We had our engagement pictures today! For a long time I honestly wasn't looking forward to them because I just couldn't decide what to wear! I couldn't find the perfect thing, though I don't even know what that would have been unless I saw it. My expectations are so high for everything to be perfect and super cute and unique in every way because I see all of these awesome things on Pinterest all the time. For instance, I was going to make a little pennant for us to hold that said "09.22.12," but I totally forgot about it. It would've been cute for save-the-dates, but that's okay. Our outfits turned out to be fine, I guess. At the last minute on Sunday I found a cute shirt that's purple, so at least if we use one of that outfit for the save-the-date, the color will match somewhat to the wedding. I'm not super concerned about that, but it would be nice! I didn't know what to expect; that was the main reason why I was nervous, I think. The
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Brooke sent me pictures that she took while we were trying on dresses on Saturday. I want to sooo badly share the one that I loved so much and a different one that made me look really good (the tie-up back does insane things for a non-hour glass figure), but alas, my fiance reads this blog and I cannot have him seeing me in any wedding dress prior to September 22. With a very cheesy smile and wiiide eyes. I'm not really a veil person, but I do look rather bridal, don't I? I'm also actually in the dress that I loved so much, but of course I've cropped that out! Here also are our adorable flower girls, modeling some flower girl fashions... They are too stinkin' cute. Should've had the consultant or someone else take a picture of all of us together... sigh. Good times, though. Can't wait to do it again!
Okay... I AM SO EXCITED. But first things first... On Monday I went to Fox and Hound's with the intent of getting my normal chemical straightener, but she talked me into doing a Brazilian Blowout. (Weird name, I know.) I had heard of BB before, but mostly bad things like it having formaldehyde, which is really bad for both the stylist and the customer... like, it causes cancer. I asked the stylist, though, and she said that they did testing on it and it's not true. (I'm not really sure if I believe this 100%. My general feeling is that anything so full of chemicals has to be bad for humans somehow.) There's so much hype about this straightener being so good, though, that I just wanted to try it, so I did. I must admit that it's pretty good. It takes me like 6 minutes to blowdry my hair now and it's pretty much straight without having to do anything else. There are a few spots that she probably could've added more product to because it's not as straig
I want to walk down the aisle to this song. We're having a piano/violin duet and I think this is a good representation of what it will sound like. Really only the first 1:10 is how long I'd be walking. (The video must be pictures of the guy playing violin, so don't watch it. Do something else while listening.) Every time I listen to Canon in D, I get a little choked up, but I just can't picture myself walking to that song. This song is by Switchfoot (a few months ago I posted the link to their version) and is featured in the movie A Walk to Remember . I love that movie and the song has such emotional connotations for me, for one--the movie itself is just happy and sad, and two--my mom and I always loved this song since we heard it the first time. I start crying every time I listen to it. There will be very few people that probably recognize the song if we use it when I walk down the aisle. I'm not sure if this matters to me because I love the song so much and
It was sooo difficult the first couple of days after I started trying to eat better. (Or really, eat less . We all know I'm not the healthiest eater ever). I had a little relapse the second day (I ate more pretzel m&ms than I should have), but since all of my goodies are gone, it's been fairly easy to not eat horribly. I think I literally was going through withdrawal because it took everything inside of me not to gorge. Feeling good. Feeling a little lighter these days! Work has been so busy this week and last week. It's always the crazies that come in last minute who are super picky about the times for their classes and have multiple issues, as well. It's kind of frustrating and it truly exhausts me, but I know things will settle down more next week and thereafter. Saturday I have a back facial and a... face... facial, so that's exciting. I haven't had something like that since I think the summer. Then on Sunday Philip and I are going to another bridal
Things I learned at the bridal show: 1) I'm pretty much over the dress that I thought I was in love with from the David's Bridal website. I now realize that there are so many other options that are amazing. I will still try it on, though! 2) I'm in love with the music of a string quartet. I didn't even consider strings as the music for the ceremony, but now I don't think that I'll be able to go back to just piano or guitar. Heart Strings was there playing and it made all of us choke up. Saying, "we're having a string quartet" sounds really cheesy, but I think having just two violins playing will be enough for Evelyn Chapel (and it's cheaper too). We have to talk about it a little more, but I pretty much have my heart set on this now! 3) I get overwhelmed very easily. There are endless possibilities for everything and as someone who always wants to exhaust my options, I wish that there weren't so many to choose from! Philip and I wil
I really want to post this facebook, but I feel as though it might be too obvious as to who it's aimed at... Why do people feel the need to justify their own decisions/lifestyle by putting the decisions/lifestyle of others down? What's fine for you is not always what others want. When will we all get that?
I got this poster as a gift from my colleagues at the DRC at the University of Cambridge. I was super excited because I had been looking at one similar to this at a touristy shop and was thinking about buying it, but didn't. It's so special to me because it's from them and because I know exactly where this is (inside St. John's College); I sat in this spot and took a picture there (before they gave it to me). I had put off getting a frame because I thought it was a weird size. Incidentally, it is exactly the right size for pre-made frames. I wish I would've known that because I would've bought one months and months ago! In any case, this will be going in my office at work. Yay!
I found this dress... on the David Bridal's website... and I had passed it several times... but decided to click on it to see if any girls had posted pictures of them in the dress because it often looks different on a real person... and a few girls had done that... and I absolutely love this dress. It is the first one I've seen a picture of that I can afford and that I can picture myself wearing. So I will definitely be trying that one on in a few weekend's time. I got really excited when I saw it. We'll see!!!
I was beginning to get discouraged about Eastland Suites for the reception. I have a picture in my head of what I want it to look like and it just wasn't living up to my imagination. I was thinking, despite all the reasons I didn't want to have it at Parke, that we should've just had it there instead. I needed some reassurance, so I went scouring the internet for pictures of Eastland Suites all done up for a wedding. That's also our photographer, so it's going to be awesome. It's the lighting that makes it, so we, of course, will have lighting. The room will be set up differently, though, and I wish I could see it done the way that it'll be. We won't have a head table (we're doing a sweetheart table instead), we probably won't do chair covers (an unneeded thing that just is more expensive, in my opinion), and the room won't be that full. I always thought it was weird on Say Yes to the Dress that girls couldn't remember what their
So I looked at my little Wedding Wire checklist for this month and this is what I have (including appointments that I've put into it, because I'm super organized like that): 1. Bridal show at Peoria Civic Center on January 8 . I'm really excited for this since it's the first official wedding outing with my aunt, future mother-in-law (FMIL), and future sister-in-law. It'll be fun to see the fashion show and just get good ideas too. 2. Finalize guest list . I'm not really sure if we have any finalizing to do, but I'll double check with Joy (FMIL), my dad, and my aunt. 3. Set up registries . I must admit that I'm pretty excited for this. I think we'll probably register at Target and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Originally I thought just Target, but some of the girls at work talked me into BBB. It'll just be so fun for us to (finally) plan our little life together... and that life requires stuff . 4. Search for a ceremony musician . I have some ideas
Christmas was good! We had our usual schedule--I went to the Bourque's on Christmas Eve, stayed and opened gifts with his parents on Christmas morning, and then we went to my aunt's Christmas afternoon, and me and Philip had our Christmas together Christmas evening. It's kind of a lot; I can't imagine what the holidays are like when you have double the parents to visit or if you have kids. We had a good meal Christmas Eve in Hanna City and we opened gifts with the girls (Philip's nieces, Briana and Faith). I was pretty nervous because I had put a little something together to ask them to be our flower girls. Opening gifts with Briana and Faith is kind of chaotic because they have so many presents to open. I was afraid that my gifts would get lost and/or it wouldn't be that big of a deal to them, but I wanted it to be memorable. I was so happy because it went just as I wanted it to go... Briana started opening her gift before Faith did, so I had to slow her do