Patti, the booties are made of a tough nylon or a felt. There are volunteer groups that sew them for the mushers, otherwise they can be as expensive as $1 each. They use Velcro to keep them on but they will eventually fall off on the trail. It's mandatory that all dogs wear booties during the race so the musher has to pack up to 1,000 booties to replace all the lost ones for the 16 race dogs over the course of the next 10-13 days on the trail. Many years ago I worked with an Alaska historian to learn more about my Eskimo roots. I was able to meet him face to face for the first time at the ceremonial start, in fact there's a chance that he took a photo or two in my video because I'm short, he's very tall, and the crowd was incredible. Anyhow, the guy used to be a sled dog racer and explained a lot of what was going on during the race and with the dogs. We said our goodbyes after the race and I walked back to my hotel. The day we were checking out to come home, there was a package at the front desk with my name on it. It contained several booties (one for each of my co-workers as a souvenir) and an actual race dog harness. So cool! Jodi-

Passing by and I wanted to make a comment... I had a complicated wedding process with many many people, ten years ago. If I had it to do over again, I would have simplified it greatly. I would have turned over more tasks to people who were dying to help. And I would have streamlined it as much as possible so that I could have had more fun. As to the ceremony...include the items that make your heart sing. Don't add anything that doesn't have personal meaning to you. Have it exactly how it's supposed to be,if ykwim. And that will be absolutely enough for your guests. Btw, at mine, I had some great music. I had no candle. I had no singing. But I had a minister that gave a beautiful sermon, and a place just before our vows where she asked our family and friends to stand and take a vow to support us to be successful in our marriage. Then we took our own vows and it was over. I had more than one person approach me and tell me that it was the most beautiful wedding that they had been to in many years. The point of it all is that although a big fancy wedding can be beautiful, it's the words that touch our hearts. Set this up so that you can really be a part of it. That your family and friends will be touched by the love that you and your soon to be husband have for each other. That they're given a lovely window into the deep relationship that you have which is why you're getting married in the first place. Allow others to help,even if the help isn't perfect, because everyone wants to be a part of the dream... And keep it straightforward enough to minimize complications so that you can fully take in and enjoy the meaning of this wonderful day. Blessings...

deandr, thank you for your last post. I am sorry I offended you. Please, though, read carefully! You wrote: "your analogy was offensive ... anyone who believes its tacky to see a 23 year old at prom with double mastectomy scars, enjoying the short precious life we all share, is to say the least a pretty FOOLISH person!" Foolish I may be, but that is not what I wrote. Here is what I did write: "I am afraid that if you try to go back and do it now, you will just feel foolish, like a 23-year-old going to the prom she missed because she was in the hospital." Do you see the difference? I am not saying I would think ill of a bride who had a reception 2 1/2 years later (or for that matter of a 23 year old who went to a prom). I didn't write about my opinion at all. I wrote only that I was concerned that SHE might be disappointed at how it will make her feel if she has a traditional wedding reception now -- it just may not fill the void as she hopes. That is the focus of my post, and everyone else's posts, on this thread. She is going to do whatever she wants (and she should), and no one told her not to. She asked our opinions, and we gave them -- not that it would be tacky, but that she might not be happy with her choice. I think if you stick around this forum, you will find that nearly everyone tries hard to be polite and helpful. Just please make sure you have understood posts before responding to them. Have fun at your celebration, too! When will it be?

My DH was naturalized 17 years ago! It was interesting. The applicants were gathered in one area of the room, visitors in another. The judge was serious but friendly, because it is a momentous yet happy occasion. I don't remember the details (I'd had a baby and was still running on no sleep) but I do remember that they asked if anyone would like to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. DH, as one of the few native English speakers, volunteered. But when they had him at the front he didn't realize they expected him to start everyone off, so the bailiff got things started. I do recall that, while it was momentous, it was actually rather low-key. Your ceremony may be different. We came home and that evening had a small gathering of my family and a neighbor family. I also recall explaining to our kindergartner's teacher why he was missing school that day, and she said "yeah, I should probably get around to getting my citizenship one of these days". I never knew you don't have to be a citizen to teach public school! She'd been here 20 years at that time; she was kind of flighty so she's probably still a permanent resident lol.