Dress Hunting and Invitation Aspiration March 1, 2008

Dovetailing nicely with my post about freaking out, I’m so, so far behind with my blogging because it takes so much time actually planning a wedding that I often don’t have time to write about what I’ve been doing. Nontheless, I aspire!

The weekend before last was a weekend full of wedding goodness up in Massachusetts with my future sister in law, Julie, my future niece, Anjali, and the kick ass store that is Paper Source. The weekend in a nutshell:

Saturday: Bridesmaid Dress Shopping Day (and a little flower girl dress shopping)

We had three appointments and managed to go to two before finding THE DRESS. Woo hoo! It’s the simple, elegant, gorgeous Bill Levkoff modeled here by the lovely Julie. It’ll be in sage and champagne instead.

We couldn’t manage to get Anjali to try anything on (it was a really, really long day for a 2-year old), but she was more than happy to shop for purses instead. I submit the following evidence to the court:

We hoped she would be willing to try this dress on. Unfortunately, it’s so expensive that we’ll probably have to go with a different dress anyway.

(via The Ladybug Collection)

Sunday: A Wedding Invitation Workshop at Paper Source in Brookline

Between Gocco madness and lots and lots of encouragement from the very crafty Ellen, I was convinced that I’d design and reproduce every scrap of paper in our wedding. The day was off to a great start since instead of having to catch a ride to the Worcester commuter rail, transferring to the T, and walking to the Paper Source, I managed to guilt trip Josh into taking the day off and driving me into Boston. (TIP: sit in front of computer, quizzically inspect the T-map, take copious notes, say “I sure hope I don’t get lost tomorrow,” and pout–a small pout, too big and you’re pushing your luck.)

I was running 10 minutes late, so when we arrived I ran into the store, down the stairs to the workshop room, and had to catch up with the rest of the group. Unfortunately, my first task was to take my shaking hands (from the huffing, puffing, and running) and use a surgically-sharp craft blade to cut paper. Obviously I screwed up this first task and nearly sliced my finger.

Ok, so I’m too lazy to post photos of my invitation samples because they’re incredibly mediocre. The two important things I learned from this workshop are 1) I can’t make my own invitations and 2) how to emboss. I bought some lovely embossing equipment–using my awesome 10% discount, post-workshop–that I hope I’ll find a reason to use often.

Nonetheless, I am still convinced that I will use my Gocco to fight evil in this world. Together we shall make peace-inducing wedding programs, corruption-killing out of town guest bag labels, and we’ll fight the good fight with crime-busting place cards.

The Weekend of Freaking Out

Damn my procrastination and my many, many failings. This is officially the weekend of flipping out over the parts of this wedding process that I’m the least excited about, or completely unprepared for, or I’m experiencing extreme anxiety over, or all of the above.

Freak Out #1: Engagement Photos

Weeks and weeks of terrible rainy/snowy weather every Monday through Wednesday has long delayed our engagement photo shoot. To be perfectly honest, I’ve been relieved to have so many delays because 1) I’m camera shy and 2) I’m the least photogenic person on the face of this planet. Now it’s really happening because we’ve devised an indoor itinerary in case we can’t take any outdoor photos. Plus, our photographer is trying out new shooters that week, so we’ll have at least one more photographer during this photo shoot. At first I was thrilled, but now it feels like I’ll be running away from the paparazzi. How does one get comfortable in front of the camera? More importantly, how does one get prepared to be in front of a camera?? This leads me to my next freak out…

Freak Out #2: Hair and Make Up Trials

If hair and makeup had standardized exams like math and reading, I could properly quantify my beauty skills and explain that I operate at a 3rd grade level (basic grooming skills mastered–ie-bathing, combing hair–but possesses no advanced skills). Why couldn’t I grow up playing with makeup like a majority of the western world? I can’t even commit to tinted lip gloss, it feels like too much of a beauty responsibility. I need to hire a hair stylist and a make up artist for the day of the wedding and I don’t have the foggiest idea of how to go about doing this because 1) every hairstyle looks equally OK to me and I can’t really pinpoint what makes a good hair stylist, and 2) make up looks like make up to me, not some careful art thing. Pictures of girls with make up on all look the SAME TO ME. I think I have face blindness–or the correct term, prosopagnosia–but mine extends across the painted face and into upswept hair.

Freak Out #2 also bleeds back into Freak Out #1 because I don’t know what to do with my hair or my make up the day of our engagement photo shoot. Should I go somewhere to get a blow out? If so, where? Should I go to a beauty salon to have my make up done? Where? Can I just walk into a department store and ask someone at a make up counter if they’d do my make up for me? Does that cost anything? Do I need an appointment? I don’t even own foundation, people, so this is a serious problem.

Freak Out #3: Save-the-Date photo booth magnets

Ok, so I wasn’t actually freaking out about having to pick a cute photo booth magnet. In fact, I was really excited about this part. Josh and I found so many awesome potential save-the-dates, but my friend Irene convinced us to go with a photo magnet since she said that she’d prefer to have cute pictures of us on her fridge, which she’d keep forever, or until the magnet fell apart. The freak out part is having cute photos of me and Josh that look like they belong on a photo strip, AND that it’s now 5 months before the wedding and I haven’t even ordered these magnets. We have an engagement photo session so no problem, right? (See Freak Out #1) This leads me to slight change of pace…

Crazy Awesomeness #1: Ellen and Stephanie, photographers extraordinaire!

My heroines! Ellen and Stephanie–two of the best coworkers a person could ask for–have agreed to take pictures of me and Josh this coming Monday so I can finally order our save-the-dates. It’s very possible that one of Ellen’s photos will end up on the front cover of a book we’re publishing this fall and Stephanie recently purchased a very schnazzy new camera. Luckily, we work along the waterfront in Hoboken, so we’ll have a gorgeous view of the city for this photo session. Josh and I will be in two sets of very talented hands, but I’m afraid that this Crazy Awesomeness leads me back to Freak Out #2. What on earth am I going to do with my hair and makeup?

I’m breathing deep, drinking some Yogi Breathe Deep, and taking this one step at a time. Of course, if anyone has any suggestions (big or small), I’m ALL EARS!