the saga continues

Bride-zilla's bachelorette party was this past weekend. I knew nothing about the party at all, until about a week beforehand. When I was at the bridal shower in March, I had asked the maid-of-honor if we were doing anything for the bachelorette party. She said she'd be in touch via email to let me know. She didn't. The bride-to-be mentioned it briefly in the Word document of wedding details that came attached to an email she sent the bridesmaids about a week and a half ago. All it said about the bachelorette party was that it would be on April 14th. No time, no location. I finally had to email her to get specifics. She said we were going to meet at the Olive Garden on 13th and Chestnut at 8 PM, followed by dancing at some bar. Okie dokie.

When I called to let her know I'd be going to dinner, she said I could park at her mother's house and get a ride in her sister's car. Then on Saturday night, she called me at 7 PM (about 15 minutes before I left the house) to tell me that her sister didn't have room in the car. (It's her special day... It's not my wedding... Take deep, cleansing breaths...) So I said I'd drive myself. No big deal.

I got into town in record time and drove around looking for a spot. Finding none, I called bride-to-be and asked her where they parked. I figured we could all walk back to our cars together after dinner. She said, "My sister dropped us off at the restaurant, she's parking now. I don't know where she is." (Deep cleansing breath…)

So I opted for the closest lot and started walking toward 13th and Chestnut in the rain. I got to the intersection and looked around. No Olive Garden. I walked along 13th from Chestnut to Walnut. Then I crossed the street and walked from Walnut to Market. No Olive Garden. I walked back to the intersection of 13th and Chestnut again and called the bride. Got her voicemail, but didn't leave a message. I kept walking, this time along Chestnut from 13th to 12th and then back down Chestnut to Juniper. No Olive Garden. I called bride again and left her a message.

I finally called my mother, who looked it up on the internet. It was WAY down on Chestnut, near Broad. I don't know why bride told me 13th and Chestnut. Anyway, when I finally got there, they were still waiting for a table. (Bride-zilla looked at her phone a few minutes after I got there and said, "Oh, when did you call me?") We had reservations for 8 PM and didn't get seated 'til 9 PM. But we had the most fabulous waitress. A very colorful Puerto Rican New Yorker with a front tooth prominently missing. She called all of us "mami" and made lots of jokes about our "wild night." Oh my.

The dinner itself was fun. Quite the diverse crowd. If Angelina Jolie wanted to adopt a bachelorette party, this was the one for her. Four Hispanics, one African-American, two Chinese-Americans, one Malaysian, and two white girls (myself included).

Like I said before, the bridesmaids get along really well. I just wish we had been able to get together to plan some of these things. When Melissa got married, Kelly and Katie and I did most of the shower planning, we chipped in for a shower gift, we got together to make the favors. When Erin got married, a group of us got together to make cute little favor bags for the bachelorette party. But for this wedding, the maid-of-honor has done everything, despite offers to help. I think it would have been fun for us to do some of the planning together.

Speaking of which… One of bride-zilla's friends got her a tiara to wear, and one of the bridesmaids got her a present (pajamas) and a bachelorette party novelty pin to wear out. I kinda felt bad because I didn't think to get her anything. But if the bridesmaids had a chance to plan this, I'm sure we would have done more.

Anyway. I promise not to talk about the wedding again until AFTER the actual wedding. Unless bride-to-be says/does something crazy before then. We'll see.