Trapped in the midst of the seemingly endless debate as to whether a band or a dj is a better option for wedding music, and taking into account the time and location of our wedding (mid-day, in my grandmother's backyard), and knowing that my fiance is not what you'd call a "dancer," and that I wont be able to really get my groove on in front of certain people who are invited to the wedding (for instance, the old family friends who last saw me dance when they came over to watch my 11-year-old self and younger sisters put on a "show" that included dancing and lip-syncing to "Hakuna Matata" from the Lion King), my fiance and I have come to a few conclusions.
1) We're getting married in the Texas hill country.
2) If people want to dance, they certainly can.
3) If people want to sit back and enjoy some great music, they can do that, too.
And
4) If people don't like the Beatles, they shouldn't really be at our wedding anyway.
That being said, for music at our wedding, my good friend Dave Wilson hooked us up and got us the band Beatlegras. AND WE ARE SO EXCITED! What could be a better musical combination than Beatles and Bluegrass?
So, now we need some help. Obviously, Beatles music will be on the playlist. But we need stuff to play between sets and some other non-Beatles options.
Send me your suggestions for great tunes, that Beatles-lovers would like, that will blend well with the beautiful Texas hill country, and that people can dance to or sit back and enjoy.
It's probably true that you can't buy love, but we know we'll get by with a little help from our friends...
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wowzers...
Other than being a fan of the original cartoon Inspector Gadget....I'm really freaking sore.
Those of you who've done pilates before...why didn't you warn me? I mean, I thought I'd done pilates before. My college roommates and I would push our couch back, roll out our mats in front of the tv and try to mimic the shapes into which some blond woman in a blue unitard (who always seemed to be in the middle of the desert for some reason) would twist her body. It was never really that hard, and most of the time kinda boring.
But this. This is different. For one thing, they have...machines. Pilates machines! I always thought it was just mats and tight spandex. And it can be that. So I've seen. But not at Telos.
I walked into a room with light wood floors, soft lighting, and random bamboo features. It felt really warm and cozy, but also fresh and clean. And lo and behold, there were what looked like torture devices placed sporadically around the room. No kidding, made of wood, with bars and springs and loops and leather straps, it looked like a chamber of doom.
I had no idea what I was getting into because I didn't see mats anywhere, but of course when they asked "Have you done pilates before?" I wanted to seem cool and confident, so I said, "Oh, yeah, definitely." Then they said, "Ok, great, well hope onto the Cadillac, and we'll get started." And it was a good thing they gestured toward what looked like a cot with a canopy of springs over it, because the only cadillac I knew of is a car.
Here are pictures of what I have since found out are the pilates machines:
This is the "Cadillac."
This is the "Reformer."
And this is the "Chair."
Isn't that the worst name ever for a workout machine that supposed to be good for you? It's so ominous. "Next, we'll head over to the chair." The CHAIR. And it's the hardest. The other stuff is hard, and I do some crazy ab crunches that leave me breathless, but the chair. My butt is SORE because of the chair.
But I will say, my love handles have diminished, my stomach is firmer, and my thighs...well. They're getting there. Or, not as there.
Only 4 month until the wedding, I still have to find bridesmaids dresses, create a song list for the band, taste the food, etc. etc. and I have my first dress fitting next month.
Bring on the machines!
Those of you who've done pilates before...why didn't you warn me? I mean, I thought I'd done pilates before. My college roommates and I would push our couch back, roll out our mats in front of the tv and try to mimic the shapes into which some blond woman in a blue unitard (who always seemed to be in the middle of the desert for some reason) would twist her body. It was never really that hard, and most of the time kinda boring.
But this. This is different. For one thing, they have...machines. Pilates machines! I always thought it was just mats and tight spandex. And it can be that. So I've seen. But not at Telos.
I walked into a room with light wood floors, soft lighting, and random bamboo features. It felt really warm and cozy, but also fresh and clean. And lo and behold, there were what looked like torture devices placed sporadically around the room. No kidding, made of wood, with bars and springs and loops and leather straps, it looked like a chamber of doom.
I had no idea what I was getting into because I didn't see mats anywhere, but of course when they asked "Have you done pilates before?" I wanted to seem cool and confident, so I said, "Oh, yeah, definitely." Then they said, "Ok, great, well hope onto the Cadillac, and we'll get started." And it was a good thing they gestured toward what looked like a cot with a canopy of springs over it, because the only cadillac I knew of is a car.
Here are pictures of what I have since found out are the pilates machines:
This is the "Cadillac."
This is the "Reformer."
And this is the "Chair."
Isn't that the worst name ever for a workout machine that supposed to be good for you? It's so ominous. "Next, we'll head over to the chair." The CHAIR. And it's the hardest. The other stuff is hard, and I do some crazy ab crunches that leave me breathless, but the chair. My butt is SORE because of the chair.
But I will say, my love handles have diminished, my stomach is firmer, and my thighs...well. They're getting there. Or, not as there.
Only 4 month until the wedding, I still have to find bridesmaids dresses, create a song list for the band, taste the food, etc. etc. and I have my first dress fitting next month.
Bring on the machines!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Which door is she gonna choose, Bob?
So the more I plan this wedding, the more I think about ditching it all and eloping.
No kidding. And we're actually pretty far along planning wise. (It's funny how these things seem to take on a life of their own, especially when my mom's involved. She's one motivated lady.)
I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but we decided to get married at my grandmother's house on Lake Travis just outside of Austin. Isn't that nice? Yeah. It's sweet. But even more than that...
You know those places that are, just for you, sanctuaries? They're places that maybe aren't perfect, and might be a little random, but still, no matter what they are, when you're there, it's as if you're standing on sacred ground, and you seem to find a bit of peace in an otherwise hectic world. This is one of those places for me. (As is the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, but it would cost way too much to get married there.) It's one of the only places I can go and relax and just...be. Which sounds cheesy, but it's true. And I love my Mimi. And she loves my fiance. So we're all happy about this.
So we got the place, and we've talked to a caterer (but no tastings yet, so we'll have to check that out before we finalize), and we've picked out invitations (they're cute), and we've finalized a guest list (which was the BIGGEST NIGHTMARE EVER. I...I don't even want to think about it. Or write about it. It was so horrible. But it's over, breathe, thank goodness.) Oh, and we picked a photographer, which actually is something I'm really excited about!
Anne Marie Photography is a couple of girls who shoot in the Austin/San Antonio area, and they are really talented. My cousin, who got married a year ago last March recommended them to me. My fiance and I love photography and photographing and Photoshop and probably anything else with "photo" for a prefix (yes, smart ass, even "photosynthesis." How else would plants stay alive? We like plants.) And my fiance has a great eye for detail, patterns, color...he's quite good, and his photos adorn the walls of my apartment. So it was important for us to find a photographer whose work we actually liked.
Mini wedding photographer rant:
Because seriously? There are some crappy photographers out there, and you know how you can tell? Poses. How do they pose people in pictures? Some of the stuff these people come up with... I mean, who in their right minds would ever arrange their bodies in that position?? Arms sticking out in odd angles, stupid "serious-faces" that make them look unhappy to be getting married. Ugh, it's awful. And THEN, they have the nerve to charge you that arm and leg they just had you stick out in a grotesque position. I looked at photographers from anywhere from $2,000-$7,000, not including tax. That's like $1,000 an hour! That's just plain crazy!
But you gotta get a good one. Because apparently memories don't last forever, everyone forgets their wedding, and the pictures will be all you have. Ok, done.
So, yeah, we picked a great photographer, I have a dress, we've registered, and have started planning showers. See, we're doing ok!
Plus I'm loving pilates right now. I feel great after each sesssion, and I'm pretty sure I wont be as motivated to get tone if the only one who will see me on my wedding day is my soon to be husband and some random online ordinand.
And yet, I still get the urge to lose the deposits, sell my unworn dress on ebay, and elope.
Which door am I gonna choose? Sigh.
You know, I gotta say, after writing all of this out, as tiring and stressful as it's been, I think I want to go through with the whole thing. To make a life-time committment, at my grandmother's house, in front of our dearest friends and family, to the man I love, while wearing a stunning dress and looking good doing it...I just don't think I want to give that up.
So it's to the altar for me! Or at least to the big oak tree down by the lake.
No kidding. And we're actually pretty far along planning wise. (It's funny how these things seem to take on a life of their own, especially when my mom's involved. She's one motivated lady.)
I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but we decided to get married at my grandmother's house on Lake Travis just outside of Austin. Isn't that nice? Yeah. It's sweet. But even more than that...
You know those places that are, just for you, sanctuaries? They're places that maybe aren't perfect, and might be a little random, but still, no matter what they are, when you're there, it's as if you're standing on sacred ground, and you seem to find a bit of peace in an otherwise hectic world. This is one of those places for me. (As is the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, but it would cost way too much to get married there.) It's one of the only places I can go and relax and just...be. Which sounds cheesy, but it's true. And I love my Mimi. And she loves my fiance. So we're all happy about this.
So we got the place, and we've talked to a caterer (but no tastings yet, so we'll have to check that out before we finalize), and we've picked out invitations (they're cute), and we've finalized a guest list (which was the BIGGEST NIGHTMARE EVER. I...I don't even want to think about it. Or write about it. It was so horrible. But it's over, breathe, thank goodness.) Oh, and we picked a photographer, which actually is something I'm really excited about!
Anne Marie Photography is a couple of girls who shoot in the Austin/San Antonio area, and they are really talented. My cousin, who got married a year ago last March recommended them to me. My fiance and I love photography and photographing and Photoshop and probably anything else with "photo" for a prefix (yes, smart ass, even "photosynthesis." How else would plants stay alive? We like plants.) And my fiance has a great eye for detail, patterns, color...he's quite good, and his photos adorn the walls of my apartment. So it was important for us to find a photographer whose work we actually liked.
Mini wedding photographer rant:
Because seriously? There are some crappy photographers out there, and you know how you can tell? Poses. How do they pose people in pictures? Some of the stuff these people come up with... I mean, who in their right minds would ever arrange their bodies in that position?? Arms sticking out in odd angles, stupid "serious-faces" that make them look unhappy to be getting married. Ugh, it's awful. And THEN, they have the nerve to charge you that arm and leg they just had you stick out in a grotesque position. I looked at photographers from anywhere from $2,000-$7,000, not including tax. That's like $1,000 an hour! That's just plain crazy!
But you gotta get a good one. Because apparently memories don't last forever, everyone forgets their wedding, and the pictures will be all you have. Ok, done.
So, yeah, we picked a great photographer, I have a dress, we've registered, and have started planning showers. See, we're doing ok!
Plus I'm loving pilates right now. I feel great after each sesssion, and I'm pretty sure I wont be as motivated to get tone if the only one who will see me on my wedding day is my soon to be husband and some random online ordinand.
And yet, I still get the urge to lose the deposits, sell my unworn dress on ebay, and elope.
Which door am I gonna choose? Sigh.
You know, I gotta say, after writing all of this out, as tiring and stressful as it's been, I think I want to go through with the whole thing. To make a life-time committment, at my grandmother's house, in front of our dearest friends and family, to the man I love, while wearing a stunning dress and looking good doing it...I just don't think I want to give that up.
So it's to the altar for me! Or at least to the big oak tree down by the lake.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Well, I did it...
I got a dress and my fiance and I joined a gym. And I admit one is definitely, slightly related to the other.
The dress is beautiful, but I'm not going to post a picture until after my husband sees me in it. And the gym is really more than a gym.
First things first. The dress. I must say I'm quite proud of myself...it was the 6th dress I tried on at the first place I went.
You see, my Uncle Bruno (who isn't really my uncle, but one of those people you call your uncle because he's been around since before you can remember, and you've grown up hearing your parents refer to him by saying things like, "Say goodbye to Uncle Bruno," and "Give Uncle Bruno a hug," and "Pour Uncle Bruno some more wine," etc.) took me dress shopping with my mom, and my youngest sister.
So the place I went in Houston is called Ventura's Bridal and it's this great warehouse type structure, and you walk in and you're accosted by very dramatic posters of very dramatic brides in very uncomfortable looking poses. But then you're ushered into the back and there are about 10-15 racks of designer wedding dresses, one after another and you just go through them. I picked 6 dresses, and after trying on all of them, and wittling it down to two, my final choice was the last one I had picked. Uncle Bruno (who should know) said it looked like it cost $5000. Trust me. It didn't.
I teared up for a split second when I stepped out of the dressing room in the first wedding dress I had ever put on in my entire life. It did make things seem a little more real at that moment, but I think my sensitivity mainly was hightened by the very young looking girl who was on the next stand over from me, who had just walked out, seen her dad, busted out crying as he started crying and ran into his embrace. It was moving. There was certainly no tears busting out of my mom, in fact I think she looked at me like she couldn't believe her eldest daughter was actually in a wedding dress. But I know deep down she was excited, too.
TIP: Because I chose a wedding dress on my first visit, I got 10% off the final price, which essentially means I didn't have to pay tax.
And secondly, the gym. Like I said, the gym is way more than a gym. More a spa-like fitness center.
It's called Telos, is actually kind of great, and even though it's not what you would call "inexpensive," I have to say I think it's going to be worth it. Let me just say this: they have individual, claw-footed jet tubs in the women's locker room. Fabulous. Plus the more I think of that dress, the more I want to be at Telos. I'm specifically doing a pilates program they offer, trusting them when they say pilates is just the pre-wedding thing for a wedding day body. I definitely want to tone and lean up, especially around the upper back and arm area since my dress is strapless.
Plus, with pilates there's this 10-20-30 idea: after 10 sessions you feel different, after 20 sessions you begin to look different, and after 30 sessions you're a completely different person. On the outside at least.
Never be afraid of change. I'm in it for the long haul.
TIP: This place gives you one free pilates lesson with your membership so you can try it out, plus a free assessment with a personal trainer who develops a personal workout regime for you. Again, so far, it's totally worth it.
The dress is beautiful, but I'm not going to post a picture until after my husband sees me in it. And the gym is really more than a gym.
First things first. The dress. I must say I'm quite proud of myself...it was the 6th dress I tried on at the first place I went.
You see, my Uncle Bruno (who isn't really my uncle, but one of those people you call your uncle because he's been around since before you can remember, and you've grown up hearing your parents refer to him by saying things like, "Say goodbye to Uncle Bruno," and "Give Uncle Bruno a hug," and "Pour Uncle Bruno some more wine," etc.) took me dress shopping with my mom, and my youngest sister.
So the place I went in Houston is called Ventura's Bridal and it's this great warehouse type structure, and you walk in and you're accosted by very dramatic posters of very dramatic brides in very uncomfortable looking poses. But then you're ushered into the back and there are about 10-15 racks of designer wedding dresses, one after another and you just go through them. I picked 6 dresses, and after trying on all of them, and wittling it down to two, my final choice was the last one I had picked. Uncle Bruno (who should know) said it looked like it cost $5000. Trust me. It didn't.
I teared up for a split second when I stepped out of the dressing room in the first wedding dress I had ever put on in my entire life. It did make things seem a little more real at that moment, but I think my sensitivity mainly was hightened by the very young looking girl who was on the next stand over from me, who had just walked out, seen her dad, busted out crying as he started crying and ran into his embrace. It was moving. There was certainly no tears busting out of my mom, in fact I think she looked at me like she couldn't believe her eldest daughter was actually in a wedding dress. But I know deep down she was excited, too.
TIP: Because I chose a wedding dress on my first visit, I got 10% off the final price, which essentially means I didn't have to pay tax.
And secondly, the gym. Like I said, the gym is way more than a gym. More a spa-like fitness center.
It's called Telos, is actually kind of great, and even though it's not what you would call "inexpensive," I have to say I think it's going to be worth it. Let me just say this: they have individual, claw-footed jet tubs in the women's locker room. Fabulous. Plus the more I think of that dress, the more I want to be at Telos. I'm specifically doing a pilates program they offer, trusting them when they say pilates is just the pre-wedding thing for a wedding day body. I definitely want to tone and lean up, especially around the upper back and arm area since my dress is strapless.
Plus, with pilates there's this 10-20-30 idea: after 10 sessions you feel different, after 20 sessions you begin to look different, and after 30 sessions you're a completely different person. On the outside at least.
Never be afraid of change. I'm in it for the long haul.
TIP: This place gives you one free pilates lesson with your membership so you can try it out, plus a free assessment with a personal trainer who develops a personal workout regime for you. Again, so far, it's totally worth it.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Let me just say...
I'm really bad at planning a wedding. Really bad. I don't like it and I'm not good at it and I wish I didn't have to do it.
Don't get me wrong...I'm really excited about being married, especially to the man to whom I'm getting married. He's great. But planning the wedding in which we will become married? Not so good.
And here's why I have to say "I hate to be dramatic," because 1) planning a wedding really is hard when you have a full time job (doesn't that just sound dramatic?), and 2) I've got to start working out/eating right (that just plain is dramatic).
And, look. I know I'm not saving the world from nuclear war here, but I work hard and I get really busy and it's hard to stop what I'm doing to decide whether I want satin or lamore tablecloths. And I know I'm not rediculously over-weight or tremendously out of shape, but it's true my metabolism has slowed down, and I sit at a desk for 8 hours a day, and I just can't resist eating a whole bag of popcorn (or cookies, or chips, or a block of cheese, or ice cream, etc.) when I get home from work.
So if I'm going to be in a state of getting married for the next 5 months (which I will be), then I think I'm going to have to embrace the drama of planning a wedding, choose the satin tablecloths, put down the hamburger, and start some serious sweating (and not by simply turning my a/c off).
Here we go.
Don't get me wrong...I'm really excited about being married, especially to the man to whom I'm getting married. He's great. But planning the wedding in which we will become married? Not so good.
And here's why I have to say "I hate to be dramatic," because 1) planning a wedding really is hard when you have a full time job (doesn't that just sound dramatic?), and 2) I've got to start working out/eating right (that just plain is dramatic).
And, look. I know I'm not saving the world from nuclear war here, but I work hard and I get really busy and it's hard to stop what I'm doing to decide whether I want satin or lamore tablecloths. And I know I'm not rediculously over-weight or tremendously out of shape, but it's true my metabolism has slowed down, and I sit at a desk for 8 hours a day, and I just can't resist eating a whole bag of popcorn (or cookies, or chips, or a block of cheese, or ice cream, etc.) when I get home from work.
So if I'm going to be in a state of getting married for the next 5 months (which I will be), then I think I'm going to have to embrace the drama of planning a wedding, choose the satin tablecloths, put down the hamburger, and start some serious sweating (and not by simply turning my a/c off).
Here we go.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
It has begun...and is
In spite of the opinion held by many people I've come in contact with (all of them non-bloggers) who say that blogging is the most self-absorbed way of communicating there is (notwithstanding the auto-biography, I'm sure), I have decided to write a blog about getting married.
I've never seen the movie "Rachel Getting Married" (and can't say I've heard great things about it, never-mind that the star, whom I can only really take seriously as Princess Mia, received an Oscar nod), but I have to admit I like the tense of the phrase: it makes it seem like getting married is an ever present experience, not just something that will happen one day in the future, but something that is always in the process of happening.
And so far, I'm am certainly finding that to be true.
I've never seen the movie "Rachel Getting Married" (and can't say I've heard great things about it, never-mind that the star, whom I can only really take seriously as Princess Mia, received an Oscar nod), but I have to admit I like the tense of the phrase: it makes it seem like getting married is an ever present experience, not just something that will happen one day in the future, but something that is always in the process of happening.
And so far, I'm am certainly finding that to be true.
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