time flies when you're having... er... oh, yeah... fun.

I've been hugely busy getting ready for the wedding. Got the thrilling letter back from our friends at Immigration which informed us rather cheerfully that the wait would be 5 - 6 MONTHS, as opposed to the three months the chick on the phone on the help (?) line told me. Ah, soooo, the wedding has been set back to December.

After some mad scrambles and frantic brainstorming, we have decided on December 4th for the date. A church is booked, so we won't have to have the service in the showbank.

Currently, this is what we have:
*Ideas on a photographer, have talked with a few, but no one booked yet
*Still arguing about who we want for a caterer.
*Ditto for cake, but know what I want cake to look like.
*I know what i want MY boquet to look like, now to find the florist...
*Think I have the bridesmaid's dresses picked out... but one likes another one better, one will complain because she won't like the top, one says she doesn't have any money for the dresss even though she buys her clothes at Abercrombie and Fitch (which could be why)...
*Ah, the bridesmaids... I am crazy!!! I have asked my friends, but do not have enough guys yet, because am waiting on final answers. However, in England, apparently it is the custom of having many bridesmaids and only one groomsmen; the bridesmaids follow or lead the bridal procession.
*This sounds more like a list of what I have yet to do... *sigh*
*I did find MY dress, and was going to wear ballet slippers with it, but as luck would have it, there will no doubt be sloppy slushy snow about and I'll need huge rubber galoshes. Hmmmmm... not happening.

*Crazy Ideas that are also NOT going to happen*

I had one photographer tell me he was willing to travel, but expected to have hotel accomodation paid for, but he might be bringing an assistant, and she would need a room too...

My dad suggested having dog as a groomsman...

One of my friends thought we should have velvet table cloths, and a huge candle centerpiece on the head table. My hair will probably catch fire and I will have an instant makeover...

Panic began to set in, when she also had an idea for a cake which would be so fancy and expensive it would seriously clean out my bank account, and in fact, had already
arranged with the deli to have it made. While it sounded lovely, it wasn't me... and it wasn't what I wanted, so I tactfully declined, but felt like a jerk for ruining her fun and creativity. And as the panic set in, I felt the metamorphasis of Bridezilla beginning to take over (my mom has several of her own ideas for how a wedding should be properly done, as well as what should never, ever, not even on pain of death, be done; like putting gift registry cards in invitations. I think I'll write to Miss Manners on that one, since I've never thought about it before).

But, I wanted the reception at a hotel, she doesn't -- because hotels have bars, and she wants not alcohal at the ceremony. So I guess we're stuck having it in the moldy church basement with flannelgraphs lying about, and the faint smell of potluck dinners gone by still lingering in the kitchen and dining hall. But with a bit of work, we'll turn it into a winter wonderland of twinkling merriment.

And so, alas, when Nick jokingly suggested just going to Cleveland to watch a football game for our honeymoon, let's just say that I didn't think he was very funny. And I didn't laugh.

OH well, at least I the most necessary things - the church, the pastor, the groom, a date set, and the dress.

Oh, and I'm all set as the bank loves me so much that they approved me for a mortgage... I think I'll wait on the house for a bit. Maybe like... until Nick has the Visa in his hand and we're both sure we dont' have to live in England instead...

Well, toodles for now.