm going to miss people butchering my name with mispronunciation. I'm going to feel in a way that I'm betraying my past. At the same time I am looking forward to a new beginning. All the mistakes, heartbreak, and let downs associated with this name are going to fade away.

Vision in White

Everyone tells you that shopping for a dress is going to be so much easier if you know exactly what you want! This is not true. I can tell you what it is I'm looking for: an a-line, sweetheart neckline, lace dress, without a lot of detail (i.e. beading, glittery crap all over) for a reasonable price. I found this exact dress on a website for $158 dollars but it is just too good to be true. It's a Chinese site that makes the dress for you. While I understand their labor costs are much lower, if non-existent, I read some terrible reviews and obviously it's a gamble. I'm feeling like I'm going to have to settle for a dress that I'm not completely in love with. While it's JUST for one day of my life, I now have my heart set on a very specific style that I would be a little disappointed sacrificing. I don't know if it's worth dishing out the money, even if it is inexpensive compared to wedding dresses. But you know what they say: Love's a gamble- and I guess sometimes fashion is too.

Color My World

Since I am much more of a verbal as opposed to visual person, it's really difficult for me to imagine how colors are going to look on my wedding day.

I don't like the idea that I'm suppose to choose two or three colors and have everything there in those colors. I like things to cohesively flow but not to be matchy-matchy.

While I don't HAVE to do anything by the book, if I thought it was hard to agree on three colors that go well, I can't imagine how hard it would be to not have a color scheme.

I like things pretty neutral and simple. My home is decorated with some Earth tones and my wardrobe consist of a ton of floral prints.

I want something that feels laid back and relaxed but not like a backyard BBQ. My absolute ideal colors would be orange/coral, sage green and taupe. I haven't had any luck finding taupe suits, though! I also was considering navy blue and yellow but that might give off more of a nautical feel.

Bridechilla

I can’t count how many times I have heard brides-to-be say “I’ve been dreaming of this day since I was a little girl!” It always makes me wonder what kind of sad childhood they had where instead of playing , they were thinking about marriage. Those are the same little girls who grow up to form the word bride with Godzilla. Spoiled brats who feel such a sense of entitlement they think the universe revolves around them. Call me completely normal, but I believe that marriage is not about the “show” or the dress or the overly priced floral arrangements. It’s about the person who in ten years (even when you divorce in three), you are always going to remember being there. Ask any wife whose been married for 30 years what kind of table linens she had at her wedding and she’ll tell you she has no clue. Not because she’s suffering from Alzheimer’s but because it is not significant. Yes, everyone gets overwhelmed with planning. I know it doesn’t help when you have a super neurotic or particularly bitchy personality but if you can’t grasp the idea that maybe it doesn’t make that much of a difference in the long run, then you probably are more cut out for reality TV than marriage.

Wedding Shopping

 Today I went to a gourmet food tasting and browsed some other necessities at the beautiful location we picked for the day of. DJ, florist, baker, limo rental, and of course, caterer. It was nice envisioning it all coming together. Everything looked amazing and I know we made the right choice in the venue we chose. At first I was dreading planning because I thought it would be a complete nightmare searching through tons of vendors and trying to decide on one. After attending this event, it's going to be a breeze. I don't see a need to keep looking. I have their numbers, they were super nice and had plenty to offer. If only every decision were this easy. Maybe, like, the dress I still haven't chose!

Flowers

Flowers are one of the most expensive contributors to a wedding budget and just get tossed out the same night.                                 While this bouquet is amazing, it is not within budget at $250!

Venues

George Washington Masonic Temple seemed like the absolute ideal place for us to get married: A landmark of our community, visible from our bedroom window, one hell of a building, plus historic sentiment, it was a no-brainer... until we saw the inside. It was so atrociously outdated I just couldn't overlook the aesthetics   Changing our minds, we went on to another site with some history.

Gadby's Tavern was our next choice. Where George and Martha Washington once danced and dinned, plus blocks away from where we live, it was love at first sight. Unfortunately, historic places have a downside when it comes to space, noise level and altogether rules. The people helping us weren't so friendly either. So the search continues.