Wedding Wednesday - November!

My apologies for the week delay in this Wedding Wednesday, but I had the excitement of my bridal shower this weekend that I wanted to share!  It has been a busy, busy month on the wedding front.

At the very end of October we took a day to go to Columbus and meet with our venue and vendors to make all the final selections for everything from the colors of the linens, the menu, decor, and timeline.  I'm so glad I'm not a DIY bride and that the venue is providing 95% of the decor for the day!  I'm so looking forward to seeing it all together, it will be beautiful!  We spent about an hour and a half at the venue, had lunch, and then went to meet our other vendors at a Panera (which no longer existed and apparently none of them knew either!) so we found a coffee shop just down the street with the best Rice Crispy treats I've ever had.  We met our fab photographer, Erica, followed by the videographer and the DJ.  Everyone has the timeline and locations of everything and that's the biggest relief!  Kyle has been SUPER helpful in organizing everything because he's a big dork and loves lists and charts and using Excel whenever he can.

Our RSVP deadline has come and gone as well and the date they were due, November 1st, we started the day with only 85-90 confirmed guests.  We invited 275.  SO… needless to say I had some people to find!  I posted this lovely photo reminding people to get their acts together and we spent the evening contacting and reaching out to other family members of those who had not responded.  I also partially blame our not so fantastic postal worker who doesn't always get the right mail in the right boxes at our apartment, and I think we didn't get all that were sent.  By the end of the day we were up to 160ish confirmed guests - hooray! We anticipated around 200 guests to show up and we are looking to be right at that number.

I also had my first dress fitting! I waited to see what I was going to do weight wise and sort of put it off.  The bridal shop I bought my dress from does not do in-house alterations, but they do give you a booklet of seamstresses they recommend in various parts of the city.  I called the one closest to my house (who also has an extensive resume!  She seems very impressive) and she was able to get me in two days later.  I went for my fitting and needed a few areas taken in and am adding a single layer of tulle to help with the length. I'm also adding a special touch which I'm sure Erica will capture with the details of the day.  It should be ready in about two weeks!

Then, this weekend was my bridal shower at home with my family.  My fabulous bridesmaids and sister worked really hard to throw a very "Lindsay" event… from the Taylor Swift playlist in the background to the mini key lime pie desserts (which are my favorites!) and everything pink and sangria and punch… it was perfect.  My grandma was part of the game to dress each other in toilet paper as brides and it was literally one of the most precious things ever.

I was so thankful for all the hard work that was put into the day and I'm looking forward to my bachelorette party with these ladies at the end of the month!

With only 30 days to go (ahh!) we just have the final details to put together and all major decisions and plans have been made.  All the hard work has been done, now it's time for all the fun stuff!  I'm so thrilled and can't wait for the big day to arrive.  Enjoy some photos from the shower! Next update will be just about 10 days away from "I Do"!

No Excuse November.

I'm on the quirky "lets name a challenge/goal/aspiration after the month" kick, so here we are.  I've been wishy-washy about my progress or lack there of.  About my eating habits, how busy I am and will continue to be, realistic expectations, and I could go on and on.  Up until today, I hadn't exercised in any form except for walking the dog around our apartment complex.  I hadn't ran, I hadn't been to Zumba or lifted a weight. I had been eating donut holes, candy, and pizza.  I had gone WAY off the deep end and for what?  I'd been killing myself these last 22 months to lose weight, maintain my losses, run all the races, and look damn good in a wedding dress.

I'm calling to schedule my dress fitting appointments and I'm more bloated than I've ever been due to my lack of water intake and my poor diet choices.  My dress will still fit but won't need to be taken in as much as planned. I have had the whole year to make progress and for every one stop forward I took, I took 2, 3 and right now I'd even say 12 steps back to account for the 12 pounds I've gained from my summer lowest of my adult life.

I have bridal showers and my bachelorette party coming up.  There will be treats and drinks to be had and I refuse to not let myself enjoy some of these most exciting times and memories of my life.  I refuse to starve and I refuse to eat chicken and protein shakes multiple times a day.  There's not a great quick fix, and lets be honest, quick fixes don't work anyway.  I want to and I will wear the bikini I bought for my honeymoon.  I will also wear the one piece.  I will feel confident and I will enjoy myself.  Life is short and I have a lot of time to hit a number goal. I have days I look in the mirror and cringe, but I also have days I look in the mirror and appreciate the hard work I've already done.  I did something for myself recently that I'm so thankful for, and while I can't elaborate on it right now, I will talk about it at a later date.  This thing I did will forever go down in history as something I never thought I would do, but did it anyway, and I was comfortable and confident and I walked out more comfortable in my own skin and confident in the body I carry than ever.  I am real, I have flaws, I am perfectly imperfect.  I am always a work in progress but I know I am mentally in a better place than I have been in a long time.

So, this November, I choose to do away with the excuses. I choose to be happy and feel good without killing myself.  I choose to make good decisions 95% of the time and enjoy the special moments and events this month with my family and friends before I am a married lady.  No excuses, only planned events and treats with moderate living in between.  With movement and activity and time for myself.  With excitement and new adventures ahead, I am no longer afraid or ashamed.  I ban negativity and negative self-talk.  I choose to love myself. I choose to give up all my excuses and move forward. Who's with me?