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My Mantra

Hello again, wedding fans!  I'm writing with much news.

First of all, I am pleased to report that my thesis is DONE!  After two years of grad school, I've produced a 150-page manuscript (twice as long as the guidelines suggest—whoops!) that I will be defending in front of a committee on Friday.  Assuming that goes well, I only have to make it through four—count them, four!—more classes as a TA and then I will officially have my MFA in writing.  All of this has contributed to a very hectic past couple months and a very tired but happy yours truly, as you can imagine.

 Copies of my thesis, waiting to be bound!

With grad school ending, my job search is just beginning.  The freelance work I've been doing is great, but not quite enough to make ends meet when it isn't supplemented with student loans.  (Have I mentioned that weddings are expensive?)  Fortunately, I have an interview in two weeks that I am very, very excited about.  It's a job that would allow me to flex the writing muscles I've been working on all this time and would allow us to stay in Savannah.  As you can imagine, that's pretty high on our priority list.  I'm not trying to plan a destination wedding!  And, I love the city where we fell in love.

Anyway, before I keep blabbing on about petty things like graduate degrees and life-affirming careers, let's talk about what really matters.  Our honeymoon!

On Halloween, after months of research,  dressed as Catwoman and Tony Stark, we finally booked it.

Tony Stark                              Catwoman

You may remember this post my fiancé made a few months back about our then fledgling honeymoon search.  Since then, nary a night has passed when we didn't spend at least a few minutes Googling tropical destinations and all-inclusive resorts.  Over and over again, the Dominican Republic came up as the place for us: incredibly affordable, totally gorgeous, warm, new to us both, and so enticing with its long beaches and lush vegetation.

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

We are SO excited.  We'll be staying at one of the Riu resorts in Puerto Plata.  For nine days and nights, all of our meals, drinks, and entertainment are comped and we're free to lounge by the pool, lounge by the beach, lounge in a hammock, lounge in a jacuzzi...well, you get the idea.  There will be much lounging.  Hopefully there will also be some hiking, horseback riding, swimming with dolphins, and exploring the town.  

Oh, in case you didn't hear me up there, I did say nine nights.  I don't think I've ever had a vacation that long (Dad, correct me if I'm wrong!) and I'm so looking forward to spending this one with my new husband!  Already, in moments of stress, Puerto Plata has become a mantra that breathes out of me.  It promises the longest vacation of my life with the most important man in it.  A chance to dwell and focus on our wonderful relationship, to remember the past, to daydream aloud, to plan for the future, and, most important, to be together.

Puerto Plata, Peurto Plata, Puerto Plata...

Sibling (Un)rivalry

Well, once again I'm coming up a bit tardy on this post.  I find that when someone (read: my professor) isn't forcing me to find something to report twice a week, there's actually nothing to report twice a week!

But this time I do have some wonderful news — we're just back from my big brother's wedding!  

My brother and his WIFE!

We spent a truly wonderful weekend in Orlando to celebrate Patrick and Katie's new life together.  I just drank in all the quality time with family, the fun parties, and the all-around wedding-y goodness.  Not to mention the joy of sharing all this with my own wonderful groom-to-be!

Next in the wedding line.

As our wedding gift to the happy couple, my other two brothers and I (we three were the "groomsmen") hosted the rehearsal dinner in Patrick and Katie's back yard.  

The Groomsmen and Groomswoman

Shawn, the grill master, and his super-talented wife, my bridesmaid!, produced a delicious meal that suited the occasion perfectly.  Meanwhile, my other brother, Adam, and Nathaniel and I fancied up the backyard.  

The coolest thing I've ever built!

We strung white Christmas lights between the house and a large oak, clasping colored paper lanterns along every few bulbs.  When they were all ready, we hoisted them up high in the tree and they created the perfect ambiance for the evening.  (If I do say so myself!)  It was a great example of the kind of fun, beautiful touches I hope to fill my own wedding with.

Patrick and Katie had a really unique, really beautiful, really laid-back ceremony that suited them perfectly.  There are certainly a few pages Nathaniel and I hope to borrow from their book (and a few we aren't brave enough to try — their dog was the ring bearer!) but the thing I most admire about my big brother and new sister is their vibrant, healthy love.  The kind you can see from miles away.  The kind that inspires everybody around, especially kid sisters like me.

Here's to you, Mr. and Mrs. Jarrett!

Working on TTD with my GTB

Hello, wedding fans!  I'm reporting live after a super fun, totally productive weekend with my groom-to-be (or, in wedding planning parlance, my "GTB").  Here are some things we've scratched off the ol' TTD list lately:

- Further negotiations with the caterer

- Visiting our reception venue to work out logistics

- Opening a joint banking account (this is a big one!)

- Getting estimates from local bakers (and sampling their wares!)

- Negotiating with local hotels for out of town guests

- Planning decor and DIY projects

- Nailing down a wedding budget

Phew!  I get tired just re-reading all of that.  The good news is my wedding mags no longer seem to be telling me "You're hopelessly behind schedule and will never make it in time and the whole thing could fall apart at any moment!!!"  Now they're just telling me "You're hopelessly behind schedule!"  I can live with hopelessly behind schedule.

Aside from the new progress on our to-do list, the other major wedding planning news is that I've discovered wedding classified sites.  They're brilliant!  Sites like weddingbee.com and thenest.com have great message boards that let brand new wives work with soon-to-be brides to sell gently used wedding things for cheap.  It's my new addiction, and, I hope, the key to our budget wedding success.

Wish us luck!

  

She's Baaa-aaack!

Hello, wedding fans!  Let's be honest.  Raise your hand if you thought I wasn't going to post again now that I'm not doing it for a grade.

Really, that many of you?  

In my defense, I've been quite busy with work, school, and a little thing called love. Even wedding planning has taken a back seat these past few weeks.  My wedded friends reassure me that it's normal for the planning process to be sort of a roller coaster with a lot of action and a lot of downtime.  I'm happy to listen to them rather than to my bridal mags, which will have me believe I'm doing a horrible job if I eat, breathe, or sleep anything other than WEDDING.

(To be fair, though, wedding stuff really is all I want to eat, breathe, and sleep.)

Despite the lull, my wonderful groom and I have managed to tick a few things off the list.  We've started sending out Save the Date announcements in batches (I know, I know, I wasn't supposed to have the kind of guest list that required "batches"), planning the reception, and getting organized.  We've also made a wedding website, the URL of which I don't feel like advertising to the blogging world, but I'll be happy to send to you privately!

We have plenty of upcoming plans, including a meeting with the caterers to solidify things tomorrow morning, a date with a "harper" (we're not entirely sure how she'll differ from a harpist), and trips to register sometime soon.  In fact, I can feel the roller coaster tipping back toward the speedy planning slope as I type this.

In parting, and as an apology for being so tardy with this post, I leave you with the "Charlotte and Nathaniel Pop Quiz."  Try your hand at some of our fun relationship trivia!

Go to the pop quiz!

P.S. If you'd like, feel free to give me a grade on this post so I'll have some extra incentive to come back sooner next time.

Something Blogged, Something Through

Tonight is the last night of the quarter, and so this is the last post I'm required to make for class. (Coincidentally, this also means that, after tonight, the only things standing between me and my MFA are a measly little thesis and a teaching assistantship next quarter! Yay!)

Despite that, though, I wanted to say that I'll stick around here if you guys will. It's been a lot of fun chronicling our wedding plans, and hearing all of your wonderful suggestions and insight! I might not be making my heretofore required two posts per week, or meeting any certain word limit, but I'll still enthrall you with all of the intricacies of getting hitched as long as you'd like.

I hope to see you all soon!

The Guest List Blues

In the suggested timelines in my bridal mags, picking a date, working out a budget, and settling on the guest list — I like to call them the Big Three — are always the first tasks. It's like these writers conspire to put you through the ringer right off the bat. More stressed out brides equals more magazine sales!

(This isn't my only wedding planning conspiracy theory, by the way.

As each new challenge pops up, I've been quietly wondering. . .

What if all of the planning hubbub was really invented by men

as one final test of their bride's ability to multitask,

exhibit grace under fire, and do the Macarena in heels?

It's possible!)

With our venues secured, Nate and I have finally managed to squirrel away the date, as you know. And our "budget" continues to teeter precariously in the realm of the doable. So, that's two of the Big Three... it's just the third that's still giving us trouble.

Not checking it twice.

We came up with a draft of our guest list very soon after the proposal. And despite a determination to keep it around one hundred guests, we woke up the next morning still blissfully engaged. I thought, at the time, that every other bride I've known was silly for complaining about her guest list woes.

And then it began.

A text message from an old friend. A sweet childhood memory including a relative you haven't seen in years. A new, wonderful acquaintance. All of these things in themselves lovely, but wreaking havoc on The List.

Havoc being wreaked.

Nate and I have tried a few different approaches to this problem. "Pencilling in" new additions. Repeatedly saying we'll give it a harsh going over, and never going over it. Wildly overestimating the number of regrets we'll receive. And meanwhile The List grows.

Our current philosophy is not to cut anyone, not to add anyone, and to tweak the budget in other areas to allow for adding per capita necessities like food and drink when needed. I sure hope this works!

The Mother of the Bride

Most of you know that my mother, Dale Jarrett, died three years ago. And most of you know how heartbreaking that was for me, and how I've struggled to recover from losing her. The last few years have been a slow and natural grieving process, one that I've undergone carefully, purposefully, sensing that my grief was like a broken bone and that, if I didn't set it right, it would cripple me for life. Gracefully, my wounds have been salved. I moved to a city I love. I got a sweet dog. And then, miraculously, I fell in love.

Mom and me when I was a little girl.

My life now is exactly the life of my dreams —only it's missing my beautiful mom. The past few years were full of a lot of painful emotions and sad truths, but none of them has been as difficult to grasp as this one: my mother won't be at my wedding. I can't help but agonize over how much she would love planning my wedding with me. How fun to pick out colors, decorations, and a dress. How special to introduce her to the man of my dreams. How good and sweet to feel her squeeze my hand on the big day. We spent so many of the lazy afternoons of my childhood daydreaming aloud about my wedding, I can hardly believe that now it's here and she's not.

It's been shocking, amidst all of the joy of our engagement, to discover these feelings of sadness juxtaposed with the excitement. But I'm not a novice at grief, and I know it will get better in time. I'm just trying to keep my head above water, to keep moving forward, and to remember all of the good. The good memories, the good life lessons, and the goodness of her.

Mom and me four years ago.

Luckily for me, this isn't hard. I'm surrounded by so many wonderful and loving people; it's easy to glimpse in them the kindness and warmth I so miss in my mother. My matron of honor was also the matron of honor at my parents' wedding, and being with her is full of cherished memories of being with Mom. My amazing and inspiring dad will be there to walk me down the aisle and to share a special dance — I think the first where I don't have to stand on his shoes. I know my best friends, my wonderful siblings, and Nate's incredibly loving family, too, will all make it such a special day, brimming full of love.

But still — I can't escape the fact my mom won't be there.

Nate, ever the wonderfully supportive partner, suggested we do something special during the ceremony in Mom's honor. I was thrilled at his suggestion, and, after a lot of brainstorming, decided a butterfly release would be the perfect tribute. Mom loved butterflies — and I think they loved her too. I've watched a lot of YouTube videos of these, and an alarming number of them involve reluctant butterflies clinging to the bride's veil, the groom's finger, or an obliging guest. But I think it's worth the risk — the moment of monarchs filling the air is a moment so much like my mother herself: beautiful, arresting, and full of the promise of flight.

A Midsummer Decorating Dream; part two

Aaand, we're back! I'll start part deux of the decorating saga by finally revealing our reception venue: a local film studio! We're really excited about the space, which is vast and labyrinthine, and has HUGE decorating potential. It's also a nice tribute to Nathaniel, since he happens to be a brilliant filmmaker as well as groom extraordinaire!

The only downside to our choice is the necessity to rent, well, everything. Tables, chairs, linens, china, and etc. But who are we to let a little thing like that stop us?

Anyway, the decorating show must go on!

Cinema

Given the venue, and given Nate's profession, another theme for the wedding will be all things film. My darling and brilliant friend Amy instantly started brainstorming table centerpiece ideas when I told her this, and I like where she was going. Antique film canisters, twirls of undeveloped film, pretty flowers... I'll pretty much be scouting (and asking my bridesmaids to scout) every garage sale and thrift store in town for miscellaneous film-related odds and ends from now until April.

Oscar and Emmy — such a cute couple!

The groom is responsible for this brainwave: Oscar and Emmy as cake toppers. How cute would that be! I think Emmy would have to put down her globe for a minute and wrap those arms around Oscar instead to really get the right cake topping vibe, which means we probably need a skilled friend to help us make the piece from scratch. (My Googling thus far suggests Nate is the first person to ever think of this, and we can't just buy one.) While I'm quite partial to cute, vintage cake toppers —

So lovely!

— I'd be more than happy to see Oscar and Emmy atop our nuptial dessert!

Balloons!

Here's one I'm totally excited about, probably out of all rational proportion. I really love the look a lot of weddings achieve with those beautiful paper globe lanterns:

Such a nice look!

But I'm afraid that'd wind up being a bit pricey. I'm also, inexplicably, bothered by the thought of not being able to do anything with all the leftover lanterns after the wedding.

Luckily, Martha Stewart inspired me with the above balloon picture, which I mistook for paper lanterns at first. Don't they look totally similar? Plus, the bounciness of the balloons just seems right for a celebrating atmosphere.

More awesome balloons.

That's it for now, wedding fans!

A Midsummer Decorating Dream; part one

Hello, wedding fans, and welcome to a two-part series on my new favorite theme: decorating!

I hope you all enjoyed my guest writer last week, and I'm sorry I haven't written since then. (Remember all that complaining I was doing a while back about how being engaged = being ridiculously busy? Yeah. That hasn't changed.) But I finally have some time now to sit down at the table, mug of green tea steeping, pup asleep at my feet, and dream with you about all things decorated.

The fiancé and I went by both of our venues this morning: the reception venue because he had to meet a business associate there (I tagged along to eye the surroundings and daydream about decorating some more) and then the ceremony venue to sign the contract!

As far as the decor...I have a lot of vague ideas and no definite plans. I also have champagne taste and a beer budget. But never fear, dear readers! Check out some of our schemes:

Fabric!

Nate actually came up with this one. Our reception venue has a decidedly industrial feel (which I actually think makes for cool juxtaposition with the pretty, soft wedding stuff), so the groom suggested getting long sheets of satin (or something far, far cheaper) in our colors to hang in ceiling-to-floor glory. It will be a great way to cushion the space and set our theme, and also create a sense of luxury with a teeny price tag.

Twinkly Lights!

Is anything more charming than the soft light of white twinkly lights? (Is that even what adults call them?) Since the reception will be at night, we're planning on putting these suckers all over the outside of the building, and probably along the ceiling inside, too. (What was that I just heard? The sounds of myriad friends volunteering?) The best part about this plan is that Christmas will come sooner than our wedding day, and you know what that means: after Christmas sales! I know I've seen boxes of twinkly lights for 99 cents at Target that week, and I plan to wipe out their stock.

Words!

Some of you might know that our dog got into the decidedly unfortunate habit of eating books, recently.

Bad girl!

But as I sunk to my knees one night, surrounded by the carcasses of such beloved works as The Little Prince, The Yearling, and Atlas Shrugged, a little voice in the back of my head whispered: Wedding decorations! I was pretty sure that little voice was crazy, but I saved all the salvageable pages anyway. I finally concluded that I could use them to make some sort of heart cut-out garlandy thing. After all, I am something of a word lover, and I’d love it if the wedding could emerge with a theme of words AND moving pictures (more on that in part two!). As soon as I came to the garland conclusion, I began to see them everywhere! For instance, the adorable picture above, or this one from Wedding magazine:

Sorry for the poor quality!

Stay tuned this weekend for more decorating fun, and please share any ideas you have for us below!

A very special episode of Something Blogged, Something Blue

In a special guest appearance, by popular demand, and despite my better judgment, I present Nathaniel... aka The Groom!

Charlotte has spent countless hours researching and studying all things wedding, and she's posted some highly entertaining segments about all that here, but one subject she has yet to mention, and which I am especially excited about, not to take anything away from the ceremony itself...is the HONEYMOON! Aye-yi-yi-yi! Let me share with you a glimpse of our honeymoon plans thus far.

Charlotte and I decided early on that we didn't want to be one of those couples that got married and put off the honeymoon for a timewhen it's more convenient. No, we want to be the couple that screeches out of the reception parking lot, barreling towards some tropical paradise, briefly pausing to load up on sunscreen on the way. As thrilled as I am to say "I do" in front of our closest loved ones, I also cannot wait for my first sip of Piña Colada while lounging in a hammock with the love of my life, staring out at crystal clear water and white sands. Or Corona would work too. (Instead of the piña colada, not the love of my life!)

Insert Corona and fiancé here.

I suppose it's obvious that we've already narrowed our destinations down somewhat. We would like to spend our post-nuptial vacation in a temperate climate (we considered a romantic Alaskan cruise, but quickly changed our minds) with pristine beaches, preferably not aboard a cruise ship (because then we would be on their schedule instead of our own, which is really no schedule at all, since we both love to sleep in and stay up late), surrounded by fewer children than adults (hopefully neither), with the opportunity to ride horses among the waves and swim with dolphins. That's not so much to ask, right?

See, a modest all-inclusive resort!

One of Charlotte's close friends suggested a nirvana in the Florida Keys called Islamorada. I made a few calls, and have yet to find a cottage there for less than $500.00 per night(!). Anyone who knows us personally probably knows that this is way beyond our budget. Back to the drawing board.

We met with a travel agent at our local AAA. He was a very friendly Yankee who seemed genuinely interested in finding the perfect "Fantasy Island" for our desires. We were already leaning towards an all-inclusive resort, and he steered us in the direction of the beautiful Dominican Republic. He said we would have a wonderful time in a tranquil setting there...and we should not be alarmed by all of the armed guards we would find patrolling our resort. The only thing I know about the Dominican Republic is that many great baseball players have come from there. Should we be concerned that so many talented athletes are eager to flee such a gorgeous place?

Sammy Sosa

Charlotte's friend Eli suggested Puerto Rico. I used to work on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship back in the late 90s. San Juan was one of our stops, but sadly that was back in my gambling days, and I never explored beyond the casino near our dock. I'm told that Puerto Rico has a lot more to offer than dealers standing on a soft 17.

Long story short (too late; never let your fiancé guest-write your blog), we need advice. We've been to every site (CheapCaribbean.com, Expedia.com, applevacations.com, etc.), and we still haven't found the perfect destination for us. Honestly, if Charlotte decides she wants to Honeymoon in our game room, I'm sure it will be the best vacation of my life...but if we're going to fulfill our Piña Colada/palm tree/hammock-fantasies, we might need your help.

This Day in Herstory

The best part about having our venues is that we now, finally, have a date. Oh, sweet date. A date we can cling to, plan for, dream about, and tell to the world.

And not just any date.

It's the day of Odysseus' fabled return from the Trojan War. The anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. penning his famous letter from Birmingham Jail. The birthday of Charlie Chaplin and Anatole France. The day a bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia became law. The afternoon Apollo 16 headed off for the moon.

And now, in 2011, the day we say we do.

My wonderful groom and I have been hard at work creating Save the Date magnets to send to our guests. Ever the thrifty do-it-yourselfers, we resolved to take an engagement photo, design the card, and assemble the notices ourselves. The only task we're letting out of our hands is the actual printing, which we're entrusting to the darn good prices at www.vistaprint.com.

Taking the photo was the highlight of our Save the Date journey. Sitting on the couch one afternoon, with only a couple hours of daylight left, rain threatening, and no particular plans, we decided to get out and take some kick-ass photos. After a brief but heated debate atop a parking garage downtown, we settled instead on a more vintage location.

We then proceeded to burn approximately 658 calories each by running back and forth to alternately take and review the photos, with the help of the ten-second timer, of course.

Outtake: Nate didn't make it to his place before the timer went off.

All in all, creating the Save the Dates was a wonderful and fun first step in the months of planning and preparation we have ahead.

Excelsior!

The train before the dress

Apparently, whining about your lack of venue is a pretty good way to find one.

Another good way, it turns out, and I hate to admit, is listening to your fiancé.

Nate's very first suggestion for our ceremony venue was one I instantly shot down. The Roundhouse Railroad Museum is a little industrial corner of Savannah dotted with hulking train cars, gravel paths, and steel structures.

"What about that place?" he suggested one day in June as we drove past. I glanced over as a train full of tourists puffed into the station.

The view from the road.

"Uh-uh," was my firm reply.

But as venue after venue fell through, I found myself admitting hesitantly — "Maybe that train place wouldn't be so bad, after all."

Sure enough, it's perfect. The price is right and all-inclusive; the location is handy to our reception venue; the space is sprawling, private, and surprisingly verdant; and our date was open. Eureeka!

The garden where we'll say we do.

Granted, it comes after a somewhat precarious walk through a train-yard (we'll offer a pleasant golf cart ride for our older relatives), but there's a perfect garden in the back of the museum. By spring, I know it will be blooming like crazy, and, look, the aisle is built in! For an extra fee that I doubt we'll be paying, I could even have a private train car for a bride's room. So cool.

I'm sure you're as relieved as I am to know this means I can stop kvetching about location and move on to the real fun stuff: decorations, dresses, food and drink and everything else!

Oh, and, because he's making me say so: Nate was right, after all.

Be Vewy, Vewy Quiet: We're Hunting Venues

While we've managed to all but secure the perfect venue for our reception (more on that in a later post!), we just can't seem to find one for the "I Do"s. Lead after lead has ended abruptly in a dead end, and it's starting to take a toll on our wedding planning verve.

The bride, pouting, because she can.

Recently, I've gotten my hopes up for the beautiful grounds of the Westin, the charming river view at the convention center, and the bandshell at Forsyth Park. The only problem? They've all turned out to range from five hundred to forty-five hundred over our budget.

A year ago, I would have had a good laugh at any Savannahian complaining she couldn't find a location for her wedding. Our fair city is home to twenty-four beautiful squares, each unique, each blooming like crazy in the spring, each picture perfect.

See all that green stuff? Google Earth reveals Savannah's many lush squares.

But, a year ago, I never thought about things like, say, precipitation. Savannah gets over three and a half inches of rain in April, and I'd really like it if none of those inches fall on me, my groom, or my wedding dress.

Given that, our only restrictions in the ceremony venue hunt are the option of shelter, and that the setting be outdoor and (at this point, even just vaguely) pretty. Oh, and that it be affordable for a broke grad student.

Why oh why is that too much to ask?!

Til Death Do Us Part

My fiancé and I awoke Saturday morning, fully rested, mildly hungover, and eager to tackle those two words newly resident in our house — WEDDING PLANNING. We went out to a lovely breakfast at J. Christopher's, visited the extremely knowledgeable jewelers at F.P.Wortley, and then headed, without ado (sorry Dad), to the tattoo parlor.

Allow me to provide you some insight. This is the man, my fiancé, whom I guided through a claustrophobic panic attack on a commercial jet. The man whose hand I held, stark white, after a dramatic incident when his blood was drawn. And this is the man who never dreamed he'd get a tattoo, because nothing could ever be worth the pain, the agony, and, worst of all, the permanence of such a gesture.

And here he is, peacefully feigning sleep, while I reveal my excitement.

The truth is, we were giddy about our new marks. Each other's initials, to go beneath the rings, and to forever signify a union we will soon make tangible with flowers, vows, and enthusiastic tears. (And champagne!)

An N on my hand, and a C on his. Proof of our eternal love and his newfound cool. Now, on to more wedding planning!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our one-month engagement anniversary. For any of you out there still wondering: yes, I plan on celebrating that. Namely, I plan on celebrating it with a healthy home-cooked meal, a bottle of champagne, and canoodling with the future hubby.

Nathaniel doesn't know this yet, so let's hope he's lazy about reading the blog tonight.

Wedding planning continues to progress, as it ought to with less than nine months left! We've all but locked in our dream reception location, and ideas for the ceremony are flooding in.

I'll leave you in suspense on the "deets" for now, but I offer this adorable photo slideshow from our engagement night as consolation.

Happy anniversary!

NOW it's a party!

I've finally managed to cross something off the looming Wedding To-Do list: Establish the bridal party.

I would never have guessed what a challenging step this is. Nate and I are lucky enough to have many wonderful, close friends and huge, loving families. Choosing just a few people to stand up with us was a bit like picking only one flavor of cake. (Oh, wait, I have to do that too.)

But, without further ado, I am thrilled to announce the attendants.

Ike - "Man" of Honor

Ike has been my best friend since our freshman year of college. When we graduated, he moved to Chicago (there we are at Navy Pier) and I to Savannah. He has been by my side through so many ups and downs in life — I can't wait to have him literally at my side for this!

Connie - Matron of Honor

This is my aunt Connie and (baby) me. She isn't actually my aunt, but she was my mother's best friend from the time they were my age. I'm so thrilled that she'll be a part of the ceremony and help me honor my mother's memory on a day I'll be missing her badly.

Robin - Bridesmaid

Robin is my sister-in-law; here she is with my brother Shawn. She also happens to be one of my favorite people ever! Also super exciting is that their beautiful daughter, my niece, Ashlee Dale will be our flower girl.

Megan - Bridesmaid

I've known Megan since high school, when we attempted breaking the Guinness World Record for longest gum wrapper chain. Though we didn't succeed, the attempt was admirable. She also happens to be an amazing photographer, and I hope will be honoring us with her crazy skills at the wedding, too!

Nate's groomsmen will include his two wonderful brothers and two of his oldest friends. They don't know yet that I'll be putting them in pink ties. Shh!

The only problem is that, of all these precious people, only one of them (Nate's brother Eric) is in Savannah! I hope we can talk our other dear friends into some late nights of invitation assembly and wedding prep.

Location, Location, Location.

After a wonderful but sleepless weekend competing in Savannah's 48 Hour Film Project, Nathaniel and I are back at wedding planning. (A project that's also tending to be wonderful and sleepless.)

The name of the game right now is location, location, location. We can't send out invitations until we send out save-the-dates, and we can't send out save-the-dates until we set a date, and we can't set a date until we confirm a venue, and we can't confirm a venue until we pick one!

We've already had our hopes dashed on a couple of ideas, like Oatland Island wildlife center and the garden at the Maritime Museum. The former because they don't allow alcohol, and the latter because they were literally going to have to remove our arms and legs in order to cover the cost. But we venture onward!

Your faithful bride and groom, hunting wedding venues.

We got up early today (those of you who know how unusual this is may now express your awe) and continued our hunt. We first visited UGA's Bamboo Farm, but decided its location on the outskirts of town made it too undesirable.

On the (long) drive back, though, we were offered an opportunity to follow our wedding planning instincts and obey a nondescript sign that pointed the way to "Botanical Gardens." The detour was no disappointment! We found a beautiful garden full of fragrant blooming roses and vivid greenery.

The mysterious and beautiful Botanical Gardens.

Finding no one in the farmhouse adjacent to the garden (it was flanked on its other side by a hospice), we called the phone number on the sign. This began a long and not necessarily fruitful conversation between Groom and Garden Lady, in which all that was definitively discerned was that we may or may not be allowed to have a wedding there, it may or may not be within our price range, and we'd definitely need to secure a port-a-potty.

Nathaniel, struggling to communicate with Garden Lady.

All in all, our hunt was not entirely successful. We have a lot of leads and no guarantees. That's okay, though. According to my wedding magazines, we're only four months behind schedule!

Procrastination Proclamation

I'm starting to think that, instead of telling people we got engaged, we should say we got hectic. I feel like I haven't caught my breath in the past two weeks — of course that's due at least as much to work and school as it is wedding planning, but go with it.

Being something of a procrastinator myself, I wouldn't normally be sweating an April event while it's barely July. The problem is, all my bridal magazines (you heard me right — I'm reading bridal magazines like it's my job) inform me I should have firmed up a guest list, set a date, appointed the wedding party, and sent out save-the-dates, oh, months ago.

Months ago!

My fiancé, a man whose sense of urgency (or lack thereof) earned him the family nickname of "a son and doddler both," is slightly less alarmed by this information.

Still, with my prodding, he's been a huge help in getting some of the first to-do's tackled. For instance, we've managed to draft a guest list and keep it hovering artfully around, we hope, 100 guests. (This, you'll agree, is a superhuman feat, both of us being the youngest of six kids and members of rather enormous families.) We've also picked colors, set our sights on a few possible venues, and tentatively chosen a Saturday in April.

The groom, obediently perusing a wedding mag.

Oh, and we're doing a lot of whispering, sighing blissfully, and looking deeply into each other's eyes. That counts as wedding planning, right?

Two households, both alike in dignity . . .

. . . In fair Savannah, where we lay our scene.

(OK, quoting Romeo and Juliet is probably a big wedding planning no-no. See how clueless I am?)

Before we delve into the intricacies of handhewn invitations, mermaid style dresses versus A-line, and the subtle differences between being flat-broke and being desperately broke, I thought it best to offer you our story's SparkNotes.

The Setting

Our humble apartment in Savannah, Georgia, on a street lined with magnolias.

The Cast

Charlotte (Yours Truly)

Lover of words, the ocean, cooking, organizing things by color, and indie music. M.F.A. candidate in writing at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Freelance writer, editor, and wordsmith -- say, you should hire her!

Nathaniel

News videographer by day, independent filmmaker by night, and all-around good guy. Tall, dark, handsome. Quoted as saying, post-proposal, "Now you [Charlotte] can do the rest of the planning, right?"

Lolita

Our little adopted mutt. Enjoys long walks, ear rubs, and anything beef-flavored. Reduces household stress by curling up in obliging laps. Increases it by eating underwear. Over-all, hard not to love.

The Goal

To plan the perfect wedding with no experience, no money, and no stress. And to tell YOU all about it!