15 days!

By the time you realize (and come to terms with the fact) that you're only fifteen days away from your wedding, everyone else seems to realize it, too. In the last two days alone I have received close to a dozen e-mails from our vendors, confirming details, setting up final meetings, gathering information. I LOVE that our vendors are so organized, efficient, and prompt with answering our questions! I've said it before, but seriously - work with experienced vendors! It has made wedding planning a complete breeze knowing that we will be in such good hands at the wedding.

Terry and I have tried to balance wedding with non-wedding to keep ourselves from getting: a) overwhelmed, b) stressed, c) exhausted, or d) too excited! Last week I had a Diet Coke and then couldn't sleep, so soda is out until the big day. Apparently I'm just too hyped up! So this week, we enjoyed a great dinner with Terry's family, visited the Tim Burton exhibit at LACMA, and even squeezed in a few new recipes. We're also getting into great running shape, which helps me relax, feel good, and energize as we get close to the big day. (Of course, I'm also hoping it'll help me look all pretty in my dress!)

I've mentioned before that we're down to the last few projects, but I realized I never posted about the day we got our marriage license. And it was such a fun day! However long ago, on a quick visit to Santa Barbara, Terry and I wandered through the Santa Barbara Courthouse, which is simply stunning. They host weddings all the time, and the gates around the property remind me of The Sound of Music when Maria goes through the gates to get married. So while we knew a Santa Barbara wedding would not fly, I asked my wonderful fiance if we could at least do the marriage license thing there. True to his word, Terry made sure we found a day to do it.

Getting a marriage license in California is ridiculously easy. You go online to whatever county's website, find the Clerk-Recorder's page, and fill out the online application. They ask for very little information, and they don't even require blood tests in our state. Then you show up (in our case, no appointment was necessary), hand over your ID, and pledge an oath. Did you know you have to pledge an oath? We felt a little silly, but you literally raise your right hand and read off a note card. And then you sign a few papers, pay a fee (around $85-$95, depending on the county), and get your license! One of the most frequently asked questions, according to our clerk, is, "So...are we married now?" Maybe a silly question, but obviously a common one. The officiant still has to marry you, and then he or she signs the license after the ceremony and sends it in to the courthouse. After they process the license, you can get a certified copy (again, for a fee).

After we got the license, we found a stranger to take this single picture.

One cool aspect of applying for a license is that you can change your name through the license if you so choose. I will be taking Terry's name, and I'll also change my middle name to my last name. That was a big decision for me. I really love my name, Julie Michelle, and I love that I have the same initials as my mom. But since I'll be changing my last name anyway, I like the idea of keeping Lanier connected to me. My family has a lot of history in which I've grown increasingly interested throughout the last several years, so keeping my name while still taking Terry's felt like the perfect solution. So after we get back from the honeymoon, I'll begin the process of shifting from Julie Michelle Lanier to Julie Lanier Heinrich. Yay!