Leaving Stinks

I leave on Thursday for 18 days - a work trip. That is far, far too long to be away from Mr. Topolinski. xo

Registered!

So, did you know you can actually complete your wedding registry online at Bed Bath & Beyond? Yep.

Done and DONE!

Save the Date Madness

The big pressure since finding - AND BUYING! - the perfect dress has been the Save the Date cards. Patrick, rightfully, has placed utmost importance on these little cards, particularly since we are getting married at a time when folks are planning vacations and holiday extravaganzas. Initially, I didn't want to do Save the Dates. I don't want to do a lot of the (new) traditional things, but upon further and more rational consideration, I agreed with him. These are important if we want to give our guests a fair opportunity to attend our super fun and extremely beautiful wedding in North Carolina!

But if you're going to do Save the Dates, you need a picture - right? So that was a big hold-up for quite awhile. We aren't together very often these days, in the heat of the summer when the racing schedule is in full swing. I'm gone 90% of the time, and almost every single weekend, for work. This past weekend, however, I knew I would be home and that the weather would be great - so I knew, too, that we had to do the pictures this weekend. 

We got creative and brought my little point and shoot with a self-timer out with us on a very hot day. We drove down a tree-shaded lane and parked, trying to get shots in the middle of the road. But cars kept coming. And it was a little creepy. And on a grade that was a bit steeper than I thought it would be, so the camera was balanced not-so-safely on a blanket. Oh, and I was in a terrible mood without good reason. It wasn't really working.

And then we went to a historic park that was the site of a lookout hill in the Battle of Franklin in 1864, and hit gold. We ran around and got super hot and sweaty, but the very last photo we took was the perfect picture; we are sitting (seemingly) calmly on a bridge in a shaded wooded area, and thanks to some minor color treatment to the photo, you can hardly notice the thin film of sweat we are both wearing. 

We went to a nice dinner and cooled off after the photo adventure, and then later that night we chose the photo, made it pretty, and ordered Save the Dates. 

Then the real work began - truly determining the guest list. Late last night we refined our guest list and we are GOOD TO GO! Addresses must be obtained before the Save the Date cards arrive and can be mailed to the potential wedding guests, but that should be easy in comparison to the task of whittling down the guest list. One can hope. :) 

So. Much. Progress.

The world of work is awaiting my presence, but for right now, I would simply like to take this moment to appreciate all that has been accomplished in terms of moving forward with the wedding plans.

Photographer we love? BOOKED!
Beautiful wedding dress in my possession? YES!
Wedding shoes in hand? DONE!
Cute and clever cocktail napkins? HERE!

The photographer was a little more than I had anticipated. Doesn't that ring true for just about everything?

The dress, though..... oh my heavens. I could not be happier. My two beautiful cousins accompanied me to the boutique and helped me pick out dresses to try on, and I tried on a selection but found nothing that was quite right. And then, AND THEN, the owner of the salon had me try on one that fit the bill. I cried a little. My cousins ohhed and ahhed, appropriately and supportively. I bought the dress that very day and drove it home! Of course it had to travel with me to a race before we could make it to home, but we finally made it. We've already had an adventure together, me and my beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, happy wedding dress. I can't wait for Patrick to see it. He will be wowed, which is, of course, the much desired result. Such success! Now to have it fitted and to have my grandma's pearls restrung. I think they will look nice together. So happy!

We have to do save the dates, and we have to do them LIKE NOW! But first we have to finalize the guest list, which seems to be the most difficult of all. We've not yet secured the caterer but that is because I'm not super pleased with the menu although the flavor of their food is divine. I just don't want a sit-down, and it seems that we are going round about that. We shall see how it works out. I might change course all together and go with a different caterer, but this one was one that we know for certain we liked. A little pricey, and a little non-flexible, but..... we will see.

Must work now! Time is of the essence!

xo ~ SoonToBe Mrs. PT