15 Days to Go!

Today is Friday, July 16th, 2010. The end of an exhausting week, my mom’s 45th birthday, and above all, 15 days until our wedding. I am FREAKING OUT.

It’s been a week of wedding what-have-you’s as usual. I don’t even know if I remember a time in my life where I went one day without talking about that subject.

This past Monday, I scheduled the hair and makeup appointments for me and all of my bridesmaids for the day of the wedding at the Tennessee School of Beauty. As I wrapped up that phone call, I thought, wow, the preparations are pretty much done now. That’s the last call I have to make to a vendor to schedule an appointment or service.

On Tuesday, I went to Men’s Wearhouse and did the final check of Tyson and the groomsmens’ tuxes and shirts/ties to make sure the color matched the exact shade of my dress. Walking out the door, I found myself wondering how Tyson will look in the tux, and then thinking that in barely a few weeks, it would be the last time I would ever have to wonder that.

On Wednesday, we met with the caterers, Robyn and Mike Wilson of Cox Catering, and our florist, Walta Patt of Powell Florist, and Nancy Furmaniak, the owner/event planner for our reception site, The Pavilion at Hunter Valley Farm. We went over last minute details like final head count, table set up and linens, buffet location, flower arrangements, and so many other things I’m too overwhelmed to remember. I realized as we were leaving that it was the last time I would be at Hunter Valley until I came for the wedding reception.

On Thursday, we met with my priest, Father Chris, who will be marrying us at our church in Powell, St. Albert the Great. We discussed our readings, participants in the ceremony, how we would enter, where we would stand, and the specifics of the marriage license. As we left there, it hit me again, this is the last time we will meet personally with Father Chris until we are rehearsing for the wedding in two weeks.

After that meeting, I headed to my parents’ house to meet with my good friend and seamstress, Fran Dalton. She finished up the rest of the hand-sewing, put the last touches on my dress, and pressed it. As I stood looking in the mirror at me in my dress for my last fitting, I thought to myself, I will not be putting this dress on again until the day I will marry Tyson.

And that’s when it really hit me. Two weeks. TWO WEEKS! Tyson and I are getting married in two weeks! I can’t wait! This past year has flown by. It has been exciting, stressful, full of happiness and anxiety, and now the time is finally here. It’s so hard to believe I will finally have the Last Name Patrick in such a short time.

And during this time of very emotional and chaotic epiphany, the best thing I have come to realize is that experiencing all these lasts means opening myself to a whole lifetime of brand new firsts! Like the first time Tyson sees me in my dress, all made up with perfect hair, and I see him in his tux, handsome as ever, as I know he’ll be. Or the first time Father Chris announces us as husband and wife. Or the first time we walk into that reception hall a married couple. I won’t be thinking about all those linens and table placements and the hours of thought and indecision that preceded them. I’ll be thinking about my new life. My life of firsts.

15 days is such a short period of time, but to me, right now, it seems like 15 years. I just want it to get here. I can’t wait for the excitement and hustle and bustle of that day. I can’t wait to see my family and friends. And most of all, I can’t wait to marry my soulmate and best friend.

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