wedding update

well I ordered our cardstock for our invitations last week. Monday we booked a hall. It's in Wyandotte. a little small, but that's okay. It says it's capacity is 150...but even if only about 50 people show up it's not gonna look "empty" ... it was $400 plus $100 for a bartender. We have to provide our own beverages and cups and stuff, but I think we can use their dishes for the event, which is a savings. It's a pretty little hall. The outside looks like crap (my mom made the so helpful comment "oh that's the hall we make fun of when we go by") but the inside is GORGEOUS! I'll take piccies when I go back to make decorating decisions.

So we have the wedding site, the hall, kevin's suit, my dress (almost...i go for final alterations in 2 weeks) this weekend I'm going shopping with mom to get a bra/corset thingy and shoes. OH! Kevin's mom and dad also offered to help us financially as much as they can. which is nice since my parents have been helping when they can as well.

We still have to make sure kevin's divorce is final from his first wife (gonna do that monday i think) and in April we go for our marriage license. ummmm...next week I'm also getting addresses. The invites are getting sent out later than I planned and we weren't able to do save-the-dates...but 6-8 weeks beforehand is usual so I'm not totally off. We're handgiving as many invites as we can to save postage.

Oh and Sunday we're going to my gf's house to work on my vision of the cake. that should be fun.

I think that's it. I decided that I'm inviting Aunt Sue to the wedding and reception but Aunt Mickey ONLY to the reception. So for sure Aunt Sue will be there for the more important part of the day. I made it abundantly clear that Aunt Mickey isn't invited to the nuptuals. There's a whole big history and lots of bad blood between the 2 and while part of me wishes they'd grow up and get over it already, part of me understands where Aunt Sue is coming from so I won't push her. As far as My Aunt Kim and Grandma Liz...I'm still not sure on that. Time will tell.

Was stressed out the other day cuz talked to my mom and she's not going to be available to me for the wedding pretty much. She's a city clerk and they're having an election May 2nd, 3 days before the wedding. Not only that but it's a school district election but they're putting a citywide ballot on which has never been done in Wayne county ever...and my mom's only been a clerk for about 6 months and she gets to figure out the logistics of everything. So she's stressed and working way too much and as a result I don't get my mom. Which upsets me as my sister is already out of town. The 2 most important people to me (besides Kevin of course) and I can't lean on them as much as I had hoped. Don't get my wrong, my sis is always there for me to bounce ideas off of her, but she's not here physically which leads me to find others as a support system. And I'm not good at letting people in.

Crap! It's 10pm! Gotta jump in the shower and do dishes before kevin gets home!

The perfect Hall

We found the perfect hall. It needed some work, but we could decorate the night before, it had great circulation, ceiling fans, smoke eaters, A/C, a huge kitchen, a bar area, about 5 minutes from the wedding site, a motel right next door, it was wonderful! BUT the only way to get to it is by going up a flight of stairs. Steep stairs. And kevin's mom is in a wheelchair so it's no longer an option. *cries* We were all set to give them the deposit and everything as as we were heading to the door i realized there was no way for it to be handicap accessible. And there are way too many stairs to navigate his mom up and down. If there were 5 even we could do it, but it's a whole flight.

So we checked another one in Wyandotte. This one's attached to a bar. It will do in a pinch if we need it to, but it's got no ceiling fans or smoke eaters. It is on the ground floor and they do provide the beer and bartender (at slight cost) and they have karaoke friday nights (lol) but the decor is pure hunting lodge.

In the process of looking at that one tho, we found 2 other potentials. One in Wyandotte and one in Lincoln Park. So we're looking at one on Sunday and 3 on Monday...whichever one we like most is getting the deposit Monday afternoon so we can get the invitations printed out and mailed.

I can't wait until this stress is over.

Party Bus

Well I kinda wanted a limo or party bus for the wedding party for transport from wedding site to reception site...maybe even to pick up us girls to take us to the wedding...$500 plus 20% gratuity seems to be the going rate. I don't think we can afford that, so it looks like minivans. I'm so sad :(

so tired

as you know the hall plans fell thru. So i spent all day today on the puter and phone calling around to find a replacement. I found 3 potentals right now.

First one is a VFW practically around the corner fromthe wedding site. And it's right next door to a small local motel. The price is reasonable. It only includes the hall, tables, chairs and plastic tablecoths. We have to clean up and bring in our own everything. No big. That's what the original plan was anyway. Not sure about if we can decorate the night before or not, but there is also a liquor store across the street lol. That's convenient.

Second is a Knights of Columbus in Wyandotte. around the same price. Plus $125 for mixers and glasses for everyone ($1.25 per person) round tables are an additional price, as are linens, and you have to use their bartender $75 for the night (per...so $150 if we need 2). can't deocrate the night before and can't hang things from the ceiling (which kinda sucks) but it's a pretty place.

Which leads us to option 3...the biddle hall. It's downtown Wyandotte and it's all inclusive. They set up and tear down and all food and beverages (alcohol and non-alcohol) and centerpieces and bartenders are included for $27.50 per person. At 100 people that's a big chunk of change, but it also alleviates so much stress. We're going to have to sit down and see if it would be worth it for us moneywise and stresswise.

So we're checking out one on thursday, one on sunday and one on Monday. Wish me luck.

Hall mishaps

So today we went to finalize our wedding site. We had to go to Wayne County Parks to get a license for $50 for Elizabeth Park. No biggie. But here's the kicker...we get it all settled and we're breathing sighs of relief cuz we're 2 1/2 months away and finally have 2 things settled (the hall and the site). So i call my mom to discuss the photographer. That's when she tells me the union hall we were supposed to get (remember? originally $$ then progressively more $$) has now rescinded my brother's union discount basically and is wanting to charge $525 for the hall (which consists of the hall, use of a kitchen, a bar with a keg set-up and tables and chairs...nothing else...we have to clean up after the night is over) PLUS they want a $500 deposit!!! WTF!!! So i tell my mom to forget it we'll find a new hall. So we go to check out the site (i'll post piccies tomorrow) and then proceed to drive around the area looking for local halls we can call in the next couple of days. We found about 12 potentials. So I'm calling tomorrow (with help from my sister in VA) and kevin's also calling a couple of hliday inns near the area to see how much for an employee (maybe he can get a discount). If we have to forgo the alcohol limitations for a convenient hall so be it. I don't care right now.

As a side note, I"m a little more than pissed that AGAIN i had to hear second hand about the hall. First was from my step mom, today from my mom about an hour after my brother called her. I"m pissed that he didn't call me to let me know what was going on...or at the very least that my fam didn't let me know ASAP. I know in my head that today my mom didn't call asap cuz she was prolly trying to figure out an alternate plan for the reception hall. and i bless her for it. But it's less than 3 months before my wedding! I need to know these damn things!

On the plus, i finally talked to kevin's mom tonight about the guest list and got who she wants to come. It was all people we already had listed. That combined with our list and our tentative mom/dad list (kemper/Gutierrez) gives us around 82 invitations to send out...with about 150 people total invited. We're figuring about 100 will actually show. Thank god for RSVPs tho. So i'm ordering the cardstock invites tomorrow (need to post a pic of those) and should be stuffing those next week.

nothing much else...made appt for alterations on march 11th when chicken gets in town (one of my bridesmaids) gonna also order 2 groomsmen shirts this week for kevin's brothers. and figured out what our guestbook is gonna be. Pretty much a memory book with polaroids and people can sign like a yearbook. Should be fun! Also gonna put some stickers and maybe stamps that people can use to decorate their own pages. they have one that's 35 cardsdtock pages ... so it's 70 pages individual...figure most people are gonna be photographed as groups and families...should work out perfectly!

okay...time to go watch a movie and relax. love!

Kevin is brilliant!

I've been having such a hard time deciding which shawls/stoles/whatever I want for my bridesmaids. The only thing i knew was I wanted to make it myself. I made one but wasn't so crazy about it. So I decided to try another one...the original plan was to make a couple, send them to my sister to see which one she thought was best and also take piccies of her in it wearing the dress so i could see what I thought was best...but Kevin came up with such a better idea! Since I'm having a hard time deciding, why not make 4 different shawls for my 4 bridesmaids. All in the same yarn (black) , except my matron of honor whose shawl in made out of a ribbon yarn called "incredible" by Lion Brand. It's black and silver. So I am currently working on shawl #3. I'll take piccies of the first two later on today when i get my batteries on my camera charged so I can share.

And BLECH! I have to call Kevin's mom today about the guest list. I'm not looking forward to that. I'm gonna make sure I have smokes and a nice glass of wine next to me when i call lol

Guest List issues

(warning...curse words...mainly one used many times)

So we go to dinner with kevin's fam...originally supposed to be just me and him and his parents...turns out to be the big family circus of everyone going (which means 11 people...including 3 kinds under 6) which i'm kinda excited about when i learn it's just me and kevin and his parents i figure we'll talk about the wedding. Even with the whole family there i think we can at least get the guest list settled. NOOOOOOOOOOO! First off we're seated as far away from his parents as possible cuz the grandkids have to sit next to gramma and papa. fine. So I sit next to my future sisters-in-law and share plans with them. We don't even get to discuss the guest list with kevin's parents until we're LEAVING! So I say "hey mom,(which i hate calling her "mom" and kevin's dad "dad" cuz I have my own parents thank-you-very-much but I suck it up cuz that's what they want me to call them)... I'm gonna call you this week to get the guest list finalized on your side and get addresses." She tells me "i don't have addresses but I will tell you who I want"...okay this gets me going. not "who i would like you to invite" but "who I want" EXCUSE ME!?! you haven't offered to pay for a goddamn thing in our wedding whereas my mom and dad and step mom are contributing close to $1000 combined when it's all totalled. Then she says we have to choose between Kevin's GODMOTHER, her sister, Aunt Sue, or her other sister, Mickey, who comes into town and never bothers to get in touch with Kevin...I've only met her once (@ kevin's grandmother's funeral 4 years ago)...and proceeeds to say that Sue wouldn't come if we invite Mickey and we should choose Mickey anyway cuz they weren't invited to Sue's ons' wedding (michael) and as a matter of fact we shouldn't even invite Michael since they weren't invited to his wedding. EXCUSE ME!?!?! ARE YOU PAYING FOR MY FUCKING WEDDING!>!>! Not so much as a fucking $100 for a deposit for the fucking hall they were supposed to arrange to get for us for free.

So I told her that I was going to invite whomever I chose to invite and if they didn't want to come that's fine. And if they did they better not fight there ...put their pettiness aside cuz it's our day of celebration. I told her that I said the same thing to my dad about his mom & my aunt who are fighting amongst themselves. To be honest...if we had our absolute way, not a single fucking family member outside of immediate would be invited anyway. We're doing this out of respect. I've met Kevin's extended family on his dad's side 2xs and on his mom's side once...aside from his Aunt Sue who is making us our wedding shawl and is absolutely dear to me. I talk to her on the phone for hours at a time I love her!

Unlike kevin's fucking Aunt Mickey who comes into to town 2 times a year...so she's been in town 10 times since kevin and I have been together...and she never calls kevin to see him, never sends a fucking xmas card, not a fucking email, not even a message thru his brother Keith (whole other issue there) or his mom.Then she has the nerve to say to Keith's wife Karyann "i might not be able to get there I need advance notice" FUCKING BITCH! If you kept in contact with your fucking nephew you would know when we're getting married. Shit I talk to my aunt Arcie in Georgia maybe 3 times a year, but she knows when we're getting married. She even offered me her bouquet holder (crystal...beautiful)

So I'm calling tomorrow to get her "list" of people she "wants" and also verifying the nubmer of people my stepmom and dad are inviting and my mom and we're ordering our invitations this week. We're sending them out later than i wanted ...around the end of feb with RSVPs due by April 1st... and I will be so happy when we're done with this shit.

OH! and unrelated to guest list...my future sis-in-law Julie wants to make my wedding shoes. MAKE THEM? is she nutes!?! maybe slippers I will put on at the reception, but i'm not wearing homemeade fucking crap to walk down the aisla and marry the man of my dreams. I'm wearing dyed to match 3 inch fantasy heels.

OY!