Wedding Planning-Filled Nights

Recently, it seems like about once a week I can't sleep because (poof) I start thinking about the wedding and (pow) my body stops producing melatonin. I started out combating this by just lying in bed, wide awake, telling myself to just fall asleep. Of course, that never works. I lie there for a good 45 minutes, get some water, use the restroom, and lie back down no closer to sleep.

So rather than cursing my sleepless nights, I'm starting to welcome them as wedding planning-filled opportunities. A has been a little concerned about these productive nights in which a potential 8 hours of sleep turns into 3, but I keep assuring him that I'd rather use the energy to do something good than expend it trying to make myself fall asleep. It has been slightly difficult to balance everything--working two jobs, two "internships," spending time with hubby-to-be, training for an upcoming race and getting my weekly dose of wedding planning in, so if 1 a.m. is when I'm feeling most productive, I want to roll with it. It's also a great time to catch up with my MOH--a fellow night owl--and bounce ideas off of her.

In a perfect world, I would have accomplished everything on my "to-do" list, but I quickly become lost in all of the golden nuggets of wedding that exist on the web. Hmm. Maybe I need to prepare a "can't sleep" to-do list to keep myself on task... Organization is something else I'm working on, but we can explore that topic later.

So the result of these late nights? The invitation/ stationary design is nearly complete and ready to test at the printer. My MOH, who shot the engagement photos for A & I, is a highly talented photographer in the San Francisco Bay area. She introduced me to another west coast photographer, and I absolutely fell in love with the video of her wedding day. I recommend checking it out if you feel like ooo-ing and ah-ing. I think it's on the seconds page of her older posts.

The way to this bride's heart is through her tummy

I feel that I can hold my own in the kitchen, especially when it comes to baking. My groom-to-be, on the other hand, is pure magic with a sauce pan and spatula. With weekend breakfasts and Thursday Soup Days, it's no wonder I'm having trouble losing any extra weight. But trust me, you won't hear me complain... too much.

There are some aspects of your wedding day that will be more important than others, but time and time again, people always talk about how they remembered (and loved or hated) the food. I have experience as a food editor and A cooks at a local cafe 5 days a week. So you can believe it when I say he and I are on a mission to satiate each guests appetite with an unforgettable meal. Given A's gift to concoct culinary creations worthy of Food Network Stardom, he and I agreed that he (with a little of my input) would plan the meal for our wedding day.

We jotted down some ideas that all looked great on paper, but neither of us wanted the meal to be a surprise to us as well as the guests. A little stuck on the concept for the chicken option, we decided to prepare a few things and see how it went. There's a great deal of skill that goes into achieving the perfect balance between savory yet light, exotic but homey, filling *ahem* yet cost-effective. We wanted something unique, but simple enough not to scare off the "meat & potato" crowd. And I wasn't about to serve two starches. Just ask A how adamant I was about that one.

Last weekend, A completely blew the challenge out of the water, using inspiration from the first meal he ever prepared for me. He whipped up a terrific meal of chicken breast lightly showered in sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese on top of a bed of orzo. Flanking either side of the main attraction was a playful stack of sesame green beans and a fluffy cloud of cauliflower puree with parmesan. Wow. An interesting and well-married gathering of flavors and textures. We both knew within bites that we struck a home run. I can't wait for guests to try it. Too bad dinner is still 7 months away. Next up: steak.

Workday Blues

Those who have been there (or are there right along with me) may agree. There's a stressful feeling associated with being at work when all you really want to do is think about extravagant centerpieces and tantalizing canapes. That's why I think every good lunch break deserves a trip to The Knot. Rather than blog more today... I think I'll take a stroll through 5,000+ Wedding Photos. Come along with me, will you?

Say "I Guess" to the dress...

I am obsessed with TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress." Having each season available on instant Netflix is an enabler. Amidst making dozens of mini pecan tartlets and pumpkin cheesecake for work, I've been watching episode after episode of bride after bride try on dress after dress after dress. And I keep thinking about my dress-buying experience.

My Matron of honor, Nissa, and I decided to go dress shopping while she was here for the engagement party. I had no intention of purchasing a dress, but I wanted her to be part of the deciding process since I tremendously value her opinion. The girl knows what I like.

We started the afternoon at a small dress shop in Madison, where Aaron's sister had purchased her dress several years ago. Nissa and I felt confident that this would be the best store to find the dress of my dreams. I tried on a few really gorgeous dresses (and a stunning belt), but every dress had something I wanted to change. Remove the beading hear, take this off there, take it up here, add this, nix that. It was very frustrating. I felt like the consultant continued to bring dresses that were the opposite of what I was asking for. After about an hour of trying on, we decided on a dress that needed work. The consultant pushed for the sale, but I quickly explained that I needed my family to be with me for the final decision, so I would be waiting and making another appointment for the following month.

Onto our next appointment at a larger, big box store. Nissa didn't have a good feeling about finding the dress here, and I felt underwhelmed at the choices when I was there with my sister in July. The consultant slipped the first dress over my head, I walked out of the room and Nissa said, "Oh Sara." I looked in the mirror and smiled from ear to ear. It was flirty and fun. It had some of the playful elements I was looking for and the fabric was fantastic. But there were a few other dresses waiting to be tried on.

After several dresses and explaining to the consultant what I was looking for, she asked if she could bring something out for me to try. I slipped the dress on and instantly felt glamourous. Nissa loved it as well. I realized it was one I had seen online and in a magazine and thought it was beautiful. And for a moment, I felt like I could cry...a feeling very new to me throughout this process. It was completely unlike the first dress. And then the consultant explained something. This was the last dress in this style... in the color I wanted... in my size... on mega sale... like 50% off sale. Ummmmm. riiiiight. So at this point I've gone from not thinking about purchasing a dress at all to, "How can I possibly walk out of the store without this dress today!?!?"

So I tried my two favorites on... about 3 times each. I walked around the store in them. I twirled in them. I stared at them in the mirror until it didn't even feel like I was the person in the reflection. We considered several things:

• What will I think of photos of me wearing this dress in 20 years?
• Is this a dress I can wear? Or is it a dress that wears me?
• Fit of the dress (obviously) and how it moves
• What dress will people expect me in vs what will wow them

In the end, I couldn't leave this dress knowing someone else would buy it within a week. I walked out of the store, dress in hand. It's in the other room. I think I'll go visit it....

OK, back. Yeah, it's in our 2-bedroom apartment right now. I'm sure Aaron feels like the garment bag is staring him in the dress, but it will stay here for now.

So this wasn't my original plan for dress shopping. I was planning on an entourage of family and friends in the middle of November. But, when it's right, it's right. :) I only slightly feel like I might have missed out on some of the experience, but there's always the fitting, right? And I get to make some sweet fabric flowers to go on it and spice it up a bit!

Anyway, here's my advice for brides going dress shopping.

• Look for ideas- Peruse magazines, web sites, bridal shows. Go to your appointment armed with ideas. That said...
• Be open-minded- Try on various dress shapes to see what truly looks best on you. I thought A-line was the way to go, but I still attempted the dreaded trumpet and ball gown just to be sure I wasn't missing out.
• Trust your instinct- I feel lucky that Nissa let me formulate my own opinion before expressing her ideas. And when I asked her for input, she was truthful. And if the dress makes you want to cry, then cry. Surefire sign you're making the right choice.
• Don't tempt fate- At the first dress, I would have had to change so many things and the price of the dress would skyrocket. As badly as I wanted to buy my dress there... they didn't have it at the price I wanted. The fact that store 2 had a dress that incorporated elements I wanted, allowed room for creativity, fit me almost perfectly AND was on sale... come on. That just doesn't happen twice.