Hi 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 day.
Updated Suits for Groomsmen
When we initially picked out the suits for Justin and the groomsmen, we did not include ties with the rental. We were not thrilled about any of the options the store offered, so we had this grand idea that we would simply buy seven ties that match — and match the bridesmaid dresses — at a reasonable price and give them to the groomsmen as part of their gift.
That was a TERRIBLE idea. I found one tie that I liked and could not find another to match it.
We finally said “F” that and went back to the store this past week to add plain black ties to our reservation for the groomsmen. As trivial as it sounds, doing that honestly took a huge weight off my shoulders.
Put Together Disney Photo Display
If you know us, you know that Walt Disney World is our home away from home, and it is where we will spend our honeymoon during Christmas.
Since this place is important to us, I wanted to do something at the wedding to share that sentiment with our guests. I created a photo display with many of our pictures from the Disney vacations we have taken over the years.
That was a fun project I was able to knock out in one night.
DIY Decor
Naturally, I have been working on other DIY projects, such as this frame that displays photos from our 7 years together and this cute chalkboard lettering, to save money on decorations.
Reply Cards Due Back
We got back almost all of the reply cards — enough to know a close estimate of the final head count.
This past week was actually pretty stressful for that because I allowed myself to get so worked up over how big our guest list became, the folks we hadn’t heard back from yet, and numerous other things.
Can I just say that planning a wedding is not easy for anyone involved, but especially not for the bride. If you are invited to a wedding — no matter how well you know the couple or how close you are to them — just send back the damn RSVP card. Whether you’re going to the wedding or not, just send it back. The couple is working tirelessly to create a wedding they and their guests will enjoy, and when you don’t RSVP (yes or no), they cannot give the venue and caterer an accurate head count. That messes up the amount of food that is ordered — any miscalculation there is at the cost of (most likely) the bride and groom — and it ruins any seating chart/floor plan.
OK, rant over.
Final Meeting with the DJ
We recently had our final meeting with our DJ and did a site visit at our venue to discuss where all of his equipment will be setup and do a quick run through of the ceremony music.
From the moment we began planning this wedding, we agreed that there are two things we did not want to cut corners on — our photographer and our DJ. Music is extremely important to us as individuals and as a couple, and we wanted to make sure we get all our favorite songs in at our wedding and can dance all night.
We are really excited we found this DJ company and were paired with this particular DJ. He fits our style perfectly and will provide a great presence that aligns with our vision for the big day.
To make his life easier, I created a playlist on Spotify of all of our must-play music. For the last year, I have been dumping songs that we like, songs that we can dance to, dinner music, etc. onto this playlist so that they are all in one place.
I suggest that anyone who is planning a wedding do this for their DJ. It helps him or her get a better idea of what your music style is and they can easily access it to create their official playlist for the day-of.
Bridal Portraits
Last weekend I had bridal portraits made. The photographer sent me a few sneak peek images this week, and all I can say is “wow.”
I wanted these images to capture exactly who I am — Disney nerd, motherless daughter, mountain girl — and she did an amazing job at that.
I can’t wait to share them with you all.
Koozie Update
You might recall from my last wedding update blog that I was having issues with our custom koozies.
Basically, they weren’t getting done and the company doing them sucks at communication.
Well, they finally arrived … about two months after they were supposed to. The shade of pink they sent is wrong, and I pretty much hate it because it’s cotton candy pink and makes my teeth hurt when I look at it. But, at this point, it is what it is.
Marriage License
We needed this day.
I haven’t taken any vacation time this year — not for anything fun, at least — in an attempt to save all my PTO to use during the wedding and our honeymoon. The same goes for Justin.
That is why when I was looking at my calendar a few weeks ago, figuring out when we could and should apply for our marriage license, I thought it would be fun for us to take the day off together and make a date day out of it.
So, that’s what we did on Friday.
We slept in (I woke up at 7:20 a.m., Justin woke up at 9 a.m.), we had a lazy morning at the house, and we took our time getting ready. I could not tell you the last time we did not have to be somewhere at a specific time. It was so nice to not be in a rush.
This is all new to us, so I think we were both nervous as we walked into the Register of Deeds office.
Naturally, Justin made a joke to the woman helping us — the same joke he has made to every person (DJ, caterer, bakery, jeweler) during the past year.
“Well, I guess there’s no turning back now,” he said with a laugh.
She did not even crack a smile, which, of course, made me laugh out loud.
I swear, Justin is going to be that dad you think of when someone says “dad jokes.”
After our awkward encounter with this woman, we sat down at one of the computers to fill out our application. Justin typed in his full name, date of birth, county and state of birth, parents’ names, their address, etc.
Then, it was my turn. I went through the same motions Justin did — full name, date of birth, county and state of birth, parents’ names — and I paused when I reached the block for my mom’s address. The block said “Address – #, Street, City (If Living) Otherwise, enter Deceased.”
There have been several times along this journey where I have been knocked in the face with my mom’s death. Like when the checklist on “The Knot” app on my phone suggested shopping for mother-of-the-bride dresses or when we chose the language for our invitations.
But yesterday, at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse, typing “Deceased” into that box next to my mom’s name hurt worse than any of those other times.
We finished up the application, checked it twice, raised our right hand and swore that all information provided was correct, and paid our $60.
Justin’s right. There’s no turning back now.
Since it was our special date day, we took each other to lunch at our favorite sushi place in Charlotte — Ru San’s — for their famous sushi lunch buffet.
We filled our bellies with so much sushi, and it was worth it.
We had one more stop to make before venturing home, and that was Duck Donuts. Warm, delicious, made-to-order donuts were the perfect way to end a fun day with my fella.
Like I said above, we needed this.
Watch for wedding planning updates between now and the big day. You can follow the adventure on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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