Merry Christmas Everyone!!
I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. If we would have been on the ball, we would have had our engagement photos done a month ago and you all would have received Christmas cards in the mail...well that did not happen so a picture by the tree will have to work for now.
Our plans for Christmas consists of meeting up with most everyone in the immediate family. Christmas eve we will be spending with mom, Luke & Amy and Christmas day we will meet up with dad, grandma & grandpa Decker, Patty & Ken, and it sounds like Paulette & the kids are going to try and make it home. After the festivities we will head back to Brookings and then onto Wanda, MN to visit Randy's family on Friday. Saturday and Sunday we will be staying in the cities and heading to the Vikings game on Sunday. They need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Go Vikes!
I did contact the photographer to get our engagement session set up. Haven't hear back from her yet, but understandable as it is so close to Christmas. I will keep everyone update when we get a day scheduled.
Lately we have been thinking a little more about getting a dj booked. Art & Bridget have a friend we are looking into. He does weddings as a side job and I tentitively booked him this year for my "imaginary wedding." Who knew it would come sooner than later.
Since we are getting married in the Catholic church we also need to get signed up for marriage classes....Randy is on that, aren't you dear?
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Ordered my dress!!
So I decided on a dress, and it is ordered. The one at the French Door that I wrote about a few weeks ago is it! And this weekend it was 20% off.
There was a visit that I didn’t tell everyone about. After one of our fall weddings, my birthday to be exact, I wanted to go show it to Randy. I know there it is superstitious or whatever it is to let the groom see the dress before the wedding. And I think that it is pretty unheard of for the groom to see the bride before the wedding in her dress.
When I found this one that I really liked, I showed it to him on the internet. Looks good or fine I believe he said. I didn’t want it to be just fine. I wanted him to like it as much as I did. So I took him there to show it to him. If he didn’t like it I needed to know. I wasn’t planning on trying it on, but it was kind of like taking a kid into a toy store again and he or she seeing a toy they really want for Christmas and then not letting them play with it. I needed to play with it again. So, I tried it on.
I will never forget the look on Randy’s face when I came out of the dressing room. I think at that moment, I knew this would be the dress I was going to get married in. He was doing something on his cell phone when he looked up and saw me. Kind of a look of shock or wow this is going to happen and hmm that dress looks really nice…was how I read his face. If I remember correctly he said, “Hmmm…wow…that is gorgeous.”
I stood in front of the mirror again with my mom, brother and fiancé behind me. All the time thinking to myself, yep this is going to happen, and it is going to happen in this dress.
We left and I spent the rest of the day asking Randy questions, and making sure he really liked it. Then I had to ask myself…He wants to marry me. Will it really matter what dress I pick? He will think that I look beautiful no matter what dress I wear. And on that day, nothing else is going to matter.
YEAH!!! I can’t wait!!!
There was a visit that I didn’t tell everyone about. After one of our fall weddings, my birthday to be exact, I wanted to go show it to Randy. I know there it is superstitious or whatever it is to let the groom see the dress before the wedding. And I think that it is pretty unheard of for the groom to see the bride before the wedding in her dress.
When I found this one that I really liked, I showed it to him on the internet. Looks good or fine I believe he said. I didn’t want it to be just fine. I wanted him to like it as much as I did. So I took him there to show it to him. If he didn’t like it I needed to know. I wasn’t planning on trying it on, but it was kind of like taking a kid into a toy store again and he or she seeing a toy they really want for Christmas and then not letting them play with it. I needed to play with it again. So, I tried it on.
I will never forget the look on Randy’s face when I came out of the dressing room. I think at that moment, I knew this would be the dress I was going to get married in. He was doing something on his cell phone when he looked up and saw me. Kind of a look of shock or wow this is going to happen and hmm that dress looks really nice…was how I read his face. If I remember correctly he said, “Hmmm…wow…that is gorgeous.”
I stood in front of the mirror again with my mom, brother and fiancé behind me. All the time thinking to myself, yep this is going to happen, and it is going to happen in this dress.
We left and I spent the rest of the day asking Randy questions, and making sure he really liked it. Then I had to ask myself…He wants to marry me. Will it really matter what dress I pick? He will think that I look beautiful no matter what dress I wear. And on that day, nothing else is going to matter.
YEAH!!! I can’t wait!!!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Catching Up…
I thought I should have the blog reflect some of the colors we have chosen for the wedding. I spent a good chunck of Sunday trying to get it just right...enjoy! Oh and I have added a new bridesmaid to the wedding party.
Nothing much new to report from B-town this week. I haven't seen my new island light yet. So, I will be emailing that guy today. I had to work at the bank Saturday morning and my dear Randy lost his mind and decided to go tailgating. From 9 am until about 4 he and some friends stood outside like popsicles to cheer on SDSU for their last home game. After a meal at Cubby’s and a few beers, I think he was feeling better. This week Randy is packing up to leave town. Tomorrow bright and early at 5am he heads out. Crazy enough he hasn’t been too upset about it. He does get to spend 4 days in California, so I guess I wouldn’t be complaining much about it either!
We, well I hit up downtown Brookings on Halloween night. I love Halloween!! From a young age, mom always wanted Luke and I to dress up in different “themes” with her. The Wizard of Oz is probably the one that I remember best. Mom was Dorothy, I was good witch Glenda, and Luke was Toto. So, I can blame my love of dressing up as someone else once a year on her! Thanks Mom!
As you can see I have updated our picture. Randy dressed up, but just to go over to a friend’s house for the evening. All of my Halloween excitement must have rubbed off on him! We had a blast and I am glad that Halloween was 2 weeks ago, as the weather was much nicer to walk home in than it would have been this last week.
That leads me to my next point. I am NOT ready for winter yet. We were spoiled for the last couple of weeks with the 60 and 70 degree weather and now every other day they are predicting snow. I don’t like it one bit. This weather does however reassure me that I am going to be happy that my wedding day won’t be freezing cold!
Have a good week everyone!
Nothing much new to report from B-town this week. I haven't seen my new island light yet. So, I will be emailing that guy today. I had to work at the bank Saturday morning and my dear Randy lost his mind and decided to go tailgating. From 9 am until about 4 he and some friends stood outside like popsicles to cheer on SDSU for their last home game. After a meal at Cubby’s and a few beers, I think he was feeling better. This week Randy is packing up to leave town. Tomorrow bright and early at 5am he heads out. Crazy enough he hasn’t been too upset about it. He does get to spend 4 days in California, so I guess I wouldn’t be complaining much about it either!
We, well I hit up downtown Brookings on Halloween night. I love Halloween!! From a young age, mom always wanted Luke and I to dress up in different “themes” with her. The Wizard of Oz is probably the one that I remember best. Mom was Dorothy, I was good witch Glenda, and Luke was Toto. So, I can blame my love of dressing up as someone else once a year on her! Thanks Mom!
As you can see I have updated our picture. Randy dressed up, but just to go over to a friend’s house for the evening. All of my Halloween excitement must have rubbed off on him! We had a blast and I am glad that Halloween was 2 weeks ago, as the weather was much nicer to walk home in than it would have been this last week.
That leads me to my next point. I am NOT ready for winter yet. We were spoiled for the last couple of weeks with the 60 and 70 degree weather and now every other day they are predicting snow. I don’t like it one bit. This weather does however reassure me that I am going to be happy that my wedding day won’t be freezing cold!
Have a good week everyone!
Monday, November 3, 2008
MIA Cell Phone
I had a great week…
Monday we had to get tires put on the Monte Carlo, a nice $150 bill.
Monday, I lost my cell phone.
Tuesday night I broke a light in the house.
So much for trying to save money for the wedding. I think this week we have spent more than we have made. We knew the tires on the Monte we getting a little rough. Randy was having to put air in the 2 back ones about once a week. Then it was about every 3 days, and then they needed to be filled everyday. Not wanting to go into winter with bad tires, we bit the bullet and had some new ones put on.
I have to give an unnecessary plug for Wal-Mart/Sam’s club tires though. A few years ago tires were my Christmas present. I needed some for my car, it was Christmas, it worked out. Mom picked them up at Sam’s. Sam’s has this road hazard program that basically says they will fix the tire for the life of it as long as it was driving related at any Wal-Mart or Sam’s location. Hole in it, screw/nail in it, etc. if they cannot fix it, they figure how much tread is left on the tire and give you credit towards a new one. Since we only needed to get 1 tire, the other was fixable, they gave us $50 credit towards the new tire. $50 is $50 people.
My cell phone…Agh.
While tires were begin put on the Monte, we went and had a nice romantic dinner at Arby’s. I called my mom, sent Art a picture message of Randy enjoying his Arby-Q, and then….
Your guess is as good as mine, when finishing that sentence. We went to Wal-Mart and picked up the car and I reached in my pocket for my phone when we were leaving, and it was gone. I figured I must have thrown it in my bag or something and would worry about it when I got home.
I checked everywhere. In the car, in the house, emptied my bag and called and called and called it. I called Arby’s to see if I had left it in the booth or on the table. They told me nope, nothing had been turned it. I called Wal-Mart and they told me the same thing.
I didn’t think I would be this upset over loosing my cell phone. I mean come on it is JUST A PHONE. But I am super pissed. I am mad that I have to get a different one, I lost my numbers, and I really liked my phone!!! I have never officially lost a cell phone. I ran over one with my car once, but I found it. I am afraid this one is officially gone. As I think about it more, I have to wonder if we possibly threw it away with our garbage at Arby’s. I though I was more responsible than that, but maybe not.
Speaking of being responsible…The broken island light.
I was on the couch the other night watching a little TV and looked over and saw my special-ed cat Steve just hanging out on the counter top. ABSOLUTELY NOT! Our cats are in no way allowed on the counter top and when they get up there, I pretty much freak out on them and chase them around the house. I knew he would see me before I could get a head start on him, so grabbed the first thing I could see and tossed it in his direction. Well, the island light got in the way, and broke all over the counter top.
This was the icing on the cake for the week and it was only Tuesday! I was able to find a light on e-bay and it should be here in a week or so. An easy fix, to something stupid I did.
Moral of this post…last week wasn't my week. This week has to be better!
Monday we had to get tires put on the Monte Carlo, a nice $150 bill.
Monday, I lost my cell phone.
Tuesday night I broke a light in the house.
So much for trying to save money for the wedding. I think this week we have spent more than we have made. We knew the tires on the Monte we getting a little rough. Randy was having to put air in the 2 back ones about once a week. Then it was about every 3 days, and then they needed to be filled everyday. Not wanting to go into winter with bad tires, we bit the bullet and had some new ones put on.
I have to give an unnecessary plug for Wal-Mart/Sam’s club tires though. A few years ago tires were my Christmas present. I needed some for my car, it was Christmas, it worked out. Mom picked them up at Sam’s. Sam’s has this road hazard program that basically says they will fix the tire for the life of it as long as it was driving related at any Wal-Mart or Sam’s location. Hole in it, screw/nail in it, etc. if they cannot fix it, they figure how much tread is left on the tire and give you credit towards a new one. Since we only needed to get 1 tire, the other was fixable, they gave us $50 credit towards the new tire. $50 is $50 people.
My cell phone…Agh.
While tires were begin put on the Monte, we went and had a nice romantic dinner at Arby’s. I called my mom, sent Art a picture message of Randy enjoying his Arby-Q, and then….
Your guess is as good as mine, when finishing that sentence. We went to Wal-Mart and picked up the car and I reached in my pocket for my phone when we were leaving, and it was gone. I figured I must have thrown it in my bag or something and would worry about it when I got home.
I checked everywhere. In the car, in the house, emptied my bag and called and called and called it. I called Arby’s to see if I had left it in the booth or on the table. They told me nope, nothing had been turned it. I called Wal-Mart and they told me the same thing.
I didn’t think I would be this upset over loosing my cell phone. I mean come on it is JUST A PHONE. But I am super pissed. I am mad that I have to get a different one, I lost my numbers, and I really liked my phone!!! I have never officially lost a cell phone. I ran over one with my car once, but I found it. I am afraid this one is officially gone. As I think about it more, I have to wonder if we possibly threw it away with our garbage at Arby’s. I though I was more responsible than that, but maybe not.
Speaking of being responsible…The broken island light.
I was on the couch the other night watching a little TV and looked over and saw my special-ed cat Steve just hanging out on the counter top. ABSOLUTELY NOT! Our cats are in no way allowed on the counter top and when they get up there, I pretty much freak out on them and chase them around the house. I knew he would see me before I could get a head start on him, so grabbed the first thing I could see and tossed it in his direction. Well, the island light got in the way, and broke all over the counter top.
This was the icing on the cake for the week and it was only Tuesday! I was able to find a light on e-bay and it should be here in a week or so. An easy fix, to something stupid I did.
Moral of this post…last week wasn't my week. This week has to be better!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Photographer: Check!
Friday was a big day. We went ahead and booked out photographer.
Over the last month I have been checking out every photographer from here to Sioux City, IA to northern Minnesota. Everyone I really like is way too expensive and everyone that seems to have ok pictures ends up being affordable.
The photographer we chose is Erin Smith, Life in Picture Photography. She is from Arlington, SD and works part time at Harold’s in the portrait studio and is just starting up her own photography business. I met with her about a month ago as we both really like the pictures she had posted on her blog site, she was also relatively inexpensive, and we soon found out she didn’t have a whole lot of experience. After meeting with her, we still liked her work, but I wanted to look around and see if I could find someone with a few more weddings under their belt.
So, what changed our, or my mind? It seems like since we got engaged, so did ½ the people at the bank. As we started talking dresses, flowers, and pictures, I kept mentioning Erin’s name. Most of the people ended up checking her site and asking for pricing information because, they too liked her work. Well, it occurred to me. I keep telling all of these people about this photographer, why don’t I have her booked? Or what am I going to do when I am finally ready to book her and then she already has a wedding that day? There isn’t anyone else we really like.
I talked to Randy, and he said was ready to book her 2 months ago. So I did. I signed the contract wrote her a check and dropped it in the mail. It feels really good to know that the photographer is booked. We are getting a good price and she is all ours for the ENTIRE day. She comes with me to the salon and will stay as long into the dance as we want her too.
I am excited. Having her booked, lets me cross one more thing off my list. Now, we move onto our DJ…
Over the last month I have been checking out every photographer from here to Sioux City, IA to northern Minnesota. Everyone I really like is way too expensive and everyone that seems to have ok pictures ends up being affordable.
The photographer we chose is Erin Smith, Life in Picture Photography. She is from Arlington, SD and works part time at Harold’s in the portrait studio and is just starting up her own photography business. I met with her about a month ago as we both really like the pictures she had posted on her blog site, she was also relatively inexpensive, and we soon found out she didn’t have a whole lot of experience. After meeting with her, we still liked her work, but I wanted to look around and see if I could find someone with a few more weddings under their belt.
So, what changed our, or my mind? It seems like since we got engaged, so did ½ the people at the bank. As we started talking dresses, flowers, and pictures, I kept mentioning Erin’s name. Most of the people ended up checking her site and asking for pricing information because, they too liked her work. Well, it occurred to me. I keep telling all of these people about this photographer, why don’t I have her booked? Or what am I going to do when I am finally ready to book her and then she already has a wedding that day? There isn’t anyone else we really like.
I talked to Randy, and he said was ready to book her 2 months ago. So I did. I signed the contract wrote her a check and dropped it in the mail. It feels really good to know that the photographer is booked. We are getting a good price and she is all ours for the ENTIRE day. She comes with me to the salon and will stay as long into the dance as we want her too.
I am excited. Having her booked, lets me cross one more thing off my list. Now, we move onto our DJ…
Thursday, October 16, 2008
DIY Project #2
I wouldn’t call myself a do-it-yourself bride at all. Everything that I thought that I might want to make, I have decided that it would be easier and really not much more expensive to have someone else take care of it. Take invitations for example. By the time you buy the 2 or 3 different kinds of paper, ink for your printer or pay someone to have them printed, ribbon or any extras, and the time it will take to put 200+ invitations together. I can go to a place in Sioux Falls and have them printed, assembled, and ready to go for about $100 more. Sold.
There are a few projects that I am going to tackle on my own. People are probably looking at my heading on this one and saying when did I miss project #1? DIY project #1 is how I asked my bridesmaids to be in the wedding. Since I haven’t asked them all yet, I can’t tell you how I did it. Stay tuned for pictures, as I will share later!!
So, project #2
About 2 years ago, we were down and Randy’s cousin’s wedding in Iowa. There is always the lag time between the bride and groom arriving, food being served, etc. Anyone under the age or probably 10 has an attention span of what 5 minutes? At this wedding each kid was given a coloring book and 4 crayons. I can’t speak for everyone, but I know for the 2 girls at my table, it definitely kept them busy for awhile.
This is something I can tackle. I have prices out crayons, and printing a few coloring sheets, cheap. I think it will be something nice to have for smaller children to keep them busy when their parents have run out of ideas on what to keep them occupied with. I have also thought of going one step further and making a small activity kit. It would just include a few more things, stickers, crayons, and whatever else I can find.
This is something that I can work on now. I have found some pictures to use and some little mazes and matching games to put in the book. I am going to start getting some things printed, work on a cover and find my cheapest place to buy crayons!
There are a few projects that I am going to tackle on my own. People are probably looking at my heading on this one and saying when did I miss project #1? DIY project #1 is how I asked my bridesmaids to be in the wedding. Since I haven’t asked them all yet, I can’t tell you how I did it. Stay tuned for pictures, as I will share later!!
So, project #2
About 2 years ago, we were down and Randy’s cousin’s wedding in Iowa. There is always the lag time between the bride and groom arriving, food being served, etc. Anyone under the age or probably 10 has an attention span of what 5 minutes? At this wedding each kid was given a coloring book and 4 crayons. I can’t speak for everyone, but I know for the 2 girls at my table, it definitely kept them busy for awhile.
This is something I can tackle. I have prices out crayons, and printing a few coloring sheets, cheap. I think it will be something nice to have for smaller children to keep them busy when their parents have run out of ideas on what to keep them occupied with. I have also thought of going one step further and making a small activity kit. It would just include a few more things, stickers, crayons, and whatever else I can find.
This is something that I can work on now. I have found some pictures to use and some little mazes and matching games to put in the book. I am going to start getting some things printed, work on a cover and find my cheapest place to buy crayons!
Limos, cakes, photographers…oh my!
So if a person didn’t come up with enough ideas on their own on how to spend money at their wedding, they have bridal shows to help you out. Mom, Amy and I hit up a show in Sioux Falls a couple weeks. It was interesting. Limos, cakes, wine, photographers…oh my!
Within the last month there have been 2 bridal shows in Sioux Falls. Got to go. Chances to win prizes, money, all sorts of stuff. Most of all I have been interested in the photographers and DJs. One of my websites sent me and email the other day. It basically reminds me how many days left until the wedding. This week it told me that I am 10 months 2 weeks and some amount of days away, until the big day.
I need to pick a photographer. So we wondered thru the 7 or 8 isles of wedding stuff and talked to a few people. We check out their pictures, then their pricing, picked up our jaws off the floor and moved on.
I had no idea wedding pictures were going to cost so much money. I want someone that is good, but I don’t want to have to spend a fortune. After all how often do you look at your wedding album and wedding pictures? Especially after you have kids, how many pictures of your wedding do you keep on the wall? And we keep looking….
Another thing that we are looking into is having someone come in and help us decorate. The one problem with the Days Inn is that you can only get in at noon on the day of your event to decorate. Oh yeah, how in the world are you suppose to get that done during, hair, pictures, and all the other preparations that are going to go into that day.
I have talked with a couple of people who do the decorating for you. You rent your centerpieces, candles, coffee beans, whatever you want from them. But the best part is that they come in and talk care of everything for you. You tell them what you want, pick it out and you are done. No one has to haul everything around make sure it gets there and is set up and hold their breath that we are going to like it.
Still need to work out some of the details and talk to a few more people, but for a couple hundred bucks I think this might be the way to go. The last thing I want is for people to worry about how it is going to look and if we are going to like and to hurry up and get it done to try and make the 2:30 wedding. I want everyone to just relax and just have fun.
Within the last month there have been 2 bridal shows in Sioux Falls. Got to go. Chances to win prizes, money, all sorts of stuff. Most of all I have been interested in the photographers and DJs. One of my websites sent me and email the other day. It basically reminds me how many days left until the wedding. This week it told me that I am 10 months 2 weeks and some amount of days away, until the big day.
I need to pick a photographer. So we wondered thru the 7 or 8 isles of wedding stuff and talked to a few people. We check out their pictures, then their pricing, picked up our jaws off the floor and moved on.
I had no idea wedding pictures were going to cost so much money. I want someone that is good, but I don’t want to have to spend a fortune. After all how often do you look at your wedding album and wedding pictures? Especially after you have kids, how many pictures of your wedding do you keep on the wall? And we keep looking….
Another thing that we are looking into is having someone come in and help us decorate. The one problem with the Days Inn is that you can only get in at noon on the day of your event to decorate. Oh yeah, how in the world are you suppose to get that done during, hair, pictures, and all the other preparations that are going to go into that day.
I have talked with a couple of people who do the decorating for you. You rent your centerpieces, candles, coffee beans, whatever you want from them. But the best part is that they come in and talk care of everything for you. You tell them what you want, pick it out and you are done. No one has to haul everything around make sure it gets there and is set up and hold their breath that we are going to like it.
Still need to work out some of the details and talk to a few more people, but for a couple hundred bucks I think this might be the way to go. The last thing I want is for people to worry about how it is going to look and if we are going to like and to hurry up and get it done to try and make the 2:30 wedding. I want everyone to just relax and just have fun.
Dress Shopping
So, with weddings on Saturdays and other events filling up our weekends, I have been trying to find some time to dress shop. Most of the places I go remind me that I want to order my dress about 6 months out. That gives time for them to make it and gives me a couple months for alterations.
I have been looking….and looking…..and looking. I have found some dresses that I like, but they are just ok. By far not the one I see myself getting married in.
At Ryan’s wedding few weeks ago we were hanging out at the dance. I looked at my mom and I told her that tomorrow would be the day. I had checked enough places and we were going to find my dress that Sunday.
The next morning, we showered up and headed to the French Door in Sioux Falls. Amy was coming with again, and I guess Luke had no better options and he showed up too. I grabbed a bunch in the style I have liked. Strapless with a wrap or gather around the waist. Some had a little beading, others had a lot with lace and whatever and I was trying them all on. I found one I liked. It has some beading, a wrapped waist, diamond white and a corset back. Yes…put this one on my list of likes. I also grabbed 1 that wasn’t really like anything I had tried before. It was fabric at the top with a little beading and then a different beaded design down to my waist. It wasn’t the right one for me. The beading stopped in a weird spot on my waist and I just didn’t like it.
The sales lady, Monica, pulled out another one that was similar. A little more deal, and more beads, but it again stopped in that weird spot. I said nah, and had her put it back on the rack. Amy, Luke’s girlfriend, was with us again and just didn’t like that I put that dress away. She grabbed it off the rack and said this one is really pretty; you just need to try it. Before I even had a chance to disagree she had it out of the bag and in my dressing room.
Oh man, I might owe her big time. Unfortunately this dress didn’t zip all the way up, but everything else about it was pretty much perfect. I really, really, really like this one. There is just enough beading, but not too much, and the train is absolutely beautiful. It is beaded all the way down the back and around. I just really liked this one. At one point I looked back at my brother and said “Hey, what do you think?” “That one is pretty nice,” he said, “I really like it.” Man if you can get approval from your brother that you look good, it must look good!
I wanted to try on the other one that I had liked. So, I put that one back on, had her tie me back in the first one. Oh, it was really pretty too. I danced around the mirror for 10 minutes or so and then asked to put the other one back on. (Oh, she had to be glad to see me go!) As I walked out of the dressing room and caught myself in a mirror across the room. Oh man, it looked sooooo pretty! I may have started crying in the store. So here I am tearing up in the store with my mom, my brother and his girlfriend.
After that Monica asked me what was keeping me from ordering the dress today. Basically it comes down to this. I only plan on getting 1 wedding dress. I want to try on everything. Every style, every designer, everything.
I have 1 more store to hit up in Sioux Falls and then I will be out of places to go in the area. I want to be able to go in and try it on again if I want to, so I don’t want to find something in the cities or anywhere that is too far of a drive. I want to be able to go in and look at it when ever I want. However, this one, well it just might be the one.
I have been looking….and looking…..and looking. I have found some dresses that I like, but they are just ok. By far not the one I see myself getting married in.
At Ryan’s wedding few weeks ago we were hanging out at the dance. I looked at my mom and I told her that tomorrow would be the day. I had checked enough places and we were going to find my dress that Sunday.
The next morning, we showered up and headed to the French Door in Sioux Falls. Amy was coming with again, and I guess Luke had no better options and he showed up too. I grabbed a bunch in the style I have liked. Strapless with a wrap or gather around the waist. Some had a little beading, others had a lot with lace and whatever and I was trying them all on. I found one I liked. It has some beading, a wrapped waist, diamond white and a corset back. Yes…put this one on my list of likes. I also grabbed 1 that wasn’t really like anything I had tried before. It was fabric at the top with a little beading and then a different beaded design down to my waist. It wasn’t the right one for me. The beading stopped in a weird spot on my waist and I just didn’t like it.
The sales lady, Monica, pulled out another one that was similar. A little more deal, and more beads, but it again stopped in that weird spot. I said nah, and had her put it back on the rack. Amy, Luke’s girlfriend, was with us again and just didn’t like that I put that dress away. She grabbed it off the rack and said this one is really pretty; you just need to try it. Before I even had a chance to disagree she had it out of the bag and in my dressing room.
Oh man, I might owe her big time. Unfortunately this dress didn’t zip all the way up, but everything else about it was pretty much perfect. I really, really, really like this one. There is just enough beading, but not too much, and the train is absolutely beautiful. It is beaded all the way down the back and around. I just really liked this one. At one point I looked back at my brother and said “Hey, what do you think?” “That one is pretty nice,” he said, “I really like it.” Man if you can get approval from your brother that you look good, it must look good!
I wanted to try on the other one that I had liked. So, I put that one back on, had her tie me back in the first one. Oh, it was really pretty too. I danced around the mirror for 10 minutes or so and then asked to put the other one back on. (Oh, she had to be glad to see me go!) As I walked out of the dressing room and caught myself in a mirror across the room. Oh man, it looked sooooo pretty! I may have started crying in the store. So here I am tearing up in the store with my mom, my brother and his girlfriend.
After that Monica asked me what was keeping me from ordering the dress today. Basically it comes down to this. I only plan on getting 1 wedding dress. I want to try on everything. Every style, every designer, everything.
I have 1 more store to hit up in Sioux Falls and then I will be out of places to go in the area. I want to be able to go in and try it on again if I want to, so I don’t want to find something in the cities or anywhere that is too far of a drive. I want to be able to go in and look at it when ever I want. However, this one, well it just might be the one.
Wedding Weekends
Wow! I have been pretty rotten keeping you all updated on wedding planning. No updates in almost a month. I think that is a blogging no, no.
I guess there really isn’t anything too exciting to report. Between Randy traveling and other weddings to go to our weekends have stayed busy heading into fall. Usually fall means things start to slow down and for sure wedding season is over.
Not exactly on our calendar. 2 weeks ago we had a wedding for some friends down in Sioux Falls, Ryan & Ashley. Randy missed it, as he was in San Diego for work. Yeah, don’t feel too bad for him! For October it was a beautiful day. Their colors were brown and cream and it was very fitting with fall in the air. The reception and dance followed and I think the best part of the evening, was the food. Instead of regular meat and potatoes…it was a taco bar! I loved it, different, unique, and it was really good. Sorry folks, don’t expect anything too unique and exciting for our meal!!
The dance was a blast and with open bar and my brother, mom, another friend Jane, and I bartending, well people were getting more than they paid for! By the end of the night, no one really needed another drink, so anyone reading this…sorry to say, you pretty much just got pop! Ha Ha, jokes on you!
Last weekend, another wedding. Again in Sioux Falls, and again the same colors. The church they were married in was gorgeous. It is pretty new on the west side of Sioux Falls. A lot of the design reminded me of St. Thomas Moore. Looking around at everything, I think I have decided that when it comes to church decorations, less is more. I like the idea of letting people enjoy the beauty of the church. Chances are you won’t be there again, so why not enjoy your time during the wedding, watching the wedding, not checking out the decorations.
The reception and dance were at the all occasions event center in Tea. Hy-Vee got it right with this place. You write them 1 check and they pretty much do everything else. Cater, decorate, serve, tear down and clean up. The dance was fun, but seemed to fizzle out quickly and most of the guests were gone by 10 or 10:30. HEADS UP PEOPLE…I want a fun dance! I want everyone dancing and having fun. If you don’t dance, please stay and hang out. Have a drink, talk to my family, Randy’s family, friends, the wait staff, bartender, I don’t care, just PLEASE DON’T LEAVE EARLY!!! This was one of the main reasons we wanted to have the reception and dance at a hotel. People will have no excuse for leaving early to drive home. Get a hotel and stay the night!!
I guess there really isn’t anything too exciting to report. Between Randy traveling and other weddings to go to our weekends have stayed busy heading into fall. Usually fall means things start to slow down and for sure wedding season is over.
Not exactly on our calendar. 2 weeks ago we had a wedding for some friends down in Sioux Falls, Ryan & Ashley. Randy missed it, as he was in San Diego for work. Yeah, don’t feel too bad for him! For October it was a beautiful day. Their colors were brown and cream and it was very fitting with fall in the air. The reception and dance followed and I think the best part of the evening, was the food. Instead of regular meat and potatoes…it was a taco bar! I loved it, different, unique, and it was really good. Sorry folks, don’t expect anything too unique and exciting for our meal!!
The dance was a blast and with open bar and my brother, mom, another friend Jane, and I bartending, well people were getting more than they paid for! By the end of the night, no one really needed another drink, so anyone reading this…sorry to say, you pretty much just got pop! Ha Ha, jokes on you!
Last weekend, another wedding. Again in Sioux Falls, and again the same colors. The church they were married in was gorgeous. It is pretty new on the west side of Sioux Falls. A lot of the design reminded me of St. Thomas Moore. Looking around at everything, I think I have decided that when it comes to church decorations, less is more. I like the idea of letting people enjoy the beauty of the church. Chances are you won’t be there again, so why not enjoy your time during the wedding, watching the wedding, not checking out the decorations.
The reception and dance were at the all occasions event center in Tea. Hy-Vee got it right with this place. You write them 1 check and they pretty much do everything else. Cater, decorate, serve, tear down and clean up. The dance was fun, but seemed to fizzle out quickly and most of the guests were gone by 10 or 10:30. HEADS UP PEOPLE…I want a fun dance! I want everyone dancing and having fun. If you don’t dance, please stay and hang out. Have a drink, talk to my family, Randy’s family, friends, the wait staff, bartender, I don’t care, just PLEASE DON’T LEAVE EARLY!!! This was one of the main reasons we wanted to have the reception and dance at a hotel. People will have no excuse for leaving early to drive home. Get a hotel and stay the night!!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
What should I be doing?
I feel like I should be doing a lot more when it comes to this whole planning thing. Dress, started looking, date – check, booked reception hall and church.
What else should I get started on? Invitations? Programs? Decorations? To me, all of this stuff comes later. But I feel like if I don't start working on this stuff it is going to creep up on me very quickly.
What else should I get started on? Invitations? Programs? Decorations? To me, all of this stuff comes later. But I feel like if I don't start working on this stuff it is going to creep up on me very quickly.
What do you think?
So Randy has a lot to say when it comes to the wedding. Not really, at one point, I think I heard alright, I bought you the ring, my job is done. Ok anyone that has ever met me understands that, well, I sort of like to be in control. Shocker, I know!
So a few weeks back I asked him what he thought for wedding colors. I believe it was, “Whatever, I don’t care.” I gave him my idea of red, black, and white. “No, I don’t like that.”
I have now decided that he may think he is off the hook and I should just do whatever I want, but I can just hear it as I start dragging stuff home. What is this for? I hate this color. Bla bla bla. So here is your warning Randy…this is our wedding. You asked, I said yes…watch out you don’t get a choice when it comes to helping me decide some of this stuff. :) Your soon to be stuck with me!!
So a few weeks back I asked him what he thought for wedding colors. I believe it was, “Whatever, I don’t care.” I gave him my idea of red, black, and white. “No, I don’t like that.”
I have now decided that he may think he is off the hook and I should just do whatever I want, but I can just hear it as I start dragging stuff home. What is this for? I hate this color. Bla bla bla. So here is your warning Randy…this is our wedding. You asked, I said yes…watch out you don’t get a choice when it comes to helping me decide some of this stuff. :) Your soon to be stuck with me!!
The Dress
Still no luck. Since my last post I have hit up 2 more dress shops in Sioux Falls. I am definitely not worried that I am going to run out of time. Looking at the calendar, I still have just over 11 months until the big day.
But nothing is just jumping out at me. Everything is just ok. Yep, that one is fine to. I keep going back to the same style which I think is good, but not getting that feeling that everyone says you have. I am more worried that I am not going to find anything in SF. I really don’t want to have to travel much over an hour to find a dress. Especially if I am not 100% sure about it. How many times do you want to take that trip to see it again?
I went with one of my bridesmaids and tried on probably 15 dresses at the interlude. All similar style and it was either too much beading, not enough beading, too much lace, or just ugly once it was off the rack. So I turn to Emily and ask, did you get that feeling? Did you know it was the one? “Yes,” she said “I did.”
Sunday mom, Amy (Luke’s gf), and I made our way to David’s bridal. I have heard from a ton of people that this is the place to go. That is where I got my dress, and my 19 friends found them there too. Me…HA not a chance. But, we had a great time. The nice thing about David’s is that they have 40 dresses in YOUR size. You don’t have to imagine how it is going to look on or when you can finally get it zipped. They ALL FIT! We tried everything. Strapless, halter, straps, the gigantic poufy Cinderella dresses. I was still able to eliminate a lot of the styles that I didn’t really like, but a lot of people say to have an open mind when you try them on. So I did and we tried them all!
One thing that I have learned from dress shopping is that I need to have a GREAT personal attendant. These dresses weight a ton, are super bulky, and somehow I have to get in one with my hair and makeup all done up and then keep it perfect while throwing 30 pound dress over my head. Now taking applications for a professional personal attendant!
But nothing is just jumping out at me. Everything is just ok. Yep, that one is fine to. I keep going back to the same style which I think is good, but not getting that feeling that everyone says you have. I am more worried that I am not going to find anything in SF. I really don’t want to have to travel much over an hour to find a dress. Especially if I am not 100% sure about it. How many times do you want to take that trip to see it again?
I went with one of my bridesmaids and tried on probably 15 dresses at the interlude. All similar style and it was either too much beading, not enough beading, too much lace, or just ugly once it was off the rack. So I turn to Emily and ask, did you get that feeling? Did you know it was the one? “Yes,” she said “I did.”
Sunday mom, Amy (Luke’s gf), and I made our way to David’s bridal. I have heard from a ton of people that this is the place to go. That is where I got my dress, and my 19 friends found them there too. Me…HA not a chance. But, we had a great time. The nice thing about David’s is that they have 40 dresses in YOUR size. You don’t have to imagine how it is going to look on or when you can finally get it zipped. They ALL FIT! We tried everything. Strapless, halter, straps, the gigantic poufy Cinderella dresses. I was still able to eliminate a lot of the styles that I didn’t really like, but a lot of people say to have an open mind when you try them on. So I did and we tried them all!
One thing that I have learned from dress shopping is that I need to have a GREAT personal attendant. These dresses weight a ton, are super bulky, and somehow I have to get in one with my hair and makeup all done up and then keep it perfect while throwing 30 pound dress over my head. Now taking applications for a professional personal attendant!
Photography Take 2
Last Tuesday night I met with another photographer. I will be honest, first thing that drew us in her direction, price.
We are running into the problem of photographers packages limited to hours of coverage. 4 or 6 are pretty popular and by having a 2:00 or 2:30 wedding, that doesn’t give us a whole lot of time for photos before the wedding and pictures after the wedding or having them at the reception for very long.
This lady I could book from whatever time we wanted her in the morning to whatever time we wanted her to leave from the dance. What’s the catch you ask? Why didn’t you book her? Great price, great coverage, what’s the deal?
She is VERY inexperienced. She has only done 4 weddings EVER. I thought about asking for references to talk to those people, but quickly found out that 2 were cousins, and one was a close family friend. Yeah, like they are going to say anything bad.
So, now I understand why I can afford her.
We are running into the problem of photographers packages limited to hours of coverage. 4 or 6 are pretty popular and by having a 2:00 or 2:30 wedding, that doesn’t give us a whole lot of time for photos before the wedding and pictures after the wedding or having them at the reception for very long.
This lady I could book from whatever time we wanted her in the morning to whatever time we wanted her to leave from the dance. What’s the catch you ask? Why didn’t you book her? Great price, great coverage, what’s the deal?
She is VERY inexperienced. She has only done 4 weddings EVER. I thought about asking for references to talk to those people, but quickly found out that 2 were cousins, and one was a close family friend. Yeah, like they are going to say anything bad.
So, now I understand why I can afford her.
I won!
So, remember when I told everyone that I registered and every website imaginable the day after we got engaged? One of the sites I registered on was gonnagetwed.com. The give away great stuff each month. Wedding dress, dream honeymoon, flower gift certificate etc.
So you can imagine my excitement when I received a call the other day about winning thru this website. I’m thinking yes a photographer, cash, what did I win?!?! Ready for it…a Mary Kay makeover. Yep seriously.
I tried to get out of it I really did. But when I told the lady I was busy during the week she said that she could check back with me on Monday to look at the following week. I felt if I didn’t just do this thing I would have a stalker for sure for the next few months.
So Wednesday is the big day. 7:00 – 8:30 I have 2 or 3 people coming over to be completely freaked out by a crazy energetic Mary Kay lady. I’m sure everyone is just as excited as I am.
So you can imagine my excitement when I received a call the other day about winning thru this website. I’m thinking yes a photographer, cash, what did I win?!?! Ready for it…a Mary Kay makeover. Yep seriously.
I tried to get out of it I really did. But when I told the lady I was busy during the week she said that she could check back with me on Monday to look at the following week. I felt if I didn’t just do this thing I would have a stalker for sure for the next few months.
So Wednesday is the big day. 7:00 – 8:30 I have 2 or 3 people coming over to be completely freaked out by a crazy energetic Mary Kay lady. I’m sure everyone is just as excited as I am.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Comments
Alright -
I think I have figured this out. Everyone and anyone that is wanting to leave a comment about any of my posts should now be able to. There was a setting by default that would only let registered users leave comments. Dumb! So I have updated that to anyone. Comment away. Let me know what you think!
I think I have figured this out. Everyone and anyone that is wanting to leave a comment about any of my posts should now be able to. There was a setting by default that would only let registered users leave comments. Dumb! So I have updated that to anyone. Comment away. Let me know what you think!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Centerpiece Hell
I am obsessed with the centerpieces for the reception. Why I have no idea. I am really concerned how they are going to turn out, if everyone will like them, and how they will go with the overall look of the wedding.
WHY!?!?! Have you even been to a wedding that you actually remember what the centerpieces looked like? I have been to 1. The only reason I remember what they were is because they were cake. Instead of cupcakes or getting up for dessert after the meal each table had their own individual cake.
So I want something cool. I want something memorable for whatever reason. I want something colorful, but simple, and most importantly, cheap, but I don't want them to look cheap. After all no one will remember them anyways!
Idea #1
I had come across some photos on one of my many websites with rocks and vases, water and candles. Oh hey, I can make that. Here is my attempt
Not too bad, but I figured out that to do each one I wanted at least 2 of the $3.50 vases that I told mom I had to have because I was sure I could do something creative with them.
Idea #2
Rental place from Watertown. I am thinking that I would like a lot of color on the tables. Not sure that I am set on 1 or 2 colors. I like them all bright and cheerful. I thought this would do it. Different colors for each tables?
Idea #3
Rachel Ray. Well it looked awesome on her website anyways! Lemon jello and daisy's.
We I sure wasn't going to spend the money on daisy's just to try another creative centerpieces. I really liked this idea. I was thinking it would bring color to the tables and be something unique that no one else would probably have or think of.
After sending a picture message to my mom last night, she explained to me that having memorable things at your wedding was a good thing, but maybe this wasn't what we wanted people to remember.
I am finding out very quickly why people RENT decorations! I am not giving up. My obsession isn't any better. I will keep you posted on my other great ideas!
Guest List
Almost right after we got engaged we started a guest list. Not wanting to forget anyone, we started with high school friends, college roommate, and everyone else who's weddings we have been invited to over the last 4 years. I just want to invite everyone we've ever met in our whole entire lives.
You think you're good inviting close friends and family. This person is invited, so this other person needs to be invited, too (can't have anyone getting offended).
This couple needs to be sent an invitation, but just out of courtesy. Come on their family. They probably won't actually COME. (But what if they do??)
The guest list is one part of wedding planning that I'll definitely be grateful to have DONE.
You think you're good inviting close friends and family. This person is invited, so this other person needs to be invited, too (can't have anyone getting offended).
This couple needs to be sent an invitation, but just out of courtesy. Come on their family. They probably won't actually COME. (But what if they do??)
The guest list is one part of wedding planning that I'll definitely be grateful to have DONE.
Friday, September 5, 2008
We're booked for August 29, 2009!
Alright, it's official now... we're getting married on August 29, 2009.
I went yesterday, signed the contract and droped off the deposit at the Days Inn, our reception venue. I feel so much better now that it's done. At this point, we have signed a contract for the date... we have to work out all of the details (food, drinks, etc.) at a later date. We are meeting next week with another photographer so I am hoping all goes well with her and she is free next year.
This weekend we are off to visit some friends in Rochester. More next week.
I went yesterday, signed the contract and droped off the deposit at the Days Inn, our reception venue. I feel so much better now that it's done. At this point, we have signed a contract for the date... we have to work out all of the details (food, drinks, etc.) at a later date. We are meeting next week with another photographer so I am hoping all goes well with her and she is free next year.
This weekend we are off to visit some friends in Rochester. More next week.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Why can’t everything just work out as planned?
I understand that no matter what day you pick for your wedding, isn’t going to work for everyone else. What can you do? You pick, hold your breath and hope that it works for as many people as possible. Well, what do you do when the date you pick is a problem for ½ of the groom’s family? Do you keep your original date and hope for rain or do you suck it up and try to change it? We are looking at plan B.
After a Labor Day weekend wedding we caught complete hell over the wedding date we picked, as it falls right in the middle of harvest. Quite a few people made it a point to let us know that unless it rained, they wouldn’t be attending. Now besides the fact that you can walk up and tell someone that is beyond me, but as soon becoming part of this family the last thing I want to do it make it impossible for them to attend.
So bright and early this am I started calling. Started with the Days Inn to see how booked September was looking and if there was a chance that a day early in the month would open up. September 12 is looking available, and how about August. Last I checked it looked like all the weekends in August were going to fill up just as quick. Nope the 22nd and the 29th are free. Checked with the church soon after that and those dates are free there as well.
Now we are juggling around the end of August. I worry that if we shoot for the 12th of September everyone will be able to get in the field early next year and will be ready to go by that time. Then I will look back and wish I wouldn’t have switched the date at all. I have already gone thru this once, picking a date calling back and fourth to my mother and asking what I should do. Now I find myself going thru it all again. word to the wise…if someone tells you their wedding date, congratulate them and move on with your life. If you can make it great, if you cant, that sucks and I am sure they will miss you.
After a Labor Day weekend wedding we caught complete hell over the wedding date we picked, as it falls right in the middle of harvest. Quite a few people made it a point to let us know that unless it rained, they wouldn’t be attending. Now besides the fact that you can walk up and tell someone that is beyond me, but as soon becoming part of this family the last thing I want to do it make it impossible for them to attend.
So bright and early this am I started calling. Started with the Days Inn to see how booked September was looking and if there was a chance that a day early in the month would open up. September 12 is looking available, and how about August. Last I checked it looked like all the weekends in August were going to fill up just as quick. Nope the 22nd and the 29th are free. Checked with the church soon after that and those dates are free there as well.
Now we are juggling around the end of August. I worry that if we shoot for the 12th of September everyone will be able to get in the field early next year and will be ready to go by that time. Then I will look back and wish I wouldn’t have switched the date at all. I have already gone thru this once, picking a date calling back and fourth to my mother and asking what I should do. Now I find myself going thru it all again. word to the wise…if someone tells you their wedding date, congratulate them and move on with your life. If you can make it great, if you cant, that sucks and I am sure they will miss you.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Capturing the memories
One of the most important vendors, possibly the most important, in my opinion, is the photographer. I've been browsing photography websites for quite some time now. I've just always loved looking at professional photos, so when we got engaged, I already had a number of photographers in my head that I knew we would want to check out.Last Friday, we met with one. Wonderfully nice woman, great work, GREAT prices, but not for us. I think I knew it right away, but since she was the first that we met with, we didn't make any decisions immediately. Since then we have been browsing other websites and blogs trying to find someone that has some experience and a knack for photography, but that also falls within our budget. We have a couple places in mind. Recent graduates just starting out seem to be our best bet in being able to get what we want. We are looking to get some meetings set up to view some of their work, so we will see what happens.
This will probably be a really tough decision for us, well maybe me more than Randy... out of all the things we need to buy and pay for, this is the only thing from the wedding that we'll have for the rest of our lives.
This will probably be a really tough decision for us, well maybe me more than Randy... out of all the things we need to buy and pay for, this is the only thing from the wedding that we'll have for the rest of our lives.
The Dress
Is it ever too early to start looking? I would guess that depends on who you ask. The groom “You do realize you wedding is over a year away don’t you? What if you buy it too early and then don’t like it when the wedding rolls around?” Your friends, especially the ones that are already married “When do we get to go dress shopping? Can I go with?”
Well I guess I am a girl. I am very excited to try on all the “princess dresses” that every store in the state has. Ok maybe not every dress, but you get the idea on where I am coming from. It didn’t take me long to decided that dress shopping is just as fun, maybe even more fun that ring shopping.
July 31, 2008 I had the afternoon off. Hey mom, what are you doing this afternoon, can you skip class? I want to go check out the dresses. I believe is how my email read. “Going to the dress store sounds totally like the best part for me,” was my mother’s response. Ok twisted my arm, lets go. Up until this point, yep we had been engaged for a whole 6 days, I think the talk of how much everything was going to cost, scared Betty a little.
Our first stop, I Do 2. It is a consignment shop for wedding dresses. Some have been worn for the special day, others a day that didn’t happen, and still others, brand new from other stores around the area that had closed. I was able to find 3 that I liked and 1 mom had to have me try on.
Next to getting proposed to, this was another first. The first time I would try on a wedding dress. Would it be the one? Would it take my breath away? Would I totally love it? Nope. Not even close. How about dress #2? Better, but still no. And the one mom had me try on, hell no. Little flowers sewn all over on it. Mom did you really think that was going to be it? I did find one I liked. It was very plain, ivory in color with a Champaign strip of satin around the top and matching around the bottom and down the train. Did it take my breath away, was it the one? Well, no, I mean come on; I couldn’t even get it zipped.
There has to be a first time for everything, and this was my first dress shopping. I didn’t find the one, but I found some things I liked and didn’t like. White, white dresses might not be for me. I like ivory. And the plain, plain non strapless dress I thought I wanted, well that might not be it either. If the dress is supposed to match your personality, I wouldn’t call myself boring in the least. I need a little pizzazz and excitement going on for the day.
Well I guess I am a girl. I am very excited to try on all the “princess dresses” that every store in the state has. Ok maybe not every dress, but you get the idea on where I am coming from. It didn’t take me long to decided that dress shopping is just as fun, maybe even more fun that ring shopping.
July 31, 2008 I had the afternoon off. Hey mom, what are you doing this afternoon, can you skip class? I want to go check out the dresses. I believe is how my email read. “Going to the dress store sounds totally like the best part for me,” was my mother’s response. Ok twisted my arm, lets go. Up until this point, yep we had been engaged for a whole 6 days, I think the talk of how much everything was going to cost, scared Betty a little.
Our first stop, I Do 2. It is a consignment shop for wedding dresses. Some have been worn for the special day, others a day that didn’t happen, and still others, brand new from other stores around the area that had closed. I was able to find 3 that I liked and 1 mom had to have me try on.
Next to getting proposed to, this was another first. The first time I would try on a wedding dress. Would it be the one? Would it take my breath away? Would I totally love it? Nope. Not even close. How about dress #2? Better, but still no. And the one mom had me try on, hell no. Little flowers sewn all over on it. Mom did you really think that was going to be it? I did find one I liked. It was very plain, ivory in color with a Champaign strip of satin around the top and matching around the bottom and down the train. Did it take my breath away, was it the one? Well, no, I mean come on; I couldn’t even get it zipped.
There has to be a first time for everything, and this was my first dress shopping. I didn’t find the one, but I found some things I liked and didn’t like. White, white dresses might not be for me. I like ivory. And the plain, plain non strapless dress I thought I wanted, well that might not be it either. If the dress is supposed to match your personality, I wouldn’t call myself boring in the least. I need a little pizzazz and excitement going on for the day.
"When are you getting married??"
That's the first question anybody asks when they find out you're engaged. Well, after "how did he do it?" :)
The funny thing is that it's not like you have an answer. I mean, people started asking me this less than 24 hours after the engagement as if we would already have set a date. So at first, the answer was really vague--"next spring or maybe next fall."
Then when we had started looking at reception places and contacted churches. In Brookings there isn’t a whole lot to choose from. There is only one reception hall that allows alcohol to be served and that same place also attached to a hotel. We thought it would be nice for our guests to be able to have their rooms and the dance in the same place. No one has to drive and being a catholic wedding, you can just go to your room for the time in between the wedding and the reception. Once we knew where we wanted everything, we narrowed it down to a few dates, May 16th, August 1 or sometime in October. May 16th – graduations – one especially we couldn’t avoid Big Case would be in Chicago. August 1 – HOT!! So October it is.
Now, we are about 99.9% sure it is October 3, 2009. We will hopefully be signing a contract with our reception venue Friday October 3, 2008, as you can only officially book the place a year in advance and the church already has us down.
And then the countdown officially begins.
The funny thing is that it's not like you have an answer. I mean, people started asking me this less than 24 hours after the engagement as if we would already have set a date. So at first, the answer was really vague--"next spring or maybe next fall."
Then when we had started looking at reception places and contacted churches. In Brookings there isn’t a whole lot to choose from. There is only one reception hall that allows alcohol to be served and that same place also attached to a hotel. We thought it would be nice for our guests to be able to have their rooms and the dance in the same place. No one has to drive and being a catholic wedding, you can just go to your room for the time in between the wedding and the reception. Once we knew where we wanted everything, we narrowed it down to a few dates, May 16th, August 1 or sometime in October. May 16th – graduations – one especially we couldn’t avoid Big Case would be in Chicago. August 1 – HOT!! So October it is.
Now, we are about 99.9% sure it is October 3, 2009. We will hopefully be signing a contract with our reception venue Friday October 3, 2008, as you can only officially book the place a year in advance and the church already has us down.
And then the countdown officially begins.
Oh the internet
If anyone reading this is recently engaged or hoping to be someday, one word, the internet. Well that is 2 words, but whose counting. The Saturday after our engagement I wanted to go buy every wedding book ever written. I figured that would be a total waste of money and decided to check the internet first. Oh man…I searched wedding websites and got more than I had bargained for. Some of the best sites I have found include http://www.theknot.com/, http://www.weddingchannel.com/, and http://www.onewed.com/. I started registering for everything under the sun. David’s bridal – do you want to receive special sale notifications? Yes. The knot.com – do you want to know when we add new photos to our gallery? Yes. Needless to say I have my email address registered at about every wedding idea site I could find. And my inbox gets filled everyday with crap that I usually end up deleting.
So that was a learning experience. I am sure that long after the wedding is over I will still be getting notifications from David’s bridal and their $100 gown sale. But in the mean time, I have found anything and everything I can think of for wedding ideas. How to make your own invitations and centerpieces and good wedding favors are just some of the ideas I have come across. I have also learned about how to host a non-traditional Friday afternoon wedding to a Sunday morning brunch and what to serve and the activities you could have instead of a dance. Not for us, but there are a ton of ideas out there.
Besides decoration ideas etc, after a day of searching this is how I came to want to start the blog. I came across some really cool sites people had made up and it seemed to be an easy way to keep my family and friends involved while giving them also a place for suggestions and little comments on what we are doing. When the date gets closer and as I get better at understanding what this page can do, I will be including directions to the ceremony and reception, hotel accommodations, and an introduction to our wedding party.
I am finding out that there are about a million things that go into planning a wedding. And keeping track of them on your own is nearly impossible. With the help of some of my favorite wedding sites, and this blog, I have all the faith in the world it will be a day to remember.
So that was a learning experience. I am sure that long after the wedding is over I will still be getting notifications from David’s bridal and their $100 gown sale. But in the mean time, I have found anything and everything I can think of for wedding ideas. How to make your own invitations and centerpieces and good wedding favors are just some of the ideas I have come across. I have also learned about how to host a non-traditional Friday afternoon wedding to a Sunday morning brunch and what to serve and the activities you could have instead of a dance. Not for us, but there are a ton of ideas out there.
Besides decoration ideas etc, after a day of searching this is how I came to want to start the blog. I came across some really cool sites people had made up and it seemed to be an easy way to keep my family and friends involved while giving them also a place for suggestions and little comments on what we are doing. When the date gets closer and as I get better at understanding what this page can do, I will be including directions to the ceremony and reception, hotel accommodations, and an introduction to our wedding party.
I am finding out that there are about a million things that go into planning a wedding. And keeping track of them on your own is nearly impossible. With the help of some of my favorite wedding sites, and this blog, I have all the faith in the world it will be a day to remember.
Step One: Boy asks girl. Girl says yes.
Randy and I got engaged just over a month ago, on Friday July 25. After almost 4 years of dating I had finally been able to get him in to a few jewelry stores and low and behold I found one I liked. We then checked a few other places to compare prices, warranty information, and most importantly financing, but always came back to this particular one. After a few viewings I was told that my trips to the jewelry store were done and that if it was going to happen it would.
I proceeded to ask about once a week or so to go back and see it again. Each question ended with the same answer…nope, you have seen it enough. This particular week I had asked once again, to my surprise he said fine, if it will quit you from asking. I was delighted! Friday after work we met at Riddle’s. Walking in the look on the sales persons face said it all. I asked right away, “Where is it? I want to see my ring.” Her head dropped and quietly said I’m sorry, it’s gone. From there the story elaborated into as a new store with the company there were given all of this great merchandise and now they had been open a month or so, their stuff was up for grabs from the other stores. It just so happened that my ring was one of the items that was sent to Billings, MT.
I was devastated. I had found a ring that I absolutely loved and now it was gone. I couldn’t help how I was feeling and started to cry in the store. The look on Randy’s face made it even worse. I can usually tell when he is lying to me as he gets this mischievous little smirk. But that day it was different. It wasn’t a smirk but a look of oh man she is going to kill me. We hung around the store for 20 minutes or so and discussed some of our options if the ring happened to get sold to the couple from Montana. Alicia would look for some more diamonds similar to the one I had found and watch for a good deal. I guess I had to be satisfied with that answer, because after all it was gone. Or was it?
We arrived home. Walking in the door I remember telling Randy that if he had bought this ring and was waiting to give it to me, this was a really mean way to do it. I went in the house and there was a vase of Gerber daisies waiting for me. Randy tells me that he wanted to get me flowers because he knew that when we went in that the ring was going to be gone. Oh I can’t tell you if I was sad again or mad. I asked why he would let me go into the store knowing it was gone. I marched into the bedroom, with my eyes once again filling with tears, and grabbed Molly girl off the bed. As I walked back out to the kitchen there he was holding a familiar looking maroon box.
This was it. I guarantee every girl imagines how it is going to happen. When, where, and what will he say? It was my turn. As he opened the box and I saw that ring I feared I would never see again, he dropped to one knee, said that he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, and would I marry him. I proceeded to freak out!! Amongst the screaming and no nonsense blubbering, yes came out of my mouth. He placed the ring on my finger and it was a perfect fit. I was completely shocked but couldn’t have been happier. We had discussed the whole marriage thing so I thought that it might be coming, but I no way expected it to be that day. It was low-key and at-home, but romantic and very thought out. I wouldn’t change that moment for anything. We proceeded to call friends and family to let them know the good news. We went out for supper enjoyed a quiet evening at home.
Side note of what our parents said:
My mom immediately started crying. She was very happy for us and I think had a hard time concentrating on the Catfish Bay ski show that night. Yes, she was parking cars when she found out.
My dad was happy for us and let me know how ironic life can be and how much work marriage takes. He told us both congratulations and appreciated that Randy called to ask his permission
Randy’s mom – This I my favorite. As Randy being the only son, I figured we would get a little excitement out of Kathy. Her words exactly “Oh that’s nice.”
Randy’s dad - I don't think that we actually talked to him on the phone. However, the first time we saw him, first thing he wanted to do was see the ring.
He didn’t bother to tell either of his parents what he had planned so I think they were a little shocked. Happy for us, but it was unexpected.
We have now started to plan our wedding to take place fall 2009. Fun times! There is a lot to think about, which is a bit overwhelming, but I like to think that I am a pretty good planner, so I am hoping to do just fine, especially with the help of family and friends.
I proceeded to ask about once a week or so to go back and see it again. Each question ended with the same answer…nope, you have seen it enough. This particular week I had asked once again, to my surprise he said fine, if it will quit you from asking. I was delighted! Friday after work we met at Riddle’s. Walking in the look on the sales persons face said it all. I asked right away, “Where is it? I want to see my ring.” Her head dropped and quietly said I’m sorry, it’s gone. From there the story elaborated into as a new store with the company there were given all of this great merchandise and now they had been open a month or so, their stuff was up for grabs from the other stores. It just so happened that my ring was one of the items that was sent to Billings, MT.
I was devastated. I had found a ring that I absolutely loved and now it was gone. I couldn’t help how I was feeling and started to cry in the store. The look on Randy’s face made it even worse. I can usually tell when he is lying to me as he gets this mischievous little smirk. But that day it was different. It wasn’t a smirk but a look of oh man she is going to kill me. We hung around the store for 20 minutes or so and discussed some of our options if the ring happened to get sold to the couple from Montana. Alicia would look for some more diamonds similar to the one I had found and watch for a good deal. I guess I had to be satisfied with that answer, because after all it was gone. Or was it?
We arrived home. Walking in the door I remember telling Randy that if he had bought this ring and was waiting to give it to me, this was a really mean way to do it. I went in the house and there was a vase of Gerber daisies waiting for me. Randy tells me that he wanted to get me flowers because he knew that when we went in that the ring was going to be gone. Oh I can’t tell you if I was sad again or mad. I asked why he would let me go into the store knowing it was gone. I marched into the bedroom, with my eyes once again filling with tears, and grabbed Molly girl off the bed. As I walked back out to the kitchen there he was holding a familiar looking maroon box.
This was it. I guarantee every girl imagines how it is going to happen. When, where, and what will he say? It was my turn. As he opened the box and I saw that ring I feared I would never see again, he dropped to one knee, said that he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, and would I marry him. I proceeded to freak out!! Amongst the screaming and no nonsense blubbering, yes came out of my mouth. He placed the ring on my finger and it was a perfect fit. I was completely shocked but couldn’t have been happier. We had discussed the whole marriage thing so I thought that it might be coming, but I no way expected it to be that day. It was low-key and at-home, but romantic and very thought out. I wouldn’t change that moment for anything. We proceeded to call friends and family to let them know the good news. We went out for supper enjoyed a quiet evening at home.
Side note of what our parents said:
My mom immediately started crying. She was very happy for us and I think had a hard time concentrating on the Catfish Bay ski show that night. Yes, she was parking cars when she found out.
My dad was happy for us and let me know how ironic life can be and how much work marriage takes. He told us both congratulations and appreciated that Randy called to ask his permission
Randy’s mom – This I my favorite. As Randy being the only son, I figured we would get a little excitement out of Kathy. Her words exactly “Oh that’s nice.”
Randy’s dad - I don't think that we actually talked to him on the phone. However, the first time we saw him, first thing he wanted to do was see the ring.
He didn’t bother to tell either of his parents what he had planned so I think they were a little shocked. Happy for us, but it was unexpected.
We have now started to plan our wedding to take place fall 2009. Fun times! There is a lot to think about, which is a bit overwhelming, but I like to think that I am a pretty good planner, so I am hoping to do just fine, especially with the help of family and friends.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Joined the blogging world
Well--I have started a blog. I don't belong to MySpace or Facebook so we are going to give this whole thing a shot. I usually don't have anything to write about but since I am am entering a stage that I will only go through once in my life, I feel the need to document my experiences.
I'm getting married. Sometimes it's hard to believe I'm even old enough to do so. When did I get to my mid-twenties? When did all of my friends get married and start having kids? Seems like yesterday I graduated from high school and not long after that I graduated college. I spent my whole life wanting to grow up and now that I am (well, sorta), I don't know how I got here.
Anyway, the wedding planning has begun. And if you are interested in the ride, you'll follow me through this journey--down the road to the aisle!
I'm getting married. Sometimes it's hard to believe I'm even old enough to do so. When did I get to my mid-twenties? When did all of my friends get married and start having kids? Seems like yesterday I graduated from high school and not long after that I graduated college. I spent my whole life wanting to grow up and now that I am (well, sorta), I don't know how I got here.
Anyway, the wedding planning has begun. And if you are interested in the ride, you'll follow me through this journey--down the road to the aisle!
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