Day 101 - Smaller still.

I pulled out all my university pants last night and they all fit! Too bad they are out of date, or at least too young for me to wear.
I don't know if it's the progress in weight loss or the continuation of days going buy but lately I've been really wanting to settle in on a venue. I suppose it is logical either way as most book a year in advance. This means I have only a few months left to settle on one and I have no idea where to start.
Time to hop on a bus and look at a few. 

Day 92 - One bride to another

Attended a childhood friend's wedding today. I felt a bit like I was one of the nice guests from 4 weddings.  I have attended weddings in the past but never as a bride-to-be. I was watching every event and piece of decor with an eye for detail this time. What will be remembered as a guest, what is needed what isn't etc. Her wedding was beautiful and I think my favorite part was the little vegetarian labels. More on a personal level and made me giggle. I held that sign with great pride, "HEY EVERYONE I'M A VEGETARIAN!"
What was extra touching was that the bride's mother was the one to bring the labels to my attention. She took me aside and said, "By the way, in the other room are labels for vegetarians. You'll want to grab one for your table so you get the right meal."
The wedding was beautiful and the bride even more beautiful. I gathered lots of ideas and confirmed all others. I also felt fab in my new knit dress that fit me snug. Especially since all week I had been dancing around to "all you need is love" and sweat out more lbs. I'm now down 20.1. Look out butt, you're next! 

Day 87 - You think I'm what?!

I'm now down 18.8 lbs and feeling smaller all the time. My friends wedding is coming up in a few days and I desperately need something appropriate to wear! I decided to go try to find something sexy yet formal for a winter wedding. While shopping for the dress I always knew I needed a new bathing suit for Jenny's daughter's birthday party at the pool the next day.

While shopping for the dress I asked for assistance. I explained I was trying to find something that said, "look at all the weight I have lost! Now look back at the bride please!" She held up an XLG and said, "This one is nice" and then gave me a sad face and said, "But it only comes in a small." I dropped my jaw, put my hand on my hip and said, "That's an XLG! And why don't you think I'd fit in a small. Or that particular XLG you're holding?!" She blushed and said, "oh sorry, the hanger is labeled wrong. I thought, "Even so, that dress could wrap around me three times!"

Maybe I'm not as small as I think I am. I decided, for the moment, to focus on the bathing suit. I also decided to grab some more tights. I put on my ensemble in the changing room and laughed outloud. My bridesmaid, Ryan, who was shopping with me asked what was so funny. I snapped this picture and explained, "I look like one of those girls from the 80's aerobic videos.

Later I did find a sexy knit dress at another store but nothing really shook the fact that she held up this huge dress and gave me a piteous look that it would never fit me.

Day 85 - Hippie Bride for sure

Today my bridesmaid, Jenny, and I went in to start up my registry. If I had a registry at this location before a certain date I'd get a set of flutes for free. $15 value. So why not. I was supposed to go in to the other to get a free $25 gift card for their store but we didn't make it in before they were closed. But there is always next year.

While we were talking to the registry representative he looked at me and said, "Flowerchild/hippie?" I opened my eyes and said, "yeah. that's what I'm going for." he said, "I'm getting that vibe from you." I laughed but later said to my friend, "really? how?" It's not like I was standing their in a tunic with daisies in my hair or anything. I was dressed quite conservatively with my long hair pulled into a ponytail. I guess I just scream hippie. Maybe it was different things I was talking about. I don't think I mentioned the environment or animal rights. But there must have been something in my tone that screamed, "I'm a hippie and proud of it!"

Then Jenny and I ran around the store scanning anything and everything that I would want. We treated it like a shopping spree with infinite possibilities. If I was allowed to load a truck up with anything and not have to pay a cent what would I take. I'll take one of these *beep* and two of these *beep* *beep* and if these didn't work out I would just bring them back *beep*.

Day 84 - Guests or no guests

This guest list is such a sensitive thing. I stare at forever trying to think of who I can remove and whether I have to invite everyone's sibling just because I invited them. I don't want children there but how do I tell parents I'd rather it be an adult only reception? It's nothing against the children I just need those seats.

Recently I was talking to a friend of mine who went on a cruise with her husband and got married just the two of them barefoot on the beach. That sounds like a fabulous idea. Just us and our daughter barefoot on the beach and coupling our honeymoon with our wedding. What a wonderful idea! We suggested this outwardly and people just said, "Sure that'd be a great idea. We'd take Genevieve overnight for you and you have to try out this cruise line I hear they are the best."
We said, "no, the whole point is we'd be alone, just us."
They responded, "Yeah, just us."
*facepalm* "no JUST us!"
"That's what I said, "Just us"

I gave up on them ever understanding and we instead approached with the impossibility of some of our friends being able to make it to a destination wedding and so if we were having a guest wedding it'd be local. There response was, "that's their problem." It was at this point that the topic was changed.

So it appears I can't win, if I remove the guest list people invite themselves and if I have the guest list I stress over who I need to invite. Is it too late to give this ring back? 

Day 82 - Photos last longer

Today we had a photoshoot with who will be our wedding photographer. This was to see whether or not we enjoyed his style and talent. Photography, to me, is a subject of which I know I can be a total c*nt. You see, I know some people believe they are photographers just because they have great cameras. I have seen some people take beautiful photos and get lots of praise, but the photo itself has nothing to do with their talent and more to do with their camera. These same people would use a creased bedsheet as a backdrop. This is not terrible, provided you are honest with yourself and your limitations. If you are trying to pass yourself off as a professional photographer and I can see the folds in your bedsheets behind your subjects ... I am not spending hundreds of dollars on a photoshoot with you.
I never had a concern that this would  be the case with Shawn (my photographer) however for me the real test would be, how quick can he capture a moment. I don't want a lot of posed pictures at my wedding. I want a natural candid style photography. When it comes to capturing the emotion and the moment with a photo you have to be right on and focused. Some people have it and some don't. What better way to test this than to have a candid photoshoot of our two daughters (my ring bearer and flowergirl) running around playing. No fancy backdrops, no on site location, just a simple moment when all he had to rely on was his ability to capture the girls with their moms and all the precious moments that happen throughout a day. To add a challenge my ring bearer has days where she is full of the dramatics. This, was one of those days. I swear the moment we stepped out of the car she screamed and hollered the whole time. You couldn't even LOOK at her at some points and she would pitch a fit. Of course this raises the stress factor for most people, including her mom, and so it can make it that much more difficult to work under. But Shawn kept at it and didn't flinch. And although there were probably many a snotty nosed shot there were still many others that caught the moment. Some of the girls playing, some of me with our little diva blowing kisses, others where you could see the tired love in her moms eyes as she held her. When I look at that one photo I can see the expression on her face of, "please...don't you know I love you? Can't you please stop crying? PLEASE!" Many of my daughter and I playing and her swinging from their rocking chair. One of my favorites, however, is one of myself with our little diva. I had sat down on my knees and was speaking to her about how she had to be nice to her mommy. I told her that when she cries all the time it makes her mommy sad. In the photo you can see her looking off to the side, holding her hands in front of her and looking genuinely remorseful for making her mother sad. Not everyone would have captured this moment, it's not a particularly flamboyant moment of sunshine and lolipops and THAT is what I love about it. It's real, it's honest and it's what I want. I didn't tell him to take that photo, he saw a genuine moment and he captured it and that is what I want in a photographer. Sold!