My Wedding on a Budget: 2 Days to Go!

WEDDING EVE!

Okay, not really because it's only Oct. 6 and the wedding isn't until Oct.8, but honestly... today is the last day of real "wedding prep". Tomorrow I'll do a little in the morning but once Rachel and I leave for Danville for my oh-so-relaxing massage (thanks to Kara & Dani) wedding-ness will be well underway and no looking back!

I still worked today but my goodness was it tough to stay focused! I cannot imagine if Rachel and Aunt Anne hadn't been here to help with so much set up. Rachel actually came down to the Loft this morning to get a TON of MY cleaning done. This place has been a wreck and I know there will be a lot of people in and out of here during the festivities so it had to be cleaned. Rach knocked it out like it was nothing, though.

Around lunch time we made a trip to Knob End because Karen's team was setting up the rest of the tables and so forth. LOVE IT. Oh I cannot even begin to tell you how wonderful it looks! It's such a relief to have Karen taking care of this because she truly cares--and part of that is because she knows the family, but I've worked events with her enough to know that no matter the event she put her extra touches to make it look great. She had some purple table toppers she put on all of the tables and decorated the tall chairs on the cocktail table she set up for Jon and I. The buffet line table looks fabulous. The bar, cake table, gift table, champagne buckets and beer/soda bins are set up. I love it.

I did have a minor crisis on my way to checkout the setup. I called (using Rachel's phone since mine is acting bizzarro this week) Shade's salon to find out how early we could come in to get going on hair Saturday morning. Well, as soon as the girl answered the phone and I told her who I was I could tell something wasn't right. Her delayed, "Ummm....," told me she had bad news. Apparently they did not have the right phone number for me and said they'd been trying for the last couple of weeks to call and confirm the appointment and since no one had responded they cancelled it! First of all, I thought it WAS confirmed after Holly made the initial call and I followed up. I think the confusion spurred from my inquiry about make-up application when I did follow up. I asked if they did make up and said I'd let them know how many girls wanted that done. I guess in their mind that meant I was still calling back to confirm everything. In my mind that meant I'd confirmed the hair but I'd call back about makeup. Given I never called back but I wasn't too concerned about make up.

Good news is, the owner, Brian, is awesome. The girl got him on the phone and he talked with the girls there. (Luckily it was just yesterday that he'd cancelled it in the books.) They are still able to be there Saturday morning so we are set for 8 a.m.!

I left work just a tad early, 4 p.m. so Rachel and I could get up to Danville to do some final shopping. I had a list and she had Mom's list. Our stops included: WalMart, liquor store, HalMark, Peddler's Mall, Lowes, Dixon Design Studio (Uncle John & Aunt Dana's) and the smoke shop. We did a good job of keeping each other moving and we got everything we came for. The list of "to-do's" is not nearly done yet, but I'm so grateful Rachel go the house cleaned for me--a huge relief! Now I don't have to stay up all night working on it!

Jon brought home the printed itineraries for everyone. I cut the foam board we bought at WalMart and hand-wrote the directional signs we're going to put up to direct people into The Valley. I connected with Kathy Goode finally and will be able to pick up her video cameras tomorrow at the library. The programs are ready.... It's really, really, really just about time!

Tomorrow Rachel and I will leave for Danville at about 11 a.m. to get me to my massage and at that point my "wedding prep" duties have ended. I'll do my best to simply forget about everything that is or isn't getting done and just let the schedule begin to roll. In some moments I feel there is so much to do still and others I feel like it's all set! Either way, tomorrow Alamo ends and the ride is in full swing, so there will be nothing to do but breathe it in and enjoy!