Wedding wonders and wows

Although my taste in clothing and accessories has always, for as long as I can remember, been about bright, bold colors and patterns, I find myself today leaning more towards vintage, classic and elegant pieces. As I'm planning my wedding, browsing Etsy and following wedding blogs, I am finding myself falling in love with everything vintage, feminine and delicate: pink roses, pearls, mirrored vanity trays, baroque picture frames, and pale pink and rose-printed tea cups. My vision for the wedding has always centered around my most favorite color, pink, but as it develops I'm finding more and more that my style and taste, for my wedding especially, is elegant and classy. I've always pictured myself as a fun and outgoing person whose parties and clothes are colorful and creative. Although that is still very much my personality, for my wedding I picture something more romantic. More dramatic. Much of the wedding remains a surprise. Five or less people have seen my wedding dress, and I choose to keep it that way. I want to create suspense. But more than that, my dress is special and sacred. I want it to be revealed only on the most special, beautiful day of my life. I look at pictures of it at least once a week, and trust me, it's really, really hard not to show my best friends and bridal party, but I know keeping it a secret until the day of is something I want to do. Also, I decided on my wedding-day perfume many months ago, but have probably only told two or three people. It's not like anyone would ever guess it. Most people have never even heard of it, and it was incredibly hard to find. But that's what makes it amazing.
It's hard to write about the wedding, not because I don't have any material (which I do, trust me!) but because I want most of it to be a surprise. I can't reveal my dress designer or my perfume, or even what I want my hair to look like. I've revelead the colors, though, but everything else, from the flowers to the food to the decorations to the centerpieces to the favors, and even the invitations, will be a surprise.
The list of what is done or planned already is growing, while the to-do list is shrinking. Because the big stuff is done, and mostly small stuff is left, it's easier for me to picture the event as a whole, and what it looks like to me so far is exactly how I would want it to be: romantic and dramatic. It's exactly how I would picture my big day.
Although 7 months is not that far away, and I'm sure the time will fly, the wedding still seems so far off: like this big, amazing thing in the future. I try to picture myself there, in my dress, taking pictures before the ceremony. Then I try to picture myself getting ready to walk down the aisle. Then I try to picture myself at the reception. It all seems so overwhelming to picture it now, and I'm sure on the day of it will be just as overwhelming, but in a good way. In a burst with happiness type of way.
Speaking of the small stuff that's left to do, it seems like I am "discovering" new small stuff and adding to our many ongoing lists. Like: do we need a cake topper? We have to talk to the caterer, who will provide the cake, and pick out the cake first, before determining if we'll have a cake topper. And what about music that we'll each walk down the aisle to? Have we picked that out yet? We'll meet with the Rabbi and discuss it with him, and then discuss it with our band.
We have a meeting set up with the Rabbi in a few weeks to talk about the Chupah (in which our florist will meet us there to discuss decorating the Chupah and sanctuary). And I'm sure we'll go over some last minute ceremony details. We've already met with him twice so much of the ceremony is already planned out. What about a guest book?
And although the bridal party has a salon booked for the day-of hair, nails and makeup, I still need to schedule a "trial run" but to do that, need to research what type of hair style I want. I've already begun thinking about how I want my makeup to be, and luckily, I won a free Mary Kay spa package night for brides-to-be so I can experiment with some colors and styles. And I'm am bringing five girlfriends with me. I can't wait!
Like making lists are a way of live to me as breathing is, lists have helped ... tremendously. I've got a good one going, complete with a countdown and what needs to be done when on TheKnot.com, but for my own lists, I need to focus on the big and work my way to the small. Our next big project is the invitations. Though picking them out will be fun, stuffing them will take about 15 years. And we need a photographer and videographer team, which Sean's parents are working on now. And we'll need to schedule the tasting and pick the cake and the China. And I need to get my bride "stuff" for the wedding, such as my multiple pairs of shoes, veil, garter, etc. Whew. So much stuff but it's so fun!
Looking at wedding blogs and magazines has been phenomenal. I get great ideas from them, but those ideas also inspire ideas of my own. I like to be consantly "in" or a part of the wedding-planning world. I like to be surrounded by wedding magazines. I like to have wedding blog updates in my email each morning. I even have a Spark set for the word "bridal" on my Google+ so I don't miss any recent articles or trends! I really love being engaged. Strangers are always ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the ring and asking about wedding details. I never, ever get tired of talking about the wedding. There's a constant glow to being engaged and planning a wedding. Especially if you love planning things, like I do. The glow is about being in this glowly, if you will, moment (I think of warm sunsets and cute birds) where you are both in and planning for not only the happiest day of your life, but the happiest rest of your life.
I also enjoy flipping through bridal magazines JUST to see if there are any pictures of dresses by my dress designer. Sometimes there are, but I'll NEVER, EVER see a picture of my dress in a magazine, and I'd like to keep it that way. That's because it's not trendy, or what everyone else is wearing this season. It's me and it's classic.
If I'm having fun now, just wait. It can only get better as it gets closer!
As I look at my desk next to me I see a Martha Stewart weddings magazine, from 2005, that a co-worker gave me. (I love it, thank you!) Just looking at it makes me happy. All of the details are still relevant and beautiful today: signature drink ideas, the bridal bouquet, cake and appetizers. I've even been inspired by a few ideas.
I'd like to soak this all in, every day. And I think I'm doing a pretty good job of that. It's actually overwhelming to describe to you (despite my attempts in this very post) about how much thought exactly I've been putting into the wedding, whether it has to do with me and my wedding perfume, or my bridal party gifts (or survival kits I am creating), or how the bathroom at the syngogue will look, or the itineraries I'm creating in pink folders with personalized sticker labels. The list goes on and on. I love every single second of it.