Welcome to the world of grown-ups... and downs

planning a wedding should be fun, but you are 1732km far away, have a full-time work full of new projects, need read financial reports and news that you only partially understand to cheer up/reassure your dad who has got several euros invested in Lehman Brothers, and need to watch out what you buy for lunch because you are broke and need to save, planning a wedding becomes an abstract prospect. in this economic climate, am i really allowed to try on all those wonderful gowns, choose pretty party favours and plan my honey moon??? despite all of this up and downs and my mood swings, i feel rather serene because i have a soft rock next to me and my parents seem rather collaborative. [i need to open a whole post about my mum's bizarre reaction.]

maybe lehman crack, which paradoxically coincided with the setting of the wedding date ,is an ill-omened sign or, more optimistically, a memento of humility... so, we chose the date, i was saying: 13 June 09, which will also be Loftino's grandma's 85th birthday. we also chose the venue: Borgo Lanciano, without having seen it live yet (!). to make the whole experience more spiritual, in october we are starting a 10-week pre-wedding *course* (it's not a course but can't find a better word - my writing is a bit rusty) with Padre Carmelo, priest of the Italian Church in London. on the more frivolous side, on 30th september i have an appointment with the glamorous Browns Bride, on 1st october with Alice Temperley and on 2nd with the sought-after Jenny Packham to try on some gowns which will remind me that it is all real! in other news:

• she will be my photographer.
• my wedding band will be my grandma Lina's resized ring and Loftino will have my grandpa's ring.
• i shall have three bridesmaids and a bride of honour and two witnesses, all girls. i would have loved to have also two adorable flower girls but they are too far to fly over... : (
• we have already drafted the text for the invitations, which we hope to send out soon after Xmas or thereabouts, completely ignoring the etiquette.
• i have some ideas for the invites and party favours, but nothing has been firmed up...

deciding on the list of guests and musicians (if any) will be the hardest pre-wedding tasks. we are still unsure about speeches - whether to have them or not because of the bilingual situation... dilemma, dilemma. it will be sooo hard not to share my bridal fashion findings - i could inaugurate a whole blog on the subject...