Dear Bridesmaids: April Fools!

To: Bridesmaids
From: Katie
Date: Wed, Apr 1, 2015 at 9:57 PM
Subject: wedding updates: PLEASE READ ENTIRE EMAIL

Hey ladies!

We’re at 100 days away now! I can’t believe it! Now that our planning is kicking into high gear, here are a couple of quick updates for you….

1) DESSERT: Justin and I don’t care that much about having a wedding cake, so instead we were thinking about doing a sweets table. I figured if we each baked a bunch of things, we’d have enough for all the guests. I did some research online and it looks like other people have done this and said it is definitely doable if you just divide and conquer. I’m thinking each person could do a cake (rectangular is probably better), pie, cookies (maybe around 50 each?) and brownies (also 50?). You can make whatever kinds or flavors you want! I’m sure you could freeze it ahead of time, and no one would know the difference. :)

2) DECORATIONS: I got some quotes for wedding coordinators to set up all the decor, but it was way more expensive than I thought it would be. So I was thinking we could all pitch in and get her done. The good news is that there’s not that much stuff, in case I scared you haha.

  • Centerpieces — I want to keep these simple, shouldn’t take more than a few hours to set up
  • Lighting — the ceiling is pretty high, if anyone has extra tall ladders that would be helpful! Mine is only like 5 feet lol
  • Place cards — I thought it would be cool if we set it up like a family tree, time permitting. I ordered some birch tree branches from Etsy, should be arriving soon!
  • Photo booth — I have the camera, props and plywood but we would just need to (quickly) construct the booth. I found some instructions online and it looks pretty easy.
  • Signature drink — we’ll pre-mix the cocktails, alcohol and mixers are already provided. (I can’t decide on what my drink should be! Any suggestions?!)
  • Candles — The cheapest ones I found online were only sold in white, and all my other stuff is ivory. But apparently there’s an easy way to die them all to make them ivory. The venue recommended we get about 500 to line all the windows. My guess is this will just take one weekend in advance, maybe two.

Luckily, we don’t have to do everything during cocktail hour when they “flip” the room, like I originally thought. We can set up the tables and stuff in advance and they’ll hide it all in another room. They also said we can come in and get started Friday night (since we’ll be doing hair and makeup Saturday morning, but more on that in a bit). Obviously I’ll have to be at the rehearsal dinner, but if you guys could slip out early after the actual rehearsal and get started on the decor, that would be great.

3) HAIR AND MAKE-UP: I got some quotes but in order to check their availability we have to figure out how many girls are interested. I promise it won’t be more than $200 each for both hair and makeup. Since we’ve got about three months left, I’d say make sure you don’t get any more haircuts. I plan to get another perm and I thought it would so cute if we all got them and did it together! They said with the spa, it would be no extra charge!!! Oh yeah, there’s a spa around the corner from the hotel offering massages and other “luxury services” the day before the wedding for $300 each. It would be so relaxing!!!

4) SCHEDULE: I haven’t figured out the whole day yet, but the morning is pretty nailed down:

5:30 am — bridesmaids arrive at hotel (shower beforehand)
5:35 am — wake up Katie
5:38 am — get Katie’s coffee (don’t forget the sugar-free vanilla!)
5:45 am — morning yoga/meditation! (everyone, no talking)
6:00 am — Katie showers while bridesmaids make low-cal, low-fat breakfast
6:20 am — Katie eats breakfast; bridesmaids steam dresses
6:30 am — Bridesmaids prep hair
6:35 am — one bridesmaid must get newspaper (Emily? Amanda?)
6:40 am — one bridesmaid lets in hairdresser (Kristine? Kelly?)
6:43 am — “getting ready” playlist begins (note: this is not the same as the limo playlist)
6:47 am — perm time!!!!
7:30 am — tip hairdresser (Diane? Caitlin?)
7:35 am — potty break (Lisa? Yeah, Lisa)
7:40 am — Katie takes nap; bridesmaids finish centerpieces
2:45 pm — wake up Katie
2:50 pm — Make low-cal, low-fat lunch (Kristen? Colleen?)
3:00 pm — Start make-up (everyone, no talking)

That’s about all I got for now. This is gonna be SO fun!!!! I CAN’T WAIT!!!!!

-Katie

Oh wait, I forgot one more thing…. april fools! :)