The ring!

Ahhh...the ring.  Ant and I had talked very little about rings.  I love that we talked openly about our future together, without ever really TALKING about it.  Which led to me being totally surprised by both the engagement, and the ring.  It's gorgeous. Perfect, simple and sparkly. SO sparkly.

 As you can see, we are pretty excited about being engaged.  This was before a girl I work with yelled at me for allowing my other rings to share the same hand.  I've since fixed that problem!  You can also see my terrible habit of biting my nails until they bleed, as evidenced by the chipped nail polish and attractive band aid.

Now, as I mentioned before, Ant and I are leaving for Europe on Wednesday.  I need to get the ring sized, and a few people have started mentioning that maybe I shouldn't bring it with me to Europe anyway, since then I might worry about losing it, or it getting stolen, or dropping it in the waters of Venice, etc. etc.  I've been debating my options for the last few days, and when my sister came to visit yesterday we came up with the perfect solution! We bought a beautiful purple Claddagh ring, which I will wear in place of my engagement ring on our trip.  Then I can get it sized while we are gone - and not have to part with it again once we get back!  I didn't really want to celebrate my EMoon without my ERing - but I think this is a pretty good compromise.  As you may notice, I'm also trying reallyyyy hard to get better about my fingers.  Meaning lots and lots of manicures.

Before, and after....ready for Europe!

LuckyShorelineBride

Hi! My name is Rachel, and this is my fiancé Ant.  He proposed to me on May 15, 2013 at Chaffinch Island Park in our hometown of Guilford, CT - and we will be planning our wedding for Summer 2014 - once we get back from our EMoon, a 12 day vacation to Switzerland and Italy!!

I've always thought about writing a blog, and now that I'm starting the process of planning a wedding - I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try!  Since I can remember I've been a huge fan of everything wedding related - wedding blogs, wedding shows (Say Yes to the Dress, etc) - and ESPECIALLY wedding photography.  To me, weddings are such an interesting mix of individuality and tradition...I love seeing how each couple defines this important day in their relationship.  Everyone's image of what their wedding day looks like differs so much, and everyone has their own (and often so many) opinions! Wedding photographers get to capture this important day in small pieces, and really dig into the essence of the moment the couple is trying to create.  ANYWAY...to make a long story short, I love weddings.  I found it very interesting to read other blogs and understand the process a couple goes through when planning a wedding - having no real idea what that looks or feels like.  Now that I am planning my own - I'm hoping maybe someone else will benefit from me thinking out loud a bit on here.

Some of the basics:

We live in Guilford, CT...and I am from Charlestown, RI.  We plan on getting married more or less somewhere in between - definitely on or near the water.  This was the same rule I made when we picked Guilford as our home 2 and a half years ago - and I don't think either of us has regretted that decision.  I mean, look at the gorgeous backdrop of our proposal location!

We have a lot of loved ones.  Family, friends, etc.  We will not be having a small wedding, there is just no way that we could ever put ourselves in a position where we have to stress over every person we invite.  Not that the list is going to be a free for all, but it will certainly not be a small intimate reception.  Our wedding is a day to celebrate us, and we are defined by the important people in our life.

The "theme" for our wedding is FUN.  If it isn't fun, we aren't doing it.  That goes for every stage of the process.  Planning our wedding can not get stressful, because then it isn't playing by our rules.  That was the first rule, and the most important.  I'm looking forward to it being something Ant and I enjoy doing together.  As we make every decision: venue, food, DJ, photographer, it will all revolve around FUN.  What decision is going to be the most us?  Create the relaxed vibe that we are going for?  I do not want any part of our wedding to feel stuffy, I want it all to be about love, and fun.

Love is the last, and most important basic.  I literally could not be any luckier to be marrying the man of my dreams.  Ant is my best friend, and I truly believe no one knows me better.  I'm not going to get all mushy on you, but you do need to understand the basics.  For us, it's love.  We've spent the last four and a half years getting to understand each other, and what love looks like for us...and it's forever.