Turning around a wedding in three months started out seeming like no problem. We'd nailed our band, the venue, the cake, the flowers, the dress, the officiant, and the invitations in about two weeks. The problem is that all those people were waiting until two weeks before the wedding to start dealing with the details. I can't tell you how often my phone rings, how many little things there are to make snap decisions on, how constant is the niggling, well constant-ness of the new additions for the to do list.

Yesterday, for 45 minutes between trying to book a new florist (oh yeah, our florist canceled on us Sunday night) and Steve's and my swing dance choreography class for our first dance, I managed to have coffee with my friend Christine who was in town and had exactly about 45 minutes free herself. To my embarrassment, I was on the phone easily 15 minutes of the time, while dragging her around a music store to buy the music we needed to dance to, and only occasionally fitting in a few moments of conversation about the florist (did I MENTION that she canceled two weeks before the wedding?) and the wedding that Christine herself is planning for December.

It's a little nuts.

Steve -- who is living the same overworked life I am, all while actually going to an office job every day, so it's even more busy -- discovered today that he wasn't necessarily going to get much sympathy for his situation. Between his bachelor party to Atlantic City last weekend, the dance classes mentioned above, the shopping for suits, the planning of the wedding music, and on and on, he has tried for a week to get his pre-wedding hair cut, and only managed to fit it in today. His hairdresser is also a friend with whom he plays softball, and Micki kindly squeezed Steve in at the end of what was a hectic day for himself as well.

The appointment was for 5:00. Micki was running late, since the owner of the salon was on vacation and Micki was helping to cover his clients. As Steve waited for his appointment, he witnessed several people lose their cool for having to wait, and one person stomp out in a huff. By the time Steve was finally in the chair, the salon was almost empty with Micki the only hair cutter left.

One woman sitting in a chair nearby was just finishing getting highlights and she began a running monologue vaguely addressed to the people around her.

"I can't believe that I'm not going to be able to get my hair cut. I'm going to have to go to the Hair Cuttery. I've never been to a Hair Cuttery in my life. I think they only do kids hair, but I'm going to be busy for the next 5 days, I'll be working 20 hour days, there's no way I can get my hair cut, and it needs to be done now. I can't believe I'm going to have to go to the Hair Cuttery."

Despite the fact that she didn't have an appointment and the fact that Micki was supposed to leave for the day, he finally ended her speech by saying he'd cut her hair. Instead of being thankful, she just asked: "When will you be finished with your client?"

"It shouldn't be too much longer, but I don't want to rush it, because this is my friend's wedding hair cut," said Micki.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm having lunch with the Queen."

posted by Karen @ 8:36 PM  0 Comments