With a little more than one month left before our wedding, we are currently in the calm before the storm.
If you have ever planned a wedding, you know exactly what I am talking about. Nearly everything is done (or close to being done), and the items left to be checked off our extensive to-do list are small. We got this, y’all; the finish line is so close.
However, the last couple of weeks have been busy with a bridal shower, finishing DIY projects, and shopping — lots of shopping.
Here’s what we’ve been up to:
Bridal Shower in Asheville
At the end of July, Justin and I were showered with love at a party thrown by my friends and family in my hometown.
It was a perfect day, and it was so nice to disconnect from the rest of the world for a day and enjoy time with those around me.
RSVP Cards are Coming In
I know at least three couples whose wedding invitations were lost in the mail. Not just some, but ALL of their invitations.
Knowing my history with Murphy’s law, I just knew something like that would happen to me. That is why I breathed a heavy sigh of relief when we started getting RSVP cards back quickly (and in piles).
They’re not due back until August 16 (next Wednesday), but Justin and I sat down this past weekend to do a preliminary count of who is coming and who has yet to send their RSVP. Based on those early counts, we should be right where we wanted to be as far as attendance goes. #winning
Wedding Room is Organized
I spent the better part of Saturday morning organizing what we call the wedding room.
Basically, it is the spare bedroom of our townhouse and for the last year I have been casually tossing anything related to the wedding in there and closing the door behind me.
When there was no longer a path to walk through the room, I decided it was time to organize the mess.
Now, items are clustered together, packaged, and labeled in a way that makes sense. This will make it easier to grab boxes and go when we start taking everything to the venue for set up.
Wedding Party Gifts Arrived
I was a little worried about the gifts we ordered for our bridesmaids and groomsmen because they were customized pieces. However, when they arrived last week, I could not have been happier about the quality of each item.
Once we give them to our wedding party, I’ll share the details.
Picked Up My Dress from Alterations
I bought my wedding dress last September at a local bridal shop that was going out of business. It’s a designer gown that I got an incredible deal on. And the best part is it fit (almost) perfectly.
It of course needed a bustle, and when the seamstress at the shop looked at the dress on me, she suggested that we hem it and let it out a little through my hips. She then quoted me $350 to do all that.
It seemed like a fair price at the time, but something in my gut just didn’t feel right about it. So, I declined to have the bridal shop’s alterations department do the adjustments, and I took my dress home.
Flash forward to this July and I still had not gotten my dress altered. Naturally, I began to panic.
I asked around and got a few recommendations for alterations places in my area.
I ended up taking my dress to a small, local shop, and I am so happy I did not let the bridal shop touch it.
When I put on my dress at the alterations shop (the first time I had tried it on since I bought it), it fit perfectly through the area it was a little snug before, and when I put on my wedding shoes (Chacos), it was clear that the dress did not need to be hemmed. In fact, if it would have been hemmed, it would have been way too short.
The bustle was the only adjustment that needed to be made and the woman who owns the alterations shop only charged me $45 for that — a fraction of what the bridal shop quoted me.
I had my dress back two weeks after I dropped it off.
Picking Justin’s Wedding Band
Would you believe that Justin and I forgot that he needs a wedding band, too?
We did; we forgot it.
It was early last week when we realized that we should probably get that minor detail squared away. So, on Saturday we set out to find a ring for the fella.
The first store we went to told us it could take up to six weeks to get the ring in, and, well, we don’t have six weeks. The second store was more cooperative with our timeline, but Justin didn’t seem to love any of the rings he looked at.
Trying not to lose an entire day to ring shopping, I pointed out an interesting band that might fit in the “something different” category he was searching for.
It did. And it will ship within seven days of purchase. #winningagain
Koozie Headache
Almost everything with this wedding planning process has gone smoothly.
With that being said, we were due for a disaster. Naturally.
Perhaps disaster isn’t the best word to describe the scenario with our koozies, but it has definitely not been pleasant.
On July 17, I ordered custom drink koozies from an Etsy shop for our favors. The next day, the owner sent me a proof of the order. Everything looked great, I just had one minor change and requested an updated proof once the change was made (not an uncommon request when you are working with a custom order).
On July 19, the shop owner sent me the updated proof, I signed off on it, the koozies were sent to production, and they were scheduled to ship by July 31. So I thought.
On August 2, the shop owner messaged me to let me know that one of the koozie colors I wanted was out of stock — something she should have known when I submitted my order on July 17 — and they didn’t know if they would get it back in stock. She then suggested an alternative color. I wasn’t happy about this but didn’t make a big deal about it. I signed off on the change and told her they could again be moved to production.
It is now August 7, and my damn koozies still have not shipped.
On the larger scale of everything that goes into planning a wedding and everything that could go wrong, having your koozie order screwed up is a minor problem. It is still an inconvenience, though, and a pretty expensive one at that.
A Visit to Our Venue
We will have at least one more official walk through at our venue, but this past weekend we wanted to take my dad, who was visiting from out-of-town, to see it.
In 39 days, Justin and I will stand in this exact spot — in front of this old barn and beneath these trees — and become husband and wife. It truly is a beautiful place, and this quick visit helped us visualize where everything will go.
Watch for weekly wedding planning updates between now and the big day. You can follow the adventure on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
[…] friends. As promised, here is a quick update of everything we have been doing since my last wedding post at 39 days before the big […]