At Something of a Stand-Still

I'd like to say I've made wedding planning progress recently, but I really have not done so since purchasing my shoes. That's not to say we haven't made good progress considering the 8 months we have remaining, but there are a number of things I need to get moving on.


Things We've Accomplished
Selected/Put Deposit down on Ceremony/Reception Venue (more on this later)
Set the Date!
Bought Dress & Shoes
Bought/Arranged borrowing of Jewelry
Begun interviewing bakers
Selected photographer "friendors" (Oh yes, that is a clever combination of friend and vendor)
Selected makeup artist "friendor"
Begun shopping for wedding bands
Pretty well decided on menu
Begun collecting things for centerpieces
Planned Bridesmaid attire
Have a general idea of what the favors will be (Thank you Jessie!)

Things We Still Need to Do
Design, Print & Mail Save-the-Dates & Invitations
Dress Alterations (really just hemming)
Finalize cake plans
Figure out mens' attire
Figure out & practice Do-it-Yourself floral arrangements
Pick wedding bands
Taste-test favors
Write ceremony
Pick officiant
Determine if DJ is in the budget, and if so, pick DJ
AND A BAZILLION OTHER THINGS

I'm not sure if I want to do the garter/bouquet toss. I know it's *tradition* and it probably is a good ice-breaker, but we really may not have that many unmarried girls at the reception and I feel kind of weird about singling them out and making them compete to symbolically earn the next marriage. Eh. Also, from a more practical standpoint, I'm not sure how I'll inconspicuously wear a garter under my slinky dress. We shall seeeeee. If we do, at least I found garters for $1 at the aptly named dollar store.

My latest idea for Bridesmaids' (or mine, if I don't use wheat) bouquets is to use tightly bundled Baby's Breath. I know it's typically used as a "filler flower" but I really like how these bouquets look:

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Aren't they sweet?

Also, since I mentioned wedding bands in the lists up there, allow me to share my favorites among the rings we've looked at so far that meet both of our requirements:

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This is the thinner of 2 versions of this ring. I'll admit, I prefer how the thinner (my) version looks, and I get the impression Opie's not suuuper crazy about the thicker one either, so I doubt this will end up being "the one".

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If we did this band, it would be in white gold, with this being the thicker man's version.

I don't necessarily require that we have Celtic-themed bands. To be entirely honest, a simple half-round white gold band maybe about 2 mm wide would look best with my engagement ring.

Howeeeever, we both really want matching bands and Opie wants something a bit more unique than that, which I can understand. I suggested milgrain bands with engraving (thinking of my parents' bands that I've always admired) but he feels he's seen that too many times (I suggested it since that's what I always picture when I think of wedding rings), so that's a fair assertion.

Sooo if we're going to do something with a more intricate design of some manner, I figure it ought to least signify something about us. Since very early in our relationship, we've worn matching sterling silver celtic knot rings on our right hands. To me, the knot signifies unity and eternity and seems fitting for the wedding band as a symbol of our marriage. All that being said, try a google search for "Celtic wedding ring" and you will find a metric f***-ton of fuuuugly stuff. I require that our rings be simple, available in a thin width and "look good" with my simple engagement ring, so there's a lot of ugliness and expensive mediocrity to sift through to find our rings.