I'm Alice, He's Ralph!

For those of you who don't watch the marathon on New Year's Day, I'm referring to Ralph and Alice Cramden - the Honeymooners!

Matt and I booked our honeymoon today! He is back from training in Virginia, and we got the OK from his new boss to book our honeymoon! We are so excited. We are going to The BodyHoliday (coincidentally, where Amy Winehouse went to dry out) in St. Lucia, island o' honeymooners. We are leaving the Monday after our wedding and we'll be there for six nights.

Is it bad that I almost want to just fast forward to the honeymoon?!

In other news, my mom starting mailing our wedding invitations this week! I can't believe it's really happening . . .

M-I-C-K-E-Y B-R-I-D-E

Su and I got back on Sunday from the Happiest Place on Earth, the Place Where Dreams Come True, Four Parks One World - Disney World!

I hadn't been there in 15 years and it was fantastic. I could go on and on about my trip, but that's not the point of this blog. I actually have some wedding-related observations to share.

First, the monorail informed me that I can get married in their wedding pavillion, so Cinderella's castle is my backdrop. I of course acted like this was uber tacky and I'd never do it, but then Su and I admitted that we secretly thought it sounded a little awesome.

On the topic of Disney weddings, we saw quite a few couples wearing bride and groom mouse ears.

I grinned and rolled my eyes (and then giggled at how Matt would react if I suggested wearing these to our wedding rehearsal). The couples wearing their coordinating mouse ears looked like happy, Disney-loving dorks, and I really don't mean that in a bad way.

Now, what I did see and I didn't like was young girls wearing those bride mouse ears! Walking around Disney World dreaming of being . . . a bride? That is so very sad.

Yes, Disney is about dreaming, but you dream about fantastical things like flying with Peter Pan or being a princess in a sweet castle or being a pirate searching for treasure or having a fairy godmother hook you up with glass slippers. These are fun, harmless things to dream about because we all know, even when we're really little, that it ain't gonna happen. (I mean, I REALLY wanted to be a mermaid when I grew up [thank you, Daryl Hannah], but I think I knew deep down I was doomed to be a landlubber. )

Being a bride is not in the same category as having a magic wand. Sorry, it's just not.

I fear that those little girls in their bride ears are going to be the types of unrealistic weirdos that really think they can find love on The Bachelor. Hey, I bet these are the people who buy those Just Married flip-flops!

I am selling Facebook wedding applications!

My friend Su works on Wall Street, so she likes to describe liking or disliking things in terms of the market: she's a "buyer" of the original 90210 (so she likes it), and she's a "seller" of camping (so she doesn't like it).

Today I'd like to use her term and say that I'm a seller of wedding applications in Facebook.

Protect my wedding portfolio and make sure I never become a buyer of wedding applications! Reneging on this one would be like me deciding I need a Vera Wang wedding gown -- a downright breach of my character. (Next thing you know I'll want those "Just Married" flip-flops.)

What do those applications do besides remind at least 200 of your Facebook friends that they are not invited to your wedding? It gives Facebook the green light to hand over your profile info to wedding vendors (see "people who want to rip me off") so they can further inundate you with ads!

If I add a wedding application to my profile, I'm not just drunk on wedding Kool-Aid, I am full blown addicted and need rehab pronto.

Going to the Chapel

As I have learned from watching The Bachelor, apparently a lot of women grow up dreaming of their wedding day. Now maybe I'm weird, but I not only never thought about my wedding day, I didn't even picture myself married.

But as Matt and I got more serious, I really could picture myself married -- to him. Matt and I are getting married on October 24, 2009! Woohoo! I am so excited!!

So anyway, I thought I'd keep track of what happens with this whole wedding thing over the next year. I'm not really into all this wedding craziness at the moment, but I wonder how and if I will change my opinions. I hear it's really easy to get wrapped up in the momentum of the planning, and I should probably assume I'm just as vulnerable as the next bride-to-be. Here are some of my current thoughts on weddings:

• All that we REALLY need to have a wedding is me, Matt, and someone who can legally marry us. Everything else is can be considered added bonuses. (I can't imagine this opinion ever changing!)
• Wedding dresses are a rip off. All brides look pretty because they're HAPPY. And even if they don't look all that great, everyone will them they're beautiful because, you know, she's the bride!
• Flowers smell nice and are pretty. I hear they're very pricey.
• Cocktail hour is the best part of the reception. Do it up!
• Getting married in a church is intimidating me.
• Photography and food are splurge worthy. Flowers, chair covers, and invitations are not. "Just Married" flip-flops are just plain strange.
• Vendors are ready to rip off anyone who uses words like "bridal" or "wedding."

So let's see... will I drink (and maybe get intoxicated from) the Wedding Kool Aid? or will I resist its charm?

Disclaimer: This blog reflects my own opinions and I'm certainly not dissing anyone else's choices. I don't judge anyone who does get really into the wedding stuff. To each her own!