Back as a MRS!!

As you can tell, it's been a little busy lately and this blog got the short end of the stick!  I'm back now from the pre-wedding craziness, the wedding itself (which was ahhh-mazing!!!), and our splendid honeymoon in Costa Rica!!  I want to recap all of them, but first here are a few sneak peeks from our wedding photographer:

Jack Looney's Blog: http://jacklooney.com/blog/?p=2641

Erin McDermott White (the creative chick who made our b'maids earrings!): http://erinmcdermott.com/bridal-jewelry/blair-adam-at-king-family-vineyards

it was seriously the BEST BEST time! starting the moment we left work on Wednesday May 4th, all the way through the honeymoon.  We felt so much love and support and EXCITEMENT from everyone!  Sure a few things went wrong, and there were definitely some nerves before we walked down the aisle, but at the end of the day we were married!!  And we couldn't be happier! :)

EEEP!

long lost blog!!  i have not been able to access the editing tool and have been wanting so badly to update this!

wow. we have done so much.  we have everything printed.  we have packaging for s'mores.  we have our readings.  we have our table names.  we have small details. signage. a guest book.  a PLAN!  the count down isn't months or weeks, it is days!  our rehearsal dinner is on the 10 day forecast (which means our wedding day is on the 10 day forecast tomorrow, holy schmoly!).

people will arrive in c'ville next thursday (cinco de mayo!) and we don't have a lot planned for that day except organizing ourselves, putting together the hotel bags, and dinner!  friday starts the wedding-official-fun! bridal luncheon, boys' golf outing, rehearsal, dinner, welcome cocktails, etc!

it's so soon! and I just can't believe it! i am going to try to update this with more behind-the-scenes... but this little BTB is bizzzzy!

So much to catch up on!

This will serve a place holder for the MANY posts I am due to write!  Which will include:

• Bachelorette Party!!  Affectionately dubbed the #BBBB (Blair's Bachelorette Beach Bash). It is safe to say my girls spoiled me rotten!
• Engagement pictures: a good friend took them for us in & around Georgetown on a mild mid-March Saturday.  We got some great shots and now feel more comfortable in front of the camera!  I have trouble uploading pics to Blogger at work, but I'll post a few to Facebook :)
• Bridal Shower: oh boy...what a fun night!  It was "entertainment" themed and we had the best time.  There were so many small touches (Blair & Adam M&M's, napkins, cookies, etc) and the food was outstanding!  We had a ball.
• Whirlwind trip to C'ville: we have another coming up this weekend (hair-trial!), but the one we did in March covered big topics - wedding ceremony, finalizing the cake, tasting the white wines!

I can't believe we are about to hit the 1 month mark!  Which also falls on our 6 year anniversary (dang!).  Not sure we'll be doing any celebrating together, though.  For Adam leaves with his buds for his BACHELOR party. Charleston, SC - you've been warned.

Updates with pictures are next...promise!

Playing Catch Up

This is getting REAL.

We're under 80 days (!) and have been able to keep the productivity in full-gear.  Besides all of the small details we've done over the last few weeks (ordered our sparklers for the send-off, scheduled hair appointments, looked into flower girl baskets and moss letters), I had one HUGE detail to check off my list...MY FIRST DRESS FITTING.

We went this past Saturday, which worked out well because Adam was out of town (yep, I totally lied when I said he wasn't going to be doing any more international traveling before the wedding! Whoops!).  So Mere, my mom, and I made a day of it - dress fitting, a yummy lunch, and some wedding-related errands!  The fitting was not only AMAZING (y'all, I love my dress!), but it took a lot longer than we had anticipated.  I was able to try it on with all of my accessories so we really got the entire-package-look :) I go back at the end of March for my next fitting, and then once more before the big day!

We're headed to FLORIDA tomorrow for a wedding weekend - one of Adam's buds from high school is getting hitched.  I can't wait to wear flip-flops, drink a cold drink, and sit by the pool.  The weather is looking niiiice.  Of course, I'll have to stick to strapless bathing suits (if you remember me posting about my tan lines from this ancient post!).

Enjoy the warmer temps!!

100.

In exactly 100 Days I'll be getting ready to walk that aisle and become Adam's wife (!!!!).

Crazy how fast these last few months have gone by, but I knew they would.  And now the real work fun starts :)  We had an insanely productive weekend in Charlottesville (Mere, my momma, Mrs. Matthews, and Kate joined Adam & I for the weekend) - we crossed off lots from our "to-do" list, got great ideas, ate TONS of yummy food, and just got to spend a lot of great time together.

My mom and Mere have all the pictures of the weekend (in all the hustle & bustle of getting ready I completely forgot my camera) but we did document the trip!  It was so great tasting all the food we'll be serving at the reception (y'all better come HUNGRY!), choosing our linens/serving plates/etc (I'm so excited about the final product), and - one of the highlights - meeting with the organist to choose the songs for our ceremony (and on May 7th there will be 100% chance of bride-tears, seriously, no way around it! I started tearing up just hearing the song I'm going to walk out to with my dad).  Sheesh.

With just 100 days to go (well, the weekend actually kicks off in 98 days!), we're trying to cross off as many small tasks that we can get done NOW instead of later.  I've been spending time researching decorations, DIY projects, etc. I can now picture the ENTIRE weekend and it is going to be a dream come true - we just have to get it all done :)

We're off for a weekend of skiing with our family!  We're actually heading to a place we were this summer for my friend & b'maid, Nancy's wedding! Yay!

Wedding Nightmares

I've read about them, and now I've started having my OWN...wedding nightmares(!!!).  I've only had a few, but they all include:

• Everything running extremely behind schedule
• Adam hanging out with me WHILE I'm getting ready (we're going to stay traditional and have the first time we see each other be walking down the aisle!)
• Having no one to help with my hair & make-up
• Not having the right shoes...or any to wear (thankfully, that won't happen...just got my wedding shoes, yes!)

My mom and Meredith assure me they won't let any of the above actually happen, but still! It's consuming my thoughts, eeeka!

Besides wedding nightmares, we've done some other things for the big day!  The Saturday after Thanksgiving we went back to KFV, did some wine tasting, and chose the wines to be served at the wedding!  'Twas a very fun task, and I think our guests will be happy with the vinos we've selected.  With the holidays coming up, and the countdown to 2011 quickly approaching, we are trying very hard to make sure we've got everything covered!  I see many very busy weekends in our future... ;)

Happy Holidays!

...Creeping In...

We're creeping in on the 6 month countdown!

But I'm feeling pretty good about our progress!  We've addressed ~80% of the save-the-dates (which turned out ahhh-mazing!!), our wedsite is ready for launch (minus a few more pics Adam and I need to scan in), we've narrowed in our invitations (thanks to this lovely store), and we're in the midst of finding wedding cake designs!  We all know that from Nov 1 - Jan 1, time basically fast forwards and flies by more quickly than any of time of the year.  PLUS, we've got all 4 Reilly kids bday's, plus the holidays, plus trips to Atlanta, West Palm, Richmond, and of course Charlottesville.  The weekend of Dec 4th we have our big tasting with our caterer and our first visit to Festive Fare (it's where we will rent all of our "stuff" from - linens, cups, plates, decor, etc!).

The first of the save-the-dates are being mailed yesterday/today/tomorrow (I left them at my parents, haha, and I'm not sure when my mom will get to the post office!), I can't wait for people to get them!!

Under 200!!

MOH Mere just alerted me that we've hit another big milestone...WE'RE LESS THAN 200 DAYS TIL MAY 7, 2011!!! We're actually at 196 days, but I was too busy being excited about winning the calligraphy prize on Monday to realize that we were 200 days out ;)

HIP HIP HOORAY!

I Love Social Media

Most people who know me, know I love social media.  Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, you name it, I'll try it!  In my 1.5 yrs on twitter, I've actually had some pretty good luck with winning prizes.  Some things are small, like free lip gloss from Washington Post Fashion; or slightly bigger, like tickets to opening night of a play OR ski boots from a rad company out west.  But my friends?  Today I just won something SUPER awesome for the big day.... 75 addressed envelopes from the Left Handed Calligrapher!!!  I've had my eyes on her stuff for a while, and last week she paired with The Wedding Chicks for a 5 day giveaway.  I entered every way I could, and JUST found out I won (!).  Not only will this help keep the cost of our invites down, but it guarantees that our invites will look amazing.

Nicole Black (the gal behind LHC) has some other awesome products that utilize her aaamazing handwriting.  I'd love the custom address-stamp and Christmas ornament!

Find her online, on twitter, and on facebook!  Maybe you can win next? :)

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!! :)

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!

Asking the wedding party!

I'm due to write an entire post on how I asked m'ladies to be b'maids (I tired to be cute & creative!), but Adam has...well...taken an interesting approach.  We have been engaged for FOUR MONTHS (...woah...), and he is still getting around to asking his dudes!  Adam, c'mon!!  He's making his dudes sweat it out BIG TIME.  I am happy to say he's asked most of his g'men (including my bros!), but he has a few more to ask...!  So if you see him, give him a little nudge ;)

Where do I even begin?!

It has been a whirlwind of an engagement thus far! It has been exactly 47 days (whoa, already?!), and we have several things already accomplished:

• Date! (5/7/11!)
• Reception Venue
• Bridal Party (although not all of the party have  been officially asked yet!)
• Bridesmaid dresses (and potentially one color we'll be using, yay!)
• Hotel blocks
• Transportation to & from reception
• Caterer (99% certain on this one!)
• Ceremony (99% certain on this one!)

Things in progress:

• Short list of bands
• Where the heck me + Family will stay
• "Get Away" car
• Short list of photographers
• "THE" Dress shopping
• Wedding Website
• Rehearsal Dinner location

Wow, I'm not sure if writing it down makes me feel really accomplished, or really behind!

Mere (and MOH), and my mom have been PRICELESS. Actually, you'd think my mom was born ready for this gig :)

In the next few posts I'll write about the proposal (it was pretty darn cute), our unofficial engagement party (thanks Mere!), how we chose the venue, our ceremony crisis, our Foxfield Get Together, bridesmaid dress shopping, how I asked the b'maids, and much more!

Stick around! I hope you'll like it :)