Hive, the title pretty much says it all: I really wish our wedding budget had room for a wedding planner, or at least a day-of coordinator. Because with eight days until liftoff, I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed.
Those ruby slippers I’m working on STILL aren’t finished. I don’t have much left to go on the last one, but I’m starting to run out of the bigger sized crystals so this final section will definitely take a bit longer to finish:
Bah, SO CLOSE!
Meanwhile, I’m having to think of all the little crap that comes with DIY’ing pretty much an entire wedding, like how much alcohol to buy and logistics of how to store 13 gallons of sangria until next Saturday, how to keep our kegs of Shiner Bock and Michelob Ultra on ice during the reception, how many cupcakes to bake to supplement our wedding cake, how to get 300 candles lit before the reception starts, pulling together a day-of timeline, orchestrating the elements of the ceremony and reception, and…I’ll just stop right there. (Did I mention we won’t be able to get into our reception space to decorate until 8:30 on the morning of the wedding? That thought alone kinda makes me want to hyperventilate.)
Other things on the wedding crazy train? My dress still doesn’t have a bustle, I still haven’t done anything to our centerpieces, we only received about 5/8ths of our RSVP cards back (and I am NOT calling around to hunt them down at this point, sorry), and my grandpa had a health scare a few days ago and will no longer be able to make it to the wedding. (However, he WILL be able to watch the ceremony via Skype, which I’m pretty excited about.) There are so many little things that still need to be done, like adding the finishing touches to our cake topper, finishing up some banners I’ve been working on, finishing the wedding favors, cleaning up a couple of more batches of glass jars, creating a photo display for the reception, and confirming deliveries with some of our vendors (like our cake and flowers).
Despite all the stuff that still needs to be done, however, the important things are set in stone and ready to roll. Mr. A and I went through the required pre-marital counseling sessions with our pastor, we have our marriage license, and we’ve got our wedding bands. We have a place to have the ceremony, I’ve got a gorgeous dress, and he’s got a smashing tux. We have 220 wonderful people who are coming to witness this awesome celebration of love and unity between us, and we have a place and food to feed them all with after the ceremony is over. We’ve got a DJ to spin some fantastic tunes, and an out-of-this-world photographer to capture every little moment. Basically, through hell or high water, this wedding is happening. And I keep reminding myself that despite all the things that may or may not get done, at the end of the day I’ll have the best husband a girl like me could ever ask for. Keeping things in perspective is about the only way I can keep myself grounded at this point.
Hive, I can’t believe our day is almost here! I’m planning on popping in at least a couple of times next week to share some fun stuff with you guys, but we’re nearly at the end of this journey. I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel yet, but I know it’s there. Because even through all the tears of stress and frustration, I know this wedding is going to be wonderful just because of what it represents and who will be there. And that’s more important than the flowers or music or decorations or any of those details I find myself continually stressing over. The marriage is the best part; the wedding is just a bonus.
So, hive, anyone getting married in the next couple of weeks? Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel, or are you feeling suffocated under the mounds of paper flowers and seating charts?
How can I help?! My wedding superpower is answering every single logistical question, so I’m happy to suggest answers for all of those irritating questions…most of which I just answered for my own wedding 
Seriously, though, PM me if you want and I can help suggest alcohol and cupcake quantities, day of timelines and assigning people tasks to make sure everything is arranged and every candle is lit
Oh girl, you got this!! Just remember – no matter what, you’re marrying your best friend. And in 20 years you won’t remember if you had enough cupcakes or if you maybe missed a few crystals on your shoes.. you’ll remember marrying the love of your life! That being said, 8 days before my wedding, I’ll probably be in the same boat as you.. I should write this down in my planner now so I can remind myself.
PS: I just adore those shoes!!
A Practical Wedding JUST posted a post about how to create a wedding timeline. Also, I can send you mine if it would help. Just breathe! It’ll all be fine! Don’t be afraid to ask for help from friends and family.
Make a priority list and tackle the most important stuff first! Like finishing your shoes and having your dress bustled. Then tackle the stuff about the food and beverages for your guests.
And remember, no matter what… you’ll be married!!!
I actually made a “I wish I had a DOC” comment on Facebook a few months before our wedding and a casual acquaintance of ours, who wasn’t going to come to the wedding, volunteered to help. She came and gathered all of our candles, our toasting flutes, etc. and held it for a few days until we could get it back from her. I paid her $75 cash. If we hadn’t had a coordinator and florist already at the church, I would have needed someone to set out the candles and light them and a few other things, but the caterer and florist did those as they laid out linens on the tables. It’s worth a shot. If I were in TX, I’d be there with an Aim-a-Flame for you 
I’m planning to store our gallons and gallons of Sangria in old water jugs. We also have two very nice (and secure) pitchers that could safe 1 gallon each. But at $10 a pop that’s more pitchers and money than I want to spend.
I remember feeling this exact same way a couple weeks out- the logistics of doing so much ourselves freaked me out. BUT the week before got SO much better…things fell into place and I got to a point that I just wanted to enjoy what was happening. Hang in there, lady, you are almost married!
First your shoes are going to be amazing! Second, if you haven’t already, don’t be afraid to ask for help, even delegating a few tasks could make you feel better (and everyone loves helping a bride). Third, take it all in and enjoy it!
Thinking of you and sending lots of positive energy your way!
@Mrs. Gloves: Umm, seriously may have to pick your brain here in a couple of days, just saying. My mom is logistically minded like you and I’m very type B, so it’s causing some friction, haha. Be on the lookout for a pm! You’re the best!
@Miss Camera: You’re totally right, Miss C. I guess it’s just hard to remind myself that the details don’t matter after obsessing over them for the past 18 months, haha! This past week has been pretty cray-cray.
@Mrs. Treasure: OMG, that post is seriously so helpful…thank you for the head’s up! I don’t really follow APW much so I probably wouldn’t have known about it otherwise. You’re the best, Mrs. T!
@cosmo_gmr: Making a priority list is such a good idea…don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it myself!
@Merelymere: Bahaha, I need to find probably two or three people who are trustworthy with an Aim-A-Flame to get these candles lit before the reception. Making a Facebook plea for a DOC isn’t a bad idea, though…I’ll have to think on that one!
You’re almost there!!!! 
Everything will be fine, you sound like you know what’s left to get done and you know what’s important. Unlike Gloves I suck at logistics, but I can tell you that you are surrounded by people who love you and who can help – I probably should’ve done more delegating the week of our wedding. Get help from anyone and everyone, take a big breath and forget the things you won’t have time to do. You’ve got a man, an officiant, and a marriage license. (And a lot of other kick-ass details planned, to boot!) Everything will turn out amazing!
@lovelyduckie: We bought some of those huge water jugs you take on camping trips and whatnot and are planning on keeping the sangria in them (provided all of it fits…I’m not the best at math, haha!) We have some nice dispensers to put it in on the day-of, but the hard part is finding fridge space for them while they’re in the water jugs. It’s a mess!
@Mrs. Honey: @Mrs. Pony: Thanks, ladies! I need all the positive vibes/good luck I can get!
LOVE your shoes…and how they are sitting next to a ticking clock!
@Mrs. Wallaby: I totally suck at logistics, too..definitely a type B person over here! But planning a wedding is definitely not a task you can do whilst flying by the seat of your pants, haha! Thanks for the words of encouragement, Mrs. W…you’re the bomb!
@bridesmomma: Bahaha, didn’t even notice! How poetic!
Echoing @Mrs. Gloves, I can totally help you hammer out any timeline-y details and as an aside, we’ve always used big giant buckets (like, with rope handles) to ice kegs – you could decorate them with some ribbon to make them wedding-y and not so bucket-y?
Regardless, I’m so excited for you. You’re SO close to finishing your shoes and you can totally do this, Miss A! Sending you tons of love and encouragement. Also, I echo the PP’s thoughts: try to see if there’s a friend who would be willing to do it for a small fee or even, like, a free meal. I would jump at the chance for this if it popped up on my newsfeed – just throwing it out there for you. Hugs! xo
Enlist your friends to help! I am getting married the same day as you, so I am also feeling the crunch! I ended up inviting friends over to finish some final crafts. It was much more fun to do it together over wine, cheese and pizza. As far as a timeline, I took other friend’s timelines and worked from there! I am definitely happy to send you my timeline =)
The ruby slippers look great! And I know you’ll figure everything out… eight more days
Date twins! I am right there with you and all of your feelings… and we HAVE a DOC! So I think part of your/our feelings are just due to the day we’ve been looking forward to for so long being so close! Everything will fall into place. And we will remember how it FELT, not how everything LOOKED. All the best – have a wonderful day!
So sorry to hear about your grandpa, and the stress you’re feeling, but we’ve waited such a long time to see your wedding take shape, and I know it’s going to be amazing! Especially excited to see the dress you chose, and how your color scheme comes together, but as previous posters have said, all that really matters is that you have been blessed with a great guy who loves you and whom you love; the rest of this is just a big party to celebrate that gift. Your ruby slippers are beyond gorgeous, and if you didn’t finish the back part you’d be the only one who noticed, as long as there’s a “good side” for detail shots. If I remember right you have a very supportive church family; let those sweet ladies help you with all this last minute stuff. Mrs. Pony is correct – everyone loves to help a bride! Good luck!
Mrs. Armadillo, Houston, Texas Age and Occupation: 23, Graduate Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Armed Security Officer Engagement Date: September 28, 2011 Wedding Date: March 2013 Venue: First Presbyterian Church/Bay City Civic Center About Me: I’m an oldies-loving, board game-playing, coffee addicted fine arts junkie from Southeast Texas in pursuit of her master’s degree in communication studies who met the goofy, strong, artistic, and unexpected love of her life in the beautiful piney woods of East Texas. Serendipity threw us together again and again (and again) on our college campus before we eventually stuck, but when we finally did submit to destiny, we hit the ground running and never looked back! We’re planning a religious, small town, budget-friendly, DIY-infused “winter becomes springtime” ceremony and reception to celebrate the beginning of our lives together with the people we love the most, and are pouring our hearts and souls into making sure our wedding represents us as a couple down to the nitty gritty details and balances tradition with the quirky individuality that is uniquely and unequivocally “us”!
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