Yikes

Yikes..Two more weeks. Mostly everything is behind us now on this wedding journey. The only thing ahead is the wedding itself. Last Tuesday we had the rehearsal dinner with most of the players, minus one bridesmaid- cousin Julianna from Arizona and groomsmen, Herb, who was at a Yankee game and Chad, whose whereabouts were never explained to me. Anthony, from the Riviera, directed us in what he thought was the right order as we directed him in what we thought was the right order. Of course, the Rabbi did write down the right order and it would have come in handy if Lindsay remembered to bring that list. So, in reality, we never actually rehearsed or we rehearsed the wrong order because as we went over the Rabbi’s list of the order, it was quite different. Consequently, I’m very confused now. Do I walk Lindsay down the aisle with Mark at the very beginning as she appears at the end, or do Mark and I walk down the aisle first, turn and look as Lindsay comes in and then walk her down the aisle? I have no idea. One thing I suspect, though, is that I will probably not have remembered this anyway if we rehearsed it correctly in the first place.

The rehearsal dinner took place a little earlier than usual because Michele, Scott’s, sister is due to give birth next week. A lot going on here. A lot of wonderful things.

After the rehearsal, we went to Sergio’s for dinner, hosted by Phil and Phyllis, Scott’s parents. They wrote a touching speech/toast, which Phil read, expressing their pride in Scott and their joy in him finding Lindsay and welcoming our family to their family as our children marry. Then, we ate; we drank wine; we laughed. It was lovely, even though, oddly, everyone got a different kind of piece of cake at the end.

I have a checklist in my head of all the things that need to be done and all the things that have been done. The seating, which was an absolute nightmare, is finished, I think. Every time Lindsay called me to help her with the seating, I kept telling her I couldn’t help unless I see it. It was finally accomplished with Phyllis’ help. We’re still debating over whether to have programs and menus or just programs or just menus. I don’t know when that’s going to be settled, but I’m getting tired of being asked the question Should we have programs and no menus or menus and no programs or both programs and menus or neither. And my answer to all of the above is, “Ask Aunt Bonni.” My sister-in-law, Bonni has become the go-to gal for all the final details. Thank goodness. She’s been a wedding planner before and I didn’t want her to “work” for Lindsay’s wedding at first because I wanted her to be a guest, but she’s more than happy to do it and I’m more than happy to have her do it. So now, when I wonder why Lindsay hasn’t been calling me ninety times a day to ask me questions I can’t find an answer to, I find out that she’s been calling her Aunt Bonni ninety times a day.

Dresses. Yesterday, mom’s dress got crossed off the list. We went to the store to pick it up. She looks absolutely elegant in her lacy, silvery blue gown with sparkling sequins glittering throughout. My gown is at the dressmaker, being altered. The only possible problem with it, as the seamstress explained to me, is the zipper, which is the kind that gets stuck, sometimes. Wonderful. She promised she would try to fix that. I am trying to be optimistic about that. I know Kim’s dress is being altered and was two sizes too big because she lost weight. Her shoes, which needed to by dyed, will be ready, we hope, three days before the wedding, but I’m trying to be optimistic about that, as well. And the final fitting for Lindsay’s wedding gown will be this Thursday, after a whole day of final details at the Riviera with Aunt Bonni, the florist and whoever else Lindsay told me was going to be there.

Everything needs to be perfect. Not only because we want it to be perfect to begin with, but also now because it will be televised on a TLC wedding show, where Lindsay is competing against three other brides for a honeymoon. So, the three brides will be there, as guests, and they will be critiquing and rating the wedding on film. Mark is not cooperating about signing the release for his appearance on the TV show, so I might be on camera walking down the aisle with a man with a pixilated face. I’m going to be optimistic that Mark will change his mind and that my zipper will zip, though. That is my mantra for the next two weeks- BE OPTIMISTIC.

Optimism is my armor, my shield, because in these final days, the unexpected still makes appearances; for example, now Mark has a double hernia and needs surgery. We are scheduling this for right after the wedding and keeping him away from lifting any heavy objects and not doing any exotic dance moves at the wedding.

Optimism. Deep breath. Positive energy. The right order. Two more

weeks…….yikes….