Flash-back to a month ago

My mom came home a few days before Passover. She used a bunch of sick leave to have a whole week state-side, every day she had a doctor’s appointment (dentist, eye doc, etc.) she was able to use a sick day. Anyway, my dad has a friend who works in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum’s PR department and he was able to sneak us in on a tour of the new/temporary orchid exhibit with a bunch of local garden club members!

The exhibit closed recently, but here are a few of my photos that actually came out. I was trying to catch how glittery and lush the orchids looked, but I only had my tiny point-and-shoot with me. Oh well.

dendrobum orchids (white and yellow centers with pink edges)

the elephant in the rotunda

CYMBIDIUM orchids, green tea colored petals and white and pink centers

white orchids with magenta splotches, my favorite!

frilly pink orchid with a deep magenta beard

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It’s finally spring in DC!

This has been a BUSY month. During Passover I went through a few rounds of interviews for a new job, which I was only at for about two and a half weeks. It wasn’t a good fit. Tax law was too passive for me, I really like getting to do legal research and helping support aggressive arguments, and tax law was more about actuarial calculations and data entry; not enough law for me in the long term. Oh well. At least I hadn’t gotten too settled yet. It was never meant to be, I was just too optimistic to realize that at the time. The entire time I was there, I felt a bit like this:

 

That is NOT how one should feel at work when the job and the employee are a good fit.

In cheerier news, we went downtown as the cherry blossoms were starting to bud (but before most had blossomed) 2 weeks ago.

Now, I’m back to where I was a month ago, looking for a NEW new job, but at least I have a slightly better idea of what to look for and what I should have seen as warning flags earlier in the interview process.

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before the yihud, there was a photo shoot

Those gloves were loaned to me by my birthday twin, WAJR. They are the ONLY thing still missing from the wedding. I feel AWFUL about that because I know she lost her rosary on her wedding day (someone took her bouquet, with it still attached!) and now I feel like there’s some sort of wedding jinx. Anyway, incase my mother had forgotten the brooch I wore, they were going to be my something old and something borrowed.

Once I get around to oxycleaning 2 pairs of my my mothers gloves (one of which look quite similar) I’ll give them to WAJR since she looks extra-super-fab in authentic mid-century clothing where as only my hands and feet fit in things from that era that aren’t plus sized or “full figured.” Anyway, I owe her some gloves, though I’m sure my mother’s gloves that she wore to her sweet 16 party don’t have the same sentimental value of ones wore to her own wedding, and mine, but they are a 1/2 size bigger and the “old, borrowed” gloves were a 6, not 6 1/2.

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FLOWERS, a pretty ceremony view

Like I said earlier, I was in denial of the weather and no one bothered to correct me. I guess they expected me to be bridezilla or something. I’m glad we had the wedding outside, umbrellas are much better looking than a glowing exit sign behind the chuppah! No one complained more than I did though, so that’s a good thing. I may have had more skin exposed than anyone else too…. As cute as my little sweater was, it was silk and cotton, not very warm at all.

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Getting my hair did

Rachel, from ZING, did my hair. She was great. My hair stayed put all day, and she was very calm and quiet while doing my hair. I don’t remember her once asking me to do anything other than look up/down/to the side. Plus, my head didn’t ache at the end of the day like it did after my trial!

There were a LOT of bobbie pins in my hair, but look at that shiny pile of curls!

At that point, I had to get up and stretch. I think this was also when Miri came in and dropped off her baby for me to snuggle.

And the crowning touch, my tiara!

Also, did you notice a difference in photo quality there? The first photo is with my old point-and-shoot and the later ones were with the new camera we received as a wedding present. Andrea used both to take some photos of me getting ready and of the bedekin/ketubah as well.

While Rachel was fussing with my hair, Amanda, from Kokoro Photography, took photos of many of my accessories and details. Her mom and partner, Debi, took lots of photos of Ben (I’ll post those tomorrow).

I know that my mom thinks that these photos of what I wore are excessive, but I appreciate them! I spend all that time and effort gathering them, it’s nice to have that documented. Plus, now you all can see them! Would anyone like to borrow the veil, tiara, shoes (size 6.5), or earrings? I suppose I could just pass on those accessories, and they can make their way through the world. Especially the veil, when can I ever wear that again?! I suppose it’ll just stick around as a future dress-up item if no one else wants it.

I’m sure I’ll find other reasons to wear the earrings and shoes again, the brooch is my great-great grandmother’s (or her sister’s) and is in my mother’s keeping, the pearl bracelet is from my grandma via my uncle Richard. Everything else is new.

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I have everything but a hairdresser

To look the most awesome I’ve ever looked for our wedding, I have everything but a hairdresser. Originally my cousin was going to do my hair, but I’m not OK with her doing it without a trial. Sadly, the hotel’s salon and spa has been booked from 9-4 for an entire wedding party (a wedding that isn’t even taking place at the St. Julien!). Ugh. I’m f’ed you guys. Who is going to do my hair?! I don’t think what I want is TOO complicated, but I can’t do it myself. WHAAAAAA!

Thankfully I have everything else figured out: dress, undergarments, bouquet, shoes, sweater, and most of my jewelry (mom, WHERE THE HECK IS MY BRACELET? IT HAS NEVER BEEN IN COLORADO!)

Oooh, I need to schedule my makeup lesson!

I also need to figure out which antiperspirant actually works, because I’m a sweaty beast. Any suggestions? Secret clinical strength is crap, FYI. And Degree clinical strength doesn’t work any better than the regular one after about noon (but I’m sweat free when I wake up and all morning).

Goal for the next -3 weeks: find an f’n hair dresser, book makeup lesson, find antiperspirant that works, avoid stress (AKA sad tummy and pimples), go to bed early and get lots of sleep, drink lots of water.

Have I left anything off the list (other than finishing craft projects)?

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items left to order: TWO

Kippot AKA yarmulkes (little hats for the men) and benchers (song/prayer books for after a meal).

That’s it. Oh, and to pick up the water bottles and potato chips for the welcome bags.

Seriously. That’s it. I sent the contracts to the DJ and the brass quintet (for the ceremony) last night. Every vendor we’re hiring has been hired! All that’s left is to do/finish all my crafty projects, finalize music selections, menu selections, floral decor, get our clothes tailored, and find someone to do my hair (I can do my own makeup).

We also have to talk to Rabbi Marc about our ceremony. A peer from synagogue (who is also a friend of a friend) got married about a month ago and Rabbi Marc was the officiant at her wedding too. He had just returned from a silent retreat and found out that his dad was quite sick and was in a weird/meditative head-space. Apparently, he threw everyone off by asking if they had any thoughts or wishes that they wanted to share with the bride and groom, to be spiritually sealed into their ketubah before signing it, no one was prepared for this question and there were 3-4 minutes of awkward silence (which my friend said felt like 10 minutes because everyone was just looking around like a deer in headlights). I want to go over everything with him, step-by-step, to make sure that there are no silent surprises like that at our ceremony. While Ben’s family may be OK with the touchy-feelies, mine isn’t. We’re more of the silent WASPy types when it comes to emoting than the huggy ones.

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invitations II

Oh boy. Invitations have caused much drama. We decided to stick with the original modestly priced ones, from weddingpaperdivas.com. I ordered a sample for $1, and they invitations were great, but I decided that the envelopes aren’t opaque enough. This sent me on a wild goose chase all over creation for better envelopes, but I ended up back where I started, but with inner envelopes!

Pure Style, weddingpaperdivas.com

Inner envelopes, and a return address embosser, in the same font as the invitation! These invitations are turning out fancier than I’d intended, but Ben thinks they’re perfect because they convey the tone of our wedding well: modern/not casual/not fancy. Sweet. Happy Ben = happy Deena!

My parents actually already have a hand held embosser with return address plates (it came with the house), but for some reason it was printed upside down. My dad mailed it to me because I thought it would be useful, but the only thing it’s good for is stamping book pages or making your own stationery because you have to stamp from the top to get it to print right side up. Envelope flaps need to be stamped from the bottom, or the text will come out upside down!

While I was in a stationary state of mind tonight (and ordering the embosser plates), we also ordered a 100 sheets packet of cover paper for wedding programs, matching escort cards, ribbon (for binding the programs), and my bouquet. I’m going to be walked down the isle by both parents, and will be holding a family Tanakh (with all of my maternal family’s births, deaths, weddings, etc.) so I’m not going to have flowers, but I figured I need something to keep my hands busy during photographs and paper is much more me than flowers. As an added bonus, I know I’m not allergic to PAPER mini magnolias!

Mini Magnolia Flower Kit, paper-source.com

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check!

Contract signed with the florist! There will be a chuppah with aspen supports and the tables won’t be bare.

We also ordered a ketubah!

 

To do/find/book:

• order invites
• DJ/ceremony sound guy
• ceremony musicians
• menu tasting/finalization

I’ve been thinking about having a brass quintet/quartet. Ben’s not sold, but I think it’ll be easier than trying to mic a string quartet. Then again, I’ve never tried to mic anyone!

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nailing down the details

The other day was our -4 month anniversary, meaning we now have fewer than 4 months before the wedding! Ack! Actually, I’m really not stressed. We have our meeting with the florists tomorrow, and will hopefully nail down what kind of decor we’re going for. Personally, I’m torn between these two looks (click on them for sources):

orchid centerpieces

Martha Stewart - pine bough in a wide vase

Ignoring the fact that I’m lost and indecisive when it comes to how I want the ballroom to look, we’re settled on the ceremony and it’s back-up plan (white chairs on the lawn -weather permitting, a white chuppah with the quilt my mom is working on basted into the chuppah, fencing to block out the traffic, and a DJ to mic the whole thing). We’ve also decided –finally– on a ketubah and on wedding invitations as well, though we still have to finalize our order for both of those things.

The only major thing left on the list is to hire a DJ! I suppose we have to address and mail the invitations, have our tasting at the hotel, and finalize the menu, and continue planning the ceremony with Rabbi Marc, but none of those things stress me out, they just need to be done in a timely manner.

Oh, and sign up for pre marital counseling. Rabbi Marc strongly suggests that we meet with someone at least twice to do I don’t know what. Last night, we read the first two chapters of Meeting at the Well: A Jewish  Spiritual Guide to Being Engaged and didn’t find it particularly helpful. I think we’re being honest with ourselves and each other. We both went through our “OMG, I’m going to marry this person” freakout before we decided to make our intention to marry one another official by becoming engaged.

Honestly, wedding planning is much more under control than I expected them to be at this point. The check list of things to do is not very long, and our wedding is coming up! It’s so weird to think that after almost 2 years of engagement that we’ll be mailing out invitations in 6 weeks. Kinda surreal.

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