Rescue Me

I had to run to Wegman's (aka best store ever) at lunch today to pick up a prescription and as I got in my car to come back to the office I turned the ignition and....nothing. Yep my car was dead. Fantastic! I tried it several times, checked to make sure I hadn't left the lights on or that the car wasn't in park before conceding defeat. I almost burst into tears because whenever I have an issue with my car I want to cry. I feel so helpless. Of course I called K and thankfully he was just finishing up an appointment about 30 minutes away.

He showed up with his coworker in their work truck and with a new battery in hand. They stopped at the Trak Auto on the way to get it. Between the two of them they were able to replace the battery in the parking lot and saved me from needing a jump start and taking it to the shop. Granted they did need to jimi-rig it a bit because despite telling the Trak Auto guy what car I have the battery was a tad too small. So now I have a few pool parts holding my battery in place but it works :) I was actually planning to get my car inspected tomorrow because it needs to be done by the end of this month so hopefully my shiny new battery will help me pass.

I am just so relieved that K was available to come help me and I didn't have to deal with that AAA mess that takes forever. Even though I know I could have handled it on my own (I have before) it's nice that I didn't have too. My hero :)

Dress Shopping #2 and #3

This weekend was yet another adventure into the world of wedding dress shopping. On Saturday I met up with my mom and my friend Kelli at TLC Boutique in Frederick, MD. This is the store where Kelli got her dress 3 years ago, in fact they have a picture of her on her wedding day in the shop! It was great having Kelli there to help. She not only had some great tips but was very honest with her opinion and told me when she didn't like something. She also pointed out that even though a dress might be pretty in person it may not show up as well in pictures. Fortunately we were on the same page with most of the dresses that we liked and disliked. The staff there was great and it was nice that there was only me and another girl in there trying on dresses at a time. I ended up liking 3 dresses, all of which looked totally different and all of which were at the very top of my budget. Apparently I have expensive taste. One of the dresses was the lace style that I really like, the two other dresses were more of the ball gown style and had more beading on them. They were definite princess dresses and even though they were really pretty I just don't think they work well in the outdoor garden setting that I'm getting married in. I also tried on a halter dress and another dress with straps and I was right in my initial assumption that I wouldn't like those.

Today I met up with my mom and we went to Leesburg Bridal. We met up a little early and were able to stop by the cemetery where my grandmother and grandfather are buried which was nice and then had lunch. When we got to the store it was a little more unorganized than the shop from Saturday. Instead of the lady helping me put on each dress I was left to put on and take off each dress myself and had to call for them to come clip me. Also, most of the dresses they had there were FAR too big for me. Normally I wear a street size 2 and I was having to try on size 12 dresses. Even with the clipping it's hard to get a good feel of what the dress will look like with all that extra fabric. I did end up really liking one of the dresses and shockingly enough it was the dress my mother picked out! Normally we have very different taste but she spotted this one and I figured what the hell. Wouldn't you know that was the one that I ended up loving. It has a bit more of the sweetheart neckline and is tight thru the body and slowly flares out into an A-line. It has beautiful lace detail at the bottom of the dress and the train and has a little bit of lace below the bust.

My only concern with this dress was that it wouldn't show up as well in pictures. It doesn't have any beading and while it's beautiful close up and in person from far away it looks very plain. The sales lady mentioned the option of adding a bit of beading which at first made me very nervous. I didn't want it to end up gaudy. However they actually had the exact same dress that someone had ordered with the additional beading on it. They brought it out for me to look at and I LOVED the beading. It was very subtle and added just the right amount of sparkle to make it pop without being gaudy. I really thought this could be the dress...until we started looking at the pricing. The dress on it's own was at the top of my price range, then when you factor in the additional beading I would want that's another $200, then you have to factor in the cost to alter the dress and seeing how I'm all of 5 feet tall I will definitely need the dress hemmed at the very least so that will add another couple hundred dollars.

Even though I've tried on dresses that are much cheaper I always seem to like the pricier ones. I swear it's not intentional! So now I'm not sure what to do. I called Kelli today to fill her in on shopping day 2 and ask her opinion of the pricing. She pointed out that I've always been very frugal and she can't imagine me being happy spending that much on a dress I wear for one day. However, I feel like BECAUSE I've been so frugal my whole life especially when it comes to clothes and shoes (my favorite stores are Target and H&M after all) that maybe I should splurge on this. After all what better article of clothing to spend a lot on than my wedding dress? Yes I wear it once but I will be looking at the pictures forever.

I discussed it with K and completely expected him to chastise me for wanting to spend so much but he said I should get the dress I really want and the one I'll be happiest in. He said he will love me in anything but I shouldn't settle for something I don't really love. So now I need to do some research to see if I can get this one dress cheaper somewhere else while also continuing to shop around and maybe find another dress I like just as much with a smaller price tag. The hunt continues.

Into the Wild

I will have the place to myself this weekend while K is off camping with his buddies. He invited me to go along and was quite disappointed when I turned down the offer. I'm not opposed to the idea of camping but not for two days in 95 degree heat. Besides he'll have much more fun hanging out with his boys drinking, fishing and scratching their male parts.

I will be spending the next few days cleaning the condo, finishing up the unpacking and going back to my apartment and cleaning there before turning in my keys next week. I also will be going dress shopping again! Tomorrow I'm going shopping up in MD with my mom and my bridesmaid Kelli to the store where she bought her wedding dress. On Sunday I have another appointment at a shop in Leesburg VA with my mom. I'm hoping that I will finally be able to find one and go ahead and get that order placed.

My office closed early today so I was able to start my weekend at 2pm. Even though I was able to leave early I just missed K before he took off with his friends but I came home to discover that not only had he cleaned the kitchen (good boy!) but also left me this cute little note on the bed. He's so sweet!



Note says-
I <3 You
Shannon
Have a good weekend
c u Sunday
Have fun dress shopping
Love Kristian

RIP MJ

I can't believe one of the greatest musical legends of my lifetime died yesterday. With as weird and controversial as he was Michael Jackson was still an amazing entertainer whose music will continue to influence people who have yet to be born. I can't help but feel like a piece of my childhood died yesterday. As a child of the 80's you couldn't grow up without listening to his music. I remember putting our Thriller cassette tape into my Cricket doll (remember those?) and watching as the the Cricket doll's mouth would move along to Beat It and Thriller. It would crack me up. I also remember being scared to death of the Thriller music video and having to leave the room every time it would come on MTV and my brother's insisted on watching it. And finally I remember my junior year of high school being on the Pom Squad and winning the State Championship competition due in part to the awesome use of the Thriller song and dance routine during the novelty portion. It really is a shame to think of all the great music he probably had left inside him. I hope wherever he ended up he's finally at peace.

Chores

I've been living with K on a consistent basis now since April and in the past few months we've really started to settle into a routine which is nice because I'm a creature of habit who hates change (even when it's good change). So needless to say the last 6 months which has been full of change i.e. getting engaged and moving in with a boy (!) has been a bit overwhelming. But slowly the condo is starting to feel more and more like home and we now have our little routine down which helps.

One thing I've noticed is how we've managed to split up the chores around the house. We never really had a big discussion about who would do what, it just sort of evolved over time. The breakdown of chores is as follows:

Me-
Feed the cats
Load/Unload the dishwasher
Grocery Shop
Laundry
Clean

Him-
Change the litter boxes
Take out the trash
Cook
Take care of plants
Put together any furniture we buy

Now this isn't to say that I don't sometimes cook because I do or that he doesn't sometimes clean because he does. And even though I clean on a more regular basis I would say he's actually better at it than I am. When he does get into his cleaning tizzies (about once a month), he'll do the whole condo and even do things I don't such as dusting the ceiling fans...granted I'm also a foot shorter than him so it's not as easy for me to do it.

I think our little system has worked out nicely and I really don't mind the chores that I end up doing. I'm just grateful that I have a man that not only enjoys to cook but is really good at it! And I've actually gotten a lot better at cooking as well thanks to his help. So I guess we don't need to worry about our kids going hungry.

Overall I'm just happy that I'm not the one having to do all the work around the house on top of having a full time job. We really are partners in this little adventure and that's comforting.

Vendor Interview #1

Last night K and I met with a potential photographer, actually we met with two photographers (a husband and wife team) from Classic Creations Photography . Our meeting with Rob and Jenn went very well. They were both very nice and answered all our questions and the albums they brought had some really nice shots. They asked us many questions ranging from the size of our bridal party to what we are looking for in a photographer.

We went through their price list which is totally customizable and determined that we probably just need the most basic package which includes two photographers for 8 hours, Web hosting so that our family and friends and can see and order prints, a Hi Res DVD with all our pictures (and the option to print them elsewhere) and 20 Prints. The pricing for this package seemed pretty reasonable and close to what I've seen for only having one photographer. They also seemed very flexible as far as the schedule for the day and the types of shots we would want. They shoot more of the documentary style that we both prefer. They also had really good reviews on wedding wire which is my go to place before booking any vendor.

We also discussed doing an engagement shoot and their pricing for that was also pretty reasonable in comparison to what I've seen elsewhere. We discussed the possibility of taking the pictures down at his parents beach house which is about two hours away. K was the one that made that suggestion and I immediately loved the idea and couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it before. There would be a ton of great shots that we could get down there on the pier or the beachy area behind the house. And since we plan to keep that house in the family for a long time to come it would be great to have some of those shots hanging in the house 50 years from now.

I still want to look around a bit more and see what some other options are for photographers but I think these two could definitely end up being the ones we go with. Hopefully we'll be able to decide within the next few weeks and have one more big item checked off the to-do list.

Cha-Ching!

I just got the best surprise at work...a bonus check! Yippee! This is the second bonus check I've gotten this year and the third overall since I started working here in October. We are very fortunate that despite the economy and the downsizing of a lot of our competitors, that we are actually doing very well and continuing to bring in a decent profit. It also helps that I work at a very small company so they are able to reward us with any excess profits that we bring in each quarter. So despite all the bitching and moaning I do every morning when I have to crawl out of my super comfy bed next to my super cute fiance, I am very grateful to not only have a job but one that pays me well and even provides bonus checks. In this economy I know how incredibly rare that is!

So as with my last bonus check this money will be going into the slowly growing wedding fund and now when I go dress shopping again this weekend I may actually be able to afford to buy one!

Countdown Continues

I am getting married exactly 11 months from today! The time really is flying by fast. I didn't think it would but it is. There is still so much left to do, it's a bit overwhelming and even though in reality I know there is plenty of time, I feel like I'm stuck treading water. It doesn't help that for the past two months I haven't really had that much time to focus on wedding planning between the Jamaican vacation and moving. I'm hoping that July and August will be much more productive months for me and I can knock out some more of the big items i.e. caterer, photographer, dress etc. But more importantly, 11 months from today I get to marry my best friend. yay!

The Big Move

I was finally able to finish moving all my stuff into K's condo this weekend. We rented a budget moving truck on Saturday and had my friend JD come and help us move the furniture and the few boxes I still had in the apartment. Overall it went fairly smooth and didn't take too long despite that we had to move in the rain. I actually didn't really mind and found it quite refreshing. And of course the moment we finished unloading at the condo the skies cleared and the rain stopped. Oh well. I then treated the boys to lunch and spent the rest of the day trying to unpack/organize.

Yesterday we made our way over to Ikea to look for the pantry/cabinet that we wanted for the kitchen. We've both been avoiding the Ikea near our house because it's massively large and a tad overwhelming. Fortunately it didn't take us too long to find something that we liked and that was reasonably priced. It's a nice wood cabinet with 3 shelves that is painted white and fits perfectly in the spot we wanted. I was then able to clean out all the cabinets and reorganize everything and finally get the counters cleared off. I absolutely love the kitchen now. The great thing about the cabinet is that even if we eventually move into a larger place (God willing) and don't need it for the kitchen it could still be used in either an office or maybe even a kids room to hold their toys. Yes I know, I'm getting ahead of myself :)

The only things left to do are to go back to my old apartment and prime the three walls I had painted, clean, vacuum and get out the few miscellaneous items I left there. We also have a number of boxes piled in the guest room of the stuff I want to try to sell at a yard sale in a few weeks. Hopefully we can make some extra cash to go into the wedding fund. Otherwise we'll be making a big deposit at the salvation army.

It's definitely been a bit of a challenge at times trying to merge all of our stuff together and decide how we want to redecorate but it's been a great learning process and practice in compromise and I'm starting to really feel at home at his...our place :)

Meant to Be?

Tonight we moved the bed out into the dining room in anticipation of his parents coming tomorrow morning to take it to their beach house and make room for us to move in my bed this weekend. After we moved the bed we decided to go through all the items that were under the bed including the adoption paperwork that Kristian had for Wendal. While looking at his "birth certificate" I noticed that the birthday listed was May 22, 1997 which means that Wendal will turn 13 on our wedding day! What are the odds that our cat's birthday is the same day we plan to get married?! This is just further proof that May 22 is the perfect date for us to get married.

Work getting in the way of wedding planning

Work has just exploded on me this week. I go through highs and lows when it comes to my workload. For some reason my clients always seem to be on the same schedule so rather than dealing with them one at a time they all end up needing me the same week. For instance last week I was twirling my thumbs at my desk and watching the minutes tick off on the clock on my computer and this week I'm so busy my head feels like it will explode!

But back to the issue at hand, I hate when work gets in the way of wedding planning. Rather than dealing with clients that have no idea what they are doing and like to make my life harder I would rather just immerse myself in all things wedding and browse over all the lovely wedding porn that's out there. Why can't I just win the lottery, quit my job and spend my days planning this wedding extravaganza? Okay, extravaganza might be exaggerating a bit.

Right now I'm in the process of trying to book a caterer and a photographer, neither of which will be cheap and the hit that our bank account is going to take makes me tear up a bit. But I keep reminding myself that our guests deserve a nice meal and we deserve beautiful pictures to look at 50 years from now. Currently I've been reviewing pricing from R&R Catering as well as a few others. Their menus always make me hungry and I can't wait to do some tastings. We're having an initial consultation with them in July.

I've also gotten pricing from two photographers Joseph Allen and Classic Creations Photography . I had a very nice long phone conversation with Joseph Allen the other night and we have a consultation setup with Classic Creations for next week. So it's slowly coming together. I just want to get these vendors booked so that I can start focusing on the smaller details.

Between work being insane this week, still trying to move all my stuff into Kristian's and trying to find wedding vendors I'm a bit stressed right now. Hopefully everything will clear up over the next few weeks and then I can actually take the time to enjoy the summer and start doing some fun weekend activities that don't involve weddings or moving.

The Kids

Kristian and I are the proud parents of two furry, four legged cats. Wendal (the black and white cat) is 11 years old. Kristian got him as just a kitten back when he was in college. Yeah a college fraternity boy adopting a kitten is a little strange I admit, but he loves animals and a dog can be a lot of work for someone whose single. Cats are far more independent. Now that Wendal has earned his senior citizen status he spends most of his time sleeping and isn't quite as active as I'm sure he was back in his younger years.

This leads me to Halpert who is the one year old kitten that I adopted almost exactly 1 year ago. I got him right before meeting Kristian after I had resigned myself to the fact that I would probably never get married and accepted my future as the crazy cat lady. Turns out my new little kitten must have been my good luck charm because I met my future husband exactly one month later! I knew that Kristian was a keeper when he came over to my place for the first time and instead of bringing me flowers or wine he brought a toy for my cat. I guess he took me seriously when I said that I couldn't date a guy that my cat didn't approve of.

It was a rocky start to the boys relationship. Halpert being a kitten wanted to play all the time and jump on poor Wendal who just wanted some peace and quiet. There were many nights we were woken up to the sound of hissing and meowing and we often wondered if our cats could learn to love one another.

Well here we are several months later and the boys are now as close as brothers. They are always in the same room together, sleep on the guest room bed together and Wendal will actually even play with Halpert every now and again. They are two of the most entertaining cats and we love them dearly. Not mention they are great practice for our future kids.

Weekend Updates and Movie Review

We had a pretty mellow weekend. Friday night I came home and Kristian made a fabulous steak dinner with potatoes and green beans and wine. We ate on the balcony to enjoy the weather. Then we watched Mr. Brooks on DVD which stars Kevin Costner, Demi Moore and Dane Cook. It was a really good but slightly disturbing movie. It was odd to see Dane Cook in a more serious role from what people are use to. I thought he did a good job for the most part and overall I liked this film much more than any of his slapstick comedies.

Saturday we went yard-saling (not sure if I can turn that into a verb but oh well). We were on the hunt for a pantry/storage cabinet piece of furniture for the kitchen since we aren't having any luck looking around in the stores. After hitting up a few yard sales the only thing we bought were some x-mas lights for $.10 for a project that Kristian decided to do later on, involving an empty wine bottle, drilling a hole and stringing the lights thru the hole into the bottle. We now have a decorative wine bottle that we can light up. It's actually pretty neat.

That evening we went to see The Hangover with my new crush Bradley Cooper.


I've actually been a fan of his since his days on one of my favorite shows Alias. He also did a great job in Wedding Crashers and He's Just Not that Into You.

It also starred Ed Helms from The Office, another favorite show. This movie was absolutely hysterical. We try not to go the movie theater very often since the prices have gotten out of control and Netflix is far cheaper and more convenient but I had heard so many good things about this movie I couldn't resist. I must say it was totally worth the $30 we spent on tickets/food.

The movie is about a group of four guys that go to Vegas for the weekend to celebrate a bachelor party which they stupidly planned for two nights before the wedding. Honestly, who does that anymore? I think people have wised up to having their bachelor/bachelorette parties at least a few weeks prior to the big day. Annnyway, they wake up the next morning with no recollection of what happened the night before and a missing groom. Then as they try to piece together the events of the previous night, shenanigans ensue. After seeing this movie I was even more thankful that Kristian does not plan to go to Vegas for his bachelor party because I could see him and his buddies having a few similar experiences. Oh and a special shout-out to the wedding scene at the end, this movie had the best of both worlds, raunchy toilet humor for him and wedding scenes for me!

We finished up the weekend having lunch yesterday with my brother and more unpacking at the condo. I also made a kick-ass homemade vegetable soup last night. I'm so domestic!

**Photo courtesy of IMDB

15 Minutes??

Let me start by saying I love my dear, sweet fiance but sometimes his ideas/expectations especially when it comes to the wedding make me laugh and shake my head. Last night we were reviewing the initial pricing we received from one of the caterers I contacted. He was concerned because they didn't include the pricing for the Raw Seafood Bar which is an additional option that they offer per their menu online. I explained to him that this was just an initial proposal to show us some basic pricing and we can add/delete things later.

This transitioned us into a conversation about the post ceremony pictures/cocktail hour. The Raw Seafood Bar that he wants to add will probably be around $1,000 extra which I'm not thrilled about but I know how much he loves oysters and shrimp and all that comes with it. I pointed out to him that if we get this for the Cocktail hour there is a good chance he won't be able to really sample much of it because we'll be busy taking pictures. However I did mention the idea of having someone bring him a plate while the pictures are going on. Actually I think we might end up just including this during the dinner portion.

That's when he explained that our post ceremony pictures should only take 15 minutes! 15 minutes! Now I must say I'm not personally a fan of having a lot of posed pictures with every family and wedding party combination imaginable (I prefer the photojournalistic approach) and I do plan to take as many pictures before the ceremony as possible. With that said I also know that taking even the most basic posed pictures will still take time. It's not like a photographer places you, snaps one shot and moves on. They usually take several of each pose. Not to mention it takes time to organize and pose everyone, especially right after the ceremony when everyone will be excited and talking, hugging etc. I also pointed out that while I don't want/need a lot of posed family and wedding party shots I do want to take many with just he and I. One of the great things about our venue is that it's a very large property with numerous photogenic spots and I want to take advantage of that.

I tried to explain that one of the main reasons to have a cocktail hour is to give the guests something to do while pictures are being taken. He wants to spend that time drinking and chatting with our guests, which I understand and agree with. However, pictures are very important to me and we will have the rest of the night to drink, eat and socialize.

He insists this shouldn't take more than 20 minutes. I think he's nuts. We'll see who ends up being right.

Sequins, Lace, Tulle...Oh My!

So yesterday was my dress shopping trip with my mom. It was definitely a surreal but fun experience. We arrived at David's Bridal right at noon when they opened, I was glad to be one of the first to arrive and beat the rush. I've heard some horror stories about their customer service but my dress consultant was a very sweet and helpful woman. She pulled the dresses I had saved to "my favorites" on the website as well as a few additional including one dress that I had seen on the website and really liked but didn't mark because of the price.



I tried on this dress first, initially I thought this would be a good contender but when I tried it on I found that it was VERY heavy. I knew that I would be uncomfortable wearing it all day and trying to dance in it. So this one got nixed pretty quick.




I also tried on this one but I found it very unflattering on me. It pretty much just hung and did nothing for my figure.



I liked this dress except I felt like the top portion made my boobs look weird and actually seemed to flatten me out. I know with some tailoring that could be fixed but it wasn't one of my favorites.



I tried on this dress and you can't see it well in the picture but the skirt is a ballgown style and full of tulle. As soon as I tried it on I knew I didn't like it. It was way too much skirt for me and I looked like I was drowning in it. As my mom said it was the dress I would have picked out when I was 7 years old...only I would have wanted it in pink. It's a definite princess dress.



This was the dress my mom liked the best. It was a completely different style from the others with the satin fabric and more beading. I thought it was very pretty but I'm not sure it will work in the outdoor garden setting that I'm getting married in. I think this is more of a ballroom in the city type of dress. Funny enough when I was browsing the website again that night Kristian pointed to this dress and said he really liked it. Guess he and my mom have the same taste.



This is the dress I liked the most. I actually think it looks much better in person and not to sound conceited but I liked how it looked on me much better than the model. As in the picture I tried on a long, cathedral length veil with it which I loved. It had the sweetheart neckline I wanted and the lace look, even thought it's not lace but more of a brocade type of material. It also had just a small bit of beading under the bust which I think was a nice touch. I thought the fit was very flattering to my petite frame as well. Unfortunately this dress was also the most expensive of the bunch.

After trying on all these dresses I've come to some conclusions. I definitely think the sweetheart neckline is the best on me, I think lace will work the best in the setting I'm getting married in, I don't like tulle, I do like long veils, because of my small frame I think I look better in dresses that are a bit tighter thru the torso and gradually flare out more at the hips. However, I still haven't completely ruled out a dress with a fuller skirt, I think I would just need to find the right one.

I still want to shop around a bit more and see what else is out there and how other designers look on me. I also really want to go with one or two of my girlfriends to get their opinions since my mom and I have different tastes. But overall it was a really fun experience and something I'm really glad I got to share with my mom.

Visions of White

This Sunday my mother and I are going dress shopping...yes we will be shopping for THE dress. I am so excited. The only time I have ever tried on an actual wedding dress was when I was younger and I use to play dress up in my moms. She never cared since her and my dad were divorced so any sentimentality she had for the dress had long since disappeared.

It was really important for me to have my mother with me on at least the first trip to try on dresses. I know that most mother's dream of the day their little girl will grow up and get married and seeing them in a wedding dress is a huge milestone. Since I'm not expecting to decide on a dress on my first trip out (even if I do find one I love) I do plan to go shopping again hopefully with one or more of my friends. There is a store in Frederick, MD where my friend Kelli got her wedding dress that I want to check out, unfortunately they aren't open on Sunday's which was the only day my mom was free. Hopefully I will be able to get up there one Saturday and have Kelli go with me. It's always nice to have someone whose been through this already there to give advice. I also want to try to go shopping down in NC where my matron of honor lives. I think I have better odds of finding an affordable dress down there than I do in the DC area.

My mom and I decided to go check out David's Bridal this weekend. There is a large one about 30 minutes away and I figured that could be a good starting point for the dress hunt. I went online and actually found three dresses that I'm interested in trying on:

Style CT2406 (minus the red sash)


Style VW9469


Style T9658



Right now what I'm interested in is a dress with a strapless (preferably sweetheart) neckline, A-line/Full skirt, and lace. For some reason I continue to be drawn to pictures of lace dresses. However I reserve the right to completely change my mind once I see how these look on me. For all I know I could end up with a satin, halter neck, full sequined, mermaid style dress...though I highly doubt it.

I've waited my whole life to find someone to marry and be able to try on/buy a wedding dress. I've been picking them out since I was around the age of 5 so I suspect Sunday is going to be a very exciting yet surreal experience and I'm so excited to have my mom there with me to do it.

Calligraphy

I know it's WAY early in the planning process to be thinking about smaller details like calligraphy...I should probably come up with a guest list and invitations first...but after seeing my awful handwriting on the thank you notes I'm doing for the engagement party gifts I can't help it. Calligraphy is one of those weddings items that I always considered to be a luxury and something that you can easily fore go to help with the wedding budget, after all how many people really look at the handwriting on the mail they receive?? Then again if we are going to spend X amount of money on nice invitations it seems a shame to take away from the overall appearance with bad handwriting.

Oh and the option of having the fiance hand address the envelopes...well let's just say I want the postal carrier to be able to at least read the addresses on the envelopes :-) So now I might be adding "search for affordable calligraphy" on my to-do list.

Family and Friends = Great Time

The engagement party on Saturday was a great success. The weather was beautiful, the location was perfect and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. The gazebo that we had was on the hill overlooking the water and surrounded by trees, it had a very tree house vibe to it. My mom outdid herself cooking BBQ and chicken and cole slaw etc. She decorated all the tables and even bought personalized M&Ms. We also had a variety of desserts including a really adorable cake that was decorated with a fish theme in honor of my fisherman fiance. I actually didn't get to eat very much because I was so busy trying to talk to everyone and make sure everybody was introduced but I guess it's good practice for the wedding since word on the street is that a lot of couples don't get to eat the food they spend so much money on.

Kristians family finally got the chance to meet my family and everyone seemed to get along really well. Our moms really hit it off which didn't surprise me since they are very similar. My brother decided to put his fancy new camera to work and was the official party photographer and ended up with some really great shots.

In addition to our families we also had several of our friends there. Three out of Kristian's four groomsmen were able to make it and my bridesmaids were also there including my matron of honor who made the trip up from Raleigh with her husband and had to deal with the ridiculous DC traffic. It was great seeing my girls together and we had a good time catching up. One of the funniest things was that we all ended up wearing green which is not exactly a common color that people wear everyday. I wore a cute green sundress courtesy of Tar-jay and my MOH also had a super cute green dress on. My other friend and old roommate wore a green skirt and my friend that I've known since I was 12 wore a green top. It actually made the group pictures turn out even better since we were all color coordinated!

Not only was everyone nice enough to come to the party but we also got a lot of wonderful gifts as well. We really didn't expect anything so it was a pleasant surprise to see what thoughtful and generous gifts everyone brought for us especially since we haven't registered yet.

After the picnic was over the "younger" crowd went to a restaurant/bar close by for some adult beverages. It was so much fun to just sit around the table and drink and laugh with everyone. After my friends and my brother left we decided to head back to Kristians buddy's hotel room with his wife and another one of the groomsmen so that the boys could continue to drink and his friends wife and I could do some more girl bonding. I finally got to bed around 2am.

We had such a great time and we're so grateful for everyone that made the effort to come to our party. We really do have some of the best family and friends.