Keep your eyes peeled!

The wedding talk drought officially ended this weekend.

First, a teapot update: I have 10 beautiful perfect teapots in my possession, one at Doreens (It just looked too good above her cupboards that she decided to store it there until the wedding), and one in Banff that Kim brought back from IRELAND for me. How lucky am I? A teapot from Ireland!

Next, an update on a few ideas of things that I'm going to need that you very well might consider junk and want to get rid of.

Junk item #1: Lace doilies or table cloths. Stains do not matter. light wear and tear is fine too.

Something like this one would be perfect. 

Junk item #2: Milk glass, or clear glass, single flower vases. If they're clear glass, they'll eventually be spray painted white.

Something like these beauties would be amazing. 

Here's the idea for the vases: suspend them with a bit of twine or yarn and put a single flower, possibly a gerber daisy to match the colour scheme, in them and put them along the wall to make the walls look more interesting. 

Kind of like this, but with actual flowers in them. 

Junk item #3: floral or vintage looking wallpaper. If your folks papered their hallway in the 60's, search their attic. I guarantee if they're anything like my family, they'll have some left over that they couldn't throw away because it was 'perfectly good wallpaper' and 'they might use it sometime'.

So there you have it. That's all the junk items I need to make the wedding unique and pretty.

Here's a warning to you right now though; If you do want this stuff back, it's best not to give it to me for a few reasons, the most dominating of them all is that I'm the least organized person in the world, so I'll forget who gave me what and not keep track. Another reason is that I'm probably going to tweak items a bit, like dying the doilies in tea to give them a nicer colour, or spray painting the vases. You've been warned! *ominous music*

Besides the fact that we STILL haven't picked a venue for the reception and dance, everything else is going swimmingly. My aunt has given me permission to use my great grandmother's serving trays for cake. I need to incorporate more of Jacob's family in the mix. Any ideas, Doreen?

Mystery money.

Yesterday I picked up the mail. Bill. Bill. Junk. AN ENVELOPE. ADDRESSED TO ME. 

I opened it, and found a pretty card and 10 dollars. All that was written on the card was "$10 for dress". This was the sweetest and most intriguing piece of mail I've gotten in the longest time. Firstly, someone loves me enough to not only give me 10 dollars, but give me $10.57, including the price of a standard Canadian postage stamp! 

To whomever mailed me the money: Thank you. It's gone into the dress fund and you've put me that much closer to looking pretty in lace on the biggest day of my life. I write down the name of every dress fund contributor, so for yours I'll write down "Anonymous ♥"

I haven't updated in a few weeks because I simply haven't had any time to make any further wedding plans! As most of you know, I was the recipient of one of Canada's Greatest Summer Jobs, and honestly the last 3 weeks have been some of the busiest and most incredible of my life. I'm doing a daily blog about my experiences in the program in my Canada's Greatest Summer Blog, linked in the sidebar. Or for ease of use, right here:

Click here to be magically internetically taken to my other blog not about weddings!

And that's the last I'll say about that blog! Shameless self-promotion, tsk tsk Marsha. 

 By no means am I putting wedding planning on hold for any longer. I'm going to Souris this weekend. We always talk weddings in Souris. 

Doing the math.

I think one of my biggest accomplishments in life is how great I am at avoiding math. As amazing in the art of evading the evil known as mathematics I am, with the date set and the time steadily chugging closer and closer, I felt the need to calculate exactly how much time we've got to throw this whole thing together.

Using an online countdown clock (and giving the slip to manual calculation once more, ha HA!), I now have the amount of time left.

406 days.

9762 hours.

585723 minutes.

35143377 seconds... 35143373 seconds... 35143370 seconds... AAAAAHHH!

In the brief few seconds it took me to re-read what I just wrote, the numbers shrink. In the few moments it takes to type this sentence, it'll be closer. And closer. AND CLOSER.

A girl can drive herself nuts calculating how close it is to her wedding date. Sheesh.

Meet our flower girl!

Of course, being the incredibly smart, crafty and witty girl that I am, I didn't include pictures of our flower girl in the original wedding party post because I didn't think I had any on my computer.

Yes, I took all of the other pictures of the party from facebook, but forgot that there would be pictures of Taylor on facebook too, and gave up because I didn't have a scanner for her picture that's in my wallet.

Smarty pants.

This is long overdue, but (Drumroll please).....

Flower Girl: Taylor Harris

Taylor Claire Harris is easily one of the most dynamic personalities I've ever encountered. Recipe for Taylor: Take the diva of Whitney Houston, add a dash of attitude, a 2 cups of sugar and shove into a 4 foot frame. She brings so much life into every room she enters, and naturally demands an audience with a pinch-those-cheeks kind of smile.

She's got more charisma and life than a lot of adults I've known. She was a flower girl before, so, naturally having perfected the craft made her the perfect candidate for our big day.

Taylor with her mom, Holly.

Taylor's mother, Holly is my first cousin. My sisters, Holly and I were tight growing up, and it's strange seeing Taylor because a lot of the time it reminds me so much of young Holly that I have to take a step back, shake my head in a comedic cartoon fashion and just stare.

Yep. She's her mother's daughter, alright.

With the date finally confirmed, venues being booked, and family being alerted, it's finally starting to be real.

News.

Ladies and gentlemen, June 11, 2011 is confirmed.

Meet the Party.

So, I've finished my exams, it's an absolutely GORGEOUS day outside... what's a girl to do but sit in her dark apartment and make a blog post?

The Wedding Party.

This post is a long time coming, but I had to wait until everything was finalized before I introduced the group of people immortalized in our wedding pictures. I can't wait to look back at them in 20 years (from our winter cottage in Hawaii with a view overlooking the ocean), laugh at our style and hairdo's, and say "Man, we chose a fantastic group of people, didn't we?"

So, let's get started, shall we? In no particular order:

Maid of Honour: Kim Robertson

Couldn't tell that we were sisters? Get your eyes checked. The choice of Kim as my maid of honour was an easy one. She's my best friend in life. We're so much alike that we can read each other's minds from across the country. No, seriously. On more than one occassion, she's called me out of the blue to ask if I was OK, when I was in fact bawling my eyes out over something. Then there was the time that I randomly felt the need to text "MATTRESSES!" to her and she was indeed shopping for a new mattress in Canmore. What we've got takes talent. She lives in Banff, and the main reason why I moved to Alberta on two separate occasions.

I'm making myself cold, should have chosen a summer picture.

Brides Maid: Krissy Robertson

As far as sisters go, this girl is tops. Originally I was planning on having 2 maids of honour. How do you choose between 2 of the most important females in your life? Krissy told me to choose Kim. She's more of a "behind the scenes" kind of person, I suppose. I'll let you in on a little secret: The FIRST thing this girl said to me when I told her I was engaged was "I DON'T LOOK GOOD IN PINK!" And that's exactly why I love her. She's naturally the most hilarious person I have ever met in my life. If we caught her antics on camera, she could be a youtube star. She lives with Jacob and I, and it's awesome.

What a girl!

Brides Maid: Josie Gallant

Josie is Jacob's sister and is quickly becoming one of my favorite people EVER. I've been with Jacob for 6 years, so it was only natural that this girl would become like a sister to me. To me, a relationship isn't a real relationship unless you can tease each other and throw coasters at each other at Christmas time. Oh, and compare presents from Doreen and Allie (Mine are always better because your mom loves me more. There. I said it). I'm extremely excited to have her in the wedding party because I know she'll make the day just that much more fun.

Josie and some guy she's dating.

Brides Maid: Tara O'Brien

I've known this girl since I was approximately one month old (I'm going to assume the day she was born, I wasn't RUSHED to the hospital to meet her as a 28 day old). We've definitely grown up together and I can remember numerous conversations that we had as kids where we decided that we would be each other's maids of honour. Well T, we're both older and realize that, while the wedding day will only happen once, a sister's scorn can last a lifetime. There's nobody better than this girl. She rationalizes situations that I blow out of proportion. She knows every word to ever song in the history of american pop culture. She's got more drive than anyone else I've ever met. She's my cousin, and my friend for life. She has been and will always be an honourary Robertson (especially with the red hair).

She's also ridiculously cute.

Brides Maid: Catherine Young

It's not often that you get to pick your sisters, and I guess technically I didn't. Weirdly enough, Catherine and I were tight before our parents started dating. We took guitar in community school and started our own fake band with Kristin Cheverie called Noise Pollution. Though inevitably our fake band broke up due to fake reasons like sex, drugs and rock and roll, Catherine and I continued to hang out and grew closer. I still remember the day she wrote in her livejournal (yes, we're talking early 2000's here) "Hey Marsha, I think our parents are dating!" I had known they were dating for a few months before that and felt bad for not mentioning it. Our folks fell in love, got married and it became official. Straight out of the pages of the Baby Sitter's Club, my friend became my "steppy". I never laugh harder than I do when I'm with her. I'm pretty sure our personalities were made for each other.

Catherine and my step-niece, Hailey

Here's where things get awesome. DOUBLE POST FOR

Best Man: Emile Gaudet

Brides Maid: Krista Vanderzwaag

Emile has known Jacob since the college/legendary 5B Brown's court days and has been part of the unstoppable trio of Jacob, Chris and Emile ever since. I'm pretty sure those guys are closer than Jacob and I, because they can bond over hockey (a sport I'll possibly never understand). Emile's an absolutely fantastic guy who deserves the best. Well, he got that and more in Krista. They've been dating for a few years and, from the first time I met her, I loved her. They compliment each other so well, and the 4 of us get along perfectly. From ruining every single picture in NYC by opening our mouths wide, to being part of Bowness.mpquack (the losingest team in Dub trivia), every moment is better when they're around. I'm so happy that they're in our wedding party. The fact that Krista does a fantastic T-Rex impression doesn't hurt, either.

One of the only "non wide open mouth" shots of our trip to NYC.

Groomsmen: Chris Hume

Chris is part of the unstoppable trio mentioned above. It feels like he's always been around, though I've only known him for the last 5 years or so. He's one of those real gentlemen types. You know, the kind where if you politely hold out your hand, they give you all the change in their wallet. No, seriously. One time, I even got 20 dollars out of him. Jacob and I lived with him and his girlfriend Sharon for awhile, and it was great! From the backyard bbq's to rocket beers, Chris is so much fun to be around and I know he and Sharon will make our wedding day amazing.

Chris and the Lovely Sharon. How did he manage to land her?

Groomsmen: Kevin Hanlon

Jacob and Kevin were best friends in high school and inseparable. I started to really get to know Kevin in 2003. Cruising up and down the strip in Souris in his Diplomat (and him being so kind as to not crush me when I kicked a huge dent in the door), hanging out at parties, beaching, you name it. If we've got a memory from high school and university, chances are this kid is in it. He's a riot to be around, he's always got your back, and I can't wait until he gets home so we can all hang out again.

He always was a cool dude.

Groomsmen: Curtis Gallant

Curtis is Jacob's older brother and friend. He lives in Montreal now with his girlfriend Elena, and it feels weird not to have him around. He's forever on my good side for the amazing apples to apples call, where he decided "Japan" was more explosive than "Hand Grenades". Then again, when I think of it, he's also the guy who won clue at the FIRST ROUND OF PLAY. Talk about a good guesser! Curtis is a fantastic guy, and I can't wait until they come home this summer.

Curtis with a friend. Let's give an "AWW!" for the adorable baby!

Groomsmen: Kyle Ferron

I've known Kyle since I was 2 months old and we were in Baby Band together (which is NOT as cool as it sounds. It's a church group thing, not an infant rock n' roll ensemble). He's been one of my best friends since we were babies, and one of Jacob's since we all started hanging out together. It's been awesome having him along for the ride. Without one word of a lie, approximately 90% of my best memories include him. Now, he's engaged himself to an awesome girl named Stephanie, and Steph and I can talk weddings until we're blue in the face!

I friggin' love these people.

Groomsmen: Luke McCabe

I've only met Luke for the first time last summer, where he was nice enough to help me and a friend out by pushing around a giant inflatable sphere for hours. He's known Jacob for years though, playing on the same hockey teams (winning and losing, but probably mainly losing). He definitely coined the phrase "Ree Dee Doo" that Jacob and I say way too often, and it'll be great to get to know him better over the next year!

Luke and his girlfriend

So, there you have it. A blog post only relevant to myself, that's way too long and quite possibly very very boring. Enjoy!

PS: Please ignore the terrible change in font size/spacing, blogspot is not cooperating today.

Frequently asked questions.

It's time now for

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS WHICH MAY/MAY NOT HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN ASKED!

*applause*

Question 1: Who the heck are you?!

Answer: My name is Marsha. I'm a farmer's daughter, a biscuit eater and a tea slurper from Up 'Aest. I enjoy videos, blogging, and posing for pictures with books that I've never actually read. I'm 24 years old and that's all I have to say about that.

Islam... hmmm.

Question 2: Who the heck are you marrying?!

Answer: The guy holding the flowers. More formally, Jacob from Souris. I never actually knew who he was until high school, but I'm sure I've muttered things under my breath when I saw him and fellow Sourians taking over OUR BASIN HEAD in the summertime. He is exactly 1 month and 1 week older than me. This matters apparently.

I guess catching the bouquet IS foreshadowing.

And, for good measure, the best picture we ever took together.

Is that sad?

Question 3: Do you have any children?

Answer: Yes. We have a daughter named Timmy. She's 5 years old and she definitely inherited Jacob's good looks.

They grow up so fast.

Question 4: How long have you been together?

Answer: 6 years I think? Around then? Really though, after year 2 they just all sorta jumble together, AM I RIGHT LADIES?

Question 5: Why did you decide on a vintage/antique theme for the wedding?

Answer: Because it can be elegant and cost effective, and it just seemed right.

Question 6: What does your dress look like?

Answer: MUAHAHAHAHA I'LL NEVER TELLLLLLLL. (Please note: I have not purchased said dress yet. I have one in mind but nothing is certain)

Question 7: How much money have you raised through your 10 dollars from 100 people thing/are you completely off your rocker?

Answer: 110 bucks so far/yes.

Question 8: Who's in your wedding party?

Answer: That's another post for another time, I wanna make sure everything is finalized before I start talking about all of that.

Question 9: How did he propose?

Answer: Down on one knee under the Christmas lights at province house on November 31st, 2009. It was beautiful and a very intimate moment between the three of us; Jacob and I of course, and the guy who happened to be walking towards us. We had a bit of an awkward moment with that one. I loved every second of it though, and honestly, how could that NOT have happened with a couple like us?

Question 10: What's your first song going to be?

Answer: We have one in mind, but we never actually had a 'song' per say. Do you guys have songs with your hubbies? Are we alone in this?

10 questions? I think that'll do for now.