the invites

We are making progress! Tonight, we ordered our invitations. Even though we went through a GLBT site (www.gayweddings.com), we were surprised to find that every step of the ordering process was totally, totally hetero. We even had to specify which line the bride’s and groom’s name were on. The site did have a disclaimer that the vendor they use had “typical” wedding wording, but we just thought that they could have done better. After all, we really try to spend our money with vendors that support our community.

Overall, we really thought that outvite.com had the best choices, but they were just so expensive that we went with the first site. Even so, who knew that 25 invitations would set you back $250? (And that’s half the price at outvite!) It appears that quantity is the key here – the more you buy, the less they are. Well, that’s what we get for wanting an intimate ceremony. We pay for the big boondoggle anyway.

Speaking of invitations, let me tell you that writing them is hard. First, you have to page through nearly a hundred font choices, ranging from ones that look like they have been written in crayon to fonts used by King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Then, you have to figure out what to say. And let me tell you, there are some truly abhorrent choices out there. Check these out:

The end of this millennium is only the start
of a lifetime of sharing the love in our hearts!
We invite you to be with us as we begin our new life together ….

- OR -

Pressing the vision into our hearts, the day we no longer live apart.
One love to share, a dream come true, the day we vow to say "I do"
You're invited to the wedding of ….

- OR -

A perfect shell is a gift from the sea
as beautiful and unique
as our love is meant to be
Please join us ….

-- and my personal favorite –

His love is the sunshine that keeps me warm
To me, she's the rainbow after the storm
His love gave me wings it has set me free
And wherever she is that's where I want to be

We invite you to be with us as we begin our new life together ….

Yuck! Are people really using these horrible verses?

PS

next post: champagne tasting!

the fitting

Several people have noted – and rightfully so – that I have fallen behind on my blogging in the last several weeks. Sorry, loyal followers! I’ve been on the road a bit for work and also on a painful family vacation, but now that I am home it’s time to buckle down on both the planning and the writing.

Last week, I took myself to our local bridal shop to have my dress altered. It’s sort of strange to walk into a bridal shop with a black dress that you bought on the internet; no one understands that YOU are actually the bride. But the elderly Italian seamstress that did my fitting was actually very nice. I must note: never in my life have I EVER had to have anything either a) shortened or b) taken in in the chest. But this dress needs to be both, so away to the bridal shop I went.

Not having spent much time in bridal shops, I have to say that this was not an experience that I would look forward to. While I was waiting for the seamstress to be ready, I browsed the racks of dresses and noticed that nearly all of them were stocked in the same two sizes: 6 and 8. What’s a non-six-or-eight to do? Guestimate? They did have a limited selection of plus-sized dresses in the back of the store, but most of those were stocked in a 16. I guess only three sizes of women shop for wedding dresses? Seems like a misogynistic joke to me. I am SO GLAD that I went the internet route.

The fitting, by the way, was relatively uneventful – though I did get a little nervous when she pulled out the scissors and started cutting the hem. Maybe that’s normal; I really don’t know. My dress wasn’t a huge investment but I could definitely see that you might freak out if you’d just dropped a grand or more on a dress and someone started cutting it right in front of your eyes. I bet she has some interesting stories to tell.