It Zipped!

My mom and I went to my first dress fitting last night.  Now don't get me wrong - I was very excited to get to see my actual dress and be able to try it on, but for whatever reason, I was VERY nervous.  I think I was afraid that my weight had fluctuated or something and the more I kept thinking that that is always possible, the more I was afraid that it would not fit.  I worked myself nervous enough that I thought maybe we would not be able to even get it zipped.  I cannot tell you the relief I had when it zipped all the way up with no trouble at all!  From that point, I was just totally excited to be in my dress! 

We knew that they would have to alter the dress on top since my top half isn't the same size as the bottom half of me, but overall, they didn't have to do too much and the price for it all came back pretty reasonable.  I was also pretty relieved to figure out that I can wear a "normal" foundation piece and that the alterations person can add a snap from it to the dress to ensure that it stays in place the whole day!  Whew - one less thing for my bridesmaids to have to check on all day.  And to top it off, I do not have to have the length of the dress altered at all!

The alterations person, Vicky, was extremely nice and definitely seems to know what she is doing.  She took her time and explained what she was doing and how that would change the way the dress would fit.  She would ask what we thought to be sure we were happy and she was just so pleasant and calm.  It was a great experience.  And I am just so glad that my mom is able to do these things with me.  It makes it so much easier to have her there, and also that much more exciting.  Thanks, Mom!

Linda & Pedro's Wedding

Jack and I have had so much of our own wedding things happening that I nearly forgot to blog about Linda and Pedro's wedding in Spokane, WA.  I know that Jack blogged right when we got back about the trip itself, but we had such a great time at the wedding, I can't resist writing about the main event!

Let me just start by saying that it was a spectacular day!  Although it was warm, it was not nearly as humid as it gets in Chicago so the weather was great.  Linda looked gorgeous in her dress, but I think the best "accessory" she had was the constant smile she had that day.  Every time I looked at her, she just looked so calm and so excited that it made me smile as well.  I can only hope I am as calm as she was on our wedding day.  Pedro looked handsome in his tux as well.  It was great to see all of my family again, but there is also something so fun about seeing everyone dressed up for an occasion.

The wedding ceremony was held at St. Aloysius Church on the campus of Gonzaga University, which is where Linda and Pedro went to college and met.  Here's a pic of them leaving the church after the ceremony.

After the ceremony, we headed to the Davenport Hotel for the reception.  The party was held in a beautiful old ballroom that had been very well restored to bring it to current times while still keeping its old charm.  The evening started with cocktail hour where various delicious hors d'œuvres were passed - mozzerella and prosciutto, tiny bruchetta, tomato with mozzerella, and asparagus wrapped with a piece of tenderloin.  These were great because it was just enough to tide the guests over while still keeping room for the dinner.  The bar was obviously open as well and the wine that was being served was from a local winery, Fidelitas, where my aunt and uncle are good friends with the owner. 

It was soon time for all to find their places and for the bride and groom to be announced.  To bring it all full circle, Linda and Pedro walked in while the song "Ain't that a Kick in the Head" played in the background.  For anyone that knew their engagement story, that song was playing when Pedro proposed.  Then the meal was served and it was fantastic.  There was a nice salad to start, then the main course was filet and salmon, and cheesecake for dessert.  A little while after the meal, the wedding cake was served, and although I think we were all full, we still all ate our cake.

One of the most unique things about their reception was that they hired an 18 piece big band orchestra for the music!  The band was great and what I particularly liked about it was that there were so many people in attendance that hadn't seen one another for a while that even if people weren't dancing, there was great music that all could enjoy in the background and it made for great entertainment.  Obviously though, there was dancing! 

My cousin had a great little contest during the dancing that I don't want to explain in great detail because we liked it so much I think we are going to do it at our ceremony too, but in the end, my parents won the prize!  My dad and I had our first dance together in quite a while.  We were a little rusty together as dance partners, but it was a good warm-up before the father-daughter dance at our wedding.

I think we were all a little sad to see the evening come to an end.  There were so many people that came from near and far to the wedding, it was practically a family reunion and it gave us all a chance to catch up, socialize and just be together as a family.  It was the first time in countless years that my female cousins and I were together that we had to take a picture together, just like we used to when we were kids.  It was a really special moment for me - to see that we have all grown up and are moving ahead with our lives, yet despite the distance between us all, there is still a closeness and a friendship.

I can also say that being at Linda and Pedro's wedding made me so much more excited for Jack's and my wedding!  It reminded me, once again, to step away from all the details and see the big picture of a day where two lives are joined together and everyone around are all there to celebrate the occasion.  I cannot wait for our day!

Bachelor Party Weekend

This past weekend, my best man planned a trip for the guys for my bachelor party.  Aside from Steve and myself, two of our ushers, Ken and Bob, came as well as my good friend from work, Rafi.  We rented a cabin up in central Wisconsin and drove up Friday afternoon.  That night we went to the local casino where Steve and I won a little bit of money.  It wasn't much, but it was definitely a nice way to spend the first part of the evening.  Then we went to a local bar for a few drinks.  There's nothing like a good local bar to soak in the culture!  Afterwards, we headed back to the cabin for some post-bar beverage consumption before retiring for the night.

The next morning we got up to go on a 4-hour ATV trip though the 500+ miles of trails in the area.  Obviously, we didn't go nearly that far, but we think we covered about 30-40 miles.  We went through all kinds of mud spots and at the end, went through the ATV park with jumps, ramps, mud pits, etc.  It really was a blast, and no one got hurt (for the most part)!  After our ATV adventures, we went back to the cabin to shower up.  We had dinner at a nearby supper club (ask Steve to explain it, because I don't even know myself).  We all had great steak dinners and stuffed ourselves.  After a few hours of recovery, we spent the rest of the evening just relaxing at the cabin with a few drinks and cigars.

I really have to hand it to Steve, it was a fantastic time and I think we all really enjoyed ourselves.  Thanks again, boys!

More Rehearsal Dinner Research

We got the initial proposal from the venue we were scouting out for the rehearsal dinner.  Unfortunately, we were just a little surprised by some of the rental fees.  While the location, food and atmostphere are all great, it might turn out to be a little pricier than we'd like.  We're taking a look at a couple other places right now. 

There might not be much movement on this, though, until next week.  My mom and sisters are headed to Pennsylvania for a family reunion (Mary and I couldn't make it, unfortunately) and I'll be out on my bachelor party trip this weekend.  Despite what some of my co-workers think, I'm sure we'll all make it back with no injuries ;)

Tux Down

I had a second appointment on Monday to try on a few different styles of tuxedos.  This was a good idea.  Both Mary and I ended up really liking one of the new ones that I tried on and we decided to go with Formally Modern Tuxedos.  Of course, you'll have to wait until September 27th to see what we picked, but we're pretty happy with our choices.  If you're a groomsman, usher or father, time to get measured up!  I've already sent emails out to everyone, and opted to BCC all the significant others to make sure the guys take care of business.  Better safe than sorry :)

Also, while the tux selection process was fairly simple, there is definitely some advice I have for the guys that has absolutely nothing to do with style.  The first time we went, it was a night after work when we were running around trying to take care of all kinds of wedding things.  I was a little hot and sticky and not feeling particularly dapper.  I was also in desparate need of a haircut and shave.  Although the tuxes I tried on were nice, it was hard to get a good feeling for any of them.

The second night we went out, I was fresh from a haircut, shower and shave.  It really made a huge difference in trying things on.  Not only did I feel clean and fresh from my shower, but being recently groomed helped me get a better idea of how I might look on our actual wedding day.  So, my advice to all you future grooms out there (that's you Jay and Ken), whatever you consider to be your style, go to try on tuxes after a recent haircut, shower and shave!