Newlywed Melody recently wrote this article for ToastedRav.com about divorce parties. My friend, Tawnya, threw a fantastic spa party for all the ladies who helped her through her not-so-fun divorce. I was invited and we had a great time.
Have you ever been to or even hosted a divorce party?
Friday, August 29, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
It's Official
We just put down the deposit for the ceremony and reception. (And by "we," I mean my darling betrothed gave me his credit card and I took care of the paperwork).
No turning back now.
No turning back now.
Monday, August 25, 2008
The Devil Is In The Details
In planning a wedding, what order do you choose your details? Obviously, the bling comes first, but then what?
Do you start with the dress? But what if you don't have a church wedding, what if you want to do an outdoor wedding? Then you probably shouldn't have a 20-foot train, unless you hire some train-carriers. I haven't seen an ad for those on The Knot.
Now the colors. Is there a grace period to using color someone else used recently? Is there a grace period to use aqua?
Do you choose your attendants first, then pick a color that looks good on them? Or at least doesn't make them appear pastier than normal?
Do you pick unattractive friends as your attendants, so you look even better? (Not that I have ugly friends.)
Do you pick the food based on your tastes, or what you think 250 people would like? What if someone doesn't like chicken? Or green beans? Do you leave them take out menus on the buffet?
Music? What should be the first dance? Obviously this wouldn't be the time to play Let's Get It On, right? How about Prince? Rump Shaker?
How much of a free bar do you give the alcoholics friends and family? Do you provide the bartender pictures of those who potentially may drink themselves into dancing to Rump Shaker?
How do you pick the cake flavors? What if someone has a nut allergy? Gluten allergies? Lactose intolerant? Just plain picky?
Speaking of allergies, how about flowers? Do you match your bouquet to the bridesmaids, just make it 6 times bigger, so as to remove ANY doubt as to who is in charge?
I guess what I'm saying is yes, we have a little over a year but sweet cracker sandwich there are a lot of details to decide, and they're all intertwined. You can't wait until three months before to find a place to hold your reception, or book your church. There are invitations to mail, menus to choose, flowers to order, dresses to diet into, the list goes on.
I'm just very glad I have five bottles of wine in my kitchen. Now my only decision is Pinot Grigio or Riesling.
Do you start with the dress? But what if you don't have a church wedding, what if you want to do an outdoor wedding? Then you probably shouldn't have a 20-foot train, unless you hire some train-carriers. I haven't seen an ad for those on The Knot.
Now the colors. Is there a grace period to using color someone else used recently? Is there a grace period to use aqua?
Do you choose your attendants first, then pick a color that looks good on them? Or at least doesn't make them appear pastier than normal?
Do you pick unattractive friends as your attendants, so you look even better? (Not that I have ugly friends.)
Do you pick the food based on your tastes, or what you think 250 people would like? What if someone doesn't like chicken? Or green beans? Do you leave them take out menus on the buffet?
Music? What should be the first dance? Obviously this wouldn't be the time to play Let's Get It On, right? How about Prince? Rump Shaker?
How much of a free bar do you give the alcoholics friends and family? Do you provide the bartender pictures of those who potentially may drink themselves into dancing to Rump Shaker?
How do you pick the cake flavors? What if someone has a nut allergy? Gluten allergies? Lactose intolerant? Just plain picky?
Speaking of allergies, how about flowers? Do you match your bouquet to the bridesmaids, just make it 6 times bigger, so as to remove ANY doubt as to who is in charge?
I guess what I'm saying is yes, we have a little over a year but sweet cracker sandwich there are a lot of details to decide, and they're all intertwined. You can't wait until three months before to find a place to hold your reception, or book your church. There are invitations to mail, menus to choose, flowers to order, dresses to diet into, the list goes on.
I'm just very glad I have five bottles of wine in my kitchen. Now my only decision is Pinot Grigio or Riesling.
Friday, August 22, 2008
The Wow Factor
My friend and future SIL is getting married in February. She has been dress shopping for a while. I think she tried on pretty much every dress in the bi-state area, and I've been witness to several sessions. They all looked so pretty on her, but she kept saying "I don't feel that this is the One. I'm not getting Wow! from it." I didn't really get what she was saying, until yesterday.
I went dress shopping by myself. I had some ideas of what I wanted and didn't want, but I really wanted to try them on and see how they looked on me. Who knows, perhaps what looks good in the magazine won't translate on me. I can't imagine why. *eyeroll*
The first one, which I really liked online, did nothing for me. The next one was better, but I still wasn't feeling it. The consultant and I discussed changing the neckline, or adding some beading. I agreed that it might work, but I wanted to keep looking.
Based on my likes and dislikes, she brought me two other dresses. I had noticed them on the rack but had dismissed them as not having the design elements I was looking for. But I figured, she's the pro, I'll give them a chance.
The next one I tried on was a little closer to Wow. Although I was zipped in it so tight that might have been lack of oxygen. The neckline, beading, color, skirt shape were all combining in a way that was making me dismiss my original choices and start heading down this dress road.
The final dress was a strapless dress, but the consultant brought out a beaded strap and pinned it to the neckline. It really changed the look and the line of the dress, and my opinions of it as well. The skirt and beading on this one, with the neckline and the train - oh, now we're talking. I felt different somehow. Not in the fairy-tale princess way, but I felt elegant in this dress.
I still have a couple of other shops to visit before I make my final selection. Luckily I have until after the first of the year to decide (and to get in shape!). But I get the Wow Factor feeling now. Although I didn't get the full-on Wow, these two dresses are on the list.
NOTE - I won't be posting pictures of my dress on here for several reasons - the main one being that a certain groom reads this and I don't want him to see. Tradition, you know. However, if you must see, I might be persuaded to email you a picture.
I went dress shopping by myself. I had some ideas of what I wanted and didn't want, but I really wanted to try them on and see how they looked on me. Who knows, perhaps what looks good in the magazine won't translate on me. I can't imagine why. *eyeroll*
The first one, which I really liked online, did nothing for me. The next one was better, but I still wasn't feeling it. The consultant and I discussed changing the neckline, or adding some beading. I agreed that it might work, but I wanted to keep looking.
Based on my likes and dislikes, she brought me two other dresses. I had noticed them on the rack but had dismissed them as not having the design elements I was looking for. But I figured, she's the pro, I'll give them a chance.
The next one I tried on was a little closer to Wow. Although I was zipped in it so tight that might have been lack of oxygen. The neckline, beading, color, skirt shape were all combining in a way that was making me dismiss my original choices and start heading down this dress road.
The final dress was a strapless dress, but the consultant brought out a beaded strap and pinned it to the neckline. It really changed the look and the line of the dress, and my opinions of it as well. The skirt and beading on this one, with the neckline and the train - oh, now we're talking. I felt different somehow. Not in the fairy-tale princess way, but I felt elegant in this dress.
I still have a couple of other shops to visit before I make my final selection. Luckily I have until after the first of the year to decide (and to get in shape!). But I get the Wow Factor feeling now. Although I didn't get the full-on Wow, these two dresses are on the list.
NOTE - I won't be posting pictures of my dress on here for several reasons - the main one being that a certain groom reads this and I don't want him to see. Tradition, you know. However, if you must see, I might be persuaded to email you a picture.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Go Go Bridezilla!
One thing I'm going to try NOT to do is become a bridezilla. I have heard of stories of brides treating their bridesmaids horribly, expecting them to be at her beck and call. I really hope I don't turn out to be one of those.
I would hope that the ladies I choose to stand up with me are the kinds of friends who won't hesitate to let me know when I'm crossing a line, perhaps by sending me this card:
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The Wedding Binder
The details we have so far:
Date: September 26, 2009
Colors - Sapphire and Platinum with Emerald accents.
Invitations - We have our style picked out
Dress: I'm wearing one.
Cake: We're having some. Chocolate for sure!
Tuxes: He's wearing a black one. I tried to talk him into the blue ruffled but no such luck.
That's all I need, right? ahahahahahaha, yeah, not so much.
I know we have a lot more to plan. So I created The Wedding Binder. And before you think I stole the idea from Monica on Friends, let me tell you that I had a binder with my second marriage in 1997, long before Monica and Chandler hooked up. So she stole the idea from me!
Ahem.
The Binder has category tabs, such as Cake, Calendar, Dress, Flowers, Reception, Venue, etc., all alphabetized and organized. As a rule, I'm not that organized, but there are soooo many details zinging around in my fevered brain that I have to put them somewhere or risk losing them forever.
It's nice and neat now, but give me a few months. It will be crammed full of loose papers, post-its and cryptic notes. Hopefully this blog will help me keep a handle on things too.
Let the mayhem commence!
Date: September 26, 2009
Colors - Sapphire and Platinum with Emerald accents.
Invitations - We have our style picked out
Dress: I'm wearing one.
Cake: We're having some. Chocolate for sure!
Tuxes: He's wearing a black one. I tried to talk him into the blue ruffled but no such luck.
That's all I need, right? ahahahahahaha, yeah, not so much.
I know we have a lot more to plan. So I created The Wedding Binder. And before you think I stole the idea from Monica on Friends, let me tell you that I had a binder with my second marriage in 1997, long before Monica and Chandler hooked up. So she stole the idea from me!
Ahem.
The Binder has category tabs, such as Cake, Calendar, Dress, Flowers, Reception, Venue, etc., all alphabetized and organized. As a rule, I'm not that organized, but there are soooo many details zinging around in my fevered brain that I have to put them somewhere or risk losing them forever.
It's nice and neat now, but give me a few months. It will be crammed full of loose papers, post-its and cryptic notes. Hopefully this blog will help me keep a handle on things too.
Let the mayhem commence!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Welcome!
Welcome to Marriage 3.0. As you may have deduced from the title, this is my third foray into that institution. I'm sure if you asked my friends and family, they would agree I need an institution, although they're probably thinking something different.
Anyway, I decided to set up this blog to keep you posted on the wedding plans, so as not to muck up my daily blog with mundane details that some people might not care about. If you do want to know how things are going, pop over here occasionally and check it out.
Join me on my journey from Wow! to Vow! (Clever, huh?)
Anyway, I decided to set up this blog to keep you posted on the wedding plans, so as not to muck up my daily blog with mundane details that some people might not care about. If you do want to know how things are going, pop over here occasionally and check it out.
Join me on my journey from Wow! to Vow! (Clever, huh?)
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