“Tell me if I stick you with a hairpin or something.  But beauty knows no pain, right?” (Sprays me with a whoosh of hairspray)
“HACK!”
“Or oxygen either, try not to breathe.”
-Stylist and C.

Yesterday I got a preview of what the wedding day is going to be like from a practical point of view, we took our bride and groom pictures together.  Good grief!  I spent twenty minutes picking up flowers, an hour and a half getting my hair done, another half hour doing my face (pore strips, scrubbing, messing up eyeliner twice…the usual set of catastrophes you have when you have something that you really need to look good for), and a mad ten minute dash trying to find things last minute.  Even though I had amassed everything I thought we could possibly need earlier in the day. 

Finally, my hair drenched in enough hair spray to drown Russia (my stylist was a little enthusiastic with the bottle) and my arms full of shoe boxes, veil boxes, ring boxes, and sheets to protect my gown, we decamped to our photographer’s studio to meet up with her and Darling.  Then we had to get me into my dress when, horror!  We found the back didn’t fasten at one point.  Just as I was about to tumble down a well of fresh angst about my body type, L’Artiste discovered we just hadn’t done it up properly, so I haven’t gained weight but apparently I have lost brain cells.  Things were much better after liftoff, L’Artiste is a fabulous photographer and had such fun ideas I can’t wait to see how they turned out.  The only problem was worrying about getting my dress dirty and in the end it came out pristine!  Don’t ask me how, I’ve no idea, I’m mostly concerned with being grateful!

Moral of the story: the wedding day is going to be a project, I’m going to have to get up at the crack of midnight to get everything together (factoring in several turnarounds to retrieve forgotten/misplaced items), and I will spend a day in a dress that deprives me of oxygen.  And it will all turn out gorgeously.

…I hope…!