Bloggy Goodness

Oh yeah, I remember now! Yay! [opal post]

Fri, 7 Nov 2008 09:44:02 -0500

Why is it that weddings make the most sane, stable, easy going of us freak the hell out and act like crazy people? Is it the WIC? The pressure to be perfect? The weird idea that this is supposed to be the single most amazing day of not only the lives of the people getting married, but the single most amazing event that anyone has ever been to?

I took some deep breaths. I thought about it. I calmed down. I read some things I wrote months ago when very first planning the wedding. I realized I don't really care that much about most things. I mean, really? Chairs? Who cares! Not me. They'll likely be white, because those are the cheapest ones available from the closest source to Braddock. Will it ruin my speciaaaaal daaaaay? Umm, no. If it did, then how petty would I possibly be? How uptight high strung high maintenance? However much it is, it's too much for me, thank you very much.

We decided what DIY projects we actually can get done, and it's a lot more than I thought. I'm going to pick up 100 baby food jars this weekend, and we'll paint some of them, put rocks and things on some of them, leave most of them alone, and that'll be neat. We'll get started folding origami stuff soon, with all of the paper we have here, that is no longer useable for anything else. We'll make a pinata. It'll be fine.

We've sorted out what we want to do, the specific ritual things, for the ceremony. Now we just have to figure out how we want to do them, who we want to do them. We decided who we would like to read/say things, now we just have to figure out what we want them to read/say.

Hey, do you have any suggestions for egalitarian, feminist, and queer passages that might be really awesome for the wedding? I'd sure like to hear your thoughts about it.

I am still really nervous about pulling this whole thing off, but chilling the eff out and remembering that *I* don't care, really, helps a lot. I just have to not let myself slip off into la la land ever again. I don't know what came over me!

Anxiety Part One [opal post]

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:01:31 -0400

Holy hell crap balls. We have about 6 months to go. Six months. That is it. And OMG there is so much to do. BRAIN FREAK OUT! ARG!

My poor little brain does not like this whole running out of time thing.

I still haven't picked clothing, I have conceptualized things but that is it. I haven't started having anything made yet, and if I am going to have something made.. I think I need to start. Like, now. Or maybe more like two months ago. I am picturing wearing a dress I already own, that people have *gasp* SEEN me in before, and oh no what would the neighbours think?!

We haven't picked chairs. I know that is a little stupid thing, but I keep imagining not doing it in time, and being stuck with people sitting on the floor. I'm picturing old folks sitting on pillows trying their best to balance plates on their poor little knees. Third degree burns, broken hips, and people slipping on spilled beans ensue shortly thereafter. See?! Anxiety ridden.

I don't have music yet for the ceremony. I have asked some people, but have not yet gotten an answer. I am getting anxious about this because I think they should have some kind of time to practice together before the day of. Maybe I shouldn't worry about that. I can play pre recorded music, and that would be fine. But I am picturing someone saying yes, taking the time and energy out of their lives to sing at my wedding, and then like, getting laryngitis because I asked them to sing. I would feel awful. Anxiety! Arg!

We haven't even looked into renting speakers, or so much as asked either of the two DJ's if we need to rent them like we think we might need to, or what to rent. I am picturing the DJ's passing around headphones so that people can listen to music. Someone trips on a cord and breaks not only the equipment, the table, several glasses, but their neck as well. Doom! Destruction! Anxiety!

We have no idea what or how to decorate. We have all these little DIY projects to get done that we have not only not started on, we have also not even started pricing the items we need to make them. Or even started looking at where to get them from. This, of course, means that in my poor little no one will understand it is a wedding at all, and somehow will think that they must have totally confused the days, and are here for a party instead. And then later when they realize they were at the wedding after all (due to the botched ceremony, the description to follow) they decide I must just be completely inept. At life. Because the wedding is a direct reflection of my self worth, because of Crazy Anxiety.

We have not started more than very vaguely conceptualizing the ceremony its self. We want people to read stuff, but haven't asked the people and don't know what the stuff is. We want some kind of ritual things, but none of them at all religious in any way at all, and have not decided what or when we want them to happen. I am picturing Josh having to say 'Uhh, so you guys want to get married?" and us saying "Yep." and then him saying "Well ok then. You're married!" and that is that. And everyone cries and is Very Upset about the whole thing, and throw rotten fruit at us. Because in my mind, I somehow equate us failing at the wedding with being failed rulers of a medieval land. Anxiety is making me an arrogant jerk too!

There are a million things that are not only not done, they are not even close to begun. I am freaking out. With freaking. And craziness. And doom. It's un fun. And full of not fun ness. I *so* want to elope. I think everyone says that at least once during wedding planning. I think everyone means it at least once as well. I am not to the meaning it stage yet. But I am to the completely lost my flipping mind over here stage.

It's just that with the kids, and their activities and school, we don't have any time to do wedding stuff. And that is the real cause of my anxiety, I see how much there is to do yet, and I see how hard it is to eek out one freaking hour a week to so much as clean the bathroom, and I have no idea how to get this done. Very seriously, I do not have the time to plan this wedding. I do not have the time to make cute little DIY things that I very much want to make. I have no idea how we are going to get all this done. And I am honestly freaking out over it.

Officiant, Music, and stuffs! [opal post]

Tue, 7 Oct 2008 08:59:34 -0400

After much thought and deliberation, we came to the decision to ask a friend to officiate. My kid's godfather, and our very close friend, will be officiating. We are going to build the ceremony from the ground up, he is willing to do whatever we want him to, and will be of help in the process. The whole thing is going to be so smooth and organic now, I am very excited.

It's not that we didn't want Mayor John to officiate, it's that he is a very busy man, and doesn't really have time to meet with us 15 times between now and the wedding in order to build this very different ceremony, that really isn't even anything like a civil ceremony any more than it is anything like a religious ceremony.

We also decided on ceremony music. We're working on making it happen now. Hopefully it will be live music, but if nothing else we can play a recording of the song we want. Which is Just Like Heaven - Katie Melua's version. It's such a beautiful song, the only downside is that I am a super sensitive sap, and I can't listen to it without crying. It's been weeks now, and I still cry every time I hear it. I am making an effort to listen to it a *lot*, in order to desensitize myself to it, but so far no dice, I still cry every time I hear it. *sigh* I don't wanna ruin the fab make up I will have!

Dress designer Zoe Collins is awesome, and I like her a lot. She is just too expensive for us. I understand why, and that I won't be able to find someone that isn't. I was hoping for a student or someone just starting out in their design career, but apparently there is not a fashion design program at any school in Pittsburgh. I thought my corset and tutu and things would be a neat addition to a portfolio, especially since I don't have much of a vision for it. Blasted Pittsburgh! Arg!

If we can make it happen, we decided to have a movie instead of a cocktail hour. We want to show it in the library across the street from the used to be church where the reception will be, but have not made that happen yet. We are unsure as to weather or not they will let us have food in there, and we plan to have a popcorn and candy buffet during the movie. If we can't use the theater at the library, we'll show it at the reception location.

My current dilemma : I don't want white chairs. I don't want white anything. My alternative seems to be brown. I also don't want brown chairs. I am certainly not going to have some sort of indulgent chair covers, no way. But no way do I want white chairs. Ick. I mean, it won't ruin my special daaaaaayy to have them, it's not that big of a deal at all, but I don't *want* them either. Moving on.

We have been slacking off lately in the wedding planning department. With the start of the school year, and all of the activities the kids are involved in, we have found ourselves to be very busy lately. We need to set aside time for planning again though, or we are going to hit the last few months and go completely crazy trying to get it all done. We *really* don't want that. Back to the schedule it is then. *nods*

Where are you my honeymoon? [eamon post]

Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:52:10 -0400

We really want a honeymoon. Seriously. We deserve one.

We don't have much.. and really we don't want much. Mostly just to get away in an affordable way.

Does anyone know of some spots, links, references, suggestions, agencies or otherwise that we could use to accomplish one of our Honeymoon Ideas.

Here are some ideas we had:

CRITERIA/IDEAL
- within a 4-6 hour drive
- affordable
- fun
- relaxing at times
- active at times
- VEGAN friendly would be super nice

1) Cabin/Cottage In the Woods
- maybe not some cabin in the woods that is far from the trials of man but something that feels like we are truly "getting away"
- it would be nice if there is actually nearby stuff to do in case, well, we get cabin fever
- something that is maybe more like a Getaway House
- a hot tub would be spectacular

2)Get Away to the Ocean/Beach
- ideally we'd get a cabin or *tiny* beach cottage
- maybe some sort of condo i guess
- privacy would be nice (hello... just married)
- east coast (probably being, the farther we go, the less time we have to enjoy it)
- a hot tub would be spectacular (nothing says Relax like a hot tub. nothing)

3)Open Ending Thought
- really we like water, being away from people (its not that we don't like people, it's that we expect to have had our fill of people after wedding times) and having fun and being romantic and cute.

**** oh, fun little caveat to all this. We need people (probably more than just one person or a couple) to watch the schnooks. Any volunteers and/or ideas? They'll still be in school when we are on Honeymoon Times.****

Wedding Planner Binder Design [Eamon Post]

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 22:02:12 -0400

So the other day we made our own wedding planner binder with tabs and pocket folders and other handy things as now we have outgrown our wedding notebook. Opal asked if i could make a design for it. She asked for lots of silly things and fluff and for me to throw an image together while she was in the shower. So that’s what i made for her. Some very fast graphic fluff. She was thoroughly entertained by it and the kids had a grand time watching me make it. I thought i would post it as a kind of nifty behind-the-scenes look at some of our wedding shenanigans.