always a bridesmaid...

Months before we were even engaged, my roommate Jamie and I were discussing our potential bridal party members. We sat down in Subway and made lists for each other. Jamie's number was slightly above average, but not by much. Mine, on the other hand, made Jamie almost spit out her Diet Coke. I had thirteen girls. Plus two junior bridesmaids.

Jamie pointed out that if Gianfranco were able to match me in numbers (doubtful) then there would be approximately 30 people standing by the altar (ridiculous). So as I got closer to my engagement, I sat down and really started reassessing my list. I loved all of my friends but I had to look at the bridal party as a whole and really think about how convenient it would be for each member. Some girls lived far away while others had lots of extracirricular activities going on. And not that I was afraid my Bridezilla demands would be too much to handle, I just didn't want to put any extra burdens on the other bridesmaids.

In the end, I was able to bring it down to 8 bridesmaids and 2 juniors. While still a little more than most brides have, it was way more reasonable. But lately, my engaged friends and I have been looking at our bridal party wistfully, hoping we didn't offend the friends we love but couldn't include. So, it makes me wonder, in a Carrie-esque way:

When it comes to your bridesmaids, just how many is too many?

According to The Knot, tradition uses the guest list size to determine how many attendants would be appropriate. I've heard of having one bridesmaid for every 50 guests. So, if you were having around 200 guests, you would have anywhere between 4-6 girls. For a smaller wedding, you would have fewer.

But I'm not really caring about tradition or what looks good or bad in pictures. I'm not thinking about how much each bridesmaid costs the bride. In my opinion, you should include the girls with whom you are the closest, whether this number is 2 or 20. And while most people would argue that having 20 bridesmaids can create a circus, I'd have to disagree!

Overall, I think it's the type not the number of bridesmaids you have. You could have only two bridesmaids and they can either fight with each other so much that nothing gets done or be nonchalant about the whole thing and nothing gets done. I chose the 8 girls in my bridal party because in the end, I think their personalities fit the best. I have some with "take charge" attitudes and some with "follow the leader" mentalities. And even though 8 sounds like a lot, I think they will be able to work well together, which is extremely important.

As for the other girls I had originally wanted, I decided to honor them in other ways. I wanted them to still feel part of my wedding so I'm having them help with creating my overnight baskets, my DIY projects, handing out the programs at the church, bringing up the gifts during the ceremony, and coordinating with the vendors on the actual wedding day. Just because they aren't wearing a bridesmaid dress doesn't mean they aren't special enough to be involved in the planning process.

So what do you think? Am I as crazy as Gianfranco thinks I am for having 8 girls in my bridal party? What are the pros and cons of having a large party? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

t minus 17 months

I've returned from Italy! It was gorgeous and Gianfranco's family was wonderful! And now, after two weeks of pasta, afternoon naps and gelato, I am looking forward to the crazy days ahead. With four weddings and a bridal shower over the next two months, Gianfranco will have no other choice but to think about wedding festivities which means I get to do some more planning!

When I finally checked my inbox after the trip, I found an email from The Knot reminding me that I had 17 months to go until my wedding. Seventeen months. I know it sounds like an eternity to most of you but having started my planning at 23 months, I am amazed at how quickly the time has gone. What once began as a pretty long engagement has now become the average length, according to this 2007 Bridal Association of America's Wedding Report.

I probably would no longer feel embarrassed telling people my wedding date except there are plenty out there who forget that we are almost in 2010 and January is the beginning of 2011. Believe it or not, 2011 is not that far away! And with FSIL Nancy's wedding at the end of October and with the holidays consuming most of November and all of December, that means January 2010 will be here before I know it. Then I'll be down to a year.

Yes, I know, I'm rushing past the next four months but I think for once, they will also be rushing past me. As one of Nancy's bridesmaids, I've been quite involved in her wedding planning and will be extremely busy helping her get ready for the big day.

So, what's up next, you ask? Here's my agenda:

• Check out limos
• Check out florists
• Finish planning Nancy's shower
• Create Nancy's ceremony programs

Since I don't want Nancy to know anything about her shower, I'll try to blog as abstractly as possible. Once it's over, I'll be able to give more details of how the whole planning process went.

So don't worry; I am back and ready to plan! Stay tuned!

disco d.i.y.

Lyn and I were on a mission to do something different for our mother's party. We just had my engagement dinner in June so we didn't want to have another sit down dinner at a restaurant. MZ was born in 1959 and was in her prime during the disco craze of the 70s. All of a sudden, we thought of two words. Disco. Party. My main concern, however, was knowing how to plan a party like this without the expertise of Momzilla. She's fantastic at organizing events and without her guidance, I was scared everything would fall apart!

To get things started, we ordered her invitations from Tickled Pink Design, the same place from which I ordered my engagement invitations. Let me tell you, I simply LOVE this company. They are not only affordable but extremely professional. The invitations came out adorable! I highly recommend them.

Now to keep costs down (we knew Momzilla would want it that way!), we decided to do a couple of things ourselves. We made our own disco ball out of a styrofoam ball and old CDs and our own lollipop favors out of different colored chocolates. Both were a huge hit at the party!

To make the party a little more sentimental we created a big 5-0 out of old pictures as well as a sweet photo montage of Mom through the years. I think the guests really enjoyed seeing themselves on the big screen!

My favorite point of the party was at the end when I started taking pictures of everyone in the 70s Afro wig we brought for my mother. I don't want to embarrass too many people so I'll only show my parents in it. Lookin' groovy, Mom & Dad!

Overall, it was a fun night. Mom was surprised and my sister and I managed to pull off our first event without MZ's help! Many thanks to all the friends and family who helped us prepare for the night, especially Best Man Frank and Groomsman Rob - who kept the disco tunes pumping! He's available for all types of events too so check out his website and tell him I sent you!

Now that Mom's party is over, I can focus on the next event - future sister-in-law Nancy's bridal shower! Stay tuned!

wedding guests tell all

Sorry I've been a little MIA lately. Momzilla turned 50 in June and my sister and I planned a surprise party for her this weekend. We spent the last few weeks working on a bunch of fun things to make the party extra special and I'll try my hardest to post some pictures this week.

In the meantime, check out this funny article that was passed on to me (thanks, Deena!) that I thought brides and wedding guests alike would enjoy...