Our Wedding by the Sea

I deleted this entry, because- after thinking about it- I'm just not ready...

I can't believe there are only 300 days left!  I remember when I was counting backward from 455 (and had a different wedding date in mind).  It's amazing how much we have finished since then... and how much more we still have to do.  Our six-year anniversary is coming up, too, as well as Chris' birthday and Christmas of course, so this month will likely fly by.  I graduate on the 16th, so I basically have a lot of free time coming up as well :D

So here's the updates & plans for the coming month!

First and foremost, I sent out STD's to my OOT guests last week!  Only 10 of them, but still!  I've been hearing from everyone how they got them yesterday/today, and have been getting lots of compliments on them.  It makes it feel so real- we're actually sending mail to tell people that we're getting married!  And I checked weddingwire, and our website has had 11 hits!!  So exciting!!

Also, I went dress shopping with two of my BM's.  Morgan (in GA) plans to go on Christmas break to try it on.  If she approves, that's the dress we're going to go with.  Jen & Britta decided they liked the blue better and I agreed, but Morgan can choose if she wants to wear aquamarine (and match the others) or brownie (and be different) since she's the MOH.  Here are some pics of Jen & Britta trying the dresses on.  Jen doesn't have the flower accent belt thing on because it was too big for both of them and just looked silly hanging there- the smaller clasp size thing was broken.  The style is Alfred Sung D498.  It has pockets and is totally re-wearable.

So in December I need to DIY the serving set.  I also need to attempt (again!) to block hotel rooms in Stone Harbor for my guests since basically everyone is traveling for our wedding, including us.  The hotels I contacted months ago all said they don't "do" blocks.  So I'm a little nervous now about not being able to get this together, but I'll keep trying!

I will also be ordering paper for my DIY invites in December and starting to address the envelopes, cutting mats, and adhering them to the panel pocket or pocketfold (still haven't decided which route to go).  I don't know how to do choreography, but I plan to print everyone's address in a calligraphy font on printer paper, then use a light table to trace it onto the envelopes.  Could take forever, so I want to get started early.

Last but definitely NOT least!  I graduate from the University of Georgia on December 16th!  Finally finally finally!!  I am ecstatic and CANNOT wait!!  We are traveling to Georgia on the 15th so I can walk and are spending the weekend in Athens to celebrate my graduating and Chris' 25th birthday.  I got my cap, gown, and tassel in the mail last week.  The cap & tassel are fine, but the gown was messed up (it was sewn wrong) so they are rushing a replacement to me that should be here before December 7th.  Now I'm working on decorating my cap and need to figure out what I want to do with it.

I am just now realizing that I never blogged when we booked half of our honeymoon!  I say half because we are taking a two-week honeymoon.  The first week we will be spending in Puerto Rico.  Then we'll board a cruise ship in San Juan and spend 7 days at sea and exploring the islands of St. Thomas, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, and Barbados.  We booked the cruise last month and it is SO NICE to know that this is actually going to happen!

I am super excited and can NOT wait.  I have been planning obsessively for the past two days and am having so much fun.

Obviously our cruise stops are set, but it's been interesting trying to figure out what part(s) of Puerto Rico we want to see/visit.  We're going to spend a day or 2 in San Juan before the cruise so we don't miss it (I'm paranoid about not boarding the boat haha), but the rest of the week is a big fat question mark.  We do want the cruise to be the more relaxing part of the trip since we've cruised before and know that we were very active the whole time.

Here's a list of some of the things I think we should see/do in PR:
-See the natural reefs and maybe do some snorkeling
-Spend lots of time on the beach!
-See the bioluminescent bays... or at least one of them!
-Go to El Yunque Rainforest (I mean really... it's a rainforest!  Yes please!)
-Possibly visit one of the uninhabited islands off the coast
-Drink pina coladas in their birthplace

It seems like the region of the country that fits those requirements best is the East... Luquillo has one of the best public beaches in PR as well as a reef with protected swimming AND views of the rainforest (sounds like absolute paradise!).  Rio Grande is on the East as well, which is where the entrance to El Yunque is.  Also, Fajardo has a bioluminescent bay, which we could visit with ease one of the nights of our stay.

So, now that I *think* I know I want to stay in the East, I need to do some serious research on hotels, transportation, etc.  Ahh!!  So much to plan- and that's only the beginning!

I'm keeping my dress at my FIL's house until the wedding.  We have NO closet space (like... literally... my dresses are hanging in the coat closet in the hall- we are cramped!) and my mum's closet situation is even worse than our is.  So yes... FMIL was so nice and let me keep it in a closet in one of the spare rooms at their house.

Well FI and I went over there this afternoon to let our dog (we have a husky) run around their fenced-in backyard with their dogs (they have a lab and a beagle).  It was the first time since I dropped it off over there that I've been over and of course I went up to take some sneak peeks while FI chased the dogs around the yard.  I got some detail shots of my dress and veil since the pics online do NO justice to either of them!  These were taken with my iPhone, so please ignore the less than perfect quality...

Though my bank account is slowly draining, I love making wedding purchases.  Nothing like going to the mailbox and finding a package- however small- with wedding goodies in it.  The wedding stash I currently have in our bedroom keeps getting bigger.  It's lovely.

So far, I've lost 10 pounds.  Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.  I've also added the goal of being able to do my splits.  I started working on them tonight and I was actually surprised by how low I could really go down.  I'm working on my front splits (sides will come later).  With my left foot leading, there was about 18 inches between myself and the ground.  With my right foot front though, there was only a foot!  Increasing my flexibility will make me feel so much better about myself and give me a goal that I can actually measure and take control of.  I desperately need something healthy to take control of.

I've been working hard to exercise and eat better, but I still feel like I could really push myself harder at the gym.  I've just gotten so... soft.  I used to spend 6 hours EVERY DAY in the gym.  I know, that's not healthy.  I wasn't healthy at the time.  I worked out obsessively.  It was gross.  I had no self-confidence, and it's been a really long, hard battle trying to love me for me.

I'm proud that I've lost this weight.  That I'm proud that the numbers on the scale keep getting lower- however slowly- instead of higher.  And that even though I might be super jealous of my sister who has lost A LOT of weight since this time next year and just keeps dropping lower and lower, that I'm super proud that I am startin

We booked Binh!  So we have a DJ for our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception at a price that can't be beat for what we're getting!  Yay!  I'm beyond excited and just elated that the DJ search is over!!!

So... with a venue, date, photographer, and DJ booked, the next step is finding a caterer.  Our venue is  not a traditional wedding venue, so we can basically bring in anyone we want.  It's going to save us a ton on the bar, and I'm hoping to save a lot on catering, too.

Many places in the Stone Harbor/Cape May area wanted anywhere from $75 to $150 per person to use their venues for our event.  That's a lot of the reason we went with the Civic Club- because that is a ridiculous amount to pay per person for a meal and service.

So now I get to start searching for some reasonably priced caterers.  At least interviews will be fun- I'm totally down for some tasty food.  It might be another headache, but it's the next check I need to make on the vendor list, so here goes nothing I guess.

DONE:
Venue
Photographer
DJ
Celebrant
Dress & Veil
Crinoline & Long Bra
Guest List
STD's (designed and printed)
Wedding Rings
Cake Topper
Garters
Booked Half the Honeymoon (cruise)

TO DO IN NOVEMBER:
Interview and book caterer
Send STDs to OOT guests
Identify rental needs
Research rental companies