Writer's Block: More than ready to say 'I do'

The countdown is almost over: I'm getting married in one week!

It's been nearly a year since my fiancé, Matt, got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife.

I've fallen even more in love with him this year as he pretends to care about floral arrangements and seating charts. He's so convincing that I'm not actually sure he's pretending.

We are both huge planners, Type A in different ways, so most wedding tasks were checked off of our to-do list within the first month or so of our engagement. Tasks we were less excited about, however, magically moved to the bottom of our list - funny how that happens.

Having to face those tasks now, in the weeks leading up to our big day, Matt has been a real trooper. I've come home from covering a city council meeting, and he's been dutifully hammering away at our wedding program.

I've lost a little more steam than he has.

On our latest Michaels run (with no artistic abilities, I'm sure I'll be making fewer of those in the near future), I wandered around the aisles for about 30 minutes looking for a card box, a specific brand of candle for the ceremony, gift boxes for favors and a few other odds and ends. I didn't find any of the things I was looking for, but I did snag some great deals on decor for our new apartment.

As I was floating around the store, making absolutely no progress and spending more money, Matt started to get a little sassy.

'I need this to go faster,' he said with a grimace that comes out only on the rarest of occasions.

Though I knew he meant he didn't want to continue wheeling around a broken cart in a crafter's paradise, a bachelor's hell, I interpreted his sentiment more broadly and agreed with him.

I'm ready for the wedding to be here. I'm not ready - I have to finish writing thank-you cards for shower gifts, pound out 200 escort cards, the list goes on and on - but I feel ready.

I haven't said this out loud because I feel guilty even thinking it: Though excited anticipation is still a dominant feeling, a little bit of dread has started to creep in when it comes to the wedding.

I had my first nightmare about the big day last week - kind of a bridal milestone, right?

I'm not worried about marrying my best friend in the slightest; all of my fears stem from planning this giant party that I actually have very little control of.

There are so many details and so many people wrapped up in this thing that I know it's inevitable that something will go wrong. The baker could decorate our cake with the wrong color ribbon, the reception venue could break a center piece as they set up, our photographer coming up from Wisconsin could get lost. Again, the list goes on and on.

I need to take a breath and remember that this day isn't about any of those 'extras.'

My family has a history of disastrous circumstances at weddings, and I've still enjoyed every one.

At one cousin's rehearsal dinner, a rancid pack of burgers poisoned some family members. Luckily, the food poisoning didn't hit until after the bride and groom had danced the night away. I was spared, but my parents, who were not, laugh about the experience today.

The wedding was held at a camp, so many guests stayed in cabins in bunk beds. Clambering in and out of a top bunk to run for the toilet repeatedly isn't ideal, but it would sure make for a great Saturday Night Live skit.

Next week will be a time for Matt and I to celebrate our love with the people we love - our friends and family.

I can try to make it perfect - and I will try - but no matter what happens, I'm sure it will be a day that my soon-to-be husband and I remember forever.

Olivia Koester can be reached at olivia.koester@ecm-inc.com