Sit Back, Relax and PLAN A WEDDING!

Welcome To My Office.

Once a year, I am required to take a check ride. This entails a written examination administered by my employer, AirTran Airways. It also includes an oral examination and a flight check administered by a person designated by my employer and approved by the FAA. It is all encompassing. Lots of my fellow aviators believe they become less stressful as the years go by. I have not found that to be the case. I fear failure. I have never failed a portion of a check ride and always fear that the next one could be it. I study. I study. I study some more. I get a little nervous. I hope I don't say something wrong. I hope I understand the way the question was posed. I don't want to come across as unprepared. I study some more. I am in the middle of planning a wedding. No time. I study. I hope that when my examiner asks me about the engines on my jet I don't talk about the bead work on my gown. I fear that when he asks me about the landing gear and brakes I don't spill off our menu. Did I mention that Dr. Youssef, the Rector presiding over our ceremony has only preformed 5 weddings in the last 10 years and 4 of those were for family members? I study. Today, I took my annual check ride. I got to talk about all kinds of airplane stuff like: EECs, VIAs, ECUs, PCDUs, GENs, BATTS, MDA, VDP, MAP, DH, DA, RNAV, ZFW, MGW, TOW, CG, FARs, JEPs, APUs. No one asked me about the most important aspect about my life right now, the big gig that is quickly approaching. I had to spit out limitations. Immediate action items. Procedures. The good news is that I passed. It is over. I remembered the most important thing of all when it comes to check rides, "pull up, houses get smaller. Push forward, houses get bigger". I am done for a year. I can flush all of the above acronyms. I can now focus on the most important acronym of all, losing LBs because my parents are making me wear white in October.

Three Months and Counting Down!

Some of you may not realize this, but Tad and I are getting HITCHED! We are going to be heading down the aisle three months from today and I couldn't be more excited. There is SO much to do between now and then, I have lists for the lists and will be double and triple checking everything to make sure everything is in order - but not until next Thursday. I am not allowing myself to obsess over our "big gig" until after my checkride (oral and practical flight tests) is over next Wednesday. So until then, good-bye blogging buddies. I have some cramming to do.

Everything Happens In Threes - Even Good Stuff!

Fortunately, after returning from vacation, I had a few days to "get 'er done!" - as our dear friend Paul would say. That being said, three significant things happened in the planning world of our wedding.

1) Our contract with the hotel (Ritz-Carlton downtown Atlanta) has been finalized and our guests can now book rooms effective immediately at a rate of $149/night for a standard room or $209/night for club level. That can be accomplished either via the Internet at:

www.ritzcarlton.com/atlanta

then imputing PHWPHWA in the group code or by calling 1-800-542-8680 and citing the Petrick/Hutcheson Wedding

Rooms are guaranteed for Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24 but the Ritz Carlton has assured me that those who may need the rooms earlier will be accommodated at the group rate for the duration of their stay.

2) TIFFANY CALLED! Tad's ring is IN! Wow. We can go pick it up at any time.

3) Our invitations have been printed and are in my grubby hands. They are even more beautiful than the proofs eluded they would be. I love, love, love them! Our printer (the greatest EVER) is going to address all of the envelopes for us, which will not only make them look beautiful but saves my poor mother from massive hand cramping. YEAH!

You Are Invited But You May Not Bring A Guest

We have returned from an amazing week in Saint Maarten. That is what the Dutch call the Island. We were on the French side, known as Saint Martin. In either case, we have returned. We had a wonderful time, caught a lot of sun, had amazing food, great massages and even found some time to do a little shopping. The only thing we didn't do is worry about the "big gig" that is sneaking up on us.

When we returned, we hunkered down and made some serious progress on our guest list. As I have said before, we can sit 180 for dinner. Sounds like a lot, doesn't it? You aren't marrying Tad Hutcheson. I was so afraid that I would only be able to invite my parents. After sitting down and having an "A-HA!!" moment, I realized I could also invite my wedding party, who assumed they would be invited for dinner. I even have space for some of my friends! And some of my parents friends! WOOT! 180 sure does add up quickly. That being said, after triple checking our list I made a command decision. For those singletons being invited who are not seriously involved with another person, I have decided that we are not going to do "and guest" invitations. It enables us to include more of our friends and maybe those friends will make some new ones! Everyone wins!

This is the most difficult task either one of us has ever undertaken. But it is mostly done and now we can put it behind us....

A Whole Lot Of Progress!

I was never a list maker by nature until I got engaged. Now, I have lists for the lists I have made. I find this to be a kin to holding a sister down. There is always a list that needs to be attended to. Just when I think I have made a little headway, someone either brilliantly gives me advice or an idea that is worthy of a list or I see something along the way that conjures "Add THAT to the list". Frustrating even to myself.

Tad has noticed the change in his once happy go lucky, free spirited girlfriend who has become maniacal over having the perfect wedding. This is evidenced by the numerous lists in both his home and mine. He suggested hiring a wedding coordinator. He went so far as to interview a couple of them for me. I added that to the list of things to consider.

We decided that we needed to get away from hectic offices, busy flight schedules and lists so we are off tomorrow to have a week away from everything. In the mean time, I took full advantage of all day light hours today tackling lists. Some of the items accomplished included:

1) securing a block rate of rooms for our guests. We scored BIG TIME. Ritz-Carlton, downtown Atlanta has offered us rooms at a rate of $149/night or $209/night for Club Level. Contract signed and placed in the mail.

2) Invitations and wording finally chosen. Once the proof of the RSVP card (ha!) is shared, invitations will be printed.

3) Photographer contract signed. Erika is amazing!

4) Cake deposit placed and contract signed. Our cake guy is the most talented baker I have ever seen and I know that our guests will be blown away by his creations.

5) I begged (well, okay only had to ask nicely) for my mom to come for a weekend. She jumped at the chance and I SO look forward to her coming to share in the "joy" of planning our wedding.

6) We secured our wedding coordinator. WHEW! Tad was right (score one for groom) he found Liz and I just adore her. She reminds me a lot of me. Well, at least in the way that we both have blonde hair. She is smart, organized, detail oriented and really fun. I am so glad that we decided to have her coordinate all things lapis and apple on October 24.

Now, we are getting away from all this. Lists included. However, I DO plan to have the MOST IMPORTANT list done by the time we return. That is is our GUEST LIST. Daunting. Limiting. Ugly. Probably a lot of cigars smoked and wine drunk during this list making. Everyone tells me it is the hardest part. I agree. If you happen to see larges plumes of smoke emerging from the Caribbean, please send for help. That means I have drown and Tad has smoked himself out finishing our most important list of all, who we get to invite........

If Madea Only Knew

Last month, my Dad came to visit for a long weekend. We had a blast! We were on the go constantly, yet made sure to introduce Dad to all things Atlanta. Some of those things included: Hot dogs at the Varsity, The Georgia Aquarium, and an introduction to Tyler Perry's films. We didn't have time to actually watch a movie, because we were generally running from one place to another to eat or better yet, have a cigar. However, Tad made mention to my dad about his love for Tyler Perry's films and lent him a couple for his trip home. Tonight, while checking in with my parents, my Dad had a ROARING laugh telling us about watching a Tyler Perry screen play. Apparently, a new fan has developed. I don't even think that he minds the fact that his air conditioner at home went kaput. All he needs is a little Madea and life is cool...........

Don't Just Stand There, Lets Get to It - STRIKE A POSE!

This weekend was incredibly productive with regard to the Petrick/Hutcheson wedding details. In addition to getting registered for gifts, we had engagement photos taken! Our dear friends Jared and Brandy Kirschner gave us a photo shoot with a friend of theirs as an engagement gift. I met with Erika, the photographer about a week ago and was instantly impressed. Not only were her photos amazing, she is a very cool person and PROMPT! Nothing impresses me more than someone who is on-time. We had our photo shoot scheduled for 530 pm and it was STILL 95 degrees outside. We had the best of intention to shoot some photos inside Tad's condo and then move down into Centennial Olympic Park for even more. We were lucky to get out on the balcony with the intense heat. She showed us what she had and we were blown away. Erika is AMAZING. After we were done, we rewarded ourselves (and her!) with a glass of wine and chatted. We felt like we had know her forever! We liked her so much we booked her to shoot the most important day of our lives. We are so excited! We are going to have the most beautiful wedding photos - provided she can photo shop 80 pounds off of me. Off to the gym!

THANK YOU JARED AND BRANDY and most importantly, THANK YOU ERIKA!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Its Off To Register We Go!

Tad and I (okay, I) had a fully planned weekend of wedding stuff. We had gone round and round about whether or not to register for gifts. Initially, we were both of the opinion not to, but after much convincing from both family and friends, we decided to lock ourselves in Lenox Mall to take a stab at it. First things first, we popped into PRIME and fueled for our adventures. Tad indulged in a cheeseburger, I had some raw fish and off we went.....

Recharged and ready to shop!


We decided that our first stop would be Macys. It is convenient for everyone and has LOTS in the line of STUFF. We headed to the registry department and were instructed on how to go about registering by a woman named Watrina. She armed us with a scanner and gave us a lovely gift - a tote bag filled with lots of heavy stuff. Since she thrust the bag at me, I felt obliged to carry it along with my over sized purse. We asked her to take a photo and that is where it all went awry. It all happened so quickly, it is really hard to say how it all truly went down, but I vaguely remember turning for a photo and hearing a thunderous crash.

Oh, no - did what I think happen - happen?!

My newly acquired tote bag took out some lovely Lenox stemware. Watrina was unfazed. She reassured us that they had "lots more" in the back and she would take care of it. Off we went, armed with a scanner and a clip-board.

Registering is surprisingly fun. Choosing stuff is an interesting study in interpersonal relationships. Really, the only in-depth conversation Tad and I had revolved around cookware. Why All Clad instead of Calphalon? Because I will likely be doing most of the cooking and I like it. After a lengthy discussion, we chose All Clad.

Registering is surprisingly exhausting. There is SO much to ask for. Kitchen ware, appliances, table top, stemware, silverware, linens, china, crystal, silver - the list goes on and on.

Tad rests after carefully choosing sheets.

Once we completed our registry at Macy's we decided to tackle Crate and Barrel. By that time, we may have been scanner happy. They have SO much cool stuff! Once it all gets posted on line (in the next 48 hours), we are going to have to go back and do some serious editing. But, not before we go to Neiman Marcus to scan our hearts out in the table linen department...........

The Honour of Your Presence is Requested

We have chosen our invitations! An easy task you might think, but quite an undertaking for the two of us! We have written our own invitation without the use of anything as a guide. Tad takes dictation well. I think that if he were to ever decide on a career change, he might be able to make a go of it with short hand, a skill that has gone by the way side in the Internet age. We are currently waiting for proofs to come back from the printer. Hopefully by then, we can decide what we want to refer to our parents as. Both of our mothers have "nick-names". My dad is easy, he is Big John. For the sake of formality, we are eliminating the use of "Big". We ARE using french spelling. Honour. Maybe we are Canadian. French Canadian? Whatever. Now comes the most difficult task of all, our guest list. Wow. 180 adds up fast. I don't envy anyone who has gone through this before me and am honored (honoured) to have been included in so many weddings in years past.

Most importantly, we have ordered our reply cards. Bride still wins! - BUT, the favor (favour) of a reply is still requested.

My Fair Maidens

This weekend, my Matron on Honor, Amanda was in town for another friends wedding. While she was still in wedding mode, I took full advantage. I made an appointment at David's Bridal for she and another brides-maid/dear friend Laura to go try on dresses. From the get-go, I decided that my gals would wear two piece dresses. I had the tops and bottoms chosen. My dad made a few changes. For instance, he insisted on the girls wearing long skirts. The tops passed. I gathered the gals and we made a pilgimage OTP (outside the perimeter for those of you not from the ATL). While driving, I had an epiphany. Maybe they should all just wear different tops. When I was trying on wedding gowns, I relized that what I thought would work best for me, didn't. Being good sports, they tried on every piece I asked. Then, I realized it. They look GREAT in everything. Normally, I would find this irritating. Maybe even obnoxious. Now, I am thrilled. My girls are going to steal the show!