Take THAT To-Do List!

Oh me oh my! Adam and I were busy this weekend, literally driving all over the greater Commonwealth of VA to get things done for the BIG day. Want a little break down?

1. We met with our priest!  And we like him a lot!  We had originally thought we would be doing our pre-marital "counseling" (I hate calling it counseling because it's not like our relationship is in jeopardy...but I do like the idea of fixing something before it happens, so this is like taking your marriage-vitamins!), BUT he said he's not a licensed therapist, so why would he do it (touche, Reverend Jim, touche).  So, while our chat with him went well (and we'll plan on meeting with him a few more times before the wedding) we're now on the prowl for a couples/family counselor in the DC area.

2. We met our potential baker!  Y'all, we just loved Jenny from Paradox Pastry! She's a firey lil lady who knows how to make some delicious cakes.  Adam and I had zero clue about what we wanted our cake to look like (and to be honest we're still looking for inspiration), but I have a feeling Jenny will be a source of great ideas and of course yummy cake :)  Oh! And her bakery is called "Paradox Pastry" because she is also a personal trainer. @#$% what?! It's insane. Flavors we greatly enjoyed: Almond cake with chocolate ganache, and red velvet.

3. WE ORDERED THE SAVE-THE-DATES!!!!!!!! Wait, WHAT? Yup, we did! I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off our back!  This whole time I was nervous we would just pick something because it as getting down to the wire (we're on the cusp of the 6-7 month sendout), but you know what? WE LOVE THEM.  I'll post a pic of the picture we used, soon.  But hey, I want them to be a surprise for our guests :)

4. We have totally jacked up our website.  It's awesome. We are sort of obsessed with it and can't wait for our save-the-dates to go out so everyone can love up on it!

Phew. I'm exhausted just from recapping it all!  Our weekend also included wine tasting, bbq'ing, time with the fam, and football (way to go 'Skins!).  Next weekend: invitations (yup, already!).  Before that though, I FINALLY get to see b'maid MARIAH! Who I haven't seen since January, which is way too long. I'm so excited :)

STDs (not those...!)

My friends...I think we're almost there(!).  Adam and I are down to our two FAVORITE layouts for our STDs (ahem...save-the-dates).  They are both postcards (I love how you can fit so much information on the backside of the postcard), and they both feature the same picture (taken of us during our weekend in Greenwich, CT).  However, one is vertical and black & white, and the other is horizontal and in color.  And gosh almighty it is hard to choose!  In the end, though, I know we're going to be verrry happy :)  Added plus - these puppies don't look like they'll cost a fortune to produce & send!

I am also happy to announce we have a meeting with a cake baker!! If you'll remember, that was one of our BIG things to accomplish this fall.  Much like when we met with the florist, I have no "vision" of what I want for our wedding cake.  I am crossing my fingers our consult will end with us having a much clearer picture of what we want!  Our first consult is with Paradox Pastry, which is just off of 29 South (har har har).

AND, we're making headway with our engagement pictures!...sort of.  There is an awesome photographer in DC who I've actually been able to "work with" (i.e. he has taken my pic) a few times.  But, now Adam and I need to decide whether we want to spend the money on an engagement session OR take the money and buy our own nice camera (something Adam has been wanting to do for a long time!).  If we bought our own camera, we'd have to find a friend or family member to take the pics for us (which could be fun!).

Lots of progress, but as always, lots still left to do... 214 days!! :)

Another inspiring wedding!

I often check out Style Me Pretty (let's be honest, I pretty much stalk it on Facebook, Twitter, and their website!), and one of the most recent weddings they highlighted has a few elements I ADORE.

First - the color of the flowers.  The bride has a colorful bouquet and the b'maids have white bouquets. That's exactly the look we're going for!  Since it'll be spring, and the ladies will be in a bright color, we thought it would look really pretty for them to hold white flowers (we're thinking tulips since they'll be in season!).  On the flip side, I liked the idea of me holding a bouquet with some color to it - but honestly, at first I was really hesitant...I've really only seen brides carry white bouquets!  But, the more I think about it (and now with some awesome inspiration pics!), I know it'll be beautiful.  Humm....could it count as my something blue?

Second - I love their "WELCOME" sign at the reception!!  That would be the most PERFECT thing to put on the doors as people walk into our venue.  Plus, printing out 7 pictures and hanging them on twine is not going to put too much of a damper on our budget (score!).  Might have to use that idea ;)

Wedding day in Annapolis

Adam and I went to a fabulous wedding in Annapolis the other weekend!  It was one of Adam's friends from high school and who graduated from the Naval Academy (Beat Army!) and his bride-to-be is from Annapolis, so it was the perfect wedding location.  We stayed at the Irish themed O'Callaghan Hotel (the only thing Irish about it was the lady at the reception desk with an Irish accent!) which was within walking distance to the church!  They had a beautiful ceremony, and this being my first Marine wedding, we were able to witness the "sword tunnel" - the newly wed couple passes through the swords, but before passing they have to kiss ;)  Once they make it through the last pair of swords, one of the Marines slaps the bride on the tush and proclaims "Welcome To The Marine Corps!" I LOVED IT :)

The reception was at the Chesepeake Bay Foundation - SUCH a fitting location for Annapolis.  It was right on the water, with a dock, beach, and amazing views.  The dancing & bar were outside under a tent, and the dinner & cake were inside.  Crab cakes, mini grilled cheeses, shrimp cocktail, and mushroom-cheese tarts were passed around while we enjoyed the open bar during cocktail hour.  They had this great 2-man band who played very appropriate songs (Jimmy Buffett and Beach Boys during cocktails, and then other fun wedding songs once the party started!).  The Marine men got up at one point and sang songs from the ship (hilarious, I wish I had taken a video!). 

We finished the night off with a round at Pussers and then some live music at Middleton Tavern.  The bride & groom got a beer with us at Pussers, but went to bed shortly after (they had a 7am flight out of Dulles...AHHH!).  (Adam and I are still debating about going out after our reception - half of me wants to continue the celebrations with everyone on the corner, but the other half of me wants to just start my new life with the hubs right away!! We'll make that decision closer to the big day :) ) We walked around the harbor on Sunday morning, had a great brunch at Kitchen (we couldn't get into Chick & Ruths!), and "oooh & awed" at all the massive boats yachts!

This weekend we're going back to Atlanta for Adam's cousin's wedding (can't wait!!).  Todd (Adam's cousin) and Leah are such a FUN FUN couple.  I'm sure it'll be a blog-worthy wedding :)

Lonely Wedding Blog

Do you see the last time I posted? AUGUST 23!!!  That is a true testament to the fact that Adam and I have, well, taken a break from wedding planning.  I know I've mentioned that in previous posts, but tonight we're going to turn that around!  We have a "8-month Countdown" meeting tonight at my parents' house to discuss what needs to be done!

I am happy to report, one thing we have accomplished is the flower girl dress :) Oh my goshhh - I'm afraid she might steal the show!  My cousin, Naomi ("Omi"), is our flower girl and she is just the cutest little thing EVER.  We were recently with my dad's side of the family for a long weekend, and while we go every summer,  this trip was particularly important because Adam met the my extended family on my dad's side!  It was a great weekend, and we had a LOT of fun playing dress-up with Omi :)  My mom got her the CUTEST dress - it's lilac with a grosgrain ribbon the exact same color as the b'maids dresses.  She's going to look adorable.  The dress also has a lot of twirl-ability, so I have a feeling she'll be one of the most popular dance partners of the night!

Real Wedding Inspiration

Like most newly engaged gals, I've been surfing the old worldwide-web for wedding inspirations (here, here, here, and here), but many of the "real weddings" being featured are more "Anthropologie" and less "J Crew."  And let's just say, Adam & I are more J Crew than Anthro (nothing against Anthro, I have pleanty-o-things from there! I'm just a bit more preppy at heart).  And when all of the real weddings being featured aren't really the type of wedding-look we're going for, it makes "feeling inspired" a little tricky!

That all ended when a sorority sister of mine was featured in Martha Stewart Weddings this summer.  Devon was a 4th year when I was a first year, so we didn't really know each other, but she was a gal I always remembered.  Sweet, beautiful, down to earth, and pretty preppy!  Last September, Devon and her husband, Dan, just had the most BEAUTIFUL wedding in Charlottesville!  There are so many things from this wedding that inspire me I'm not sure where I begin. 

First, I love her theme.  She carried it out the entire way through.  This is really pushing me to come up with our "theme" and make sure it's consistent from the Save-the-dates to the final day!  Second, I loved how they used the indoor/outdoor space at their reception.  I hope we can do the same!  And she had YARD GAMES - which is exactly what we're planning to do :)  Third, so much of what she did was original (at least to me!).  The calendar with birthdays, the "happily ever after" cards, and the whiskey & cigar tent - loved it!  One thing we're still trying to figure out is how we want to set up our "guest book."  I can tell ya it won't be a book with just people's signatures :)  Finally, everything looked crisp and clean. Nothing was too overdone, nothing was too over the top, and everything was in its place.  Sometimes these "Anthro" weddings have so much going on, it's hard to tell what they all mean! I think Devon and Dan were able to get their message across without too much confusion: we love each other, we're getting married, please help us celebrate & have a good time!

Check out Devon & Dan's highlight here in Martha Stewart Weddings.  Enjoy!

Our Summer Whirlwind

My two weeks in Greece were absolutely blissful!  It was a great time to relax, recharge, and think about all that has happened (and will happen!) this year.  I guess you could call it "soul searching," as I was also able to reflect on some of the this summer's "milestones."  This summer has been a whirlwind - starting with our engagement party, family trips, selling my car, and now, another huge step - starting a new job!!  When Adam and I first got engaged, I decided to put my job search on the shelf.  I thought I would be CRAZY for planning a wedding AND getting adjusted to a new job all in one year!  However, an opportunity arose that I just couldn't pass up!  The timing was just right, and taking this job seemed like the exact right thing to do. I will have a solid 8 months in my new position before the wedding.  Honestly, it feels like getting a new job was the last piece to my frantic-summer-puzzle!  And now that I've completed my job search, I can get back to the wedding :)

I'll admit - we've all but taken the summer off!  Theknot.com tells me I've completed 99% of the things I needed to do 12-9months before the wedding (yippie!).  But we're creeping up on 8 months... which brings with it A LOT!  My original goal was to have our STD's out by Labor Day (ehh...maybe that'll happen?).  But seeing that we haven't finalized the guest list (well not entirely!), asked all the wedding party (...crickets...), finalized our colors (we're SO close!), taken engagement pics, we've got a few obstacles in our way :)  We know what needs to be done, and I'm really excited about all the planning we have left to do and I'm trying to savor every moment of our engagement!