My wedding dress made from kimono

I just realized that I only posted one picture of my kimono-into-wedding dress. So, a few months late (like 6!), here are more pictures from our wedding... (Obviously, I'm posting ones to show the dress more and us less.)

The reception dress

I don't have any good shots of the front of the reception dress, a.k.a., "the dress that almost wasn't"... It's also made out of vintage kimono. I had a local dressmaker sorta copy a dress I like. It didn't come out exactly as I asked, but it was pretty close, and since I love the color, it was good enough.
Not the most flattering angle of my back (told ya' I had no ass), but you can see the pattern on the kimono.

Here's one...

My much-discussed wedding dress from the back. This isn't the best shot of it, but you can see how I used the obi as a train of sorts.

This is SM and I as we leave our house the day of our wedding.


I haven't gone through nearly all of the pictures yet, but I have put some up on FB and will try to find others to post here.

I'm back from our mini-moon

And it was mini, but thoroughly relaxing. We went to my uncle's lakehouse in central Virginia for some quiet time away from DC. We mostly ate (like pigs!) and read and slept in and did little more. It was great. We didn't go waterskiing, but we did hit several local wineries, one of which is SM's fave when it comes to Virginia wines. He bought a case.

We drove back last night, and I am very happy to have the weekend to transition back into the real world. Gidget is very happy to be home. She did just fine in the car (her first long trip with us) and was a perfect house guest, but I can tell that she's infinitely more relaxed at home.

So we are very (fat and) happy here.

(BTW, I did get the wedding pix before we left -- yay digital! -- but didn't have time to go through them. I'll work on that this weekend, along with opening our wedding gifts...!)

Wedding pics...

I've decided to post most of my wedding photos on my Facebook site. I will, however, put a few up here -- long shots of us, pix of the dress, etc. Feel free to find me on FB or stay tuned here!

The great beer run of 2008...

a resounding success!

10 and a half cases of Fat Tire delivered for the pah-tay today. And SM didn't find out.

Woo-hoo!

Even better? Five cases left over for him to bring home! Double woo-hoo!

So, we got hitched yesterday.

Along with thousands of other couples (including a friend of mine out in San Francisco -- congrats K and K!).

And yea, we chose the date for all the same reasons.

Day one of husband and wife, and so far, so good!

On your mark, get set... GO!

Getting hitched today. Hope it goes off without a hitch.

Weather looks amazing. SM and I have appointments at 10:00 to make ourselves more purty. Then the car will pick us up at 1:00 to take us to our various venues for photos. Then we go to the restaurant at 6:00 for generally recepting and a few "I dos" before eating.

Wish us luck!

Coming down to the wire...

and what is this couple, soon to say sayonara to our singledom, doing on the eve before our wedding?

Sitting on the coach in our sweats, checking political blog stories and watching Olbermann on tivo.

Woo-hoo. Sexy, eh!

I admit it.

I've been checking our registry. Surprisingly, there doesn't seem to be that much purchased so far. I'm wondering if that will change on Saturday (probably) and/or if we're getting a lotta cash...

Not that I'm greedy.

But, ya' know... who doesn't like wedding presents?

And I'm very excited to see that someone is giving us a handheld GPS system. Oooh, cool! In fact, I was surprised to see how many of the more expensive items were bought -- the $400+ ones. I think we had about 5 items that were over $400, and three of them have been purchased already. We don't know if they are all group gifts or if we just have some very generous friends and family. At this point, I have stopped opening the presents that have arrived because I may have trouble keeping track of which were shower gifts (thank yous already sent) and which were wedding presents.

Anyway, things are rolling along for Friday and Sunday. I have another dress fitting tonight and more running around to do. I picked up more beer last night and delivered it to my mother's house for safekeeping. We have one more beer run delivery on Saturday. I hope the Saturday delivery isn't skunked because it is coming in all the way from IA (in addition to the Fat Tire from MN and IL). But thanks to the generosity of these friends and family, we'll have enough beer for the reception and some left-over for SM to have at home too. Yay! I hope the beans aren't spilled between now and then. Shhh!

And I'm off work tomorrow, another happy thing. Unfortunately, SM is sick and at home so he can beat this thing before Friday. He took both yesterday and today off, and I think the rest has helped. I hope so anyway.

Hard to believe the big day is just two days out. Oh my!

Keep your fingers crossed for me...

I saw a forecast that the weather on Friday is going to be clear, highs of 86 or so and lower humidity. In other words, perfect for the wedding. In other words, probably ain't gonna happen... but that's okay. So long as it doesn't rain. Sunday is also supposed to be nice, but if you've only got one hand to spare for the crossing of the fingers, please wish for good weather on Friday (and you don't have to have them crossed as long).

Things are rolling along. I managed to do everything on my list for yesterday. Yay. SM and I enjoyed dinner, although he is starting to get sick. I imperiously told him that that was NOT allowed. I mean, WTF? Who gets sick in August? So he stayed home from work today to rest. I think he's really exhausted, and that's why he's sick. Just plain run-down. So no errands or chores for him. Just rest. And lots of drugs and vitamins, etc. And snuggles from Gidget, who will be happy to have him home with her.

He also liked his presents. I thought he'd like the shirt the best. It's black silk with two white stripes down the sides, short-sleeved. It's very retro hip -- but conservative enough that he can wear it to the office.

But I was wrong.

He liked the messenger bag the best. In fact, he gushed over it. Cool

He doesn't usually gush over presents, so I was surprised. But yay. Glad he liked them.

And I managed to refrain from giving him the wedding present yesterday too. Now I just need to remember to give it to him on Friday!

Things to do this week...

Monday:
Dinner with SM for his birthday
Color hair
Send info to DJ about program for Sunday

Tuesday:
Confirm menu with restaurant for Friday
Confirm driver and itinerary for Friday
Pick up Fat Tire from friend’s house and deliver to mom’s
Go to dad’s to pick up bags, water, etc. for hotel gift bags
Tanning session
Print out final RSVP list for Sunday and give to sister
Print out labels for candy, put on candy

Wednesday:
Dress fitting
Print labels for water bottles
Put together hotel gift bags (water, fans, maps, restaurant guides, etc.)
Print place cards for Friday
Gather favors for Friday (fans, place cards)
Find guest book for Friday!

Thursday (taking day off):
Drop-off hotel gift bags at hotel
Pick-up dress from dressmaker
Put together gift bags for Sunday (candy, cookie, bells, card) at dad’s
Drop off Friday favors and guest book at dad’s
Give presents to sisters, mothers, etc.
Pick-up pin from mom
Tanning session
Whiten teeth?

Friday:
Hair, makeup, etc. appointment
Have SM pick up my flowers, his boutonniere
Present for SM
Make sure Gidget has water, etc. to get through the night
Check into Hay-Adams and drop off suitcase
Take pictures at Hillwood Estate, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol and other iconic DC spots
Go to restaurant and get hitched!

Remember to bring: marriage license, RINGS, cell phone, camera, work ID, suitcase with change of clothes, wallet/keys, cake knife/server, touch-up make-up, hairspray…

Now, what am I forgetting???

Monday morning haiku

Weather-watch is on...
No rain, low humidity
Friday and Sunday!

YAYAYAYAYAY! Hopefully the humidity on Friday won't be such that my face slides off it. Yeah, I'll probably be wearing that. much. makeup.

It is a wedding after all.

One week...

and lots to do. But I am still chill.

Monday morning haiku

Trying to eat well:
yoghurt, bananas, protein.
Wedding is next week!

Props to Macy's for their cultural literacy

Macy's sent me a bunch of 10% off coupons to use for items off of our registry. Here's what the coupons say:

"Someone you know is getting married on 8.08.08, the luckiest day of the year according to Chinese numerology. For centuries, it has been believed the number eight brings good fortune, wealth and prosperity.

And you're lucky too! We're offering you a very special 10% discount to use when shopping the couple's gift registry. Present this card to the Registry Consultant in-store at the time of purchase and enjoy the passing of good luck."

I have to say that I was impressed. Props to Macy's for their cultural literacy.

Purty

I picked up my wedding dress today. It shore is purty. I would have liked to have lost 10 more pounds, but I didn't.

Still the dress is unique and just purty. I'll post pictures from the event later.

Happy thing of the week

(other than taking today off, that is...)

Yesterday, I picked up my "marriage license". SM and I can get hitched any time we want now.

Yay.

(Another happy thing was buying mochi ice cream at the H-Mart... yum!)

Today...

is all about the wedding plans. I'm up at "going to work" hours, showered and shaved. Our first errand is to run over to my dad's place and meet my stepmom. We'll pick up some of the gifties that have been delivered there, and then we're off to the venue to discuss final plans. I think our reception is going to be about 140, which is completely manageable.

After the consultation and finalizing and basic checking up, SM will drop me off to get a spray tan. Yes, a fake spray tan. I've never done this before, but I realized that my skin tone is pretty much the same color as my dress, and frankly, it looks crappy. I would look much better with a tan, but I'm not going to bake or invite cancer for it. Rather than bake it, I'll fake it. Fine with me. My sisters have done this before, and they didn't have problems. So this is a test run. If I like it, I'll do the follow-up for the wedding. Apparently, the tan only lasts a week or so, so I'll need to "layer".

Tan in hand... well, hopefully not too much on my hands, I'll run off to dress fitting number 1, which is in reality the second dress. I found a dressmaker to copy a dress that I like. I have no idea how it will turn out, but I am optimistic. And then, off to dressmaker appointment number 2. This is the wedding dress that needs a tan.

Somewhere in between all of that, we need to get to the mall to buy my a girdle for dress. Yes, a girdle to hold me in from jiggling. And yes, I've put on a few (three?) pounds over the last few weeks, so I'm concerned. It shouldn't make a difference, but I don't like the trend.

Gotta get dressed and get outta here in a few minutes...

I don't hold a grudge.

Ever. I get my anger out, and it's done and over. No residual anything.

But not this time with the work stuff. It's still there, like a cancer. Coming into the office every day is like ripping off any small scab that may have started the healing process. As I was walking from the metro to the work, I felt the anger churning in my gut.

Anger.

This is not like me. Clearly, this is more serious that other stuff in the past that has pissed me off.

At least I've started to be productive about it. I sent out all sorts of emails, canvassing my well-connected friends for leads for jobs. I am getting my paperwork in order. I am looking at listings.

It's not a new job -- not yet -- but it's progress in the right direction. And I need something to focus on to distract me.

Towards that end, SM and I saw SATC last night. Finally! I swear, I thought we were the only people left in DC who hadn't seen it.

Turns out, we weren't. But I do think SM might have been the only straight guy in the theater.

We both enjoyed the movie. I found it more emotionally fraught that I thought it would be. I expected more fluff without any substance. But I give SJP credit for that. Her acting revved it up. That scene on the street after they've left the library is just horrifying.

But I have one major complaint -- all of the commentary about women over 40 getting married, how they beat the odds, etc.... well, sh*t. Thanks a lot. What a load of crap. I know that the movie was trying to show that even women who are as successful as these characters feel the societal pressure of getting hitched, but how could Carrie succumb to the insecurities being foisted on her? Wasn't the show all about independent women who take on NYC and men and relationships on their own terms? And are all the happier for it? So making Carrie a bridezilla was... well, it was a good plot point. But it didn't ring true. (And for those of you who have seen the movie, yes, I know that Carrie is only truly happy when she's true to herself -- a lesson she learned in the end.)

But the commentary was still annoying. I ain't no Carrie Bradshaw or anything, but just because I ain't all that, I also ain't no loser that somehow beat the odds to capture the ultimate prize of an engagement ring either.

So let me say for the record: I chose to wait this long to get hitched. Being a 40 year-old bride was my decision. It isn't because I couldn't get myself a man. I had other stuff going on and did not want to get hitched before now. I deliberately chose to wait this long. I'm not to be pitied. My decisions are to be celebrated -- the ones that took me around the world to 44 countries, that got me two advanced degrees, that has me owning two properties. All of them, including the one that will have me in a fancy dress in front of loved ones next month.

So there.

(Notice how I managed to distract myself? At least that little rant took the edge off of my earlier anger.)

Now I need to get some coffee.