Thursday, August 12, 2010
A Very Long Engagement...
Dave and I are getting married on May 29th, 2011. We got engaged on December 12, 2009. If my calculations are correct, (don't bank on it, the highest math class I took in college was Problem Solving 101) that's a whopping 533 days. 533!!! Holy Moses, that's a lot.
The length of time between now and when I finally become "Mrs. B" can be overwhelming sometimes. There are days when I want nothing more than to come home from work to our apartment to wait for my husband to walk through the door. I can't wait to sink into our couch (that we will most likely find on craigslist) with him and look around at the home that we've made together. I'm waiting for the day when I don't have to say "goodnight" and watch him drive away to his house miles down the road. I won't miss that at all, no sirree.
But! After a lot of thought and prayer, I'm beginning to see that God works in this time of waiting. There are things a person needs to work out individually before he/she can fully commit to another person, and I'm finding that He uses this time to help us do just that. I think its really important to be aware of how your mind and your heart find their way through times of struggle, of grieving, of joy and achievement. This life is completely nuts, and it's so hard to prepare for all the ups and downs that come our way. But I think that we need to just stop every once in a while and process how we've travelled through the "mountains and valleys," if you will. When it comes to knowing yourself, it's ok to be selfish, because once the "I do's" are said, things are going to change in a BIG way. Recall when you learned when you were 5 years old (or 7 in my case...kidding) that 1 + 1 = 2? Not after the wedding. From that point on it's 1 + 1 = 1. And this isn't a bad thing. It just means that more time is spent thinking about "us" than there is to think about "me."
So all I'm saying is... take advantage of this time. Relish in the self-exploration and have fun discovering all the things you didn't know about you. And when you come upon a characteristic that doesn't thrill you, take five minutes to wallow, and then do what you have to do to fix it.
Peace be unto you dudes.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Wedding Updates!
Next on the list: Location. We've booked the ceremony for our church, Central Presbyterian in Downingtown. However, there is a minor complication: The sancuatry does not have one long center aisle, but two short aisles. Solution: I will walk up to the alter on the bride's side (the left) and then Dave and I will leave the sanctuary on the groom's side (the right), symbolizing the time-honored tradition of giving the daughter away, which is kind of a sad tradition in my opinion. The reception, I'm thrilled to announce, will be at The Welkinweir Estate in Pottstown (website is under construction). Picture a huge, stone farm house sitting on a hill that overlooks a four-acre pond. There will be a tent that attaches to the dining room for dinner and dancing on the back patio. All of which is surrounded by azalea bushes and weeping willow trees. Be still my beating heart!
Because the wedding is going to be during the Memorial Day holiday, a very popular wedding weekend, we wanted use the long waiting time to our advantage and book all of our locations and vendors as soon as possible. The lovely and incredibly talented Nicola Herring will be taking pictures throughout the day. She specializes in newborn photography, but her wedding portfolio is awesome! We are so excited to work with her! Stay tuned for an engagement shoot later in the summer.
Finally, all things flowers will be handled by Laurie Sasko, the detail and creative queen! I'm itching to meet with her to talk arrangements and bouquets. It's so hard to wait!
Catering, music, stationary and dress shopping are still to come. As much of a long and complicated process wedding planning is, we're having a blast. It's difficult sometimes to remember to live in the present with all of these exciting things to look forward to!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Oh Happy Day!!
I GOT ENGAGED THIS WEEKEND!
Oh mylanta, I can hardly breathe. I'm sitting here at my desk unable to concentrate on anything but this gorgeous ring on my finger and the wonderful man I'm going to marry. So here's the story:
Saturday, Dave and I were going ice skating with the Middle School ministry at our church, so he came over to pick me up. He told me he needed to show me something outside, so I followed him out to his car. Mind you, it was quite chilly on Saturday, so I was thinking we were going to get a quick breath of fresh air and go right back inside. Oh no. He pulls out two travel magazines, which we look at all the time because of our hopes and dreams of traveling someday, and says he wants to show me this picture of St. Lucia. At this point I'm starting to shiver and teeth are chattering, so I ask if we can go back inside to look at the magazines. He smiles and says, "Just one more..." he flips the page and there is a beautiful black and white photo, from one of my favorite photographers, Alison Conklin. It looks a lot like an advertisement for a wedding photographer, but at the bottom, there is a short poem and the words, "Will you marry me?" Still thinking its part of the magazine, I flippantly say, "That's really sweet," and I turn around and see Dave on one knee, holding out the ring!! I scream and jump back about 5 feet. Tears well up in his eyes and he quietly says, "Will you marry me?" I am so shocked and shaken, it takes me a few seconds to recognize that all of this is real. This is really happening. I fly into his arms and we just hold each other for about ten minutes before I actually say "Yes." It was perfect.
AND...he got it all on film!!! He had set up his camera on the dashboard of his car so that it was facing out the back windshield (we had been leaning on the trunk while looking at the magazines.) He really thought of everything. It was so him, and so us.
It's been a whirlwind of a weekend, calling everyone and seeing everyone. It's so exciting but tiring and overwhelming at the same time. I'm hoping that Dave and I have some time to just to enjoy it and relax. Then, the planning will begin.
Holy cow. I'm planning my own wedding.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Favorite Online Resources
All of the sites in the list below contain a Pandora's box of wedding ideas. You'll find listing of local vendors, discussion boards with topics from fellow brides, photos of the latest trends in fashion, flowers, and decorations, as well as some really awesome DIY projects that will save you tons of mula.
The Knot
The Wedding Channel
Martha Stewart Weddings
Real Simple Weddings
Brides.com
For example, I found this adorable idea for a fall wedding on Martha Stewart Weddings: Instead of your flower girl tossing petals, find a small basket, line it with fall-time fabric and fill it with dried leaves.
Most sites will allow you to set up an account where you can store information such as your guest list, seating arrangements, budget, and wedding checklist. Beware: These sites will eat the hours in the day for breakfast. You may need to set the kitchen timer so as not to become completely absorbed and consumed by the abyss of weddings. I would, however, make a folder in your Favorites list for strictly for wedding resources like these. Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Let's Get Organized, Organized! ( To the tune of, "Let's Get Physical)
Thus, I give you THE WEDDING PLANNING BINDER OF GLORY:
Well, maybe yours is called something else, but you get the idea. In your wedding planning binder you will keep everything from your Inspiration Board, to your receipts from your vendors. Feel free to decorate and Bedazzle to your heart's content. (I think I'm going to rig mine to play some sort of angelic melody when it opens, like a singing birthday card.) To keep yourself more organized you will want to divide your binder into tabs. Possible tabs might include:
- Budget
- Invitations
- Registry & Gifts
- Bridal Party
- Ceremony
- Reception
- Photography & Videography
- Music
- Attire
- Flowers
- Hair & Makeup
- Transportation
- Honeymoon
- Contact List
As you go through the planning process, you will want to file everything in chronological order under the respective tabs for easy flip-ability. There will probably be a lot of paperwork, swatches, pictures, and receipts so you'll want to get one of those honkin' 3 inchers to hold it all.
Short post today. I'll be back soon with some info on budgeting! Yippee!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
If You Search, It Will Come...
- I started a new job that doesn't allow any time for me to waste the company's dollar.
- I sprained my ankle at the church game night
- My company-owned laptop was stolen out of my car in my driveway.
- I took up painting...for two days.
- I've buried myself in wonderful books about castles and lobster-fishing.
So it was recently Bridal Fashion Week and as much I love procrastinating and scrolling through all of the latest trends from Oscar De La Renta, Anne Barge and Jenny Lee, I often find myself rolling into a snowball of despair when I look at the prices. For example, my dream dress is a De La Renta from a few years ago. It was even featured in an article about what types of dresses to wear if you're flat-as-a-board in Real Simple Weddings. (How perfect is that?!) Cost? 10,000 buckarooskies...
Craig's List: Did you know that you can find wedding dresses on Craig's list?? Seriously, go to your city, and search for "wedding dress". You will find TONS of bridal gowns that may or may not have been worn by brides who want to make some money off of a dress they only wear once, or cancel her wedding at the last minute or just change their minds. Whatever the reason, they are usually marked way down, saving you hundreds of dollars.
Once Wed: One of my favorite websites of all time is Oncewed.com. In addition to being an awesome wedding blog, it also features a page where brides can sell their gowns after the wedding. These are beautiful, designer dresses for as low as $100! The great thing about this site is that the selection is always changing, so if you don't see anything that tickles your fancy, check back in a few days.
Brides Against Breast Cancer: Why not combine dress buying with charity? The ladies behind Bridesagainstbreastcancer.org travel to cities all over the US selling used or donated dresses and part of the proceeds go to breast cancer research!
Designer Sample Sales: Most designers have annual sample and trunk sales, where you can snag a $3,000 gown for $300! All you have to do is go to the websites of your favorite designers, check out their event calendar and/or get on their email list to receive notifications about these awesome sales. Just be prepared to throw some 'bows at out of control bridezillas. Tip: You may want to camp out the night before so you can get first dibs on the selection.
A strategy I've considered is making an appointment at designer salons, solely for the purpose of trying on different types of dresses. Once you have an idea what kind of shape and style looks best for your body type, you can be a more efficient shopper on the websites above.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions or information I'm missing. I'll make sure to update these posts as I come across new websites and resources. Happy shopping/saving!