the great kid debate

To have kids (at the wedding) or not to have kids? I'm not sure about other couples, but this has been one of our biggest debates during wedding planning so far.

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I LOVE children. I have been babysitting since I was 13, worked in various day cares, volunteered at the boys and girls club, and minored in Human Services in college. Despite this fact, I don't want children at my wedding (except for the ring bearer and flower girl). My reasoning is that we have a fairly limited guest list - 150 max. When you take into account that our extended families are on the large side, the numbers add up pretty quickly. In my opinion, having children at our wedding would take invites away from many adult friends and family members that I really want there to share in our love and marriage. Now I do remember attending a wedding when I was maybe 8 and I had so much fun! But there were less than 10 children there. Our number is closer to 50 or 60. Of course I know that not all parents would choose to bring their kids, but I don't want to take my chances.

Well, at the moment we are in the midst of working on the guest list. Although we had cleared the no kids issue with both of our parents months ago, concerns are being raised. What do you do if a person you really want to come to the wedding more than likely won't come if their child(ren) can't come as well? Do you make exceptions? My thoughts are no because if you make exceptions for one person you have to make them for everyone or risk upsetting/offending people.

While trying to come up with a solution, I came across a website for an event babysitting agency. They will send 3 or more CPR certified sitters to your event or even off site at a hotel. Now it is not in the budget for us to fork over the money for group sitters. However, this agency will also set parents up with individual sitters that will stay with their child in their hotel room.

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Do you think that this would be considered more of a meet in the middle? Or should I try to rearrange our budget to hire group sitters? Where do you stand on the great kid debate? Any thoughts, suggestions?

showers

I have some friends who are in the midst of planning showers or attending them. I've never actually been to one, so before I started reading wedding blogs, I was totally clueless. I had no idea that it was common to have a themed bridal shower! So after spending months on the blogosphere, here are some of my favorite "themes":

Tea Party

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I love tea houses because they seem so vintage. Not to mention the cute hats and delicious finger foods (anyone else like cucumber sandwiches??). But I don't actually like tea. Not hot, not iced, not sweet. Except for maybe Snapple Peach Iced Tea.

Around the Clock

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This seems like such fun! And a great way to include all the guests.

Stock the Bar

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One of my friends is having a stock the bar shower. Her husband-to-be works at a liquor store as the wine buyer and she used to work as a bartender. So appropriate!

Wine and Cheese

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Yum! I studied abroad in Italy for a semester, which is where I really learned how to enjoy wine. And in my opinion, nothing goes better with a glass of pinot noir than a slice of aged Parmesan. I'm making myself hungry.

Lingerie/Naughty and Nice

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This one's probably more appropriate for just friends or the bachelorette party.

And my absolute favorite - Recipes!

(I LOVE these - especially the recipe box!! - all from Rifle Paper Co.)

(This is pretty cool too - a customizable cookbook. Add your own recipes, personal photos, etc. - TasteBook)

I really enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. And I think it is such a great idea for a bride-to-be to receive favorite recipes from friends and family. It makes cooking so much more personal!

So tell me - what are your favorite shower ideas? Or what did you do for your shower?

signature drinks

So far there has been much waffling on the subject of alcohol. Late last summer, at the very early stages of planning, my father suggested a beer and wine only reception. This surprised us as it is well known that my father LOVES bourbon. Our initial thoughts were that we would upset our guests if we only offered beer and wine. Well over the past (almost) year, after getting feedback from friends, looking at the budget, etc. I decided that beer and wine only was probably a pretty good idea. However, the future mister was still opposed. So I suggested maybe doing a full bar during cocktail hour and then beer and wine only during dinner/dancing. Unfortunately, that option still concerned me regarding the budget so I later suggested a limited bar during cocktail hour (rum, vodka, bourbon - my dad's favorite, scotch - his dad's favorite, gin - his favorite and mixers). Again, I was still unsure of this option. Wellll, this past Sunday I think we both (finally) agreed on a solution!

Enter signature drinks.

Sunday evening we were sitting around watching LOST and the future mister made himself a gin and tonic. We had one lime left over from vacation but he wasn't going to use the whole thing himself, so I decided to make myself a drink too. We don't usually have the mixers for mixed drinks, but vacation with my parents sent us home with ginger ale and pomegranate-cranberry juice. Take a look at my creation:

Ingredients:
Ice
Absolut Mandrin
Pomegranate-cranberry Juice
Ginger Ale
Squeeze of 1 lime slice

Yum! I'm usually a mojito girl (or pinot noir), but this was surprisingly refreshing. And definitely less complex than a mojito to make.

So my final suggestion - wine and beer plus two signature cocktails (my crazy creation and gin and tonics). Surprisingly the future mister was totally on board with this idea! (Although he is still worried that his father will want scotch - and to that I say that's what flasks are for!)

Now here's where I need your help. If we end up having these signature drinks, what should I name them? I'd love something catchy and wedding related. Please help!

one year

In one year:

I will wake up to my last day as a single woman.

I will get prettified.

I will gush and gab with my favorite girls.

I will step into a dress that makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.

I will walk down the aisle on the arm of my father (probably trying not to sob uncontrollably).

I will walk toward the love of my life - my complement - my best friend.

I will say my vows.

I will walk back up the aisle on the arm of my husband!

I will laugh.

I will cry.

I will smile until my cheeks hurt.

I will eat some amazing food and cake.

I will dance the night away with our closest friends and family.

And last, but not least, I WILL BE MARRIED!

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surprise! we're getting married next friday!

Not really. But our jeweler seems to think so. For the past few weeks the future mister has been receiving phone calls from them telling him that his wedding band is ready to be picked up. Every time he has had to explain that our wedding isn't until NEXT May. Then today he received an email with a photo of the wedding band along with, "Congratulations on your wedding! It will be here very soon!" They also included their hours - probably to remind us that we still haven't picked it up yet. I think this is funny. Despite the fact that he's told them multiple times, I guess they just keep forgetting to change the date in their computer. But that's okay, because now I have a photo to show you (read my previous post on the ring here).

I love that it's a fairly traditional style with a bit of a twist (rose gold). We still haven't picked mine out yet since it will most likely need a bit of customization to fit with my e-ring. When we purchased the future mister's band (right out of the case, at a discount), gold was at an all time high. I'm not sure what it is now, but hopefully it will be a bit cheaper by the time we make it up to Charlotte again (the only downside to our awesome jeweler is that they're located 3 hours away).

So tell me, did your guy opt for a traditional ring or something more unique?

it's about the marriage...

Last week I had a wedding dream. I've had a few before this one which were mostly along the lines of "everything-is-screwed-up-nothing-is-right-my-wedding-is-ruined-!!". This time my dream was quite the opposite. Yes, everything was different. First of all, the location was at the beach. We were getting married inside at the top of a bluff that overlooked the ocean. The photographer didn't show up for the getting ready photos or the ceremony. The catering was all wrong. I had a completely different dress on. But the most amazing thing about this entire dream was that I was completely calm.

Not the right dress? That's okay, I still felt beautiful and I was getting married.

Not the right venue? Still okay - I was getting married.

The photographer didn't show up? Perfectly fine. Somehow a back-up showed up. And I was getting married.

Screwed up catering? Still great. No one would know but me and the groom anyway. And, yep, I was getting married.

At the point in the dream right after the ceremony, I was walking along the beach hand-in-hand with my new husband and I started talking about how a big part of the ceremony was left out. I was on the verge of getting worked up about it when a huge wave of calm happiness washed over me. It was a wonderful feeling. And I could still feel it as I slowly woke up.

I think that was one of the best dreams I've had in a long time. Certainly the best wedding dream since I didn't wake up in a cold sweat, heart pounding. In this dream not one single thing that went wrong mattered. Why? Because when it comes down to it, that day is not really about the wedding at all. It's about the MARRIAGE. I really hope that I'll be able to successfully carry these thoughts and feelings with me until our actual wedding day (especially when I'm weeks or days away and ready to pull my hair out).

Does anyone else have any good wedding dreams to share?

weekend recap & celebration dinner

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend! I was off on Friday, again, but this time it was for a small medical procedure. So I mostly took it easy this weekend. Lots of time on the couch watching movies. The only time I left was on Saturday for a picnic in the park with friends to celebrate the end of another semester. The future mister just completed his first year as a PhD student. Here we are this time last year at his M.A. graduation:

Another year down, four or five more to go. I'm incredibly proud of all that he's accomplished so far. So we're going out tonight to celebrate at our favorite restaurant - Farm 255. We haven't yet lived here for one year, and we've gone to this restaurant for every special occasion - after our engagement, his birthday, end of fall semester, my birthday, parents in town, etcetera, etcetera. Not surprisingly, this place is at the top of our short list for rehearsal dinner locations (more on that later).

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Yum - I can't wait! Is there a particular restaurant that you frequent for special occasions?

savor the moment

Sorry for the brief hiatus. Work has been pretty crazy! It is not only the end of the semester, but I have also been covering for a co-worker who's been out since his wife just had their first baby. I did have a three day weekend, though - so that was nice. I indulged on Saturday by staying in my PJs most of the day and reading this:

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If you're not a fan of Nora Roberts or mindless romances, this might not be the book for you. But I enjoyed it. This is the third book in her Bride Quartet series (the first two were equally as good!). The series is about four friends who plan weddings together - Mac is the photographer (Vision in White), Emma is the florist (Bed of Roses), Laurel is the baker (Savor the Moment) and Parker is the planner/coordinator (Happy Ever After - out in November). Although the books are extremely predictable, the characters are likable and engaging. If you're a fan of chick lit (like me!), this book (and all the rest) are must reads!