Reality Sets In

Sunday was my (our) bridal shower. My lovely aunts (Cindy, Connie, Cathy, Barb, and Carolyn), with some help from my mom, made this really great celebration. It was so pretty. Our wedding colors, red and ivory, decorated the house. They had placed beautiful white daisies throughout the house. Everything was so great. The food was really yummy. And then the cake! German chocolate, which is my all time favorite. So many people came. I was amazed how blessed we are to have so many friends and family that care. People were way too generous! I can't believe the things we received. It had been a while since we had made the registry. We promised each other we wouldn't look at it so it would be a surprise. Well, time passed and we both just kind of forgot about it with everything else that's going on in our lives. Though the gifts were things we had added to our registry, it was still a great surprise since we hadn't looked at the registry.

I have to say I just really loved my helpers. Emma, my cousin's little girl, and Megan, my soon-to-be-niece, were very helpful with the task of opening presents. They were so cute. Emma is about 4 and megan is a year and a half. They were a great team. I think there's some good pictures of them somewhere. I thought I knew how to open presents but these girls have it down to a science. Emma took charge of the more difficult wrapping jobs. They were under strict orders not to break any ribbons. And they followed said orders! They were so cute. Megan was in charge of taking the bows and ribbons to my friend, Hiroko, to make the practice bouquet. She did a great job. She was a little confused at first. I think there were just too many new people. The girls were great!

The morning of the shower, I was in the bathroom getting ready. I was wondering who would be there and what was planned and how embarrassed would I be when it hit me. I'm getting married. For real. Soon. In six weeks. Holy $h!t! There have been times when I feel like an adult. But usually in my head I still feel like I'm anywhere between the ages of 13 and 19. It all depends on the company I'm with, like the kids or Kevin. With this realization, I really felt like an adult. A full adult. I can't say I'm not nervous. I am. Very. But not about spending my life with Kevin. That part comforts me. He's my best friend and everything I could ever want in a husband. He makes me laugh. He comforts me when I'm down. He stands by me when I need strength. He reminds me of my good qualities. He gets dorky and nerdy with me. He loves me unconditionally. No other guy has ever made me feel as happy as he does. He is my perfect match. I suppose what makes me nervous is being the center of attention and making sure everyone has an awesome time. Someone mentioned to me at one point that even when I'm slurping soup, people will be watching us. That's just freaky. And pressure! I almost always spill on myself. I don't want anything on my wedding gown and I really don't want anyone to see me spill on myself! Kevin joked about getting me a bib or something. I'm seriously considering it. The bridal shower was a good practice at being the party's focus. But I know it will be much more intense the day of the wedding. I keep praying I don't trip and fall in front of everyone!

For the most part, everything is coming together. I was freaking out about the invitations. Karen, Kevin's sister, had a great idea. She suggested that I contact the printer and have her send the invitations now. The problem was the envelopes. The printer didn't have the envelopes yet. She was still waiting for them. I couldn't wait any longer. The invitations were supposed to be mailed out the first week of July. Karen said we could buy envelopes and print them ourselves. Karen is quite a crafty person. She's like a really awesome version of Martha Stewart. She knew of a shop that had all kinds of supplies for this sort of thing. The invitations were sent next day air. I bought the envelopes. We started printing them right away. We worked on them all weekend. Monday morning we bought all the necessary stamps. They are now stamped and sealed and ready to go to the post office first thing this morning. Thank goodness! There is one thing we didn't make clear. The ceremony starts at 4pm outside on the patio. It should be about 30 minutes. The cocktail hour starts at 5:30pm inside on Bourbon Street. We decided there should be some downtime between the two so we don't miss anything and also to give the vendors time to set things up. That gives our guests time to check-in, change, use the bathroom, stretch, or whatever else they would like to do before the party starts. The wedding party and some family members will be taking photos during that hour break. The reception will immediately follow the cocktail hour in the Orleans ballroom. Everything will be marked but I thought we'd give a little warning.

My brother, the Man of Honor, went with me to my trial hair and make up appointment. There were several points when I saw the look on the stylist's face. I did tell her that my brother is not in fact gay. He just knows about vintage hair styles and make up, which still sounds strange. It was a good time. He gave me good advice. I'm not quite satisfied with the look and may ask for another appointment to try something a little different. I have a piece I really want to incorporate. We'll see what happens.

Little details are being worked out. There are a couple surprises for the ceremony and wedding and I'm so excited! Even Kevin doesn't know everything. It's going to be great!

I'm getting really excited. And I have to say, I'm really looking forward to the honeymoon. I need a vacation!