**linzlars**

rmfriedman

We are getting so close!  I am so tempted to show FI my wedding dress before the day!  I'm so annoyed that there are little things I can't do until I have my final head count - table numbers, seating chart, OOT bags, etc...How are you holding up?  It still doesn't feel real that we're getting married in about a month!

linzlars

I know! I can't believe it's only about 5 weeks away. I remember when it was 50 weeks. Now every time I think about it my stomach does little flip flops (in a good way) and I get super super excited! I'm right with you with the little things getting pretty annoying. How are your RSVPs so far? Mine are due back Nov 20, and I have like 70 or so I'm still waiting on. Hopefully people will get it in gear this week and get them in, or else my parents are going to have lots of calls to make over Thanksgiving (since it's almost all their friends who are taking so long). I was having fits when I got my bridal portraits back and couldn't show FI. I hate making decisions, and always involve him in a decision, so having to pick out which picture I wanted printed without his help was killing me, haha. I figure that if I've resisted showing him the dress since when I got it in April that I can survive another month. It is definitely tough though! I'm actually doing surprisingly well at the moment and not in total panic mode yet (ask again in like 2 weeks and I think you'll get a different answer, haha). I have TONS of stuff planned to do over Thanksgiving break when FI is back in town. I think my main problem right now is focusing on an exam I have this coming Friday. Wedding planning is a lot more fun than studying, hehe. How are you doing? Did you ever figure out how you were going to set up the ceremony? What projects are you working on right now? Like Tori said on the Dec board, this is starting to get real! Yipee!

rmfriedman

Haha!  I know exactly what you mean about picking out a bridal portrait.  I couldn't decide - so I narrowed it down to 4 pics and sent them to my BMs and mom and made them choose for me!  I ended up picking the one with my hand on my chin (the fun one) rather than the more formal traditional ones.  My RSVPs are coming in slowly.  My deadline is 11/19 and we have 113 yeses and about 30 nos...It is so much fun checking the mail every day.  I still have about 135 unknowns so I too will be busy phoning relatives over Thanksgiving.  As far as my ceremony set up - I decided to hire another 2 people from my wedding coordinator to help turn over the room so I don't have to have the tables in the background of the ceremony.  It's only an additional $150 and I think it'll be worth it.  Plus the extra helpers will stay the whole time to help with whatever else comes up!My biggest annoyance right now is that my mom decided to put on the directions/accomodations insert in the invitation that we will be providing a free schedule to and from the hotel and the wedding venue.  She didn't realize just how expensive and logistically chaotic that is.  It will end up being an extra thousand dollars (which I don't have room for in the wedding budget!) and we have to find people to drive the vans.  So now we're thinking of just adding a paragraph to our out of town basket welcome letter that says if you have a vehicle please provide your own transportation to and from the wedding....i.e. reserve the shuttle for OOT guests without cars.  I wish we had just never made mention of a shuttle to begin with!!Overall I'm doing well though!  No freak outs yet.  I just can't wait for the wedding and the h o n e y m o o n!!! hehe.  It will be so nice to have a vacation.  I'm so sorry you have to study for a test!  Boo!! I'm so glad I'm all done with school. hehe

linzlars

I loved those fun bridal pics of you! I think it will look great at the wedding. I think that was a good idea to go ahead and hire the extra people to help you set up for the reception. It will turn out how you envisioned it, and like you said, it might be nice to have the extra help the rest of the evening too. Definitely a good price too. The shuttle thing would be a little frustrating! I don't suppose the hotel would provide one or be able to offer better rates or anything (like through preferred vendor type deals), would they? It's amazing how things like that can add a lot to the cost of the wedding. Do you have a lot of OOT people? I know it wouldn't be ideal, but I bet most of them would understand if you contacted them and told them a shuttle was not going to possible. The other idea of just asking them to save the shuttle for only people without cars is a good compromise too. Good luck getting it all worked out! Glad to hear you're not panicking yet either. ) I think we might actually survive this thing, haha. I'm super excited about the honeymoon too. I actually just booked like 4 activities yesterday (needed a study break anyway). I'm starting to think I was a little crazy for wanting to continue past undergrad. I've got this test on Fri before Thanksgiving break and then one more right before the wedding. Not exactly ideal timing, but what can you do? I'm sure it will all work out in the end. ;o)