So....less than a week until the big day.  There are so many things to worry about at this point.  Is everything going to fall into place and go to plan?  Or...will there be a few bumps in the road?

Last night, Anthony and I sat down with my parents to go through the game-plan for the week and to finalize the total headcount.  We also covered the setup of the tables once more because we had to adjust for the number of people.  Today, we each have to contact the various parties that need to know the number of people expected, such as the country club, the florist, etc. 

There are still things we need to get done this week.  Here's a list of things to still do (or at least the things that I can think of):

• finalize music
• finalize reception itinerary
• have final dress fitting
• put together wedding favors
• take misc. items to florist
• pack for the honeymoon
• setup for leave from work (I'm going to be gone over 2 weeks!)
• Keep our sanity!

DEEP BREATH......

Tip for the week: Without family, this wedding would not be possible.  Divide up the to-do list!

The plan was to move all of my stuff gradually so that I didn’t have a ton to do right before the wedding.  Well…the wedding is a little more than a week away, and I still have almost all of my stuff to move.  Now I’m trying to come up with a game plan.

I want to have everything settled in prior to the wedding so that when we come back from the honeymoon I won’t have to do it.  One good thing is: I’m not taking hardly any of my furniture.  The only large item that needs to be moved is my elliptical trainer.  Everything else is clothes/personal belongings, but…it’s like 2 and half closets full of stuff. 

I'm looking forward to sorting out the stuff that I really need and getting rid of the stuff I don't.

What do you think is the best approach?

I’ve found that email has been the best way to keep in touch with the Bridesmaids.  Not all the girls live in California, so (1) you have different time zones to deal with and (2) you can’t see them in person.

The most challenging part was figuring out how to order the dresses.  For the girls who don’t live in Bakersfield, we just had to get their measurements and communicate the sizes to Ladies and Gents.  After we received the dresses, we shipped them to the out-of-state girls.

It’s also important that the bridesmaids have each others contact information for planning the bachlorette party.  I know that they have been utilizing this greatly.   

This last weekend we started the search for the perfect wedding reception cigars.  So far, this is what we think:

• The cigars should be good quality, but not the most expensive ones that you can get.  Reason being, some of the people who will be smoking them are not exactly frequent cigar smokers so they probably won’t appreciate a really expensive cigar.
• The cigars should be smaller, like the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story.  You don’t want your guests spending the entire reception on the balcony, so these are perfect…just enough!
• When trying to figure out how many to buy, don’t think just the men will be smoking the cigars.  There will be a few women who will join in on the fun!

I suggest going to a place, like Imbibe, where you can get a nice bottle of wine and smoke a cigar.  Take some friends along and try different types of cigars.  After coming up with some favorites, hop online and see what kind of deals you can find.  There are several discount cigar websites where you can get awesome deals.  

Tip for the week:  Once you have all the big things for the wedding taken care of, have some fun with the final touches, such as finding the perfect reception cigar!  

This last week we met with Dave at With Love Photography to finalize the itinerary for the day.  The plan is to do lots of the pictures prior to the wedding, except for ones of Anthony and me together.  You don’t want to make the guests wait too long following the ceremony to start the reception.  We’re planning to have a cocktail hour w/ hors d'oeuvres to keep everyone occupied while we finish up pictures.

It is extremely important that you feel comfortable with your photographer because after all, these pictures are probably some of the most important.  We worked with Dave for our engagement pictures, which were a lot of fun to do.  It’s nice that he is also doing our wedding pictures.

I would really recommend With Love Photography to anyone.  They have been personal and professional throughout the entire process, and produce a great product.