Friday, April 24, 2009

I know, I know

It's been a while. What can I say?

I've spent the past two or three weeks sans wedding planning. Other stuff was on my mind. Work. Taxes. State taxes (Virginia, you are a cruel mistress). Property taxes. blah, blah, blah.

Anyway, I still have yet to tackle a significant task: the bridesmaid dresses. Why? I'm trying to find one that
a.) comes in a color I like
b.) is a reasonably flattering design (or at least equally insulting to all body types... sorry gals but you're wearing orange silk shantung halters if i say so because it's MY WEDDING. bwuhahahaaa)
c.) comes in a variety of sizes, including maternity (or a compatible maternity style that comes in the same color/fabric)
d.) IS NOT TAFFETA.

Guys, let's have a little pow-wow here. Why is taffeta the hot ticket item for all things bridesmaid? It wrinkles like mad. It photographs weird. It is a loud fabric-- when you touch it, it makes noise. It is a cold fabric. Maybe nice for summer, but hecky no for an October wedding.

So why am I finding all kinds of nice designs that only come in taffeta? come on.

I know I'll find something I like soon, but it feels like all the decorative endeavors of a wedding hinge on the wedding colors. And I just can't commit to a set of wedding colors. That's so stupid. Heh. I have no problem committing to a person, obviously, but a COLOR? whoa now, little filly.

I guess I can't pick because I really don't care that much about it. As in... it can wait. Shoot, ladies-- show up in your jammies for all I care*. I want to find something nice and classy and all, but I don't want to break my neck over this. I have the groom, I have a location, and I have a dress. Everything else is just the icing on the cake.

*Do not bring this statement back to my attention when I pick out the groomsmen's cummerbunds, thanks.

just kidding. no cummerbunds.

Monday, March 16, 2009

The Wedding Wave, 2009

So maybe you've noticed that just a scoche less than everyone in the mid-20's age range is getting married this year.

I'm one of these many brides-to-be, and at first I didn't care. It didn't make any difference to Mike and me-- this is where we are in our relationship, whether we felt like we were part of the Sun Myung Moon Mass Wedding of '82 or not.

Then I was excited about being in the company of so many others who, say, were looking at centerpiece ideas at the same time. Hello, we can all gripe about the retail markup of veils TOGETHER. I mean, they're just a yard of tulle with a ribbon edge, amiright? What could be more fun than that? We could all squee with unified delight when one of us finds The Dress or The Pantsuit or whatever.

Now I'm a little bummed, because everywhere I go there is bridal chatter. And people, I am what I am-- I can not help but compare myself to others. Now I get to fight feeling inadequate because I haven't started looking for a dress, because I can't rank my friends enough to pick a maid of honor, because I can't decide on a color scheme, or because I'm less organized than I want to be, or maybe just because I don't have my best friends or family down here to help me. And despite constant reassurance from Mike that everything's going to be great, well... bluh.

I feel even sorrier for people who have to listen to all this and AREN'T part of the wedding who-hah.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

ease my troubles, that's what you do.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am getting married. True story.

Mike proposed to me on Valentine's Day, and I said yes.

"Valentine's Day?" you say. "How cliche!" you say. Yes and yes, my friends... but we don't care. Mike could have asked me on the JumboTron at the Super Bowl, spelled it out in Cheerios on the kitchen counter, or just said, rather tipsily in a Pittsburgh bowling alley, "You know, I really wanna marry you!" And I would have agreed with equal enthusiasm in either instance.

I specify the third instance because that's kind of how it all started coming together.

We spent a week visiting each other's families in January. I had just quit my old job and was a week away from starting a new one, so Mike and I packed up the dog (Eli) and headed first to Pittsburgh, then to Columbus, and then back to Pittsburgh. It was during the second trip to P-burgh that we went bowling along with all manner of kind-hearted old blue-collar men and their bowling leagues, and just marveled at how much we loved being together.

Mike had met my family-- my Mom and most of my siblings with their respective families, and he fit right in. Everyone approved of him, as they should have. And his family seemed to like me well enough. The trip went really well, and we were getting excited about the idea of building a life together with each other.

We were bowling six or so games at this bowling alley/arcade/lazer tag place in his hometown the night before we were going to head back to Richmond. Mike, having enjoyed a round or two of the alley's finest drafts, leaned back in the plastic seat and stared at me with a glaze over his eyes and a smug grin on his face. "I really wanna marry you," he said.

I didn't know what to say to that... I mean, was he actually ASKING me, or just kind of blurting things out? Mike's a wear-your-heart-on-your-sleeve kind of guy, so I just smiled... but I was glowing on the inside.

Later in the evening, he introduced me to Bill, a retired fireman bowling in the lane beside us. He introduced me as his "future fiancee." ruh-roh, Andrea... looks like he's serious! Anyway, Mike's closet Pittsburgh accent came out a lot in the alley-- when Bill wouldn't let Mike buy him another frame of bowling, Mike said, "Ah, c'mon Bill! You're lettin' me dahn!" heh. Furthermore, Bill had earlier apologized for "interruptin' yunz game" to give us some coupons for buy-one-get-one free bowling.

Anyway.

When we came back to Richmond, we started to discuss seriously the idea of us getting married. We both knew for sure that the other was the person we wanted to be with. I knew Mike was the only guy for me. And he knew I was the girl he had been looking for. This relationship... what we have between us... it doesn't get any more perfect than this. Pardon my coarse language, but I can honestly be 100% myself around this man, and he STILL thinks the sun shines out of my butt. And vice versa.

So we have decided to get married this October. Shortly after we decided this, Mike proposed to me. It seemed a little backwards at first-- planning a marriage before you've even been officially asked-- but from what I gather it seems that most modern couples just kind of do it that way. It's just how it went for us, and since it works-- who cares? Plus, he had already sort of asked, if you count the bowling alley thing.

So come along, ladies and gentlemen. As time permits, I want to chronicle the wedding preparation process on my blog. Enjoy the ups and downs of Bridezilladom as I go through food and cake options, floral arrangements, color schemes, dress debacles, and all manner of cow-having for the next eight months.

c'est si bon.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

save the date

Ladies and gentlemen, it has been a wild ride the past month or so. I'm gonna kick the blog back into high gear sometime this week. Details to come.