The Broad Recap

SO the big wedding weekend is over and we are both a big bag of mixed emotions. Where to start? Well, I got to the beach early and had the opportunity to relax and get my thoughts together and de-stress. Robert on the other hand, got there on Thursday and was so busy until after the wedding that he didn't have time to breathe. It turned out that I was the calm one and ended up calling him a few times to call him down. I was in this weird zen place where there was no stress. The whole thing felt like a big dream.I also took advantage of the fact that there were a lot of people to help me and didn't hesitate to ask for help when needed. Remember soon-to-be brides,there is nothing wrong with asking people to help you out! Don't put it all on your own shoulders. So, the rain was a huge issue. It started to rain about 20 minutes before our outdoor ceremony. That meant we had to re-do the reception room at the last minute and just my luck, the restaurant was on a wait so the reception/lobby area was already packed with non-guests. Great. So before the ceremony was pure chaos and everyone wanted to stop and have a conversation with me. At that point, I just threw up my hands and said to the owner of the restaurant, "Just tell me where to be and when to go. Please don't ask me any more questions". Just had to give up control because otherwise I would have lost my mind.It turns out that the ceremony was much more intimate and beautiful inside than it would have been outside. Everything happens for a reason! During the ceremony, it stopped raining and we were able to take pictures outside.

There were a ton of other cute stories and ridiculous drama (the best man's wife threw a hissy because she didn't like where she was seated), but we were way too happy and mushy to notice anything negative. I know that we've all heard people say that on the day of, you won't notice all the small things that go wrong and if you do they won't matter. I never thought that I would be able to let go enough to be that person, but I was. When the first dance music got totally messed up (wrong song started twice, beginning of the song got cut off, the song cut off early and all you heard was feedback), me and Robert were so busy laughing and dancing that we didn't care.

The day wasn't at all what either of us expected it to be, but we loved it. At the end of the day, the pictures say everything!

As of this moment, 3 days after the wedding, my lovely husband is having a hard time. He doesn't get to to see his family and friends very often. He was so overwhelmed and happy that he is having some trouble with the fact that the whole exciting weekend is over. We are calling it "party withdrawals". I think this is why people take honeymoons right after the wedding. It's a good time to decompress and recover from the best party you'll ever have. Instead we are sitting in our apartment surrounded by stuff and trying to figure out what just happened. Don't get me wrong, we are incredibly happy to be married, there is just this weird feeling we are both having that no one prepared us for. I guess all anyone wants to talk about is all the wonderful and happy stuff. I promise, it's not all roses. We are slightly depressed that it is all over, especially since it all happened so fast!

When I have my wits about me and can focus for more than a few minutes, I will go into more wedding details and maybe even give out a lil "if I had known then what I know now" advice. Until then, be sure to check out http://emilyandrobertswedding.shutterfly.com/ password:taleofthewhale.

Be in touch!

A Little Bit of Good Luck and Some Bridezilla Moments

So the wedding is in less than a week! I am leaving for the beach on Tuesday, so tomorrow will be my last day in town to tie up loose ends!
I was really scared that I would be the eating a lot because of the stress (which I have been known to do). Instead, the gods have smiled on me and completely destroyed my appetite. Unhealthy, I know, but helpful! When I do manage to choke some food down, I'm trying to make sure that it's really healthy. Yogurt, salads, grilled chicken, etc. I hate keeping a scale, so I'm not sure if I've lost any weight. I feel thinner, but that might just be my head telling me that since I haven't been eating very much. I've also been trying to take Bodie (my dog) on some nice long walks when the weather is nice. In fact, Robert and I went to Weaver Street Market today for brunch and walked around with him. Very nice and relaxing...
So, my bridezilla moment. I went to pick up my dress from my seamstress, who is incredibly talented and wonderful. She made me a gorgeous asymmetrical double french bustle (try saying that 5 times fast!). It was so different that she took a picture of the final product and put it into her "bustle scrapbook". What I wasn't expecting was that there would be a dress hook on the outside of the dress and all the points would be visible when the bustle was let out. So I've got my two sides working over time. The rational side of me says that my dress will be bustled most of the time and that when it's not, no one will be looking at my train hard enough to see those small details. Even if they do, they won't care. The bride part of me is freaking because it doesn't look as beautiful as it did before and I feel like everyone will be staring at those little pieces of thread on the back of my dress. I'm sure there are some of you out there who deal with these split-personalities right before the wedding. Well, my crazy side is a little too powerful at the moment. The dress is being kept where I can't get to it so I don't sit there and stare at the train like an obsessed bride.
I also made a HUGE mistake with the time of the ceremony and just figured it out on Friday. So, I thought that sunset was at 7:15 PM, so I scheduled the ceremony for 7:00 PM so that there would be a nice red sky. Pretty, right? Well, turns out that sunRISE is at 7:15 AM and sunSET is at 6:30 PM. Oh shit. That's exactly what I want, to get married in the dark. At least they won't see the points on my train, right? Well, I'd rather people see the points than get married in the dark and I can't afford outdoor lighting at the last minute. So, it looks like I have to move the ceremony up. So anyone that's been married knows how hard it is to move everything up an hour a week before the wedding. I've been scrambling to get it done and notify all the guests. I think we have all the bases covered, but now that nagging feeling that I'm missing something has gotten that much worse because I've made a last minute change.
Today, my mother has decided that we need to shop for her dress. For the fifth time. She's tried on more dresses than I did when I was looking for my dress. Sweet jebus. It's gonna be a long week...

Sooooo...

I have not been working out. At all. I was doing so so well on EA Active until one of my bridesmaids came into town for my first bachelorette party. Totally lost my momentum and have only done it a couple times since then. I also came down with a really nasty bug and got laid off and have been so insanely stressed about money (like we all are) and the wedding.
With less than 10 days until the wedding, I think it is apparent that I have given up on losing a certain amount before the wedding. I have been making a big effort to eat better and I have lost a little weight doing that. I feel as though I should be writing on here more often. I guess I feel like if I'm not working out, I can't write? I don't know. I see other girls' blogs out there and to be honest, it's kind of intimidating. I LOVE reading them. They're funny and interesting. It's a lot to live up to! I'm thinking way too much about people's perception of me via a blog. How silly is that?
I say that to say this: I'm going to try to write more often. Even if it's not about fitness or the wedding. Well, in a couple weeks there won't be any more wedding planning to speak of (yay!). So, I guess the title should be changed to something like: Random Thoughts of a Newlywed. Alls I know is that I'm going to start writing like no one is reading.

Steady...

So I've worked out for the past two days and met one of my EA Active goals for the week! Yay! I'm gonna fall short on the calorie goal, but I completed the number of exercises goal. So I guess I'm okay with that for my first week. Next week I'm gonna step it up though.

As promised, I have a picture of FI's ring here. We got it from Overstock during their jewlery sale. Under 60 bucks INCLUDING shipping!! It's made out of tungsten carbide (no resizing and no engraving, kind of like titanium but stronger) and he absolutely loves it. In fact, it's hidden in the house because he kept wearing it out, on his right hand of course. It looks overly shiny in the pic and it's not quite that blinding in person. Also, it is a little bit of a darker shade of silver, which we both think looks a lot better.

I finally got around to writing our ceremony out last night while FI was at work. My favorite part of the whole thing (besides "you may kiss the bride") is the hand ceremony. What a great idea. It's such a beautiful and meaningful ceremony. FI teared up when he read it last night. The only down side to it is that I know it's going to make me tear up or bawl on the day of. Small price to pay, right?
There are tons of versions floating around out there. Here is the version we are strongly considering. We haven't sat down and gone over it together yet, so there is a good chance that there could be some small changes.

Hand Blessing Ceremony -
Emily, please hold Robert’s hands palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you.
These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.
These are the hands that will work along side yours, as together you build your future, as you laugh and cry, as you share your innermost secrets and dreams.
These are the hands you will someday place with expectant joy upon your stomach, until he too, feels his child stir within you.
These are the hands that look so large and strong, yet will be so gentle as he holds your baby for the first time.
These are the hands that will work long hours for you and your new family.
These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy.
These are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and hold you when fear or grief engulfs your heart.
These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes: eyes that are filled completely with his overwhelming love and desire for you.



Optional: At this point while the groom’s hands are still on top, the officiant asks the groom to take a good long look at the position of his hands. As the groom looks down at his hands the officiant says, "Because this is the last time you will have the upper hand".


Robert, please hold Emily’s hands palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you.
These are the hands of your best friend, smooth, young and carefree, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as she promises to passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.
These are the hands that will hold each child in tender love, soothing them through illness and hurt, supporting and encouraging them along the way, knowing when it is time to let go.
These are the hands that will massage tension from your neck and back in the evenings after you’ve both had a long hard day.
These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times.
These are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick, or console you when you are grieving.
These are the hands that will hold you in joy and excitement and hope, each time she tells you that you are to have another child, that together you have created a new life.
These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to chase down your dreams.

Together as a team, everything you wish for can be realized.



That part about him holding our first child gives me butterflies every single time!!! And I love that there's a little comic relief thrown in there to! If anyone has any suggestions, let's hear them! I'm always up for new ideas!



So I'm definently getting overwhelmed annd "over" the wedding planning. 75 days away and it feels like it will never get here. The more time that goes by, the more things I want to do and buy. It's very dangerous. Maybe I shold stop surfing the internet so much??? One day at a time....

Ooops!

After bragging about doing "late night" I totally fell of the wagon last night. I had all day to be lazy and then Robert (FI) asked me to come visit him at work last night (he works at a restaurant in Raleigh). So instead of working out before I left, I just went. I showed a tiny bit of self control and had a salad with vinagrette instead of the really yummy looking crab cakes with remoulade. Anyway, tonight I did work out and hopefully, I won't fall off the wagon again anytime soon. I'm trying not to beat myself up about it. Everyone has off days.


On a wedding note, when I was visiting Robert, I brought my planner and did tons of wedding stuff. Going over readings, creating a wedding day timeline, making vendor lists, etc. So at least my day wasn't a TOTAL waste!


I thought about it and I haven't even posted a picture of the dress that this whole blog is about! I guess since there is so much that I've already done for the wedding before I started this blog, I'll need to play a little catch up! For example, all the DIY pocket fold invitations have already gone out and we are having fun everyday opening out mail and getting RSVPs! Well, here's the dress. This is what all the sweat and dieting is for! Well, that and the pictures of myself in it that I'll have forever and ever. Like that's not terribly intimidating....Anyway, tomorrow I'll post a picture of Robert's wedding ring, which just came in last week. Yay!

I Did Late Night

Last night I had some needed girl time with my maid of honor, Colie. She made dinner, we went to see "The Ugly Truth" (just like any other chick flick....ehhh). Well, today I was supposed to do my third day of Active. I got home at 9:45. I had been out of the house for 14 hours straight and I was exhausted. My couch and the bottle of wine looked so good I was drooling a little bit. The dog was hyper. But I did it! I pushed through and got my workout clothes on and did some sweating for about half an hour! I would say that the hardest time to workout, by FAR is when you get home late. I would also say that it is very empowering when you do something you know you wouldn't have had the will power to do the week before. So big pat on the back for me! No plans today, so it shouldn't be hard to fit a workout in somewhere. Not to mention I started the day off with a big bowl of multi-grain cheerios. I just keep looking at a picture of me in that dress and knowing how much better I would look in it if I got to my goal weight. Not much time to spare! 77 days!

On a wedding related note, FI finally got to the post office to get his first passport for our honeymoon. I've heard so many horror stories of people getting their passports just in the nick of time. The clerk there said that he should get it in 6 weeks at the latest, which is plenty of time. Also, I spent a small fortune at the Knot Online Store because they are having such a great sale. Got my bridesmaids tote bags with their first initial and pedi/mani sets to go in them. I'm also going to put in some flip flops, towel, and other beach stuff. For myself (I had to meet the 150 minimum to get free shipping, that's my totally valid excuse) I got a "just married" tank top (maybe I'll get some free upgrades on our honeymoon??) a personalized dress label and a gorgeous personalized glass vase that holds a 4x6 picture (see left). Then I went above and beyond and found a 15% off coupon (promo code Coupouncabin15 - only for orders over $150), so I ended up paying LESS than 150 and STILL got my free shipping!!! I swear, when I get a good deal, it's like a little high!

First Post!

So I'm a little late to the whole wedding blog thing, but seeing all of the knotties blogs (especially Melissa's) pushed me to start my own! Since I'm bad at this as it is, I'm rolling 2 blogs into one. So this is my wedding/fitness blog. In my opinion, getting my body in shape for the wedding dress is almost as hard as planning the wedding.
When it comes to fitness, well, I hate it. When I'm out of shape, I really hate even leaving the house. Which is why I got EA Active for Wii. I had Wii Fit and ended up selling it to my mom because it just wasn't getting me motivated enough. I saw ads for EA Active and that they had the Bob Greene 30-Day Challenge and thought that maybe it was more up my alley. Well, I'm on day three and the answer is YES! I absolutely love it so far! There are structured workouts and each exercise is quick and varied. I'm one of those people that needs to be told what to do next, not given a choice. There is also tons fo positive reinforcement (you get little awards in your award gallery! Yes, I'm a huge sucker for things like that!). As much as I've tried the treadmill at the gym, I just get too bored....Once I'm in better shape I'm going to try the couch to 5K with the rest of the girls, but until I'm brave enough to sweat out in public, I'll be staying in the house...