Photo Gallery | Wedding Wednesday: Week 27

You may know me as News 8’s “Good Morning Quad Cities” Reporter, but when I’m not explaining how you can help our students get ready for school with the First Day Project (http://wqad.com/2012/07/20/first-day-project-helps-quad-city-students/) or showing you how the drought would impact Christmas Trees, I am planning a wedding!

Welcome to Wedding Wednesdays!

Days Until We Say I Do… 17!

It definitely feels like we’re just 17 days away from the BIG DAY and here’s why…

… Day 18 was the first day since June 12th that we did NOT receive a tiny purple RSVP envelope in our mailbox,

… I am running out of white strips,

… I go through all of my sports bras, spandex, and socks way too quickly (between that and Zach being in the midst of golf season, I have never done this much laundry!),

… It’s hot. Yeah, I know it’s been hot out for what seems like forever, but back in January I told myself that I would know our wedding was close when it was really hot out and it’s REALLY HOT OUT,

… Tonight, we get our wedding license and try on Zach’s ring,

… I have to make MORE cork coasters because we now know how many people are coming to the wedding. Unfortunately, it’s more than I thought I'd have to make. Fortunately, we’ll have a full house in the Gold Room!

… Conversations with friends, family, and co-workers include -- "See you in a couple weeks!” or “Well, when I see you next month...” or “Are you all ready?” (The answer to this question is always "No," by the way. I can't lie, haha)

… The Dining/Wedding Room not only has tupperwares full of random things like cake servers, sand vases, and spray paint, but one corner is now dedicated to boxes of wine glasses,  cookware, and a panini press... as well as bags of spatulas, measuring spoons, and a pizza cutter!

… The schedules for the next month went up at work and my FIRST days off of the YEAR have FINALLY shown up,  

… Zach is actually starting to get a little stressed!

NOT to say he didn’t get stressed or involved before. He’s been an AWESOME fiancé through all of this. However, his “Welcome Home!” present when he got back from Germany last weekend was a to-do list of things I needed help with for the wedding. I didn’t count how many tasks were on there, but if he were to print it out, it would definitely be longer than one page. Yikes.

It feels like Mile #11 when I ran the Quad City Half Marathon in 2009. I had a great pace through the entire race, but at Mile #11 – it hit me. I did not want to stop, but I had no idea how I was going to finish as strong as I started, which was my goal. You always see runners who cross the finish line and collapse, but I trained so I could cross the finish line and enjoy the seconds that followed when I realized I had finished a half marathon. I want that for my wedding, too. I want to wake up on Day #1 and be able to enjoy the fact that I made it (and when I say “I,” I also include Zach, his parents, my parents, and all our friends - especially mine who've had to hear me talk about this for the last year) to August 11th still standing, smiling, and just as stoked as I was when I turned around and saw Zach on his knee last September. You know how much I love to use alliteration in my posts, so please notice “stressed” was not part of that last sentence. “Stress” was what I felt at Mile #11. I remember stopping for the first time at the water station there on Arsenal Island and thinking – “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to move after finishing this cup of water.” It was some volunteers nearby who were practically forcing fruit into runners’ hands that gave me the extra energy boost to run the last 2.1 miles and finish the race. Right now, in Mile #11 of wedding planning, it’s Zach who’s helping me cross the finish line. From not freaking out when he saw the to-do list I sent him… to taking care of dinner every night so I don’t need to, Zach is helping me move again after the last couple weeks off (my “water break,” if you will).

More than ever before, these last 17 days are a team effort. In the beginning, Zach didn’t need to go to every flower appointment or every Hobby Lobby run (after Bed, Bath, and Beyond I cannot even imagine what he would think of Hobby Lobby, haha). Those were things that he really didn’t need to worry about or even care about and that was perfectly fine with me. I don’t think he cares what type of flower is on his lapel or what color ribbon is tied around our wedding favors… that’s the best part about him. It is easy for me to get distracted by those things, but Zach is always the one who is reminding me that it’s not about roses and ribbon… it’s about us and crossing the ULTIMATE finish line on August 11th – getting married. Back to my point, though. These last 17 days will involve both of us being together. For example, tonight we are picking up our wedding license (no blood test needed, thankfully) and trying on Zach’s wedding band. On Friday, we are finalizing the seating chart. Separately, we’re both working on our vows. There is still a lot that needs to be done, but the thing that makes Day #17 easier than Day #100 – or Mile #11 easier than Mile #2 – is that we’re doing it together.

I’ve realize that the last couple of weeks have had little to no mention of local businesses, but that will change next week. As I mentioned, tonight we’ll be sizing Zach’s ring at Allard Jewelers in the Village of East Davenport, which I see as a “hidden gem” in the Quad City Jewelry Sector (http://www.allardjewelers.com/). I can’t wait to tell you more about the Allard Family. I’ll also show you how we tackled our seating chart (hint: a poster, a plastic cup, and a lot of glue sticks) and my last (KNOCK ON WOOD) craft project that I’ve been working on for our reception. Have a great Wednesday and great week!