my day, shitshitshit edition

So first, a quick update: We actually have everyone BOOKED. That is so, so comforting. Last minute, true, but oh so comforting.
But that's not what this post is about.
If you don't like my "shitshitshitshit" posts, just skip this one. It's mostly just me freaking out.

Today we went to drop off our rather large security deposit at our reception venue and work out the final details. We actually sat down to meet with the lady in the ballroom where we'll be having the reception, allowing me a few glances to re-establish myself with the space--I haven't been there since Jen and John's wedding like three years ago (Greg did all the venue booking, because he's a CATCH). After all the usual questions and such, she informed us that next weekend was going to be a busy one at the Scoular...there were events Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, AND Saturday.
Usually when vendors tell me about other people's events I listen with friendly interest, but this did not make me happy.
Mainly because having an event on Thursday means we can't decorate early.
It was so perfect, when we thought we could decorate on Thursday. We could take our time, fix anything that didn't look quite as we had envisioned. Most importantly, I wouldn't have to fucking deal with it on my wedding day. I could maybe sleep in (if my body allowed such a thing...it rarely does) take my time on my hair and makeup. Now we have to not only set ours up on Friday, but deal with them cleaning up the mess of the night before. She said the earliest we could come in is at 930, but if we came in at 1130 they could guarantee that everything would be ready.
Welllll, 930 means getting up early, but 11 means a vein pops in my head if anything, anything goes wrong. SO 930 it is then. Rock and roll.
This was coupled with a string of RSVP issues (I said no more RSVPs, but I'm letting many slip in because they're people who really ought to be there. The ones that make my eye twitch are either the people we don't know super well, or the people who, one week before the wedding, all of the sudden want to bring two friends, or a family of five that might stop by. Twitch. Twitchtwitchtwitch.)
So I was...stressed.
I was also expecting a package today from my cousin, who did our flowers. Two other packages came (some masks and a BIG HUGE PRESENT, HOORAY) and then the mailman range my doorbell.
We'd already gotten our regular mail so I was sure these were the flowers. But when I opened the door, it was just a man. A concerned looking man.
"We have some packages for you, but one of them looks as though it might have been damaged. You might want to check it out, see if anything inside is broken. If it is, just bring it back to the post office and we'll have you fill out the forms to be compensated."
And then he goes to the truck and he brings me two boxes...and "looks as though" and "might have been damaged" were UNDERSTATEMENTS. One of the boxes looks like it's been attacked by dogs, and one with the top completely collapsed until it looks like it was bent in half. I look at the shipping label and sure enough, these are my flowers. I think my heart actually stopped.
This was my day. HOWEVER, next I will tell you about how I opened the boxes, and everything was fine, and the flowers are beautiful. And how that fixes everything in the world.
Or, um, I can tell you that right now, and then just post pictures of my flowers. That works too.

dress fitted, mind changed, f bombs dropped

This post is FULL of profanity. I apologize.

I know I've been absent. Ironically enough, if you are actually doing wedding stuff, or your wedding is rapidly approaching (fifty seven days....shit) then you don't have time to blog about your wedding, what you've been planning, or how it's rapidly approaching.


But you all keep me accountable so...let's blog this thing.


First of all, I had a second Hastings super wedding weekend. This weekend was significantly less fun than the last weekend, mostly because people either reminded me at how far behind I am at this wedding thing (thanks) or made the wedding planning harder in various ways (again, appreciated) but I'm not going to let this get me down. I am a wedding planning machine, motherfuckers. You do not want to mess with this engaged lady. I have shit I need to do.
That is another reason why it took me so long to post.
But I digress. Obvs.

I had a dress fitting. Yay! I can't post pictures on here because I want to keep that at least SLIGHTLY under wraps, at least from Greg, but I can show you my face when I first put my dress on:
That is a look of joy and a deep love for pretty things that now belong to me.

Once I got over the initial giddiness of being in my Wedding Dress, I saw myself in the big mirror and it was...interesting. I love my dress, still. I just had one of those little diva moments when I looked at myself in a dress that was actually mine and freaked out a little when it didn't look like the dress I had tried on before...probably because this one was probably three sizes bigger. I needed a bigger dress because I am a big girl on top (not just big busted, but big waisted and big ribbed) but I'm pretty small in the hip area, so what had previously looked like a modified mermaid now looked like a big off-white tube and I was. Not. Happy. However once they got me all pinned up I was happily back into mermaid territory and that crisis was averted.

That crisis. Then we go to my hair piece. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.
See those under eye circles? Those weren't there before they put that thing on my head. But it is very pretty, I will give you that.

So let's just break it down for a moment: I am with the design camp that is currently very popular that loves little birds and branches and leaves and deer and etc etc etc. So when we first went to the shop, in May, and I saw a pretty little headband that looked like the branch of a very sparkly tree that wrapped around the head, I thought "ooooooh pretty."
My sister also thought "ooooooh pretty" and I tried it on. We decided to order it as well when we ordered my dress. And then we drove away.
And the moment we drove away from the store I thought...do I want that headband, really?
And then I fretted over the damn thing for like four months.
First of all, they didn't let me take a picture of it, or give me the item number, so I was going strictly from memory about how the thing actually looked, which made trying to find co-ordinating jewelry a bitch. It was also gold, which made silver jewelry pretty much a no go. And it's very sparkly, which could lead to overkill of bling. It also eliminated the addition of feathers to my hair for the reception, which I had been toying around with and had really liked the idea. Also I worried about my hair, and how it would affect that.
'So I will say I was a little apprehensive. I thought that once I saw it and could try it on again things would get better. They didn't.
Look how happy I am. Oh no wait...this is my "flipping out on the inside" face. There were some issues with the headband.

First of all they didn't order me a head piece, they pulled it off the shelf. I am fine with sample items, but this one had been a-bused and was showing the wear and tear, and they had charged us full price. Some of the leaves and sparklies were hanging on by strings of hot glue. So that made me less than happy. Secondly, whenever it touched my hair it became instantly tangled, which would make it impossible to adjust any part of my hair style on the wedding day.

Finally I just didn't like the way it made me look. I couldn't make myself like it.

But I didn't let on that it wasn't working, because that's just not my style. I didn't want to disappoint my mom and sister, who had helped me pick it out. I didn't want the very nice ladies at the Bridal Isle to think I was being a diva bitch. I didn't want to put anyone out. Usually at this point I swallow my misgivings and just take one for the team.

Then I looked at myself in the mirror and thought "But it's MY WEDDING."

And that kicked it. I took the headband off. I found myself a big pair of earrings and I put them on and I said, this is what looks good on me. Big ass earrings. And everyone agreed. Even the lady who was supposed to sell me the hundred dollar headband.

But of course I'm still a pussy, so I was going to take the headband anyway, but my AMAZING SISTER earned her Mrs OH status in about five minutes by forcing me to speak up and getting them to give us a refund. I love that bitch sometimes.

So I guess the moral of this story is, in a world where the word "bridezilla" is thrown around a lot, sometimes you have to say "It's my special day, motherfucker! And I'm gonna do what I want!" As long as you say that part quietly to yourself. Outloud you say, "Excuse me? I don't think this is going to work out" and just say "motherfucker" with your eyes. It'll get you far, and it'll save you a hundred bucks.


SOooooo, any suggestions for huge ass earrings? My ears are now available.

i'll be back soon

I know it's been a while, I'm busily working to get Shakespeare on the Green on...the....green. Working in the costume shop for fifteen hours a day really drains the brain, and when I get home, I really want to go to bed, not look at different photographers.

(reminder to self: LOOK AT PHOTOGRAPHERS. and then post about it)

I have a box of ribbons and feathers sitting by the door waiting to go to my fabulous cousin who is doing our flowers, and about once or twice a week my mom calls to ask if I have sent it yet. There is a meeting looming with our number one catering choice. Our rehearsal dinner venue has changed. Again. Probably. And maybe, someday, we will sign a contract with our ceremony location.

But I don't want to do that right now. I'm still very enthused about getting married, I'm just so very, very tired. And the thought of making decisions (and paying deposits) kind of makes me want to cry.

But that doesn't matter. Because I'm getting married in ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY TWO DAYS, and decisions have to be made.

Luckily I am marrying someone who is both incredibly organized and thoughtful, and (hallelujah!) has Mondays off, and he has been doing the planning for me. Other brides, start your gasping now. And just to let you know---it's WONDERFUL.

Also, I just think, when I'm done...I'll be married. And happy. AND IN MEXICO.
Ahhhh, so THAT'S why people have honeymoons. I get it now.

Bridesmaid Dresses

or, alternately:
SHIT.
or, third title option:
Bride Lesson: Stop Assuming Things Will Make Sense
and last but not least:
Please Help Me.

Let's go back that beautiful moment in Loomis when I realized that I was actually wearing the dress in which I would be married. It was a lovely moment. Things were in place. We decided while we were there that we should maybe look into bridesmaid dresses and have my sister (the Mrs-0-H) try on a few of the styles and colors I had been considering so we could see those colors next to my dress because, you know, it all goes around the dress.
Getting married is a very selfish endeavor.
Well it turns out I was once again wrong about what I wanted for this wedding. Or I suppose "Ignorant to the Beautiful Possibilities" is a nicer way to say it. I said I wanted a short, simple dress, and I end up with a long, elegant, pleated to within an inch of its life confection of dress perfectitude. I also thought I wanted plain brown dresses for the bridesmaids, possibly bought from an online source like jcrew, overstock.com, or even Target. I figured brown was a nice neutral safe ground and would maximize re-wearability.
But then I realized, when I actually had Jessie trying on dresses next to my dress, that I had forgotten that I have really beautiful bridesmaids with lots of personality, and that neither of those things were being represented by "brown." So I decided to shake things up a bit and go back to a color scheme that I had briefly considered: purple and orange. Or, as we later discovered, "Grape" and "Sienna." These colors are really gorgeous together, are Halloween and Fall themed without making one gag, and lucky for me, I have two bridesmaids that will look brilliant in burnt orange and three that will glow in dark purple. Once we got down to the swatches, clearly the perfect colors were made by Alexia designs. They didn't have any dresses that really thrilled me in the store, but they gave me a website address where I could view all their styles. I went, I looked, and I was unimpressed...until I chanced a click on their separates collection, where I found this:


I really love this dress. The pleating on the top hollas back to my dress while also offering a little tummy camouflage (I figure if my dress lets me stick it out all the way, why not theirs?) I also loved the idea of separates because my maids are all different sizes and I didn't want them to spend an arm, a leg, and a sleepless night over alterations. It seemed perfect!
Until I emailed for a quote and it turns out they don't make tea-length skirts for their separates.
THIS MAKES NO SENSE TO ME WHATSOEVER, especially since most of their bridesmaid dress styles are available in tea-length and it's like the most popular style at the moment.
So I had to look somewhere else, where the colors are not "Grape" and "Sienna." (which, not to have a total bride moment, but other colors of burnt orange and dark purple are not the same. Boo hoo hoo. Poor me.)

I remembered Jessie trying on an Alfred Angelo at the store. I liked their purple color better, but the orange was just a little more orangey than I liked. But I would rather have "slightly orangey" than no orange at all, and I found out he has a separate line WITH TEA-LENGTH SKIRTS. As one OUGHT TO HAVE. Suck it, Alexia.Their separate line has several super cute options that add pleats and visual interest:





The only problem I have with their line is that in the virtual simulator the skirt seems to be a slightly lighter color than the tops. I'm not sure if this actually bothers me or not. Probably not. There's also a dress or two, although I'm not entirely willing to give up on the separates:
So I thought, let's go with Alfred Angelo then. These are pretty cute!


But then I was reminded today by one of my fabulous fellow costumer friends that if I really liked the Alexia ones, the skirts could probably just be chopped off by a skilled seamstress and it wouldn't look to funky. So now I'm totally torn.

Alexia pros: The orange is a prettier, more sophisticated color, and I think Alexia is slightly cheaper than Alfred Angelo. It also has the most structured pleating, and the skirt seems to match colors almost perfectly. And, here's a big one, Alexia is carried by net bride, so girls who couldn't find a salon or wanted a discount could order online through them.

Alfred Angelo pros: We wouldn't have to worry about someone butchering the bottom skirt because it would be the proper length. Alfred Angelo is also a lot easier to find in salon if not on net bride. Also I think the pleats on the first top pictured above look the most like the ones on my dress.

Please give input, ESPECIALLY if you're one of the bridesmaids in question...this has to be decided SOON!

But just so you can see I'm not crazy, check out how pretty the colors will look together:

dang nabbit!

I have been skulking around ebay lately, looking at the pretty dresses. I've bid on a handlful of dresses that are NOT wedding, at all:And this one, which is too springy for a Hallowedding but still super cute:
But I did some SERIOUS bidding on this dress, thinking that it would be a fantastic reception dress. But damn me, I had a show this afternoon and couldn't sit at the computer, and they beat me BY A DOLLAR. Ebay you break my heart.
Look how orange!Petticoats!

I think I will continue down this path, but I also think I'll be a more defensive bidder. That orange dress going to someone else makes me sad. Especially for fifty one damn dollars.

A Lull in Traffic

Sorry for the lag in posts, we've hit a bit of a wall in our lives. Shannon's got six different theatre projects going at the moment, I've got four of my own, one of them being the direction of my mainstage debut with a world premiere play at the New Ways/New Works festival at UNO. I've got a great cast and it's going incredibly well, but it is a drain on the ol' time banks.

Anyhow, we're getting very close to having a confirmed venue for the reception, with it being down to just a couple of options at the moment. It'll just be a matter of prioritizing and budget from here on out, but neither of us are level-headed enough given our current schedules to make that commitment. We will have a location by the end of the month and that's when we'll be spreading our truly phenomenal STDs. HA! Also, this blog will be moving to the true Hallowedding website, so RSVPs can start flowing in and we can start our registry and all of that business.

So while we haven't posted in a bit, the gears are still turning. They just aren't very interesting to watch. To make it up to you, here's a desktop background I made out of history's most ridiculous event. Call it a gift. It's optimized for widescreen monitors, but it'll do on the others in a pinch. Click through the link to get to the full size version. Take care!

a looooong weekend before a long weekend

Last weekend was my birthday, the end of my show at the Playhouse, and the week that EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF MY FAMILY came to town. It was high stress. My dad hadn't told any of his side of the family that I was engaged because he thought I wanted to--but I think I may have expressed that this is embarrassing to me, like announcing it's one's own birthday, and I just want people to magically know and be happy for us. And maybe buy us drinks. But I think we all handled it very well. It was the first time Greg had spent time with that side of the family (and he ended up spending A LOT of time with that side of the family) and he just charmed the pants off of everyone because he's just impressive like that.
It was my dad's birthday as well, and so we exchanged presents. When that was done he said, so tell me about the wedding. And so we started laying out the plans we had already made, discussed our planning process, etc. I was kind of waiting for the "how is it getting paid for" talk but it never came. So I thought, oh well, I can talk it over with him at Thanksgiving.
But nooooooooooo. No, my new retail job decided to schedule me until close the day before Thanksgiving and at 9 a.m. the day after. Which is awesome, since I am going out of town. So I will arrive at midnight tonight and leave after dinner tomorrow and that means I don't get a dad thanksgiving at all! So I guess we'll have the talk at...Christmas? Awesome. It's hard for me to ask for money. I was kind of hoping I could do it when my brother was around since my dad so highly regards his opinion, but oh well. Nothing I can do about it now.
But you know I can't get TOO bummed about things because this Saturday is ENGAGEMENT PARTY! With dresses and fancy snacks.

And it is also snowing. And it's okay now to decorate for Christmas. Which are not Hallowedding related it is just wonderful.