Black tie not optional

Remember my compromise on ring dog? Well, I found the perfect attire for the pre-ceremony picture session:

How cute is that? My pups will be tres chic in black and white (white fur, black tie).

[from Terrier Tie Company on Etsy]

Happy Friday: Slow down and enjoy life

Our dog Janie, basking in the simple pleasures of life. She enjoys getting out of the house.

Watching her ears flapping in the wind was amusing, but also made me think I need to take more time to appreciate the little things and not get too caught up in wedding shenanigans. So on that note, forget the little things that are bugging you, get out there and enjoy life and have a great weekend!

Ring Dog. Or not.

I was never really one to dream about my wedding day. But once I got engaged, the one thing I knew I wanted was a Ring Dog. Yes, that's right, Ring Dog. As in, furry ring bearer.

I grew up with dogs and my parents currently have three:

from l to r: Sherman, Jake, Archie

Archie doesn't do well with crowds (he was abused so you can't really blame him) and Sherman is sort of spacey (if you can't already tell from the picture), so Jake was always my main Ring Dog contender. Plus, I've known him the longest.

I'm not kidding when I say these three are a major part of our family. To say we love our dogs is a complete understatement. And I loved the idea of including them in our wedding day. Other people have used dogs in their weddings to great effect. Check out this montage posted by the always fantastic Green Wedding Shoes.

My mom was unmoved by such delightful pics (love the pug in the tux!) and remained firmly anti Ring Dog.

Then I stumbled across this in Etsy seller reggieana's shop:


Is that not the most amazing thing you've ever seen?

I persisted with my Ring Dog campaign, but my mom was still worried about, um, behavior issues. She peppered me with questions. What if a cat walks by? What if Frisky walks by? (Frisky Kennedy, cat nemesis extraordinaire). What if Jake whines during the ceremony? She reminded me of the time they brought Jake to college to visit me and he ran in the dorm and promptly pooped on the floor from nervousness. Maybe I could just rent a well-behaved wiener dog like the picture?

Then, I went home a few weeks ago to find that my Mom had uncovered the ring pillow she used in her wedding, which was made by my great-grandmother, who passed away just last year at the age of 99. I couldn't fathom not using it and I also couldn't really picture strapping my new-found heirloom to Jake's back.

So we arrived at a compromise: I'll buy bow ties for the dogs and take pictures with them beforehand, and use the ring pillow (carried by FH's adorable nephew) for the ceremony.

Has anyone else thought about incorporating pets into their wedding day?

My Jakey

Nothing at all to do about weddings, I just love my dog.

Stressful Wedding Things: Venues!

I got a little ahead of myself with the blue shoes post. More to come on the random things I want at my wedding, including the Ring Dog saga. But please click here for a little preview on the latest and greatest in Ring Dog finery. If that picture doesn't make you (1) smile, (2) love dogs or (3) peruse etsy at random, something is wrong with you.

After my unique proposal, I immediately went into planning mode. I plan events for a living and figured planning a wedding, even in a very short amount of time, would be a snap. Perhaps I got a little cocky, or optimistic, or both, but really, how hard could this be??

Answer: very.

I knew I wanted to get married in my hometown. It isn't the most glamorous of places and in fact, regularly makes Top Ten lists for things like this and this. But it's HOME and for some reason, that's important to me.

Another thing I knew I wanted was a wedding that wasn't like anybody else's. Where I'm from, you get married at your church and then have your reception at a club (either country or private). Not very many people deviate from this, and as a result, there aren't a lot of options for people who want to think outside the box.

I did a massive amount of online research, most of which was depressing because everything available was too cookie-cutter or too expensive (or both). I wanted something unique and non-stuffy. I loved the idea of a backyard wedding and began stalking the blogs of those who have pulled it off, but my parent's yard was just too small.

We both liked the idea of getting married outside and the local art museum had a beautiful garden. But it was pricier than I wanted (although still a bargain compared to getting married in LA or SF) and they only had one date available. Then I found a great little art gallery that did special events. It was downtown, a little funky and different, but still not exactly what I was envisioning.

At this point, I was beyond stressed. I would aimlessly scroll through my massive venue spreadsheet, hoping that something would jump out at me.

We needed a venue before we could set a date, we needed to set a date before we let people know. I had no idea what to do and spent a lot of time daydreaming about a nice little vintage city hall wedding.

Check one off the list

I found my blue shoes! (thanks to the ever reliable Zappos)

Now I just need a well-behaved dog to serve as Ring Dog, and all of my wedding wishes will come true.

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

I wouldn't claim to be a runner. Rather, I claim it now, but only very quietly to certain people. To a large contingent of those who know me, I was the girl that read at recess; the one who would go to great lengths to avoid the infamous "running the mile" day in P.E. I think I actually got a "B" in P.E. once.

When I recently told a friend that I was training for a half-marathon, he actually laughed out loud. Not in a funny, LOL-type way as we were talking online, but an actual hearty face-to-face laugh. I get it - if you had told me ten years ago that I'd be training for a half-marathon, I would have laughed too. Even louder.

Yeah, I still run funny (to the boy who made quacking noises at me during PE in 8th grade: heard you were in rehab - hope things are looking up) but who cares? I'm not the fastest, or the best, but that is what is great about growing up - no one keeps score anymore. There is infinitely less judging - at least not the overt, pass the note in class kind of judging.

The best part of all is the secret language of runners: the head nod or smile as we pass each other in the streets. It keeps me going. Cheesy, yet satisfying. And if they are running with a cute small dog wearing a sweater that I secretly wish I could ran by and steal, all the better.