Long Overdue

Whew, I am tired.
Everyone kept telling me how exhausting planning a wedding could be, but I didn't understand how making a few phone calls, ordering some flowers, food, and music could be so tiring! Now that we've had to deal with vendors who were misinformed, or came back with higher prices, or couldn't help us, etc., I realize that's more of an emotional weariness than physical. At the end of the day, you simply can't understand how you are so tired when all you did was make phone calls (it feels like 40!), change the program music (I finally caved to a traditional bridal march), run errands and go to appointments (about 12), check program proofs (about 7 -- resulting in 3 more phone calls and 1 more errand), and work out these crazy details.
I mean seriously, does anyone really care about the types of candles someone has at a reception? Because I don't. And apparently that makes me a really bad bride. Like, worse than a bridezilla. I think I frustrate the vendors (and also very helpful family members) by NOT having an opinion! I don't really care about what shade of beige the table overlays are. It's not that I'm not excited or don't care about the wedding itself, because I am really excited. I'm absolutely counting down these next few days. All I know is that I get to marry John, and it's going to be a beautiful service and a lovely, fun reception. With sparklers and twinkle lights and our families and music and friends and a dress I really like. Oh, and I know that something big is bound to go wrong, because it does for every wedding, but in the end it's just one more story to tell your grandchildren!
I'm really glad that my mom is so gifted in different directions than I am and I have really appreciated her help lately. I get excited about having a plan set up for how to most efficiently light the sparklers, or how to handle parking and transportation, or planning when we get to eat snacks!, or about the printed materials looking good. [I'll admit it, I'm pretty excited that the invitations, programs, matchboxes, and sign for the reception all coordinate!] To each his own. My mom gets excited about table displays and making sure she knows what all my aunts are going to wear. My mom is coordinating the reception decor, making the table arrangements (a florist was mucho expensive for that!), and making sure things fit into an overall cohesive vision. I know it's going to be gorgeous -- she has great taste. And, although this was hard for me to see at first because I couldn't see her "vision" until I started seeing the pieces come together, my mom is working really hard for the visible parts of the wedding (the flower, decor, tables, etc.) to really reflect what I would want...if I had enough taste to know what I wanted!
I've spent a lot of time with my mom lately because most of my bridesmaids are way too swamped to be involved this week, which I understand. I've been in people's weddings before when basically all I could do was show up! In this week before the wedding, I've got 1 bridesmaid working all the time in SC, 1 doing the same thing in TN, 1 on a long overdue beach vacation, 1 in England, 1 in Peru, and 1 packing to move to Singapore. It's a busy busy group of girls, but they still call and check up on how things are progressing! They are all so sweet and so important to me, and I can't wait to see them next Friday!
I'm glad I was able to have this time with my mom, but I'm a little worried about how she's going to take it when I move away and don't 'belong' to her anymore (if that's the right way to put it). It could be a tough transition for both of us. I always grew up a 'Daddy's girl,' but my relationship with my mother has become closer with age.
I'm really psyched that John will be in town this weekend! We have to get him a wedding band, meet with the photographer, go to counseling, load his car with the last of my stuff to move up to TN, and buy sparklers. And we have to go to the courthouse on Monday to get a WEDDING LICENSE! Yay!
Please pray that our housing situation will work out soon. We have submitted a security deposit and application for an apartment, but we haven't heard yet whether that's all worked out. I'm glad that John made honeymoon plans for the NC mountains, because that will be both relaxing and convenient for moving (timing/location wise) since it's already en route to TN.
We're getting there! Pray for wisdom and calm for John and I and for our families! :)