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Hello again faithful readers of Crowning Victoria! It's been about 3 months or so since I last put together some thoughts for you all and now that we're less than two weeks away from the big day (still a bit surreal to type) Vicki and I figured it was a good time for me to do one last post from the groom-to-be's perspective.
Over the last few weeks, and particularly the last few days, after I tell people how close we are to the wedding date, they almost invariably ask the same thing: "Are you ready?" Three little words that seem like an innocuous question but are often anything but. Because if the question is asking whether I'm ready to actually be married to Vicki then the answer is "absolutely." I know a lot of people get nervous about whether their relationship will change after making it all official, but honestly Vicki and I have been dating for about 7 years and living together for about 6 years (the last 3 or so with just the two of us in a home we jointly own), so while I'm sure on an intrinsic level things will change, on a day to day level I know what I'm getting in to and thrilled about it. Vicki and I work very well together and I don't doubt my love for her or my certainty about marrying her for one second.
But there's another aspect of the question that I have been tending to think about first when this question gets asked: are we ready to actually have this wedding? Because whenever I hear the words "are you ready?" my mind immediately drifts to the many items on my to-do list, the e-mails in my inbox, and all the other details that need to be taken care of. Whenever we've felt like we've accomplished most of what needed to get done there's a new bunch of action items coming at us. I was under no illusions that making this happen would be simple, but I have consistently been amazed by the amount of time and effort required to pull this thing off.
With that being said, now that we count the time to go in days instead of months or weeks, I feel like I can honestly answer the question of if we're ready with a solid yes. That doesn't mean that we've gotten everything taken care of (not by a long shot as my still crowded to-do list can attest). But at this point I know that no matter what happens, Sunday June 19th is going to be an awesome day, one that I will look back on fondly for the rest of my life. All my closest friends and family together in the same room, there to celebrate me and the love of my life; what more can a person ask for? Inevitably something will get forgotten or overlooked but really, whatever it is I'm cool with it. As long as when it's all said and done I get to call the beautiful woman behind this blog my wife then all the rest is just water under the bridge.
That being said the band has been a pain in my a** so they better be worth it. :)
So let's break out those dancing shoes, squeeze into our formal wear, and get hitched. Because not only am I ready; the 19th can't come soon enough!
Showing posts with label Mike's Posts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mike's Posts. Show all posts
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
As Mike Sees It (2)
Hello again everyone! It's been quite a while since I made an appearance here on the blog, but since Vicki's input on the honeymoon planning was restricted to her continuously reminding me all she cared about was "going someplace where someone brings me drinks as I lay on the beach," I did the heavy lifting on the planning so it makes sense that I should be the one who writes about it.
When we first started scheming about where to go on our honeymoon, and scheming is indeed the appropriate verb here, we were thinking someplace exotic. We both love to travel and therefore wanted to take this opportunity to go someplace we'd never been to and wanted to visit. The front runners were Greece, Thailand, and India. We soon realized since none of those places are exactly close, the flights are pretty pricey. But that wasn't going to dissuade us since (if you do this right) you only get one shot at a honeymoon. So it became a matter of figuring out which place made the most sense.
But leave it to a sitcom to throw a wrench in our plans. We were watching the Hawaii episode of Modern Family, which features a scene were Cam and Mitchell debate the merits of exploring and seeing sites on your vacation versus laying by the pool and getting pampered. I was firmly in Mitchell's camp on this one; when you go someplace you need to soak it all up and experience the place, because you can lie around anywhere. But then it hit us both: after the wedding and all the related craziness, lying around is what we're going to need. So in a moment of deep revelation we both decided that instead of spending lots of cash on the flight, we should go somewhere in the Caribbean that would be much cheaper to get to and invest the funds into an all-inclusive resort instead.
I thought it would be easy at that point but lo and behold, the Caribbean is full of all-inclusive resorts (guess we're not the first people to have this idea. Who knew?). So we (and by "we" I mean I) began doing our research into places that fit our budget and gave us what we wanted. After that we narrowed it down to about four different places. Then my anal grad-school-self kicked in and decided the best way to figure this out was to write down all the pluses and minuses of each place and assign them points based on that (I know, I'm a dork. I accept this fact and Vicki does too).
After considering everything the winner and place we booked is Secrets Wild Orchid in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The pluses on my list that led us this location include:
Until then, we'll be dreaming of cocktails and sunsets on the beach...
When we first started scheming about where to go on our honeymoon, and scheming is indeed the appropriate verb here, we were thinking someplace exotic. We both love to travel and therefore wanted to take this opportunity to go someplace we'd never been to and wanted to visit. The front runners were Greece, Thailand, and India. We soon realized since none of those places are exactly close, the flights are pretty pricey. But that wasn't going to dissuade us since (if you do this right) you only get one shot at a honeymoon. So it became a matter of figuring out which place made the most sense.
But leave it to a sitcom to throw a wrench in our plans. We were watching the Hawaii episode of Modern Family, which features a scene were Cam and Mitchell debate the merits of exploring and seeing sites on your vacation versus laying by the pool and getting pampered. I was firmly in Mitchell's camp on this one; when you go someplace you need to soak it all up and experience the place, because you can lie around anywhere. But then it hit us both: after the wedding and all the related craziness, lying around is what we're going to need. So in a moment of deep revelation we both decided that instead of spending lots of cash on the flight, we should go somewhere in the Caribbean that would be much cheaper to get to and invest the funds into an all-inclusive resort instead.
I thought it would be easy at that point but lo and behold, the Caribbean is full of all-inclusive resorts (guess we're not the first people to have this idea. Who knew?). So we (and by "we" I mean I) began doing our research into places that fit our budget and gave us what we wanted. After that we narrowed it down to about four different places. Then my anal grad-school-self kicked in and decided the best way to figure this out was to write down all the pluses and minuses of each place and assign them points based on that (I know, I'm a dork. I accept this fact and Vicki does too).
After considering everything the winner and place we booked is Secrets Wild Orchid in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The pluses on my list that led us this location include:
- Direct flights from Baltimore to Montego Bay, followed by a short drive to the resort from the airport
- Wait service at the beach and pool
- A soaking tub on our private balcony
- 8 restaurants and 10 bars on site
- The inclusion of a honeymoon package which gets us spa discounts, a bottle of champagne, and some other gifts
- Tons of activities, sports and otherwise, all included
- 24 hour room service, including stocking the mini bar
- DOLPHINS (<----Vicki's edit)
Until then, we'll be dreaming of cocktails and sunsets on the beach...
{source}
*sidenote, Vicki says that lady's butt is bigger than hers.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
As Mike Sees it (1)
I've begged asked Mike to guest blog (its about time) and help me out while I'm doing the family thing with my sister. I have to say, when I read the title I worried. But he's a part of this whole wedding thing too - so I might as well let him have a say on the blog! (See if you can find my favorite part!) Stay tuned for possibly more in a new series I call "As Mike Sees It."
*note: Mike originally titled this post: "To get involved, or not......"
While Vicki is out doing the aunt thing in Austin, I've been holding down the fort at home in DC. So I guess it makes sense that an extension of that would be to make sure all is well here at Crowning Victoria and that there are fresh posts for you all to read. So now it's time for what you've all been waiting for: wedding planning from the groom's perspective.
From the beginning of this process I've said to Vicki (and anyone else who asked) that there are three aspects about the reception that I wanted to be involved in; choosing the venue, the music, and the food/drink.
My logic on this is twofold: I feel like those are the key ingredients to the party so I want to get my two sense in on them, and also that means I can stay out of Vicki's way for the rest of the stuff. It's not like I don't care about things like photographers, decorations, invitations, etc., it's just that I care a whole lot less than Vicki does. I have known from the beginning that this day is about her and really my job is to sign on the line, look good in a tux (mission accomplished), and say "I do" when the Rabbi pauses and looks at me. But it's been tricky trying to balance demonstrating that I am involved and willing to help if she wants/needs me to while at the same time making sure that she knows this is her show and she can have what she wants (within reason, I hope).
So now we've got a venue, we've got a band, and we're setting up tastings with caterers (most of them allow you to supply your own alcohol, so I've got that covered). I guess that means my role is now to negotiate the prices down as much as possible once Vicki settles on a vendor, help organize things like the guest list, and just try to be supportive whenever possible. And of course, get as many free tastings from catering companies as possible. For what these people charge I'm milking them for all I can get. But from here on out, I'm mostly along for the ride. Should be interesting......
*note: Mike originally titled this post: "To get involved, or not......"
**************************
While Vicki is out doing the aunt thing in Austin, I've been holding down the fort at home in DC. So I guess it makes sense that an extension of that would be to make sure all is well here at Crowning Victoria and that there are fresh posts for you all to read. So now it's time for what you've all been waiting for: wedding planning from the groom's perspective.
From the beginning of this process I've said to Vicki (and anyone else who asked) that there are three aspects about the reception that I wanted to be involved in; choosing the venue, the music, and the food/drink.
My logic on this is twofold: I feel like those are the key ingredients to the party so I want to get my two sense in on them, and also that means I can stay out of Vicki's way for the rest of the stuff. It's not like I don't care about things like photographers, decorations, invitations, etc., it's just that I care a whole lot less than Vicki does. I have known from the beginning that this day is about her and really my job is to sign on the line, look good in a tux (mission accomplished), and say "I do" when the Rabbi pauses and looks at me. But it's been tricky trying to balance demonstrating that I am involved and willing to help if she wants/needs me to while at the same time making sure that she knows this is her show and she can have what she wants (within reason, I hope).
So now we've got a venue, we've got a band, and we're setting up tastings with caterers (most of them allow you to supply your own alcohol, so I've got that covered). I guess that means my role is now to negotiate the prices down as much as possible once Vicki settles on a vendor, help organize things like the guest list, and just try to be supportive whenever possible. And of course, get as many free tastings from catering companies as possible. For what these people charge I'm milking them for all I can get. But from here on out, I'm mostly along for the ride. Should be interesting......
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