Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem. However, there was one bridesmaid, all the groomsmen, the groom… they were missing. Like literally, no-one-knew-where-they-were-missing. That’s not what I was looking for at the time.

Fine. Take a breath. Move on. I gathered up the bridesmaids I had and headed over to my parents. Did I mention I forgot to feed them?

DON’T DO THAT!

First, it’s just rude.

But, it also lead to people getting hungry (reasonably so, I’m not daft). Which lead to eating really, really quickly at my parents place before getting ready. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but remember that two needed showers. Plus hair, make up, dresses… Yeah.

Well, we made it upstairs and into the bathroom to begin the process.

Now, this is how you know I’m not a normal bride. Well, I’m sure other brides do this, but you don’t hear of it.

I helped with hair and make up on one of my ‘maids before doing my own. And might I say… she looked hot!

“Now, shake your head like this!”

We also don’t believe in privacy.

While we were upstairs, Chet was downstairs with his groomsmen. I have no idea when they showed up, but they did, and they got ready. They were also at the venue way before we were too.
Cursed make up.

Once all the ladies looked like their glamorous selves, they went in and signed the bottom of my shoes. I loved it!

(Obviously)

Then, it was my turn. By the way, it’s about 1:45 now. Whoops.

I chose to do my own make up and hair out of frugality.
I also wanted something simple. (I looked gorgeous, by the way!)

Close ups of the dress… Our poor photographer had hell with the dress. It’s white, and all he had to work with was a white background, so there aren’t really any great shots of the full dress — until it’s on me, duh!

I’m sure she had said something snarky here.

And into the dress I go.

“Shake your head” and “shower curtain” are credited to Lindsey Speights.
All other credit goes to Thomas Boydston

On Friday, we had our rehearsal, dinner, and then spent 4 hours decorating for the wedding. Phew.

Since our pastor had to back out on us for personal reasons, we had to find a new one. We were directed to Jeff Ganz at Willis UMC. He met with us Thursday to go over the ceremony which I painstakingly wrote, then came down Friday to do the rehearsal.

After our rehearsal, we went to the Stardust Room for dinner. It was one of our favorite hang outs while in school, and one of the first places we decided to have anything at.

The rehearsal dinner was where we handed out gifts to our bridal party and families. The groomsmen all received hand made cuff links from Chet and ties from Toybreaker.

The bridesmaids received earrings, shawls, hand painted knick knack bowls and hand written letters from me.

Our parents each received a photo frame that was engraved and had one of our engagement photos in it.

And Charlotte got a little canvas print.

After the rehearsal, all of the bridal party plus some headed back to the venue and we decorated, decorated, decorated. For some reason, no photos were really taken during this, but man was it fun/intense/crazy/emotional/….

And, my friends are incredible. We had groups putting together our programs, re cutting some of the corks, ironing table runners, decorating table numbers, and helping me re design the down stairs for the ceremony (which had to be moved inside).

Once all the decorating was done (well, that we could do for the night), we left to go our separate ways. Chet and I decided to not stay together the night before because I wanted some alone time with the gals. And that was the perfect decision for us, well for me anyway.

Oh! Story! I lost his wedding band the night before the wedding. I literally had had it in my possession for about 12 hours when I lost it. That was AWESOME! At two in the morning my girls and I are running around town looking for it. Turns out, the box had wedged itself in the trunk…

Next up… day of preparations.

O hai. We here before all dese ppl and Ceiling Cat sos cat 1 and cat 2 can has marriage.

cat 1 and cat 2, marriage iz commitment and all about luv, so if u marry wifout thinkin hard about it, ur doin it wrong.

Anyone has visible reason they shud no marry? No? Gud.

cat 1 and cat 2, LOLCat Bible sez, “Luv is pashient an kind and stuff, luv no has jelusy and no shows off. It not rude, it not say UR DOIN IT WRONG. It no aligned wif basement cat but only ceiling cat. Luv protectz, trusts in all teh stuff, hopes in all teh stuff, sticks wif u in all teh stuff. FAIL? Not luv.” Dis what luv shud be for u.

cat 1, what u here for? (cat 2’s paw for marryin)

What u promis for cat 2? (I can has u, cat 2, for bein all wedded an stuff. I can has, I can hold. We can has riches, we can has no riches, we can has helf, we can has no helf, I still all luv u until ded.)

cat 2, what u here for? (cat 1’s paw for marryin)

What u promis for cat 1? (I can has u, cat 1, for bein all wedded an stuff. I can has, I can hold. We can has riches, we can has no riches, we can has helf, we can has no helf, I still all luv u until ded.)

Marriage no jus two cats, it needz other cats for supports and luv. Srsly, all u be there for them? (Yes.)
I can has bukkit wif rings?

Rings are all round, they has no end jus like your luv. cat 1, place ring on cat 2’s paw and say: I maed u a ring and I no pawn it. Wif this ring, I are wedding u. cat 2, u do same and say: I maed u a ring and I no pawn it. Wif this ring, I are wedding u.

U both now all married. Ceiling cat will now watch u kiss.

Here is cat 1 and cat 2 all married. Kthxbai.

via: Stephen

When is it okay to become a bridezilla? Is it ever?

via: The Durtty Bride

I feel like I have stayed incredibly up beat during the planning process. I’ve had two maids of honors step down, familial issues on both sides, a dress that disappeared then re-appeared only to not fit me at all, mailing issues, money issues and on top of all that I moved to Lincoln Nebraska and began a Doctoral program.

I have maintained a great attitude through it all. I really have, don’t judge me.

But now, now I feel like perhaps I should be a bridezilla.

Why? Because our pastor has recently called us to let us know that he can’t do our wedding.

Honestly, I feel bad for the guy. He’s taken over as a head pastor, and as such has stepped into a messy problem. And the church is telling him he can’t leave for a Saturday to do our wedding.

Have I mentioned that we are 12 days out? I didn’t? We are.

So, my question comes in because I feel like a doormat. I don’t know what else can go wrong. Well, I do, and it probably will go wrong. I suppose what I really don’t know is how to handle it anymore.

A friend of mine was just in a wedding the past weekend and she recounted to me the horror that this bride was. Ignoring birthdays, not providing enough food, being a jerk for the most part.

But her dress showed up. She didn’t have anyone step down. Her pastor was there.

I get that this is an incredibly irrational train of thought, but I would be lying to say it’s not there and present in my head.

So, would it be okay for me to fly off the handle yet?

Just as a side note, another friend of ours, in response to this newest conundrum said: “Why can’t you believe it? It is exactly the sort of thing that would happen to you guys.”

Touché my dear friend, touché.

Yup.

They will receive an invoice which will be mailed out on 11/30. Recognizing that normal mailing turn around time is 4 days, we will allow 2 weeks between re-billings before we send their information to a collection agency.

Bet you didn’t know that RSVP was a contract huh?

An example of the proposed invoice:

Please click to enlarge.

*Please, dear God, know we are joking. Though, if you’re not able to make it, a call would be greatly appreciated.

This amuses me to no end.

Mainly because most of our engagements were taken in the library on campus.

Evidence:

Just sayin’ — we’re a trendy couple.

Below is what he said.

Under the title “This is the Question,” Darwin wrote in the “Marry” Column:

Children — (if it Please God) — Constant companion, (& friend in old age) who will feel interested in one, — object to be beloved & played with. — —better than a dog anyhow. — Home, & someone to take care of house — Charms of music & female chit-chat. — These things good for one’s health. — Forced to visit & receive relations but terrible loss of time. —

W My God, it is intolerable to think of spending ones whole life, like a neuter bee, working, working, & nothing after all. — No, no won’t do. — Imagine living all one’s day solitarily in smoky dirty London House. — Only picture to yourself a nice soft wife on a sofa with good fire, & books & music perhaps — Compare this vision with the dingy reality of Grt. Marlbro’ St.

… and in the “Not Marry” column:

No children, (no second life), no one to care for one in old age.— What is the use of working ‘in’ without sympathy from near & dear friends—who are near & dear friends to the old, except relatives

Freedom to go where one liked — choice of Society & little of it. — Conversation of clever men at clubs — Not forced to visit relatives, & to bend in every trifle. — to have the expense & anxiety of children — perhaps quarelling — Loss of time. — cannot read in the Evenings — fatness & idleness — Anxiety & responsibility — less money for books &c — if many children forced to gain one’s bread. — (But then it is very bad for ones health to work too much)

Perhaps my wife wont like London; then the sentence is banishment & degradation into indolent, idle fool —

He concluded that he should marry, and wrote:

Marry – Marry – Marry Q.E.D.

I found it fairly interesting. What do you think?

Just wait, you’ll see why.

via: Academy Bedlam’s Knottie Page

A classic pose, one of which I’m sure will happens lots.

via: MakeLoveReal

This groom, is totally sticking his tongue out at his bride. Are you kidding me? This is uh-mazing. I would laugh my head off, and it would be so real for us.

via: A Practical Wedding

via: A Practical Wedding’s Inspiration Board

via: Melissa Rudick

via: MakeLoveReal

Chet and I have talked about this. One (or both) of us will cry. I will probably bawl if my dad tears up.

via: Putting the R in Mrs.

via: {frolic!}

via: I’m not sure. I’ll find it again, eventually.

via: A Practical Wedding

Doesn’t she just look amazing? So happy, and … fill in the blank. It’s awesome.

via: A Practical Wedding

Their abandon is fabulous. I want it.

I’m having a hard time caring about the little things at this point. Okay, that’s a blatant lie. However, rationally, I know that no wedding is perfect. And it is absolutely crazy, CRAZY!, for me to expect it to be. Come the day of, I will just be glad to be married to my love. And that is something that I cannot wait for.

*We may not be marrying. Chet just told me he’s never seen Karate Kid. Ugh.

Please just accept that we’re odd, and we love them. We love them so much that I have on tattooed behind my ear:

and Chet has one on his chest:

So anyway, I found these fabulous designs through Google images:

I’m loving these ampersands. Maybe when I go to have my tattoo touched up, I’ll switch it up some? I really like the first one and the last one.

Anyway, what led me to looking at ampersands was that one of my maids of honor (I’ll tell you about that later) left this image on my facebook.

Found here

See, she adores balloons. She loves making balloon animals and such. And we’ve talked about balloons in some form or fashion at the wedding… and this would be perfect. It won’t happen, and you can see why in the video on the website, but it is a lovely thought.

For example, there is a show on TLC called Cake Boss. I happened to stumble across it while working the other day, and lo and behold, one of the pieces to it was about a wedding cake.

And a bridezilla.

Now, I have been called a bridezilla. And, after seeing this, I call BS.. I am not a bridezilla.

Back to the story: this bride and her mother walk into the shop. The bride is surly looking and the mother is as giddy as can be. All the bride can do is sit there and pout and tell the guy that she wants a black cake with calla lilies — in her words “funeral”.

Buddy, the baker, tells them that he will make a cake that is 4 tiered, ivory, with draping and calla lilies.

The above was his creation. And boy was he proud of it. Though it’s not my style, I can appreciate the cake. It seems as if it took a long time to create and everything.

Well, Bridezilla comes into the bakery the day before the wedding because she wants to see the cake. He obliges.

She walks in and tells him how horrible it was. That it was dull with no color and just terrible. I mean, it was bad — she was horrid to him. He walks out to go take care of something else going on in the bakery, leaving her alone with the cake.

We all know where this is going, don’t we?

Well, she turns around to grab all the pretty colored icings and goes to town on this cake. You can see the result above.

Talk about going ballistic. Carlo was not pleased and kicked her ungrateful butt out of that bakery. Now, please remember that this was the night before her wedding day. He calls the mom, who was a good friend of the bakery, and tells her what happens. You can hear the mom on the other end crying and apologizing etc. She begs him to create another a cake saying she’ll pay him for both as well as the over time for the bakery, whatever it took.

He gave in! He said he would do it because he wanted “to be the better man”.

And boy did he create her a gorgeous cake! 5 tiered, with a quilted pattern and sugar flowers placed onto it.

Now, the show leads you to believe that she wouldn’t look at it and was just a total b**ch about all of it. The mother loved it.I don’t know what she is like in real life. I have no idea if it was scripted or whatever. All I know is that she looked like a tool on national television.

Oh, and I am not a bridezilla.

You can see photos from the wedding here.