Planning Update

So the wedding planning is taking on an aura of slight panic coupled with thrills as some stuff gets done, and excitement as I realize this is not some fantasy, but will be reality VERY soon :)

The Bridesmaids dresses they have all been delivered, and they are a champagne colour, very beautiful, long and flowy, but spaghetti strap, and empire bust. The sizes are off girls so don't be worried when it gets there and its a much bigger number than you are used to seeing, i had to go up a size to put it on too, so that just means they are smaller fitting, not that I have put on 8 pounds somewhere along the way... ahem!'

The Groomsmen have big white flowy 'Wesley'esque' Shirts. They are very authentic and the men will all look the part. The pants, billow out and come back in below the knees, with lace-up's to the ankles, with medieval type soft boots for over top. We are using the same accent colors as the bridesmaids for belts on the men with a beautiful celtic belt buckle to finish the look. They will all have yellow roses in their lapels.

Hmm did I mention the rings arrived too? They are gorgeous, I will have to come back and put pics of some of this stuff, the dresses when they are done, etc.

The embroidery is partway done, and my dress is the only thing still being worked on. We have still to pick our song and have to finalize numbers but we are pretty much set.

March - Wedding Planning and Advice

So we are making progress, doggedly, determinedly, a little dazedly, but still, getting there.

I made a list because I was worried the details were all falling out of my brain like a seive, I went through all the wedding planning 'Do's and Dont's' and what I should have done by now. Did you know, that the advice for when you plan your honeymoon is to book it is at least 9 months out?

I'm not freaking out (apart from freaky wedding dreams) because I have done 14 things in 14 days, and have addressed all the major areas, like dresses, bands, priest, menu's.

Gift Registry - We are  registered for our honeymoon mostly because we are travelling to get married, and because we can't bring home toasters and plates from Ireland. I am building a list of interesting things people can get for us on our honeymoon, dinner in Athens, spending money in the market at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, that kind of thing. We think that makes it a little more personal than just money in a card, we want our guests to know what memories they are helping us make with their gift.

Bachelorette's/Hen's- I have narrowed it down, but not enough, there were 46 women after I halved the list and made it just people I wanted there, it's just a lot of people. hmm, what to do? It is on Thursday May 20th, Temple Bar, Mardi Gras Theme, with games early on, and debauchery late.

Band - We have booked Santoria and they are great, 3 female singers, 2 male and a sax player, along with a full band and lights. It's going to be amazing, 7000w speakers and PA system. DONE :p

Dresses - Bridesmaids Dresses are bought, and ordered. They will arrive early april at the latest, and my dressmaker is going to sew on some finishing touches before they get sent out the last week of April, so bridesmaids, be ready first week of May to try them on and possibly get them altered, for height size etc.

Menu - We have mostly decided on our menu, 5 courses, with appetizer, soup, main, dessert, and tea/coffee + chocolate mints.  Still have to decide what color chocolate fountain though...

Rings - We have bought our rings, this is his and this is mine.

So yeah, lots of progress, and this month, embroidery, cake, ceremony, music, final invitations.

Invitations, Priests, Dresses and Bands OH My!

Wedding planning... hmm adjectives to describe, hectic, all-consuming, fun, stressful, interesting.

We are registering for our honeymoon, and although I have not finished entering information about our exact plans, here is the place to go to learn more about it
View Our Honeymooon Registry

I have a dressmaker at last, Julie, she is wonderful, and is helping me to turn my visions into reality. Of course in case Jason reads this I can't go into too much detail about the dresses, but suffice to say, we are finally underway. We need to find a pattern that best fits my design, and we nearly have it, albeit, 3 patterns stuck together, but it will work. My dress is still desperately in need of a celtic embroiderer, anyone know anyone in Nashville? I hope to work with someone I know, but if this doesn't pan out, I will have to go farther afield.

On to the Invitations, we have done these ourselves, and 3 weekends later and solid evenings in front of a spreadsheet, with an amazing coworker/friend, sister in law, husbiancee and mother in law, we are nearly there. Bridget designed the logo for us, and we found a great font in old celtic style. Next were the instructions, which I agonized over, because there is so much to explain, however this is no problem now, with my blog here to provide ample detail to the masses. Last thing to do before sending the invitations is getting the rsvp cards printed, and get return postage printed and paid for. These will be sent this week.

On the band front, I have been agonizing,I can't hear the bands I have shortlisted on account of there being nothing on the internet from them, and not being in the same country to go and hear them play. My Maid of Honor Michelle, is going to see the one at the top end of our price range, Harlequin, these would be perfect, and I have heard these online, but they are a few hundred well out of our price range.

The next on the list is Hits List, they have a great looking set and can incorporate brass, its a 5 piece but can have up to 8, but they are at the upper end of price too, and they haven't got any reviews, or music online.

Next is Heart Beat. These are a 3 piece that my dad says are amazing, the guy seems really nice, but without hearing them with only 3 people in the band and without a drummer, I don't know if I can afford to shell out over a grand on something that won't do the job, even if this is the cheap end of bands in Ireland.

I got lucky at the Feis in Atl this weekend though, with the lady who judged the musical competition, Kathleen O'donaghue. Amazingly she is from Cavan, and married in the same castle we are, AND her brothers are in a band, its a 3 piece, but they all sing, and there is a drummer, so depending on price, I trust her judgement on quality, and they are called Evening Star.

So any ideas? What would you do about this? Any bands you know of?

More on the wedding planning, much more, including more on bands, planning the ceremony, and managing rsvps, in the next post on Wedding Planning.