Happy Thanksgiving!!!

So today is Thanksgiving AKA "blow your wedding diet day". But I say a big fat OH WELL to that because it is the one day of the year which I "try" to not think one second about how many calories something has in it or how big my portion SHOULD be. I can go back to obsessing over all of that tomorrow. Today is my day off and I LOVED it. Usually Mr. Stilts and I have three Thanksgiving feasts to go to- My Mom's house, his parent's house and then my Dad's house. Usually by the end of the day, we are both stupid from our food comas and completely worn out. This year my Dad and my step-mom went to New York to visit one of my step sisters and her husband. So, while it was really sad to spend the first Thanksgiving ever in my 28 years of life without my Father, it was definitely less hectic and most importantly- LESS FOOD. All in all it was a good day, I enjoyed helping my Mom prepare Thanksgiving dinner and spending time with my family and with Mr. Stilts' family. We always have such a great time.
So as far as wedding planning goes, we have done a few things. First, I talked with the MAC make up guy who is going to be doing my make up as well as my Mom's and Sisters. We decided that sometime in January, once he gets his schedule, we are going to set up my make up trial to see just how gorgeous he can make me on our wedding day. I mean, I know it won't take much..... ;-)
As I mentioned in my last post, my super awesome and extremely talented best friend, Mrs. Ski and her "assistant" husband (HA HA) came down a couple of weeks ago and she took some more engagement pictures of Mr. Stilts and I. We went to a local park by our house and she got some FANTASTIC shots. It was really nice to be able to hang out and to get some incredible pictures taken. I think since it was so informal, Mr. Stilts and I were just relaxed the whole time and basically just had a lot of fun. Now I just can't wait to see them (both the pictures and Mr. & Mrs. Ski)

That is one thing about Mrs. Ski and I. We have been good friends for such a long time and have gone through a lot of things together. Things no one else could ever understand. I feel like friends like that should be cherished and I appreciate knowing that while she is now living semi far away (boo), she is always just a phone call away. Friends like her don't come around very often and coming from a girl (me) who was never good at making friends with other girls, I truly feel blessed to have her in my life. I love my Mimi!!!

Mr. Stilts and I had our very first wedding shower last weekend. Some of our best friend's parents threw it for us at their house. We had a really fantastic turn out and got to hang out with some of great friends and family. Also, we were fortunate enough to get some awesome things that we had registered for. I am new to this whole thing with registering and it's kind of weird to think, "I really like that" and then BAM! Someone buys it for you. It's fun. :-)
Mr. Stilts and I are doing some redecorating and it's fun to see the vision for which we want in our house coming true. I have never been much of a decorating kind of person but I must say that I am totally getting into it now. I mean, like I am laying in bed thinking about which towels would match the shower curtain and the types of clothes hamper I want for our bedroom. Random yet totally cool. So we had a great shower and I thought it was fun for us to have a shower that was for the both of us since I know there are some other showers being planned for just me. I know that "bridal showers" are typically only for the brides but it's nice to be able to share that with Mr. Stilts. But I'm over it and ready for the rest to be all about ME. HA HA HA HA. I can't even write that without laughing.
So more blogging to come as we hit the 4 month mark around Christmas. Nuts. I also can't believe that it's almost been a year since Mr. Stilts proposed. I can't believe it's been a year and that in a little under 5 months from now, I will be his wife. I'm so excited about what the future holds.

Still slacking...

So, I told myself that I would make it a point to be better about posting more often. Wow-I have done such a crappy job at that! Things have been moving along quite nicely though as far as the wedding goes. We got out our Save the Dates and so now it's really OFFICIAL! My sister did a beautiful job on them and I am still so grateful that she is doing them for us. The design is gorgeous and I cant wait to see how the invites and everything turn out. Also we are having our first wedding shower on November 21. The parents of one of our groomsmen are throwing it for us. So, since we hadn't registered anywhere yet, we had to run out and get that process started. We registered at Bed, Bath and Beyond and have added a bunch of awesome things. I am really excited and grateful that they are throwing this for us. I am still getting used to being the center of attention. It's all kind of weird to have a party thrown for you but it's so nice! We ALSO, (and this one is a biggie) FINALLY figured out and booked our honeymoon! We are going to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and staying at the Majestic Colonial Punta Cana resort. We are going the Monday after our wedding and staying for 7 whole nights. I am SO thrilled and can't wait to go. It's an all inclusive resort and we have an ocean front suite with a jacuzzi on the balcony! Here's a picture of our balcony-






How AWESOME is that?!?!?!?!? So excited! Plus, Mr. Stilts was the one who actually found the place and when we asked our travel agent, she told us how beautiful Punta Cana is so we were sold. We got a great deal and I honestly can't wait to go and just RELAX in the beautiful sun! I have been wanting to go back to the beach just because I used to go every year and I haven't been in about 5 years. I can't wait to smell the air down there. I LOVE the smell of the beach. Plus, it will be so nice to be able to get away for a whole week with Mr. Stilts just the two of us.


So, things have started moving right along as we hit the 5 month mark. I am a lot of nervous, anxious and excited all at the same time. There are so many emotions that I have running through me and I know it's just going to get worse the closer we get. I can't believe we have already almost at 5 months away! This year has just flown by. Way faster than I am comfortable with. :-) At least Mr. Stilts and I aren't procrastinators.


We had our engagement pictures done by our fabulous photographer on October 25. They turned out great and I will post some of those once I get them. I can post this one for now that I L-O-V-E! YAY EMILY!!! :-)




I can't wait to get them all back. There are some really awesome ones! Plus, my best friend, (as some of you know as Mrs. Ski) is going to be taking some pictures of us too this weekend. She is starting to branch out on her own as a photographer so she is doing some shots of us for her website and for our pleasure! :-) I am SO happy that not only do we get to hang out but I also get my picture taken by the one person that made me LOVE it! I used to hate myself in pictures but Mrs. Ski made me a believer that I too, can take a pretty picture. These are going to be very informal and A LOT of fun! We have already brainstormed on some awesome ideas. So, in closing, things are going right along at a good pace I feel. In 5 months from now, I might be pulling my hair out but when it comes down to it, I couldn't be happier.
What an exciting, awesome, nerve wrecking, anxiety-ridden time in my life. I wouldn't want it any other way. :-)

Such a slacker! (at blogging....)

So I know, I know....it has been a LONG time since I have blogged. At first, it was because nothing was really going on. But recently, A LOT has started to happen. First, MY DRESS CAME IN!!! WOO HOO!!!! :-) It's so pretty and I love it even more than I did when I first picked it out. I went to the bridal shop (shout out again to the wonderful ladies at Faccio- they ROCK) on Monday and tried it on. I loved it and I loved it even more because it was a little big on me. That made me feel good but I still can't go overboard with it. I want to still be able to fit into it come January when we start the alterations. Another awesome thing is

that last Sunday, all my bridesmaids met me at the bridal shop in Murfreesboro to get measured for their dresses. They were all able to come(with the exception of my matron of honor/sister but like I told her, I GUESS it was OK since she lives in another state and all) No, she's off the hook since we already had her measurements from the last time she was in town. The lady at the bridal shop is so super sweet and opened up her store on a Sunday when she is supposed to be closed just for us and she is doing all the alterations for my girls for FREE which I have never heard of. Just amazing and I am so happy with everything so far. I was so happy that all my girls could come and get to meet each other and I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends in my life.

I met with our wedding planner last week as well and sort of caught her up on everything. I as sort of overwhelmed with everything that was thrown at me and I guess I didn't realize exactly how much was left to do. I mean, I know we still have a lot but I didn't know we had to start doing a lot of it NOW. Like I need to get my make up trial run soon so I can be sure to lock in my date with the make up artist. So I am planning on getting that on the books very soon. Even though, our wedding planner suggested that I get the hair and the make up trial run done on the same day but that's going to be pretty impossible considering the make up guy is in Green Hills and may hair stylist is in Mt. Juliet. I could do it on a Saturday but I would have to pay a lot extra for the make up guy to get a private room and I am not sure I can swing that. I need to ask the planner about that again. Also, I was finally able to send off the list of addresses to my sister for the save the dates. I am so excited about getting them out and letting everyone know that it's officially official- Wes and I are getting married. I am so excited about some of the fun stuff that is to come.
Speaking of fun stuff, we have our engagement pictures coming up next weekend and I am really looking forward to that. I don't know how excited Mr. Stilts is about it but I am really pumped. I have never really had any professional pictures taken of me before. I am also looking forward to Mr. Stilts having to act like he likes me in PUBLIC. HA HA
I will post some as soon as we get them back. For now though, I would like to post a picture of the reception dresses for my bridesmaids. I was thinking about alternating between the two for each one. Love them!! Again, bridesmaids- YOU'RE WELCOME! ;-)

So beautiful.........Tear.....

Now it's time to get serious

I first want to say that I am so in love with our photographer for the wedding. Her name is Emily and she just rocks. She hasn't even taken any pictures of Wes and I yet but I am so excited to see what they will look like once we do. I spoke with her this week and we have set a date for our engagement pictures. Sunday, October 25 is the D-Day. We haven't really decided on the location(s) yet but that will come later. We have some time to bounce ideas off of each other and decide. I really like the idea of random places that you wouldn't think would be cool that end up making an amazing photograph. Some other FABULOUS news is that my BFF, whom many of you know as Mrs. Ski is going to be doing Wes and I a wonderful, incredible favor by taking some "pre-engagment pictures" pictures. Mrs. Ski is a fantastic photographer and she has been gracious enough to offer to do this for us. I am very unsure of how we are going to look in our engagement photos. I mean, Mr. Stilts and I have taken many a picture together but engagement pictures are totally different. Mr. Stilts must pretend like he actually likes me (tee hee) and I am just nervous about how they are going to turn out. So Mrs. Ski is going to do some sort of practice for Mr. Stilts and I. She ROCKS.
Plus, she's my BFF and any excuse to hang out with her, I will take in a second!
As far as everything else goes, I'm feeling a little bit of pressure. The bridesmaid dress situation is still not under control and I am nervous about finding a place to get them. My Mom and I are planning on going to check out some of the places really soon. Hopefully I can walk away from that feeling more comfortable. My Mom did find a really great deal for her dress though. The bridal shop where we were going to buy everything from is selling Mom's dress to her WITH all the alterations for a great price. It just works out that the sample they have is in the right color. Granted it's like a size 14 and my Mom is a size 2 but the alteration's woman at this bridal shop is AMAZING so I know she will make it work. It's just working on the bridesmaids and the tuxes. I think the tuxes will be MUCH easier but it's just the uncertainty of it all. Hopefully my Mom and I can go check out some of these places in the next week or so.
Speaking of TIME, we are down to the last couple of weeks before we are going to be sending out the save the dates. My sister is working on them and I am hoping that we will be good to go by the Labor Day. She already sent me an amazing rough draft that Mr. Stilts had some minor changes he wanted to make. Other than that, I think we are right on track. We are asking for lists and addresses from the fams so we can get this ball rolling. First of all, I can't believe that it's almost Labor Day and we are almost to the 7 month mark. We are needing to start the process of registering and getting that together. I am really excited about that. All in all I am feeling pretty good about everything and I am looking forward to starting this next chapter. I am still trying to remember what everyone has told me about really enjoying this process because you never get to have this experience again.

Bumps in the road

So we have officially encountered our first real "bump" with our wedding. I received a call yesterday from the wonderful lady at the bridal shop we were going to use to purchase my bridesmaid dresses, my Mom's dress and all the tuxes. She called to tell me that due to the economy, they would be shutting their doors at the end of September. So now I have to find new places to get all of these things. Which, I have found out, there aren't that many options close by. There are a lot in Murfreesboro but I hate to ask everyone to go all the way there for us. So, I am now in the search for a solution. I talked to the lady at the bridal shop and she gave me some ideas and gave me all the item numbers as well as my sister's measurements which they took while she was in town. At least I have those things but I am totally devastated that they are closing their doors. They were so great to me and everyone I have known to do business with them. I hate to hear that these incredible small businesses are suffering like this in this economy. I am trying not to be selfish about it because those employees are in a much worse situation than I am. I know we will find another place to get everything and that we do have time on our side. I just need to get on the ball looking for the place/places because we need to order the bridesmaid and my Mom's dress in September. I know it will work out it just won't be as convenient. This bridal shop was across the street from my house. So this is really the first "thing" to go wrong with the wedding but I know it won't be the last. That's one of the great things about having planned everything so far in advance. I have the time to fix them (hopefully). I am determined to still have those dresses in mine and Mr. Stilts wedding!!!
POSITIVE THINKING!!!!!!!!! :-)

I can't cut my hair anymore!!!!!

So that means that we are getting closer to the actual wedding. Almost 7 months away....It's nuts. I went to get my hair cut and "styled" the other day and my hairstylist informed me that since we were less than 8 months away, we couldn't really cut my hair anymore until after the wedding. I am wanting to grow it out so that I can wear it half up and let my hair "cascade over my shoulders". That's how she put it. I think it will be awesome but it really hit me that we were getting closer when she said that. We can still trim it but I can't really cut much anymore. I mean, I can't believe that we are under 8 months away. We have done so much and now we are sort of in a lull. It's nice though because my new job has kept me really busy during the day and by the time I get home, I am too tired to even turn on my computer. I have been needing to research our honeymoon options BIG time because since I am going to be asking off for about or 9 days, the earlier I ask off, the better. I just can't do that until we actually book the honeymoon. I mean, I know that I will need some days before the wedding but I am not sure when Mr. Stilts and I will actually go on out honeymoon. I am thinking we will go the Saturday after our wedding. Regardless, we need to at least be working on it. The longer we wait, the more expensive it will get too. So I am hoping to begin working on that soon. Keep your fingers crossed that we get to that soon!
I can start working on some things like my makeup trail with the MAC guy some time and I can get my hair trail run as well. I will wait a little bit longer before I do that, it's not something that needs to be done any time soon. But it will be here before we know it. Also, we are on the countdown until we have to send out the Save the Dates. Yikes, which that means we have to start getting the names and addresses for our guests. Which we STILL have not decided on. I think I am stressing over that too much and I know it should be about who Mr. Stilts and I want to come but there is a lot of pressure to make others happy as well. I guess we just need to DO IT and quit putting it off. We'll see how that goes.........
SO hopefully the next time I post (which will be soon and I mean it this time) I will be closer to getting all this completed and be in a better place with it all.
I can't wait to see the design for the save the dates and the overall look and theme of the wedding. More to come soon!!!! :-)

Welcome back, ME!

oh my goodness, it has been such a long time since I have blogged. Things have been really hectic since I started my new job. So I haven't had the time to blog as much as I would have liked. I am hoping that this will change soon as things kind of calm down on the work front. Since starting the new job, I haven't really had any time to do much of anything. My fantastic sister has started working on the overall look for our save the dates and invites (in her own words, her "creative juices are flowing"). I am SO grateful to her that they are flowing because they are going to be awesome and I just haven't had the time to really work on it myself. She is so good at this kind of stuff and the ideas she has so far, ROCK. I know Mr. Stilts and I are going to love the end result. The invites and everything really just bring the whole "look" and "theme" of the wedding together. So I am really happy with how it's all going.
We finally sent off the contract and the deposit for the florist so we can officially say that ALL of our vendors are booked. That part is really, really exciting. No more contracts, no more going back and forth with vendors to get the best price for the contract. Even though I know it's not all over by any means. We still have a lot to do and a lot of dealings with people left to do. I am feeling really good about the really big stuff being over with. Now, I feel like I can relax a little about a lot of things. I know Mr. Stilts is probably happy about me relaxing a little bit. :-)
The guest list is still a pretty big thing that we have not gotten a hold of yet. We cut down a lot and now we are getting some pressure to add back. This is one of the hardest things. You can't make everyone happy, especially when you are on a tight budget. I really don't what to blow the whole budget on invites. I mean, when you think about it, every additional person is not only an additional dinner, it's also an additional save the date, invitation, chair, napkin, silverware, cake, favor....the list goes on and on. I know I have talked about this before, but it gets more and more real every second. It's a lot to think about it and it brings about a lot of different emotions. I want to be able to make as many people happy as I can and I know that it is going to be impossible to do so. This part is SO HARD.
I am going to try and be so much better about blogging going forward, there is still a lot left to do and we are getting to the 6 month mark faster than I can believe.

One more check! (well almost..)

Well I talked it over with Mr. Stilts and I have officially let our florist choice know that we have decided to go with her. Now (and this is the reason I said "almost" in the title) all we have to do is get the deposit check in the mail. That might be a little harder than it should be. First of all, I always hate asking my parents for the money and I hate asking Wes to ask his parents for the money. I know that they have all told us they would help pay for the wedding but I always feel weird asking for it. I also know that they won't hesitate to write the check (well except if I was asking for like a million dollar check...ha ha) but I still get apprehensive about it. Mr. Stilts and I are so fortunate to have families who are willing to help us out and pay for the majority of our wedding. I do think though that once we get this certain check in the mail, we won't have anymore "big" checks to write for a while. Mr. Stilts and I are planning on starting to pay for somethings on a monthly basis just so that we won't have as much all at one time. Like our DJ total is $600.00 so we figured we could pay $100 a month for 6 months and he would be fully paid by December. One less thing to worry about come March 2010. Mr. Stilts suggested that if we can do this, some things like the DJ we wouldn't even consider to be part of the wedding. So we could even do that with the bagpipe player and organist because we only lack $250 for that one. My advice to anyone planning a wedding- pay as you go! If you pay a little at a time then it won't be such a huge hit on you right before the wedding. The one time you really shouldn't be worried about money. You will have plenty of other things to worry about. So I am feeling good about this. I think if we can do this, we will be able to use more the "wedding money" towards the reception (food, alcohol), flowers, unexpected things, etc. There are SO many aspects of planning a wedding, you really have no idea until you are in those shoes.
I got the swatch of my dress from the bridal shop the other day and I can't stop looking at it. I swear I love my dress so much I can't wait until mine actually comes in. It's a shame that we only get to wear it once. That's why I don't really understand the concept of having two or more dresses for the wedding. If I am paying THAT much for one dress, I am going to wear it as long as I can because I will never get to again. Well except for when I am feeling nostalgic and I end up wearing it to vacuum around the house or something (oh yeah, I will probably be one of THOSE people).
So anyway, we are moving right along it seems. We still need to buckle down and work on the guest list some more. Mr. Stilts and I actually talked about that last night and he agreed that we needed to just do it and stop saying, "we'll get to it later". We really need to be able to get a better idea of the ball park we are going to be in. I know things might change as far as that goes over the next 8 1/2 months but we need to have somewhat of a clearer idea now. I really hope that we can work that out. I really want to be able to invite all the people we want there. I know this is one thing we have been trying to tackle from day one. When we made our first "list" it was well over 300 people. Now we are trying to whittle it down to a max of 200. It's so much of a back and forth thing because on one hand, you don't want to leave anyone out but at the same time every person you have to pay a certain amount for and it totally adds up. Their food, champagne, table, chair, cake, save the date, invitation, place card, favor, etc. etc. etc.....it goes on and on. I pray that we can work it out so that we are feeling good about it and don't come away from it feeling like some people are going to be upset with us.
So in conclusion, florist- half check. Next on the agenda- guest list. I already have a headache........

Oops! I suck.

Ok well I apologize to all my loyal fans (all 4 of you. Don't be jealous.)that I have not blogged since June 11. Things have been sort of hectic lately but in the best way. I have gotten a new job that I will be starting in two weeks. It's something totally different than I have been doing so it will be a big change. One of the best parts is that I am only going to be working about 15 minutes from home. How freakin' awesome is that?!?! SO much better than the hour plus drive for the past three years. Anyway, so things have been crazy but I am both excited and anxious about what's to come though. Closing one chapter and opening another one. I'll update as we go along but I think that this is pretty nuts planning a wedding and switching jobs at the same time. I'm sure many have done it before me but it still feels a little crazy.
In addition to the "new job good news" is the fact that my Mom and I have successfully met and interviewed three different florists. We have been fortunate to meet with three fantastic ones at that. I think having too many choices is better than none at all so hats off to my Mom and I, as well as our wedding planner. I think we have more than likely made our choice but I am still going to finalize everything with Mr. Stilts and make sure that he's on board. I think this one particular florist will be able to work with our budget while still being able to capture our "vision". I feel like that sounds so weird to say "vision" (like I feel like I should have sunglasses on, wear all black and only snap when I like something) but it's really the only word I can think of at the moment. I have an idea in my head of what I would want it to look like (and Mr. Stilts too even though he does not seem the least bit interested in what kind of flowers we are going to have but really I didn't expect him to- he's a guy) and so I would like to try and get as close as I can to that. I think regardless of who we pick, they will be great and we will be really happy with them. We have been so fortunate so far in all of our vendors. I feel like everything is really beginning to come together and I am getting more and more excited every day the closer it gets (I know that will probably change once we are actually "close").
My sister and I have been talking about the design for our invitations, save the dates, etc. and she came up with an awesome idea! She freaks me out she's so creative. She has offered so graciously to do our invitations and hers were SO GOOD that I know I have nothing to worry about. I am so excited to see what she comes up with.
Once we book the florist we will be in a really good place. There will really be nothing to DO for about a month or so. We can kind of sit back and relax. Which will be great for me because I will be starting the new job and will need as little additional stress as possible. I am giving myself a little pat on the back for a job well done thus far. I am really going to try and do what everyone has told me........Enjoy this time, it will be over before you know it.

Tell me somethin' good!

I am in good spirits today. I feel like we are making more major steps and things (so far) seem to be fairly flawless. We have finally gotten the "OK" from the church's pastor to have our long time family friend, Charles, officiate the ceremony. This means so much to us because for one, he is such a great guy and has such an amazing spirit. It means a lot to both Mr. Stilts and I to have someone who knows us perform the ceremony. Plus, it doesn't hurt that he has an amazing speaking voice. I am so thrilled that we were able to work it out. Also, we got the proposal from the florist myself and my Mom met with a while ago. Both my Mom and I really liked her and thought she had a lot of great ideas. The way she described things put such a great picture in my head and it made me that much more excited about seeing it all unfold. It really gets you pumped to finally be able to picture in your head what everything could look like. The proposal was over our budget but she was upfront about it and said that she wanted to put everything in there and then we could start cutting what we could live without to get down where we were more comfortable. We are going to meet with another potential florist hopefully next week. I am just waiting for him to let me know what days and times work for him. I plan on meeting with one more just so we can see what our options are and then we can pick from there. So far though, I am very pleased (even though I have only met with one). I guess for me it's fun to think that these people are just as excited about our wedding as I am. Now, I know that they are trying to get the business so they NEED to seem excited but they do a great job at it! As I was reading this first proposal I could see how beautiful everything would be and it makes me a little misty-eyed. What a wonderful day this is going to be.
I know we still have a long way to go and we MUST start working on finalizing the guest list. That is the one thing that I am really not looking forward to and totally petrified about. We are both so scared about making people upset is they aren't invited. You know, it's upsetting but at the same time, cutting the guest list is the #1 way to cut down costs. I am just trying to do everything I can to make it beautiful but also affordable. SO this is going to be a tough one.
Oh and one little update. I went to have my wedding dress re-measure last week. My Mom and Mr. Stilts Mom came out and his Mom got to see the dress for the first time. She said she loved it and it made me so happy that she was able to see it before the wedding. BUT ALSO- I found out that I have lost an inch off both the top and bottom of my chest (YAY!) and 2 1/2 inches off my waist!!! I mean seriously!! ?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?! I was so excited and it really proves to me that what I am doing is working as far as working out and eating right. At this rate, I am SO pumped to see what can happen in 9 1/2 months until the wedding. It really gives me the motivation to keep it up and to make this a lifestyle, not a temporary, "I want to look great only for the wedding" thing.
So, patting myself on the back and moving forward- Tally Ho!!! (I really don't know what that means but it sounds cool) :-)

Inching Forward...

So tonight I have an appointment with a potential wedding florist (YAY!) but this is simply preliminary. I told Mr. Stilts that he could go or not go. It doesn't really matter. He is absolutely invited if he wants to go but if he doesn't- not a big deal. There isn't going to be anything signed or anything final done today. I really just want to get some ideas flowing on what we want for the church and the reception along with the wedding party flowers. I have some ideas in my head but I have no idea if they are even feasible. I am totally a flower-idiot. I really don't know much about them so I am pretty much going to learn as much as I can and hopefully get some ballpark figures on how much they are going to cost us. That is a REALLY big concern of mine. I know we are going to need a lot of flowers because 1) we have a large wedding party 2)we have over 150 at this time on the guest list and 3) we have two different locations for the ceremony and rehearsal. Wes and I both have 7 attendants. Plus, all the flowers for me and him along with our parent's and then the decorations for the church and reception. Whew- my head is spinning already.

Anyway, so we are meeting with someone tonight that our wedding planner recommended. Her website was beautiful and I am hoping that we are able to find out some great information that might put both Mr. Stilts and I at ease. I have also been working on negotiations with a bagpipe player and organist. We have an organist at the church but this particular one plays with the bagpiper a lot so I almost feel it would be better to have both of them rather than the bagpiper and the church organist. No diss on the church organist though, she was great and super sweet. It's all going to come down to cost and what we can fit into our budget. We both really love the idea of the bagpipes playing me down the aisle. It makes me a little misty-eyed just thinking about it. So I hope it works out. I am trying to do the negotiations myself (with the help of my awesome, experienced deal-makin' sister) so that I can go to Mr. Stilts and hopefully make him proud of my accomplishments. I want him to know that I am really working hard to make this work for our budget. I think brides get a bum rap from certain t.v. shows (I'm talking to YOU, Bridezillas) and people just think all we do is try and sneak a $100,000 wedding. You have these woman screaming and crying because their "man" didn't pick their nose the way they wanted them to. So it's totally annoying and it's because of people like that all "brides-to-be" get categorized as completely unrealistic and crazy. Perfect example: "The Bride Contract". You can google it and find tons of variations of it but all are just hilarious and genius. I have included it below for your amusement:

*Bridesmaid’s Contract*

Hello my beautiful bridesmaids! Let me just say again how happy I am that you are going to be a part of my special day! Below are just a few guidelines for the wedding that I’d like you to review, please initial by each point, sign at the end and send back to me. Just want to make sure they’re aren’t any surprises! The planning bride is a happy bride!
Thanks a bunch! Love ya!

______ My hair will remain at the length it is now or longer.

______ I will not change my hair color without first consulting Katie and providing a sample photo or hair swatch for consideration.

______ I will use Sally Hansen’s “Maximum Growth-Daily Nail Growth program” every day for the 4 months before the wedding day.

______ I will not gain more than 4lbs from the weight I was when I was asked to be a bridesmaid.

______ I swear to attend all showers, (lingerie, bridal & bachelorette) to arrive in a timely manner and do everything in my power to support and “be there” for the bride.

______ I will purchase the David’s Bridal style # 81123 dress below in Latte/Champagne within 3 weeks of today.

______ I will NOT knowingly get pregnant without notifying Katie at least 4 months prior to the wedding so a suitable alternate can be found. I will also give my purchased bridesmaid dress to said alternate.

I do hereby swear that I will adhere to all of the above & other understood bridesmaid duties for the wedding on September 21, 2007
X_________________________
(sign, print and date)

And..........You're welcome.

Don't get me wrong, I know we are still 10 months out but I cannot imagine myself getting to THAT point. Granted, there are some things that if we had a bigger budget I would love to have but none of them are things that that we absolutely HAVE to have. I am not one of those people that just insists on having gold and diamonds dripping from everything. Well, first of all EWW and second, it's totally not necessary. What is necessary is for us to be surrounded by those closest to us. In conclusion, I think what we both want is something that is elegant, fun and most importantly- US.

The rut of all ruts......

So I am sitting here at my desk (at work....I know, I know..blogging at work is bad..blah blah blah...) but I sitting here thinking about how we have accomplished a lot for the wedding all at once and then BLAM-O....nothing. Well, I take that back somewhat, I did pick out the bridesmaid dresses this week. SO I guess that's a pretty big accomplishment AND my Mom found the most beautiful dress to wear to the wedding too. So big woo-hoo for her too (YAY MOM!). The bridesmaid dresses are really pretty and I like them a lot. Plus, they ended up being very reasonably priced which is a huge plus. The dresses I had originally picked out were about $300 and I would never ask someone to buy a dress they will more than likely only wear once (seriously, I don't care how many times you say "oh you could TOTALLY wear that again". News flash- YOU WON'T) I have worn the dress I wore in my sister's wedding more than once but still. There's a pretty small percentage of dresses that do actually get worn again, most go into the back of closet only to be seen again during "clean out your closet day" or when you move. Regardless, sorry for getting sidetracked, the dresses I picked out this time are really pretty and the fact that they are not too expensive, is great too. Here is a picture of the bridesmaid dresses (note: this lady is NOT one of my bridesmaids, she doesn't look like the cool chicks I associate with) The colors are going to be royal blue and ocean. I wanted my sister, Linnea, to stand out more than the others because she is my Matron of Honor so I am making her dress royal blue with the sash/tie thingy in ocean and all the other bridesmaids will be ocean with a royal blue sash/tie- thingy. That way they are all tied in together but she will stand out a little more. I am really happy with the decision of doing the different color for Linnea but not having hers be completely different. I was struggling with trying to come up with a way to do that.

As for my Mom, her dress is this one: and this is the actual color it is as well. I really, REALLY liked this dress on my Mom. It made her look fabulous (even though she does all the time anyway, it's just cool to see your Mom so dressed up!) In fact, she looks so great in it that I am going to post the actual picture of HER in it. (Sorry Mom if you didn't want to be featured in my blog........you're just too dang cute not to!) There she is! Mom's blogging via picture debut!!! I L-O-V-E this dress and I can't wait for all the bridesmaid's to get theirs in too. I couldn't see the actual dress in the right colors because the store didn't' have one so I am really excited for the day they come in (which will be like December, so I have a little while to wait)

Other than these decisions, I have done nothing else. I am really ready to start working on finding a florist but I just haven't gotten around to making any appointments. I have contacted one florist (or excuse me- FLORAL DESIGNER) but haven't really set up a meeting or anything. I have that one and two others I would like to talk with and possibly meet, we'll just have to see. Then the chauffeur guy I liked Mr. Stilts was supposed to call and talk to about his prices again but hasn't gotten around to it yet. That I'm not as worried about but it would be really awesome to be able to work out something with this guy because we both love his car so much. Then I have started talk with a guy that plays the bagpipes (I know, right?? AWESOME!) Mr. Stilts and I went to a friend's wedding in October and the bride was walked in by a bag pipe player and we both LOVED it so it's definitely something we want for our wedding. We are possibly going to have him play at our announcement during the reception as well. Super cool. I am really hoping we can work something out soon, I would like to know it's been set up and ready to go. So this rut is not a huge rut but still a rut indeed. I feel like we were getting so much done and then stopped so now I feel like we aren't doing ANYTHING. I know we still have a lot of time left until March 20, 2010 but I want to be able to get as much squared away as early as possible so we can (sort-of) sit back, relax and enjoy the engagment without being "as" stressed". I put the word "stressed" in " " because I know weddings are never really stress free --especially if you're me. Also, on a side note- I am still working out 6 days a week and really watching what I eat. HIGH FIVE TO ME! I have exactly 3 weeks until my re-measure for my dress so I am determined...A wedding dress is the ultimate motivation, believe me! :-)

One more thing-

My birthday is in 4 days...... yay.........  Never in my life has my birthday snuck up on me like this.  Planning a wedding sure does preoccupy your mind. Well and I am going to be 28 so THAT'S not super exciting in itself.  :-)

We're BACK!!!

Ok, so the D.C. trip was AWESOME. We had such a good time and did absolutely nothing in relation to the wedding. It was so nice to get to see my sister and my brother-in-law and for Mr. Stilts to get to experience D.C. I think he had a really good time too. I can't wait to go back because the trip felt like it went by SO FAST! Now, we're back and I have not really done anything wedding-ish. Well, I take that back, I have called a potential chauffeur for us to go from the church to the reception and from the reception to the hotel. That is not set in stone yet either. Mr. Stilts, AKA "The Deal Maker" is going to call him and see what he can work out. I know I said before that I have gotten better with my "wheeling and dealing" skills but I am still no way as good as he is. It's something he does on a daily basis at work and well, I am just not that good. I'm leaps and bounds better than I was but still. I am hoping he can work out something because I really liked the guy and his car is A-W-E-S-O-M-E. Also, I have started looking around for florists. GEEZ- THIS IS HARD. First of all, I had zero clue there were this many florists in Nashville and second, that there were so many that weren't that great. We had one in mind from the beginning because her shop is right down the street from our house but I asked our planner about her and she told me that for one, she spray paints flowers.... ok stop...... ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? and then another planner she knew used her and she FORGOT about the wedding. Ok again........ ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!

How do you "forget" about a wedding? Who knows, but she is out. So I am looking into the referrals that our planner gave me and also trying to find some other options as well. I know flowers are really expensive and I know that we are going to need A LOT because we have a big wedding party and quite a few guests. So whereas I know that they are going to be really expensive and have told Mr. Stilts this- I don't think he is even remotely prepared for what it's going to cost and that makes me nervous. He has been really reluctant when it comes to stuff like this which is good because we don't want to "blow it up" for our wedding. It's not necessary and we can still have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank. BUT there are certain things that you have to have and really can't go super cheap on. Like flowers. But I know that there are ways in which we can save money but still be happy. We just have to find the right florist that can help us do that. I'm just afraid that it's going to be a painful process. I know it will "all work out in the end...blah blah blah...".

Other that the florist we are doing pretty well. My super creative, incredibly awesome sister is doing the invitations for us and if they are anything like the ones she did for her wedding, they are going to be incredible. She rocks so much for doing this for us. I can't even talk about it. So we will have to brainstorm on the design and stuff like that along with save the dates and all that mess. Since we are doing a plated dinner, I will have to do a seating chart and table numbers, all that jazz which I am not really looking forward to but it will get done. First, and this needs to be done soon- we need to finalize the guest list. At least to the point where we can sort of know how many people. We can always add some back later if things (the economy) gets better.

As far as my goal to look as incredible as possible in my wedding dress goes- I have been doing well with working out and watching what I eat. I did have a little set back about a week ago. I was doing SO well with working out and then I hurt my back/neck. Not sure how I hurt it but I did so I went to see an orthopedic and was told that I needed an MRI and that I couldn't work out until I got it. I was told that until I knew everything was ok, I shouldn't risk hurting it worse. Which that was horrible news because #1, I was doing SO well and getting into a great workout rhythm and #2, I found out from my insurance that I would have to pay $1,000 for the MRI since I hadn't met any of my $1,000 deductible yet. SO, for anyone who has ever in their life planned a wedding, you know that a thousand dollars is a HUGE number that you have been saving for the wedding and it would really suck to have to use it for something else. But it's something we have to do if we have to do it. I got a second opinion and was told that it could wait another 6 weeks and I could try some other, less expensive treatments and see if it gets better. So keep your fingers and toes crossed that it does!!

I am so determined to loss some weight but overall tone up for the wedding and for my overall health. I just got an email from the bridal shop where I bought my dress (Shout out to Faccio..they ROCK!!) and my re-measure is for my dress is going to be the first week of June. SO I have around 5 weeks to rock it out and hopefully go down a size or two. I really want to look as fantastic as possible on our wedding day. I have to stick with it. WILL POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, this was a long post.....didn't realize I had that much to say.. :-)

So in case you don't know- I'm awesome.

In the title I am NOT referring to my blogging skills. In that sense, I am not awesome. It has been a long time since I last blogged and it's crazy because so much has happened. Things have been going quite well. Mr. Stilts and I have rocked the house when it comes to getting things done ahead of time. As of last week we have secured the reception venue, our photographer and our DJ. I mean seriously--AWESOME. People should pay us because we are so awesome. It's so funny to me that we went from having nothing done and me totally stressing out to having so much done that we can take a break for a little bit. Mr. Stilts and I are going to Washington D.C. this weekend for a nice 3 day vaca to visit my Sister and my Brother-in-Law. I am SO excited about this. It will be nice to sort of get away for a little bit and let Mr. Stilts see why I love D.C. so much. He has never been so I am excited for him to see all the cool things it has to offer. Plus, I am always totally pumped to see my Sister. So we are taking a well deserved break to visit them and I CAN'T WAIT.
We still have to find and conquer to whole florist thing which scares me because I don't think Mr. Stilts has any idea how expensive flowers are and I am totally petrified that once he finds out, his head is going to explode. Flowers are not cheap people! Granted I am going to try everything in my power to keep that cost down as much as possible. Like only using flowers that are in season (it's spring so there should be some good ones available). Also, we don't have to use flower centerpieces on every table. I would be totally cool with switching it up a bit and just doing more candles than flowers on some tables. I am going to do everything I can to make it as cost effective as possible while still being what we want. Other than the florist, I think there really isn't much more we can do right now planning wise. I mean, I think we should probably work on the guest list some but we aren't 100% on it yet either. We want to be able to invite a lot more people but the #1 way to keep cost down is to cut down the guest list. So we are waiting a bit to see if maybe the economy gets better and things overall get better and we can add back to the list. We have gone from over 300 to hoping to be about 150-175. This is truly the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. You want to be able to invite everyone and it's especially hard for us because we both come from such large families. It's going to be tough and I am keeping my fingers crossed that things get better so that we can add back some of the people we have had to put on the "B" list. I am trying to remain optimistic that it all works out better than expected. I am also going to try and be way better with my blogging skills...we'll see how that turns out. :-)

Still a truckin'

So things are still moving along. I know we are still way ahead of the game but I can't help but be anxious to get more done. I am anxious about getting the reception venue booked. I keep telling myself that once that is done, I will be able to relax some but really, who am I kidding?? I have been a lot better than I ever thought I would be though. This is a lot of fun (I know, I know, so FAR) but I have really enjoyed most of this process. But then again, talk to me again in 6 months and see how I feel about it. I do feel excited that we have gotten a few big things out of the way. First, the church then my DRESS..(which my the way is my new favorite thing in the whole wide world). I want to go visit the sample at the store just about every day. Also, we have pretty much decided on a photographer (Emily) and all we lack with that is sending in the contract with the deposit. Hopefully we will have that done this week. We both really liked her and think she will do a fabulous job at our wedding. She reminds me a lot of my sister's photographer who is based out of North Carolina and we really loved her pictures and the way that she captured the day. That is one of the initial things that drew me to her. I am really glad that Mr. Stilts and I actually agreed on SOMETHING on the first try. We walked out of our meeting with Emily and both said, "she is really great". So YAY score for Emily!!!
Some people we have been dealing with are a little off and this really surprises me. I would think that people in this industry would be on top of things but GEEZ. Some people just seem really sort of air-headish (ok, not a word but it makes sense to me). I won't go into specifics but it seems like certain people just can't seem to get things right on paper. We have gone over it a million times verbally and it seems to register there but apparently the time it takes to get from the brain to the paper something malfunctions. I am crossing my fingers and my toes that this gets resolved soon, like today. That's a check mark I am SO ready for. I guess even though I have watched and helped friends and family go through the wedding process I never really realized all the componentsthat go into one. I will say that I have greatly improved on my "wheeling and dealing" skills. Something I have NEVER had before. I rock.
I do have something else done though. I have finally asked all my bridesmaids to be in the wedding. We weren't sure if we were going to stay in town for a while and so I held off asking all of them. I am really happy that they all said yes and want to be a part of Mr. Stilts and I's wedding day. I am so excited about it all and even though I know the time between now and March 20,2010 is going to fly by, I'm ok with it. I know we will get everything done and it will be perfect.

THE DRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

So.......YAY!!!!!!!!!!!! I found a dress!! And not only is it "a" dress, it's "THE" dress. My sister, Linnea, came into town over the weekend and her, my Mom and I went out looking both Saturday and Sunday. We went to three different places on Saturday and one on Sunday. Let me tell you, I have never felt so pretty in my life and I am so excited that I found it so quickly. I found the dress at our first stop of the day, Faccio Bridal in Cool Springs. The woman there are fantastic and they really make you feel wonderful. No wonder they won best bridal shop in Nashville. They deserve it! I had so much fun shopping with Linnea and my Mom. My sister made reservations at Amerigo for lunch and had champagne waiting on us when we got there. It was so fantastic!! I am still trying to get used to the attention. I guess you never realize how much you get until you are "The Bride". It's so much fun though and I so enjoyed spending the time with just the three of us. I think I probably tried on 40 different dresses throughout the two day wedding dress extravaganza. I didn't commit to the dress at first, I was afraid because it was like the third dress I tried on and I didn't want to commit and then find something at one of the other stores. But everything I tried on after that just didn't feel right and I kept going back to that one. It's so hard to explain how I felt when I had it on. It was sort of like I was living in a movie. I could see myself walking down the aisle and I could see Mr. Stilts standing there waiting for me. I didn't feel that way in any thing else so I guess it is true when they say you know when you've found the dress. Plus, all three of us cried when I had it on -which I know to those who know us might not seem like such a big deal (we all cry at Kodak commercials) but not a single dress after that had the same effect. I would like to give a HUGE thanks to Linnea and my Mom for tugging, pulling, and zipping me into so many dresses (even the super ugly one). I know their "zipper fingers" are not a fan of me right now. My Mom and Linnea rock and I will never forget the "slutty nightgown" or the missed opportunity for a young hooker intervention. Good thing we weren't on tv, right Mom??
I am sorry to say though that I will not be posting a picture of the awesomeness that is my dress....this I want to keep under wraps until March 20,2010. Which by the way is ONE YEAR AND THREE DAYS AWAY!!!! Nuts.
OH and PS- we decided to go with Gaylord Springs Golf Links for the reception!!!!!!!!! Two GIGANTIC checks this weekend- WOO HOO!

So.....We bought a church!

YAY!! I'm so excited! Last Friday Mr. Stilts and I, along with his Father, went down to Donelson Heights United Methodist Church and put down the deposit! Mr. Stilts and his Dad hadn't seen the church yet in person but they both seemed impressed. It's so pretty and I think it's going to be perfect for us. Now we just have to decide on the reception venue even though I think we both agree that Gaylord Springs Golf Course is the one we like the best and we absolutely enjoy the coordinator there. Plus, it's pretty close to the church so that is good. We don't want our guests to have to drive far between places. I am really happy with the way things are going and I am having fun doing all this. Mr. Stilts tells me that he is too. We have started interviewing some photographers as well and that is REALLY fun. It's one of my favorite aspects of the whole wedding. I love photography and I want us to get one that will really capture the day. I want to look back 10 years from now and feel like I am re-living the whole thing. This entire process can be really stressful at times but really we are having a blast thinking of ways in which we can make this day ours and put our touch into it. There are so many ideas running through my head and I'm sure through his so there will be more posts coming as we make decisions and rock this wedding. I will post again once we have the reception venue booked and I hope it's soon! Woo hoo!! :-)

FINALLY! Progress!!

So~~ We have finally hired a wedding planner!! WOO HOO! I am so happy about it, I can almost scream! It might not be much but it makes it feel like we are actually moving forward instead of standing still or running in circles. I think we have pretty much settled on the church as well but we still have to go up there to meet with the minister and the event coordinator. Also, we still have to sign all the necessary paperwork and such. As for the reception, we are getting closer to the areas in which we are comfortable with but still not 100% yet. Mr. Stilts and I are going back and forth on locations. I am still in love with Gaylord Springs but we have to be able to feel comfortable with what we are spending in relation to our budget. We both feel it's not necessary to spend a ton of money on one day and in reality, this is more about us vowing to be there for each other for the rest of our lives and to me, that's more important than any sit down dinner, honeymoon, dress....anything. I am so excited about becoming his wife. I know we have our ups and downs as any couple would (and ESPECIALLY a couple planning a wedding)but in the end I couldn't imagine going home at night and not having him there.
We have also started working out just about every day and really watching what we eat. I never thought I would be as motivated as I am but knowing that a wedding gown is in my future REALLY helps. Plus, we got the Wii Fit and it has been kicking our butt! It makes it fun and it's nice to be able to feel like we are getting well rounded work outs at home. Mr. Stilts has already lost quite a bit of weight and I have lost some but I noticed the other day some toning that made me squeal with excitement. That is the motivation I need to keep it going. I really want to be tone more than lose weight (even though who would be mad about losing weight.....not I) but mostly I want to not pay attention to the numbers and concentrate on how I feel about myself and how my clothes fit. Anyway, I am feeling that while this wedding planning is probably one of the most stressful things I have ever done in my life, it's also been a great motivator for both of to make some changes in our lives. I'm so pumped and hopefully the next time I post, I will have one more GIANT check off our list!!
YAY 1 1/2 CHECKS SO FAR!!! :-)

Still waiting....but with a slight glimmer of hope

So we are still in the process of trying to make some decisions. It is a lot harder than I ever thought it would be. I think we are sort of leaning towards the Donelson area for the ceremony. It's a great compromise for us since I would like downtown and Mr. Stilts would like Lebanon. It's right smack in the middle if you ask me! So my Mom and I went last Friday and looked at two possible churches in the Donelson area. The first two pictures above are from Andrew Price Memorial United Methodist Church (a mouthful, right??). It is absolutely beautiful with its stained glass windows and has so much history that I am really drawn too. The other two pictures are from Doneslon Heights United Methodist Church which is about one mile up the road from APMUNC. It is also really beautiful and the people there were so kind and helpful. It's a tough call but it might just come down to which one has the better price. Donelson Heights is cheaper and that is REALLY attractive to us, the couple on a serious budget. As for the reception, I think we are really liking the Gaylord Springs Golf Course. It is breathtaking and the thought of how gorgeous the pictures would be, blows my mind!! Plus, golf is a pretty big part of Mr. Stilts life so it would be something that is a piece of him. That, to me, is so important. We are going to meet with the event coordinator there this Saturday morning. I am really excited and optimistic about this meeting and hope that we can get what we want for the price we can afford. We went to visit the Mill in Lebanon yesterday evening and the woman there was such a pleasure. She showed us around and it was nice but it is a lot more expensive than we thought and you don't get a lot for your money. The area in which we would have to use too is just this HUGE warehouse that had no windows and really no charm. I think it would end up costing us a lot more money just to make it pretty, if that makes sense. I knew going into the meeting yesterday that it was more expensive but I want us to look at every possible option so that we know in the end that we got the best with what we could afford. Plus, I know it meant a lot for Mr. Stilts to go look at it. He also mentioned going to look at two other possible reception venues downtown, the Ryman (how AWESOME would that be?!??!) and the Suite Level Club at the Sommet Center. The Ryman we pretty much know already is going to be too expensive (even though if we did do it there, we would have both the wedding and the reception there) but we just think it's too cool to not look at. The Suite Level Club is a place where one of our wedding coordinator candidates suggested. It is supposed to be really nice and pretty with a ton of windows that show downtown. My Mom would LOVE that. So I have contacted both of these other places to see if and when we can go take a look at them. It doesn't hurt if you ask me to look at every option we are interested in. I do feel like though, I am personally falling in love with the idea of doing the wedding in Donelson and the reception at Gaylord Springs.

My main focus though at this point is deciding on a wedding planner. This is really important to me because I am ready to have something be set in stone. I know this is something that Mr. Stilts and I are going to have to decide on together and I am really hopeful that we can decide something this week. Cross you fingers for us!!!!!!!!

Maybe....Just Maybe?????

Ok, well I sort of feel like we are making SOME progress. We have narrowed the wedding coordinators down to 2 (from 3 so it's not THAT great) but it's something. Now I am torn between the planner I really, really want and the planner I know we can afford. It's such a tough decision and I know it's an important one. Maybe one of the most important ones for the whole wedding. I think they would both do a great job but one (to me) just seems to have more experience and is more "in touch" with what we want. I don't want to feel pushed towards certain things just because it's convenient. We also have a great option for a church. It's pretty and I think it would work for the wedding. We are trying to stick to a pretty small budget and I know we can do it, Mr. Stilts is definitely a "budget man" as his Mom calls him. I do not see a problem with this at all but I know that there are certain things that I think we should spend more on and I am not sure if he will be ok with this. He made a good point that if we kept the wedding local, we could save money on the overall venues and splurge more on the details. Which sounds great except ever since I can remember, I have wanted to get married in Nashville. But if we can find something local that we love, I am all for it. We need to be smart about decisions and make the best ones for us. So if that means that we get married locally, that's ok as long as we can find places that suit the both of us and that both of us are happy with. My only concern right now is the reception venue. The area of town in which we are thinking of having the wedding (Lebanon, TN) does not have that many options. I am hoping that we will find that diamond in the rough and we will both be thrilled with it. I know I would love a place that has a view or at least some windows and the one place that might work for us, doesn't have either. Also, the main preferred catering vendor at this place is not the best. I have eaten their food before and it's ok, but there is absolutely nothing special about it. We have decided that instead of a buffet or sit down dinner, we are going to do stations scattered throughout the room. This way there aren't 100 people standing in line waiting to get food with a buffet and we are saving money by not doing a sit down. I think this would be a great way to cut costs and have it be something a little different. So, moving along hopefully we will have a contract signed with a wedding coordinator really soon and then I can breathe a small sigh of relief that ONE thing is done! Then on to the VENUES!! Oh yeah, one more thing not wedding related. I feel so fortunate to be able to witness the first black president being sworn into office today. It is such a historical day and I look forward to the future.

Trying to get things moving...

So we have been trying to find a church to get married in and it's a LOT harder than I thought it would be. There aren't a lot of churches that hold as many people as we would like and the ones that do have a TON of restrictions. I understand them though seeing that we are coming in as an outsider and a non-member. Still though, we have a couple of churches in mind and I am hoping to be able to go and check them out in person soon. It makes it harder since I work full time but I have a wonderful Mother and future Mother-in-law who have the time to possibly go look at places while I am at work. Just to get an idea and then if they think we will like it, then we can make arrangements to do so. That way maybe we can weed out some of the absolutely nots. My Mom and I have started meeting with some wedding coordinators to possibly hire to help out. We have met with one so far and really liked her but we have two more to meet with this week so we will see how they go. I am hoping that Mr. Stilts and his Mom can come along for these meetings as well. I want them as involved as they want to be. It is not just my day, it's Mr. Stilts and I's day as well as a day for our parents. I am hoping the wedding coordinator we choose will be able to help with ideas for certain things and give advice as needed as well as direct the wedding weekend. I really want us and our family to be able to enjoy our wedding and not be bothered with little details or issues that might come up. I am having a BLAST so far in planning this wedding, even though, we haven't really done anything yet. So far all we really have is a tentative date, depending on the availabiliy of the church and reception venue. I am getting a little anxious even though I know we have plenty of time but I would really like to at least get ONE thing actually planned and set in stone. Hopefully with the next post I will!!

2009 is finally here!! Now I can say that we're getting married next year!! haha!

It does seem like 2008 went by SO fast but I am so excited about what is to come this year. I have so much to be thankful for and I feel very blessed. This year has been very good, better than last year I feel. I have a wonderful fiance (with an equally wonderful family), an incredible family, awesome friends. I am just so excited about what is to come this year. We have a lot of planning ahead for us and I am excited about all that we will come up with. I have heard Mr .Stilts say though that he is "just above the caterer" which I think is crap. I want him to be involved in anything and everything that he wants to be. I think we have almost 100% decided on March 20, 2010 as our wedding date. I know it seems far but I think it will give us every opportunity to have exactly what we want (well within our budget, that is) That is another thing we are working on right now, figuring out the budget we have to work with and the guest list. I think once we have those two things done, we should be in good shape. I have been reaching out to a couple of local wedding planners just in case I decide that we will need one. I know that my Mom and Mr. Stilts Mom will help (they have told me this) but I also want them to be able to enjoy this time too and not be totally stressed out. I do not want a wedding planner to do everything though, I think it will be a lot of fun for all of us to get together and plan this day. The wedding planner is just an option at this point and we are just checking them all out. I think my Mom and I are going to go meet with one possible option next week. We will see. I am getting really excited thinking about all the spring colors and what we might decide to use. I love the greens, yellows, purples and all those colors. I haven't been able to narrow down to a couple yet. I keep thinking about all these things that I have not thought of before and it's crazy all that goes into planning a wedding!! Nuts!! But it's going to be totally worth it in the end and I am totally pumped about all that is to come. Even the super stressful parts! HA!