Here's What I Got So Far

Well I suppose I am getting started on a Wedding Planning Blog a little late in the process.... Everything is basically already planned. The wedding is in a little under four months and I have already been planning for the last three months at warp speed. However, there is still a lot to do of course. Lucky for you, this next part of the process is the stressful part which is full of tiny details, payments, and final decisions. So lucky.


Here is what I have already figured out:

1. The Dress and Veil. Bought them about a week and a half after Ian and I got engaged. I wasn't planning on buying a dress right off like that, but when you find the one, you hafta get it, right?
2. Maid of Honor Dress. My younger sister, Danielle is my MOH and she is wearing this beautiful strapless summer dress in Clover. So therefore,
3. Wedding Colors. Ivory, Black, and Clover.
4. Location and Officiant. The wedding will take place at my grandparent's house on Harstine Island. Not only is it a free venue, it is a very special place for me and my family and Ian and I love going there whenever we can. My grandpa will be performing the ceremony which has always been a dream of mine.
5. Caterer. Basically done - all but signed the contract. Menu, chairs, tables, linens, servingwear, etc all figured out.
6. Cake. Just met with my aunt Lindsey's friend Mary who runs her own little cake business out of her home. She is the nicest lady and I think the cake will be gorgeous! We are so blessed to have the family I work for paying for the cake. It is so generous of them, and we are lucky to have people like them in our lives. (there I go talking in "we"s again...)
7. Invitations. All done and sitting in a Paper Source bag on my kitchen table. We went to my parent's house in Kennewick a couple weekends ago to do the embossing and wax sealing. I love love love the invitations!
8. Musicians. Another dream of mine is to have "Holden People" play for my wedding. So, I have asked my friends Steve and Matt to play piano and violin (they said yes!) and I will be walking down the isle to a song that Steve wrote about 10 years ago for me (and my good friend Jess) for my 13th birthday. I am beyond excited that these two totally talented people will be the musicians. I am still trying to find more Holdenites to play but in general, I have a handle on this.
9. Flowers. We have a meeting with the Florist this Saturday where I will be getting white calla lilies for the bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres, and orchids for the cake. (I have come to the realization that I can do whatever I want because it's my wedding. I don't like the look of calla lilies on a cake so I am using orchids.)
10. Wedding Bands. Bought and hiding in separate places in our apartment. Well, Ian is hiding mine so I can't wear it. Ian's is just sitting on our kitchen counter. 

Let's see, that was boring....apologies.  but I also have my boy cousins as ushers, my girl cousin as guest book attendant, and the hotel rooms blocked out in Olympia. ok I am done.
Whew I am basically a Wedding Planning Machine. It's not necessarily easy, but I find the details of my big day fun to figure out. I am not usually so organized, but I have my little wedding book, my cutouts and collages, and budget all ready to go every time I have a meeting with a vendor. I impress even myself.

Now - here is the difficult thing for me. Losing Weight for the Wedding.
I was lucky enough to grow up never really worrying about my body. Of course my stomach could have been a washboard and my legs could have been less jello-y. But for that to happen I would have to have 0% body fat which we all know is less than healthy. I was a skinny kid. At 16 years old I was 5'7", 108lbs without exercising or watching what I ate.



Not that you noticed, but as it's naptime for my little ward while I blog, I would just like to note that I was just pulled away from writing by anguished cries on the baby monitor. I rushed to the room to find that The Little One had finagled his t-shirt so that its collar was squeezing his arms down to his sides like a strait jacket rendering him completely hopeless that life would ever be the same again. I don't know how this happened, just like I don't know how he got his head stuck under his bead once during naptime. All I know is that 2-and-a-half-year-olds are certainly never sleepy during naptime and must find ways to prove it. I fixed his shirt, wiped up his tears, gave him a hug, and told him to keep Curious George warm under his blankets... PLEASE GO TO SLEEP!

 Anyway, senior year of High School I joined dance team and actually gained some muscle. When dance ended, I gained about 20 pounds by eating fast food everyday because people told me I looked too skinny - like I was anorexic. Going into College, I weighed in at a perfect 135 pounds. I was so pleased with my weight - not too skinny (although according to BMI it is too skinny for my height) but not too flabby either. I loved the way I looked in anything I wore. I felt confident and sexy most of the time. My mom likes to think college life didn't foster my confidence, but I am fairly certain it was the weight gain which completely diminished it. Maybe my metabolism kicked in then? I don't know. Maybe it was just studying instead of being active and UC food.  At any rate, by the time graduation rolled around, I weighed 170 pounds. By the time Ian proposed, I weighed 180. (I just renewed my drivers license and I unabashedly confirmed that yes, I was still 150 pounds like my expiring license stated. That's how much I hate admitting this number.)

I have always wanted to lose the weight and stay at 135. But I absolutely hate working out. I am a homebody, I will admit it - in general I hate physical activity. I don't enjoy hiking, biking, running, soccer, tennis, or even kickboxing. Ok, I like dancing. But I would honestly rather sit and watch a movie. As far as going outside on a beautiful day goes, maybe I could sit in the sun or go shopping at the outlet mall. But in general sitting on my ass is far superior. It's sad. I know. Sometimes (who am I kidding? All the time) I pretend to like certain things so I don't look like a complete couch potato. And it's a total disgrace to my Holden Heritage. But there it is.

So hiring a trainer to come to my apartment complex gym three times a week for 45 minutes was a must for me because, you guessed it, I was not about to do it on my own. I have set a goal of 30 pounds of weight-loss before the wedding. So far I have lost 5 pounds (yay?) but I am supposed to be losing 2 pounds a week to stay on track. It's been 3 and a half weeks. I am really committed to losing the weight not because I feel like I have to be a certain weight to look good in my wedding dress but because I am certainly not happy with my body and the way I have been taking care of it and I want more than anything to feel confident and pretty on my wedding day.

So, I am working out, cutting out unnecessary simple carbs, taking my vitamins, and trying not to grimace at that person in the mirror quite so much just because she is overweight. (I don't do that to other people, why should I do it to her?)

Through it all, I have an amazing fiance who 100% supports me in my endeavors and can't wait to marry me no matter what I weigh or what color flowers we have at the wedding.
Thanks for listening.