A Few Words of Thanks

August 27, 2009

Apologies for the lack of blogging. There’s been quite a flurry of activity around our house as we try to cram all of our final wedding projects into the next few days so that we can sit back and enjoy all the upcoming events of the next few months!

But before we get any busier….or too caught up in all those upcoming events…I wanted to offer a few words of thanks to a whole bunch of people. I would have liked to have listed them in our programs. But there are too many people. You know what they say, it takes a village to throw a wedding.

Here we go…

To my aunts + assorted female relatives:

Diana, Sally, Cathy M., Chris, Mary Jo, Cathy B. and Amy, thank you! For…

…My bridal shower! It is 4 days away and I’m beside myself with excitement!! I know it hasn’t happened yet but I’m going to go ahead and thank you all for the best bridal shower ever!! There’s something especially cool about having all the women in your life in one room! I can’t think of any other occasion that calls for that.

I’m so so lucky that I have always been surrounded by lots of strong women. Collectively, the women listed above have seen it all, lived it all, and survived it all. Individually they are inspiring. To have ALL of them in my life is a huge blessing.

Much love to you all and a million thanks for coming together to host my shower!

To my bridesmaids:

Four bridesmaids. Four different cities. And yet they have been totally together, totally on top of everything the entire time!

Kate, Erica, Shelsey and Ari, thank you! For…

…making everything effortless and a ton of fun! Thank you for wearing shiny brown dresses that I’m sure we’ll make fun of in 20 years. Thank you for buying pretty shoes. Thank you for helping host my shower and hosting what I can only imagine will be a rockstar of a bachelorette party!! But most of all thanks for all your moral support and shared excitement. I don’t believe I’ve talked about anything other than wedding things for the last 3 years and you’ve never complained (at least not to me!) and you’ve always been excited right along with me! Much thanks and love to you all!

And some individual thank yous and fun details… I like sharing these little stories with everyone, it makes the wedding details seem more meaningful!

Aunt Diana, thank you! For…

….making my garter out of my mom’s wedding dress (I haven’t seen it yet, but am told it is a work of art).

….making the beautiful wreath that will hang on the lecturn at the chapel and then my front door for many fall seasons to come!

Cathy & Danny Buck, thank you! For…

…donating your children to serve as our ring bearers and teaching them proper ring bearer skills.

Aunt Chris, thank you! For…

…making me two unique and meaningful ring bearer pillows. (She made them using quilt squares that Grandma Peg had crocheted but didn’t get a chance to assemble into a full quilt. I’m so glad her beautiful work is playing a part in our wedding! And those pillows are going on my bed after the wedding!)

…reading two of my favorite readings at our ceremony!

Amy and Eric, thank you! For…

…altering your work schedules to travel to Galena extra early with us!

…not strangling me when I emailed you a two-page typed document of all the things I need you to do when we get to Galena!

…reading at our ceremony. Or, singing at our ceremony if reading song lyrics proves too difficult.

Jim Muhlstadt (father of the Maid of Honor and a man who suffered through countless Maggie-Kate playdates), thank you! For…

…making the coolest table numbers anyone will ever lay eyes on. And then staining them just the right shade of Walnut.

My Dad, thank you! For…

…welding scrap metal to assure that my crazy decorations remain upright and stable.

…turning six-foot privacy fencing into badass centerpieces. Staining wood, staining wood, and staining more wood.

…not strangling me when I announced that a Uhaul wasn’t good enough, we would need to borrow both a trailer and a truck to successfully get all of the decorations to Galena.

Tammy & Luke, thank you! For…

…letting us borrow both your trailer and your truck to haul all of our wedding goods to Galena!

Streator Community Credit Union, thank you! For…

…altering your regularly scheduled lending to allow all of my favorite credit union employees to attend the wedding!

Bob Widman, thank you! For…

…singing at our ceremony! And keeping our cars, home and miscellaneous valuables properly insured. Sorry our insurance payments are always late. Don’t tell my mom.

My Mom, thank you! For…

…oh yeah right. Like there’s room to thank my mom. Let’s put it this way: Mom, thank you for still answering the phone when I call you.

I’m sure there’s someone vital that I’m leaving out. Forgive me, my brain is fried from over-planning.

And there are a ton more people who emailed or called or commented on our blog to offer their talent, time and resources. Believe me, we appreciated each and every offer and your enthusiasm means a lot to us! Everyone has a busy schedule these days and to even offer your help is very generous.

So many people have said they are looking forward to the wedding…are excited to buy a new outfit for the wedding…are getting in shape for the wedding…are excited to shop in Galena…dine out in Galena…drink lots of Galena-made wines…whatever it might be, can I just take a moment to say: We are so excited that you are excited!!!!

(Just so you know, so many of you have told us you are trying to get in shape for our wedding that we are considering having weigh-in scales at the reception. No, I’m not serious.  But we are going to have a red carpet and some hired paparazzi since you’re all getting new clothes.)

When we first started making plans we were big-time nervous that no one would understand or embrace our “Galena Wedding Weekend” concept. But you have!

Then the economy tanked and we worried no one would be keen on any kind of weekend getaway. But you are!

You like us, you really like us!

And we like you. A whole lot.

And we can’t wait to see you in Galena, raise a glass, and celebrate!

A million thank yous to everyone!

And as a disclaimer, don’t expect heavy blogging the next few weeks! This bride’s got business to take care of…like acting a fool at my bachelorette party and seeing how high I can jack up the bar bill at the Burns-Stephens Wedding. (Hi Jenny, Hi Mama Burns) But I do plan to share our recommendations for Galena shopping, dining, wine tasting and sight seeing so you can plan your trips.


COMMENTS

Care to Leave a Comment?

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked: *