...a single gal all walk into a bar.
Well, not yet.
A month ago, I headed out with our bride-to-be to scout out the place of her dreams for her wedding ceremony and reception. Turns out, that place is Antigo, WI.
On our way up, stories were shared regarding bear licenses in the Nort-woods. Apparently, you can only get one once every five years. Needless to say, it's a pretty big deal to have one. Stories were shared about an unfortunately small bear kill (the bear was heading for the house, so he had to kill it and waste his license on a small bear instead of getting a big one) and stump plumping (the strategy of filling an old tree stump of food for years to attract a good bear to your home so it will be easy to shoot when you get that license).
Good times.
After tooling around Antigo all afternoon and the unfortunate taking of a work phone call by me, we stopped at Rick's least favorite local bar for a bathroom break and a beer. I joked that I should wear a shirt that said "Single with bear license."
The next day, when we were checking out a cute chapel location for the ceremony, the owner was sharing a story about her match making abilities. Jokingly, I let her know that I was single and looking. She immediately started in with the questions:
Are you willing to move up here? What kind of man are you looking for? How old? Does balding matter? Divorced? Kids? What do you like to do?
I joked that I would like a man with a bear license. That just led to more questions indicating that she did not get the joke at all and I was about to be set up by a man who was likely to be a great future story to be told for years to come and not necessarily the love of my life: Do you like to hunt? Do you own a gun?
Of course, we are not having the wedding at the chapel, so I don't know if the deal to find me a man is off or not...for the sake of future blog posts, I hope not.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
Ceremony "mood"
So, fueled by X-treme Paper Procrastination, I've been thinking about what mood we want to create for the ceremony. First and foremost: fun, obviously. But not frivolous. It's a wedding, yo, and, despite patented Lucia-and-Rick cynicism and self-deprecating humor, I know they're as ga-ga googly-eyed, mushtastically happy about getting married as any bride and groom ... just 84% less likely to express it.
In that vein, I've been trying to think of things to read/say/incorporate that strike the appropriate fun-mush atmosphere. If anyone comes across anything, please post it here so Lucia can help us zoom in on the right stuff.
Here's one simple, slightly-sappy poem I found here. Thoughts?
Your Basic Love Poem that Can Be Read at Any Wedding (yup, that's really the title)
by: M. C. Boyes
Things in their most basic form
are the hardest to put words around:
the winged tail of a shrimp.
a freshly washed pillow case,
growing crisp in the autumn air.
The late winter sun
quenching itself on a bowlful
of snow. The half moon
resting, always,
in your right thumbnail.
What I mean is this—
after the long ride home
when the grass is wet, and the dishes
have been dried, and the wrinkles
have begun to set themselves
in lines more broad
than fine, there will be you—
asleep. Your head in its infinite state
of undress. Each hair
set upon another
wrestling against the grains,
that by some unwritten rule,
must form in your blue eyes.
There will be you, again.
You.
Alight, aloft, adrift,
in my arms alone.
There will be you
and me
and we will be
at home.
-M. C. Boyes
In that vein, I've been trying to think of things to read/say/incorporate that strike the appropriate fun-mush atmosphere. If anyone comes across anything, please post it here so Lucia can help us zoom in on the right stuff.
Here's one simple, slightly-sappy poem I found here. Thoughts?
Your Basic Love Poem that Can Be Read at Any Wedding (yup, that's really the title)
by: M. C. Boyes
Things in their most basic form
are the hardest to put words around:
the winged tail of a shrimp.
a freshly washed pillow case,
growing crisp in the autumn air.
The late winter sun
quenching itself on a bowlful
of snow. The half moon
resting, always,
in your right thumbnail.
What I mean is this—
after the long ride home
when the grass is wet, and the dishes
have been dried, and the wrinkles
have begun to set themselves
in lines more broad
than fine, there will be you—
asleep. Your head in its infinite state
of undress. Each hair
set upon another
wrestling against the grains,
that by some unwritten rule,
must form in your blue eyes.
There will be you, again.
You.
Alight, aloft, adrift,
in my arms alone.
There will be you
and me
and we will be
at home.
-M. C. Boyes
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The matchmaking vendor and the bear license
I'm pretty sure this story should become part of your electronic wedding lore, Lucia. Can you or Loud add this one sometime?
Figuring out which shop to go to:
I decided I would take a stab at the list of shops and figure out which we should go to.
this picture greeted me for Marilee Bridal...
Got to be honest, the great red and white circle isn't pulling me in. - plus, don't you think it looks like a bullseye from passing airplanes?
this one just isn't very funny: http://www.websiteq.com/member/crystalbride/
I don't know how far this one is for everyone, but it might be a winner based on this article: http://www.vollesbridal.com/new/Content/Vows_Article_pdf.pdf
Kimberly's looked fine.
Bridesmart and Total Bride are out. - little too David's Bridal honestly.
More people to see my tummy
the excitement about the dress shopping is certainly about getting the opportunity to see me tucked, stuffed, and strapped into sample size dresses....
I can't wait for another go around, Let's Do It!
let's do the weekend after X-mas - Dec 26 (Friday) or Dec 27 (Saturday) work for Mama, Booklover, and Funat50?
Bridesmaids/Attendants/Officiant - you are all invited, but you definitely do not have to come. - we will be up in Northern Illinois, so you are likely to be at home that weekend and it wouldn't work out. Never fear, there will be a fitting or two for your future pleasure.
Ideas for places to go - the dress manufacturer of my dress is at all of these places:
Arlington Heights , IL 60005 Marrilee Bridal 25 East Golf Road Phone: (847) 956-6060 Map
Geneva , IL 60134 The Crystal Bride 514 West State Street #C Phone: (630) 397-5040 Map
Lake Zurich , IL 60047 Volle's Bridal Boutique S 53 Old Rand Rd Phone: (847) 438-7603 Map
Lakemoor , IL 60050 Kimberly's Bridal 137 Route 120 Phone: (815) 363-5700 Map
Schaumburg , IL 60173 Bridesmart 830 East Golf Road Phone: (847) 884-8559 Map
Schaumburg , IL 60173 Total Weddings 5 Woodfield Road #E20 Phone: (847) 969-1111 Map
West Dundee , IL 60118 Shelley's Bridal 104-6 West Main Street Phone: (847) 426-5806 Map
has anyone heard anything good about any of these so we can pick? (key things to ask about: larger size samples and fairly private dressing rooms/viewing area)
I can't wait for another go around, Let's Do It!
let's do the weekend after X-mas - Dec 26 (Friday) or Dec 27 (Saturday) work for Mama, Booklover, and Funat50?
Bridesmaids/Attendants/Officiant - you are all invited, but you definitely do not have to come. - we will be up in Northern Illinois, so you are likely to be at home that weekend and it wouldn't work out. Never fear, there will be a fitting or two for your future pleasure.
Ideas for places to go - the dress manufacturer of my dress is at all of these places:
Arlington Heights , IL 60005 Marrilee Bridal 25 East Golf Road Phone: (847) 956-6060 Map
Geneva , IL 60134 The Crystal Bride 514 West State Street #C Phone: (630) 397-5040 Map
Lake Zurich , IL 60047 Volle's Bridal Boutique S 53 Old Rand Rd Phone: (847) 438-7603 Map
Lakemoor , IL 60050 Kimberly's Bridal 137 Route 120 Phone: (815) 363-5700 Map
Schaumburg , IL 60173 Bridesmart 830 East Golf Road Phone: (847) 884-8559 Map
Schaumburg , IL 60173 Total Weddings 5 Woodfield Road #E20 Phone: (847) 969-1111 Map
West Dundee , IL 60118 Shelley's Bridal 104-6 West Main Street Phone: (847) 426-5806 Map
has anyone heard anything good about any of these so we can pick? (key things to ask about: larger size samples and fairly private dressing rooms/viewing area)
Wedding Dress Blues
Let's go with this thought: Is more fuss made about what the bride is married "in" than what she is married to? Let's hear it for Rick...ok? Without him, there would be no wedding...at least that is my impression. Enough about Rick.
L's hilarious commentary on trying wedding dresses was so short lived that it is almost like an episode of "Friends." Is that all there is? Tune in next week for an epidose (like my malaprop?) on wedding cakes: white cake, creamy white filling and white icing with calla lillies wrapped in white parchment paper to be eaten at HOME. Done. We CANNOT be done with the dress shopping...please, please, please???? It makes me weep....I have no girls to look forward to this....no one will ever take me white dress shopping, if you do not. EVEN if you have found the dress of your dreams (it is lovely), you must LIE and PRETEND and FAKE IT that you have NOT found the perfect dress so fun at 50 and me can be included.....so much for "it takes a village." How about if I buy lunch for the troupe and we go to Flat Top Grill?
L's hilarious commentary on trying wedding dresses was so short lived that it is almost like an episode of "Friends." Is that all there is? Tune in next week for an epidose (like my malaprop?) on wedding cakes: white cake, creamy white filling and white icing with calla lillies wrapped in white parchment paper to be eaten at HOME. Done. We CANNOT be done with the dress shopping...please, please, please???? It makes me weep....I have no girls to look forward to this....no one will ever take me white dress shopping, if you do not. EVEN if you have found the dress of your dreams (it is lovely), you must LIE and PRETEND and FAKE IT that you have NOT found the perfect dress so fun at 50 and me can be included.....so much for "it takes a village." How about if I buy lunch for the troupe and we go to Flat Top Grill?
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Wedding Dress Shopping - Take 1 - KCMO
I was nervous about dress shopping - I haven't really stuck to the diet and my exercising tends to be about 10 minutes in front of the tv.
so, Ma, J and I decide that we will go for a trial run in KC after thanksgiving. I make the appt.
we show up a little early and check in - it is a small storefront in a little neighborhood in KCMO.
seems like there are a lot of people in a very small store sort of sitting around.
then, there are some women trying on dresses and they have to come out to the front of the store area to look in the mirror.
we are a bit horrified that I might have to do this. I resolve that if they force me to do this I will not try on any dresses.
we wait.
around 20 min after the appt was supposed to start the lady comes over. She interviews me out in the lobby. She goes to pull dresses. I forgot to tell her that I wasn't going to try any on if she was going to make me come out into the main area.
she comes back. I ask. yes, that was her plan. I balk. she arranges for us to have the bigger room. whew. - if you knew what the back of those sample dresses looked like on me, you would be just as relieved.
Scary thing #2 - stripping to my underwear in the room with the woman I don't know and my mother and sister. - I thought through the underwear and bra first, but still. - oddly enough, it was about 2 hours worth of me mostly naked. I became accustomed quickly. even did a little dancing.
Scary thing #3 - measurements - not that bad. but I did suck in a bit. I tried not to, but dude, the lady was measuring my middle and I just couldn't release all the way.
Scary thing #4 and also one of the most absurd moments of my entire life - perhaps I brought this on by spending 2 hours looking pretty comfortable in my underwear, but we were talking about the measurements and the sizes listed for the dress - I made a small joke about working on my tummy, and the lady reached out and started manhandling my middle - it started with some poking and squeezing of the love handles, but culminated with a rub of my belly and her admonishment that I needed to work on this part.
it was one of those moments that you will never forget - and will make you laugh hysterically when you think about it.
note to self - be a bit more conscious about the image you are portraying when prancing and dancing in your bra and underwear. people get the wrong idea and touch you inappropriately.
so, Ma, J and I decide that we will go for a trial run in KC after thanksgiving. I make the appt.
we show up a little early and check in - it is a small storefront in a little neighborhood in KCMO.
seems like there are a lot of people in a very small store sort of sitting around.
then, there are some women trying on dresses and they have to come out to the front of the store area to look in the mirror.
we are a bit horrified that I might have to do this. I resolve that if they force me to do this I will not try on any dresses.
we wait.
around 20 min after the appt was supposed to start the lady comes over. She interviews me out in the lobby. She goes to pull dresses. I forgot to tell her that I wasn't going to try any on if she was going to make me come out into the main area.
she comes back. I ask. yes, that was her plan. I balk. she arranges for us to have the bigger room. whew. - if you knew what the back of those sample dresses looked like on me, you would be just as relieved.
Scary thing #2 - stripping to my underwear in the room with the woman I don't know and my mother and sister. - I thought through the underwear and bra first, but still. - oddly enough, it was about 2 hours worth of me mostly naked. I became accustomed quickly. even did a little dancing.
Scary thing #3 - measurements - not that bad. but I did suck in a bit. I tried not to, but dude, the lady was measuring my middle and I just couldn't release all the way.
Scary thing #4 and also one of the most absurd moments of my entire life - perhaps I brought this on by spending 2 hours looking pretty comfortable in my underwear, but we were talking about the measurements and the sizes listed for the dress - I made a small joke about working on my tummy, and the lady reached out and started manhandling my middle - it started with some poking and squeezing of the love handles, but culminated with a rub of my belly and her admonishment that I needed to work on this part.
it was one of those moments that you will never forget - and will make you laugh hysterically when you think about it.
note to self - be a bit more conscious about the image you are portraying when prancing and dancing in your bra and underwear. people get the wrong idea and touch you inappropriately.
The dress???
I was going to arrange a wedding dress shopping trip for the weekend after X-mas in Chicago, and still may, but we might have found the dress during an impromptu trip during Thanksgiving in KC.
you can see it better here:
Loud had another suggestion:
Getting married - it takes a village
I don't really care what people say, getting married isn't really just about you and the future spouse. it is about the villages around each of you and merging the villages to create this new mushed up village.
I have a good village.
I started this blog cause all of these funny things keep happening to me during the wedding planning - I feel I should share these funny things and I can't seem to find the time to call each of you.
so, this blog is for my village -contributors must include my mother, my bridesmaids, the officiant, the attendants/readers, and my aunts -this isn't any fun at all without them.
so, begin with the funnyness.
I have a good village.
I started this blog cause all of these funny things keep happening to me during the wedding planning - I feel I should share these funny things and I can't seem to find the time to call each of you.
so, this blog is for my village -contributors must include my mother, my bridesmaids, the officiant, the attendants/readers, and my aunts -this isn't any fun at all without them.
so, begin with the funnyness.
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