Photo Gallery | Wedding Wednesday: Week 23
You may know me as News 8's "Good Morning Quad Cities" Reporter, but when I'm not giving you firework tips (Leave it to the professionals!) or telling you about the latest expansion efforts at Von Maur (Here's to 140 MORE years in the QC!), I am planning a wedding!
Welcome to Wedding Wednesdays!
Days Until We Say "I Do"... 45
This Week's Theme... In Control Of Out-Of-Control Situations
The To-Do List. The Timeline. The "Notes" App on my iPad/iPhone. I use all of these to keep myself on track with what needs to get where, who needs to have what, which needs to get when (okay, so that last one didn't make much sense, but you know what I mean). Even before I was engaged, I was this way... organized (I blame my Dad), multi-tasking (I blame my Mom), and in control (I blame that on ME). It's that last quality that is getting me into some trouble heading into the final 45 days (Why does "The Final Countdown!" always get stuck in my head when I think about how many days are left?).
Last Wednesday, I had my final dress fitting at Storybook Ending in DeWitt, Iowa. To prepare for it, I made sure my shoes were dropped off to get dyed a week before and my veil - which was supposed to be done in the beginning of June (don't get me started) - was ready for pick up. I planned out my day... pick up shoes, pick up veil, drive to DeWitt. This is what happened...
My shoes were not ready when I got off work at 11:30am, so I came back at 4:00pm. They were done, but not really. Instead of going from white to ivory, they went from white to "I've worn these for the last five years." They were dirty and looked more like one of Zach's undershirts that's gone through the wash too many times than brand-new wedding shoes. Now, I do not want to say where I brought the shoes, because I've had a really good experience with them before. However, dyeing shoes may not be this professional's expertise. So, the shoes will go to a place in Downers Grove... and hopefully come back to the Quad Cities looking clean (and ivory).
I threw the shoes in the backseat of my car, took a deep breath, and thought "Well, at least my veil will be ready." You can probably guess what happened next. My veil was not ready and again, I am not going to say the business I am using because I think once this professional focuses, my veil will turn out beautifully.
What's not so beautiful is showing up for your final fitting teary-eyed, frustrated, and frankly, pissed. The dress fit like a glove... I feel like it's part of me. I can't imagine anything more perfect. The bride-to-be in it, however, looked like a miserable fool. I kept thinking - "How does this happen?" "But I was so prepared!" "Why is the world out to get me?" (That last one is a little dramatic, I know.)
It happens because it happens. I can be the most prepared person in the world, but that doesn't mean everything is going to be perfect. The world is NOT out to get me... It's just not thinking 24/7 about August 11th in the same way I am. I think those are the three most important things a bride can realize and remember through this process. Seriously, I should make those three statements into one of those wall decals and sell them to every bride, groom, mother, father, teenager, employee, and student in the world. I will put them up right next to my other favorite motto... It will all be fine in the end. If it's not fine, then that means it's not the end.
It's not the end. The best thing about being prepared is that THIS is happening with 45 days left to go... and not 5, right? There is still plenty of time to get things done, they just weren't done when my to-do list, timeline, "notes" app said they would be done. Who's fault is that? Mine. What do you do? You cross it off and re-write it for a day from now, a week from now, a month from now (not two months from now, that's too late, ha) and you set a new goal. That's really all you can do.
So, what do you do instead? You buy five cans of spray paint and start the next project on your list, which is exactly what I did over the weekend. I've posted some pictures above of the programs process. I bought some over-sized popsicle sticks from Hobby Lobby, spray painted both sides (the garage smells really great right now, let me tell you) and then glued them onto our programs to make fans! What do you think? My only fear is that it will be so hot (It's going to be 100 degrees on June 28th... I think I have a little bit of a right to worry, don't you?), people will be waving the fans back and forth so much that they will break, but what can you do? IT HAPPENS BECAUSE IT HAPPENS!
I went into this post knowing that I would be writing about this today and ironically, right before I sat down, one of my bridesmaids posted a really funny (funny because it's true) article on my Facebook:
http://www.thefrisky.com/2012-06-27/girl-talk-pinterest-ruined-my-wedding-planning/
My favorite line? "It was perfectly imperfect, and absolutely beautiful." For this to-doer, timeline-ing, "notes" taking perfectionist bride-to-be, I secretly hope that at the end of August 11th, I am able to say the exact same thing.
