There was dancing

Did I mention that?

I got MARRIED!

One Week

Seven tiny little days left until The Big Day. Woot! I've been running all over NYC the last week or so, having meetings and getting ready. Am I ready? No, but I'm getting closer. Also, I learned I am a TOTAL trendsetter. I haven't even WORN my purple shoes in public yet, but people heard about them, and suddenly, every great shoe designer out there is bringing out purple shoes. It's totally crazy! And, of course, very flattering.

Countdown

Brain fart

Like you, no doubt, I do a lot of my blog reading on Google Reader. All hail Google! So I catch up with my friends, with design blogs, with the entertainment news, and with wedding planning stuff all in the same place.

So my little head, slightly overwhelmed with the amount of information percolating around in it right now, decided to combine two posts -- one on Weddingbee about cake toppers, and another from a friends about epic mounts in World of Warcraft. Doyce, don't get any ideas, but yes, I totally just pictured a three-tiered wedding cake topped with a lizard and a cat wearing saddles.

Sigh.

100 Days

We interrupt the reveal of my Secret Ten to bring you this countdown update:


Thank you. As you were.

New Year, New Start

All sorts of new things going on! There's the wedding, of course, which is a big new thing that's going to happen, and includes with it the joy of a new husband (not that I had one before), a new roommate (the aforementioned husband, though I shall miss my current roomie dreadfully, particularly when I require someone to be funny on command, or, alternatively, want to sic new horrible movies on), new pets, and a new home with fresh newly painted walls and cabinets (some still in progress, with lots more progress on the whole home improvement kick yet to be made). Also new for the new year -- a new JOB, a new boss (ME!), and a NEW WEBSITE!

Yes, fans of ktbuffy, I'm going to be migrating my bloggy wisdom (such as it is) as it relates to books and agentry to a new and exciting blog, Ask Daphne! There's lots of work yet to do over there, but feel free to poke around and comment. We'll be officially open for business on February 1st, but I'm going to start blogging over there as much as I can in the meantime. If you have any pressing questions about publishing or agentry, send Daphne an email.

In other new news, Doyce and I rang in the New Year last night in a manner most befitting of how we hope to go on in 2008: together, curled up on the couch, watching a geeky movie. In this case, the extended edition of "The Return of the King."

For old times' sake, Oh Viggo! Viggo, Viggo, Viggo!! It's a little trip down memory lane to the very start of my blog. Enjoy.

Hi-larious repeated conversation at my sister's recent wedding

"So you're C's sister who's also getting married?"

"Yes."

"And I hear you're breaking your mother's heart and moving to Colorado?"

...sigh. No? I hope not!

Wedding Pic!

Since I'm sure my sister doesn't want her wedding photos on the web, just this one of the the little munchkins after the ceremony. Too adorable!

I got a couple of OK ones of Doyce and I, but I think the pro photographer might have snapped a few others. I loved my dress, not least because it was one of the very few dresses worn by a guest that wasn't black! Also, everyone said I did a very good job with my reading, Robert Louis Stevenson's A Wedding Prayer.

Lord, behold our family here assembled.
We thank you for this place in which we dwell,
for the love that unites us,
for the peace accorded us this day,
for the hope with which we expect the morrow,
for the health, the work, the food,
and the bright skies that make our lives delightful;
for our friends in all parts of the earth.
Amen.

Woot! And a strike!

Might have coughed up a lung here or there, but my sister's wedding yesterday was a blast and half. She looked gorgeous and happy, her hubby (my new brother-in-law) never stopped smiling the whole day, and everyone had a great time. One of my favorite moments -- realizing I'll have a dance partner for the rest of the weddings I go to for the rest of my life. Yay!

In other news, the Hollywood Writers Strike is on. Working in book publishing, it's easy to sometimes say, "well, they can just go write a book for something, right?" But it's not that easy. For more information about the cause (which is worthy) and the strike itself, I learned a lot from these links:

Two via Neil Gaiman's blog (yes, Neil's also on strike), here and here.
And one from Jane Espenson's blog, here.

Also, this is a totally awesome ad that ran in the Hollywood press, indicating a whole bunch of show runners' and producers' support of the strike.

Is it just me...

...Or do almost all my posts lately begin with me apologizing for not posting more regularly? Sorry about that!

Maybe I'll just skip it, and get right to the good stuff.

I had a wonderful time last weekend at the Eden Writers Conference, and really enjoyed meeting the other speakers and the coordinators. In terms of picking up clients, I saw a few possibilities, but overall felt the conference (in its first year) had attracted a large percentage of very new writers who weren't quite ready to be faced with an agent. Still, I answered a lot of questions that I hope will set them on the right path for their future careers.

And that's what's mostly on my mind right now -- the future. Not just wedding stuff, but the whole shebang: moving, career, children, lifestyle, redecorating, packing, etc. Lots of stuff crowding my head right now, and I'm eager to get some of it out there in the big wide world.

Still, I'm practicing patience. Well... a little of it. I have plans, and I'm looking forward to implementing them, but there's a timeline I'm trying to stick to, though there are times I wish I could fast-forward. In the meantime, my sister C's wedding is a week from tomorrow, and I get to see Doyce in a tux! Woot! We're also hoping to get some pictures of both of us in our formal wear for a possible Christmas card/save the date announcement. Stay tuned!

Buzz off!

While off at my conference this weekend (more on that later), I got an email from Weddingbee that while they appreciated my application to be a bee (one of their bloggers), they didn't think I was the right fit for their site. Afterwards, I talked to Doyce about the decision, putting into words my reaction.

Basically? Though I hate rejection of all kinds, especially on my writing, in the last few weeks I've been rethinking my commitment to wedding blogging. I mean, it can be fun sharing little details of things my friends and family will get to see revealed on The Big Day, but I don't want to spend ages writing up vendor reviews, and detailing every last decision about a florist, or a cake. I mentioned that part of this new laissez-faire attitude may have to do with my sister getting married (in less than two weeks), but it's not about feeling bored with planning, or with the idea of getting married.

On the contrary. I've recognized that it's not about the flowers, or the dress, or the font on the invitations matching the programs. It's about celebrating together, a big party to start off a whole new life as a couple. We're not going to be a bride and groom forever, we'll be a husband and wife.

There was a lot of talk on the blogosphere about the NYC lawyer bride who sued her Upper East Side florist for $400,000 for the wrong color flowers at her reception, arranged in dirty vases only half full of water. What I took from the story? She was so concerned about getting the details right, she's missing the big picture.

I don't want to be that bride.

So while I'll continue to enjoy reading Weddingbee, and paging through my Modern Bride magazines, I don't have any drive to do more than that. I enjoy the fact that our wedding planning is mostly done, and if I can arrange the final details from afar, while already enjoying some of the post-wedding life, all the better!

A post-y pause, and some music

It gets a little frantic here around Unfeasible Enterprises in October, what with preparations for the Frankfurt Book Fair. I'm not going this year, which is a total relief, even though that means I'm not tacking on a vacation afterwards to somewhere in Europe. Instead, I'll be holding down the fort here in the office, and then heading out to Utah for a conference.

Before all THAT though, there are the preparations, which have been taking up a goodly portion (if by that you mean mind-crushing amount) of my work day. I missed NIA last night to stay late and work, getting home just in time to catch up on "Torchwood," pack, watch "Bionic Woman," and yes, ok, get in a couple of levels on LOTRO.

Tonight though, I fly out to Denver! Woot! I have three weeks of Entertainment Weeklys as well as the most recent issue of Modern Bride to catch up on, and a pile of library books to tote along as well if I feel like it. My work reading pile is manageable, so I'm leaving it at work, and will plan to tackle it once I'm back.

In the meantime... I got to thinking about some of the music Doyce and I have sent back and forth to each other, and tunes for the wedding beyond those our swing band will play. "Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White T's is a recent song that means something for us, but the lyrics of "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "5000 Miles" are also resonant. So, a question for the forum (or the comment section, as it may be). What songs have special meaning for you and your sweetie?

While you're thinking about it, here's a link to some of ours.

I bought shoes!

I know, I know. Just pretend to be surprised, ok? For me?

I had lunch today down in the Union Square area, and since we couldn't get a reservation until 1:30, I headed down a little early and hit DSW. I didn't even know that were having a special clearance, but I was very happily surprised. I had less than 20 minutes, I think, to get in, find silver shoes, buy them, and get out again and meet my lunch date. So how'd I do?

I bought two pair!! (Not that I can find any pictures of them online, of course.)

The first pair was a peep-toe t-strap that buckled at the ankle. The t-strap was all pretty and rhinestone-y, and someone remarked that it looked like a dance shoe -- which I took as a good thing, since I plan on doing a lot of dancing in it!

The second pair (both were from Nina, by the way) was on the clearance rack, open toed sandals with a strap that crossed over from the outside of my foot to the inner ankle, then became a slingback strap. Very fancy.

I didn't have a lot of time, as I mentioned, so I bought both, went to my lunch with a fun editor (sent back my burger for being too rare, which I hate doing, but it was red!), and came back to the office for a fashion show. See, I need other people's opinions. I like to hear what other people have to say, and having taken in all their thoughts, will then make my final call.

So I walked around the office, wearing one shoe of each pair, and polled about 8 women. Off the bat, most preferred the fancier shoe with the slingback. But when I described what it was for, and when I would be wearing it, most said the t-strap was better. So, the t-strap it is!! I'll be trying it on with the dress tonight to make sure I like the look with the hem, but then I can go and get my super-bra, and take the dress to be altered for the wedding.

And speaking of weddings, I was reading Weddingbee, as I'm wont to do, and read this in one bride's post describing her dress-shopping adventures:

Well, with this dress I learned the lesson that 95% (my rough estimation) of brides realize upon dress shopping – what you initially think you want is probably not what you end up liking/buying.

And what struck me about that was that I'm apparently in the 5% group. Sure, when I was a kid dreaming of dresses, I had a different idea of what I wanted, but when I actually WENT dress shopping, the dress we walked out of the store with was almost exactly what I described to the saleswoman.

I'm not saying I'm super-amazing or anything, but part of my weight loss journey, I think, has been recognizing the looks that work for me, and sticking with them. And as that makes four labels I can throw on this post, I'll leave it at that. To thine own self be true -- but before you can do that, make sure you know who you are!

Fun facts about 200

- At a less well-known battle, 200 Spartans successfully held off 12 Greek toga-makers, who tried to convinced the muscle-bound fighters that they didn't need to show it ALL off. Yelling, "This. Is. SPARTA!!!" the Spartans tossed the Greeks and their bolts of fabric off some cliffs.

- It took 1 seamstress 200 hours to sew the gold beading on Eva Longoria's Emmy dress. It wouldn't have taken nearly that long, but the seamstress only had four fingers.

- I read over 200 manuscripts in a year.

- Much like a group of crows is called a "murder", and a group of otters are a "romp", 200 sparrows are a "ninja armada."

- The 200th song on my iTunes jukebox on my work computer, when organized by album name, is Beggar's Blues by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. When I organize it by song title, it is Cheeseburger in Paradise by Jimmy Buffett.

- It took Fishnetmag 200 days to respond to a submission of another of my and Doyce's stories, but they said yes!

- 200 candy corn pieces are 18 points on Weight Watchers. For 200 points, I could have 2200 candy corn!

- Yesterday was 200 days until our wedding day!!

All of the above facts are patently false, gross exaggerations, based on bad math, or just plain wrong. Except the last.

Us

Got some nice pictures from Doyce's trip to NYC this weekend, and from the engagement party, but this is one of my favorites. All together now, "Awwwww..."

Hair stuff

So I was out to lunch, my mind drifting, thinking about the Emmys and about my wedding -- as you might imagine, since the Red Carpet pre-show I caught on E! was all about weddings, from Guilana's to Ellen's to Eva's to Rebecca's to Katherine's, etc. And the fact is, I got my idea for my wedding hair from some Red Carpet shots from the past -- Julia Roberts and Kate Beckinsale, mostly, so I was eager to see if any of today's crop of stars were showing anything exciting -- maybe for me to try for C's wedding in November.

But you know? I was pretty disappointed! I trolled a bit on the internet to find some shots of the stars, to see if anything stuck with me, but nothing did. Nothing good, at least. I really didn't love Ellen Pompano's giant beehive, and that weird wing of hair on Kate Walsh's right side was just disturbing.

You know who looked adorable? Veronica Mars -- soon to be appearing on Heroes! Her hair was pulled back, but loose, not tightly slicked like her soon-to-be-costar Hayden-Just-Turned-18, or Katherine Heigl. One look I didn't love was Marcia Cross', who hit her hair with a straight iron and just let it hang. Likewise Debra Messing, both with such pretty red hair, but kinda boring.

Loved the female half of Filliam H. Muffman, though, and she's got me rethinking my idea of a long piece of jewelry to hang down my back in my backless dress for C's wedding. Loose wavy hair above an open back and a happy, loving partner: that's all I need!!

Did anyone see some great hair I missed? And what were your favorite looks altogether? I loved Julia Louis-Dreyfus, but then you know I'm a sucker for purple!

Clubbin' It

Right, I promised more, and here it is! (You'll note, devoted readers of the blog, that I am slightly avoiding a discussion of work. It's been a sucky kind of week, let's just leave it at that for now, shall we?)

So, earlier this week I promised a conversation about the club where the reception will be. And here we go!

When Doyce and I first got engaged and went up to my mom's to share the good news, we actually visited one of my pipe dream locations -- the Wainwright House in Rye, NY. When I was a teenager, I worked at a club as a counselor just down the street from the Wainwright House, and I loved the whole French Chateau feel of the place. It was right on the water, too, and the views were beautiful. The day after our engagement, when we stopped by on a tour of the area (I was showing Doyce all my childhood haunts and old jobs), there was a catering manager there on site giving another couple a tour, so he invited us to poke around a bit. The inside is gorgeous, with, unfortunately, high prices to match. There also wasn't one big central room where we thought we could fit the 140 people we had in mind to invite, unless we booked a tent, which I didn't want to do. Sadly, the Wainwright House was a no go.

In the next few exciting days and weeks, I did multiple internet searches for mansions in Westchester County, for historic houses, looking for a location that was off the beaten path, but still big enough -- and affordable enough -- to host our event. The Women's Club in White Plains, housed in the CV Rich Mansion, was beautiful, with a big, gorgeous ballroom. I was afraid, though, that the several rooms they offered for the cocktail hour would leave our guests too strung out (spatially, not emotionally). And honestly, was that giant ballroom going to be TOO big?

We also looked the Women's Club of Bronxville, which was a strong contender. They had a smaller, but I thought even more beautiful, ballroom, plus an entrance hall for the cocktail hour with floor to ceiling windows and striking black-and-white wall decorations (not frescos, but I can't think of the word). I loved this place for a while, and it was my top choice until the weekend that Doyce came back out to look at it with me, after two of my sisters, my mom and I had already paid it one visit.

On Doyce's next trip, though, we also went to the Pelham Country Club, where a family friend was general manager and had quoted a very very reasonable rate on the phone. The club was in a beautiful location, but I had been so set in finding something different, in really striking out and being, well, exotic.

I mean, it was a country club. How exotic could it be?

Turns out, it didn't need to be any kind of exotic, because I discovered just how much more important service and attention were. Not that the catering manager at the Bronxville Women's Club wasn't helpful, but she didn't know my family, didn't meet her spouse at my brother's engagement party as the club manager, Kevin, did. Doyce and I made our first visit to Pelham, then went to see the Women's Club again (well, again for me, the first time for him), and knew pretty quickly afterwards that Pelham was the place for us! It's in a beautiful location on a golf course, with a pond at the 18th green, next to the clubhouse, with a bright room for the main reception, and a beautiful space for the cocktail hour with several conversation nooks, a fireplace, and a bar that straddled both areas.

Seeing the club again, months later, picking out our linen and discussing table placements, I remain so pleased with our decision. The clubhouse isn't on a historic homes list, as far as I know, but after all, I want people to be looking at us, not the building!



Still, it's a pretty building. :)

I don't like lines

So, this past weekend I went up to Westchester on Sunday to meet with the general manager of the club where our wedding reception is going to be, and also looked in on the church (so pretty!). Pictures to follow, when I'm posting from home, but in the meantime, I thought I'd share part of the discussion my mom and sister and I had about timing of things on the wedding day, and that oh-so-formal tradition of the Receiving Line.

Short form? I don't love it. According to Wikipedia, the receiving line is a Scottish tradition, where the guests file past the bride and groom, introducing themselves. (I don't know how accurate that is -- I'd agree more with the later citation that it's an American custom.) Now, I expect to know everyone at my wedding. I don't want anyone to have to introduce themselves to me! Secondly, and more importantly, we've deliberately chosen to have a more casual cocktail reception rather than a formal sit-down meal because we hope and expect our guests to mingle with each other, and we want to be able to circulate among them and say hello throughout the reception, not just in the structured line. I just feel that a line often creates a bottleneck, either exiting the church, or getting into the reception.

Besides, I think we've struck on another idea. I like the Jewish tradition where the bride and groom spend some time alone after the wedding ceremony before the reception. Of course, with a ceremony at 1:30 and the cocktail hour starting at 3, there's not all that much time, not if we want to do pictures then as well! So, considering that we're going to be the first people out of the church (and now having seen the church, I think this will work!), we can whisk ourselves away to a little room, even just for five or ten minutes to be alone after the "I do"s. When all of the guests have left the church (with our wedding party asking them to stay near the doors), we can sweep out and do the big tossing of flower petals or blowing bubbles, or what have you! After that, formal posed wedding pics, then onto cocktails!

At the reception, even if we miss some (but hopefully not much) of the cocktail hour because of pictures, we'll be able to spend more time with our guests than a receiving line would allow.

Also, I spoke to my sister-in-law recently, who told me I wouldn't remember all the little details of the day, that they would pass in a blur, etc. etc. Honestly? I really hope not. But I think I'd be more likely to feel that way about the guests if they are just passing me in a line than if I can spend more time talking with them, dancing with them, and oh yeah, drinking with them.

So, count that as another wedding tradition I'm bucking!

Shopping!!

Another success story regarding a shopping quest, I'm delighted to say. This one was much shorter than my search for purple shoes.

As I mentioned, my sister C is getting married in November, and it's going to be a whole black-tie, formal kind of affair. Evening wedding, ballroom reception, the whole works. As is my way, I wanted to stand out a bit, so my guidelines for dress shopping began with no black or brown, but were otherwise pretty much WIDE open. I did consider looking for purple dresses, since I had the shoes, But I hadn't fixed on anything.

So, yesterday at lunch, I hit Bloomies. I grabbed a bunch of long dresses and hit the dressing room. Pretty quickly, I narrowed my search down to two dresses. First, this lovely strapless number from A.B.S.. I found it in purple, too. See?

The other option was very different, sort of drape-y, with a pretty open back, but also from A.B.S. This is it in blue. Here's me in it. There's some concern that the color is too light for a November evening wedding, but I think it's fine. Best part? Totally on sale.

But even on sale, it was a lot of money to spend. So I put them both back on the rack, and went back to work, having sent the two pictures to Doyce for his opinion. Well, it came in loud and clear. He liked them both. A lot. (Woot!) I showed the pictures to a few other people at work, too, noticing that the two colors were almost exactly the colors of my blog, and by the end of the day, I decided to run back to Bloomies, and if the sale dress was still there, it was a sign it was meant to be.

Well, it was! Hooray! The green dress is now happily hanging on my wall -- my closet being too low to handle the length. I still need to get the perfect piece to wear underneath, but I'll bring the dress to my bra lady, and see what she can find. After that -- I get to search for new shoes! Silver, I think. Fun!