In 2006 I was 22 years old dresses to wear to a wedding cheap ball gown wedding dresses , in my second year at NYU and working the early shift (6 AM!) at a fancy bakery in a skyscraper in midtown
Manhattan. So naturally, I was hungover. On this typical day that would change my life, I grabbed a cup of coffee to help ease my
headache, and as I slid down the wall to sit on my ten-minute break my coffee spilled out landing all over the floor and covering my pale
green J Crew uniform shirt in dark brown splotches. As I muttered obscenities to myself, a busser from the cafeside of the bakery entered
the break room with a cart full of dirty dishes.
When he saw this pathetic, stained, mumbling girl crouched on the floor, he quickly grabbed some paper towels, and started wiping the
pool of coffee that had collected by my legs. When he was done, he handed me a couple additional napkins and sheepishly added: "you look
like you could use some extra. "I laughed and nodded and we began talking. We talked about running, travel (I had just returned from two
different study abroad programs; he had only been on a plane once), and food. Soon my break was over, and he had lingered too long in the
break room on shift. We both went back to work.
When I went back to the counter prom girl dresses , I told my friend and co-worker Gwen that I had a new boyfriend. When she asked who it was, I nodded
towards him and said, "that guy!"Gwen told me that his name was Krys and she made it her mission to get us together.
1 She began telling people that "someone"at work had a crush on Krys and soon the whole bakery was gossiping about who the "someone"could be.
Krys and I officially met at a housewarming party I threw the next week. I had just had my last final of the semester and began
celebrating that afternoon with a bottle of champagne and lunch with a friend. By the time Krys showed up at the party late that night, I
was far from sober. As he tells the story, I sauntered over to him in a slinky dress and told him that I was the one that had a crush on
him. Terrified, he told me that he felt like I was just looking for a fling and that he was not interested in something like that.
Nevertheless, we talked all night and he walked out with my phone number.
For the next week, Krys would call me every night and we would talk for hours. However, any time I tried to make an actual date, he would
cancel at the last minute. Finally, I gave him an ultimatum: meet me at 8:00 on Friday night at the Angelica Theater or I will stop
trying. He met me (10 terrifying minutes late) and we had a first date that lasted eight hours. And he has never tried to stand me up
since.
For the next five-and-a-half years Krys and I spent our free time biking, cooking, traveling (including trips to Costa Rica, Barcelona,
and Montreal) and enjoying life in New York and then in Los Angeles. Krys finished school and began work as an engineer at a solar energy
company. I am (almost!) done with law school and will soon start working in the intellectual property division of a law firm in downtown
Los Angeles.
Then, on Sunday, January 22nd I went to Disneyland with a couple of friends. Krys decided to sit out the trip so he could "catch up on
his reading. "After a picnic on Tom Sawyer s Island and at least two trips to Space Mountain, I headed home so I could be back in time for
a nice Sunday dinner.
When I pulled up to the apartment, Krys was standing at the front door all dressed up. He took the keys from me and drove us to Osteria
La Buca, a fantastic Italian restaurant we love. Over the next two hours as we ate four courses and enjoyed a delightful bottle of wine I
became suspicious as Krys got increasingly nervous.
After the plates were wiped clean and the bottle emptied, we got back in the car. I thought we were headed home until Krys drove past our
house and up to Griffith Observatory. It was 9:45 on a beautiful night and we gazed at the stars and talked about the five-and-a-half
years we had spent together. After unsuccessfully looking for a secluded spot, Krys got down on one knee and asked for my "hand in
marriage. "I said yes (duh!).
Although the proposal happened only a month ago, I have done a lot. Because I am taking the bar in late July and am scheduled to start
work as early as September, an August wedding was a no-brainer; that left us with only about six months to plan an entire wedding.
Fortunately, I specialize in crazy last-minute planning and in just one month we have secured a location, photographer, and a dress.
We've even done our engagement shots and used them for our save the dates (which are in the mail!).
As for our wedding, Krys and I just want a rockin'party. He and I both have family and friends all over the country, and we hardly ever
get to see them all. Our wedding will be the one time in our lives we will have so many of our friends and family all together at once,
so we want to make sure that everyone can just hang out all together and have a great time. We have aimed for a, perhaps impossible, low
budget but have been really surprised how flexible vendors are willing to be. For example, our photographer normally charges about $5, 000
for eight hours of wedding photography and a three-hour engagement shoot. However, when we told him our budget was half that, he offered
to still do the wedding and engagement shoots, but just reduce the number of hours. This way we were still able to book a fantastic
photographer and stay in budget!Similarly, caterers have offered tons of wonderful suggestions for providing delicious food on a budget,
including doing a drop-off service, or having selected food stations in lieu of a big meal.
The one big, exciting, different thing we are doing is entertainment. I am a huge fan of musical theater, and Krys has spent the past six
years being dragged to every piano bar in New York and Los Angeles. Luckily for me, he has grown to if not love all the music, at least
love the performers. Two of our friends are amazing tribute artists who do the most brilliant Judy Garland and Bea Arthur impersonations
I have ever seen. So, how could we not have them perform at our wedding? It will be interesting to see how our families respond (But,
seriously, they are so phenomenal it would be impossible not to love them).
The next five months will be a whirlwind, and will surely involve a few too many glasses of wine, bars of chocolate and frantic calls to
my mom. But, at the end of all of it, I know Krys and I will have one of the most amazing and important days of our lives. (And
presents!) Stay tuned for venting, bragging, panicking, and (let's be honest) sleep writing!