80: In the mail they go

80 days to go!

Today we are heading down south to the Santa Barbara area to spend New Years Eve with my cousin and her boyfriend BUT before we head out of town we will be stopping off at the post office to mail our invites!

Here's another sneek peek :)

That's our "outer" envelope!
Family & friends: keep your eyes out for these in the mail in the next few days!!!

81: Almost a New Year

81 days to go!

The holidays are almost over and it's almost time to celebrate the beginning of a new year - the year we will be getting married! I can't believe how fast March is approaching! The holidays were a blur - even if I was on vacation. We didn't get too much accomplished (except finishing up the invites) because the holiday season is a crazy time for us with our families all split up and all over the place. We had our 4 Christmases and tomorrow we are heading down south to spend New Years Eve with my cousin and her boyfriend. After the 1st of the new year we will really be focusing on getting some of the DIY projects completed - which means I will finally have some photos to post about all the projects I'm working on because they will finally becoming to life. And then before we know it March 21st will be here and then the fun really begins :)

82: Another DIY project

82 days to go!

Another DIY project I just decided to do (since we have some left over invitations mats) are reserved signs to hang on the chairs at the ceremony for our immediate family members. It's definitely not a necessity to have - but just another way to make our day personalized. They will be simple signs that mimic our invitation mats and will say Reserved Mother of the Bride (or another family member) that I will attach to ribbon and then have my day-of person (my cousin's best friend is standing in for this role) attach them to the chairs for the ceremony.

Just like the memory candle - this project is still not complete, but as it also comes to life I will post pictures.

83: In memory

83 days to go!

One of the many wedding DIY projects I am working on includes an "In Memory" candle that we will have set up at our reception. The candle will be in a hurricane vase that was purchased at Michael's Craft Store and will be wrapped in ribbon in our wedding colors (black and white). We will use a white pillar candle and fill the bottom of the vase with black sand (to mimic our centerpieces). Next to the candle will be a poem and a list of names of people celebrating with us in spirit.

Here's the poem we are using:
Those we love don't go away
They walk beside us every day
Unseen, unheard, but always near
Still loved, still missed
And always held dear

*I found the poem on someone's planning bio from theknot.com - but I can't remember who (I actually know that I saw it on several people's bio's when I first started planning)

As soon as I saw that poem, I knew this was something that I wanted to incorporate into our wedding. Unfortunately, our list of loved ones is quite long - but I know they are all in our hearts and will be watching down on us as we become husband and wife.

This project is still in the early stages and no where near complete yet - but I will add photos as the idea comes to life.

84: Sneek Peek

84 days to go!

I don't want to spoil the surprise because they haven't been mailed yet - but here's a sneek peek at our invites :)


That's the RSVP return envelopes and behind it is a very sneek peek at the RSVP cards. Everything turned out pretty great - not perfect, but for DIY I'd say they are pretty darn good! I can't wait for our friends and family to get them in the mail and see them!!! Once they been mailed, I'll post some more pictures of how they turned out :)

85: Ready to be mailed

85 days to go!

Like I blogged about earlier - we finished up assembling the invites last night (stages 3 thru 6).

This was our "assembly" line on our kitchen table

Stage 1 was printing
Stage 2 was attaching the invitation mat
Stage 3 thru 6 we're affixing stamps to the RSVP envelopes, stuffing the RSVP cards and envelopes into the pocket fold, closing the pocket fold and affixing a sticker to keep it shut, and stuffing the envelopes and affixing the back flaps with return address labels.
It really didn't take that long once we got started and we only had to re-print two envelopes (I forgot an apartment number on one and I misspelled someone's name on another) so we sped right through the process and now they are all bundled up in ziploc bags (so they don't get dirty) and awaiting their deliver to the post office on the 31st!

Now we can move on to more projects :)

86: Merry Christmas

86 days to go!

Merry Christmas!

This evening we finished up the invites ... but it's Christmas and I want to go snuggle up in front of the fire and watch movies SO I'll post about it tomorrow!

87: All but one

87 days to go!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Tomorrow we will be spending our Christmas evening assembling the invitations ... we got all but one complete - we are still waiting for one address. There were several last minute changes that needed to be made and a small handful of envelopes and RSVP cards that had to be reprinted BUT we are finally ready to finish up stages 3 thru 6 tomorrow and then sending them off to their destinations on the 31st!

88: Centerpiece decisions complete

88 days to go!

We actually purchases the vases that we are using for the centerpieces a few months ago ... but we recently just decided that we want to use black sand in the vases under the white candles (to not only "catch" the wax but also to incorporate more of our colors (black and white) into our centerpieces). The actual vases are round 5" bubble vases and we will be using black sand and a 3" white pillar candle. The vases will be placed on 12" square mirror tiles (that our venue supplies) and then we will scatter red rose petals around the vase on the mirrored tile. Once we purchase the sand and candles I'll be able to post a centerpiece trial ... until then I need to remove all the stickers from the bottom of the vases and wash them all ... and I'm on the hunt for cheap white pillar candles!

89: Tux selections complete

89 days to go!

Today we ventured to Men's Warehouse and made the tux selections - and let me just say, it was a pretty quick and painless experience. We went with plain black jackets and pants with black vests and ties ... except Jon will be wearing an APPLE red tie and vest (to match my dress)!

90: Three month mark!

90 days to go!

Today is the three month mark to the wedding!

I spent the morning shopping with my matron of honor for supplies for the upcoming bridal shower! Tomorrow we will be making the tux selections and Jon will get fitted ... and hopefully the stamps I ordered will arrive and we can finish up the invites!

91: We're gonna be movie stars!

91 days to go!

So, we are gonna be movie stars in our very own wedding video! We met with and booked an amazing videographer today - and we are so very excited to work with her! Her video's are amazing and we are very excited to see what she captures on our wedding day. We booked Jami of J. Concepts Productions! Please check out her work - like I said, her videos are amazing and there are some samples on her website!

Originally Jon and I had decided not to book a videographer but after my cousin Judy was ordained to perform our ceremony and then Jon and I sat down and wrote our ceremony and vows we just knew that it was nothing something we could pass up! We wanted someone to capture all the memories and special moments of the most important day of our lives. We are so excited that Jami will be the one to capture our day and make those memories into an amazing video that we can share with our family and friends!

92: Stage two complete

92 days to go!

Last night we completed what I call Stage 2 of the invitations. I guess I figured that Stage 1 was the actual printing and Stage 2 was the attaching of the invitation panel to the pocketfold. Stage 3, 4, 5 & 6 (applying postage to RSVP cards, stuffing and closing pocketfolds, and stuffing envelopes) will take place as soon as the postage arrives in the mail ... until then, I'll be waiting ... and knowing myself so well, I'm sure I'll be impatient about it.

Edited to include:
The assembling process of Stage 2

93: And the assembling begins

93 days to go!

Now that we've "finalized" the guest list and finished printing the last few RSVP cards and envelopes we can begin the task of assembling the invitations and that is tonight's #1 goal. When I get home from work I will get our "assembly" table ready so that when Jon gets home we can get busy and get the invitation mats securely attached. We've got to wait for the stamps that I ordered for the RSVP envelopes to arrive before we can stuff the envelopes but after tonight we hope to be one step closer to having these completed! I'll try to rememer to take some photos of our assembly line tonight and update later ...

94: Tea party!

94 days to go!

My maid of honor/cousin Farina and my matron of honor/best friend Kylie are throwing me a Bridal Shower Tea Party in early February! I'm very excited and I've spent the majority of this week focusing on the details and decision making of this special event with both my cousin and best friend.

The days are ticking away and every day is one day closer to the BIG day!

95: Three sizes too big!

95 days to go!

We're closing in on the 3 month mark so I've spent the last few days searching for a bridal shop to do the alterations on my now 3 sizes too big wedding dress. Thanks to some recommendations from fellow Knotties, I called a local store and have secured a date for my first dress fitting. Now, I've just got to get all those unmentionables together to take to the fitting with me. At least I already have the shoes :)

96: So close

96 days to go!

With three envelopes and two RSVP cards to go we are this close to being finished with the printing of the invites. It actually didn't take quite as long as I thought it was going to take to finish up tonight. As soon as we get these last three addresses (and a few names/guests figured out) then we can officially finish up the printing and start assembling the invites so that they'll be ready to drop in the mail on the 31st! I think I am going to feel a big relief once these are done. We've worked hard and long on them and I can't wait for our friends and family to see how they turned out :)

97: And the printing continues

97 days to go!

Over the long Thanksgiving weekend, Jon and I started printing the invitations. We need a total of 80 invites and we plan to mail them on the 31st (as we head out of town to spend New Years Eve in Santa Barbara with my cousin Farina and her boyfriend Ryan - my college roommate). We started with printing the invitation mats. That was pretty easy. Then we decided to print the return address on the RSVP envelopes - but the printer decided the envelopes were too small and likes to smear the ink so we opted to do labels for those envelopes. Next we moved onto printing the addresses on the outer envelopes (I don't know why I say "outer" envelope - its not like we have an inner envelope also - but whatever, you know what I mean) and at the same time we started printing the RSVP cards. It was our plan to print 5 or so RSVP cards then the corresponding outer envelopes that go with the RSVP cards (the RSVP cards are custom to the guest) and then stuff the RSVP card into the envelope so that when we start stuffing the invitations the corresponding RSVP card will already be in the envelope so they don't get mixed up. So far, that process is working out very nicely. We've got about 30 printed so far. We plan to finish up today (along with the million other things I want to get done today around our house).

Upcoming items on the to-do list:
We are meeting with a possible videographer next weekend
We will be making the tux selections while we are on vacation (the week of Christmas)
We will be spray painting our card-cage black and apply the ribbon details
We will be removing the stickers from the bottom of our center piece vases and washing those
We will be mailing the invites on the 31st ... and sometime after that I'll post some examples of how they turned out!
And, I'm on the search for a place to take my now four sizes too big wedding dress for alterations (the bridal shop I had planned on going to said they are not doing alterations anymore) :(

98: We're going to Hawaii

98 days to go!

We booked our honeymoon today! We'll be spending 5 glorious nights at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa during Spring Break next year (just 3 weeks after our wedding). We knew from the beginning that we really wanted to go to Hawaii (I have never been) and we are very excited that we got such a deal (under our set limit to spend on the honeymoon)!!!

Now, we can start planning our honeymoon activities :)

99

... days to go!

Double digits!

This weekend we are working on finishing up printing the invitations then we can start assembling them. Those will go into the mail on the 31st as we head out of town that day to celebrate New Years in Santa Barbara with Farina and Ryan!

100

... days to go! Almost double digits!!!

101

days to go ... I can't believe how close its starting to seem!

4 months

till "I do."

Yikes. I gotta get busy!!!

Card ... cage???

When I started thinking about what kind of card box we wanted to have at our wedding I was at a loss. There were so many traditional choices that can be found on any number of numerous websites but I decided that I wanted something that was not traditional and maybe just a little unique or different. My first choice was to use an antique looking chest. I found many choices at local craft stores but they just didn't seem to fit with our decor. Then I started thinking that maybe we should just use a hurricane vase, since we are already using one for something else - that I'll blog about later. But, then we would end up with two hurricane vases and that wasn't unique at all. So, I started searching around and discovered that something that a lot of brides are doing is birdcages. At first I thought well, that's not really unique because a lot of people are doing it. But, I kept getting drawn back to the idea of using one. So, I brought all my suggestions to the husband-to-be and asked him what he wanted to use - and he said "the birdcage"! So, I got busy researching for the best price and I found this birdcage from this website (where I also purchased some of the items for our center pieces and favors - which I blog more about later).
It was very reasonably priced (under $15) and when it arrived I knew that we had made the right choice. We plan on putting spray painting it black (its currently a bronzish color) and putting red rose petals on the bottom. We also plan on wrapping some ribbon around it and placing a monogram on the front, probably this one:
(designed by BriannaNichole)

Here is our inspiration photo of what we want the finished product to resemble:
I got this photo from a fellow blogger, Stefanie who got it from Knottie mauiluv's bio . This is the same birdcage that we bought!!!

I'll make sure to post a picture of our finished product!

Something new

My something new will be this beautiful fresh water pearl and Swarovski crystal vine cuff bracelet that Jon purchased for me as a gift to wear on my wedding day!
We found this bracelet on Etsy from seller Nanda. It's prefect and will go perfectly with the rest of my wedding day jewelry!

125

In 125 days I'll be getting married!!!

Woo-hoo!!!

There is a lot left to do even though everyone thinks that everything is done - it is not! Sure the vendors are selected and our venue is secured and my dress is hanging in the closet with BOTH pairs of my shoes ... but we've still got all the little details to deal with like printing our invitations and RSVP cards and all the envelopes for both and another small detail like RENTING THE TUX's ... plus a million other things.

It's gonna be a busy few months yet ... but in the end - it will all be worth it!

Wedding Day Hair

I've finally decided how I want to wear my hair. Up and curly with some cute little hair pins that I just purchased :)

These are my inspiration photos:
(I have no idea where I got these photos - I think it was the Hair Bio - but I'm not sure)

My hairstylist and I agree that the side sweep in the front will help minimize my fly-aways and that an up-do is the best way for me to keep the most curl all day since my hair is very, very straight and does not often hold curl for very long.

These are the *perfect* hair pins that I just purchased from Esty seller ButterflyEnchantress. They are white stephanotis flowers with pearls - which are the exact same accent flowers that I will have in my bouquet!
I'll be going up to my salon in El Doraldo Hills in late January for another trim and to have my hair trial along with a makeup trial with the salon's owner. Thanks to Linsey, one of my very best friends and bridesmaid, for the suggestion of my hairstylist!

Flower Girl Baskets

When Jon and I got engaged we both agreed that we wanted two flower girls in our wedding - my neice Shyann and Farina's (my cousin and Maid of Honor) daughter, Taeyah. By the time March rolls around, Shyann will be 6 and Taeyah will almost be 4! They are adorable!

Early in the wedding planning process I had mentioned to Jon that I was not fond of flower girl baskets and I thought maybe the girls could carry pomander balls of roses instead. But, Jon had decided that he wanted the girls to carry baskets and toss petals as they walked down the aisle ahead of me. So, I started the search to find the most reasonable baskets that were as adorable as these two little girls will be on our wedding day. I searched website after website after website. These baskets are not cheap! But, finally, I found the perfect baskets, at a reasonable price, and we ahead and placed the order this morning.
The basket is simple yet elegant - and it was right in the budget that I wanted to spend! The girls are going to be adorable walking down the aisle together (hopefully in matching dresses - that has yet to be determined) tossing out red rose petals. I can't wait!!!

We've been blogged!

We spent last Friday morning in Old Sac with our photographer, Debbie Brown, taking our engagement photos during our Getting To Know You Session! We had such a great time! It took us a little bit to get use to being in front of the camera but once we did - it was sooo much fun! It was a beautiful fall morning and Old Sac is such a unique and fun place. Our amazing photographer captured some great photos and posted them on her blog - you can see them by clicking here.

Go check out our photos!

Thank you Debbie for an amazing morning and amazing photos! We feel so blessed that we've got such an amazing photographer and we can't wait for the wedding!!!

Engagement/Getting to know you session

Tomorrow, Jon and I are having an engagement photo session/getting to know you session with our wedding photographer Debbie Brown (www.debbiebrownphoto.com or www.debbiebrownphoto.blogspot.com). We are very excited! We'll be meeting Debbie in Old Sac and I'm excited to spend some time with her and I'm excited to have the day off work to spend some quality time with my husband to be. I'll post an update next week about how the session went!

I missed it

I totally meant to blog on the 150 day mark to our wedding ... but life has been super busy and I haven't even unpacked the boxes that have all my wedding planning stuff in them. I'll be returning to wedding planning starting this week. Stay tuned and check back for updates - soon!

The Beginning

Jon and I bought a house! We'll be getting the keys sometime on Monday and moving in mid-October. We didn't tell a lot of people this was happening until we had already been approved for the loan, made an offer, and started escrow. It was the perfect time and we got very, very lucky. So, right now we are living in a sea of boxes and wedding planning has been put on hold. We've got less than 6 months to the big day and I've got a lot left to do - I just can't do it right now when I've got all this other stuff going on. I anticipate kicking wedding planning into high gear late-October so I'll be back to regular blogs soon. Until then ... I thought I'd share the story of how we became us.

How we met: The brides story
In 2002 I started working at a local microbrewery in Sacramento while I was attending CSUS. It was while during the 4 years I slaved for that local business that I met one of my best friends, Ryan. I also met many, many other wonderful people who have become my friends. Ryan and I became fast friends and, along with Linsey, we spent countless hours together. At some point in our friendship, Ryan introduced us to his best friend, Jon. Jon was this tall, hippyish boy who studied Math at CSUS and hung out with us sometimes. Sometime in late 2004 I realized that maybe I had a little crush on Jon and sometime in early 2005 he asked me out to dinner! For our first date we went out to dinner at another local microbrewery and then had drinks at a local bar. At first it was a little strange for the two of to be hanging out without all our other friends - but at the same time, it was nice that it was just the two of us for once. We had a really great time. Then I went out of town on two road trips, back to back. I went to Monterey with Jonalin and Linsey to visit Shalin and then I went to Lake Tahoe for Kylie's birthday. The next time that Jon and I hung out was almost three weeks after our first date! It didn't take long for us to start dating regularly and sometime in early May 2005 we made our relationship official and became a "couple" - just in time for my college graduation and to be able to introduce him to my family as my "boyfriend". We had an amazing summer and spent the next few months really getting to know each other. In the late Fall of 2005, Jon and I decided to move in together. We searched for and found a cute little apartment with hardwood floors in downtown Sacramento that accepted cats. In December 2005 we moved in to our first apartment together and I left my restaurant job to start working for a bank. In 2006 we faced many challenges as a couple - Jon was in a car accident that kept him from working for a few months, I left my banking job without another job and was unemployed for a few months, and Jon started student teaching - a job that is required in the credential program, but that does not pay. We also had many great times and continued to build our lives together. We often talked about our future and we learned that we wanted the same things. In December 2006 I accepted a position in Elk Grove, where Jon was student teaching and would be looking for a position as a teacher once he received his credential, so we decided to move. In January 2007 we moved into our second apartment, a two bedroom palace compared to our tiny apartment downtown. We spent 2007 continuing to build our lives together and Jon started teaching as an intern at a local high school. We had a pretty good year; we had struggles but we made it past them. In January 2008, Jon and I started discussing marriage and on the 22nd he proposed! For those of you that do not already know, I'm sorry to inform you that no, it was not a surprise. I don't do well with most surprises. We picked out the ring together and it was one of the happiest moments of our lives together. Being the organized and planner that I am, I jumped head first into wedding plans. So far, 2008 has presented us with a lot of struggles and a lot of happiness. Jon was temporarily laid off from his teaching job due to budget restraints and I have been faced with many challenges at my job. We have struggled and we have survived. We've started making plans for our future together and we are looking forward to becoming husband and wife in 175 days!

Flower Girl Baskets: attempt #1

Kylie had found me the perfect flower girl baskets - they were adorable and not too expensive ... so Saturday we went to the local bridal shop where she had seen them to pick them up (after we went to David's Bridal and picked up my shoes and all the bridesmaid dresses). BUT the store was out and did not know if or when they would be getting more in ... so, its back to square one with this little detail. I'm going to search the internet for just the right baskets for my two favorite little girls :)

Flutes, Knives, and a topper

I finally purchased our toasting flutes, cake knives, and cake topper. They are from the Lenox Forevermore Collection! Here are pictures of them in all their glory!




The next purchase will be the paper supplies for our invitations ... since we finally made some decisions about what we want to do and what paper we want to use! Check back later for updates!

Just a quick little update

A "where are we in the wedding planning" ... update!

With 218 days to go we've successfully accomplished the following planning details:
~Secured an officiant to perform our ceremony (my cousin Judy)
~Written our vows and ceremony
~Secured our ceremony and reception location and date, and paid two hefty deposits
~Secured our photographer, florist, DJ, and bakery and paid some smaller hefty deposits
~Picked all our flowers
~Picked our cake flavors and design
~Purchases, paid for, and picked up my wedding dress
~Purchased and paid for my wedding day shoes (not yet picked up)
~All bridesmaids have ordered their dresses
~Purchased and received my garters (my something blue)
~Purchased and received two different paper samples and decided on a company to purchase our invitation paper and envelopes from
~Picked out our toasting flutes, cake topper, and cake knives (just need to purchase them, while on sale)
~Started centerpiece trials and have almost (this close) to deciding what we want to do
~Sent out our save the dates
~Had an engagement party thrown for us :)
~Started collecting music/creating play lists for the DJ
~Created, added, changed, and deleted many items from the ever growing to do list

Things we still need to do:
A LOT - I will not even bother to list them at this point

Upcoming things we'll be doing SOON:
~Dance lessons :) (maybe)
~Purchasing the toasting flutes, cake topper, and cake knives
~Purchasing two flower girl baskets
~Inquiring about slips for my dress
~Purchasing the paper and envelopes for our invitations
~Start printing the RSVP cards

218 days to go!

Something blue ...

I recently purchased these blue garters from GartersByKrisit on www.etsy.com - they are adorable and look even better in person! My garters will be my "something blue" ... check back to find out what my other wedding day traditions will be (something old, something new, something borrowed ... and now you've seen the something blue)!

Cake ... yummy!

On Tuesday evening, Jon and I went to the Village Cake Shoppe here in Elk Grove for a cake tasting and to discuss possible wedding cake designs. We tried some pretty amazing cake ... and make some decisions about our wedding cake. We will be having a three tier cake - each tier will have a 4 layers - neopolitian cake with chocolate mousse, french vanilla mousse, and mocha mousse. The bottom layer will be a square, the middle layer an hexagon, and the top layer a round. Can you guess who picked out the design?!? Yep ... my math teacher of a future husband!
AND because he is a teacher, we received 10% off our order! Woo-hoo!!! The cake was so yummy ... very moist and the flavors just exploded on my tongue! I can't wait to eat it on our wedding day!

Florist and DJ ... check!

On Saturday we sent in the deposit check for the florist ... we are using East Sac Florist - the same florist Kylie used for her wedding back in May - Kylie went to school with owner, Jenn. Jon and I are not really "flower" people so don't be surprised when you don't see flowers everywhere. You can check out some of Jenn's work at www.eastsacflorist.com - there are even some photos from Kylie's wedding on there :)

Last Thursday we met with Logan aka DJ Jumping Bean. He is a friend of Kylie's sister, Mo, and was the DJ at Kylie's wedding. We love referrals from Kylie! We are very excited that Logan will be the DJ at our wedding ... Jon will be hand selecting most of the music that will be played ... and we have a few surprises up our sleeves :)

Tonight we will be meeting with Village Cake Shoppe to do a cake tasting and discuss the cake for our wedding! This week we will also be purchasing my "something blue" garter set and the cake topper, toasting flutes, and cake knives ... so check back for updates about those items!!!

What can I say ... I love shoes!

As I posted about last week, I had recently purchased my wedding day shoes when I was at David's Bridal at the beginning of the month with Farina and Cera (they were purchasing their bridesmaid dresses). These are the shoes I bought that day:

They are very lovely shoes - with about a 2 1/2 inch heel. I fell in love with them the first time I saw them on the website AND I knew I definitely wanted to get shoes dyed red to match the color in the my dress. However, about a week before that trip to the store I was searching on the website again and came across a similar pair of shoes. The day I was at the store, they didn't have the other pair so I went ahead and ordered these ones. I still love them ... but when I was at the store again on Monday with Linsey and Erica I asked the sales clerk if they had the other shoe. I just wanted to try it on and see what the difference in the heel height was. It's a difference of about an inch. So, I tried on the shoes I had already bought and the shoe I was really wanting ... and decided that I wanted the taller heel ... and well, the rest is history! Here is my new shoe:

They have a similar brooch on the toe and are a platform and probably about 3 1/2 inch heels. I love them ... well, I love both pairs of shoes! But ... the taller the better ... Jon is 6'6" tall after all!!!

Bridesmaid Dresses

As of Monday evening, its official ... all my lovely ladies have purchased their dresses!

Here is a photo of the dress, on the model, from the David's Bridal website. It's a very flattering bubble crinkle chiffon dress. It was a very reasonably priced dress ... and each lady got a discount because I purchased my wedding dress at David's Bridal.

AND ... even though its been said before ... this IS a dress that can definitely be worn again!

NEW Poll

I added a poll about wedding day hair - its over there on the right side of your window! I'm having a hard time deciding if I want to continue to grow my hair and keep it long for the wedding (and then donate it afterwards) or cut it short (the way I prefer it). Why did I ever grow it out to begin with, you may ask? Well ... at the time I was unemployed and just starting a new job. Jon and I moved to Elk Grove and we were having a hard time making ends meet. I didn't have ANY extra money so I let things like haircuts go by the wayside. Then on Valentine's Day, 2007, one of my bestest and dearest friends, Kylie, got engaged! So I figured, since my hair was already growing, I might as well let it continue to grow and see if it can get long enough for long wavy curls for her wedding. Well ... it did. And now her wedding has come and past and I'm still growing my hair. My theory was that it was already long for her wedding s0 after Jon and I got engaged I figured I would just let it keep growing for our wedding too! Except now it's half way down my back and stringy and frizzy and its summer and its hot! And when I run, it falls out because its just too silky to keep in a hair tie for long! I'm leaning towards keep it long ... but I love and prefer my hair short. What should I do? Help me decide ... vote in my poll! I'll keep it up for a while to see what kind of votes I get! Check back and see ...

And, leave me a comment - if you want :) I love getting those!!!

Shoes, Hair, and Our First Dance!

Some more updates ...

Here are the shoes I ordered:

They are a little shorter than what I originally wanted, but that's okay! And, yes, they will be red (to match my dress)!!!
I can't wait until they arrive so I can try them on again! I just love them!!!

I recently visited Lisa (a friend of Linsey's who does hair at a salon in El Doraldo Hills) for a trim and to discuss possible wedding hair styles. I want to wear my hair half up / half down and I want it to be long and curly. After I discussed this with Lisa and showed her some pictures, she decided she wanted to try curling my hair with a flat iron to see how well it would hold the curl. Here is the result:

It actually held the curl really, really well! I was very surprised and excited!
And, while we are on the subject of hair, here are some possibilites for hair jewelry for the wedding:


I really like them both and I don't know if I can decide which one just by the picture, so I may go ahead and order both! They are very resasonable ($14.99 each) and I found them from www.whiteaisle.com - I love that website!

Our first dance song is title "I'll Be the One" and is sung by Warren Haynes - the lead singer of a band called Gov't Mule. It's a great song ... here are the lyrics!

I'll Be The One
When you're walking down the street
I'll be the one that stares like a statue
You turn the corner
I'll be the one that follows you downtown
When you finally notice me
I'll be the one fumbling with his feelings
Totally oblivious to anything and everything else around

Girl, when we met
I'll be the one that showers you with attention
To win your love
I'll fight until the very end
When you treat me like a fool
I'll be the one that doesn't need redemption
Yeah, drive me away
I'll keep coming back again and again

I'll be the rain if you want me to be
Help you to grow with no guarantee
Even be the clown sad but true
But don't use me up
Or I'll be the one that used to worship you

When silence fills your world
I'll be the one that knows what you're thinking
And when passion burns like fire
I'll be the one bathing in the light
When the curse of darkness falls
I'll be the one who offers a candle
I'll even be the cushion
For things that go crazy in the night

I'll be the rain if you want me to be
Help you to grow with no guarantee
Even be the clown sad but true
But don't use me up
Or I'll be the one that used to worship you

I'll be the rain if you want me to be
Help you to grow with no guarantee
Even be the clown sad but true
But don't use me up
Or I'll be the one that used to worship you

Believe it or not, Jon and I have only ever danced together once before, back at a wedding we attended in the summer of 2005! I'm very excited to dance together at our wedding as husband and wife!!!

Introducing our wedding party ... in pictures!!!

Maid of Honor, Farina - cousin of the bride



Best Man, Ryan - friend of the groom ... and bride, too!!!



Matron of Honor, Kylie - friend of the bride



Groomsmen, Chris - brother of the bride




Bridesmaid, Erica - sister of the groom



Groomsmen, Mike - friend of the groom



Bridesmaid, Linsey - friend of the bride



Groomsmen, Matt - friend of the groom



Bridesmaid, Cera - cousin of the bride



Groomsmen, Christopher - nephew of the bride



Flowergirl, Shyann - niece of the bride



Flowergirl, Taeyah - cousin of the bride



Other pictures from the engagement party: