Wedding plans update

Things are moving along so smoothly that I hesitate to even speak on it, fearing that I may jinx myself. 

The hardest parts of the planning phase of the wedding preparation have been so easy for us so far, it's ridiculous.  This checklist is more for my own planning and organization than for your entertainment, but if you care, please do go on and read :)

Fiance?  Check!  Only the most wonderful man in the Universe, that's all.

Date? 10/8/11

Venue? Beautiful Civil War Era farm with a farmhouse, cottage, writer's studio and bank barn, halfway between his folks and mine, in the middle of 83 acres, with enough beds to sleep all of our immediate family comfortably.  Perfection.

Guestlist?  A work in progress.  We're limited in how many folks we can invite, and that's making this task a bit trickier than expected.  But we're confident that we'll work it out.

Invites?  I bought a big box of printable blank cards, Honeybunch will be doing the design.  I've started a wedding website at http://www.mywedding.com/ where guests will get the nittygritty details and RSVP. 

Dress?  Oh hell yes.  Being custom-made for me by an AMAZING seamstress and designer from Etsy.com, http://www.etsy.com/shop/ellanacouture.  Let me just say it is gorgeous, green, and very much my style.

Officiant?  Our dear TreeMan will be marrying us :)

Music? Almost there... hoping to secure a contract with the fantastic hand drummers we want, but need to try to get them down in price a bit.  We're close though!  And a friend has agreed to play her violin for the ceremony, just need to pick a piece of music.

Menu and cake? Planned out as previously discussed, with quantities of most of the items required estimated.  I'm hoping to recruit my friend who formerly ran a catering business to help me finesse the details.

Booze?  Homemade wines and meads, bottled and served in big galvanized metal tubs of ice.

Chafing dishes and Sterno?  BJ's Club, baby.  We're not worrying about being too classy with this part.

Rental place for tent, tables, tablecovers, chairs, wine glasses, and utensils? Check, and they're close to the farm, too.

Dinner dishes, bowls, water glasses, and candleholders? A major deal on Craigslist secured 120 place settings of these.

Floral design? We're working with a talented designer friend to nail down our ideas... which aren't very "floral" at all but instead involve wheat, pussywillow, sage, and feathers!

Centerpeices? So easy.  Jack-o-lanterns carved with celtic knots, and bowls of autumn fruits. Voila. We'll be making our own escort cards, table numbers and seating cards. 

Lighting?  I have my eye on a 50 ft string of lit up paper lanterns, and lots of fairy lights.  We're going to make hanging candle and LED lanterns from recycled glass jars and wire.  The firepit will illuminate the dancing area.  Lots of candles on the tables, too.

Favors?  Another great Etsy find: birdseed hearts! http://www.etsy.com/listing/59627891/100-bird-seed-heart-wedding-favors-free

After we secure the drummers, finish the guestlist, and figure out what Honeybunch wants to wear, then recruitment for voluntary help amongst our friends and family happens, and finally the purchase, borrowing, or creation of the physical things we need.  Somewhere in there we have to plan our ceremony, write our vows, and figure out who is going to take care of our critters while we're away that whole week.  The day or two beforehand will be chaotic as we set up the space, prep the food and fret over the weather... but it will be fun, too!

I think there are several reasons why this is all going so smoothly.  The fact that I'm a Type A neurotic who makes tons of lists and likes to get things done nearly a year ahead of time helps.  The fact that we know what we want, and we want the same things is helpful.  Another factor is that we both have awesome families who are being 100% supportive of whatever we want, and making no demands on us at all.  Another major one is that my father unexpectedly offered to help pay for the event, and while we're simple folk and doing things as inexpensively as possible, that help is what is really making it possible for us to rent the farm for a full week like we wanted to, and to hire the drummers we adore so much.  If we were doing this on our own, we'd probably have ended up in our backyard.  It's really nice to be able to have the resources we need to create the wedding we really want.

And finally, we're banking on the fact that our families and friends are awesome, and will want to help us pull this whole DIY thing off.  We are blessed that we are surrounded by so many creative, skilled, and generous people... which is why we want to throw a kickass party, too!!!!