EDIT: I discovered later in the day that the fridge was a gift from everyone in my office, but it wasn’t supposed to have arrived until later this week, AFTER the surprise bridal shower my co-workers threw me this afternoon! A hearty “thank you” to everyone who organized it and were generous enough to contribute toward my gifts. In addition to the wine fridge, I received several bottles of wine, a crystal Tiffany vase, and more!

Everyone, get ready to PARTY! This is going to be one wedding you won’t forget (unless you drink too much, which is perfectly fine with us, too!).

One month from today, I will watch in awe as I am transformed, painstakingly and expertly, into a princess — and as temporary as the transformation will prove, I will relish every second of it.

One month from today, I will let go of one name and take on another — not  as a sign of submission or as a way to deny my past, but as the first step toward creating our very own family.

One month from today, nearly 200 people who have touched our lives in some way will converge on a little church in northern Nassau County to witness the union of two people who wish never to be apart.

One month from today, I will float — not walk – down that aisle.

One month from today, I will marry the best thing that ever happened to me.

First, Dan and I got our marriage license! And no, for those of you who may be wondering, this does not mean we’re officially married. A marriage license isn’t valid until an officiant (pastor, judge, etc.) and two witnesses sign it. Then the officiant has to mail it back to the licensing office to be officially filed in…well, wherever they officially file marriage licenses. So Dan and I will continue to live in sin for the next 39 days. (Thanks to my stepmother, Karin, for checking her iPhone’s countdown clock earlier this evening.)

Anyway, the process was very simple. We headed over to the Town Clerk’s office in Smithtown, presented a few documents, swore that we’re not blood relatives, and signed the license. Dan’s mom cried, of course, and then we celebrated over eggs and coffee at our favorite diner.

Later that afternoon, after digesting said eggs, we made the trek to the Royalton for our much-anticipated food tasting. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! First, we were given two “duets” (salad plus appetizer) to decide between. We went with the sure crowd-pleaser, an antipasto dish, although the goat cheese and walnut salad dish was amazing as well. After washing it down with some surprisingly good Cabernet (one of the wines they’ll be serving on our wedding night), we were presented with full-size plates of three out of the four entrees we had chosen at an earlier meeting: ribeye steak with “smashed” potatoes, mahi mahi with lobster risotto, and duck l’orange.  All three were to die for, and we won’t be needing any last-minute adjustments to the menu!

(And for those of you vegetarians, there will be a yummy spinach fettucini available, too!)

That is all.

The shower itself was fantastic. While I can’t say it came as a complete surprise, I was nonetheless overwhelmed by the beautiful location (La Piazza in Merrick), the delicious food, the stunning decorations and favors, the diverse group of more than 60 women from all different time periods and aspects of my life who showed up to help me celebrate, and the MOUNDS of generous gifts I received. In fact, for several days after the shower, it was nearly impossible to walk through our living room due to the sheer number of boxes and bags. Luckily, we’ve finally found a home for just about everything — from the state-of-the-art coffeemaker that also grinds coffee beans, to the adorable “honeymoon kits” created by my bridesmaids, to the beer dispenser (yes, you read that correctly),  to the bird feeders made out of Fedele family heirloom teacups (yes, you also read that correctly). A million thanks to every single person who helped out with and/or came to my shower and made me feel incredibly loved.

In other news, as Dan mentioned earlier, the guys had their tuxedo fitting this afternoon at Men’s Wearhouse and all well smoothly. It’s amazing to me that Dan can walk in, choose a tux style and vest color, be measured, and be done in 20 minutes. I’d barely tried on one wedding dress in 20 minutes, mostly because it took longer than that just to pull the stupid thing over my body!

mmmmmm

Three eggs whisked with butter over medium heat, half a tablespoon of creme fraiche, scallions, salt and pepper on top of a lightly toasted piece of sourdough bread drizzled with a little bit of olive oil (love being able to use the olive oil bottle with slow-drip spout finally), all with roasted cherry tomatoes and grilled mushrooms. All of this sprinkled with a very fine layer of cumin, mostly for color. Unfortunately we were out of OJ so she’s gonna have to deal with milk.

Also I told her she’s only allowed to eat this breakfast if she promises to upload the pictures from the bridal shower. I assure you she’s on it.

Today is the tuxedo fitting! Tomorrow is geocaching! woohoo!

Breakfast in bed!

I made an omelet with 3 eggs, chili powder, fresh garlic (pressed with our new garlic press), and mozzarella cheese. Shown here: Coffee made with our new coffee maker, the omelet on our new “everyday china” (which, I might add, does wonders for food presentation), all on top of our new bamboo serving tray. I’ve been brushing up on my cooking for some time now, so I’ll try to start adding pics of my creations to the blog. I can’t wait to start using that pressure cooker — not having one has been holding me back from making some awesome chili.

Our living room looks like a disaster, but not as bad as it did last night. We’ve been finding a place for every single gift and so far we’re making some great headway. Here’s a pic of our living room as we left it last night (and I can assure you, this is significantly better than it was when we first unloaded):

Not pictured: The Krups Beertender which helped with the cleanup a lot more than you’d think.

Marisa will update with the pics from yesterday’s bridal shower as soon as we can organize the pics a bit more. Until then, thanks again everyone!

The majority of wedding etiquette websites advise that you send out your invitations 6-8 weeks before your wedding, but I think that’s a wad of B.S.! I’ve observed how long it takes many people to respond to invitations, and I’d rather not still be receiving RSVPs the week before the wedding — especially considering that we’re having our place cards professionally printed rather than writing them out ourselves. That’s why our RSVP date is October 3 — exactly six weeks before the big day. So please, please, if you receive an invitation, respond quickly and save us the trouble of having to stalk you in October!

To make the RSVP process easier, you’ll notice we’ve added an RSVP feature to this blog. If you don’t feel like going through the trouble of licking an envelope and finding a mailbox, just click the “RSVP” header above and type your response into the pretty little boxes. Easy, no?

We’ve also just added a “Wedding” section with all the pertinent details about the big day (including EXTREMELY detailed directions, courtesy of my stepmother), and a “Hotels” section with some recommendations for where to stay if you’re coming in from out of town.

Let the RSVP-ing begin!

Folding direction sheets.

So many invitations, so little time! (Dan helped, too -- he just didn't want to be in a picture.)