I’m back and I’m married!

This will probably be my last post on the wedding, but I’m sure I’ll have much more to report on being a newlywed. After nearly a year and a half of planning, the big day came and went faster than I ever imagined.

*Warning – this post is a long one, get comfortable.

As in every wedding, things went “wrong.”  We found ourselves without a fourth bridesmaid dress and had to make an emergency run to David’s Bridal the day of the wedding. My heel got stuck in a crack as I walked down the aisle. My mom’s puppy ran loose through the dining room during dinner. Oh, and half the bridal party got sunburned the day before the wedding (including me!) BUT…none of that got me down. In fact, those things were what made it such a unique event, and despite everything, I was untouchable that day. I can honestly say that it was the best day/night of my life.  In my eyes, it was perfect.  I wouldn’t have changed a thing, and as a result, I have some pretty entertaining stories.

If not for anything but to relive all of it myself, here is a summary of events, including all the fun and fancy details.

July 2^nd – The Party Begins…Bridal Entourage Get-together at Mama’s

After making sure the dress was fixed (and yes you could see completely down the top of my wedding dress up until days before the 4^th) family and friends came to wish me luck. They all brought smiles and cute lingerie, and my best friend (Best-y) figured out my wedding hair and makeup.

My Gals



Gift from Mom



July 3^rd – Rehearsal

The bridal party met at La Venta at 11:00am. The excitement in the atmosphere was clearly visible on each and every face.  Little babies ran through the courtyard squealing with glee. I think this was about the time I took the stairs up to cloud 9.  The rehearsal lunch was a blast. Both families got to mingle before the final event. The food was buffet style and tables were set up on a private patio overlooking the ocean at the Terranea Resort. Little did we all know, the sun was lurking behind the clouds, secretly turning us into lobsters.

Rehearsal Time



Terranea Resort - Rehearsal Lunch Location (& The Casita)



Lunch

July 3^rd – Night in the Casita

My saint of a mother-in-law had the good sense (and generous heart) to book the bridesmaids a Casita at the Terranea Resort the night before the wedding.  My four girls and I gasped in unison when we saw the two bedroom/two bath mini house with a full kitchen, living room, entrance, and balcony overlooking the ocean. I continued to float on cloud 9 and my girls wafted up to join me.

Things were perfect, so when my best friend and sister sat me down with the words, “We have something to tell you…” I was actually unfazed.

Best-y spilled her guts.

“So I went to get my dress altered, and the tailor said to pick it up on Sunday.  She said even Monday would be fine. I went there yesterday and they are closed until after the holiday.”

“Here’s our plan,” my sister interrupted, hoping to catch me before the tears (only, to everyone’s surprise, there were none.  Cloud 9 made me invincible – I was super hero bride). “We already called David’s Bridal and had them pull all of the Pool colored dresses.”

Being 5 months pregnant and mother of a 2-year-old, my sister’s protective mommy instinct kicked in.

“We were thinking since I’m maid of honor, and pregnant, it wouldn’t be so weird for me to be wearing a different dress anyway. Best-y will wear my dress and I’ll wear the new one. It’s actually pretty common for the maid of honor to wear a special dress.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said with a shrug. 

Wedding Snafus – 0        Jessica – 1  

July 4^th – Wedding Day

The day started with one major feat to accomplish—find a bridesmaid dress similar in color and style to the rest that would fit a pregnant belly.

God bless David’s Bridal for being open on 4^th of July morning.

We literally walked into the store, and bought the second dress she tried on. The “special dress” was perfect. Different, yet similar.

David's Bridal to the Rescue!

The next few hours flew by in a matter of minutes. Best-y did my hair and makeup (redeeming herself in my mother-in-law's eyes).  Luckily my sunburn turned into the perfect light brown wedding glow, and for those who were still beat red (my sister) there was plenty of cover up to go around.

Wedding Snafus – 0   Jessica – 2

CEREMONY

The photographer came by and snapped photos of the dress and shoes. My mom arrived, and friends came by to take part in the chaos. My mother-in-law showed up in a limo, and we all piled in.

The group of us set up camp in the bridal cottage, while the guys hid out in the groom’s den. We toasted with champagne, the girls opened their bridesmaid gifts, and we snapped some pictures.

When the wedding coordinator announced it was time to line up, I almost didn’t believe her. Time was flying!

Cheers!



Guestbook Station - Grab a Card!



Custom M&M's (Mr. & Mrs. Therrien)

I waited patiently around the corner as I heard the crowd cheer for my 2-year-old niece. She had been practicing chucking flower petals at people as if she were throwing a game winning pitch. I wanted to peek so badly.  One thing I never realized was when it’s your wedding, you don’t actually get to watch the procession happen. All I could do was listen, and when it was my turn, the only thought in my head was, already!

Here are some of the fun details:

The Wedding Party:

Cadence - The Flower Girl

My Handsome Groom

My Lovely Ladies

The Guys

My Mama

The ceremony started with one of those priceless moments you can’t fabricate. I gracefully made my way down the cobblestone path, fluttering eyes at my husband-to-be, only to find that as I was about to descend the stairs, I couldn’t move.

I scanned the crowd wearing a ridiculous smile and announced, “My heel is stuck!”

I became an instant comedian. We laughed together as I wrenched my Jimmy Choo from the crevice, threw my shoulders back and kept on with confidence.

Wedding Snafus – 0     Jessica – 3

Thankfully the Priest was a riot, and my moment of physical comedy was the perfect opening to his performance. The ceremony was full of audience participation, jokes, and a lot of laughter. Just our style.

Cocktail hour meant picture time for the bridal party. Our gang of friends is awesome, so we had our fun, and made sure to get in some silly faces. Jillian Bisinger isn’t your typical photographer though, and after 30 minutes, she had Brian and me trekking through brush to a secret tunnel of pine cones for some epic shots. My heels sunk into the dirt, I had my wedding dress hiked up around my hips, we trudged through weeds, and ducked under branches, but it was worth it. Get ready for the wedding shots of the century!

DINNER

Dinner was amazing, and when I stepped into the dining room at 6:30, it was my first time seeing the room setup as I had envisioned. It was SPECTACULAR.

There were five courses:

1.      Tomato Soup

2.      Oakleaf Salad

3.      Thai Marinated Sea Bass

4.      Lemon Sorbet

5.      Filet Mignon

People said I wouldn’t eat. “Nobody eats at their own wedding.” That was the rumor. Well I did. I ate every single course, and it was DELICIOUS.

Sure, the puppy was running under the tables...

“Adin!” I called over to one of the young boys at his table. “Do me a favor and catch that puppy.”

Off he went. Problem solved.

Wedding Snafus – 0    Jessica – 5 (It’s a blowout!)

CAKE

We used our hands. We smashed. It was awesome.

The Groom's Cake Was a Hit!

DANCING

Brian hardly ever left the dance floor. As requested, Michael Jackson was played frequently, and I made sure to buggy down when I heard his voice. The DJ was great (DJ Jason Jass if anyone needs a reference) but he had quite the competition.

FIREWORKS

Fireworks started at 8:00pm and continued throughout the night. From where we were on the hill, overlooking the coast, hundreds of firework shows could be seen. From far far away to right up close, people were captivated and congregated on the back patio for the show.

ZANY BOOTH PHOTOS

If at any point in the night, someone asked, “Where’s the bride?” the answer was undoubtedly, the Zany Booth. Jillian Bisinger and her husband Tony are complete geniuses. Their photo booth was such a hit, I couldn’t be torn away.

Here’s the premise.

Grab a card. Step in front of the backdrop. Now give me pouty, give me sexy, give me silly, goofy, lovable, show me teeth, show me muscles, do whatever!

Indescribable fun was had…

BOUQUET & GARTER TOSS

So I got a little excited and threw the bouquet before the photographer even stepped in the room.  The DJ announces, “Re-do! We need to get pictures.”

Sandy, I know you’ve never caught a bouquet before. I know you are excited beyond belief that you caught it. I know you pretty much punched a girl to make sure it fell into your hands…but could you give it back?  We need to do it again…NOT!

No way would I let that happen.

“Make a new bouquet! Second chance people,” I yelled. Now two lucky ladies are bound to find love this year.

*Don’t worry Sandy. Emily captured your precious moment ;)

I’m not sure how normal garter tosses go, but Best-y convinced Brian he had to use his teeth. Hilarious.

AFTER PARTY

The night ended way too quickly, and I was sad to see it end.  The limos drove groups of us to the Terranea, and the gang headed for the Casita (which ended up being our party pad until 5 in the morning).

Brian and I checked into our Bridal Suite, and I was eager to continue the fun… “Come check out our room!” I offered to a bunch of our friends.

“No way,” Brian countered. “We’re going alone.”

I couldn’t argue with that, so I followed him down the endless maze to our oceanfront suite. Our plan was to drop off our luggage and head back to the party. I wasn’t sure why he was so insistent on going alone, but it was our wedding night…

Then he made it clear.

“All right, ready?” he asked. “Jump into my arms. I’m going to carry you across the altar.”

I smiled wide, thinking to myself, I’m so glad I married him.

The Giver MOVIE!

Now, don't get too excited.  They haven't started filming or anything, but when I heard this news on bookshelves of doom, I got too excited not to post it. I'm so glad Jeff Bridges is pursuing this. The Giver had such an impact on me when I was young.  I haven't read it in probably ten years, but I still remember such vivid details about it. In my opinion, Jeff Bridges would be perfect for the role of The Giver. Gosh, could the guy get any more awesome.  I'm such a Lebowski fan...in my day-to-day life, a Lebowski quote is referenced about once a week. If you haven't been introduced to the awesomeness of that movie, then "obviously, you're not a golfer."

Jeff Bridges as The Giver



All Things Wedding

Getting married in 12 days...bear with me here. I will make sure to post if I hear anything from ZOVA on my revisions.

Did I mention I only have 12 more days as a single lady?!?!?!...12!

Breaking Dawn Part 1 Trailer!!!

Wow, wow, wow...Emergency Post!

If you haven't already heard (and if you haven't, I'm surprised) the latest Harry Potter buzz is pottermore.com

I'll just let that sink in...
....

....

The mystery around it is spreading like wildfire. OH THE SUSPENSE!!
Here's the scoop according to LA Times Books: Pottermore Article

Cover Ideas

So, you know that feeling you get when you graduate college, and for the first time in oh...23 years you don't have any homework to do? For some reason you keep saying to yourself, I should be doing something, don't I have an essay to write? THAT IS HOW I FEEL...to a lesser degree of course, but after all that book writing and editing, I keep feeling the overwhelming need to be doing something productive toward my novel. Now, I've already written some of the sequel to THE DESCENDANTS, and I realized, I really can't write any more until the first book is finalized.  So many little things have changed that affect the second book. At this point, I am letting the ideas churn, but I am waiting to put them to paper until I get the go ahead that my revisions are approved. In the meantime, I decided, why not start looking at covers to get ideas? Here are a few I like. Please feel free to share your thoughts!

Done and Done.

Well, I did it. I submitted my manuscript last night!
I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself today, but then I realized...oh yeah, I have a wedding to plan. Now it's back to wedding mode. In less than three weeks I'll be married. Holy smokes, people!

Anyway, I know I've sidetracked a little with the wedding, but the theme of this blog is Imagination to Publication, so I feel the need to breakdown my editing process a bit after all that work.

For those of you who haven't been following long, I've just completed the very first step in the publication process (aside from actually finding a publisher - thank you ZOVA!). After reading through my manuscript, my publisher came back with what they call content edits. They had a list of suggestions that ultimately led to some rewrites.

My piles of manuscript pages...wowzers. Finally done.

The Rewrites
1. I'll be honest. At first, I freaked out. This is my debut novel okay. I was a little attached. I didn't like the idea of changing something that was already done in my mind.
2. I bit the bullet and started CUTTING. If you've ever written anything over 300 pages in Microsoft Word, you can imagine how hard that is.
3. With gaping holes in my story, I began to ask myself, "what happens here?" I remember reading somewhere about the importance of being honest in your writing. Imagine your characters as real people, and let them make the decisions they would make, not the decisions you as the author would prefer they make. When I began to think of my characters that way (and after 300 pages of writing about them, you do get to know them) I began to ask myself, why do they would make those decisions? What happened, to cause them to do what they do or feel what they feel? Those questions got me my answers, and that's how I filled the holes.
4. After patching up my manuscript and sewing the chapters together, I had to read it. Let me tell you, I must have drained about five red ink pens. I carried pages around everywhere, work, restaurants, a wedding, birthday parties, you name it. While everyone else was eating, I was editing.
5. THEN, I had to enter all of my corrections into the computer. (It's easier to edit on paper)
6. I couldn't call it done until I read through all the corrections and changes one last time, and even then I found mistakes. I don't know if it is possible to make a manuscript PERFECT. There will always be something.

Before this process, I never thought of writing as work. When I read Bird by Bird (yeah, yeah, I know I talk about it too much) I remember Anne Lamott going on about how writing is work. She said most writers dream of a life of leisure with lots of time off. They think that writing is easy and fun, and yes, it is fun, but it is also work. I don't think I've ever worked so hard on anything in my life. Thankfully, there is a sense of accomplishment when that work pays off, and in my mind, it has.

What's Next
1. Waiting
2. More waiting...

Once ZOVA reads through the new version of THE DESCENDANTS, assuming they are happy with it and ready to move forward, I believe the next step is line editing. We'll see...

Oh So Close!

For those of you who don't know, my manuscript revisions were due on Saturday, June 4th. I have worked so hard to complete it, and I am so close to being done, but I needed another week or two (hence the absence/lack of posting). I was panicked last weekend, but ZOVA was really nice about it.

The past two weeks have been insane. I flew to Sacramento for a wedding, then to Reno for multiple birthdays, not to mention, I'm getting married in less than a month....aiyayai. Needless to say, I think I will be ready to submit my manuscript this weekend. After several weeks, or I guess you could say months, of editing, it gets really hard to tell whether or not you are being too critical or actually cutting stuff that shouldn't be there. At some point, you have to be satisfied and say, I'm done.

I'll keep you posted...I have no idea what's next.

Editing Update...and Stuff.

Has it really been FIVE days since my last post?  I swear, it feels like I am blacking out and transforming into Super Editor while my regular self is unconscious.  I have no idea where the time goes.  When I finally realized I'd finished my content edits the other night, it was like waking up out of a trance.  I kept asking myself, "How did I do that?  What did I even write?"  Now that all the heavy lifting is done, I am reading through and making sure it all makes sense.  So far it does, and I am really happy with it.  Thanks Super Editor!

Also, and this is completely unrelated, I just found out last night that the book I AM NUMBER FOUR, was actually partially written by James Frey!  Crazy right? 

I Am Number Four is a young adult science fiction novel by Pittacus Lore (a pseudonym for James Frey and Jobie Hughes). The book was published by HarperCollins on August 3, 2010,^[1] and spent 7 straight weeks at #1 on the children's chapter of The New York Times Best Seller list.^[2]
Touchstone Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures bought the rights to the film in June 2009; it was released on February 18, 2011. The novel is the first of a proposed six-book series.^[3]

I know there was this whole deal about A MILLION LITTLE PIECES being mostly made up, but I didn't care one tiny little bit.  My entire book is made up.  Anyway, I was a huge fan of A MILLION LITTLE PIECES (not a young adult book by the way).  I absolutely loved it, and I'm glad to be reading more of James Frey.

The Hunger Games MOVIE!

If you haven't heard yet, Jennifer Lawrence has been cast as Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games MOVIE!  Gale and Peeta have been cast as well, but this is our first look at Jennifer as Katniss.  I had my doubts at first, with her blond hair and delicate look, but I do have to say they did a great job transforming her into the character we all had in our heads.  Here is a link to the Entertainment Weekly article: The Hunger Games

Proud To Be ZOVA

Some news came out about my publisher (ZOVA Books) a few weeks ago, and I realized I forgot to post it on my blog.  Actually, it's not just some news, it's AMAZING news.  Make sure you read all the way to the bottom where it mentions who Circle of Confusion represents.  You'll say to yourself, wow, wait, did I just see the Wachowski Brothers?  Yes, you did, and yes, they created The Matrix Trilogy.  Holy cow right?

The people at ZOVA continue to amaze me.  They are young, smart, talented, driven, and honest.  I feel so lucky to be a part of such an awesome team.  I know ZOVA is going to do great things, for me, my first novel The Descendants, and for the publishing industry.

PRESS RELEASE:

Circle of Confusion Enters Into Management Agreement With Publishing Firm ZOVA Books

Acclaimed Hollywood production and management company, Circle of Confusion announces partnership with the boutique literary publishing house, ZOVA Books for film, television, and foreign print rights.
Los Angeles, CA, April 18, 2011 - Circle of Confusion, a premier media management and production company, announces it will be representing the publishing firm, ZOVA Books, for film, television, and foreign print rights. Circle of Confusion has received numerous awards and nominations for its production of the acclaimed television series The Walking Dead. Their partnership with ZOVA Books brings them a growing catalog of fiction for representation.

ZOVA Books is a boutique publishing firm with a diverse catalog that includes two New York Times #1 bestselling authors. ZOVA’s authors include Academy Award winning screenwriter and author Michael Blake, best known for the iconic Dances With Wolves, Pulitzer Prize nominee for the international bestseller Sacajawea, Anna Lee Waldo, and mystery bestseller, Michele Scott.

Established as a creative organization focused on the success of individual authors and the development of wide-ranging creative projects, ZOVA has developed a next generation publishing model in a time when most publishers, both small and large, are struggling to reconcile traditional practices with the growing phenomenon of digital publishing.

ZOVA's CEO, Matthew Pizzo, says, “It is an honor to work with David Alpert and Circle of Confusion. The positive and proactive energy they bring to their work is incredible, and inspires us to continue our efforts to create a truly unique media firm.”

“ZOVA is an incredibly exciting new publishing company,” says Circle Partner David Alpert, “They have impeccable taste in material and are building an amazing platform for authors. We’re very excited to be working ZOVA, and think that there are amazing synergies between our two companies.”
The announcement of the partnership between Circle of Confusion and ZOVA Books precedes a series of significant book releases by the publishing company, including the exclusive e-book release of Dances With Wolves, the upcoming novel by Michele Scott, Happy Hour, and the newest release by Anna Lee Waldo, a historical epic entitled Watch the Face of the Sky.

About Circle of Confusion:
Circle of Confusion, a feature film & television production and management company, was founded in 1990. Initially a New York-based literary management company, Circle expanded into production in 2002 while simultaneously opening a West Coast office in Los Angeles.

The Management division of Circle represents screenwriters and directors as well as content creators and comic book libraries. Clients include the Wachowski Brothers (writers/directors of The Matrix Trilogy); directors John and Drew Dowdle (Devil, Quarantine) and Jon Poll (Charlie Bartlett); screenwriters Dan Mazeau (Clash of the Titans 2, The Flash), Gary Whitta (The Book of Eli), Jon Spaihts (Darkest Hour, Alien Prequel), 2009 Blacklist winner Christopher Weekes (The Muppet Man), and 2010 Blacklist winner Wes Jones (College Republicans); television writers Tim Schlattmann (Dexter), Todd Harthan (Psych), and Doug Jung (Dark Blue); comic book creators/screenwriters Brian Michael Bendis (Powers, Jinx) and Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead, Invincible); many journalists with articles appearing in periodicals such as Wired, GQ, Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, and Men’s Journal; and libraries which include books from IDW Publishing, Skybound, Seven Seas, and Shadowline Comics.

The Production division is currently prepping season two of the record-breaking hit AMC series The Walking Dead, based on Robert Kirkman’s hugely successful Image Comics series, starring Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, and Sarah Wayne Callies. Circle is also prepping the recently green-lit Powers for FX Network with Michael Dinner and Charles Eglee. Previously, Circle has produced the pilots Them for Fox and Ultra for CBS.

On the feature side, Circle of Confusion has successfully set up more than thirty feature projects on studio development slates. These include projects such as: Inherit the Earth at Sony (with Michael Bay); Existence 2.0 at Paramount (with Al Gough & Miles Millar adapting); Fire at Universal (with Zac Effron attached to star); Antwerp at Paramount (with J.J. Abrams); and Straight Outta Compton at New Line (with Ice Cube & Dr. Dre).

Circle of Confusion is currently in prep on the 3-D horror film Hellbenders, written and to be directed by J.T. Petty. Circle also produced the recent Magnolia Films release Vanishing on 7th Street directed by Brad Anderson and starring Hayden Christensen, John Leguizamo and Thandie Newton as well as the indie release St. John of Las Vegas written and directed by Hue Rhodes and starring Steve Buscemi, Sarah Silverman, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Cho.

Circle of Confusion established its identity developing elevated “genre” material, but has since expanded the client base to include writers of all types including, but not limited to, comedy, drama, and animation. The company is built to self-generate (either through its own library or elsewhere) high concept ideas and then develop and package the material to ensure success at the studio level. Whether it is breaking new talent or developing projects, Circle works to bridge the gap between the fringes of pop culture and the Hollywood mainstream.

Pics Are In!

Whether you are following my blog for updates on The Descendants, the wedding, or both, I want to say thank you for sticking with me through this.  I know I haven't given a lot of attention to my posts, but I have been consumed with rewrites.  It has been worth it though.  I am so excited about the changes I've made, the twists and new characters I've added, and can say without a doubt The Descendants is a better book.  I still have a bit to go, but at least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Although I've mentioned it many a time, I have to remind myself almost every day to take it bird by bird, chapter by chapter, page by page.  Anyway, it's getting there.

Now for you wedding junkies...the engagement pics are in!  I know I said this before, but that was just a taste.  There are a ton of them.  Thank you Jillian Bisinger for such amazing photos!  Also, thanks to everyone who posted a comment on her blog.  My favorites are posted below, but you can see them all here: Engagement Photos

Stephenie Meyer's The Host MOVIE!

Since the announcement in September of 2009, I have been anxiously awaiting news on Stephenie Meyer's The Host (Movie).  It's here!  Thanks to Bookshelves of Doom I was pleasantly surprised to learn they cast the part of Melanie (and Wanderer).  The lucky lady...Saoirse Ronan from The Lovely Bones and Hanna.  I can't wait to see how they pull this one off.

Saoirse Ronan

Engagement Shoot Sneak Peek

Yay!  Jillian Bisinger, our beautiful and super fun wedding photographer, posted a sneak peek of our engagement shoot on her blog.  If you feel like giving Brian and I a pre-wedding gift, add a comment to our engagement post (on her blog).  We get $5 per comment toward prints, an album, etc.
Check out the rest of the photos here: http://modernphotographyblog.com/
Thanks Jill and Tony for a wonderful day.  You made it so much fun and I love the pictures!  Can't wait to see the rest.