Cool as a Cucumber

Jess tries to chill out as the wedding gets closer.

By Jessica Solloway

Don't be deceived by this title. With my wedding just six weeks away, I'm not feeling "cool as a cucumber". But I am hoping that seeing those words in writing will calm me the heck down. There are tons of things that need to be done ... things that take time, research, energy, and creativity. And the list keeps growing by the day. Not to mention, I had to go to the DMV today which makes even the sanest person teeter on the edge. (My wallet was snatched so I needed a new license. I hope the thief enjoyed the movie tickets he bought on me. Who buys movie tickets with a stolen credit card?)
But anyways, back to my pre-wedding panic. It's hard to relax anymore because my mind is always racing with things that I should be taking care of. At this very minute, my all time favorite movie, 16 Candles is on TV. But I can't laugh at Long Duk Dong falling out of a tree as freely as I once did. Because I have a program to write and bridesmaids gifts to order that they'll actually like! The gift bags for out-of-towners aren't just going to create themselves, people!

The good news is that all of these tasks don't just fall to me and Seth. Our parents are really involved and taking on lots of huge responsibilities. Since my dad is an event producer, I can count on him for all the tech stuff that's happening (like lighting, staging for the band, etc.) that I have no clue about. And when it comes to all the details, my mom is on it!  Even though she has a big time job and not much free time during the day to be a wedding planner, she never screens my calls. At least that I know of. And Seth's mom Sunny is handling the rehearsal dinner festivities.

I also have friends that are totally helping me out with things. My "artsy" friend (and also one of my bridesmaids), Adina has offered to design my ceremony programs and she needs all the copy I want included. I was on a roll until I realized I had to come up with the definitions of "Jewish Wedding Traditions". Most of my time at Hebrew school was spent doodling my name in various styles of bubble letters and discussing secret crushes in the bathroom with my friend Steph. So, tonight when I found myself using Wikipedia to search for a term, I decided to close that window and email my Rabbi instead.

But the real silver lining to wedding chaos is that it's pushing me to go to the gym. It really feels like a stress reliever! I also attempted to find some inner calm by doing Yoga in NYC's Central Park with Steph and her brother Greg when I was in town last week. While Greg looked like a pro, Steph and I were falling all over the place and laughing hysterically the whole time. But there was a man sunbathing in a tiny metallic Speedo five feet away from us ... so I think park go-ers paid more attention to him.

While I may feel frazzled at times, I do think I have things under control for the most part, so I am going to plop down on the couch and watch the end of 16 Candles. I can consider it wedding research, right? So far I've learned: Don't take muscle relaxers before walking down the aisle. Definitely don't hire the woman from Poltergeist to play the processional music. Or make bridesmaids wear floral garlands on their heads...

Check out a pic of me, Steph and Greg from our Yoga excursion ...  namaste.