And the winner is...

So, as I mentioned previously, during my search for the comfortable-all-day-long-yet-still-fabulous-and-pretty shoes I would be wearing on the wedding day, I found some truly...interesting prospects. Like the ones above - they light up! Or like these...

And these...is that a butterfly at the top? Gah! Ghetto-fabulous, anyone?
And to be fair, I found some very cute shoes as well. I would love to work these in somehow, but I'm afraid that heel is a bit too spikey to have any comfort factor going for it. But the polka-dots! CUTE!
Which brings us to...(drumroll please!).........



My Shoes!

I wore them the other night at our almost last dance class. (We thought it was going to be the last one, but because they gave us a rather mediocre teacher when we initially started there, the owner - who we are working with now - decided to add on an extra lesson for us for free! And boy-howdie, do we need it.) They aren't absolutely as comfy as can be...but they're VERY pretty on my feet. And yes, they're black. I gave up looking for a champagne/fancy-beige/off-white/light gold shoe a few weeks back. Seriously. Look at the pictures I've given you as a sample of what some of my options were. Do you blame me? Thank you...

I'll be using a black wrap that day as well, to keep my shoulders from getting too cold in the last-week-of-October breezes, so that will hopefully tie things together. And I know that none of it really matters, as no one will even see my shoes except for maybe a couple of times during the day, but it matters to me. I'll know what they look like, and I want them to look pretty. Because that helps make me feel pretty.

Thank goodness the search is over, though. I've never been a big shoe shopper anyway, so it's been kinda like torture to me to have to go through this. Being a woman is hard...

Shoes, anyone?

I think I absent-mindedly mentioned the search for shoes in my last post, and there wasn't any previous reference for you all to, well...refer to in regards to that reference, so I'm sorry about that. It consumed so much of my life for the past 3 months, or so, I guess I just thought I'd been mentioning it randomly in previous posts. But I don't think I actually have. (Although my bridesmaids and FMIL have been privy to some of the emails I've sent out regarding my shoe search. Poor things...hope they don't mind my sadistic sense of humor!)

Anyway, it's been a tough search for me, because it's hard to find something you actually look forward to wearing for 11 -12.5 hours in one day, and have them be cute, comfy, and match with your outfit.

I considered these...

But of course they didn't have them in my size for me to try on when I went to look for them. (Photo and shoe courtesy of David's Bridal. It's their style called "Jessica.")

I also saw these while I was there looking for the Jessica shoe...
Of course, not in my size in the store! (Dammit.)

So I tried these on... Cute, but not sure I'd be able to handle the material rubbing on my heel all day long. They were relatively comfy, though. But I also didn't like that there'd be so little of my toes peeking out, and I wanted more strappy over all.

Of course, my visit to the store came long after I'd found my first pair of shoes I thought I was going to wear at DSW. After I'd had them for a couple of weeks, I realized I needed an ankle strap to help keep my feet in the shoe all day/night (they were really cute slide sandals), and decided not to wear the ones I'd bought after all. Then I bought another pair...they were too shiny and the wrong color, we discovered when I was trying on my dress for the second time. So then I bought ANOTHER pair from Nordstrom. But it appears as though no amount of attempts at breaking them in will work...they are bound and determined to be a miserable pair of shoes on my feet. So they might be going back, if I can figure out how to get the foot petal-thingy I put in them to make them a bit more cushy (didn't work) back OUT again. Sticky nasty thing...

Throughout the entire process, I found some very special shoes, and I want to share a couple of those with you here now.

This shoe, for example, couldn't be created without the help of the feathers of some white, very beautiful I'm sure, birds from somewhere on this planet. God bless those beautiful birds for their contribution...

And THIS one? Well, who knew one could be a bride AND a stripper all at the same time?
There are more, but they'll have to wait for another post, as I've exceeded the alotted bandwidth I'm allowed to use per post with these pictures already. To be continued...

Obsession

I'm currently dealing with the obsession of trying to find appropriate cocktail napkins to have available at the wedding, and am running into a wall. We seem to have loads of options, this is true. But they range from what I consider run o' the mill...

To what is called "regal"...
To the relatively cheesy (but still sorta cute)...

And I don't know what to do! (And what does that first name say on that last napkin? Seems a bit off-color to me, maybe. But I might be reading it wrong.) Hopefully, we won't wind up with some craptastic version of whatever, since I'm being such a lame-o about getting them ordered already! But if you just see plain ol' Boulevard napkins lying about (if they even have them...), you know I just lost it and was unable to decide.

I thought the shoe obsession was bad...but this? This isn't right. They're napkins for heaven's sake! AUGH!

Weirdest Invite Issue

Ok, so the other day, I came home to find that we had received an invite back in the mail from a cousin of mine that I haven't seen in a long time.

The weird thing? We received their decline to the wedding back at the end of August.

*blink blink*

I'm beyond confused, have no idea what could have happened, and wish I knew what was up!

It rung a bell with me because we accidentally referred to the husband of this cousin as "Steve" when his first name is actually "Dennis." That was pretty embarrassing. But the name was noted on the RSVP card, I sent a follow-up note apologizing for the gaff - "it's been so long...relying on other people to help...so sorry for the mistake and that we won't be seeing you in October!" - and hoped they would forgive the mistake.

But the invitation we sent to them was returned to us due to an improper address. And how the HELL did they get an RSVP card to RSVP with if they never received the invite in the first place?

It's Twilight Zoneish...

Could we have accidentally sent them two different invitations? In which case it's somewhat of a blessing that the USPS somehow delivered the first one but not the second one, because, OMG, do we really need to look like complete idiots to this cousin? "Hi, I know you already RSVPd that you wouldn't be able to make it, and I know we called your husband by the wrong first name and all, but really, COME TO OUR WEDDING!!!"

I don't get it. How did this happen?

Odds and ends

It was tough to come up with a "theme" for the wedding, back when we started planning all the major aspects of the party. At first, we had planned on getting married October 20th, since it seemed like a good weekend to look at weather-wise, and still hit at a good point in the year holiday-wise and all that. But we had to change our plans pretty quickly after it was pointed out by a groomsman and good friend that October 20th wouldn't work out well if we planned on inviting a good amount of people from South Bend. Jason told Jesse it was the weekend of the USC vs Notre Dame game. And, well, I hadn't any idea when we came up with the date! Obviously, it had to change. Thank goodness the realization came early on in the process, and we were able to push things out a week without any issues.

That folly started a ball rolling with the thought that we could have a USC/Notre Dame themed wedding, since I'm a huge 'SC fan, and Jesse is, of course, a Notre Dame fan. (He's even watching the games I TiVo for him every week. Even though he knows how they turn out and everything. He's such a good sport!) But that wound up seeming like too much work after thinking it over a bit more, and also made me feel a bit like a poser, since neither of us actually went to/graduated from those schools. So we passed on that idea eventually.

We eventually started working from the direction of what colors we wanted the wedding to be decorated in. Obviously, the fall angle was going to come in at some point, seeing as that weekend is right before Halloween, a quintessential fall event, and also happens to be a good weekend historically for changed foliage here in the KC area. But we didn't want things to get all kitschy, or anything...no decorating with little pumpkins, or leaves absolutely all over the place. The fact that it IS fall should be enough, we think.

And then I found my dress. And the venue was already booked, so we had that to help. And then there was the fact that Jesse is a chef, and I have become a much better one than ever before thanks to the help of osmossis as well as a lesson or two now and then. We both really like to cook, basically.

And the "theme" started to take shape. We decided on our colors pretty quickly once the dress was discovered. Naming the tables was a tough part of it all...we tried to come up with clever ideas, but nothing really worked for what our focus was. A lot of people do things like name tables for locations they've traveled to together, or base it on a theme of where their honeymoon will take place. Some people just number tables, and while that's an old standby method for sure, we wanted to do something a bit more special was all. And then we finally came up with it: we would name the tables after famous chefs! We're working with names that are both classic and contemporary, so if people don't watch Food Network, they might not get a handful of them, but that's ok. Hopefully most everyone will be able to figure it out and then help those who don't know what our direction is.

The favors were harder to nail down. I was interested in getting some measuring spoons that were possibly engraved with something like "There's no measure to our love" or what have you. Cheesy, yes. But there should always be a leetle bit of cheese at a wedding, right? Well...it didn't work out, anyway. I couldn't manage to find any measuring spoons that could be engraved (or already came engraved, for that matter...) that weren't in the shape of a heart. And, oh how I hate heart-shaped things! Since neither of us are 14, and we're more contemporary-furnishing minded vs. country-furnishing minded, the heart thing didn't really resonate. So I had to pass on that idea.

I can't remember where we got the final idea from...maybe just my endless tooling around on the web, perhaps. But we found some perfect-sized little containers, and we're going to fill them with an absolutely fabulous spice that goes good with chicken, beef, fish, veggies...hell, you can sprinkle some on your arm and gnaw on it a bit while watching t.v., if you want. It's just that good! I managed to find some labels we could get printed up that tell folks what the spice is, and we're all set to go! It's compact and safe enough to pack in luggage...it's useful to everyone, regardless of their diet...and there are no hearts in sight! Yay!

So basically, the "theme" to the wedding, if there must be one, anyway, is cooking, chefs, food, etc, etc...I actually wanted to put a quote onto the label for the spice instead of anything else, but it wouldn't fit. It's a good quote though, so I'll share it with y'all now...

My favorite animal is steak.
- Fran Lebowitz

I'm sure everyone who reads this has already responded, but still...

I'm having a rough week. I almost cried at work yesterday (which is a BIG no-no on my list), and am feeling beat up and worn out by my workouts.

We are still having issues with RSVPs not coming in, and so I thought I'd post this link as a little helper on my behalf. Again, I don't think the people who actually read this blog are a problem. Especially after all the posts I've had about RSVP issues! But I just need to say it again. That's all. Because the lack of RSVPs is keeping us from being able to complete the final details on the reception.

And that? IS MAKING ME CRAZY!

Just bear with me. I'll post something pretty and nice soon to make up for all this bitching, I swear. :)

These days

This has been a trying week. Even though it was a "short" one, somehow, it found a way to be more difficult than normal weeks are!

See, we're going through a possible move at work. As I am the admin to the "Director" of our branch of the division, I was placed as point of contact (and the main arranger, apparently) of the new configuration our team would be set up in. "No problem!", I thought. "I can do this!"

Yeah, turns out I'm not too good at that sort of thing. My boss was interested in getting all of the various teams under him sitting in a more grouped configuration (we have 6 managers located in our office, so that would be 6 different team groupings), but one of the managers thinks more like me...he wanted his team all spread out. And when I tried to spread his team out, it really mucked up all the rest of the teams and their ability to be grouped together.

In my effort to make everyone happy, I did a pretty good job - even though I failed miserably at putting people where they should be. As far as my boss is concerned? Well, he's about the nicest guy on the planet...so he "felt bad" about rearranging everybody the way he did. But I say more power to him! He's the BOSS, after all. He's also got the mind of an engineer, whereas I have the mind of an English major. Maybe after a bit more practice with this stuff, I can help further down the line. In the mean time, I'll stick to correcting bad grammar and setting up meetings for him.

Also, you'll note that I mentioned that this is all just a possibility. From what I heard, we went through something like this last August before I joined the company. They made their recommendations about where teams should be, they packed boxes, they prepared to uproot...and then nothing ever happened. The move was cancelled after weeks of planning.

So I keep reminding the people that are coming to me with the disappointed puppy dog looks on their faces to bemoan the fact that "I'm not going to be by the window anymore?!" that this is all in the preliminary stage right now, things could always change! Oh, and by the way? I lose my window too. Thank God I have some at my house that I can look out whenever I want to, right? (Sheesh!)

Anyway, it's been stressful. And that was just 50% of my job this week! (Even though it took up 75% of my time, thanks to the whiners who suddenly want to be better friends with me than usual for some reason.)

Jesse's job is challenging right now as well...I think he feels a bit unfulfilled and frustrated with the position he's in at this point, but that makes sense. Early days in a new job can be trying, even to the most experienced job-hoppers. For someone that was committed to a routine and knew his position pretty well inside-out since he'd been at his last job for 5 years, this has got to be tough.

And then he gets to come home and deal with me! Bless his heart.

This week has been a disappointing one in terms of wedding issues as well. Specifically concerning the RSVPs. We've received about half of them from my side of the invite list, and while we've received a good amount of them from Jesse's side, we haven't gotten them all, which is surprising in some cases...maybe people think that we'll hear about it via word of mouth? I don't know. We need the actual RSVP cards, though. *sigh!* If you're reading this, and you haven't sent yours yet, please...please send it! For our sanity's sake! The flights aren't gettin' any cheaper! The sooner you decide, the better for everyone. (It's gonna be a blast though! Hope everyone can make it!)

I had a very old (and previous to days-of-Jesse, a very good) friend send me an email letting me know that he'd received his invitation, but he's back in school again (which is great! I hope he's working toward his teaching degree) and will be very busy this semester, so he's not sure if he'll be able to come. So "if [I] don't see [him] there", he's sorry.

Um, huh? No, no, no, noooo...I wrote him back and reminded him that this is a formal party, and not a BBQ at his friend's house. He needed to decide by September 1st if he would be able to spare 3 hours of a Saturday evening in October to help an old friend celebrate a new stage in her life. (I know he doesn't like weddings much...I told him he could forgo the attendance at the actual ceremony if he wanted.) I told him I was SURE he'd do great with his classes (he always does...so smart!), and that I would love to see him again and really hoped he'd be able to make it!

3 weeks have come and gone, and no RSVP from him yet. (No reply to the email, either.) This frustrates me.

Another old friend that I felt was surely going to attend with her lovely husband RSVP'd that they would not be attending, which sent shock waves through me that haven't quite dissipated yet. I have to accept that they have their reasons, but it leaves me concerned about what the motivation was for the decline of the invite. I want to follow up and make sure my friend is ok, but I'm not sure if I should do it via phone or in a note I send to her house in a card. I'm really having a hard time with the issue.

Outside of all of that, things are rolling along well. The wedding coordinator and I will meet this next week at the reception venue to look over the space together, and let her know what we've come up with up to this point, and see what her ideas are that she can throw in the mix. The DJ wrote me a note last night looking for a time to meet, and we've decided on the week after next, so I really need to step up my coordination there soon. I'm looking forward to both meetings, though. Should be fun.

Right now, I'm heading out to find the proper accompaniment for our favors we're giving to everyone at the wedding. I've put it off too long! So here I go!

Happy weekend everyone...