Call theNYPD

So the wedding went off without a hitch!!

I was a little freaked out when the hair stylist admitted 3/4 of the way through the session that he is colorist and that the woman who usually does up-dos was on vacation. After 4 attempts at a French Twist, I told him just to pull it up and stick the awesome feather fascinator in it. He did, it was fine.

Then, after our first photo, I managed to leave my bouquet on a pillar - never to be seen again. The NYPD - I kid you not - was called in to look for it, but alas, it is gone forever. That is some bad mojo for whoever picked it up and didn't return it...

It was a great time and it has been described as "memorable" so I am happy.

We are packing for the honeymoon, so this will be unsatisfactory and brief...it was a great day, though - from the weather to the food to the company: we had a wonderful time!

More posts to come - there will be stories of Glasgow, Amsterdam, and Ghent! Wooooooot!!!!

Aleny's Prima Tailor & Dressmaker needs to wash her hands

As a follow-up: I just tried on my dress and there is a stain on the right breast (this is in addition to the stain I saw by the buttons last week and called to her attention). Unbelievable. It looks like makeup? I am trying not to blow a gasket, but I paid this woman $240 for minimal - and it would seem - careless work.

I am by no means a Bridezilla, but I cannot let this slide. Now I have to call and leave a message (she is not there at 4.39pm on a Friday) and alert her to her incompetence. I don't want to be mean, but she has to know that I am unhappy and disappointed. This is ivory silk taffeta, one would expect utmost care. There is nothing she (or I, for that matter) can do except hope that no one notices...or that I am so radiant the streak can't be seen.

This woman came so well reviewed online and she was so nice when she took my measurements...little did I know she was secretly Nosferatu.

Tomorrow is the Big Day

Well I have to confess - I almost shit a diamond this week. I had absolutely no idea how stressful the week before a wedding can be.

On Wednesday alone I was: A) blind-sided with the last minute detail that I needed to get an insurance policy for $1,000,000.00 / $2,000,000.00 (yes, those are millions...and in US dollars) and B) finally received my finalized proposal and invoice.

On Thursday I had a migraine and was practically rendered useless.

Today I am feeling much better and have very little to accomplish - I dropped off stuff at the zoo, tasted some specialty cocktails, and got a manicure / pedicure (red polish, of course).

In 90 minutes we'll have our rehearsal and then it's off to dinner. First, I will take the time whilst alone to try on my dress for the final time to find out if I can have beer tonight (if that puppy is snug, it will be seltzer all night long)!

Not sleeping...no gym...PPT abounds

I have to confess that sometimes the early morning is wonderful. In New York City one doesn't get a great deal of A) quiet and B) time to be entirely alone. This morning I have both and I am grateful.

We are 2 days to the wedding and yesterday I thought my head was going to explode. The Zoo can't seem to get its act together...we have yet to pay them because until last night at roughly 7.46pm we didn't have a corrected proposal. Yup, 2 families descending on me whom I have promised food and booze and I have not yet paid for food and booze. For those of you that know me, I am extremely organized and firmly believe in preparedness, so this turn of events has my lower intestine crying and my right eye relentlessly twitching. Oh, and they failed to mention over the past 10 months that we are required to provide a certificate of insurance for the event to the tune of $1,000,000 policy and $2,000,000 aggregate. We learned that yesterday at 2.53pm...3 days before the wedding.

Then on the work front, a project I have been trying to complete since June may once again be pushed off owing to petty decisions. And I stunned myself when I pulled some Quantitative Research Analysis lingo out of my butt during a meeting. My skin crawled (see posts from May for a gentle reminder has to how much I loathed that course).

Anyway, I am up now working on a PPT slide for use at the rehearsal. One can always use visual supplements. Have I mentioned I am extremely organized and firmly believe in preparedness?

Yes, I did.

No purkin' patch for us this year

Because we are under the weather, we are sadly not going to the pumpkin patch this year. We specifically set aside this weekend to gather pumpkins and gourds for decorations, but, alas, it is not to be. Instead I went to the local grocery store and was gouged for some gourds (paid by the pound).

Anyway, this will be a short post as I need to get ready for the gym: have to keep my immune system cranking.

It's not a tumor

I guess there has been too much excitement...we are both sick. Antibiotics abound and I have a swollen gland on the back of my neck the size of a golf ball (it's not a tumor). As a former singer, I am well acquainted with my lymph nodes and this one is ANGRY.

In the hopes of curtailing the spread, we slept separately last night. I think it's old-school romantic...you know, because we are not yet married.

I think I need someone to lance this thing...

Stood Up

I am having the kind of week where I might punch someone in the throat. Day after day I am met with blatant incompetence, laziness, or indifference either from various contractors with whom I am dealing at work or from the various vendors I have contracted for this wedding.

Today, I was stood up for a fitting at the tailor's. You know, the one that charged me a $100 deposit. Now I have to go back to see her on Tuesday, 10/19 and she guarantees me that the work will be done on Wednesday, 10/20.

I am taking deep breaths before I have to continue with my work day. I am spending the remainder of my lunch hour (while scarfing down some stress-reducing, this-will-come-back-later-to-bite-me McDonald's) and venting on this blog. There is no need for an unsuspecting colleague to suffer the wrath - they didn't do anything wrong.

I'm exhausted

Well, I think it's finally happened: I am really, genuinely over planning this wedding. I just want to eat and drink and have a good time.

The Haunted...House...Crawl

So we had our fun Bachelor / Bachelorette party last night. And instead of a pub crawl, we all decided to just stay in. Sadly our neighborhood pubs have yet to decorate for Halloween, so that makes for a lame Haunted Pub Crawl. Since the house was decorated and the booze and food flowing, we opted to stay in.

I'm sure there will be yet more photos of me asleep in the midst of all the festivities, but that's how I roll. I nap and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

A little dispirited

Remember when I commented that as soon as one mentions "Wedding" the cost gets jacked up? Well, I came from Aleny's and am a little shell-shocked.

She is adding a few buttons, tacking the front of the dress where it overlaps (so I don't over expose myself), and putting in some snaps to conceal bra straps. And the deposit was $100. This is dispiriting. I could have lied and told her it was a costume, but it's a hard sell when you are standing there holding an ivory taffeta dress with lace.

Every couple will tell you that they were nickle and dimed just before their wedding, but it does kind of weigh on the soul.

M&J Trimming

I have to confess: I have been blogging less frequently mainly because I am overwhelmed with planning, work, and life. However, my lack of postings is also owing to the fact that I generally access the link to the blog via our wedding website, which counts down the days until the wedding, which causes me to panic a little bit...we are at 14 days. That's 2 weeks.

Well, I got through the momentary panic long enough to give a shout-out to M&J Trimming. This place is nothing short of magical: buttons, beads, ribbons, lace — it's enough to make anyone positively girlie. I bought a few accessories that I may or may not use, but that's okay as the trip was so entertaining that it's worth the minimal cost.

I also relished a tiny bit in "being the bride." There was a trio of women there shopping for bridal details and they adopted me into their fold: the wedding tribe. Jenna, an artist, was very helpful and I am always grateful for a second opinion (especially from those so visually inclined).

Anyway, I'm off now. I have to visit the seamstress this morning. I'll leave the blog site up so to be sure to post consistently over the weekend...I have to tell all about my work bridal shower and will recap tonight's Haunted Pub Crawl event!

The BusBank

Every time I think of renting this bus, I recall the expression, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket."

Part of me thinks that we are so clever, offering transportation for 75% of our guest list. I mean, so many are traveling in for our event and driving in New York City is not for the faint of heart.

The other part chastises myself for foolishly putting nearly all of guests in the hands of a bus company that will - if the Better Business Bureau can be trusted - get them there on time and in one piece.

I'm not a gambling person by nature, but the dice are on the table and I have my fingers crossed.

PS - Tony from the BusBank is a very affable guy and the company gives the impression of being highly capable. If they turn out to be otherwise, our honeymoon will take a diversion to Chicago so I can kick some Butt(Bank).