I’m sorry that things are a little less wordy around here this week. The Dork Lord’s best friend lost his mother very suddenly on Monday morning. The news has been absolutely devastating and totally incomprehensible and all we can do is keep the fridge full of casseroles and beer and imagine what we would do if it happened to us.
Saturday night, the Boy’s family threw us the most wonderful, intimate engagement dinner at his parents home. I wish you could have seen just how amazing every little detail was. Sunflowers and potted basil, burlap laid over the table linens to make it look like a charmed, rustic osteria, our names and wedding date on tiny bottles of olive oil. The theme of the wedding is “la dolce vita” (I went D-I-Y with the wedding website, as well) and if our reception turns out anything like that dinner, it will be everything I could hope for. Food, laughter and love.
I’m a little overwhelmed that two experiences can be in such diametric opposition to each other, and at the very same time, be so similar in how they magnify my appreciation of even the smallest joys. A poignant lesson from the Universe, for sure.
I am so, SO sorry for your friend’s loss, and yours! Please accept my sympathy and lots of cyber hugs and love.
Your engagement party sounds perfect! What better way to celebrate than to be surrounded by love. I hope your wedding and your marriage is the same! Bless you both!
Sorry for your friend’s loss. That is utterly devastating.
Funny thing, life. So much joy and so much pain. All we can hope for is that the joy overshadows the pain.
Your wedding sounds like it will be wonderful. Many blessings to both of you.
Heather,
Sorry to hear about your loss. In brighter news- I’ve been a silent reader for a while now and would love to help make your DIY wedding even easier (and more affordable)! I just came back from an Italy trip last June- we did Rome, Pompeii, and the Almalfi Coast- can send you my itinerary if you want. Has suggested restaurants, sight-seeing destinations, etc.
Just shoot me an email and I can send over!
Oh Heather, I’m so sorry for your loss.
Such a contrast of emotion.
Ah, life.
And as a long time reader, I’m ever so happy for you. Thank you for creating a picture of your magical evening. You’re so deserving of such loveliness. Enjoy every minute.
Without seeming obvious while trying to be supportive, the act of creation is not without pain and pleasure (writing, giving birth, etc.) The poetic colloqualism equivalent might be sun and rain, bittersweet. Your wedding invite is beautiful and poetic. You should include Sicily (the real olive oil) in your itinerary. Just make sure you get the last Fiat with a/c in Palermo.
Heather~ Long time reader but for some unknown reason, infrequent commenter.
Just wanted to say I lost my mom in early May (just a few days before Mother’s Day no less) after a short and sudden battle with Pancreatic Cancer. I have then attended SIX weddings this summer for various family members and friends so totally related to the situation you are talking about. I keep thinking it really is a reminder that life goes on–despite the pain of missing our loved ones.
Best wishes to you and the Dork Lord on your upcoming wedded bliss!
*HUGS* to you and DL and DL’s bf…so awful
When it’s sudden like that, it’s so much more gut wrenching – and really makes us all consider our own mortality. And per usual the universe offers up a complete opposite experience at the same time.. congrats on such a beautiful engagement party.. something tells me your wedding and reception will be more of the same!
I LOVE your gifting idea!!! I will steal this idea, provided that I someday find my own Prince Charming and decide to tie the knot! I am so happy for you both, and sad about DL’s friend’s loss.
Hi Fish!
Long time lurker but rarely comment! I am so sorry for your friends lost and am sending thoughts and prayers your way!
I looked at the link for your wedding site and wondered if it would be permissible for me to add an item on your gift registery. Obviously i will not be attending but i would like to help in a small way to help you achieve your perfect honeymoon. It would be a thank you in small part for the enjoyment and hope i get from reading your blog.
Sorry if this oversteps the mark!!
Best wishes
LL x (London)
LL,
How thoughtful! *I* certainly don’t have any objections – that’s very sweet and generous of you!
Just, uh, promise my mom that you won’t hightail it from London and be lurking outside of the ceremony ready to knife me. She’s concerned that sharing my wedding page is going to mean wedding crashers and stalkers. I assured her I’m far, far too low on the cewebrity totem pole for that nonsense.
Thank you!
Hi Fish,
Your reply made me lol in the office and now they are all looking at me in a strange way – kind of the way people might stare if i lurked at your wedding
I can assure your mum that i will not be hopping on the next plane to texas – i am busy that week anyway stalking Bruce Willis in Wales!
I will take a proper look through the gift list on the weekend and send one across.
Again thank you for your blog i have always enjoyed reading and i wish you and the Dork Lord a lifetime of happiness! (I hope you wish me the same luck with bruce willis! just kidding i have a strange sense of humour)
LL x
Hi Fish,
Your reply made me lol in the office and now they are all looking at me in a strange way – kind of the way people might stare if i lurked at your wedding
I can assure your mum that i will not be hopping on the next plane to texas – i am busy that week anyway stalking Bruce Willis in Wales!
I will take a proper look through the gift list on the weekend and send one across.
Again thank you for your blog i have always enjoyed reading and i wish you and the Dork Lord a lifetime of happiness! (I hope you wish me the same luck with bruce willis! just kidding i have a strange sense of humour)
LL x
Hi ya,
So sorry to hear your sad news.
I am in love with your wedding webpage and would like to know how you created it? We too are trying to do a wedding on a budget and I love the fact that you too don’t buy into all the overpriced stuff that others seem determined to coo over ! Please recommend me how to set up one for directions etc for our guests
x
We bought the domain so we could start our own freelance business, so that’s where it’s hosted. But hosting is CHEAP these days, so you could do that very easily through godaddy or something. I did the design with free font and texture downloads (just googled what I had in mind) and then created the icons from images I found on the web. Those kind of involved some extensive digital editing, but not too bad. You can always find something more ready-to-use. The directions was just a google map imported into photoshop, traced and removed the background. Anyway – I did the design in Dreamweaver in relatively few hours. Dreamweaver adds unnecessary code and stuff, but it saves time.
Do you have any design experience?
Thanks so much for the reply – absolutely no design experience whatsoever I am afraid! May have to find someone technically minded to help. Yours is gorgeous so I am very jealous. I will have to look into it on the web x
Thanks so much for the reply – absolutely no design experience whatsoever I am afraid! May have to find someone technically minded to help. Yours is gorgeous so I am very jealous. I will have to look into it on the web x
M – my friends used this wedding website which was very nice:
http://www.momentville.com/
Heather…please let DL’s friend know that he is in my thoughts and prayers.
I think it is so apropos that you are all celebrating love and life. There is nothing a mother would want more than to know that the young are in love and sharing the joys of the world with their friends and family. I am sure that wherever in the universe our souls go this mother is able to look upon her child celebrating this time with you and smiling down upon him.