I miss getting married!

Today it hit me that I kind of miss planning and stressing about the wedding. I know that sounds odd, but so does a blog about a guy that likes weddings. A couple of our friends are getting married this weekend and another couple tying the knot next weekend. Mrs. Temple of Groom and I will attend 2 weddings in June and then another in August. It's just really exciting, and I'm envious of all the couples going through this!

While I don't miss the arguments about stamps or centerpieces with my parents I do miss the constant rush you have that you're about to marry someone. That everything you've worked so hard to plan and perfect is about to payoff in the most incredible way. It culminates with the fact that you're about to embark on one of the most important life altering days you'll ever have. Again, I'd like to reiterate, there's a LOT I don't miss but ultimately, it's such an unparalleled great experience no matter what happens.

While you're planning, absolutely nothing anyone can say will convince you that things will be incredible no matter what happens, but it's true. Nothing can convince me of that more than a recent post by Bowie Bride. Her post proved that even if you walk away from the wedding and didn't technically get married (which I guess is up there with one of the worst things that can happen) the day can still be perfect. You should go take a read if you're completely stressing and need to breathe. (LINK) When you're planning, and unable to breath because the wedding is less than 2 weeks away, it's nearly impossible to realize that your day is going to be perfect no matter what happens. Rain or shine, cake or not, chicken vs fish - it won't matter. It'll be perfect.

And the truth is the stress completely helps amplify the day and make it special. The second you overcome the stress and you just let it go, is one of the best experiences and feelings you'll ever have. You need the stress to appreciate the serenity and excitement of the day. The first time I saw Rebecca during our "first look" is the moment where I just let everything go. Tears, stress and anxiety were quickly replaced by excitement and my desire to just get married to this woman and party. It's such an incredible experience. When you're planning you often forget that the point of the wedding is to get married... The day gets cluttered with "did-we-remembers...". Did we remember to get the checks for the a capella kids, did we remember to pack the chuppa poles, did we get our marriage documents to the rabbi... it's never as simple and clear as "I just can't wait to get married to you!" Sure you have your moments of "we should have eloped, I just want to be married" but it's all just verbiage you say because you're stressed and just completely over planning-mode.

I don't really know what the point of this post is. It's perhaps one of the most jumbled and least thought out writings I've done on the blog. I feel like I'm on my soapbox a little, but it's all coming from the heart. I guess I'm just writing to tell my friends to really cherish this time. Enjoy the stress, and enjoy lack of sleep. It all pays off. The more stressed you are, the more incredible your day is going to be.

Rebecca and I just picked up our wedding photo album from our photographers - CallawayGable Photography. Although we've seen the photos thousands of times now, actually having the physical gorgeous leather bound book of your pictures kind of makes you realize that it really happened. It's kind of bittersweet. On one hand you've got the most incredible memories, but on the other, you just want it to happen all over again.

SO, good luck to friend about to make the leap. I'm so excited for you all and I assure you, it will be the most incredible day, even if it's not...

AND, just because I haven't posted every picture of my wedding - I thought I would include a couple more. At the end of the night in place of throwing rice, or confetti, or bubbles at us - the entire reception made its way to the pier on the beach across the street. We lit sky lanters into the breezy night sky. (don't worry they are biodegradable and eco friendly)

(all photos taken by CallawayGable Photography)

A STD that makes my childhood happy!

Came across this Save-the-Date this morning and had to repost it! I used to LOVE garbage pail kids when I was growing up. Hell, I STILL love Garbage Pail Kids.

Painted by a real Garbage Pail Kids artist, Brent Engstrom for a friend. Visit his blog if you need a moment of nostalgia! I gotta say, if I received this STD, it would be one wedding that come hell or high water, I would attend. (note: I don't ACTUALLY judge which weddings I attend based on the STD. I don't want to start an uproar)

Did you miss me?!

Wow. It's just been a completely insane couple weeks for me, and unfortunately the blog suffered. I apologize! Let me fill you in on what's going on.

SO, let's start with all things wedding. Each wedding bullet point I've got to tell you guys about deserves its own blog post, but I'm being realistic and know I may not get to write 10 more posts this week. SO, I'm going to briefly tell you about a lot of stuff with hopes of elaborating later. I really promise to blog more.

I am less than two months away from making an honest woman out of Rebecca! I can't believe that. We've had a longer engagement than anyone I know, and I can't believe it's coming to an end. I'm extremely ready for it to come to an end. I can't stress that enough - I'm just ready for this wedding to happen! I know it's cliche to say, "it'll be here before you know it!" but that's totally what happened. I guess things are cliche for a reason.

The RSVPs were rolling in about a month ago, then they mysteriously stopped. We now only get one every other day! The RSVP by date is this Monday and we're still waiting for 41 responses! Not really sure what people are waiting for. Maybe they feel bad RSVP-ing no? We're missing responses for nearly 30% of our guest list! Did this happen to anyone else?

We booked a videographer and he's fucking incredible! He's an addition to the wedding I'm extremely excited about and I can't wait to tell you all about him. He will get his own blog post no matter what. BUT, just a spoiler - his name is Daniel Boswell and he's ridiculously talented.

The latest big project I've been working on is a DIY photo booth(ish) station at our wedding for our guestbook. It's a pretty ambitious project. The pictures will be taken with my computer's camera. This is something I'll definitely post about - but basically I've got a program on my mac that all the guest has to do is enter his/her name and it takes 3 continuous pictures, formats them, and sends them to a small little portable printer! Our hopes are that guests will take their pictures, sign them (write notes on the print outs), then put them into a little metal birdcage we bought that will serve as our guestbook! Right now I'm just researching feasible ideas for backdrops (do I even need one?) and little photo table lights because our reception is outdoors at night. I've got my bar mitzvah guestbook and I don't think I've ever looked at it, but if I had photo booth pictures of my guests I think it'll be something I like to look back on. More on this idea to come.

I tried on my suit the other night and I fit in my suit pants! I've lost 20 pounds since I went on my "I will never forgive myself if I'm this fat for my wedding" exercise/diet regiment. That was a big victory. I've got two ties that I'm trying to decide between. I may wear one for the ceremony and one for the reception because one is more casual than the other. I think I'll post pictures of them both and ask for your help. To-do post #3! I've gotta go get my suit altered a bit - that's something kind of big on my list right now.

Rebecca spray painted a ton of these mini ceramic birds to accompany our centerpieces. They look pretty awesome. I'll post a picture soon. We just need to figure out what to fill our big vases with. Rocks? Sand? those little jewel things?

We've been adding songs onto our "To Play" and "Do Not Play" dj lists. This is pretty fun. Thank you google docs. It's an immediate hotline to our DJ (DJ Evoke AKA TeamBride). She's been awesome. We have a meeting tonight with our coordinator who I'm sure will remind us of about 600 things that need to be done before the wedding. That should be fun.

Now, onto my regular life.... I started a new job last week. It's awesome. I just realized I've never talked about work on my blog. For the last few years I've assisted a film/tv director named David Wain. He was on the 90's comedy show The State and directed one of my favorite movies "Wet Hot American Summer". I got a job with him a few years ago on the movie "Role Models" and have been with him ever since. For the last 1/2 a year though I had to take another job because he wasn't working on anything major. Last week I finally got the call to work on his next movie "Wanderlust" which will star Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston and is being produced by Judd Apatow. I'm extremely happy about the new job. It's been extremely busy though. David and his writing partner Ken Marino have let me sit in on writing sessions, and meetings, and rehearsals, and it's just given me so much self worth again. I'm really enjoying it.

Now for the chaotic part - I'm going to have to move for a while. Last week we thought I was going to have to pack up and move on Monday to prep this movie in NYC. I would leave - fly back to LA for my wedding in August - then immediately turn around and fly to Georgia where we'll shoot the movie. It definitely freaks me out to move before the wedding, but I'm happy to do it for this job. The move is definitely still up in the air and could likely happen, so I don't want to breathe a sigh of relief yet.

SO, every free second I've got has been trying to cram things in before I leave, IF I leave and spending some time with Rebecca and the pup because we'll definitely be apart for at least the last quarter of the year.

Oh, and I had a birthday! I turned 28. I cooked a big 9lb pork shoulder cuban style with rice and black beans! It was incredible. I drank the entire day, and it was just perfect. Rebecca and I got wasted and tried to out-embarrass one another in front of our friends. Chris, from The Man Registry, was there and I'm a little surprised that he spared me from a comment or a tweet about something I said or did. I think that was probably his birthday gift to me, and a delicious 6 pack of Fat Tire.

Which reminds me, I'm knee deep in my wedding beer tasting "research" and it's going very well. I let a few friends taste some beer options on my birthday and all were well received.

Man, this post just made me realize that I need to get back posting. I have so much to talk about. I've missed blogging, but hopefully you understand!

Glad to be back(ish).

Ben Folds plays my wedding! (3 months early)

Rebecca and I went to a Ben Folds concert on Wednesday night here in LA. It was AWESOME. We shouted "Temple of Groom" several times, but I don't think Ben heard us. It was such a fun show.

Even though for the first part of the show a 6'5" guy decided to barrel through the crowd and camp out nearly in front of us, we had a blast. Look, total side note to that guy, I KNOW that it's not your fault you're so damn tall. We get it... you were born that way. But at least realize that if you're that effing tall, people are going to get a little upset when you push your way to the middle of a general admission show. The 5'4" girl next to me had a right to say something nasty to you because you pushed her out of the way so you could stand in front of her while your drunk girlfriend didn't even watch the show. She literally had her back to the show the entire time. You have a right to stand where you want, but at least get to the show a bit earlier so the shorter people can plan accordingly. And while I'm at it (sorry for the rant guys)... a quick shout out to the guy that pretends he spots a friend towards the front of the venue so he can push his way forward. Your acting is going to have to get a little better than that. We knew there was no "Adrienne!" 30 feet in front of us. It's a great idea though, people were parting left and right, but try to end up in a spot that is physically capable of human occupancy. Don't wedge yourself in between two people less than a foot apart. You seemed like a pretty good guy but I didn't love the taste of your shampoo!

ANYWAY... It's always great to see a Ben Folds show. If we didn't have such a great DJ booked for our wedding, then I probably would have printed Temple of Groom cards to hand out at the show, and would have thought out some way to let Ben know about the campaign I launched a few months ago. He may not be at our wedding, but his music will be there at some point.

Well, to wrap things up, at the end of the night Ben took a picture of the audience so he could tweet it later... check it out!!!!!!!!!!

Click the pic to enlarge!

For Your Enjoyment: 1988

As promised when I hit 100 blog followers, I'm uploading a few embarrassing videos of myself. More will come when I hit 150, then 200, etc etc etc.

The first video is from my great aunt & uncle's 50th wedding anniversary party. Apparently I wanted to showcase some truly great impressions. It's a tad hard to hear due to flawless 80's technology, but you almost don't need to hear it the impressions are so uncanny. I'm one of those people who transforms into the person he's impersonating. In case you can't tell what's going on first I do Yogi Bear then my dad gets mad it's not one of my better impressions. Next up is Robin Leach, ALF, then I end my set with Pee Wee Herman.


The second video was one that happened to be on the same vhs tape as the previous. Rebecca thought this was more embarrassing and that I'd be doing my followers wrong if I didn't add this.

Let me set this one up... it's 1988. It's a roller skating birthday party. It doesn't highlight my coordination. At some point during the party I must have seen some "cool" roller rink worker do a move where he skated extremely fast then enjoyed the wind in his hair while gliding resting his body on his knees... At the end of the day, I guess I was professional enough to give that a whirl.


Want to see more videos equally or more embarrassing than these? Click "FOLLOW" on the left side of the blog under "Become a Temple of Groom Follower"

DIY Save the Dates & a short rant

I've been working on these "Save the Dates" all day today because all of a sudden it feels like we're behind. We're still a few days shy of 8 months away but it seems like other people who have weddings AFTER ours have their stuff (not the original word I was going for) together.

To those people I say, "Stop it. Seriously, relax. You're making us all look bad. You've got more than 8 months till you're wedding and you're already over prepared. Just enjoy being engaged. Please. My parents already have me thinking the wedding is falling apart, and my relatives can't believe I haven't told them where to book hotel rooms yet. So stop. Everyone benefits. You get a few days away from yelling at vendors, and I get an anxiety free day where I realize we have a lot of time left."

Anyway - I think the save the dates are coming along nicely. I should be finished soon, and then can jump onto stressing about something else. How is it possible that I was the one that wanted the wedding! Rebecca would have been fine eloping! That's not looking so bad right now. Courthouse pictures could be nice w/ our photographers shooting it!

PS. If you aren't like us (idiots) and just want a ready-made Save The Date, check this cool one out from The Wedding Chicks by clicking here.

Happy New Year!

AHHHHHHHHHH I'm getting married THIS YEAR!!!!!!

That thought just sunk in and now I'm going to mildly panic all day about the stuff we haven't done or thought of.

I just attempted to take a funny picture of myself freaking out, but after 15 minutes, I couldn't take an acceptable one where I didn't have a double chin. Which brings me to the fact that I still have weight to lose.

This is going to be a GREAT, busy, fast, exceptional, stress filled then released (mind out of the gutter please) year!

Happy 2010 everyone.

My Kidney is Staging a Walk Out

I know this isn't wedding talk, but I thought I would share anyway. For the last few days my right kidney has been royally pissed at me. I don't know if it's because I love steak and iced tea way too much, haven't babied him enough, but whatever I did Kidney ain't happy. I'm not really sure what the problem is yet, but I'm thinking stones. So, I'm in for a fun filled Thanksgiving weekend. The good news is that I have plenty of Vicodin and tryptophan to ensure good times!

Sorry!

I've got so much on my plate right now (wedding related & other stuff) that I have abandoned the blog for a week! I'm so sorry, there just aren't enough hours in the day. Which is another thing, I think I need a prescription for some ambien. I'm not sleeping at night!

On the top of the "to do list", we're about to get possession of our house, and it's jut been a LOT of prep work! I promise I'll be back blogging soon. Hopefully I will write something later today. I just want to give everyone QUALITY. Sure I could post a thousand times a day, but you guys deserve better than that.

Whistling?

Does anyone actually like listening to someone else whistle? To me, it's by far one of the most irritating sounds ever. It's so much worse than nails on a chalkboard.

I know, this has nothing to do with weddings, but there seems to be an abnormal amount of whistling on set today!

TUNE IN MONDAY!

Just a quick shameless plug for myself because I'm excited!!

I'm going to be on a nationally televised morning talk show called "The Daily Buzz" on Monday morning. Tune in @ 8:45am EST. Check your local listings for which channel it's on, but if you don't get the show, you can always tune in online @ http://dailybuzznow.com/.

The show reaches 58% of the country and over 66 million households. Thank god I scheduled a haircut tomorrow. I literally have a helmet of hair on my head right now.


Additionally, I'll be on the show via skype... if anyone has any good hints for looking good on webcam, let me know!

LIFE Gets Married

...and I get sweet sweet vindication!

LIFE Magazine posted some great vintage pictures of famous weddings and one in particular caught my eye. Take a look at this picture of JFK's wedding and the caption LIFE has written about it, and tell me what's rightfully missing from the wedding day equation.

"Sitting Down to Dinner"
"The Kennedys enjoy a bridal meal of fruit cup, creamed chicken, and ice cream sculpted to resemble roses, 1953." -LIFE Magazine

So... what's missing? A CAKE!!!!!!! Ah HA! No cake! If ice cream (or at least a different and, in my opinion, much better dessert) is good enough for JFK, an American icon, it's good enough for me! Case closed. Look at this quote I dug up (made up) on the internet from President Kennedy.

"We choose to go to the reception. We choose to go to the reception in this decade and not have cake. Not because it's easier and cheaper, but because there are other desserts, because that goal will organize and measure the best of our creativity and taste.

And so my fellow Americans, ask not what you can do for your baker or pastry chef, ask what your baker or pastry chef can do for you!

I had a dream, and it was a reception without cake! Read my lips, no new cake! Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall of cake! I did not have sexual relations with that cake. A reception without cake, YES WE CAN"

-President John F. Kennedy

Wow... he said all of that stuff... fact. And he had Marilyn Monroe, so I think that pretty much wins it for everyone who voted "Not cake" in the first Temple of Groom poll. His vote counts more....

Temple of Groom - Best New Wedding Blog!

Wow! I just got an email from Wedding Blog Awards letting me know that Temple of Groom has won "Best New Wedding Blog"! That's pretty exciting. I wish I had prepared some sort of speech. (pulls a speech from his jacket pocket...)

Unreal! Who would have thought 27 years ago that I would one day win the "Best New Wedding Blog" award? Certainly not me! Through the ups and the downs, the twists and the turns, my family has always been there for me. For that, I thank them. Without their love and support I would never have had the courage to turn the laptop on and write a blog. There are so many times in life where people tell you that you CAN'T do things. That you WON'T do things. (the crowd starts to "boo") No, no, hear me out. (the crowd hushes) To the people that told me I couldn't, or wouldn't, I thank you too. Your negativity was my catalyst to prove you wrong. It's a fact that 95% of all wedding blogs are written by women. People doubted that this could be done by a man. (start tearing up) People called me... (almost lose it)...people called me (pause) Ah, I told myself I wouldn't get emotional. (now pull it together) People called me names and said I was stupid for writing a blog. Who's stupid now?! (Applause!) I won't allow your bloggetry (wink) to get me down!

To my loving fiance, Rebecca: (hold up award) We did it baby!! (hold for applause and camera close up on Rebecca) Without you I wouldn't have started the blog. I'm so happy I had the idea, and then you supported me every step of the way! Ernie thank you for not barking too much while I needed to sit down and write something, and thank you for letting me take some cute pictures of you!

Gosh, I know I'm forgetting a whole bunch of people to thank! Thank you to WeddingBlogAwards.com for bestowing this prestigious award upon me. And most importantly, thank YOU, my fans, my followers, anyone that has made a comment, and anyone who has ever visited the blog. (crowd roars) Without you this blog would just be something I do for myself. I write this as an outlet for myself, sure, but hopefully in some way it's an outlet for you too. I love you all. Lastly, I want to take a moment to thank someone special. This person has helped creatively along the way, and I think he should be thanked. He's a great guy and I want him to know one day we'll blog his wedding! To my good friend Ni..(music plays me off so I don't get to finish but I don't care I'm just so happy!)

Anyway - that's just a little something that I happened to have in my pocket in case the situation ever came up! Go see my honor on the website by clicking the picture below!

"He's just not that into you"

This has absolutely nothing to do with wedding planning at all, but I felt that it should be noted:

The movie "He's just not that into you" is quite possibly the worst movie I've ever seen. We rented it this weekend, because we love watching mindless movies. What it resulted in was feeling completely depressed about relationships in general.

The wedding is still on.... but BARELY! (not because the movie made me skeptical about relationships - but because it was Rebecca's idea to rent it)

Have a good weekend!

Totally off topic, but who cares, it's MY blog! Enjoy the pics of my pup Ernie, and wish him luck - tomorrow he gets "fixed".




My sister was in town for the last couple weeks so that's why things have been a little slow on the blog. Next week back to normal!

Love you all, have a great weekend!