Keeping Sane

I'm not really sure why weddings cause so much trouble for couples. You'd think that planning the event that unites you together would be something that would spark up romance every time it came up.

But it doesn't work that way.

Most ladies want everything to go smoothly and be beautiful. Most men wouldn't care if they got married at a truck stop. And this my friends, causes tension.

Mr. Man and I have been blessed in that we have made it a habit to keep any disagreements about the actual disagreement. When we aren't on the same page, we start looking back a the book together instead of attacking each other. I'm praying that this habit lasts forever. Or at least that if it goes away we have enough of Him in us to forgive.

When we just can't agree, I know I tend to ask two questions 1) how important is this in the grand scheme of things? and 2) what is the real purpose or goal that we are trying to accomplish?

That tends to keep things in perspective.

One tip I'd give to brides-to-be is to limit your wedding planning to some sort of space as much as possible (e.g. the living room, via telephone, etc). Mr. Man and I get our best work done when we split up the tasks via email or text and then just update each other when they are done.

Then, when we are together, we can take on the world, instead of each other.



I'm super thankful to have a loving, patient and kind soon-to-be husband. I hope he knows how much I love him.

What other tips keep you and your boo from taking out stress on each other?

Stress? What stress?

It's not that I'm super busy 25 days before the wedding. It's more so that I feel like I should be doing things and I'm not sure what they are or in what order to begin them.

The major stress is coming from the guests. Besides all the family issues that rear their ugly heads at weddings, many of my beautiful Black friends and family members have what I call a SARS-VP or Severe Allery to RSVP's. Literally, some people have said to me "oh, you wanted me to RSVP?". In my head I'm thinking, "no, I just made personalized RSVP cards to waste paper". Ok. Enough of my rant. But really, it's as if Mr. Man and I prepared an expensive dinner for you and you were like "oh, I'm too busy to take the time to tell you if I'm coming or not."

And then, there are those people that saw the invisible ink on the invitations that read, "please tap me while I'm on my way to the bathroom at church and let me know you are coming." I'm trying to beef up my memory skills for med school, but I just can't remember what all the people we invited will be doing at noon on our wedding day.

But then there are the guests who send back cards promptly with random and fun comments or quotes! These people remind me that there are gracious guests in the world.

Really though, besides stressing out over who's coming and who's not, what else should I be doing in these last 25 days. Here's what I got so far....

- finish programs (stayed up until 3AM working on them last night...sigh.)
- make sure hostess gifts are packaged pretty (Wide Eyed Mom is helping!)
- make sure card box gets finished (Wide Eyed Brother is helping!)
- find baskets for favors (Wide Eyed Maid of Honor finished them all!)
- go over layout and schedule with venue and planner
- get ribbon to the bakery
- get inserts to the linen people
- transportation (Mr. Man is on this one!)
- pack and organize wedding stuff and honeymoon stuff
- vow folders
- signage
- email/call photographer about "must take shots" and bridal/engagement portrait
- find text/specifics for a special ceremony portion
- assemble emergency kit
- write out duties for wedding party to be handed out at rehearsal lunch
- finalize make-up and a couple of other appointments

What else could I do now to make the day go more smoothly?

I Said We Moving On Up...

Mr. Man and I finally found an apartment! We won't move in together until after the big day, but I'm trying to figure out how to make this whole thing easier i.e. not come home from the honeymoon with a million boxes in our living room and needing to find something random to pack for our mission trip the next week

Here's what I got so far:

- get rid of a million things
- slowly bring over things like clothes, dishes and books prior to the actual big "move-in" date
- have the (free!) movers move all the big stuff one week before the wedding
- try to pack my mission trip stuff prior to the move
- transfer all the services at my place to the new place before the wedding e.g. electricity, DirectTV/DirectTV in Texas
- watch Golden Girls via DirectTV because I have no school and I can!
- not freak out


anh. moving is whack.

any tips to make the move smooth?

The invitations are..

...gone.

My countertop is naked and I have an unreasonable fear that they will be ripped to shreds and covered in purple tie-dye when they arrive at their destinations.

I promise I will get back to posting when the semester is over. Four.more.days. :)

I'm Sorry

NWR, but THIS is how I feel after 3 tests in 8 days.



Isn't medical school awesome?

Some say it's like drinking water from a fire hose.
I say : medical school = elementary school(AKA being in class all the time) + finals week in college x every other week.

ps I miss dance.

Wedding Wishes

I wish....

...I had thought more carefully about my venue choice.

Why I'm Getting Married

Today at church, someone jokingly (I hope) asked Terry why he was getting married. I can't answer for him, but I can answer for me.

Mr. Man knows I've been having a rough time here lately. I suggested that we go to the movies after I finished a good amount of studying for an upcoming exam. He looked up the time and location for Bride Wars. Yes, Bride Wars. He knew I wanted to see it and he did it of his own accord.

He sat through my wide eyed amazement at Ann Hathaways gown. (Which was even prettier when the strap got ripped off!) And my disgust at "10 layer tulle" - even on a Vera Wang Gown.



He sat through my excitement about Ann Hathaway's wardrobe and my gasp when I realized she had on MY Banana Republic dress!!!


But most of all, after the estrogen flood had subsided,we had a lively talk about us. About how I'm crazy. And he's crazy too. And about how , despite all the nonsense, we couldn't see ourselves any other way than married.

Oh yeah, and then we argued about Anne Hathaway.
I say: She's gorgeous. (Not in the traffic cone picture above, of course.)
He says: You only like her because she's classy. She looks like a cross between a moose and an anteater. And she's pale.
I say: You're mean. And really? A moose and an anteater?
We both crack up laughing.

Whatever. She's gorgeous.

DIY Downer

I had all these projects planned, but I'm at a big road block.

For one project, I need a drill, but no one has one.

For another project, I need Mr. Man to go pick something up and he still hasn't gotten around to it.

For another project, I need the fabric that's across town at Mr. Man's house.

...and the last project I set in motion just turned out bad.

I'd wanted to take foam or wooden letters that said "Mr." and "Mrs." to put on the back of our chairs. I purchased foam and began painting. I'd hoped that with a few good coats of paint and high gloss, they'd look fancy. I guess my hopes were too high. The foam still looked like foam, the letters got stuck to my counter.

In summary, my counter now says " M M R S R".

Does any one have any ideas for something to decorate the backs of our chairs?

Time Is Of the Essence

When I first envision a wedding, I envision guests dancing and having a blast. In planning, this is exactly what I had in mind. After the evening wedding was scrapped, I realized that an afternoon wedding didn't leave much time to boogie. How can we save time on the big day?

Here are some options.

1. Take Photos Before The Ceremony
Instead of formal photos during the "cocktail hour" we could take photos before the ceremony even starts. Mr. Man would see me before the ceremony, but the food could be served as soon as the room is "flipped" to reception style seating.

2. Have Open Seating
Although I'm totally obsessed with seating cards (having a table with cards for each guest which direct them to a specific table), Mr. Man says two things: 1) it will take longer for people to find their seats and 2) guest won't listen anyway and will sit where they want.

3. Start at 11:30 AM
It's early yes, but it will buy us a little bit more time.

We've got from 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM.
How can we make it a "rockin' reception" happen?
Do you have any other suggestions?

How is Wedding Planning Going?

Here is an answer in song.



It starts off orderly and neat.
And then you get a million trillion ideas.
Beaker "said" it best.

(I promise I will get the engagement pictures up soon!)

Good Morning I Do's

I helped one of the sweetest women I know decorate for a wedding this weekend. She has coordinated several weddings in the past few months, and with just ONE wedding to plan, I know SEVERAL have to be grueling. I wish I had pictures to share, because she is good at what she does! Everything was beautiful, but one thing made me a bit nervous.

The wedding was supposed to start at 11:00 AM, but all the vendors waited until the last minute to set up and the guests seemed to all be late. It seemed that most of the delay occured because the venue would not allow vendors inside until 9:30 AM.

As I placed the centerpieces and steamed the chair covers, I couldn't help but wonder if people overslept, had a hard time getting there so early, or one of five million things I could conjure up.

And then, the big worry: Will it be like that for our ceremony at noon?

Of course, I did some personal research to find out that our venue has a three hour set up time. Phew!!! Alright, lets hope no one at the wedding is yawning through our "i do's" like this little girl.

Pose For the Camera Now...Click! Click!

Photography. Everyone says it's one of the most important items for your wedding day.

For me, important translates as "you know if you make a bad choice, your wedding pictures will be terrible". Ahhh!

Ok, here goes.

Choice A ...

• Great for the Budget


• Seems to have an Amazing Eye


• Has Only Done FOUR Weddings

Choice B ...

• Extremely Experienced


• "Clicked" Immediately With the Photographer Who We Would Work With


• We Require Some Serious Budget Shuffling

Choice C....

• Right on the Money


• An "OK" Style, Nothing too Impressive


• Not Exactly Sure Who Would Be Filming

Let the deliberations begin!

The Red Tent

I just finished The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. I admit that I'm a sucker, but I cried.

I cried at the happy parts and I cried at the sad parts. The women of the Bible had to have stories that were never told, and this one, the story of Jacob and Leah's daughter, rings as true as any we may ever find on earth.

The Red Tent illustrates that then, as now, love is dangerous. You put a lot on the line when you give someone your heart. And there are so many things that can take your loved ones away. It's both terrifying and beautiful.

The women of that time celebrated marriage differently of course - but they didn't forget the important parts - family, food and a week of "alone time". :) One year to go till our day comes, and I hope I don't forget the important parts.