Engagement Entertainment

So, I've been religiously checking the forecast every day to see what the weather would be like on December 2nd. For as long as the weather can be predicted in advance, it's been showing up as partially cloudy, 0% chance of rain, winds up to 9 miles per hour. High of 64 degrees. Low of 48. Sounds like perfect wedding weather to me. Perhaps just a tiny bit chilly as we get close to sundown, but close enough to perfect. Until today, when 0% chance of rain jumped up to 30%, then down to 20% then up to 40%. Rain. In the afternoon. Likely when I'm going to be having my ceremony. The venue has backup indoor options, but I'm just feeling so overwhelmed at the thought of changing my ceremony location a week before the wedding. And the thought of having to make another major decision because 40% isn't guaranteed, but at a certain point we'll have to choose if we risk a potential outdoor wedding with rain or a potential indoor wedding and not a drop falls. Either way...

We are definitely getting down to the wire with our wedding countdown (only 7 more days!). That means we have to perfect our first dance, which has been a fun challenge but also one of the aspects of the wedding that makes me nervous. Recite lasting promises of commitment to each other in front of 144 family and friends? No problem. Last on the dance floor for not even four minutes? Terrifying! Despite the fear of falling on my face (I've never actually practiced our dance in the dress so it's entirely possible), we've managed to get at least "decent" at the choreography. So now it's just a matter of fixing our little mistakes. Don't look at my feet. Don't forget to smile. Keep a straight line with shoulders. Glide when I walk. It's like learning to be a princess! Which is kind of what a wedding should be, isn't it? Here's some photos from a Thanksgiving practice (shout out to fiance's awesome sister for coming to help us on a ho...

The wedding is officially SEVEN days away. That means that in one week (give or take a few hours), I will be a "Mrs." Exciting! Scary! Both! But in order to keep the big day from being too scary, I just have to make sure I'm prepared. That means perfecting our first dance choreography ( see next post ) and taking care of any final items that need to be done before the wedding. That means finishing the favors, printing the programs, and nailing my wedding-day nails look. I wish I could take credit for my new French tips, but I don't know the first thing about nail polish. My fiance's mom treated me to a mani-pedi (the second one I've ever had in my life and my first one with gels!) at The Nail Shoppe LV in town. I'm ready for ring shots!

In order to get legally married, you absolutely can't forget the marriage license. We'd been putting it off a bit as I tried to research ways I could make it easier to change my name later (apparently in Nevada it's crazy challenging to make your maiden name your middle name--that may change with a new law starting January 1, 2018, but sadly too late for us). But ultimately we picked a day, both took off from work, and headed to the Marriage License Bureau downtown. I was slightly familiar with the area only because I'd taught a research skills session for a business class that was being held in the courthouse there. After I briefly contemplated a courthouse elopement that day (I had dressed up after all), we found the Marriage License Bureau, snapped a picture of the sign, and headed inside. Unlike other government offices I've been to, the line at this one was fairly short, and everyone waiting seemed to be in good spirits (given the nature of their request),...

Kind of like my first bridal shower, the bachelorette party was also, in a way, like a mini practice for the big day itself. I awoke early to get my hair and makeup done. There were dress changes, bridesmaids, presents, good food, good alcohol, and by the time we wrapped up the night close to midnight both my fiance and I were exhausted. But in a good way. Though the events of the wedding will be slightly different (more dancing than singing, and even more photos), the basic premise is the same: my fiance and I spend the day apart, but by the end of the day we are together, united, and celebrating.  Our ideas for the perfect bachelor or bachelorette party wasn't a strip club or an adult show. The fiance actually had a blast with batting cages, professional go-karts, and (his favorite) an escape room . My girls took me to my hair and makeup trial (first experience at the JW Marriott spa), a French bakery, all-you-can-eat sushi, an Asian bakery, and then karaoke, where...