My passport came yesterday! Eee!
When that thing reached its ten year mark in 2008, it set into play a series of nightmares in which I found myself in a foreign country, suddenly aware that my passport had expired and I couldn’t go home. How I got in that predicament, I was never sure, seeing as I am pretty sure they don’t let you get on a plane to even Canada these days without a passport and a DNA swab, but bad dreams don’t really deal much in fact. Just fear. And lordy, it turns out I’m really, really afraid of being being stuck somewhere horrible like, say, Italy where, per my experience, the worst thing that happened to me involved discovering a vendor didn’t offer hazelnut gelato.
Um, yeah. Like I said, light on reality.
I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it, but the fabric I ordered for my wedding dress still isn’t here. I know! Isn’t that damn skippy? Look, I’ll get married in one of the five white sundresses I’ve got stashed in my closet if I have to, but that a seamstress is waiting, we’re going on six weeks until the blessed event and I, it turns out, am not so good at having things up in the air – well, I’m saying, ‘It’s no big deal,” with less and less conviction all the time.
Seriously, did you catch that? Six. Weeks. I’ve had one fairly hefty freakout, wherein I sat on the ottoman and cried until snot ran down my face and the Boy sat there puzzled and silent while I tried to explain that the impending job switch, the mortgage and the DIY wedding were all just too much for one person to be in charge of. It was pretty ugly. But so justified. What’s funny, though, is that the house has taken over all of the space in my brain slotted for the wedding junk and I’m now only vaguely aware that there’s this gigantic To Do list that I’m not… well, doing.
I probably care much less now because I have a passport AND a plane ticket and come the twenty third of May, I won’t give a rat’s ass what I was wearing a couple days before because I will be in Italy. Caring about gelato flavors.
Suckers.
Awww, sorry about all the stress Fish, I had a very similar breakdown last night. My DIY wedding is in ummm… FIVE weeks. Oh boy. And we just bought a house three months ago. The whole “having a mortgage and renovating the house and paying for a wedding AND a honeymoon” thing combined with the houseguests on their way for the weekend thing caused a meltdown. I quite literally *burst* into tears when I got home from work last night. My fiance just sat there while I blubbered on about photographers and cake and not having enough pillows for the guest bedroom. Who am I? But alas, we too are going to Italy for our honeymoon, and I can. not. wait. (And dream about red wine and pecorino cheese.) Mmmm.
Just take a deep breath and get through one thing at a time! You can only do what you can do and I don’t blame you for being overwhelmed! Just push through.. you’ll get to that glorious other side where you’re married and on vacation! Countdown!
Oh my! Is it five weeks? Wow..my stomach just started to flitter a bit for ya. I can only imagine what you’re feeling but, as I usual say to you…just stay focused. Deep breaths. It’ll all come together, the stress will subside, your day will be magical and on the 23rd, we’ll all be wishing we were Italy, standing in line for several gelatos!
Yay for Italy and gelato. As for the rest… deep breaths, one thing at a time, ask for help. That’s all the assvice I intend to give.
This too shall pass. Hang in there.
I did this. We bought a house, which closed in July, and got married in October. We couldn’t pick a date for the wedding until we closed on the house, because it had to be bought in my name only. That left 3.5 months to plan a DIY wedding. I had one real breakdown when the flowers I ordered online were wrong, the night before the wedding. To which my now-husband replied “that’s why I don’t order flowers online.” Somehow, I still married him the next day.
Once the wedding is done, and the honeymoon is over, you’ll have a few weeks of “well, what do I do NOW?” But then, you’ll start really working on the house and enjoying your new life together.
I have that same dream at least once a week – find myself in a (usually) American airport trying to get home to Canada and PANIC no passport – wake up SHAKING!!!
fingers crossed for your fabric arriving soon
FIVE WEEKS! Oh, I am giddy for you!
You have amazing friends and family. They stand ready to work hard for you, so let them! (Says one who just went through this 6 months ago.) I put my girlfriends in charge of the location, giving them a sketch of how I wanted things to look. I made all of the arrangements with the rental place for delivery of chairs/tables/stemware, etc. And then? I just let go.
It was a beautiful and dreamy backyard wedding. I’m still trying to figure out how they changed the 110 chairs from rows along a center aisle to encircling tables covered with linens and flowers — all before we were out of the receiving line.
I’m full of other tips – but your day will be beautiful and perfect! Congratulations on the house and thanks in advance for PICTURES!
Love the clueless reference.
So the passport AND the tickets are in your maiden name? You might want to bring a notarized copy of your marriage certificate along to have with your passport, just in case. Take it from one who knows. It’s amazing how many Customs and Border Protection agents have never heard of foreign honeymoons and what marriages do to names.
Hahahahah. Dude, maiden name? You mean my name. I’m not changing it.
Sorry, didn’t know. I’m not judgmental either way.
Six weeks? That’s 4032 hours. Well, probably about 4000 hours now, but who’s counting?
My chest got tight and my tummy flipped when I read 6 weeks. I can’t imagine how yours feels.
I don’t handle last minute anything well. And I planned my wedding in two weeks… I must have been a raging bitch. We did the flowers, I had the dresses made, put him in charge of the cake and didn’t have real food at the reception. But I was young and more relaxed then too. If I were to get married again there is no way I could pull that off.
You can do this! Good luck! (And if you want I will call the company you are buying your fabric from and give them the WHATFOR. I rock at it!)
Ah, Clueless. For a second I was thinking Heathers. Still good though.
In a way, it’s a good thing that you are dealing with house stuff and wedding stuff at the same time (house first). It’s like dating two (or more) men: you get to enjoy the good bits of both without overly focusing on one to the point where you want to throw up….
(OK, reaching, I know; I’m just trying to find a bright spot!!)
It’s going to be good – all of it. Really!! And I’m SO happy for you both!! (doin’ a little happy dance right in my office).
Here’s a nightmare for you: my husband and I were in Italy on vacation, and when we got to the Rome airport for our flight home, he realized that he had left our passports in the hotel safe. He raced back to the hotel, picked up the passports, and got back to the airport 3 minutes after the deadline for checking in to our flight. Even though the flight was delayed and would sit for at least an additional hour, the airline would not let us on the flight. They also would not put us on another flight because we bought the tickets online, so they couldn’t confirm how much we paid for them, and therefore did not know what to charge us as the difference between that payment and a new flight. Did I mention my husband was starting a new job back home the very next day? We ended up having to buy tickets on another airline, because it was the only way to get home in time. Those same day international tickets doubled the cost of our vacation. It still smarts just to think about it.
Girl, I am SO glad you got the passport before the Big Bad Potential Government Shutdown happens…that would have sucked.so.hard.
I’m so incredibly jealous of all the exciting things and eighteen pounds of gelato in your current and near future
Big changes, but great ones!
As far as I can tell from reading this website, you wouldn’t let someone be in charge of one of those things, even if they wanted to.
Well, now, I don’t think that’s quite fair.
The mortgage is in my name only (because we aren’t married yet), so uh, that has to be up to me. The job thing? Also my responsibility since it’s MY JOB. And the wedding? Who else is going to be in charge? I’m the first person to hand something off if it can be handed.
While in Italy, look for the cinnamon (cannella) gelato. It’s rare/harder to find, but SOOOO worth it.
I haven’t cried yet but I somewhat understand the stress. I have to finish up in work this week, fly home to interview for other jobs next week, haven’t planned for my impending holiday (I know boohoo, poor me), have a sister’s hen do to arrange that people just won’t get back to me about and I’m newly enagaged and my head is spinning just trying to think about how we want to do that thing.
I think you have it worse though. I hope that material arrives!