We decided to keep the wedding party small. Two bridesmaids, two groomsmen, and a ring bearer. There will be no Best Man or Maid of Honor or Flower Girl. My friend Christy and my cousin Kristi will be the bridesmaids. Craig has made up his mind at about 99%...he can't make up his mind if he wants to have both his brothers or if he wants to pick one brother and have his oldest friend instead.

We do have contingency plans for Craig's dilemma...if he chooses one brother and his friend (and also Christy's twin), Jeff, then the other brother can do a reading during the ceremony. Otherwise, his two brothers will be the groomsmen and Jeff will do the reading.

Another "issue" is the lack of Flower Girl. I've heard that traditionally, the Flower Girl and Ring Bearer are supposed to represent the Bride and Groom as children...I absolutely hate that idea. The Ring Bearer at least serves a function, so we decided to keep that part. Unfortunately, the Ring Bearer is Craig's nephew (and godson), Michael. I say unfortunately because Michael has a twin sister, Sydney. They are 4 and won't understand why one is included and the other isn't. So we decided to make Sydney in charge of handing out the programs as people come aboard...we'll give her a pretty little basket and a beautiful mask, so she won't feel left out.

The bridesmaid's dresses have been chosen. We decided to have them custom made at the boutique where I bought my dress. The seamstress' name is Terri and she works in Berwick, PA at a shop called Antonia's. She is incredibly talented and the dresses are dirt cheap. The dresses will have the same type of sleeves as my dress, an empire waist (slightly modified) and netting over the bodice, which basically just looks like a strapless dress. The netting will connect to the sleeves. The dresses will be black, and Terri is only charging us $150 per gown. We just went in for the measurements at the beginning of May 1999.

The groomsmen are still slightly up in the air, in terms of what they will wear. Craig is planning to wear a black tuxedo with a taupe and black check vest and a taupe tie (not a bowtie). He hasn't decided if he would like the groomsmen to wear the same tux or to match the style all in black (black vest and tie). And we really haven't decided about what the Ring Bearer will wear.