Great Rehearsal Look

I absolutely love the way Debi Mazar looks here at the premier of The Women. I wonder how I can make this look work for the rehearsal dinner....

Time to Plan!

(do not want)

I read a wedding planning monthly to-do list recently, and learned that I am already behind. Reading that thing was a bad idea from the start! The list was full of details I am in no way interested in completing and was a major stresser. Up until that moment, I felt so organized and on top of things. But alas, as the mag was likely intending, I realized my long engagement is quickly coming to a halt and a I had a LOT to do. I had already gone from 18 months to 9!

Time to get planning.

Things we've crossed off the ever-expanding list

Bridal showers:
Austin- now to be hosted by my ever-helpful and gracious bridesmaid Jessica on February 28th. Tentative plans include light dinner and drinks at my favorite restaurant Vivo, followed by stops at one or two wine bars (no 6th street college bars!) If you've never heard of Vivo, go here for an idea of why Lon and I walk here at least once a week (see gigantic yummy margarita).
Minnesota bridal shower- Aunt Sherrie will host at her home on January 17th, and coordinate with my aunts, mom and sister Debi . Lon and I will fly in on Thursday January 15th and stay with Sherrie and Tom. The following day, I hope to visit with Rausches and Lon's aunt Mandy (his mother's sister). Saturday the 17th we'll have the bridal shower--girls only--in the afternoon while Lon and the guys go enjoy the snow (he'd better then, as I am no snow bunny, unless it involves sipping hot cocoa near a fire, see pics.).

Lon

Donna (inside sipping cocoa)

or outside sipping cocoa - minus the kiddos

Catering: We tasted our caterer's pasta menu today and loved it. The selection is super veggie friendly and lighter than bbq. We loved the basil cream sauce and oven-roasted veggies and chicken. While not the most sophisticated of meals, the pasta buffet will surly leave our guests satiated, if not happy.

Cupcakes: I got a great reference from our photog Mary Sledd for Roseanne DeMoss, a local baker. Lon and I will meet her next week at Starbucks to taste. I'm looking forward to this meeting! Hopefully, the little yummies will be as delightful as they look in this picture and we'll go for it!

Florist: We met with Beth at Exquisite Petals last week. We showed her our pics and were delighted to see how excited she was with the idea of complete freedom in her design. She seems right on track with what we are looking for--local business owner and relatively inexpensive--so we'll prolly go with her. But, for good measure, we'll meet with one or two more vendors. I also spoke with Central Market (like Whole Foods, but cheaper and less snobby) about flowers. They do a lot of weddings and definitely know their stuff. They're not a small business though, which is somewhat unappealing.

Dress: Next weekend I'll fly to D-Town to meet Mom, grandma and Debi for more dress shopping. Mom has a feeling we'll find "The One" and I'll just get it then. This does sound nice, but after my many trips, I've only found dresses in the $3-5K range that ranked close to "The One" status. I'm betting on finding a silhouette I love and continuing with the plan to have aunt Katherine make it.

That's all for now. This weekend I may work on the invites with Janet, but family members are in town, so it seems unlikely.

More updates soon!