It's getting really real

Since we got engaged, Jay, our parents, and I have all been teasing each other by asking "so, does it feel real?" after we do something wedding-related. Buying my dress was when it started to feel real for me, and for Jay, the "real moment" was when we started playing with the scanning gun at Target.

But, with 15 days to go, things got really real when we went to apply for our marriage license.

And yes, I was feeling lame enough to insist on this photo.

As a side note, our county courthouse is really beautiful. I made Jay head up all the way up to the top floor to look at the architecture and artwork.

The Forge of Vulcan, aka Youngstown Steel Mills.

Lanternman's Mill

The rotunda is decorated with the names of the municipalities in the county.

Sadly, we didn't have a legit reason to wander into any of the courtrooms, where there are murals of different places around the county.

Yesterday morning, with our five-day waiting period officially over, Jay went back and picked up our license packet.

Thanks, Judge Belinky!

We had needed our birth certificates to get the license, and I always get a good laugh out of comparing them. Because Jay was born in India, most of his is devoted to proving his parents' citizenship--and it's signed by the Vice Consul!

I'm just relieved that tomorrow we can hand our packet off to Fr. Maturi and ensure that our marriage is well and truly legit.

One of my favorite things:

Seeing my new last name in print.

(I got a Hallmark membership card, and decided to just give them the new name since I'd probably have a heck of a time getting it changed).

Henna Experiment

One thing about the wedding rehearsal that I'm especially looking forward to is the Mhendi. Early in the afternoon, the bridesmaids and any other women coming in from out of town will meet up at the Welches' to decorate our hands with henna.

I love the Mhendi--it was one of my favorite parts of Rus and Heidi's wedding. All the women get to sit and talk....

...and the end result is beautiful:

(c) StudioBash

The only downside of the Mhendi is that we have a limited number of women who can  really work with henna and a large number of girls who want to wear it. To make things easier on everyone, Mama Peg suggested that we try using henna stencils.

I wasn't 100% sure how the stenciled henna would turn out, so I tried it for myself. I made a cheater batch of henna (I didn't let the paste "mature" and I only kept it on for about 30 minutes) and tried one out.

 The stencil didn't actually fit, so I wrapped the thumb piece around my hand to keep it secure.

Here's the design after I removed the stencil, but before I scraped off the henna. I think that it would've looked a lot better if someone else had put the henna over the stencil, but I'm not sold. I'm not wild about the henna staining the negative space of the design.

BUT, the stencils are unbelievably easy to use.  No denying that. Maybe I just need to find a stencil design that I like.

Bachelorette Party and Bridal Shower

I'm pretty late in talking about my super pre-wedding weekend, but I've been working on my teaching applications, non-teaching job applications, and unpacking, organizing, and repacking all my crap.

But, back in June, my bridesmaids (with major help from our family friend Cathy) threw me a bachelorette party and wedding shower. My bachelorette party ended up being pretty low-key, but I loved it. Originally, Sara and Heidi had worked on taking me to a nightclub for a drag show. Unfortunately, the best night for the party ended up being a "no show" night at the club. We talked about going dancing after dinner, but since I managed to sprain my ankle (falling five inches off of our back deck) the night before, I wasn't really in the mood.

We ended up being served an amazing multi-course dinner by Heidi's husband. Jay went out and picked up wines to go with the meal and Rus picked a few more that paired better with his dishes. After we ate, we sat talking under a canopy of party lights before moving to the fire pit. It may not have been the crazy, wild night that Sara threatened, but I really loved being able to catch up with my far-flung best friends (minus Nicky, who we totally owe a night of wine and cheese!) and sisters.

The next afternoon, I met up with the girls at Cathy's house for the shower. I was so happy to see more of my friends, many of my mom's friends, my Grammy, and my fabulous aunts:

And I was only forced into one crazy party game!

Jay stopped by to help open presents to be, by turns, sweet and ridiculous.

I was so excited to see all three of my "dance sisters:" Cristina, Miranda, and Juliana.

All in all, I had an amazing weekend.

PS--Love these girls: