People keep asking us how the wedding planning is going and it's always hard to give an answer. We did a big push back in May to get the majority of things set up so we could have a stress-free summer - and by golly, we were actually pretty successful so we haven't really had anything to do these past few months except enjoy what passes for summer in Paris.

But now that the big day is rapidly approaching, we're trying to do the same again - ie take care of the last-minute things before September so the month leading up to the wedding is also as calm as it can possibly be. Which means that these past few days, we have been running around like crazy doing wedding stuff. Things like confirming the cake, the flowers, the dinner, etc.

And speaking of the dinner...C called the restaurant on Sunday to confirm the date and the time. When they answered, they said "What? There's no way we can have a wedding dinner - we are closed, the restaurant almost burned down this summer!"

I was on the phone with someone else, and when I heard the tone of C's voice, I immediately cut the call short so I could listen in. Apparently there was a big fire that started in the kitchen and they have been closed since June for repairs and renovations. I listened as the owner's son also told C that once they reopen, prices were going up and they were going to completely change the menu and so our choices would no longer be valid.

Now as a side note, when we talked to them in May, they asked us to pick a few menu options and then have all of our guests choose what they wanted so the chef could order ahead. So that's what we did....we had all of our lovely guests choose what they wanted to eat, and now he was telling us those options were no longer valid!

I was starting to feeling slightly panicky - like "How on Earth are we going to find another restaurant a month before the wedding??", when C asked if we could come down and talk to them in person.

So that's what we did yesterday morning. It's true that the restaurant is still heavily under travaux, but you can tell they are nearing the end. And the owner, whom we know much better than the son, reassured us by saying that they have other events scheduled far before our wedding, so they would definitely be reopened by October 1. He also said they would honor our menu options (and budget) too - whew!

One crisis averted.

Then it was time to call the photographer. Who immediately said " What? I can't do any wedding photos! I'm on maternity leave!" I started feeling the panic rise again until C got a little bit stern with her - after all, we had a signed contract and everything so the least she could've done was to call us. And besides, we talked to her in May, so she should have already been several months pregnant by then. At which point we all realized that it was just a misunderstanding, and that she had thought that C was a new client calling to reserve a date.

Crisis two averted.

Whew!

Luckily everything else has gone a lot smoother than that, and I am already imagining these turning into funny wedding stories. I'm also grateful that C has been so willing to help out and take on his fair share of tasks. I tell ya, he's a good man.

Now all that's left is the dress fitting & the hair/make-up trials before wedding....hopefully there will be no snafus there - I am just imagining the dress lady accidentally mis-altering my dress or the hair lady cutting off a big chunk of my hair or something!