the night before

Forgive me if this post turns to Ramble City, USA.  I'm not sure exactly what I want to say, but I feel like I want to say something.  Or I should.  Or something.

I am getting married tomorrow.  Well, it's 1:12am, so technically I am getting married today.  It's the most surreal feeling.  I told my dad tonight that I'm as ready as I'll ever be, that I think you can only be 95% ready until you've already done the thing.

Ari called me his wife today.  I turned into a little gooey mess of girly loveitude.  Really, honestly, I love the "stuff" that goes with my wedding, but I am ready for my marriage already.  It's not about my beautiful dress or lovely flowers (that my mom, friend Ros and I have slaved over for the last 2 days) or the dancing or the cake.  It's about this wonderful, incredible, perfectly imperfect person who has chosen to love me and let me love him back.  Ari, Baby, I can't wait to stand in front of all the people I love and tell them why I'm yours.

I have this song stuck in my head.


It's going to be a good day.  I can't wait.  Married.

my brain is too tired to come up with a witty title

These posts keep getting shorter and shorter, I know.  But it's really crunch time (2 days)!  The family has descended and with them the chaos (and love, but still chaos).  Family BBQ tonight followed by bachelor and bachelorette parties.  The boys are going to a steak house, but the girls and I, we're going to see some hot boys take their shirts off and drink sugary drinks with umbrellas.  I for one can't wait.  Maybe I'll have some pictures for you.  Hopefully there won't be any tame enough to share.

it's on

Ari and I got our marriage license today.  This thing is officially on. 

my photographer is the best!

Yes.  My photographer.  He's so awesome, I have laid claim.  Though I did pass kindergarten, so I am willing to share (just not this Sunday!  eep!).  Take a look at these awesome engagement shots he took of Ari and I in Central Park last weekend.

This is just a teaser, Noah was so nice and sent along a few photos sooner rather than later so I'd have something to buzz over to the NY Times (which I may have been too late to have published anyhow, but it's worth a try, I suppose).  I'll post the rest when they come around, but it'll probably be after the wedding and our honeymoon.

Seriously though, Noah has been really great, totally relaxed and unobtrusive.  I can't wait to sing his praises even more after the wedding!  Check him out on his site: Noah Devereaux Wedding Photojournalism.

All images taken by and courtesy of Noah Devereaux.

photo city

This is the reason that you really need to research a photographer before you hire them.

It's one of many reasons I'm glad we picked our photographer (who is definitely not the perpetrator of the above photograph!), Noah Devereaux.  I'm excited for totally awesome photographs like this instead.

Ari's coming in next weekend and we're doing our engagement session (better late than never, right?).  I'm really looking forward to working with Noah and getting comfortable on the receiving end of the camera lens.  We're thinking maybe the Met and Central Park for a location.  Anyone have any cool places in the the city they like to take photos?

Put a ring on it!

So, after the nice intense little post that was Saturday, it's back to the fun stuff.  We have big news here tonight at Chez McGee... our rings arrived!!

They're quite lovely.  Ari's is a rounded comfort fit band with a brushed finish in the center framed by two polished bands.  I got a special inscription in it that I'm quite pleased about.

My band is made up of a chain of little white gold dots with diamonds set in the center of 7 of the dots.  It's a bit funky, and I totally love it.  (I may or may not have been unable to sit here looking at the box, writing a post extolling its virtues and not put it on again.  But you never know, maybe I have willpower.  Shush you, I see that smirk!)  I decided before I bought it that I'm wearing my band on my right hand (both my pretties need to have their own space to show off).  Mainly I did this because I don't like the feel of two rings on one hand.  Plus, fun fact, did you know that wearing wedding rings on the left hand (and the story about how it's closer to your heart or whatever - as if the physical muscle that pumps your blood has anything to do with your marriage*, but I digress) is pretty much a modern American custom?  In most countries around the world including Europe and Africa, wedding bands are worn on the right hand.  So really I'm just being continental.  Or something.

And because I couldn't resist one more of them looking all cosy together in their little box, here's one for the road.

We bought them from a lovely couple, Gayle and Herman at 1,873 Unusual Wedding Rings in the diamond district.  They were great to work with, fair, understanding and friendly.  I highly recommend working with them.  

*Once, when shopping for my wedding gown, I popped into look at Cartier, and the saleswoman literally told me that I have to wear my wedders on my left hand because that is the finger that blesses your marriage and it's closer to your heart and you ruin your vows if you don't wear it there!  She said if I really didn't want to wear two rings on one finger, I could move my engagement ring to my other hand.  Let's just say it was hard to conceal my "you are fucking crazy" face.

An engagement session I can get behind.

When I first started reading wedding blogs, I thought the idea of engagement sessions was really cute.  You got a chance to work with your photographer before your wedding, some lovely photos of you and your chosen and a chance to practice in front of the camera.  Now though, I am sick of cutesy, overly adorable couples sitting on an old quilt in a woodsy area with a repainted antique bedside table, pretty, tiny flower arrangements, fruit and something (Scrabble tiles, a banner, a book, whatever) that says "love."  We get it.  You're pretty.  You love each other.  Your photographer likes sun flare.

But this, this is an engagement session I can really get behind.

Image by Carl Zoch.

Check out the details and the rest of this awesome, Delorean-filled engagement session here on Rock 'n Roll Bride.