Eeny, meeny, miny, moe

So, you have many close friends and three spots for bridesmaids.  What do you do?

I had this problem recently and believe I came up with a way to have almost everyone involved...  You obviously can't have 12 bridesmaids (unless you are having a gigantic wedding) and as women, face it, we can get touchy if we aren't chosen.  I am lucky enough to have a whole bunch of really close and great friends, but only had room for three bridesmaids, as my sister was without a doubt going to be my maid of honour.  I was in a pickle.  After hearing suggestions from everyone, I found ways to integrate my friends into other aspects of the wedding. 

As I stated in an earlier post, one of my friends is going to MC the wedding.  She's smart, exciting and loud!  She also speaks Greek, which will help some of the older guests understand what's going on.  Yes, she hasn't done this before, but I know she will do an amazing job. 

I believe the biggest integration I have made is my friend Aimee.  She has been one of my best friends since grade school and though I really wanted her to be a bridesmaid, I found something even better.  Since my fiance and I aren't religious, we will be having a non-denominational ceremony.  In Quebec, this basically means a notary or member of the courts will marry you (known as an officiant).  Quebec also has a program where a person of the couple's choosing can apply and be appointed the officiant.  It's basically a bunch of paperwork and takes approximately 3 months.  Well, my good friend Aimee has graciously offered to do this for us, and I couldn't be happier!  I've never seen this done before, but believe this will make our day even more special as we are sort of keeping it in the family.  If anyone is curious, there is a link posted concerning this issue in the menu.

These are just two of the ways you can have your friends involved.  Before the actual wedding, you might ask your friends to help you with other details, like invitations and centrepieces.  Just grab a couple of bottles of wine and have a girls night! They can be fun activities and can save tons of cash. 

Can anyone think of other ways to get people involved?

Dancing the night away

I've been thinking a lot about the first dance.  Most people use 'their song', but what happens when you don't have a song or your song isn't wedding appropriate?  Do you choose from a list of random songs?  Do you wait beacuse a perfect song might be released soon?  And how can you be different?  I can't say how many times I've heard 'Everything I Do I Do it For You' by Bryan Adams, but is it really that couple's particular song? 

There are many songs that are overplayed and used way too much at weddings, and as a guest, it can be quite boring.  For the first dance, choose something that defines you as a couple, something memorable.  It doesn't have to be 'your song', but something you know you'll remember and something you both enjoy.  There isn't really a right or wrong answer since each wedding is different, but be warned that if you play gangsta rap, you might get many offended guests, or worse, Aunt Kiki will rap along while getting her groove on, and who wants to see that!  Alright, maybe that would be kind of funny!

The infamous dress!

I just realized my passport expired! :(  Boo!  I have to get that fixed soon!  A friend of mine started asking about dresses.  Oh boy!  I still have so much left to do, but of course, the dress is important.  But how important is it?  Think about it, you wear it for a few hours for one day and then never again.  I told myself I will have a dress budget of 500$.   I know so many people in debt because of their weddings and I don't want to be one of those people.  I'm not rich and I really can't justify spending thousands on something to be worn once.  We are planning on taking a road trip next spring to David's Bridal in Vermont to get prices.  99$ dress sale!! Woo hoo!

Sunday night

Sunday night cartoons just ended. Good times!

My mind is all over the place!  There is so much that needs to be done and so little time!   We booked the reception and now what?

Now I begin the search for a DJ and Photographer. Seemingly small tasks, but so important.  I have a vision when it comes to the music (I'm tired of sappy love songs, all the same...).  We are going to try to add songs that remind us of us, and yes, some won't be sappy, and some will be sad.  Some people find it strange, but then again, when was the last time ANYONE listened to Olivia Newton John?  I honestly love you.... Cute and all, but I'm 26 and frankly probably wasn't even around when the song was recorded.  I just find it funny!

My good friend will be the MC as I'm sure she will do a much better job than someone hired.  I'm trying as much as possible to integrate my friends and family into the wedding, to cut costs and to make it more personable.  Fellow brides, trust me on this, ask your friends to help!  It's that much more fun and the trust is there!

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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Well, the snow has finally arrived.  Even though the cold sucks, there is something magical about watching the snowflakes dance in the air during the first snowfall.  It's almost like being inside a snowglobe.  Well, winter's here!

So, this is my first post and the wedding is EXACTLY 9 months away.  We've been together over 6 years and are the least traditional couple I have ever seen.  We did everything backwards (bought a house, have pets, no kids yet) and now want to solidify the deal.  I've been dreaming of this day since I was little and am convinced I have found the man of my dreams, but wedding planning isn't exactly what I thought and eloping has already crossed my mind several times.  Many problems have already arisen and here are a few:

Here's the deal; I'm Canadian and my fiance is Greek.  I never wanted a big wedding, but our list seems to be stuck at 185 people.  It's difficult becuase you don't want to forget to invite someone or invite one and not the other, but we are working on a budget and it's beginning to get pricey.  Needless to say we are still working on a list!

We are not very religious, so we will be having an outdoor ceremony.  This is problematic for some, as there are several who would like me to convert to Orthodox (I'm Catholic).  I tell you, getting married is tricky!  It should be about the bride and groom and at some point on some level tends to become about everyone else involved.  Still working out the kinks with the ceremony...

We booked the reception and ceremony at Golf-Ste-Rose in Laval and got a pretty good deal on it.  It's a nice little hidden gem that I would have never known about if I hadn't gone to the Salons Marions Nous back in September.  Word to the wise folks, if you plan on getting mnarried in the summer, make sure you book a place at least 10 months in advance.  We went nuts trying to find room on the date we wanted!  So book early and fast and watch out for hidden fees!

I will gradually post updates on info I find, and on my wedding progression.  If anyone has any thoughts or ideas, feel free to comment!!