I have been the guest of honor at another bridal shower -- this time thrown by my co-workers.

This was totally unexpected. I knew that my bridesmaids would throw me a bridal shower, but that one of my co-workers would host one at her house and that the women from the two departments I have worked for at The Telegraph would turn out en force, completely caught me by surprise.

Even better, it was a casual bridal shower. We had appetizers and drinks in the back yard and spent the night chatting. It was a great time and gave us all a chance to get together outside of work.

Amusingly, everyone was so concerned with trying to keep the shower a secret that they nearly forgot to invite me! I didn't get an invitiation for the after-work get together until the day before the event. When I showed up, I was stunned to find I was the guest of honor.

I love the casual bridal showers I have been having. They have been more opportunities to get together with friends than a frilly party. If you're a bridesmaid to a casual bride, an outdoor cookout or luau is definitely the way to go.

If your bride is looking for more of a traditional bridal shower, you can get some great ideas at hostesswiththemostess.com. 

So I tried on my wedding dress for the first time Saturday. Actually, it was the pattern -- made of muslin -- that will eventually become the wedding dress.

Talk about a reality slap. Ed and I have been planning this wedding since January, but it all seems so academic, like puzzle pieces that need to be put together to create the picture.

But when I tried on the beginnings of my wedding dress, it hit me: I am really going to get married. In just about four weeks. Since then, it's been sinking in a little more and I've really been starting to get excited. I've also been getting those dreaded wedding nightmares.

I've heard about brides dreaming that something goes wrong at the wedding, and I had a few stress dreams at the beginning, when I was trying to deal with the idea that I was actually engaged. But I actually had a wedding dream. I showed up at the wedding and EVERY guy I ever dated is there. There's so many, I can't find Ed in the crowd to marry him.

Let it be said that my subconscious seems to believe I dated a lot more people than I actually have, so there were enough people in my dream to fill Fenway.

Dreams aside, I think I'm hanging in there OK. Or the big freak-out just hasn't come yet . . .

So, I had my bachelorette party last weekend. And while it didn't involve strippers or a scavenger hunt, we had a blast.

My bridemaids -- who have been amazing about planning, since my maids of honor are teens -- got together and rented a hotel room in Boston. They staged a surprise pick-up on Saturday with the help of Ed, and took me to Boston. I was immediately presented with a silly hat and a pillow I had to have strangers sign.

First up for the day was a trolley tour of Boston. It was supposed to be a duck tour, but the reservations got messed up, so I had the opportunity to see parts of the city I don't usually frequent. Plus, I received a round of applause for getting married. Then, back to the hotel room to get ready for the night -- dinner at the North End and a show at the Improv Asylum. 

I can't say enough about the show. What fun! First of all, it has a bar, so you can drink throughout the night while watching the show. It's fun and casual, and many of the brides (there were several bachelorette parties) were called onto the stage to talk about how they met their fiance, which the cast promptly turned into a sketch. After the show, there's a midnight show where the audience hangs out and has a few beers with the cast. It's informal chatting broken up by random improv.

By the end of the night, we had our fill of wine and laughter, so we headed to one of the many cafes open until 4 a.m. in the North End for pastry and coffee.

What a blast! And I think having a bachelorette party that is just your bridal party gives you the chance to create some memories with the people you think are special enought to be with you on your wedding day. Ed's bachelor party is this weekend, so I'll get the details (those he chooses to share) and get back to you.

Also, if you're still looking for a wedding dress, Filene's is having the Running of the Brides Friday, Aug. 22. 

So, I had my bachelorette party last weekend. And while it didn't involve strippers or a scavenger hunt, we had a blast.

My bridemaids -- who have been amazing about planning, since my maids of honor are teens -- got together and rented a hotel room in Boston. They staged a surprise pick-up on Saturday with the help of Ed, and took me to Boston. I was immediately presented with a silly hat and a pillow I had to have strangers sign.

First up for the day was a trolley tour of Boston. It was supposed to be a duck tour, but the reservations got messed up, so I had the opportunity to see parts of the city I don't usually frequent. Plus, I received a round of applause for getting married. Then, back to the hotel room to get ready for the night -- dinner at the North End and a show at the Improv Asylum. 

I can't say enough about the show. What fun! First of all, it has a bar, so you can drink throughout the night while watching the show. It's fun and casual, and many of the brides (there were several bachelorette parties) were called onto the stage to talk about how they met their fiance, which the cast promptly turned into a sketch. After the show, there's a midnight show where the audience hangs out and has a few beers with the cast. It's informal chatting broken up by random improv.

By the end of the night, we had our fill of wine and laughter, so we headed to one of the many cafes open until 4 a.m. in the North End for pastry and coffee.

What a blast! And I think having a bachelorette party that is just your bridal party gives you the chance to create some memories with the people you think are special enought to be with you on your wedding day. Ed's bachelor party is this weekend, so I'll get the details (those he chooses to share) and get back to you.

Also, if you're still looking for a wedding dress, Filene's is having the Running of the Brides Friday, Aug. 22. 

So it was close, but we pulled it off . . . Ed and I will be having our rehearsal dinner at the original place we chose -- the Flabread Company.

While there's about seven stores, the restaurant in portland is full of wood, exposed pipes and a gorgeous stone oven, where chefs cook fresh, organic pizzas. Some of the pizzas offer gourmet toppings but the restaurant also has the traditional cheese and pepperoni, which is great for non-adventurous eaters.

There's also a deck that overlooks the ocean, so we'll be dining out there if it's warm enough. 

Ed and I really wanted a casual, light dinner since we're serving a heavier meal at the reception. We also wanted an informal atmosphere where guests could get to know each other and relax after their travels.

In short, we're pretty psyched. But it was a little too close for comfort!

That pretty much describes Ed and I right now . . . as in, waiting with . . .

Why, you ask? Just a little matter of the rehearsal dinner. We had booked something back in the spring -- a casual place serving brick-oven pizza and salad. Since we planned to invite everyone to the dinner, it made sence to keep it casual and cheap. We figured about 40 people would come and we'd need to cut costs.

Well, actually about 80 people are coming. The pizza place isn't sure they can fit us, and just about every retaurant in Portland is booked that night or too small to hold 80 people. Some of the restaurants would exceed capacity at that number.

So Ed and I are hoping for the best -- that the funky pizza place will show some mercy and let us have the rehearsal dinner there. Or the second best -- a function hall will cut us a break and we have to mail about 80 letters announcing the location change.

If you're thinking that there's a large gap between best and second best, you're right.

Lesson learned: Don't invite more people than you have room for. They might all say yes. 

In six weeks, I'll be married. It's actually starting to sink in a little bit. When I got engaged more than a year ago, I thought the day would take forever to get here. Now I've got six weeks left to finish things up.

So what am I doing six weeks before the wedding? Mostly now it's just last minute details. I'm getting fitted for my dress. I'm also thinking about what I want to do to get ready for the wedding and scheduling those appointments -- haircut, facial, etc. And I'm finalizing wedding and reception details -- calling people who didn't mail back their reply cards, picking the menu, making sure everything is paid for in full, etc.

My goal is to make sure my wedding day is pretty relaxed, so I'm trying to get all the details taken care of now. I don't want to try to carry checks for the minister and band on my wedding day, get CDs to the boat for background music and generally run a bunch of last-minute errands. So I'm planning on spending one more day in Portand to take care of those details beforehand.  We also have to get up there and apply for a marriage license, which I almost forgot about -- oops.

Any advice on the last few weeks before the wedding? I'd love to hear your thoughts. I read all of your comments, so please post one!