Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Of Weddings, Details and Stuff That Tends to Gag Guys

When I was younger, and there was no marriage in present sight, I used to spend hours planning all of the details for my wedding. I would think about it when I was weeding the garden. Washing the dishes. Folding laundry. Changing the baby's dirty diaper! Milking the cows.

Even though I knew from the first that marriage was down the road at some point, when I got involved with Jesse, I didn't even really think about the wedding. All I could concentrate on was my man and our relationship. But suddenly, one fine day, it hit me: we were going to have a wedding. That involved what? The more I thought about it, the more I felt overwhelmed with the prospect. So many details to think about! After I was sick, I hardly wanted a wedding at all. In fact, Jesse (among others) could quote me saying, "Let's just elope." Lol!

Thank God for good friends. Lindsey arrived on Thursday afternoon and the fun began immediately. First off, we made pasta and cream sauce for supper and Jesse came over to share it with us. We filled ourselves to contentment while watching "The Young Victoria" (which was mentioned previously in the post below) and an episode of "Due South" (which was not mentioned previously in the post below....), then had good conversation. These days, it seems that good conversation always turns to wedding plans. Lol! In this case, we decided that the fabric from the old wedding dress I wanted to use for my wedding dress was not conducive to the pattern I wanted. The pattern was not an option, so the dress went. I was sad but I had been coming to the realization slowly over the past few weeks (part of the reason I wanted to elope... haha!) (yes, I really, really wanted to use that dress...)...

Friday, we went into Regina and shopped until we dropped. Or almost. My favorite parts of the day happened after Michaels. I know, I know. Heresy. Especially from someone like me who usually can't be dragged out of the store for hours. The problem was that so many things were undecided and I didn't know what I needed or didn't need. Thankfully, Lindsey helped make a few decisions. Among my favorite purchases there were some small glassware which included a heart shaped and triangular shaped containers with corks. They weren't terribly expensive and we are planning on using them for... well, that will have to wait until I explain the after Michaels remark. ;-)

After Michaels.... :-) we went to The Bulk Barn. I had never even heard of one and I didn't even know what they carried. Lindsey and her mom and sister had shopped at one in Alberta, so she knew. We walked into the store and it was like heaven. I was feeling rather depressed when I first walked in. When we walked out, I was on top of the world. Hehe! Bins and bins and bins every bulk item you can think of. What we were interested in was the candy. Why would I, who isn't a typical candy person (hey! chocolate is *not* candy!) (well, some chocolate could be classified as candy but it should be banned from North America) like that detail? Because while searching through the internet for wedding ideas, I came across this lovely idea for the reception and fell in love with it:


There will be chocolate on my table as well as all of these wonderful colors and delightful vintageness. My husband-to-be loves the idea. I love the idea. I think there is a very good chance of it happening. ;-)

And now I can tell you what the small containers from Michaels will be used for: decorations on the tables. They will be filled with jelly beans. Believe me, they're absolutely adorable. :-)

Anyways, we walked out of the Bulk Barn with lots of candy. We only took a little of each. A little of 20+ varieties adds up. Haha! But I loved it. I mean, finally! I was able to get out of the cautious mode and throw myself into planning. Walmart was next. That was 2nd in line of things that happened beautifully. Candles. I left Walmart with some really nice candles. They're vanilla and cream colored and they smell really, really good. They also look like what I want them to.

Saturday, we traveled back into Regina and went to Fabricland. We had intended going the day before but they close earlier than we anticipated. Lindsey said they would feel her wrath someday. ;-) Actually, the next day after three+ hours of shopping, we both agreed as we were leaving the store that it was perhaps a good thing we had not been able to shop there the day before. It was pretty intense. And yet, I had not had that much fun in years. How can I explain the beauty of the greens we found? Yes, we got a lot of greens. It's my favorite color. :-) Lindsey's dress fabric is a lovely, lovely dark sage green. We found the fabric as soon as we walked through the door. It just leaped out at both of us and not only did I fall in love with it, so did Lindsey. Which is important because she has to wear it and I want her to feel beautiful and comfortable in it. :-) I mean, this fabric is my all time favorite shades of green. It's absolutely gorgeous. And Lindsey will look stunning in it. :-)

We also bought fabric for all of my sisters to have dresses... for the four oldest, a different shade of sage for skirts (cream blouses to be purchased for tops) (we also found a really nice pattern for the skirts... they're classy, yet cute... modern, yet vintage). For Cilla, Ruth and Sara, we couldn't find anything in the silks, satins and etc, etc, that leaped out at us. So, we went over into the cottons and found this really pretty print that is so pretty and cute. They will be little princesses. :-) My mom's outfit is still to be decided as well as my mil and sil, but we have time. :-)

I remember the exact moments the fabrics and patterns decided they were attending my wedding. Most became clarified when I saw them for the first time. But the fabric for my dress was a little different. I liked the shade of the satin when I saw it. But I have a hard time with satins. Usually, they're too heavy and stiff. I had never seen or felt a satin I really liked until I found that old wedding dress and fell in love with it. Then, I touched this really beautiful Cuddle Satin. That's what it's called! As soon as I felt it, I knew. It was so soft... not too shiny... it fell just right... in fact, it was perfect. It was what I had been looking for since I had first begun planning my wedding (about 20 years ago ;-)). And because I had no faith, I decided that there was not going to be a lace overlay there that would fit that perfect, perfect satin. Hehe. As it turns out, there was. It's just right. It's unique. It's beautiful. It's also perfect.

It was definitely a good day for fabric shopping. :-) Every little aspect I was concerned about with the sewing, the cost, the time has all been taken care of. Many thanks to good friends and a loving God who works in mysterious ways!

I hope this post hasn't been boring. This is all very fascinating to me and Jesse assures me that girls like talking about weddings, period. To the guys who are trying to get through this, my apologies. For I am now going to talk about chocolate.

After eating my supper tonight, I had Green and Black Caramel chocolate bar. I usually only eat a little at a time of those because they're so sweet and the chocolate sooo rich. But this evening, before I knew it, I had finished the entire bar! Lol! I was feeling quite pleased with myself beforehand, too. :-P Now I have a smashing headache... I never eat that much chocolate at once. Boy, did it ever taste good. Felt good too. Still feels good. Just headache. Caffeine and I are not the best of friends. Ahem.

Other points of interest from my weeks of silence:

 I am quite recovered from my illness though I am still taking vitamins and supplements. I feel so good. Every time someone asks me how I'm doing, I always feel like shouting, "WONDERFUL!!!" Hehe...

I am greatly enjoying my work at PharmaSave. Today, I worked most of the morning in the photo lab (which was very fun, once I got the hang of it), then spent the rest of the day dusting the Advil, Tylenol, etc. All those little boxes and bottles taken off the shelves... dusting/washing shelves... making sure I have all of the proper tags... checking expiration dates... all those boxes and bottles put back onto shelves. It's slow and tedious work but it's something I rather enjoy. I like cleaning. Rather, I like stepping back and seeing the results of my labors. I love that shining glow that emerges after you have cleaned.

Theatre is coming along well. I have been memorizing my lines and getting into character. Once again, I love, love, love working with the other people involved. Watching different aspects of people emerge as they become their character is amazing and often hilarious. One of the women in the cast took on a persona last Sunday that had us all in stitches. It was brilliant and very funny.

The orthodontist told me that April 7th would be the day my braces were coming off. I don't know if my bottom braces will be since my teeth are still not in place (they did some major adjusting... in fact, it was only a couple days ago they actually stopped hurting. They've never hurt for almost an entire month before... agh! I will be so glad to get them off!). As soon as my braces are off, Jesse's dad will take pictures of us and we'll be able to get to work on our wedding invitations. I'm really looking forward to those!

Today, on the way to work, I slipped on the ice and fell. I landed on my bad knee (of course), left hip, elbow and twisted my ankle. Then, at work, I accidentally smashed my thumb while working at the photolab. Yes, it was on accident. I hate smashing my thumbs. So painful. But I have survived with little swelling and no Advil. So far. I believe sleep may call for it. Add a headache to all of my aches and pains (incidentally, my big toe on my right foot hurts the worst right now and I don't recall doing anything to it) and it kind of makes sleep not an option.

Speaking of sleep, I really should shower and get to bed. Another day of work and teaching tomorrow. You know, in spite of all my complaining, I am so happy. I feel so incredibly blessed. Thank you, God. :-) I had a really good day.

Good night, everyone! Sweet dreams.

12 comments:

Lindsey said...

I'm glad you aren't eloping. ;) I had as much fun as you shopping. :) So fun to see it all coming together!

lol, about the chocolate. I spread my bar out over two days...G & B's chocolate is completely awesome.

Sounds like you were a walking accident today. :P Just a complete random guess, but I'd say you had something else more important and distracting on your mind. ;) Hope you won't be feeling too sore for long.

Naomi T. said...

Haha! Yes, I may have had something distracting me. :P But a portion of my brain saw the ice and tried to step off of it, not realizing I was on a solid sheet of it. It was like Bambi on the ice. Not perty. ;)

Self control was always one of your virtues. :sigh: Now why can't we be alike in that area as well?? ;) Isn't their chocolate divine?

And I'm glad I'm not eloping either. Thanks. :hugs: :D

ASourceOfJoy said...

I'm thoroughly enjoying all your wedding-ish posts - brings back many good memories of my own wedding planning last summer. It's just so FUN to see all the details falling into place and God answering so many prayers, isn't it? Can't wait to see how it comes together for you! I know it will be beautiful, and you have the best artistic assistant ever in Lindsey. She was a lifesaver for me, too, when it came to decorating the reception room. :D

Unknown said...

Hey sis,
sounds like you had a royal blast shopping and getting wedding goodies. :-) I'm glad that you had so much fun with Lindsey. She's a wonderful friend to you and I'm thankful that she can help you out. maybe someday you'll be able to help her with her wedding. :-) I love hearing from you...
Hannah

Naomi T. said...

Abigail, thank you for commenting! It is a lot of fun seeing God work and bring all the details together. :) :) And yes, I am really blessed to have Lindsey! She will the best maid of honor a bride ever had.

Hannah, but it was your ideas that made me seriously start thinking about what I wanted! Which was a good thing. :) So, thank you! Yep. Someday I hope to somehow return some of the care and love she's bestowing on me! :) And when you get married, hopefully everyone will be bestowing love and care on you. Start planning now. :)

Anonymous said...

My first thought was ah yes, the familiarity of just wanting to elope because planning a wedding can be a LOT of work and well, it can be hard to actually decide what you want. But I think that is what good friends (maid of honors) and sisters are there for, and having been in the position before of being one of those good friends..I can attest to this! :)

The colors and fabric you chose all sound so lovely! I can't wait to see how the dresses and skirts turn out, and well I am anxious for you to get married so I can see photos of your beautiful wedding, lol. :) How many bridesmaids/groomsmen will you be having?

Inklings and Notions said...

We did a candy bar at our wedding! There was a hodge podge of glass containers that we found at garage sales, thrift stores, and ones we borrowed from a cousin. It was a huge hit! I can't wait to see pictures of what you wind up doing at your wedding.;)
Glad you aren't eloping. A wedding is totally worth it! (though, there were times I just wanted to elope with Andrew. lol) Just be sure that you have someone watch over the cards during the reception, since they can get stolen!

Grace said...

You are so funny, dear. :) You are having those fattening pretzely things, right? You've been talking about those forever. :)

I'm sure it will be lovely, and I'm very happy for you. Wish I could share this time with you, but you'll have to be content with lots of prayers and thoughts instead. :)

Love you, dear friend!
~ Grace

Anonymous said...

You'll be glad you did the wedding and didn't elope when it's all said and done :)
the candy bar idea is fabulous and fun!! I love the vintage look of that one too.

Oh, Fabricland sounds like a wonderful place! I don't know if we have those here in the states.
So who is sewing your wedding dress? Are you girls sewing your own skirts (your sisters)
For my best friend's wedding, we had blue skirts and finally found some tops that would work. We wanted cream but ended up going with these white tops that we found at Kohls. That was the hardest thing; finding blouses we all liked, that matched etc.. cause we're all about the same size. and often there weren't enough.

Oh Green and Black chocolate; YUMMY!! I am pretty good about spreading it out but sometimes I eat it all without realizing ;)

So Lindsey will be your MOH, then? And your 4 sisters... Lydia, Hannah, Ellie and ??? will be bridesmaids, right? (I cant think of your other sister's name!)

I love your choice of colors; lovely.
And cuddle Satin sounds soft.

Glad to hear that your job is going along well and you are enjoying life and feeling wonderful.
Though I'm sure that fall did not feeling too great. *ouch*!

I can't wait to see how your wedding turns out and see it all come together. Wish I could be there!

Bekah said...

*sighs with delight* Totally my type of post! :D:D:D:D:D *enough said*

muzic4him said...

I've been enjoying following your engagement, and reading about wedding plans! I'm getting married just a couple weeks before you (August 27th) and am still in the *major* overwhelmed feeling stage. Reading this makes me realize too how much MORE you've done that I haven't even started yet. Fun thought, though, we're both having sage green, though I'm going to accent with a deep rose. Kind of country, kind of victorian. Think English roses, doilies, white wicker, and ivy. :-)

Nila said...

I love it when things fall together and we can look back and say, "Thank you, Lord." And it does sound as though you had a super fun and productive weekend, with a great start at getting things rolling. I too can't wait to see the end product and continue hearing the stages of planning and producing. Those little sisters of yours are so adorable, as I was looking at pictures on the other blog. I had forgotten that your Mom, Jenn and Heather were all pregnant that year and due in the spring. Two year olds are so sweet.