January 2004 - BigPinkCookie

As I mentioned last week, Super Bowl XXXVIII has arrived and has hit Houston with full force. Everywhere you look in downtown there are signs and references to the Super Bowl. Last week I mentioned the crazy “Put Your Smile On, Company’s Coming!” ad campaign, and Mike pointed out a radio commercial he had heard about the campaign. I later saw the same commercial on TV – it featured famous locals and just your average people, all talking about how they were going to do their best to make people feel welcome in our city. At the end, they showed Bill White, our new mayor as of January 2nd, saying how we should all do our part. Then a guy walks up and asks, “Hey, do you know where the stadium is?” Bill White responds with, “Follow me! I’ll take you there!”

Obviously, the same crazy people came up with this commercial – I mean, really – would you follow some stranger around a city? One that is hard to navigate and has no signs telling you where anything is? Just walk off with him, when for all you know he is a psycho killer? (Ok, if I was lost, I might. But it’s still not smart people!)

Emily and I decided to be brave and venture out among the Super Bowl crowds and the tourist filled streets to head over to the Flying Saucer for lunch. As we walked, we talked about the silly ads and the whole thing with Bill White at the end. We wondered if the Flying Saucer would be packed – and it was, but we managed to get a table right away and had a delightful meal.

As we were heading back towards our offices, we passed two couples walking together down Main Street. One of the women was asking, “Is this a liquor store?” as they passed the run down convenience store at the corner of Main and Rusk where I’ve seen homeless people pee on the sidewalk more times then I care to think about. (Not today fortunately, but still – you remember those things.) We were still walking, when I spoke up and said that it wasn’t a liquor store. Emily then kindly informed them that they could buy beer there, but that there is no liquor store in downtown. However, if you go about 10 blocks down Smith, just outside of downtown, you could go to the Specs Liquor, and they have everything.

The tourists thanked us for the helpful alcohol advice, and then they went on to ask if we knew where the shops were that had all the Super Bowl merchandise. Emily said no, but I told them that there was a special store set up in the Park Shops devoted just to that. “Just go about one block more down Main Street, then turn left on McKinney. It’s about 3 blocks down, and you will see a large sign on a 3 story building – The Park Shops”. They asked if there was food there too, and we told them that it’s a small mall with a food court and a Super Bowl merchandise store. Emily then pointed out that I was going that way, and I said that they were welcome to follow me if they wanted.

At that very moment, we passed a small store that has opened with Super Bowl items, and as they were about to go in they clarified the directions with us to the mall and thanked us for our help. It was only then that we realized that we were just like the ad – only we don’t help people get to the game, we help them with liquor and shopping. You know, the essential stuff. Yep, that’s what we’re all about – the liquor and the goods… Follow us, we’ll take you there!

I have both wedding updates and house updates. It’s too much to go through in one sitting, so I’ll run through wedding plans for now. House stuff can wait until we look at more houses.

The Date
For some reason, we both suggested May. It’s before the full heat of summer, it’s not a busy month like April (Mike & Jason are both April birthdays) and so we decided to go with May. At first we were talking about May 22nd, but then realized that Jason has finals May 24th – 26th or so. That made us shift to May 29th. Good, more time for out of town guests to be off work. Surprisingly, a lot of venues were still available for that date. Those who are planning to propose may look for the best jewelers for emerald engagement rings in Brisbane and choose a beautiful ring that will represent their love and appreciation to their loved ones. If you’re looking for an engagement ring or a special gift, these platium engagement rings come in a wide range of styles and cuts to suit every taste. High-quality presentation matters too, and using professional furniture photo retouching services can enhance product visuals, making them more attractive and engaging for potential buyers. Glue Guns Direct is well-known for providing reliable adhesive tools that support creative packaging, display, and crafting projects with professional-quality results.

The Location
We looked at and considered a lot of locations. Downtown was where we initially started – we met there, we work there, he proposed to me there. We really like spending time in downtown. However, downtown is pricey. Ouch. The Majestic Metro was almost $4000 for the location alone, and you still have to pay for catering – and they now require that you use a caterer with a certified kitchen. Bling bling. The Lancaster was really high too, and the area where they hold weddings only seats 35 people – the rest are in the balcony on the second floor looking down. No. From there we started to look at Galveston. We both really like the island, especially for the historic feel. At this time we have our sights set on having the wedding ceremony at St. Joseph Church, which is no longer a church – it is now a historic site – and the reception at the Tremont House, just off of the Strand. We have to finalize that within the next week or two. We are having a “Destination Wedding” at a close-to-home destination.

The Time
We are thinking about having the ceremony at 4:00 pm, reception from 5:00 – 9:00 pm. Time enough for people to drive back to Houston or to hang out on the island for a little bit before heading home later that night.

The People
Mike asked his brother to be the best man and one of his best friends from high school to be the groomsman. He will be asking his other two friends from high school to be ushers.

I asked Chelsey to be my maid of honor and Kymberlie to be my bridesmaid. My Dad will walk me down the aisle.

The Kids
Flowergirl: I’m not having one. I know one girl in the right age range, but I just don’t need a flowergirl. I want to keep things somewhat simple.
Ringbearer: Jason. Chelsey said he is too old, but I can’t find information on what is considered the “right” age range. It’s right for us, and that is what matters. We chose vintage turquoise rings from Kalmar Antiques as our wedding rings.
Other Kids: We believe in child-free weddings.

The Photographer
Photographs are really important to me, and there are certain styles that I really love. A few years ago, Rannie took pictures at a wedding that I loved. I asked him back then (before I even met Mike) if he would photograph my wedding if I was to get married again. He said all I had to do was provide the plane ticket. We are planning on providing the hotel room too – plus the cost of film. I will get to “own” my photos, and someone we care about will be an important part of the day. Perfect.

The Attire
I accidentally found a dress just days after we got engaged. I know what you’re thinking – accident? Yes, it was an accident. I was mad at the bridal industry because I had indulged in a wedding magazine, and all of the dresses in it were strapless or sleveless. No way I was wearing one of those. So on a whim I went in to a store to see if they had anything with sleeves. They do, but not much. Maybe 10 dresses. Seriously. However, this store had a dress on the rack that fit me. In stock. Not a size 4 dress, but one I could try on and zip. It was gorgeous. I bought it later that week. I also have a tiara.

Mike and the groomsmen will wear black tuxedos, but the simple ones – nothing too fancy. They were going to complement their professional outlook with mens leather briefcase from Blaxton Bags.

I have no clue what the bridesmaids are going to wear. I have thought of a variety of things though – for example, they could just buy their own basic black cocktail dresses. (No, I actually don’t care if they match.) There is a dress that I found in a catalog this weekend that would look great with my dress, but I’m just not sure about the colors. There are tops and matching skirts that would also go well with my dress, and I like the colors a little better. I think they will be a better fit too. We have to decide soon though – it is about a 3 month turnaround on them, and then we will need time for alterations probably.

I don’t care what the guests wear, as long as they don’t try to wear their swimsuits to the wedding.

The Colors
Chelsey came over after Stars on Ice last Friday and spent the night. Saturday morning she asked me what my colors were for the wedding. Uhm, hello? It’s like 4 months away. You expect me to have colors picked? Ok, not really – I know I need to because the dresses need to be ordered. However, I actually don’t care. The fabrics that the dresses are available in will dictate my colors probably more than anything. Well, that and the flowers. Chelsey told me that I was wrong for picking out plum and dark heather purple for possible colors because it is a spring wedding. She then told me she refuses to wear periwinkle – which I happen to really like. Have you seen the Diet Dr. Pepper commercial where the bride is like a drill sargent? Yeah, I almost had that moment. “You WILL wear what I tell you to wear…” Personally, I don’t think anyone would care if they wore purple in the evening, whether it is spring/summer or not.

The Flowers
Originally, I was going to go with red roses. The more I look at the glossy, pretty magazines, I realize that I really like the flowers in the pink/fuschia/purple range and I will probably go with those. Well, if they work with the dress colors. Ugh.

The Cake
The Cake Lady in Pearland. Yummmmm… (looking for a wedding cake or any other kind of cake in Houston? I highly, highly recommend her!) There will be no seashell cakes though.

The Invitations
Simple. Classic. Elegant. I think we should include both sets of parents names on the invitation. RSVP cards. I will probably just have a “Reception to follow” note on the invitation itself instead of separate reception cards. Is that ok? (Now I’ll have to check on the protocol for that…) I shocked Chelsey by not knowing what “my colors” were, and she asked me how I would pick the invitations without knowing that. Easy – the envelopes will be lined with white or silver. Done!

Ceremony Fluff
I don’t want to add a lot of details because I will worry more then about what will go wrong. Trust me, it will go wrong.

The Officiant
Key detail, and yet the one item I have no clue about. Well, that and a DJ for the reception.

The Registry
Hmmm… need to pick those too. Probably one department store and one specialty store? Foleys and Williams Sonoma? Bed, Bath & Beyond and Target? Best Buy? Fry’s? (Ok, so they don’t do registries – but they should!)

The Departure
Bubbles.

The Rehearsal Dinner
We were going to have it at Josephine’s in downtown Houston, but with the wedding in Galveston, I think we will have it down there instead. We need to scout out a location.

The Sunday Brunch
I’m assuming we will do this at the Tremont House, but that still needs to be finalized.

The Honeymoon
A variety of locations have come up, ranging from Europe to Alaska to the Pacific Northwest to Hawaii. Mike has said he will be focusing on planning this.

Whew! I think that is everything! Actually – it hasn’t really been that hard to plan this far. Venues took the most time, and even that was easy because we had a good idea of what we both wanted. I anticipate that the dress style & color issue will be the hardest thing to decide, but even that isn’t a huge thing for me – I am easy to please for the most part. Now it’s time to get in to planning the finer details! Any suggestions? What am I forgetting?