Sure to make you lose your mind

Things are still moving at a pretty fast pace. Things discussed between me and the man as of late:

• Final cake design
• Order of ceremony
• Processional order (that was hysterical: "OK, which Grandma are we talking about now, yours or mine?")
• Final flowers
• Final decorations; how we're going to make our alter work, how we're going to get everything to the right place
• Where we're staying and what we're doing for Thanksgiving
• When we're going to go get our marriage license (I don't care if you call me cheap, marriage license in Philadelphia costs $80 but only $40 in Lancaster... am I missing something?? But of course that means we need to make a special trip...)
• This dumb timeline stuff with our venue... 4 hours for a reception just does not seem like enough time, add dinner and speeches and cake cutting and you're talking about 2 hours for actually dancing on tables and acting like a fool... Neither of us is happy about that.
• Who's coming and who's not and the surprising RSVPs that are still absent.
• Ties... ridiculous.

I'm also getting e-mails left and right from our wonderful vendors who are writing to make sure we're all set with final preparations. Photographer, florist, baker, coordinator, DJ, Grampa.

(Do you have any idea how neurotic I am?? My inbox has never looked like that nor will it EVER look like that... this is an over-exaggeration courtesy of Hyperbole and a Half)

I'm surprised how easily it's being handled. Obviously these people are professionals, they know how to take care of business. I have to comment again on how I know I don't have to be nit picky with every detail because they know what they're doing. It's comforting.

I am, however, having trouble talking to our DJ and my Grampa as "vendors" or whatever you want to call them. They're friends/family! I'm trying to ask Nick if we're cool for watching football on Sunday and then I'm like "Oh, by the way, I'm going to bring over some ceremony music I need you to edit" and I feel like such a jerk... so then I try to overcompensate by being all like "How's that disgustingly cute kid of yours?! (Nick and Julie have a young son)" and it feels disingenuous to me. I trust he knows I mean it but... it's hard. Am I still happy we're going with a friendor? Absolutely, because I know he's going to do a great job, etc...

Aforementioned disgustingly cute kid

It's beyond weird asking my G to do things and telling him the way we want things. I feel like saying "You're the grampa, you tell me how it's supposed to go!" I can't consider him a vendor at all. How do you pay your grandfather?? He certainly hasn't brought it up, but I thought we could donate to a charity in his name.

Lastly, I have a progress report! I think I already ruined this surprise, but just in case:

The rest of this post is not for the brideslovelies!!

Please go away... There's nothing interesting to see here!

I know I've brought up the personalized hanger idea right? Well, did I mention that I want to make one for each bridesmaid? I might have, but I don't remember. Point is, hopefully they don't remember either, because then I realized it should be a surprise... but I suck at surprises, obviously. Anyway, I tried my hand at this personalized hanger thing because a personalized hanger costs $25-$30! And I managed to find wire at Home Depot for $7. Did I have any clue what I was doing though?

Sadly no. I don't think it looks horrible, but it doesn't look all that good, and up close you can see more flaws than you can in the picture; mainly that I couldn't make the wire straight. I started panicking right off the bat. I had passed the point where I needed to order them (they have some crazy production time) but I still loved the idea. I think I mentioned last week that I was thinking of getting a wooden hanger and just personalizing the wire at the bottom, but then I went to Home Depot last weekend and forgot to look for hangers, so I got impatient and tried again last night to do a better job.

The hanger is hanging at a funny angle, which makes the right side look wider than the left, but don't believe everything you see in pictures. It turned out MUCH better this time. With some patience and steady hands (and a glass of wine out of a box), I made a hanger! And spelled a name!! (I'm not going to tell you the name, you have to tell me if it looks like what it's meant to say)

This made me feel so so much better. I cranked out one more last night and it looked great too. If made well, they also feel sturdier than my first attempt; everything is straighter and tighter. I still think I want to use a wooden hanger for my dress with just my name in wire at the bottom because my dress is so heavy, but the girls all have lightweight, short dresses.

So we're back on track. I ordered the pashminas for the girls and with the pashmina, the hanger, and the hair flowers I think I'm pleased with the gifts I have to offer my girls. I didn't spend a lot of money on them, true, but I spent a lot of time, and each one is more personalized because of it:

So what did you guys get your bridesmaids?