We are about to enter the Crunch Zone, my friends. Tomorrow marks just 10 days until we fly to New Jersey and two weeks until the wedding.
Most of the major stuff is done. I know I keep saying this but as the day gets closer, it becomes all about the minutiae. Like picking out a shirt and tie (which Georges still needs to do), nailing down the final details with the caterer (that one's on MY list), and of course the most critically important thing of all: wondering if I should phone the drug store where I used to work to ask the cosmetics lady if she can get me a fresh bottle of a particular shade of nail polish, because the one I've got is perfect but it's nearly empty and drying up.
Hey, this stuff matters, you know.
As much as I've tried to get everything ready in advance (I only just NOW got off the phone with the limo company that will be picking us up at the airport -- AND I just realized we didn't book the airport shuttle to get us to CDG and back again here in Paris. [sigh]), there are some things we can't do anything about until we get to New Jersey. The day we fly in will be just introducing Georges and his daughter to my family, and letting everyone get acquainted (and trying to get on NJ time). The next day, first thing is to pick up our rental car and go to apply for the marriage license. NJ has a 72-hour waiting period so in order to get the license on Friday (as the town clerk's office is closed Saturdays) we need to get it done on Tuesday without fail. After that, I think it's off to a particular snooty upscale shopping mall where I will buy the right bra to go with my dress, and Georges et Fille will be able to roam around and see how rich people shop in America (note: I am not one of the "rich people" but this mall has the nearest Nordstrom's, and they're wonderful for bra shopping you are of certain, um, proportions.) Maybe we'll even find some summer sales to take advantage of.
After that, I'm hoping to stop by my best friend's house that evening, to get smothered in hugs and introduce everyone. If I can have Georges et Fille meet at least a few people prior to the wedding, they'll be much more comfortable because it won't be all strangers on "my side" for them. Speaking of how every guest except Georges' lovely girl is going to be from my side, we are hoping to use Skype to allow a few family members in France to watch the wedding LIVE, since they can't join us for the real thing. The sound and picture quality probably won't be great, but it's better than not seeing it at all. And I'm trying to wrangle one of my guests to bring a digital camcorder, if someone has one, or maybe we can rent one if not.
We'll probably have a day to go into New York City and just be tourists for a day with no worries. I'll have to confirm things with the caterer and florist one last time, and maybe reconfirm with the B&B for the wedding night just to be safe, and we'll have to go to the liquor store to pick up the wine, champagne and beer (thank goodness the caterer supplies all the ice). I asked my sister to find a cleaning service to come the day before so we won't have a lot to do to get the house ready (I don't want any of us to be exhausted by this thing, I want it to be just sheer joy all the way around).
I keep thinking there is something I've missed, something I should have planned for in advance but I'm overlooking it. I hope that's not the case. Mainly it will be while I'm packing for the trip that I'll be getting REALLY crazy (and taking the rest of the family to Crazy-town with me), and I'll be all like "Where are the rings? Do we all have our passports? Tickets? All our documentation for licenses and the French consulate? The dress and the suit? Shoes? Jewelry? What are we forgetting?" (Imagine that last one in a very shrill, panicky voice.) I can be very, uh, shall we say (kindly) FOCUSED AND DIRECTED when I'm packing for a trip, and this is the most important trip of our lives, crossing an ocean to get married. I can't promise Georges that I won't be kind of freaking out a bit, especially when he comes back the day before from taking the Little Guy to the South, because I will have had two days alone to work myself up into a frenzy about the packing. He may meet the "Other Lisa"... the one who makes only a rare personal appearance under extreme duress, but isn't always so sweet when she is on a tight schedule and needs the people around her to cooperate and to JUST DO IT ALREADY, YOU'RE MAKING ME CRAZY AND I DON'T LIKE IT!
If he still wants to marry me after meeting THAT girl? Well then, I guess that's just one more reason why I definitely ought to marry HIM.
