12 Weeks...

63 Guests booked & confirmed out of the "Expected" 88.

Wow, pretty great!

OMG, THIS DRESS

If I didn't already have a dress that I love, I would be hunting the streets for this beauty right here. This is probably only the second dress ever to make my heart skip and my jaw drop. I don't have the height for this thing, but in my head--I would have rocked it just the same...



Its by Cymbeline Paris and I bet its $$$$

Groomswear

I'm Divo Groom. Kate's real chill about her dress and I'm sure the final outcome will look awesome. The fit, the shoes, the accessories, the head piece, the makeup, the hair. Well, as a dude, it is my duty to rock dope shoes, have cool hair and a nice suit. Basic components. Easier said than done, right? It has to fit. Tall. Lean. Not circa 1996 Nsync white suit status, which is basically like a Banana Republic Small for me. So, I will freak out if my suit fits too tight or too loose. Zara and H&M's Slim Fit hug me well. But I have to land a lucky strike to find an outfit I love. So I'm having a custom joint made, after I shop for eczema-friendly fabric.

Then there's my groomsmen. They better be handsome. I'm not one for over matching, but their stuff better fit nicely. Grey suit. Nice shoes. Slim, teal ties. Basic components of a nice outfit but the toughest part of this whole deal is the execution.

And we're 153 days away and two of my dudes are across the nation.

The Guest-list

The guest-list is more than halfway there. There was a sudden dip in prices on Hawaiian Air and the lucky-un-booked were able to snag roundtrips for $330 (and are not on redeyes like the rest of us who paid $450). I can't complain, I'm glad we got on everyone's ass to book early, by now we're only waiting for a few more "guarantees" and the party will be set.

According to my "Booked" and "Expected" lists, the head count is already at 69. That doesn't even include the "Still Likely" which is another 18 heads, topping off the total list to 87. Not bad for our first estimate, when we first went "destination-wedding" we expected between 75-100 people.

We only have exact seating for 78. If 87 show up... I'm axing all the underage kids and taking them out of the canopies and sitting them underneath the stars, al-fresco. Haha. Also, I'm trying to be optimistic and realistic at the same time, and I think our count will come down to 76 in the end. SO... we will see.

Fashionisto

If most of you didn't realize just how fashion-forward Jeff is, get this, we are custom creating his clothes at a tailor. He's getting a bow-tie, vest, and pair of slacks. The custom tailoring is to ensure the fact that the clothes will fit exactly how the man wants, which is a super slim fit. The inspiration came from a suit from Jcrew. Surprisingly the custom tailoring will be just as cost-effective as if we were buying his clothes ready-to-wear, the cost of labor+materials is comparable.

Acoustic

Jeff and I have decided to hire a acoustic guitarist for our ceremony. Although I will probably not be able to hear/focus on what is going around me at the time of our wedding ceremony, it would be nice to have a soundtrack. So far we've gathered just a few must-have songs.

"Close To You," by the Carpenters is one of my favorites. I have an old soul when it comes to music, and I manage to muster up the courage to sing this to Jeff whenever Karaoke is in the mix.

Me + Dad / Jeff + FMIL = Journey's "Faithfully"

I will not dance to "Butterfly Kisses," I always thought I'd do the Father/Daughter dance to Luther Vandross' "Dance with my Father," but its actually really really sad, and its so intense that I will probably cry. I've been on a search for a good song to accommodate both a Father/Daughter & Mother/Son and I've been scouring old power ballads for the perfect song, we are so NOT conventional. Luckily we all love Journey and "Faithfully" is not too romantic.

Faithfully - Journey & Arnel Pineda