Kimberly, my Maid of Honor and all around rad lady, has picked a dress to wear for the wedding.

Of course, Kimberly is much more pretty than this model... but the official Alfred Angelo press photo will have to do. :)

The dress is taffeta, has a bubbled skirt, and is in a color called "peacock."

Bubble skirts are very in right now, and Kim and I have both fallen for this trend. We giggled today on the phone because there is a very large chance that, in ten years, we'll both look back in horror at this dress. For now, it is gorgeous. It's more than gorgeous; it is perfect.

Not too accidentally, "peacock" is my favorite color. In fact, I am wearing the same rich deep teal as I type. If you'd like, you can read an article about James McNeill Whistler and his "hotly debated and now famous Peacock Room in London." Or you can read your choice of these two articles discussing the use of "peacock blue" in wedding this year: #1 and #2.

If you haven't had the fun of meeting Kim, you can read her bio here.

* * * * * *

Clayton, Chris' Best Man and dear chum, has sent us photographs of the tuxedo he will wear for the wedding. Now, Clay is the most dapper man I have ever met. Seriously. The man can dress. He has real character.

Like Chris, Clay harks to another era. Unlike Chris, that era is not the future. :)

Check these gorgeous photos out. Clay poses with his wife, Jillian, and his truck:



Classic.

If you haven't had the fun of meeting Clayton, you can read his bio here.

Chris spent a lot of time trying to find the inspiration for his wedding outfit.
He went to a classic source of inspiration: pop culture!

First, he thought he'd find a tux similar to Indy's...


and then he decided to wear something more similar to The Doctor's brown pinstripe suit.


The Dr. Who suit is handsome, and Chris hopes to find a similar suit this weekend in Massachusetts. We're going to spend the weekend with Mark and Margaret...and Benjamin and Kim, too!

Mark and Chris are going to go suit shopping, and I know Chris is actually excited to find something dapper to wear for this "wedding outfit," as he has been calling it.

I'm not surprised he turned to Dr. Who for inspiration. It is one of our favorite science fiction television shows, and it is exceedingly well written. Sometimes I feel like Chris channels Dr. Who in our everyday life; he finds one small tool in the back of a toolbox and magically fixes every broken mechanical item in our neighborhood. His own version of the sonic screwdriver. :)

I am tickled to use my theatre training, every now and then.
For example, I can build a theatre flat (a fake wall) in about a half of an hour.

You can imagine how excited I was when I saw this photo!

A cheap roll of discounted wallpaper, a few frames, some canvas, and a few nails. It is a really quick project, with a great result.

I think it would be a bit an easy way to help our guests mingle, giggle, and create some memorable art and memories together.

We wouldn't be able to build it until the week before the wedding, just for storage sake, but it wouldn't have to be wider than five feet. :)

I'm thinking of putting "props" out too... like faux mustaches and a top hat, or two...

In case you have not ventured back to our posting from 2008...

you can see photos of our ceremony site--our home church, the First Unitarian Universalist Parish of Chester--here,
and you can see photos of our reception site--the Hartness House Inn--here.

Chris and I are spending this week in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. I am attending the AP Institute to earn my Collegeboard AP Literature training (and earn re-licensing credits), held at the St. Johnsbury Academy campus.

SJA is one of the foremost private boarding academy high schools in New England, and costs nearly $40,000/year for a boarding student. It's a darn steep price for students, but the accommodations are lush for the conference. We've been treated, in particular, to the best food I've ever been able to eat for free*. We had ostrich and bananas foster for lunch, yum.

Chris took his vacation from work this week, and he has spent the days drawing by the pool and cartooning in the hotel. I've spent eight hours each day in a dynamic, very helpful course. We're both in heaven, and it is GREAT.

Also, the Institute gave us nearly $500 in free books. Of course, the publishers hope we will, in turn, buy classroom sets... but I adore pre-press copies and old classics.

*We are paying a mere pittance for our hotel room (discounted conference rate), and everything else has been paid by my school district. It is a nice perk! They lead free nightly activities (canoeing, theatre trips, skeet shooting, trivia bowls, hiking, poetry readings, etc) for participants and their families, too.

Suffice to say, the wedding planning has not been at the front of my mind :) I will provide photos of some of our new purchases and planning details once we get home. Promise!

I've been asked by a few family members and friends to post Registry information on our wedding blog. I've been hesitant to post this information, but I've had a few more questions since the invitations were mailed and I thought I'd finally acquiesce.

Chris and I just got back from the Stanford B&B in Enfield, NH. The owner of the B&B is a co-worker of mine, and they have a wonderful cabin on Crystal Lake*. I won a discounted night in our annual Christmas Silent Auction, and knew we'd love a night away.

Chris got out of work two hours early, we drove just twenty minutes, and celebrated the 4th of July weekend with a canoe and a campfire.


I had never been in a canoe before (I'm such a City girl) but it was amazing fun. I've kayaked around before, but I had a lot of fun rowing a canoe. And so did Chris! I have photographic evidence...


Isn't he handsome?

** See a comic about our trip over at Flamejob.

We've bought our tickets for Greece!


Our flights are already 1/2 booked for economy, can you believe it? Ten months in advance. I'm hoping that if I can find some sappy "His & Hers" luggage tags, I can wiggle an upgrade into business class.

We'll be flying American Airlines from Boston to Heathrow, and then Heathrow to Athens.

Our honeymoon is now 2/3 paid in advance, and I am so thankful! Penny-pinching (and interest bearing accounts) do pay off. :)

I did get "trip protection," just in case the ticket price drops significantly. I'll be eligible to receive a portion back. I did get a pretty good rate, though.

Also, Chris wants to stay in this hotel on our last night: the Hotel Central. It is in the Plaka section of Athens, and has a hip rooftop terrace bar and jacuzzi.

the invitations are actually in the mail. Phew!

It took a far bit longer than I expected.
You see, the USPS stopped hand-canceling any first-class envelopes.


When mail is not hand-canceled, each envelope is run through a machine.

If the envelope
1) is too bulky
2) is not acceptably flexible
3) has too little postage, even by one cent

then the envelope may be
1) shredded by accident
2) accidentally opened/compromised
3) stamped with "return to sender"

*sigh*

I've had nightmares of our lovely invitations--the invitations created during a fun family party and entirely hand-crafted--would be destroyed by the USPS.

I admit, the invitation-anxiety is entirely linked to the phenomena known as "being a Bridezilla." I refused to accept that the local post offices refused to hand-cancel my invitations. I have friends in PA who have had their invitations hand-canceled this year. I have an acquaintance who was allowed to hand-cancel her own invitations, under the supervision of the Post Master, because the Post Master acknowledged the only reason the USPS stopped hand-canceling was due to the time it takes to apply each stamp.

Finally, I've decided to live "dangerously," as our local Postwoman said, and just drop the darn things into the regular mail. Some may have even arrived today. I sincerely hope none arrive looking as if a puppy played with them.

***Incidentally, "Bridezilla" is my most favorite portmanteau word: bride + Godzilla. It is memorable for my students, fun to say, and has delightfully satiric connotations.