We fantasized about this day when it still lay a far off in the hazy, dreamlike future. We spoke of it in giddy whispers, and elated imaginings of how we'd celebrate, at what point we would be in our looming to-do list, and how it would feel when only one hundred days stood between us and forever.

While this milestone feels significant, it is simply another marker along the winding journey that is nearly bursting at the seams with busyness, excitement, anticipation, and emotion. It has been so much fun - some of the most wonderful weeks and months of my life, but in the background lies the quiet, but nonetheless present, overwhelming feelings. Wedding details aside, there is the fear of change, the pain of packing, and trepidation for the weeks ahead that beg for answers to questions I have not even asked myself yet. But, it is good.

I've been archiving blog posts in hopes that preparation will save me from insanity come October. I have been trying to drink more water than ice coffee, which is going...I don't want to talk about it. I have spent more time at the doctor's office than the beach. I have learned that my fear of losing the control I do not actually have, has the power to destroy myself and take much of the glimmer out of this joyous relationship I have the privilege of being in. I have been consciously trying to convince myself to pry open those tightly-wound fists of mine and just...wait.

As far as the checklist is concerned....

My sweet mama and I have nearly finished my veil and my much-anticipated hair comb is waiting at the Post Office for me. Eeek!

I have almost figured out my "wedding day makeup" makeup, thanks to a very chic Sephora consultant who turned me into a die-hard lipliner-lover over the course of our forty-five minute tête-à-tête. She also managed to convince me that I absolutely needed a lot of fancy things that came in pretty bottles. I am still going through samples and trying to nail down the products I will actually be working into my everyday routine, along with those that will be just for the "big day." If I can get a good handle on that list, I hope to share my favorites with you soon!

I keep finding paint on my legs from all the furniture that has been painted, and repainted, over the past several weeks. I have been trying to match my newly acquired dresser and nightstand to an antique vanity that I had snatched up at a consignment shop. Seven cans and samples of paint later, I finally found the match. If you are in the market for blueish-gray paint, I'm your girl.

The last part of our honeymoon has been booked and now we just have to find the perfect traveling bag. Something that will hold all the things I need (camera, lip gloss, granola bars, train tickets...), but in a fashionable, slightly masculine facade, so that the fiancé will be willing to carry it. Sneaky? Not at all! My Mama likes to call that "resourceful."

I have celebratory ice cream to eat. I'll be back soon with more nostalgic, romantic, stress-sprinkled ramblings. Love you, bye!

Sincerely,

Pedantic Foodie

I’m a zealous, fanatical, memory-keeper. I journal faithfully, not because I usually feel like writing at 11pm, but because I need to remember all the things. I take pictures of every date, meal, and milestone - often frustrating my sweet fiancé who simply wants to eat his dessert - in the process. I like to save all of the lovely blessings and the hard lessons for my own remembrance in a metaphorical jar. That jar may take form in the written word, photos, or in tiny mementoes from happy days. It is due to this nostalgia-driven compulsion, that I decided to begin cataloging glimpses from my last four months as an unmarried lady.

I decided this was necessary last week when I fell deep down an adorable rabbit hole on one of my favorite sites, How Sweet It Is. I found all of Jessica’s hilarious and charming baby posts, and read them for hours before texting my fiancé and saying that we needed to have a baby the moment after we were wed, because I had been obsessively looking at pictures of baby Max, in an entirely non-creepy-but-utterly-smitten fashion.

Side note: Our Memorial Day picnic was rained out and I watched half a dozen toddlers jump into a lake-sized puddle and all maternal urges dissipated. So much mud, so many tiny crevices…

After that wonderful internet binge, I decided that I wanted to catalogue that time in my life, whenever it comes, for my own future delight. I further decided that I should document a few moments of this exciting time in my life as I prepare for a really, really special day. If you are a somewhat nosey, live-vicariously-through-others kind of lady such as myself, you might love this. If you just came for a cookie recipe, you can see the Table of Contents, and I apologize for my rambling.

I just thought it might be time for a little bit more "real life" around here.

We just crossed a milestone. 150 days. 150 short watermelon-and-hot-dog-filled days until the best day. Actually, it is now 141 days, but I have been waffling over whether or not to post these rambling words for some time now, which is really a shame because 141 just does not have the same ring to it.

I just picked up my dress Tuesday, and now that it actually fits me, and it’s hanging right there in my own closet, I cannot keep my hands off of it or my body out of it. It’s all kinds of pretty and I just adore every last detail. Sitting down in it is…well, I won’t be doing much sitting down anyways, right?

I am vehemently preparing for marriage by reading all the books, as we psychotic planners do. I “need” these books about marriage and finance because, “we have no idea what we are doing!” I think (I know) I am going to do the same thing when I’m pregnant. Like, “Darling!!!!!!!! we have to read every book on parenting ever written...except the weird ones that will tell me to nurse my child until they are eight. I mean, I don't think so... But we have to prepare because a tiny human is going to come out of me!!!!!” You are sending a look of pity to my valiant fiancé right now, aren’t you? I knew it.

I just like to prepare.

Thankfully, I have a very kind fiancé that says nice things and buys me big, trashed-up burgers when I’m like, “Wahhhh, I’m going to be a terrible wife.”

Honeymoon tickets have been booked, pretty luggage bought, and the wedding party is (mostly) outfitted. The groomsmen still have no pants. This could be a very interesting day if I can’t find the proper shade of khaki by October.

We have no wedding bands. I thought it was simple, but…it’s not simple. It could be simple if I did not second guess everything, but I keep thinking, “oh my goodness, I have to wear this thing forever!” So…still no bands.

Even though it feels like there is still so much to be done, and even though all of those things have to be done in 141 days, the past few weeks have been the sweetest of the entire planning process. When we hit the 5-month mark, I realized that I was tired of obsessing over color swatches and trying to please everyone with this affair. It all faded to the background, as if I finally adjusted my depth of field so that all of my focus was directed to him. I get to marry my best friend, and that’s an incredible privilege, regardless of whether or not the bridesmaids’ shoes match.

Sincerely,

Pedantic Foodie