The skinny on celery

Celery is the name of my invitation ink -- anyone find that a little strange, is it alluding to the fact that most brides only eat celery for the months prior to their wedding? Just struck me as a bit odd and made me think about pre-wedding weight loss.

I don't know the statistics, but I bet a whole bunch (technical term) of brides embark on some sort of weight loss venture before getting hitched. I have to count myself within the bunch. Although, I haven't resorted to eating stalks of celery, I've definitely been watching what I eat and have started a 4-5 day a week yoga practice. I thought it would be hell, but in the pursuit of being the perfect bride, I found myself for the first time being able to maintain a diet & EXERCISE routine. I shout the latter because I am no gym rat.

A few girlfriends have commented, "oh I did that too then gained it all back". That has got to be the kiss of death. I am really in love with my plan that I don't want it to end. I am not starving, I feel good, and the pounds are dropping off, perfect! But, will the lack of a major motivation curtail a continuance of my holy grail program? I sure hope not.

Anybody else think they would try to take off a few LBs before a wedding, reunion, etc?

5 years, how do you measure?

Yesterday Erick and I hit the five year mark on our relationship. I understand that this metric will be disposed off after our impending nuptials, but although the milestone passed with neither of us noticing, it provokes deep thoughts.

For a twenty five year old, the time I've spent with Erick has been a fifth of my life. As we enter into forever-dom, I contemplate the ways one can maintain self when intertwined so tightly with another. In the end, I guess it is not the measure of self, but whether you are happy. That is really all that matters. Applied to wedding planning, it is the same.

Small thoughts for a quiet-late afternoon.

My bridezilla Dream

Have you ever had a dream that seems to span the whole night?

Well, last night I did and it was completely centered around the wedding and a little aside about setting up a surf report hotline, if you can believe that. I guess this is what happens when you talk wedding plans before going to sleep. Hopefully the actual event turns out nothing like the nocturnal, virtual version.

To begin with, the dream was completely suspended in a state of panic. For some reason, we were having the ceremony in an ugly little rec room with no windows. The flowers were every shade of the rainbow and looked like the belonged at a gravesite...and that is where my virtual or dream bridezilla came out. I began ushering the ugly flowers into a side room with the help of my mother. I insisted that I review them and find the yellow ones, as my virtual dream self had only wanted yellow flowers. I ranted and raved and told the florist, who was still there, that I would shut them down.

After that travesty, I found a spot on my gown. Even worse when I went to walk down the aisle, the music was Metallica, sandman!

I woke up about six a.m. with my ears literally ringing. I didn't know if  it was from the Metallica in my dream or the utter fear of a the not existent wedding that just happened. Sigh. Funny what your mind comes up with while you are asleep.

Swatches in Sunflowers

I never imagined that a one inch by one inch square of fabric could be so exciting, but believe me it can. A couple of days ago, my fabric swatches from j. crew arrived wrapped neatly in heavy weight textured paper. I can tell that the wedding spell is beginning to affect me and I can't resist./div>

Even my fiance is in on the fun. He has quite the green thumb and has taken on the task of growing some flowers to get an idea of what's out there and what we both like. We made a trip to Lowe's, not the first of many, and picked out some beautiful varieties of sunflowers. I am intent on making my wedding rose-free. If you need an explanation other than the merely trying to escape some tradition, simply watch Maria Full of Grace for a small peek into how horrible the flower industry is.

Tangent over.

The flowers have sprouted and the swatches are here. I think we have made the life changing decisions of what our colors will be (heavy sarcasm intended).

Drum roll please... Green and Gold!

I am just a little reluctant on my choice due to the fact that they are my junior high schools colors and I keep getting flashbacks of heavy, highly shiny pom-poms.That's it for now and hopefully I can muster up another entry with a little more spice.

Pre-Planning or Planning for Planning

So, we've gotten engaged. In a perfect world, you'd be allowed to enjoy this period of impending forever-dom for a few months. But to my surprise, within just a few hours of the proverbial question being popped, I was already being inundated with questions about dates, colors, locations, and even fabric choices! Weddings and the accompanying planning are certainly a marathon, and as I've learned the proposal is the firing of the rifle, the mark of the start of the race.

I've planned a few small parties and love to decorate, so before I was even engaged, I dreamed of the fun and fulfillment planning a wedding would bring. Well, if party planning is a quiet little dolphin, weddings are the blue whales of celebrations. Hence, my title planning for planning. I don't want the traditional taffeta, tulle, and tiara wedding, so I knew I needed to get my bearings before even embarking on the planning process. I ran or merely strongly encouraged my fiance to drive me to the nearest Barnes and Noble to purchase some fine wedding planning literature. This is when I met Emily Post (The picture at the beginning of the post is her.) For those that don't know, Emily Post is the Lance Armstrong of Etiquette. Emily Post has been known to cast a spell on unaware, unknowing soft-spoken newly engaged women turning them into militaristic followers of the church of proper social behavior and its corresponding red tape, known as etiquette.

No wonder so many weddings look like they are the products of a Chinese factory, the dogma of etiquette and what the wedding industry claims you must do leaves little to the imagination. Since "they" have already figured out just how to do it, you should pick up your local bridal magazine and simply plug-and-play. Ugh, puke, vomit.

Now I am not the quirkiest girl, but I like to think I don't fit in a box. Luckily, I found a small black and pink book called bridal bargains and I have made it my wedding god. Unfortunately or fortunately it doesn't spell out the planning process. It is merely a wealth of information containing thousands of options. A sort of choose your own adventure. Right up my alley.

What I've learned so far is that those mix ups at the bridal salon on sizing that cost hundreds of dollars in alterations happen more often than not. Also, by simply substituting the words "family reunion" or "retirement party" while arranging catering can save you major bucks.

So here I go, armed with a battle plan. Poised to defeat the forces of Emily Post and her evil army of tulle and proper. This blog is the beginning of the journey and I hope it is fun and educational for you as it is therapeutic and reflective for me.