The Quest for Shoes: Glass or Cellophane?

Considering that brides often reference princesses when it comes to their wedding day look, you would think there would be better shoes out there. I mean, Cinderella wouldn't be Cinderella without the right shoes. Imagine Cinderella in shoes made out of cellophane and duct tape. Hell no!



I know the shoes don't really matter. When do you ever leave a wedding and say, "Wow, the bride's shoes sure were something!" But they do need to be comfortable and at least a little pretty. I am going to wear the prettiest dress I've ever had, so I want to respect the dress enough to find the right shoes.

I was advised against even attempting flats; one friend told me she loved the idea of ballet flats until she saw herself in the mirror. "I looked stumpy," she claims. Not the look anyone is going for, especially on her wedding day.

I sent away for three pairs of shoes. None of them are glass slippers, but none are made out of cellophane either. Keep your fingers crossed that one pair is worthy of my wedding dress!

A Co-ed Wedding Shower Where I Didn't Open Gifts

I am a bit behind on my blogging! Sorry, folks!

I don't even think Matt and I were engaged when I decided that I did not want the typical ladies-only, Sunday afternoon bridal shower. I definitely understand the appeal to having a ladies-only shower, but let's be honest -- does ANYONE like watching someone open a pile of gifts when none of them are a surprise? The bride can't even say how lovely the plates are because then she's just complimenting her own taste since she registered for them. So that was one thing I was set on -- not opening the gifts in front of the guests. I wanted to take my time and enjoy looking at the many lovely things our friends and family gave us and not feel like I need to just tear through everything to keep people from falling asleep.

So our shower was indeed co-ed and I did not open gifts in front of a crowd. It was a cocktail party on a Saturday night. It was a pretty unconventional shower, and we loved it!

The party was a hit. The guests were a mix of friends and family. As we expected, not many of Matt's friends and family were able to come (coming from Massachusetts to Jerz is a long way for a shower), but we were pysched to have each person who was able to come. Our moms could be professional party planners. They thought of everything, from linen napkins and reusable silverware (a nod to my desire to be environmentally conscious), to a two-tiered homemade chocolate cake and a chocolate fountain with fruit and marshmallows to stick in it (as you recall from the wedding cake discussion, Matt and I love chocolate!).

I am usually the annoying photographer at such events, but I knew I wouldn't be able to take many pictures, so I nominated Su. She was a wonderful annoying photographer! She got at least one photo of every guest.

At the end of the night, when most of our guests had gone, I started into our crazy pile of presents. It was utterly overwhelming to have so many presents and such nice things! I felt like Sally Field, thinking, wow, these people must really like us! Matt got bored as I opened the gifts, and they were for him too! I said, you see why I didn't want to do it in front of people?
My dad apparently got bored fast too, so he popped in the DVD of Father of the Bride. Genius, Dad! Then people were sort of watching me, but mostly watching the movie. Martin Short was far more entertaining than me opening kitchen gadgets (but I was QUITE entertained to have new kitchen gadgets!).

Then came the thank you notes. I was a machine. I figured since we did not open the presents in front of our guests, it was that much more important to acknowledge their generosity quickly and appropriately. Matt wasn't around to write the thank you notes, so I did them -- I did more than 30 notes in one week. (Matt will pick up the slack after our wedding!)

Other wedding updates:

• We ordered Matt's ring, or as he likes to call it, his shackle.
• We picked Matt's tux and the dads' and my brother's ensembles. They'll look great!
• We got the results of our "instrument" (AKA, a test) that we took through the church as part of our marriage preparation. Looks like Matt and I don't have the cancel our wedding! Woohoo!

Things are a little quiet now, but I'm bracing for the impact that will come in September and October!