The Dress is Here!

I spoke with the bridal store this morning and my dress was delivered via FedEx while we were on the phone! Yippee! The fitting will happen tomorrow. I've been wearing my wedding shoes around the house to get used to walking in them. I typically don't wear a very high heel so these, for me, are pretty high. They're absolutely fricken fantastic though and they are PERFECT with the dress, so yes -- I will be sacrificing comfort for beauty. And I'll make sure the photographer gets pictures of them!

Finalizing Things

So we're 28 days out. Ahhh! Actually, pretty much everything is taken care of. This is so low key, I love it! Somehow, it hasn't stopped me from stressing out about things though. I think I just have a lot on my plate. The good news is that we just have a few more things to take care of to ensure that the wedding really will happen. Ha! Those things include:

1. My dress fitting. This is scheduled for Wednesday 9/30. I don't think it is going to be a huge deal since the dress they ordered was exactly my measurements (aka it was meant to be). Aside from the hemline and the bustle, I don't think there will be much to do. That's a good thing since the alterations lady will only have a couple weeks to do it!

I also stopped by the dress shop and spoke with the girl there about the care of the dress. She confirmed what I was thinking...because of the fabric type, it will be fairly easy to transport and de-wrinkle when I get to HI. She said that a travel steamer is probably all that I will need to get the wrinkles out. I'll look for one at Target this week that I can pack in my luggage.

2. The other major thing we have to do is confirm the status of our paperwork with the Catholic diocese in HI. They required us to jump through some extra hoops (above and beyond what the diocese here in Indy requires). To our knowledge, the paperwork was sent out last week. I'm leaving it in Dave's charge to make sure that this is taken care of and that they have everything that they require.

Aside from those two things, everything else is pretty much handled. We decided on Jameson's by The Sea in Kona for our wedding night dinner and the Kona Brewing Company for our rehearsal dinner location. The only thing we're working on right now is figuring out some activities for everyone to participate in.

Deep breath...28 days and counting.

Gettin' Down To Crunch Time

I am feeling as though its getting down to crunch time with the wedding. We're 44 days out. I have a few things left to finish up and it is my intention to have those completed this week. I really am looking forward to relaxing on the beach for a couple weeks. :)

Gifts & Things

As some of you may already know, Dave and I started dating in December of 2001. We built a house in 2003 and have many of the basic things that we need -- things that are traditionally purchased as gifts for the bride & groom. We have hmmd and hawed about having a gift registry as we feel that we don't need a lot more "stuff." We also didn't want friends and family members to feel obligated to buy us a gift. However, we understand that some people really do want to send gifts and so we've registered at a couple of places and also have a couple creative alternatives to the traditional wedding gifts.

The first are gift registries. If you wish to purchase a gift, we are registered at the following stores:

- The Home Depot (in-store only)
- Target (in-store or online)

The second option is a donation to charities we support. Please consider this as a viable option in lieu of a gift as we believe whole-heartedly in the below charities. You can send tax-deductible donations directly to these charities with our names (Dave & Amy Latka) on the memorandum line.

Friends of Ferdinand, Inc.
PO Box 1784
Indianapolis, IN 46206
http://www.friendsofferdinand.org/

Friends of Ferdinand, Inc. is a non-profit equine rescue organization that rescues, rehabs and rehomes Thoroughbreds off the track who are in danger of an untimely ending. Donations can be made online through their website or by sending in a check.

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Hope Insitute of Uganda
3822 Buckingham Drive
Janesville, WI 53546
http://www.jinjaproject.com/

The Hope Institute of Uganda is a non-profit organization that conducts medical mission to St. Francis Hospital in Buluba, Uganda (a country in eastern Africa). This organization is based in Janesville, WI - home town of both David & Amy. Donations can be made online through their website or by sending in a check.