some plans

It’s 11:45 on Holy Thursday. I’ve spent the day running around and I doubt that my good intentions of doing research are going to come to fruition, as I need to get up at 8:30 tomorrow. So, I spend more time on wedding. I somehow envision my final comments on essays this semester along the lines of “A+ on wedding planning, A- in ESSAY”.

Wedding plans have been escalating. It’s a good way to procrastinate right now, and I want to have most of my ideas settled by May, when I go back to BC, so mum and I can actually get some work done on it! Plans, of course, may change but these are some things I’m thinking right now:

- mismatched bridesmaids dresses. My thing is, I like people to look good. And I realize that unless you feel comfortable in what you’re wearing, you’re just not going to look as good. And I have four beautiful ladies with very different body types to clothe. We also all live in different cities across Canada. So rather than trying to coordinate and find something that looks good on everyone, I’m thinking of just giving them all the colour I want and sending them forth to match it (with my specification on length). I’ve seen pictures of weddings done like this, and I think they come out looking beautiful and unique. This way my girls can decide how much they want to spend, what kind of dress makes them comfortable (my love of plunging necklines is not for all!), and hopefully will be left with something cute and summery that they can wear again. I plan to go with a colour that the bridal salons carry for dresses, so even if they can’t find it commercially they can find it that way. I don’t mind if the colours are different, as long as they’re all in the same family. I think a multi-shaded bridal party would look spiffy. But, no mixing of cool and warm colours!

- for the men… David has a lovely charcoal gray suit that he wants to wear, and I’m all for this. Might as well make it special, right? So we’re going to match the wedding colours to the same family of blue that goes with his suit (I’m taking his tie home to match). But I don’t want all my groomsmen in dark suits in August. I like sweater vests, but my brother informs me that this is lame. And the groom wants them to wear suits, so I bow to his fashion sense in this case. I think that putting them in light grey suits will look pretty nice, especially with the blue accents. Again, I don’t want a cookie-cutter grooms side, so I figure by changing the colour of their suits I get away from this.

- location! It looks as if we’re going to get married in Port Alberni. There are various factors involved, but the two most persuasive are cost and, more important for me, sentimental value. Much as I love Victoria, it’s not my hometown. And pretty as Our Lady of the Rosary is, it’s not as meaningful for me as Our Lady of Notre Dame is. And since they’re both dedicated to the Virgin they are both equally good in my opinion! I don’t know if the priests in Port will have changed, but hopefully one of the ones I know will still be there.

- reception. I want to do something different. The idea of a formal dinner & dance freaks me out. The idea of an afternoon tea with sandwiches, or of appetizers and desserts, is one that I can get behind but still seems too formal for me. Things David & I both love are picnics, hanging out with friends, big family dinners, and potlucks. So I thought I may as well combine all that into a giant picnic/potluck reception in a park. We’re going to provide food as well, of course, but I’m really hoping that people get into the fun of the whole thing and bring a dish and dress casually enough that they can actually enjoy the park. Yes, I envision softball! I’m still figuring out the invitation wording. But basically I just want a giant family & friend reunion, set outside surrounded by the mountains and green space that I love. The potluck idea was actually David’s mum’s idea, and I’ve had numerous others say what a grand idea it is. I keep thinking back to my grandma’s story of her own wedding, when she told me that everyone in the neighbourhood baked pies for it. I love that communal aspect. I mean, a wedding is communal after all!

That’s about where things are at right now. Still no date picked, and I don’t expect to have set “for realz” until early October, but right now I’m leaning towards August 7th, 2010. This could very well change based on work and school schedules, and finances. The whole picnic thing may have to go out the window if we need to throw an off season wedding, for example. But, I’m really excited about this.