Photo Gallery | Wedding Wednesday: Week 26
You may knows me as News 8's "Good Morning Quad Cities" Reporter, but when I'm not counting birdies for charity at the John Deere Classic or telling how you the nation's drought may impact food prices, I am planning a wedding!
Welcome to Wedding Wednesdays!
Days Until We Say "I Do"... 24
If you didn't know by Week 2 or Day 200, I am a planner. I love to host parties, I love to plan events, I love to decorate and (try to) cook and clean up after everything is over. Mostly, I have to admit I like to be in control.
My family and friends let me (and in some ways, forced me, haha) to leave that role behind this past weekend. On Saturday, I celebrated my Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Party in my hometown of Downers Grove, which was really special to me since my wedding is here in the Quad Cites... my "adult" hometown. I expected what any Bride-to-Be would expect... presents, wine, and maybe a little bit of a headache the next day. Well, multiply that by 1,000 and picture me surrounded by Bed, Bath, and Beyond (and later, Victoria's Secret - not going there, sorry!) boxes, several bottles of wine empty, and a hangover that lasted until Monday. I know 25 days from now I will say the same thing I am saying right now... It was the best day of my life.
For someone who loves words, I am having the hardest time finding the right words to use to show my gratitude towards my Aunts who threw the Bridal Shower, my Maids who threw the Bachelorette Party, and all the people who came to one or both events. It was not what I expected at all... but so much more. My Aunt Nese, who has planned every Bridal and Baby Shower for her nieces and nephew, is the true Wonder Woman. She said the most touching things during her toast, took perfect pictures, and did a fantastic job decorating the spare room of Emmett's Ale House. My Aunt Ginnie, surprised us all when I opened her gift and found a beautiful quilt made of all my old high school t-shirts and softball jerseys. I cannot thank them enough for everything they did.
From there, I am entirely speechless (type-less?) when I think about everything my friends did for me that night. Again, it was not what I expected all... but so much more. From having two chefs come in to make us dinner at my parents' house, to the gourmet s'mores bar, to the crazy-cool limo... I am so lucky to have such great people in my life. I hope they know how much every single one of them means to me. One of my favorite parts was not just the Party, but seeing friends from all walks of life get together. My Maid of Honor, Lauren, has known me since I was 5 years old. Betsy has been there since Junior High. I have -- hands down -- the best friends from college ever. Then, I have the girls I've met after college through Zach. All of them know me in different ways and it was so neat to see them all interact with each other. Again, I have no idea what else to say to them - and I know some of you are reading this right now - but THANK YOU.
I have one last note on this and then I promise I'll move on. I am also very thankful to all the people who traveled for Saturday's events. Whether it was from a suburb, the Quad Cities, or from across the country... I know how expensive a weekend away can be -- especially four weeks before another weekend of traveling -- and it's made me feel very special. I like to be "in control" and this past weekend, I wasn't. I was able to just... "be" -- which is sometimes really hard for me to do. I am really appreciative of my family and friends and guests for letting me be emotional, be overwhelmed, be drunk, and just... be me.
I am wiping the tears away and moving on...!
In other news... when you have dozens of gifts, you have dozens of thank you notes to write so I am working on those. I am also re-organizing everything 24 days out. In fact, the reason why this post is a little late is because I spent two hours putting things in boxes labeled "Ceremony," "Reception," "Cocktail Hour," etc. The Dining/Wedding Room looked like a disaster before today... and to tell you the truth, it still looks like a mess, but it's an organized mess :)
We continue to get more and more RSVPs and as we do, our Guest List is really starting to take shape. We sent out 265 invitations and it looks like we'll be right around 220, which fits perfectly into the Gold Room at the Hotel. We're making appointments with the Florist, Photographer, Wedding Planner, and Hotel to finalize all the details. I continue to cross things off my Task List daily... and have gotten down to the one task I've been dreading -- Make More Cork Coasters. GASP!! It's that time... time to get the glue gun back out (for hopefully the last time!).
By Week 27, Zach and I will be working on our vows, which we're writing on our own (and separately, which is harder than it sounds). We're also making our Play Lists for the Dueling Pianos Band, finishing the Fan Programs, and making a BIG decision... which I'll explain next week - Reporter TEASE!
Have a great week and stay cool... pray that in 24 days it's not 175 degrees out :)
