It's been a while, huh...

So, it's been a while since my last post.  And by "a while," I mean since New Year's.  Wow.  Way to stay on top of the blogging there, K.

A lot has happened on the wedding front in 2010.  We tied down our menu after an EXTRAORDINARY tasting at Rosa's in Hamilton...so comfortable, rich, hearty and delicious.  Mmmm!  I figured out decorations and designed the invitations, and even wrangled the groomsmen into resolution on attire (they were tougher than the girls!).  I decided against harp in favor of organ for the ceremony, based on the song to which I'll walk down the aisle.  George and I have made progress on a few other fronts too...but they're surprises and you'll just have to wait.

The most exciting news is, I got The Dress.  No hints, but I'll tell you the story.  As you probably know, my lovely Aunt Carole was going to make my dress.  I had the pattern picked out, and tried on a muslin version while in Florida for Christmas.  It was made to the pattern and as such, didn't quite fit.  No big deal, that's why we have muslins, right?  Right...except that when another round of alterations is needed, and potentially another two rounds after that...the flights alone start to look daunting.  So I tried the retail route, and was getting frustrated when I came upon a beautiful gown.  In red.

I guess there's one hint for you:  my wedding dress is not red.

Some Googling later, I found the designer of That Red Dress, and discovered her wedding line.  Which is how I ended up on a Saturday afternoon at a Nicole Miller boutique in Philadelphia, with my sister Genevieve and George's mom Gena in tow, and cellphones and cameras in hand.

I went with The One in mind but decided to try on another twelve, just to get the full spectrum bridal experience.  Surprisingly, I was unemotional as I tried on dresses.  It was fun, and I made most of my decisions based on whether I wanted to keep the dress on longer after I caught my first glimpse in the mirror.  Eventually, we narrowed it down to two front-runners and The One I’d Come To See--which I held off on trying on until the end.  We sent camera-phone pictures of the frontrunners to my mom to get her response in real time, and eventually, there was only one left.  The sales staff had thoughtfully arranged for it to be available in my size, only slightly stretched out by the enormous plastic clothes pins they use

Wanting the experience to be as close as possible to really having my mom there, I made some unconventional choices when it came to trying on that last dress.  I covered all the mirrors, put it on, and had Genevieve take and send pictures to my mom.  When she got all the pictures while on the phone with me, I slowly walked up to the mirror.

I burst into into tears.  Then my mom burst into tears.  Then Gena burst into tears, the salesgirl burst into tears, and my darling sister burst out laughing at how silly we all were.  It was perfect…I can’t wait for May for it to make its public debut!

In eighty-three days, I'll become a married woman.  While some of the most important people in my life won't be there to celebrate, I know they'll be with us in spirit.  In the meantime, I know that the next 83 days and the 83 years after that will all be made better because of the man by my side, who has proven yet again these past few weeks that he is my rock.  Overall, not a bad pick to marry, huh?