Picture pages

And now for another moment of self indulgence ... a series of beautiful pictures of me and Kelley.

Our friend and wedding photog Brenna Welsh-Hernandez joined us at Wicker Park on Sunday to shoot engagement photos. We wanted something to send to the Windy City Times and to use as a program for the ceremony. We ended up with 127 images of us canoodling by the fountain and posing with our dog. As if the postings below aren't enough, check out our photo album link.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Captain Kati

What do you call the lady who wears all white and holds a clip board and has directions for everyone on a cruise. Specifically, I am thinking of a character "The Love Boat." I am totally drawing a blank. And I totally am aspiring to be that whom I cannot name.

I purchased an argyle three-ring binder and am inserting into plastic sheaths all the information we will need to pull off this wedding. I've got receipts, maps, the ceremony outline, an advance directive for medical emergencies... And it is so satisfying every time I think of something new I can add and reference. Fun fun fun.

Monster-in-law

Last Mother's Day weekend, we dropped the bomb in Normal about the ceremony. This Mother's Day weekend, we have no such plans.

Kelley is heading home to Elmira, the land where her parents know nothing about the ceremony and rarely utter my name. I am vacationing with Judy in lovely (cough) Peoria with my mother.

We may be going our separate ways, but Kelley scored some big points with my mom last night. In full-on wedding mode, we actually sat through an entire viewing of "Monster-in-law" starring Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez. When Kelley wasn't laughing or helping herself to another glass of wine, she kept going on and on about how my mom looks like Jane Fonda. Such a well-kept older lady. She even left my madre a voicemail all about it.

Now, if I could get her to leave me a voicemail going on and on about how I look like Keri Russell, we'd be even. She is such a Felicity fan.

Gold slipper

Unable to find a slipper to fit my foot, I settled on this Calvin Klein sandal in gold. I still have to try it on with my dress, but it fulfilled two requirements: no heel and no flip flop noise. 

Sing a song

My new geeky pasttime is logging onto iTunes and searching music with the following words in the title: wedding, wedding march, bride, wife and -- not in anticipation, but because all the best love songs are about loss -- divorce. This started as a fishing expedition for processional music. I am the only one hoofing it down the aisle so the song needs to be short and, per Kelley, "not too churchy." She shot down the 54-second version of the bridal march expertly played on electric guitars by none other than the big, gay rockers in Queen. It would've been perfect if we were Dave Navarro and Carmen Electra. But the Secret Garden just isn't rocking that hard, at least not at 6 p.m. That also eliminates Billy Idol and as much as I love early Liz Phair, her ditty "Polyester Bride" just isn't that great (not as great, say, as her "Divorce Song"). I'm not really a flute girl or a classical guitar afficianado, which leaves me with one excellent but top secret Japanese artist that should have everyone laughing and crying at once. Exactly the mood I want for our ceremony.

Famous girl time

Girls will be invited to join me at 8:30 a.m. at Movement Arts yoga studio on the day of the wedding for an hourlong restorative yoga session. The studio is so close we can roll out of bed and walk down the alley to the door with our coffee. We will have a light breakfast in the hotel's garden following the session. And then I am headed to the "world famous" West End Salon for an afternoon of pampering and preparation. I put world famous in quotes because that is how the, well, flaming gay man on the voicemail referred to the salon. I feel relaxed and beautiful just thinking about it.

Wedding march

Taking suggestions. When I walk down the porch to the gazebo (aka the aisle), what song should be playing? The Wedding March seems wrong, but frankly I am reluctant to marry myself to a pop song.