Wedding Wednesday: The To Do List

Posted on August 10th, 2016

Two weeks from today, I will be home in St. Louis for my wedding.  Ian and I will get our marriage license, relax a bit at the pool, and enjoy a quiet dinner with my parents and grandparents.  My friend Gillian gave us this adorable wedding countdown calendar, and I open each new window with a simultaneous rush of joy and terror.

17 days before a wedding, the pieces of the puzzle are locked into place.  It’s probably too late to decide you want a doughnut bar instead of a naked 4-tier cake, or that the Carolina Herrera dress from Spring 2017 is actually The One*. But as I look at my to do list, there are still a zillion things to do.  Here’s what I’m trying to tick off in the coming days:

Wedding weekend outfits:  The Dress was secured months ago, and even my rehearsal dinner dress has been locked in for a while, but I plan on looking cute (and mildly bridal) the whole week.  These Lisi Lerch earrings arrived yesterday, and while I know I’ll wear them to the rehearsal dinner, I’m definitely hoping to incorporate them into other looks too!  I just ordered this dress, which I’m hoping will work for something…

Ordering welcome bag goodies:  Some of what we’re including is perishable and we also wanted to wait until we had the airtight RSVP counts before ordering, but we’ve been pulling the trigger this week.  I love to think of our travel-weary guests getting the hotel and finding a bit of reprieve, so these have been fun to construct!

Seating charts:  Ian and I spent a good four hours on this over the weekend, so I think we’re pretty locked in on table assignments.  Next up: who sits next to whom.  Objective: minimize social tension.  Strategy: No one mention Donald Trump.

Practice the first dance:  We’re not going the choreographed route, but we’re hoping not to look like two total buffoons.  Wishful thinking, likely. Regardless, we’ll be deliriously happy.

Write vows:  Saying the traditional wedding vows was important to us, but we will also be saying a little something personal, too.  I’m actually using this stationery to document my vows, which will become my Something Blue!

Write thank you notes:  For my bridesmaids, for my parents, and for a few of the most important vendors who made it all possible.  You can never say thank you too often, and I have a lot for which to be grateful.

Final vendor touch bases:  Our wedding planner is amazing about all of this, but checking in with the florist, photographer, chefs, etc. makes sure everyone is on the same page.

Getting my engagement ring cleaned– and resized!  My engagement ring is perfectly sized for my hand right now, but the last thing I want is to swell up like a balloon in the humid St. Louis heat and be stuck at the altar unable to get my ring over my anxious, stressed sausage fingers.  I’ll be getting it made half a size bigger next week to avoid any potential disasters.

Making a photos list:  I’m not the kind of bride who sends my photographer a list of Pinterest pictures she wants to recreate (not even this one), but it helps to provide some guidance and structure so a photographer knows what’s important to you.  I don’t want to make it through the night and realize I forgot to take a picture with my grandparents!

Compulsively checking the weather:  No explanation needed.

I know it will all get done, and I’m lucky to have a lot of people in my corner who are just as excited as I am for the celebrations.  In the meantime, lots of deep breaths and espresso will do the trick!

*Okay, but have you seen the Carolina Herrera Spring 2017 collection?  Because it probably is The One.