It's Wed-dog!

Wowie! Zowie! Wed Dog in Maui!

2006-11-08T19:33:00.000-06:00

Um, so I know that was a little cheesy, but I haven't posted here in awhile, so easy there, tiger.

I know I said in our wedding announcement that we were going to the Galapagos Islands and it's true we were thinking about it. But as time passed and we still hadn't booked it, the logistics started getting to be a real headache. So I fixed the announcement before it ran to say something vague like "a December honeymoon is planned," and then did my favorite thing: asked my mom, or her travel agent rather, to send us somewhere awesome.

So she did! We're spending eight beautiful days, including Christmas day, in Maui at the Maui Prince Hotel. We're spending one morning (if you count 3 a.m. as the morning) driving up to the top of the Haleakana Volcano so we can bike ride down it at sunrise. Whee! We're also planning to snorkel, kayak, and hopefully surf. Also, we plan to participate in as much leisure as possible and drink fruity drinks out of coconuts and pineapples.

It will be great!

I don't know if anyone still reads this, but if you do, you are awesome.

Wish you were here,
Wed Dog

A Somewhat Evil Tip

2006-10-22T17:53:00.000-05:00

Registering for presents is sweeter than one might think. Most popular registry merchants (Macy's, Crate & Barrel, etc.) offer a discount to "complete" your registry--that is purchase any items remaining that you didn't receive as gifts. Well, after the wedding, I had a thought. Hey, there are some things on here I would like to give as Christmas gifts. So I added them to our registry so I'd remember to buy them when we were in Houston finishing off our lists redeeming gift cards and all. Then it occured to me: hey, I get a 10% (or so) discount on this stuff. So I'm not going to connect the dots entirely here in case you now suspect Matt has alligned himself with a woman who thinks scruples are Russian currency. It's more of a word to the wise shopper, you know. Registries are excellent and useful (even for a limited time).

Wish you were here,
Wed Dog

The Fine Art of Brevity

2006-10-16T14:10:00.000-05:00

"Be brief, be sincere, and be seated." -Sir Winston Churchill

Hi friends,

Are any of you still tuning in? Now that we're back on the scne as married peops, some of my parents' friends have been requesting an announcement in the paper. Well, that's just dandy, except for the fact that most of the announcements I've read in the paper make me ill with their excruciating detail of trivial facts.

For example, here is an excerpt from one I found in the Shreveport Daily News. The bride and groom said their vows in front of a cross carved from a beloved oak tree that once stood on the property of the bride's childhood home. A dinner reception followed on the lawn of the home. Guest tables were covered with chocolate cloths and lemongrass silk overlays. Each of the tables was adorned with hand blown trumpet vases or crystal bowls filled with hydrangeas, roses, dahlias and winged elm branches.

After this, I am left wondering if the cloths were actually *made* of chocolate or just a very good facsimile. Further, a prize to the first person who emails me with a basic idea of what in the world a lemongrass silk overlay is or a nice drawing of a winged elm branch.

As any of you who have read this blog or attended our wedding can appreciate, I am really anti any type of wedding literature endorsing the idea that my parents likely traded cattle or a substantial portion of land to Matt (or Matt's parents) as payment for my marriage to him. So I tried to avoid that kind of language. Also, I excluded too much personal information for any potential stalkers or suspicious persons reading. And lastly, I tried to avoid any photos that did not capture mine and Matt's thin side because as Matt has so gently put it "no one likes to see people looking fat on their wedding day. It just makes you feel sorry for them."

So here's what we (I) came up with:

Jean and Coulter Templeton of Mineola are pleased to announce the October 6, 2006 marriage of their daughter Mary Rose to Matthew Robert Turner, son of Marilyn and George Turner of Friendswood, Texas and grandson of Mrs. Frances Kay Griffin of Waco, Texas. Mary is a 2002 graduate of Rice University in Houston and a 1998 graduate of St. Scholastica Academy in Canon City, Colorado. She is currently employed as a weekly columnist and editor for several Houston-area newspapers. Matthew is a 1997 graduate of Friendswood High School and current student of Forestry and Wildlife Management at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches. The two plan a December honeymoon to the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador and will reside in Nacogdoches.

Photos Galore!

2006-10-14T23:37:00.000-05:00

I know I said I'd keep up this weblog...and I will. I just needed a break. But until I am back in the swing of things: photos!

Matt and I went out on a limb, scandalizing the world apparently, when we decided not to hire a wedding photographer. Instead, our friend Jo graciously offered to take both film and digital of whatever we wanted and then some. Matt's mom, my mom, our friend Brad, and Matt's cousin Ron also all got into the act for some really amazing and beautiful shots. Lucky us!

Eventually, I will pull them all together in one place, but for now:

Jo's "Picks of the Pics" on Flickr

Marilyn's (+ some of my mom's) Comprehensive Photo Anthology of the Mary/Matt Extravaganza on Snapfish (includes engagement party, my dad's 80th birthday, our house in Nacogdoches, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception, and Saturday brunch).

More to come. Stay tuned.

Wish you were here,
Wed Dog

P.S. The best part about being home was getting the real live Wed Dog back. Arrroooo!

Thank You and Good Night

2006-10-08T19:00:00.000-05:00

Friends and family,

Thank you for joining us and making our wedding so special and memorable. We enjoyed every minute and it was due so much to the warm and loving send-off we received. So just to update: we've now been married a full 48 hours and we both agree this is the best thing we've ever done.

There's a lot more news to share and photos to come, but Matt and I just arrived home in Nacogdoches and we're exhausted. We hope to see all of you again real, real soon.

Lots of love and gratitude,

Mr. and Mrs. Wed Dog

In the immortal words of U2...

2006-10-05T01:13:00.000-05:00

I can't liiiiiive...with or without you. (Whoa-oa-oa-oa!)

For those of you who simply can't live without your wed dog (ha!), this blog will continue for at least a couple of weeks (months?) after the wedding as I discuss the mischief and mayhem post-extravaganza. I hope you'll join me, though I am certainly not above pontificating for my own gratification. :)

If you're tired of the wedding stuff, check out my daily (at least most of the time) blog at French-Roast.com. Warning: may contain hearty portions of snap!

Miss you already,
Wed Dog

Tempus Fugit

2006-10-05T00:58:00.000-05:00

As you may have noticed (or not), I have not yet posted all about the lovely shower of yester-weekend, but what you may also realize is that I also have not had a terrific night's sleep in quite some time, either. And hey, Matt still hasn't gotten around to his first post on here, so I guess I'm doing pretty well. Both Matt and I are stirring at this late hour, despite being very tired because, I guess counting sheep isn't working out for us for now.

We did, for the first time since perhaps March go to the movies tonight (yes, we've only been engaged/planning to move since June, but we apparently had many other pressing activities in April and May). It was awesome to see, even if the movie (The Black Dahlia) had a lot of marginal and unresolved sub-plot issues. Afterward, we stopped at a photo booth where we got pictures with the heading of "90% Angel." (We thought that one was a lot funnier than "Love" or "Happy Halloween." We are probably only 90% angel if added together, and even that might be a stretch.) It felt like olden times when we went on dates and hardly knew each other--you know, like eight or nine months ago. As we walked carefree out to the parking lot after the movie, we were both kind of struck with the fact that within 48 hours, we'll be married. That sounds like a buzz kill or something, but it was more like a kick in the shins that you both want and need, but would prefer not to ask for.

I am mostly all packed to go to Galveston tomorrow for our rehearsal and all, and if there's something I haven't done at this point, well, it's probably just not happening. So say a little prayer for us and we'll be thinking of you as you travel from near and far to share this special (and a little scary) time with us. We're really looking forward to it.

See you really, really soon,

Wed Dog

T+2 (not T-2, right? my brain hurts)

2006-10-03T23:56:00.000-05:00

Wow. We're really getting down to the final moments and just last week, I foolishly thought all the details were covered. Silly rabbit. Thanks for the emails and calls of encouragement everyone--not to mention the lovely gifts. :) Seriously, being able to make toast or amuse ourselves with the kit kat clock has really made for a lovely week.

Did you know there was quite a delightful shower in our honor on Saturday afternoon in Houston? There was and it was really wonderful. I must recommend a shower to everyone. I am going to tell you all about it...tomorrow, of course--when I will get everything else done too, right? Ha.

For now, it's bed time. At least for a few hours.

See you very soon, friends.

Wish you were here (I could use a hand--or a paw),
Wed Dog

Break Dancing

2006-09-29T10:13:00.000-05:00

All of these magazines whose advice I normally ignore have been urging me to break in my wedding shoes pre-wedding. This time I was thinking: you know, aching feet is no way to spend any day, so why not, right? What else am I going to be doing with my feet?

I hardly ever wear high heels though and I'm not sure if the reason is really the effect; it might actually be the cause of why I don't wear them that often. You see, when I wear sparkly high heels, I feel an immediate urge to act like a Rockette or something. In my complete ensemble of t-shirt and shorts and high heels yesterday, I treated Matt to a rousing renditions of "Surrey with the Fringe on Top" and "Oklahoma" followed in short order with "Hernando's Hideaway." I included jazz hands, interpretive charades and copious kicks with a smattering of tap dancing. I then finished up with a series of ill-hatched high kicks (lots of enthusiasm, but not a lot of altitude you know) before Matt had to excuse himself to the outdoors to break from my musical theater hijinks.

I think I've worried him. You see, I will be wearing these shoes at our wedding. When we recite sacred vows. When we agree to cherish each other for a lifetime. And when we recess to greet our friends and family as Mr. and Mrs. Us. Will I high-kick and judo chop my way through this very special day? I really can't say--the shoes have all the power. But, in the event that I turn my own wedding in to a hoedown, I will at least take requests. Fair enough?

The Rules of Engagement

2006-09-21T23:14:00.000-05:00

"An engagement ring is not essential to becoming engaged."
--Emily Post

I need to talk to y'all about something very serious: pre-engagement. What is this? I recently had a friend tell me that a friend of hers was planning a wedding for next summer. "Oh, I didn't even know X was engaged," I commented. "How wonderful."
"Well X isn't engaged," said my friend. "But she and her beau have set a date. They're sort of pre-engaged."
"Oh," was my response. But what I was really thinking was "Yeah, I think that's made up."

Of course, I never say this because I always think things are made up and they often turn out not to be, so I try to save myself a grovel when I can. I do put quite a bit of stock in Ms. Post, however, and it appears she agrees with me, as does Matt who says "either you is or you ain't."

You may not know that Matt and I did not exchange rings when we became engaged. We were out for oysters at one of of our favorite places---Gilhooley's in San Leon having a sort of picnic. It was a full moon and we decided together that getting married sounded like one of the best ideas we'd heard of. Then we sealed the deal with a high five. And it was at that point, when we agreed to marry one another that we were engaged. (A couple weeks later, Matt and I went to his machine shop, where he fine-tuned beautiful titanium bands carved out of a racecar axle!) So the point I'm getting to is this: if you've got a date set already *because* you've already agreed to marry each other, then you're engaged. You're there and then some. You've arrived with your bags packed. Good job, team.

But this pre-engagement thing has become very popular with people who feel the diamond (or cubic zirconia or even heart-shaped peridot, if you will) is all. In fact, when we started planning the wedding, I visited the wretched, evil, horrible web site The Knot which puts all kinds of pressure and judges you tremendously without actually knowing you or interacting with you. Blech. I spit on you The Knot! Anyway, to sign up, the evil knot asks you at what stage you are of planning. And you can't just check engaged. Your options are "single; just loooking" and "ring on my/her finger and finally ready to go," or something similarly asinine.

Does The Knot think it knows better than EMILY POST? Well, let me tell you--The Knot--you just better step off or I will throw my pre-engagement ring at you. Or something equally devastating. That's right.

Wish you were here (to boycott The Knot with me!),
Wed Dog

Here! Here!

2006-09-21T23:07:00.000-05:00

Another quote that we have found particularly appropo as we sift through the last of the planning details. Sometimes when we realize how much we have messed something up (or are told how much we've messed something up by snooty wedding industry personnel), we like to joke that we'll get it right for our next wedding. :)

"Buying a car, son, is just like getting married or going to New York City. Everybody ought to do it once, but nobody ought to do it twice."
--from the movieThe Giant Gila Monster

Wish you were here (there's lots to laugh about),
Wed Dog

Words of Love Whisper Softly to Me

2006-09-20T15:58:00.000-05:00

For anyone who knows me well or has read this blog at all, it is fairly obvious that aside from Matt, my great love in life is language and writing. Often I think of a line from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night when Count Orsino (I may have that wrong) is pining away for someone he believes to be the Countess or Baroness Olivia, but is actually the shipwrecked Viola (okay, I could have that wrong, too--it's been awhile. Sorry. It's the line that's important, not the context) and he says "If music be the food of love, play on." That is how I feel about language; it's the food of love, at least for me. Well, except for food, which I put out in spades for the ones I love. Basically, I love a good sentence. (In fact, Matt's ability to turn a phrase in a way that was so original and so refreshing was one of the first ways he began to tug at my heart. He is really one of my favorite orators with his commanding presence and voice. If forestry doesn't work out, I hope he will become a motivational speaker or something. Maybe I will get frisbees with his motto on them. I will have to come up with his motto though.)

So back to language. When it came time to start planning this wedding, I knew that the specific language of everything--from the vows, to the lyrics of the music, to the invitations would be very, very important to me. Despite the fact that writing is my trade, I was not totally confident in my own ability to articulate my commitment to Matt and our new family together so I bought this book called Words for the Wedding. Though I put the link to it on amazon, let me save you a click. It's sort of a crummy book, poorly organized, and a little too dreamy for me--if you know what I mean (anyone want my copy? ha). The first page says some corny thing about what this woman would say to her spouse if she were getting married, but she isn't. Um, okey dokey. Of course, being a lefty, I perused it from back to front, missing the corny intro and thought: "Hey, this could be groovy. Here's my charge card!" So I don't know why I told you all this because with all that critical analysis of this book, I will now post stuff from it.

Why? Well as much as I am being a Cranky McAngrypants about it, the book turned out to be not *entirely* unhelpful, as I had access to a lot of great quotes without all those flashing banners telling me that I won a free iPod and if I guess a celebrity I can win a free cell phone (no thank you!). Though I still maintain that they were very poorly organized and odd. Like the category "sex" was included in "To Have and To Hold" as if someone is going to use a sex/racy quote in their vows?! Maybe I am too prudish? Ick.

So ickiness notwithstanding, I wanted to share with you some quotes that I found to be excellent, but alas are on the cutting room floor. Hopefully you can apply them in your own lives (but seriously, don't waste your money on the book if you have google).

This one I like because it seems particularly applicable to Matt and me, who got engaged after knowing each other about seven months. More to come!

"It is wrong to think that love comes from a long companionship and persevering courtship. Love is the offspring of spiritual affinity and unless that affinity is created in a moment, it will not be created for years or even generations."
-Kahlil Gibran

Very satisfying, no?

Wish you were here (I'd read aloud to you!),
Wed Dog

Calling all RSVP cards home!

2006-09-19T19:52:00.000-05:00

Please, please, please everyone--send us your RSVP cards! Or email us! Or call! We'd love to hear from you and know if you're coming to join in our special celebration. Don't delay--do it today!

from Marriage Manners: A Set of Etiquette Pointers to Help Keep Magic in Your Marriage

2006-09-19T10:40:00.000-05:00

by Marjorie Binford Woods and Helen Flynn, c. 1955

It's the inconsistencies of actions and thoughts in women that baffle men. So try to uncomplicate yourself and think and say only what you really mean....Cultivate a set of good bathroom manners right in the beginning. No fair "hogging" the bath, or spreading your belongings all over the place. Respect each other's privacy. Make it a closed-door policy. Star by being wifely right off, by running his bath for him and placing the bath mat and towels in their correct spots.

You'll merit the new title of "wife" from your honeymoon days on:

if ---you refrain from kissing or cuddling up to him in front of people ( or otherwise embarrassing him in public).

if ---when you differ with each other you do so humorously and courteously.

if ---you cultivate little secret signs and phrases, familiar only to the two of you, and keep them working.

if ---you try never to burst into tears over imaginary hurt feelings and make him impatient with you over your lack of emotional control.

Well, it's a good thing Matt and I didn't get married in the 50s. According to this book, I'd be a TERRIBLE wife, breaking nearly every guideline--and so would Matt. I will say that I do put the bath mat and towels in their correct spots, but Matt makes it a point to put them in their incorrect ones. Are we destined for misery? Not if we employ our secret signals!

To the bat cave, Matthew!

Wish you were here (we're having a great old time!),
Wed Dog

It's A Family Affair

2006-09-18T10:19:00.000-05:00

As you'll note from my last post, I have been pretty worried that our wedding was going to become some sort of freak show with Matt and me at center stage. This concern grew when I found an assortment of old photos of me on my mom's kitchen counter that were certainly destined to be viewed by many. And I morphed into a kind of Cranky McAngrypants when I noted a picture in particular in which I had just had jaw surgery the month before--and to add insult to injury, had cut my own bangs. My suspicions were confirmed. Doom was imminent and I grouchily admonished the involved parties who I perceived as turning our wedding into some kind of sideshow and corporate endorsement of m & m's, simply because we had most unwisely chosen that theme for our web page.

Despite my apparent continued conviction that this is still the case--I have softened. Truly. I really don't like being a crank, well, perhaps I do sometimes, but I don't think there are many that hope their wedding bears close resemblence to the state fair. I discussed this with friends who have gotten married and they also noted that everyone wants input. People I bearly know suggest cotton candy machine rentals, hay rides, or in the case of Martha Stewart--individual rose petals for every sugar cube for every cup of coffee you serve. There comes a point when the people actually spending a lot of time taking care of details would rather be watching a rental movie and must firmly and kindly urge everyone to step off. And yet, after a much-needed nap, some quiet time reading and a discussion with Matt, I am finally realizing that a wedding is unlike any other event--and not just because it has its very own price scale. (eep!) No, a wedding is a community event. It's a family affair with two families celebrating their union and the new family formed by two people they have watched closely and guarded so preciously for years. They feel involved because they ARE involved.

No, there will still not be hay rides and I will still not take kindly to oddly insistent suggestions about hiring fireeaters or charging admission (?) from strangers. But, I am going to make room for compromise and for the kind and loving acts of both our families-- even if I necessarily writhe when my mom flashes the finer moments from my exceptionally awkward adolescence (and hopefully Matt's, too) in some kind of laser light show. In fact, I will welcome it. I will have another piece of cake and pat myself on the back for being such a decent sport. However, I must revisit the idea that there wouldn't be anything TOO terrible about eloping. Ha ha.

See, Mary J. Blige knows what's up. What took me so long?

Wish you were here,
Wed Dog

Confessions and Show Business

2006-09-14T09:40:00.000-05:00

I am kind of freaked out that people keep telling me I'm "the show."

What does that even mean? Usually people add "honey" or "sweetheart" to the end of that. I guess some people like to hear that and it validates a lot of this wedding tomfoolery. But I must confess, it rather terrifies me.

What happens if I trip?

A million dollars from America's funniest home videos? I don't even like that show! (Is it still on? Does Bob Saget still host it?)

Oh, and in other news, I now have, just by the way things worked out "colors." Our wedding invitations, as you saw were cranberry (we say red) and black. Now that I have added bridesmaids other than my sister, who is wearing black, they are wearing cranberry (I still say red).

The florist and the caterer have run with this. I will allow them to keep running, as long as they don't call me too much. But seriously, they have to stop discussing this "the show" business. Instead of the lady with two heads, I'm like the lady who probably spent too much on a single dress. Ha ha.

Wish you were here (it's scary!),
Wed Dog

Engagement Pictures!

2006-09-12T15:44:00.000-05:00

Hey hey! Our engagement pictures are here.

To see them, visit Joe Lowery Photography and choose "Mary & Matt" under portraits.

Our password is Templeton. Hope you enjoy!

Wish you were here,
Wed Dog

An Ounce of Pretension vs. A Pound of Manure

2006-09-11T09:39:00.000-05:00

I know there are a few of you out there trying to avoid what can easily become the money pit/grounds for divorce/frustrating cycle of doom that is wedding planning, so here are some of my tips.

Please note that none of these tips involve taking special time with your fiance to just relax and not think about wedding planning and stuff. While that's all well and good, there will come a point when you must do that or die and everyone else will tell you so anyway. My tips are those not sponsored by the wedding industry or any type of evil corporation. They're free, so you know, take that for what it's worth, which is $0.00. Well, I might say 1/16 of $0.01, but not redeemable for cash value. It's not like I have hay pennies all over this joint.

Tip one: You have more time than everyone tells you you do.

In the past couple of days, Matt and I learned from both our cake maker The Cake Lady and our florist J. Maisel's Mainland Floral (who deserve those plugs, so please click if you feel jazzy) that basically they need two weeks to get everything right. So that whole thing where all those magazines tell you to get a florist eight months out: why? Do they actually need to plant the seeds for the flowers that you order? Do they need to raise the cows for the roast beef you will be serving? Do they need to harvest the flour for your cake? Absolutely not. However, two weeks is a good amount of time to insure that 1-you're not freaking out about what everyone has undoubtedly made you think is the last minute (it ain't over til it's over, namsayn?). Also, two weeks will almost certainly guarantee that you have a place on the schedule with the psychos that planned stuff like eight years in advance. Which brings me back to my original point about how everyone says you need to take some "special" time off. If you're planning sooo far in advance, you will be putting yourself through misery every day of that. Give yourself a break! Just stop that madness. You have time. Although I will say, if you do everything two weeks in advance, you should really have your ducks in a row. Have your appointments with peops made. Know what you want your cake to look like. Or be willing to compromise--which I enjoy, on account of the amount of leisure it affords us. So in summary, I recommend doing stuff 2-4 weeks in advance. Except your caterer, which I will recommend booking about six weeks in advance or passing the task off to your sister! Yay.

Tip Two: The wedding will happen and the marriage can be great, even if the flowers don't arrive or the cake is oddly mishapen.

I haven't actually gotten married yet, but I am feeling pretty confident about all this. Most of my decisions in the wedding planning process were made from a place of deep ambivalence over a lifetime of pesky perfectionism versus a disgust for the whole corporate machine telling me how I *had* to do things, else I might doom my marriage.

Not true. While Matt and I are so honored that many of our friends and family will be there to bless and support our beginning as a married couple, we are both firm that had our resources and situation been different, we would have happily marched to the courthouse to be together.

Well, I guess there are only two tips for now, so I hope you enjoyed them. I will now take a moment to put a feather in my and Matt's caps for all that we got done this week.

-engagement photos (should be online today! stay tuned!)
-flowers
-ceremony/vows
-cake ordered
-invitations out! hooray!
-replaced my most awesome hair clip (okay, not related to the wedding, but I considered it an emotional coup as I had to accept that my old one was gone for good this time)

See you soon!

Wish you were here,
Wed Dog

Ack! I found the wretched hats.

2006-09-06T17:39:00.000-05:00

See--I wasn't exaggerating.

A nap sounds pretty good.

2006-09-06T15:58:00.000-05:00

Our to-do list is finally getting manageable. I have to order the cake still and get a florist, but at this point that seems like nothing.

We mailed out every one of our exceptionally labor-intensive invitations this morning. It was bittersweet sending them off. It was a relief that they were finally on their way, but last night as we were finishing up the silkscreening, I looked at the cascade of magnolias as all the invitations stared up at me. It was a true labor of love and we're really proud of our efforts, but I was also kind of the the "stop touching me" point with them also. Aaaaand--thanks to my sister we have a caterer. Aaaand as of this afternoon, we have taken engagement portraits which I will post a link to next week when they're available.

So now we basically just have to show up. Works for me! Yay!

Wish you were here,
Wed Dog

I Do NOT

2006-09-04T23:29:00.000-05:00

My mom ripped a page from some tacky catalog she found that had these horrible bride and groom baseball hats so we could have a good laugh about them. The bride's cap was decorated with silk roses and enough tulle to gag a small pony. The groom's hat involved some "clever" ball-and-chain ornament. I tried desperately to google a picture of this abomination for y'all, but to no avail. Unfortunately, while I do enjoy staring at these items in the way one might enjoy attending the freak show at the state fair, I have kind of a "so funny I forgot to laugh" bad attitude about this kind of stuff. I mean, instead of taking it in stride as evidence that some people are just infinitely competent in showcasing their bad taste, I have to get all bent out of shape about it. Sorry, I am kind of hung up on the whole not making stupid misogynist/racist/bigoted comments. I'm not much of a good sport about it at all. With that said, my diatribe awaits.

I don't think I'm the kind of person who can't take a joke, but I don't think marriage IS a joke. Nor do I find sexist stereotypes to be funny. So when I see apparently humorous novelties like these:

I don't think--"Gee, marriage is going to be one good-naturedly funny moment after the other! I (heart) gendered ribbing!" Something more along the lines of "Gee this allegedly playful battle of the sexes and perpetuation of annoying stereotypes projected onto a sacred lifetime commitment is tiresome and oppressive."

No, seriously. This is the caption with those pillowcases. Go to sleep every night knowing your role in the marriage with this Mr. Right, Mrs. Always Right set of 2 pillowcases.

Oh well, just hose everything down in tulle and re-invest your life savings in rose petals and everything will be all right, right? Grr.

And since I'm already putting quite a fine point on it--what were they thinking by putting the seams of both pillowcases to the right? Everyone is sleeping on the same side of the bed? Well, bless you for being ecumenical in some way, but if you're going to assign gender roles willynilly, is it too much to ask that the seams go on the outside? Hrmph.

Wish you were here (to lower my blood pressure with your famous company),
Wed Dog

Puppy Love

2006-08-31T09:25:00.000-05:00

By the way, would it just be tremendously gauche to have our dog at the wedding, all turned-out and wearing a lovely red bow?

She really is person's best non-human friend. I really hate thinking of doing anything important in my life without her.

For reference, here is another picture of the number one best dog.

I mean, she's already got a tux on and everything! Who wouldn't trust this face?

What? You want to actually be invited? FINE!

2006-08-30T15:57:00.000-05:00

Okay, you, our demanding public. We have decided we WILL be sending out invitations after all. Fine. You twisted our arms. We'll make it official.

Sending invitations, as you may realize, was never actually in question, but our ability to get them done and not die first er...was.

In the light of day with a few hours of sleep under my belt, I realize that hey--we sent save the date cards--and peops who will make a big show out of our not getting the invitations out per bossy, rigid ettiquette de rigeur--probably shouldn't come anyway. But when the demons of panic wash over me in waves of inevitability at night when I am tired of unpacking and scheduling and such as that: the invitation ordeal makes my heart beat rapidly and my palms sweat. In general, I don't subscribe to the whole "anyone who doesn't plan a wedding a million years out is insane and stupid and irresponsible to the bridal community" (ha! a community of saboteurs), but for peace of mind's sake if you're a freaky perfectionist who drolls over a nice font and a well turned-out piece of heavyweight cardstock: PLEASE, get your invitations done early.

Of course, I actually had set out rather early to do invitations, but was foiled. While I don't give so much of a hoot about my dress, paper and art and lovely words are of great importance in my life. Somehow though, this all managed to slip through the cracks (as has the book I was reading before we moved--where are you?!). In any event, the invitations are happening officially thanks to Lufkin Printing Company, salvaged silkscreen and some lengthy discussions regarding perspective with Matt. Expect them in the mail...err, sometime.

Wish you were here (it is a golden and beautiful day!),
Wed Dog

May I enthusiastically recommend delegation?

2006-08-28T16:25:00.000-05:00

When Matt and I went to copy.com to get the transparencies printed for our silkscreens for our invitations (follow that?), we ran into a wonderfully charming friend of Matt's that he hadn't seen in years. Charming friend was not only a great help with our graphics, he also mentioned that when he was the best man for his friend's wedding, it was like a full-time job.

Matt and I puzzled over this. What could this man have possibly taken on?

Well today I wondered no more. After my mom offered to arrange hotel rooms and such as that and my sister (who is also my maid-of-honor and awesome non-Matt best friend) offered to arrange catering, I felt a lightness in my soul. Well, and then I realized we *have* to finish our invitations tonight. Thank goodness we sent save the date cards, right? Ha.

But seriously, I would very much like to recommend asking other people to do your stuff for you--especially if they meet the following qualifications.

-They love you (a lot, preferably)
-They volunteer
-They have time
-You don't want to do it yourself.

Make sure "not wanting to do it yourself" is not the only qualification for delegating a task though because you might do a shameless thing like I am about to do.

Anyone want to plan our wedding? We're really ready for a nap over here.

Wish you were here (and not just to do our biddng),

Wed Dog

Hello again, team.

2006-08-17T08:27:00.000-05:00

Hello friends and family,

The team here at wed-dog was delighted to learn that some of you are out there. How lovely. At this time, both of us are going a mile a minute trying to move, get married, and such as that. However, let us not forget we have a blog to maintain. I mean, come on: priorities. Am I right? Ha ha.

I want to thank all of you who came to the family engagement party this past weekend in Waco. We both had a wonderful time and enjoyed a much needed reprieve from the stress and worry that has gripped us of late--especially the week leading up to the party. We seemed to be like 21st century Jobs. I am surprised our dog didn't turn to salt or something. Fortunately, that is mostly behind us now and check this out: we ordered envelopes for our wedding invitations yesterday. "Envelopes?" Yes, well don't rain on our parade. We felt like we had accomplished very much, even though at this point, we had to have them overnighted to us (oops).

Yesterday, I went into Texas Art Supply to see if I could procure the elusive envelope (hey! I have been looking casually on the internet on at least four other occasions. Can I get an Amen?). The woman asked me "what are your colors?" Now, apparently this is a perfectly reasonable question, but I seriously have no idea what it means and Matt has not been able to input much either. I mean, my personal favorite color is undeniably red which Matt, bless him, also likes in abundance. Else we might kill anyone with our excessive amount of red stuff. But, my hair is brown. Matt's eyes are blue. My dress is...well, I don't really know what color that is (white? silver? cream? it looks different every time I see it). I don't know what the cake will look like (I haven't ordered it--eep!) and frankly, my maid of honor (my sister) is going to be seven months pregnant and she can really wear whatever she wants. So we return to the question of colors: I have no idea. Everything is going to be different, but I don't think that makes it ugly or something. Am I wrong here?

The thing is, each task in the wedding seems to take so long, I kind of looked at brochures until my eyes glazed over and then, I went to work the next day thinking things would fall into place. And truly, they have, but at this point, they're falling into place mostly on account of the existence of FedEx.

I'd say I'd do better next time, but that seems ominous. Matt and I did decide that if we live to see 50 years together, we're going to hire someone to do a super, obsessive job on our anniversary party. Although by then, who knows? We all may be living on the moon, owning personal jetpacks and robo-maids. If that is the case, I will hire a robo-planner for our 50th anniversary.

Okay, I know you really want pictures, so here are some. :)

Engagement Party

Aug 12, 2006 - 31 Photos

Thanks for nothing, dude.

2006-08-07T09:58:00.000-05:00

About two weeks ago, Matt and I went to A & E The Graphics Complex to get a quote on wedding invitations. We didn't really like what we were seeing in the books at retailers, so we thought we might design our own. With that in mind, we took an invitation that we liked over there to get some ideas. Now, while I am definitely NOT going to recommend A & E, the people seemed very friendly and nice. But instead of getting ideas, which I kept saying we wanted, they acted like we wanted an exact replica of someone else's invitation. Before I could say anything, the invitation was confiscated and we were told we'd get a quote in two days. That was a Friday, but even by the following Friday we hadn't heard from them. In the interim, I designed our invitations myself, saving a million hassles and a lot of money. Finally, last Friday it had been two weeks and still no word, plus they had a family member's invitation that my mom had carefully saved. So... this morning I called over there and talked to the designer who had promised us a quote and this, I swear, is a faithful representation of that conversation.

Mary: Hi, I talked to you about getting a quote on invitations a couple weeks ago, but we never heard from you, so I am hoping I can come pick up my original.
A & E dude: Oh yeah, you know there was a Bridal Extravaganza that weekend I thought y'all might have gone to and found something there instead.
Mary: Umm, no we didn't go to that. We went to A & E to get our invitations and we were waiting on a quote from you.
A & E dude: Oh, you should have gone. One of my fraternity brothers went and said it was amazing.
Mary: ... Well, we didn't want to; it's not really our style. Do you have any information for me?
A & E dude: Okay, well our printer said the minimum order is going to be 500 and I thought that might be too many. Also, did you know that these invitations are handmade? They're handmade.
Mary: Yes, I knew. We didn't want that exact thing, we just wanted a quote on paper and printing costs.
A & E dude: Oh, well if you'll give me a few days I can get those for you.
Mary: Uh, no thank you. I want to pick up my invitation. Can i come by now?
A & E dude: Sure, dude.
Mary: Okay, thanks.

So when I get there, he comes out with a photocopy of a woman's business card that says her services included "Tatted Stationery Doilies" and the address is in Magnolia. (For those off you not familiar with the Houston area, Magnolia= FAR!) Not only that, but instead of offering a business phone, the number on the photocopied card is a pager number. Does she also sell crack?

So he hands me this and says "I think maybe she'll have something you want."

Though I thanked him for his time, I think we all know that acquiring a pager number for a woman who specializes in doilies is probably not going to be helpful to me. And may I also inquire as to the nature of tatted stationery? Seriously, wtf is that? Maybe I will page this woman and see. (By which of course I mean: I will not page her ever.)

So a big, enthusiastic thumbs down for their totally odd, unprofessional practices and total lack of caring when I mentioned I'd been waiting two weeks for a quote that was to come in two days.

Bridal extravaganza. Hrmph. Whatever, dude.

Presenting my $1200 wedding dress (sort of)

2006-08-07T08:46:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I went dress shopping with a couple of my friends and found the experience to be extremely traumatic. When I wasn't getting tightly laced into some sort of armor, I was aghast at the prices I saw. I mean, we're talking about ONE dress. I hesitated. I wembled. I sighed. I trembled. Then I did the sensible thing. I went home, dress-less and exhausted (and whimpering, really), then went out and spent $1200 on a bike the next morning.

I felt very confident that this was a purchase I could fully endorse without hestitation. As an aside, I did get a dress finally and it's lovely. But let's just say I paid considerably more for my bike. Why? Can you ride a wedding dress across multiple states? I think we all see the answer is no. But seriously, the dress is nice. Also seriously: the bike is nicer. Yay. Also, I got a red helmet. :)

Without further ado, my better-than-a-wedding-dress dress:

Half-Baked

2006-07-20T14:20:00.000-05:00

Matt's latest and possibly best suggestion pertains to the cake. For those of you who are not in the wedding cake buying market, they're typically anywhere from $3 to $7 per slice. Exhorbitant right? The thing is, they're really works of art. I was looking at some of Susie's Cakes yesterday and I couldn't even believe some of them could be made out of cake! The makers are really artists and I fully applaud that.

The only thing about a cake sculpture is that, like an ice sculpture, it is of fleeting beauty. If I pay $800 for un objet d'art, I'd really like it to hang on my wall for a considerable number of years. How beautiful will it be in my stomach?

So Matt thinks we should have a cardboard "cake" that is a masterpiece for the eye to enjoy while the gastronomical treats come from simple sheet cakes that have been sliced in a hidden room. Guests will say "my that cake is as delicious as it looks!" Only savvy Wed Dog readers will know we've pulled the old switcheroo.

No? Not a fan? Come on, why not?!

Wish you were here,
Wed Dog

Copy Cat Wed Dogs?

2006-07-19T19:13:00.000-05:00

Someone is onto me! These are also wed dogs. However, please be advised that they're not THE wed dog.

Wish you were here,
Wed Dog

What's up, Wed Dog?

2006-07-19T10:22:00.000-05:00

Q & A with Wed Dog

Find out more about why you're reading this.

Q: Who is Wed Dog?

A: Wed Dog is the official mascot and guardian of our wedding, personified in Molly THE Dog. Look for her picture often. She is terribly cute.

Q: Will you be posting about how you found napkins to match your dress?

A: No. And not just because I do not yet have a dress. That is an entirely other Wed Dog post. Basically, Wed Dog is content that is too wedding-y to be posted on my daily blog and may actually be somewhat informative or of interest to those who have been directed here--by choice or force.

Posts will pertain to our total shock at the submersion in the Wedding industry underworld. It's dark. It's scary. It's expensive. I think their motto must be something like "Going through one of the biggest, most stressful and exciting changes of your life? We take mastercard for that!"

Also, follow the saga of obtaining a caterer and explaining to people that yes, you are getting married in October of this year and no, you're not out of your mind.

In short, plunge in with us as we plan a wedding, a life together, a move and build a better mousetrap.

Q: Will you post pictures of stuff?

Sure. Here's one now of Wed Dog. Aww.

Wish you were here,
Wed Dog

It's Wedog!

2006-07-19T08:39:00.000-05:00

Is this thing on? Look for updates, rants, raves, exciting news and developments about our wedding here.

Woo woo!