In these past few months, life has gone on without regard for my well-set-out wedding-planning schedule. A few unexpected things have popped up: A skylight sprang a leak and had to be repaired, and a pipe burst in our house, flooded a bedroom, and required hardwood and carpet replacement. And as long as we had to pull everything out of the bedroom, we figured we might as well paint it.

Also in the past month, my son was in a play at school and my life stopped altogether so I could attend the Dominion High School production of The Music Man. In addition to being mom of the bride, I can’t forget that I am also mom of the boy.

But enough with day-to-day stuff. What has been going on related to the wedding in these final weeks?

Tiffany with her future sisters and mother-in-law. From left: Kristin Hamilton, Tiffany, Christina Hamilton, Debbie Hamilton.

There was a shower for Tiffany last week. Our friends Barbara and Pam hosted it. Barbara had a wonderful idea for a theme: photo and frame. People came up with fantastic ideas related to the theme, such as a scrapbook, family photos of great-grandparents, books with photos, and family biographies. They were all such special and unique gifts. And Pam outdid herself with beautiful decorations and delicious food. The wedding night will pass so quickly, and there will be so many people to meet and visit with that the opportunity for ladies on both sides of the family to meet at the shower was priceless. After the shower, we had dinner for Tiffany and Mike, their siblings, parents, and grandparents—again, a great chance to bring together members of both sides of the family. It makes for that many more familiar faces for everyone at the wedding.

We settled on a florist—finally! I must admit that I was starting to get a little nervous—I had visions of making boutonnieres the morning of the wedding.

I got a dress. Okay, so I got about a dozen dresses. But I decided which one to wear and returned the rest. I have never worked with a personal shopper before, but I gave it a try for this purchase mostly because people were making fun of the dress I wanted to wear, so I thought professional help was a good idea. As it turns out, I’m going to wear one of the gowns I found with the personal shopper. Overall, it was a good experience as Lynne encouraged me to try styles that I wouldn’t otherwise have considered.

So what’s left to do?

I still need shoes. I found some that I really like, but they have sky-high heels, and I’m not sure I can walk in them. My niece, Rachel, seems to think I’ll be fine in them. The optimism (and stamina) of youth!

I have an appointment with my hairdresser, Mikala, on Saturday. I told her nearly a year ago that she needed to change my red hair to blond before the wedding. And a blonde I shall be!

Aside from hair and shoes, these are a few of the items remaining on my to-do list:

• Finish PowerPoint and photo DVD to be played at the aquarium during the reception.

• Provide the caterer with a final head count. Only a handful of invitees didn’t reply, so our count should be pretty close. And no, I’m not calling the people who haven’t replied.

• Assemble the programs.

• Put together the seating chart and place cards, which can be finished the week before the wedding.

People keep asking me what I’ll do with myself after the wedding. The truth is that Tiffany has done most of the planning. I have enjoyed the planning process but will not miss it. I’ll miss the built-in excuse to get together with Tiffany so often. But as for the planning, I’m ready to move on and have a wedding already!

Amanda, a local mother of the bride, writes occasionally about helping to plan her daughter's wedding.