Preparations continue to go well. We’re starting to receive the first response cards back, which is very exciting! (I have an almost unnatural obsession with receiving mail so I LOVE coming home and finding something other than bills & junk mail in the mailbox.) I find that I think about it all the way home, wondering if there will be any responses in the mailbox. I think Pete has started leaving the mail for me to get every day because he knows how wound up about this I am. In reading some of the wedding blogs & websites I’ve found, I’m happy to report that this is a fairly normal obsession at this stage. I recently set up my first appointment to have the dress altered; that’ll be at the end of July. Very exciting! We went over to the reception hall this morning because it is set up for a reception of about 105 people. We wanted to get a sense of how crowded that might be so we would know exactly how many people we can have at the reception. We actually have about 170 people that we’d like to have there but we’re limited because of the reception space.
One of the big things that we’re working on right now is the wording for the ceremony. Because we’re doing a non-denominational wedding, the “script” of the ceremony isn’t prewritten. We’re working with our officiant to put together something that reflects what we feel about and want to say to each other. Our mothers are actually giving us a hand with one section that we were really struggling with, which is nice. My vows are done (I think – there’s always time for more tweaking!) and Pete is working on his. I really think that the wording we’re coming up with is amazing and fits us very well. The goal is to have that done by the end of July. It’ll be exciting to see it “in action” on October 11th!!
The biggest thing that’s changed in the last few weeks is the sense of anticipation. We attended the wedding of a friend a few weekends ago. Although it wasn’t a wedding that would have fit our style & desires, it was appropriate for the bride & groom and we still had a really good time. Being there kind of got us in the “wedding spirit,” so to speak. I’ve been getting more and more excited about the fact that our wedding is less than 3 months away. Yes, there are still details to take care of and that may get stressful as we get closer, but I’m really starting to look forward to this party! Obviously the ceremony is an important part of this whole thing but, as Pete says, “We’ve really been married for a few years; we’re just finalizing the paperwork!” 
Right now, it’s the reception – the party with our family and friends – that I’m really looking forward to. Good food, good music, good drinks (for those that want ‘em) and a general all around good time – now that sounds like fun! The 5-day cruise afterwards is looking pretty good too.
The other really nice thing that’s happened recently is that Pete’s mother and aunt threw a really nice engagement party for us on July 4th weekend. My parents came down from Maine and this was the first time they got to meet most of Pete’s family. Pete’s family made them feel really comfortable and a good time was had by all. The food was amazing – both the food from Famous Dave’s (a BBQ restaurant where Pete & I had our first date) and the homemade things. They thought of everything, even party favors! They put a lot of work into the party and Pete and I are really grateful for all they did. Now that our friends’ wedding is in the past and the engagement party has been and gone it kind of feels like the next big step is the wedding (with a wicked fun detour for me through the girls weekend that my best woman is planning!).
