OK, So There Goes *That* Idea

For Brenda's wedding in May, I told her that my gift was going to be their toasting glasses. I just emailed her some pictures and ideas that I had found for various personalizations and stuff, we're batting ideas around.

Brian was working on the final touches on the invitation design. Their names are going to be printed inside a ribbon (at the bottom of an rope oval containing the invitation text), so they have to swirl along it, and basically that meant putting only one or two letters at a time in separate text boxes so they could be manipulated individually to look right. Pain in the ass, but it's looking really good and as soon as that's done, it's just a matter of printing and assembling. I brought the envelopes home along with a (disposable, how cool) fountain pen, so as soon as they email the address database, I can start addressing envelopes. We need to get the invitations finished up in the next week or so. (hey Brenda, when you just read that, did you hyperventilate?)

We went to a Bridal Expo today at the Samoset. Her fiance went with us, but I don't think his heart was really in it, he seemed definitely not as excited as Brenda and I were to see the various offerings and talk to the vendors. To his credit, there wasn't a heck of a lot of stuff there that was particularly groom-oriented, although there were a couple of games (aiming and shooting a garter at a pair of linked golden rings....man, I wish I had tried that one...Brenda did, she said it took her several tries to make it) and a few grooms-only drawings, including golf for four, and a bachelor party for twelve (he didn't win any of the groom drawings, probably because he didn't sign up for any of them. Afterwards he teased that he thought I was taking care of that for him.) I *did* take care of canvassing half of the show for Brenda while she was doing another part and watching at least some of the fashion show. We arrived late, so we had to divide and conquer to even have a hope of hitting all the vendors. I had taken a tip from a couple of web sites I had seen and printed up some labels with Brenda & Brian's names, address, phone # and wedding date. That way, to sign up for something, just peel-and-stick. Saved near-certain hand cramping otherwise, 'cause there was TONS of stuff to sign up for. (And giveaway goodies, and chocolate tastings, and cake samples, and pens and magnets by the cartloads)

Brenda actually won a drawing from the booth hosted by the bank we had worked for when we met. [side note: Brian was very surprised that a bank was at the expo. I don't think he realized that a lot of people actually take out loans for their weddings, insane as that seems to us.] They were having a guess based on a big jar full of glass stones, each of which represented a dollar, and the total was the average cost spent on a wedding dress in Maine. I filled out a form with her name and put my own guess (650) and then she filled one out with *my* name and *her* guess (550, I think). As the expo was wrapping up, one of the bank people told Brenda to stop back by their booth because she had won! Her name had the closest guess to the average cost of a wedding dress...something like 791 or some wacked-out number like that. And nobody had guessed closer than (mine)/hers!

And her prize.....a pair of toasting glasses.

Well, I TOLD her I'd get them for her! mk