The master plan

After a few weeks of talking, reflecting, and budgeting, here's what we've got so far:

The date. Saturday, September 12, 2009. Tentatively.

The ceremony. It will be short and sweet, a celebration of our love and exchange of vows. Sarah wants to hire an officiant, which I'm fine with but have no idea where to look. Neither of us identifies with any particular religious tradition. We will adapt from traditional wedding vows or write our own.

The location. Galveston, Texas. Close enough to Sarah's family, far enough away from Houston.

The invitations. We're mailing paper invites as soon as we're sure of the date. Score one for tradition! We'll probably design and/or print our own, though.

The guest list. Family and close friends who are able to make the trip. Right now the number's hovering around 30.

The bachelor party. The less Michi knows, the better.

Pre-wedding activities. Dallasites, y'all gotta check out the new Moody Gardens aquarium in Galveston. As good as, if not better than the Dallas World Aquarium we're so proud of up here. I'm thinking about buying a block of tickets to keep everyone occupied before the ceremony.

Lodging. I can probably get a nice discount on the new Marriott Springhill Suites that just opened on the island.

The reception. Cake, drinks, and a light buffet right after (and hopefully right next to) the ceremony.

Photographer. We really want to hire a professional but are a little shell-shocked by the price. Will keep networking and shopping around.

The food. Chef Michi is desperately trying not to go overboard (ha!) here. (Note to self: Your wedding day is not your last chance to impress your friends with food.) We're considering a nice array of cold foods including fruits, crudites, gourmet cheeses, and a catered sandwich tray of some sort.

The cake. Michi is torn between a fresh lemon and blueberry cake with candied lemons, and an elaborate almond /praline /marscapone / chocolate ganache confection. She firmly vetoed Sarah's Nintendo cake idea.

The hooch. Cold beer and punch at the reception, plus bubbly for toasting. We're holding out for a venue that lets us bring our own, instead of selling it to us at a 1000+ percent markup, which pretty much rules out every single hotel.

The decorations. We're thinking about working in an "under the sea" theme with shells and whatnot for the tables. (But not live fish in bowls, which every wedding guide I read infuriatingly recommends.)

Music. iPod, baby!

Flowers. I like all flowers. I'll pick something simple and seasonal.

The attendants. We each plan to ask one close friend to be an attendant.

The attire. Dress for Michi, tux for Sarah, black dress or suit for the attendants, evening casual for everyone else.

The dress. Beautiful cocktail or evening dress in off-white or ivory. Not a wedding dress. And yes, as a matter of fact, I do plan to wear it again.

Hair and makeup. I'm making a salon appointment. Not vain, just inept with a blowdryer. Besides, building a coiffure to withstand Galveston's heat and humidity is a task best left to the professionals.

The honeymoon! No firm plans yet, but we had so much fun on our May cruise out of Galveston, we're seriously considering doing another one on a different ship. After the ceremony, we could retire to the Harbor House hotel, and walk to the pier the next morning. How about it, eh?

The residence. The bride and bride will reside in Dallas. And rent. A friend at work asked me if we were going to buy a house after the ceremony. No, of course not--we'll be too broke from the wedding!