"I've not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
-Thomas Edison
Edison had the right idea, y'all. This is my new mantra. I will carry it with me into my happy place whenever something dreadful happens...like when I pick the perfect park for my wedding--one that has charm and sentimental value and is very conveniently located--and Dallas Parks and Recreation evidently has only ONE person in the entire city that can reserve the park for me. And then that lady takes my reservation and tells me there won't be any problem. And then that lady doesn't return any calls for two or three more weeks.
And then that lady tells us that our wedding reservation has been canceled...in favor of a children's soccer game. (Yeah, really.) And I will continue to repeat Edison's words of optimism to myself even as I am told that she was going to tell me earlier, but she wanted to see if the principals would change their minds about the game first.
Then I will set that mantra to music and sing, hum, and whistle the dickens out of that thing in order to pacify my nerves as I make phone calls and order frequent brainstorming sessions with my fiance and wedding planner in an effort to scramble and find a new venue that suits our needs in time to have the invitations printed.
And then maybe it will set in...that indeed, I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that my carefully planned and lovingly crafted wedding ceremony will NOT work. And then I might decide that that's just too much optimism for one month, and then I'll have my melodramatic fit anyway.
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I finally have another wedding venue that's gonna work. The only thing is, it's in Oklahoma. I guess that makes this something of a hillbilly destination wedding, yeah? *shrug* While Daniel and I were furiously trying to find a Plan B for the wedding (which is now just a scant 17 days away), one of us had the idea to call the reserve where we planned our honeymoon. The manager had mentioned that they've hosted some small weddings on the property. It's a lovely area, set in the hills with the Ouachita National Forest just off to the side. Scenic highways, rustic cabins, and a beautiful creek that runs through the property are just a few of the reasons why we love this place. I'm getting excited about my wedding again.
Now, unfortunately, this does mean that we won't be able to celebrate with as many people as we had once wished (see my previous post for more on that), so we're currently planning a second wedding reception, to be held right here in Dallas. It won't be the formal to-do that accompanies the wedding day...we're currently thinking a potluck fellowship would be less of the "look at us!" kind of party and more of the "celebrate with us!" environment that we wish to create. The upside to this plan is that we will be able to host many, many more of our loved ones than we would've initially been able to invite, had we held an entire wedding here in Dallas. Check back with the blog periodically for more details on this. We're excited. :-)
Happily Ever,
~Ashley Michele~
