Yesterday's flying expierence was interesting if I do say so myself. Since I purchased my dress in Great Falls, transportation of the valued garment was essential. Carrying it on the plane was the only thing that I could feel ok with. Little did I know that we had 2 layovers!
Carrying the large pink bag through 4 airports was quite interesting. As we checked in at Great Falls, the lady at the ticket counter was so excited and interested in all of the details. After her repeated well wishes, we bored the plane and headed to Salt Lake City.
As we waited for the 2nd plane to board, I noticed people pointing to the bag and whispering, wondering if they could guess what the bag held. Of course the flight attendants weren't as excited about it as the people in the airport. Dragging it to the front to find somewhere to house it, the flight attendant considered shoving it in the overheard bins until I squashed that one real quick. She finally obliged to hang it in the first class cabin closet. It rode the same way on the way from Minneapolis to Hartford.
After retrieving the dress after its second first class ride, I started to wonder if I had just asked, could we have ridden first class?
People are very interesting when they hear that you are off to get married. Some are excited, some look at you like you're using an excuse. Whatever the reaction, I was mainly concerned with the condition that my dress would arrive in on the other side.
I have to report that the dress is just fine. My nerves, not so much. Maybe we'll just ship it back to Montana.
No more first class rides for the large pink bag.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
A few freebies never hurt
9 days. Ok that had nothing to do with my post but I couldn't help myself.
I got a very exciting email from our venue this morning and it couldn't have come at a better time. When I first went to see the Barns, I knew that I wanted to add a little lighting because there won't be much natural light and there aren't tons of lights in there. They had some lights that were strung up in the rafters from a previous wedding and I thought that was a great idea. Until she told me that it was going to be $800 for me to rent them and have someone put them up for me. Of course we could come in and do it ourselves but they would have to come down right after the wedding since someone was using the building the next day. They look a little something like this:
We ended up heading to Target the day after Christmas and getting the same lights for about a tenth of the price. And of course my dad was going to be the one to string them up for me. He loved that he was appointed that job. But that meant bringing ladders to the hotel and tons of hanging supplies and a "tear-down" party after the wedding.
Well the much welcomed email that came this morning explained that the bride after me is also using the same lights but she is paying to have them put up. Since we are there on Friday, they wanted to come and set them up on Thursday, leaving them up through Friday and giving them to me for an even better deal of $0.
Our venue has been great about other "free" things too. When faced with a chair dilemma, Traci threw our favorite upgraded chair in for free. Mom was totally happy about this. They are working with us to add small touches like apple cider to our menu to give things a little flair for our big day.
Hey, I never turn down something that's free.
I got a very exciting email from our venue this morning and it couldn't have come at a better time. When I first went to see the Barns, I knew that I wanted to add a little lighting because there won't be much natural light and there aren't tons of lights in there. They had some lights that were strung up in the rafters from a previous wedding and I thought that was a great idea. Until she told me that it was going to be $800 for me to rent them and have someone put them up for me. Of course we could come in and do it ourselves but they would have to come down right after the wedding since someone was using the building the next day. They look a little something like this:
We ended up heading to Target the day after Christmas and getting the same lights for about a tenth of the price. And of course my dad was going to be the one to string them up for me. He loved that he was appointed that job. But that meant bringing ladders to the hotel and tons of hanging supplies and a "tear-down" party after the wedding.
Well the much welcomed email that came this morning explained that the bride after me is also using the same lights but she is paying to have them put up. Since we are there on Friday, they wanted to come and set them up on Thursday, leaving them up through Friday and giving them to me for an even better deal of $0.
Our venue has been great about other "free" things too. When faced with a chair dilemma, Traci threw our favorite upgraded chair in for free. Mom was totally happy about this. They are working with us to add small touches like apple cider to our menu to give things a little flair for our big day.
Hey, I never turn down something that's free.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Long distance is just who we are
It's never fun and it's never easy but sometimes you just have to do it. Griff and I started our relationship being long distance. Every couple of months one of us would fly to the other or we would meet somewhere neutral. Of course after about a year, I was tired of it and knew that it was time to make the big move.
Although I never really thought that it would happen this way, we once again played with the long distance thing when it came to planning our wedding. Funny thing is, we were comfortable with it that way. So many brides would freak out over the thought of only going to the state that you will be married in 3 times before the big day (and Griff only made the trip once). You can't meet with people when you want, it's hard to get ideas over the phone, and sometimes you just feel more comfortable actually meeting the person face-to-face.
But I was a pro at the long distance thing. I perfected my communication skills after months and months of only talking to Griff on the phone and I have taken full advantage of email usage. I wrote out my questions before making a phone call and didn't hesitate to ask them to send me things before I made a decision.
Being far is not such a bad thing for someone who is quite indecisive. With few options put in front of you it was much easier to make a decision about the big things like our DJ or our photographer. Plus, I leaned on those who knew best, like the caterer who had worked with and recommended many of our vendors.
Of course I have been blessed with an awesome mom and bridesmaids who helped out so much on East Coast. As we head home on Friday, I'm getting excited to end yet another long distance endeavor. Although they have become a part of who Griff and I are, I'm not so sure I'll start another one anytime soon.
Although I never really thought that it would happen this way, we once again played with the long distance thing when it came to planning our wedding. Funny thing is, we were comfortable with it that way. So many brides would freak out over the thought of only going to the state that you will be married in 3 times before the big day (and Griff only made the trip once). You can't meet with people when you want, it's hard to get ideas over the phone, and sometimes you just feel more comfortable actually meeting the person face-to-face.
But I was a pro at the long distance thing. I perfected my communication skills after months and months of only talking to Griff on the phone and I have taken full advantage of email usage. I wrote out my questions before making a phone call and didn't hesitate to ask them to send me things before I made a decision.
Being far is not such a bad thing for someone who is quite indecisive. With few options put in front of you it was much easier to make a decision about the big things like our DJ or our photographer. Plus, I leaned on those who knew best, like the caterer who had worked with and recommended many of our vendors.
Of course I have been blessed with an awesome mom and bridesmaids who helped out so much on East Coast. As we head home on Friday, I'm getting excited to end yet another long distance endeavor. Although they have become a part of who Griff and I are, I'm not so sure I'll start another one anytime soon.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Bring on the emotions
Holy cow...11 days. And with that has come the gamut of emotions. I come from a family of criers; my mom, my aunts, my grandmother. It's usually not a family event anymore if there's not a tear shed. As the days to the wedding become fewer, I have noticed that the emotions that I go through have been like a rollercoaster ride.
As I wrote an email to a friend this morning, I couldn't help but get emotional about the past and the upcoming future. Sitting there writing, I laughed, I cried, and I laughed some more. That's how it seems my days have been lately.
In just one day I might not be able to stop smiling over my upcoming wedding and 10 minutes later, I can't help but get anxious. By the afternoon, I'll be laughing at the great times that we're going to have, and then crying over the thought of marrying my best friend.
It's probably 100% normal to be feeling like this...however I've never done this before so I could be completely out of my mind. But I have noticed that there is one common thread to all of my emotions and that is happiness.
No matter if I'm crying or laughing, anxious or excited, they all happen because of the happy thought that I am getting married so soon. I know that there is no doubt about it I will cry on my wedding day. And there's no doubt about it that I will laugh on my wedding day. It's like the ups and downs of wedded bliss.
So bring on the emotions : )
As I wrote an email to a friend this morning, I couldn't help but get emotional about the past and the upcoming future. Sitting there writing, I laughed, I cried, and I laughed some more. That's how it seems my days have been lately.
In just one day I might not be able to stop smiling over my upcoming wedding and 10 minutes later, I can't help but get anxious. By the afternoon, I'll be laughing at the great times that we're going to have, and then crying over the thought of marrying my best friend.
It's probably 100% normal to be feeling like this...however I've never done this before so I could be completely out of my mind. But I have noticed that there is one common thread to all of my emotions and that is happiness.
No matter if I'm crying or laughing, anxious or excited, they all happen because of the happy thought that I am getting married so soon. I know that there is no doubt about it I will cry on my wedding day. And there's no doubt about it that I will laugh on my wedding day. It's like the ups and downs of wedded bliss.
So bring on the emotions : )
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Seating Chart Puzzles
With the wedding in 15 days and all of my RSVPs complete, it's time to get down to our seating chart. Ha, and I thought that the guest list was difficult.
In order to fit everyone into our space comfortably, we will need to fill as many tables of ten as possible. Most caterers prefer the tables of 10 but some will let you get away with tables of 8s or 9s. So as I look at my guest list and who is coming, I need to figure out how to get 145 people to fit comfortably. And I also have to make sure that they are comfortable with who they are sitting with.
Everyone has said that in the last month before the wedding, the drama happens. When you are trying to figure out who can sit with who and who won't sit with who, you are suddenly faced with a kind of seating chart puzzle....and the drama comes to the surface.
Well can Aunt Irene really sit at the same table with Uncle Jimmy who she had a fight with last week? Or can Jane and Tom sit at the table with the rest of your college buddies since they broke up a year ago?
Hence my puzzle.
So Grandma Annie doesn't want to sit close to the speakers or Cousin Vinny wants to be as close to the food line as possible. Just because I sit someone somewhere doesn't mean that my day, or even there's for that matter, is going to be ruined. In my family, you sit to eat and the rest of the time you are on that dance floor. I have a feeling that our friends will be the same way.
So equipped with a handy mock floor plan and my Post-Its with all of the names of my guests on them, I will conquer the seating chart and cross another thing off my list. I'll let you know how it goes.
In order to fit everyone into our space comfortably, we will need to fill as many tables of ten as possible. Most caterers prefer the tables of 10 but some will let you get away with tables of 8s or 9s. So as I look at my guest list and who is coming, I need to figure out how to get 145 people to fit comfortably. And I also have to make sure that they are comfortable with who they are sitting with.
Everyone has said that in the last month before the wedding, the drama happens. When you are trying to figure out who can sit with who and who won't sit with who, you are suddenly faced with a kind of seating chart puzzle....and the drama comes to the surface.
Well can Aunt Irene really sit at the same table with Uncle Jimmy who she had a fight with last week? Or can Jane and Tom sit at the table with the rest of your college buddies since they broke up a year ago?
Hence my puzzle.
So Grandma Annie doesn't want to sit close to the speakers or Cousin Vinny wants to be as close to the food line as possible. Just because I sit someone somewhere doesn't mean that my day, or even there's for that matter, is going to be ruined. In my family, you sit to eat and the rest of the time you are on that dance floor. I have a feeling that our friends will be the same way.
So equipped with a handy mock floor plan and my Post-Its with all of the names of my guests on them, I will conquer the seating chart and cross another thing off my list. I'll let you know how it goes.
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