Wedding time!

It's been awhile since my last blog entry, but Andrew and I will be married in just a few weeks, on May 16th, and finding time to blog hasn't been easy. I now realize just how much is involved in planning even a relatively simple wedding.
Choosing the venue was easy, but the menu less so, even though I can't remember a single meal I have ever eaten at a wedding, and I never expected to spend so much effort contemplating wedding food. In the end, we picked 3 simple entree choices. I would rather spend time picking out the wine, anyway.

The invitations have been sent, and RSVPs are coming back daily. Most of the big decisions, like the venue, caterer, flowers, and cake were made months ago. In fact, since it's been 6 months, I'm not sure I remember exactly what we ordered, except I recall 3 tiers, buttercream, various flavors of mousse, lots of peonies and green hydrangeas.

My dress was, surprisingly, one of the easiest decisions of all. Not bad for someone who's not much of a girly-girl, and who laughed out loud while trying on and tripping over the merengue-y gowns at the bridal shop. Ladylike in a fancy dress, I'm not. But, once I found The Dress....ahh, the dress!

The dress alterations are almost done. I had no idea it would take at least 3 visits to the alterations shop to get it all right, since the seamstress honed right in on the 3 issues with the dress at visit #1.
First, as with with every wedding dress I tried on, the bust area needed to be taken in. At least with this particular dress, unlike some of the gowns I tried, it was not an insulting amount, just a bit. (A couple of dresses I tried at the bridal shop, I could have put 2 grapefruits down the front, easily, and still had room).
Then there was the issue regarding the sash ties, which were insanely long, something like 8 feet long. I don't even think an Amazon in 4-inch heels could have worn this dress as-is with the sash that long, even with it tied in a big flouncy bow in back. So, the sash was #1 item on my list of things needing tweaking, because I'm not a big-bow-over-my-butt girl, either. But now the long sash problem has been expertly taken care of, too. The sash ties are the perfect length, and now drape very gracefully and simply straight down, just brushing the floor, sans bow entirely. Perfect! I am a happy sashed and bowless girl!
Finally, the bustle. I'd heard of them, even seen them, and never thought I'd ever have one, or need one, but apparently I will, and I do. And, I'm actually excited! Needless to say, every time I have gone back to the seamstress to try the dress on- yet again -during its stepwise transformation, I have gotten all teary-eyed, it's so beautiful, and I hardly recognized the person wearing it. I guess this is what weddings are all about, and why brides go to all this trouble.

So...where things stand: we have our venue, our officiant, our vows (well, almost), our photographer, music for the ceremony, and music for the reception. We have food, cake, flowers, beer, wine, and champagne. We have table linens, favors, and decorations. We have (we think) a way of arriving and leaving in style. We have family, friends, and, hopefully, some surprises.
And, we definitely have our rings!


Meanwhile, outside of wedding planning, life goes on. Some photos from the garden:


Meyer lemon blossoms. Is there anything better than the scent of citrus trees in bloom? I didn't notice the ladybug until after I uploaded this photo.


Aloe vera plant in bloom. Talk about a hummingbird magnet!


Madame Alfred Carriere, our newest rose, which now has dozens of buds and blooms after a good pruning. The pale pink blush is very evident in this photo. The fragrance is wonderful, too.



The tried-and-true Blush Noisette, with lots of flowers and new buds.

Beautiful day for cycling, the venue for our Big Day, and another rose in the garden.

On this beautiful October Sunday, Andrew and I woke up early so we could go for a bike ride with our friend, Barb. We drove to Andrew's house (or, as we call it, "the vacation home"), which is right next to the ride's starting point. We rode the Rush 55 (one of the routes offered during our local cycling club's annual fund-raising cycling event). The Rush 55 is one of my favorite rides, for a couple of reasons. For one, it's only 55 miles (57, actually), so we can ride it and be home early enough to do other things. But, mostly I love this ride because it takes us through some of the most scenic rural areas within an easy bike ride, including Evinston and Micanopy, FL.

The weather was great today, starting out cool and overcast, and ending up breezy and sunny by ride's end. Andrew and I have never ridden through Micanopy without stopping for ice cream. The 3 of us didn't hesitate today, either.

The Rush 55 happens to go right by The Herlong Mansion located on Micanopy's main street, Cholokka Boulevard. And, since The Herlong Mansion is where we will be married in May 2009, we pointed it out to Barb, who gave it her approval. The roses were all in bloom, and the grounds looked impeccable, as always. It's a gorgeous house, isn't it?

Andrew and I toured the Mansion (which is now a bed & breakfast) in August, and here are photos of one of its many guest rooms and an especially nice vintage bathroom.

You wouldn't think someone could get excited about really old bathroom tile, but this room has original subway tile with a double line of pale green pencil trim that is crazed with age, and it's just beautiful!
Here's a view of the brick walkway leading to the front porch, as seen from the upstairs veranda:

Speaking of roses, I was able to find the Rose Lady at the Farmer's Market, and have now planted the newest addition to the rose garden: Marie van Houtte. She is already putting out several new pale yellow buds tinged with pink.