Invitations

I was in A.C. Moore last night for almost 2 hours and came home with the firm decision we're going to make our own invitations. Or, rather, I will make the invitations. It's nutters to spend hundreds of dollars on something you can do yourself (and cuter/better) for a fraction of the cost.

I think a few things for this wedding will be made by yours truly. I have 7 months... That's enough time to put my crafty self to work! Personal touches are always better than something you buy from a catalog.

Organization

Amy said she wanted to see some dress ideas on this blog. Sorry, girl! Haven't even started to look online yet. Right now I'm at the "pulling pages out of Brides magazine" stage.

Liz had a good idea -- I'm going to get an accordian file folder so I can organize the pages.

Maggie and I are going tomorrow to Borders to spend the gift card Brett gave me for Christmas (Thanks, B!) on a wedding planning book. By the time Paul and I come back from our romantic ski getaway, I'll be all set to dive in. As if I've been sitting around on my bum all week.

In the week we've been engaged, we've gotten a lot decided, I think. Now to just get out there and look for dresses, venues, florists, caterers, etc... TG I love details!

We've got an audience!

It was nice to see a little surge of traffic to the wedding blog yesterday, much of it coming from familiar domains (yes, we really watch this stuff!). Bloggers are fascinated by who's reading what they write, and I'm pleased to see so many friends have already signed on. Don't forget about RSS!

I noted wryly to Dana that traffic to the wedding blog yesterday was higher than traffic to my professional blog, which has been around for 18 months and which is #21,000 on Technorati. People are always more interested in personal stories than professional ramblings, I said. Start talking about sex and watch the traffic explode!

If you're checking in from TechTarget, I want to just say how great it was to see everybody at the editorial meeting the other day. It's frustrating sometimes, because I want to spend a half hour talking to each of you but we get, like, 30 seconds at best. The only thing I miss about company life is the people, so it is a treat whenever I get to see you.

Resized and never coming off

On Monday afternoon, Paul and I walked to the jewelry store and dropped off my ring to get resized. Yesterday afternoon, I went to pick it up before going to pick up Leigha, who was in town for a few days for a company meeting. Leigha and Paul and I all had dinner after a quick house tour. Anyway, I walked out of the jewelry store $10 poorer, but with my diamond ring that fits like a glove. They got the gold, of course -- however much gold comes from resizing a size 7 ring to a size 4 3/4.

So now it's on and staying on. When I wash my hair, I'm particularly grateful it's not a big-rock solitaire. :-) My hair is very long and gets awfully tangly when it's being washed.

Vows

A few nights ago, Paul and I were finishing dinner and talking about wedding ideas. I asked him if he'd agree to write our own vows (the traditional ones never did much for me) and he said he'd like that. With two writers getting married, one wonders what they'll end up being... God knows mine will be easy. When I think of Paul, poetry comes easy for me. I regularly write him love poems.

If I know my love, he'll make me cry pretty dramatically when he recites his. We've agreed to keep them secret until the big day.

Let me know of any really good waterproof eye makeup!

Let's go, girls!

So my side of the wedding party is already decided and (thankfully) all have accepted.

Matron of Honor: Maggie McClennan.

Maggie and I started our relationship purely professionally -- she was my boss (although she'll never admit it) at 101communications. I worked with her for only 10 months and have been best friends with her ever since. She's my rock and my shoulder to cry on, as well as being my most trusted confidant. I'm honored that she's agreed to be my right-hand lady and help me with my wedding. Maggie, our family is getting a bit bigger...

Bridesmaids: Leigha Cardwell and Liz McCurley.

Leigha, who lives in Tulsa, OK, and I had something special the first time we chatted. We worked together at TechTarget but found that we must have been sisters in a previous life because we understand each other more clearly and faster than any friend I've ever had. She's a dear, sweet soul who doesn't let the world make her frown, even though she's had a pretty hard path to walk. Leigha's my girl, plain and simple. She's been a large part of my relationship with Paul, confidants to us both, and I couldn't have this wedding in good conscience without her being a part of it.

Liz, who lives in Mohnton, PA, is one of the best parts of my family. I thank God that my brother Scott married her. She's down-to-earth and always has good advice for me when I need it (and sometimes when I don't!). Liz and I are more sisters than sisters-in-law, I've always thought, which is a good thing because I've always wanted a sister. In a lot of ways, we're similar people and in a lot of interesting ways, we're not (for one, she's way cooler than I am!). Whenever we see each other, there's almost never enough time to just sit and talk. Anyone who knows me knows how important my family is to me, and I'm honored that Liz has agreed to stand next to me on my wedding day, as she has since I entered my teenage years. I'm eternally grateful that Liz agreed to be my bridesmaid, as I was hers.

Blogs and podcasts and weddings, oh my!, or Podcast #1

Not only are we blogging, we're podcasting about this wedding, too! We're so Web 2.0!

Paul and I talk about date, colors, location, engagement announcements, dress ideas, and outside venue possibilities.

Listen to our first wedding podcast!

Let us know if you have any ideas about what role the bunnies can play in our wedding! Did you have your animals in your wedding? Stories appreciated!