The February List: Recap

As scary as this is to say, February is over! Darn you for being such a short month.  As I promised in my last post, I think you will be very proud of me when you see all the progress I've made…don't forget, I had vacation through most of the first week!! :)

The February List:
-Call and schedule a cake tasting - DONE!  Scheduled for next week.  Can't wait to report back on that one!
-Invitations - get a sample with our words and our colors - decide if we are using it or not. -Okay, so not done…but for a good reason! We still made major progress in this department.  My DOC has my invitation design, and is going to help us rewrite it to match what we are looking for.  Once we have the wording, all I need to do is order the sample!
-Groom/Groomsmen suits - get final offer/options from Jos.A.Bank outlet - decide it we are using them or continuing to look elsewhere. - We have decided to continue to explore our options in the groomsmen department.  I was not impressed with the service (or run-around) we were getting with the people we were talking to at Jos.A.Bank.  So the search continues!  Although I haven't totally crossed them off as an option - but certainly not the location we've been in contact with.
-Officiant - order certificate and visit Groton town hall. -Half done!
-Videographer***** - I will leave it not crossed off, only because there is no contract yet.  But a meeting is planned for April, so I'm probably going to take it off the March list.  This item gets a break for now!
-Discuss timeline for the day with DOC - if I could throw a party over an item on my wedding planning list - it would be this one.  I have never felt more relieved to check something off.  This will probably be the topic of a number of blog posts in the future - because it is such a silly thing, but I found it so stressful.  and it isn't over! Not really.  We will probably tweak things quite a few times….but I had the best conversation with Jen about the overall timeline for the day, and I am feeling really really good about it.  She made it so simple, and made me so relaxed, and I should probably send her a cupcake or something.  I could keep talking about this, but for now…I'll stop.  DONE!
-Confirm timeline for the day with caterer and DJ - I emailed details to both our DJ and our caterer based off my above conversation with Jen, to keep everyone on the same page!
-Call Kathy at Branford House to update her with timeline info - Not done yet.  No good reason, this was my slacker item this month.  I may put it off until we visit the BH next week…we'll see.
-Email caterer about chicken options - DONE! Yay for another silly thing finally off the list.  Now we can get that conversation moving and get closer to a finalized menu.
-Email MUA about contract - DONE!
-Say Yea or Nay to current wedding gift idea - if Yea, book! if Nay, begin to brainstorm - Okay…so I started to cross this off, and then realized technically I shouldn't.  I said Yea, but there might be a wrinkle.  If it wrinkles, then I'm back to the drawing boards! CROSS YOUR FINGERS FOR ME, please :)  I'm really excited about this idea and hoping it works out!  I should know in the next week or so, and hopefully then my wedding gift will be booked!
-Book hotel room for wedding night - DONE! Booked and ready to go - yay for having a place to sleep our first night at husband and wife!!! Ahhh!!!

There have also been quite a few bonus items I've been able to check off of my list throughout the month - you can read about those during my first official post about the 6 month sprint!!!

Besides all this wedding planning, we tried to kick the winter doldrums that February brings by staying as active as possible!  That included a mini vacation to the city, which was probably the highlight!!  We got to visit my roommate from college, who is in the middle of her busy accounting season - and see Justin Timberlake!!!!

While we were walking around downtown, we got stopped by this couple who was part of the Race for the Rock, by the Bridal Guide Magazine!  We helped them with their scavenger hunt, but unfortunately they didn't win!  We had to allow them to record us for 30 seconds while we talked about what makes our relationship work.  Our simultaneous answer?  Communication!

We spent the morning at the Natural History Museum - in case you were wondering, I would weigh 57 pounds on Mars! (I took this picture for your benefit Melissa!)

We had dinner at this amazing Japanese BBQ restaurant.  The food is delicious and any restaurant that has smores on the dessert menu is good in my book!

Ant had gotten me tickets for Christmas to see JT at Madison Square Garden…which means Christmas lasted so much longer! Our seats were awesome, right next to the stage and the show was crazy!  He is so talented and so much fun to watch.  I danced and sang like a crazy person all night.  I LOVE Justin.

I also got asked to be a bridesmaid in one of my best friend's weddings this October (I said yes!!!) - and two other couples we are close to got engaged!  That's a lot of love in one month!  and you know me, I love love.  How was your February???  How did you avoid the winter blues??

The 6 month sprint

Ok guys, you are seriously going to be SO proud of me when we talk about February's list.  I won't get too ahead of myself, since February isn't over QUITE yet, but I did want to get started on this fun mini series I'm hoping to keep up with between now and August, titled "the 6 month sprint."

Now, if you follow my instagram (and if you don't, you should!) you have already seen a hint of this - with some hashtags #sixmonthcrunch.  I've since decided I like "sprint" better than "crunch".  In the lifetime of our engagement (roughly 15 months)- the last six months are kind of the final sprint.  The planning started off with a burst, but then slowed down for a bit - now we're in the home stretch!  When you get to a moment where you realize that…if you are me, you panic!  I am the queen of procrastination, so I generally have two ways of handling that feeling…either allow it to cause me to put things off until the end of time, or use it as motivation to cross stuff off the list!  In this case, my obsession with crossing things off of lists is stronger than my natural desire to procrastinate!  For that, I am thankful.  In each post of the series, I will give you a snapshot of what "the 6 month sprint" has looked like for me from a schedule perspective!  I will try to do so as often as possible - not JUST when I'm really busy.  My hope is that this will allow you to get a real version of all the silly nitty gritty that goes down in the six month sprint. Get ready - it does get a little crazy!

The Wedding Photographer

Ahhhhhh.  Okay, this post could go on for days.  Sorry in advance if that really happens.

To start - anyone who knows me knows I am OBSESSED with wedding photography.  Obsessed.  There is no better word to describe it.  I LOVE, adore, can't get enough of it.  This has been going on for many many years.....since before I met Ant.  Which is great, because it means he wasn't freaked out by my obsession - it was normal.  Anyway.....this means I have spent LOTS of time looking at wedding photographers, following blogs, doing research on prices, packages, etc. etc. etc.  I have gone through "phases" with photographers where I have had favorites.  Blogs I have followed more and less closely.  There was one particular moment I am ashamed to admit, where I was at the seafood festival in my hometown and started freaking out because I realized one of these photographers was there with her family, enjoying the food.  Yes.  That obsessed.  I started slapping Ant going "remember that blog I read ALL THE FREAKING TIME??? THAT'S HER!!!" like she was Justin Timberlake or something.

Anyway.  The benefit to this is that I learned a lot about what I like about photographers, and a LOT about what I don't like.  I became quite the snob.  I googled every version of "CT/RI/New England wedding photographer" and I would pick and choose the ones I liked enough to keep reading.  I realized it was often the subtle details, and the simple photos that stood out to me the most.  Over editing does nothing for me....overly posed shots do nothing for me.  Give me some raw simple emotion and some beautiful pictures any day!

So, when it came time for Ant and I to start looking at photographers for OUR wedding, I had a mini freakout.  How was I supposed to make a decision like this?  To me, the photographer is hands down the most important vendor of the day (no offense to our other vendors...I love you all!).  Besides the marriage itself, the photos of the day are the only thing that will truly last a lifetime.

I emailed a number of them.  A few that I knew I loved I also knew were out of my price range.  A few others I quickly learned were out of my price range.  This discouraged me, and made me hesitate to email a couple of other photographers I had been really excited to talk to.  I then started panicking about budget, and went way too far the other direction.  I reached out to people I knew I could afford, and knew I didn't necessarily want.  The worst part was that half the time, these photographers who appeared cheaper ended up being not all that cheap.  Their wedding package included 1 photographer and 6 hours and by the time you got what you REALLY wanted, you were spending over your budget all over again.  For not the person you wanted.  It was a mess.

I took a breath, stepped back, and started over.  I filled out a contact form for a photographer who's blog I'd been reading for months...and I waited for a response. The email I got back made me take an even bigger breath.  She sent me a link to a website, FULL of information for potential clients.  It includes images of their "pretty heirloom items" like your wedding album..*swoon* and also includes all of the nitty gritty.  The cost, the details. and the beauty of it all?  It's oh so fabulously simple.  The fee for the "experience" includes all of the following:

Includes 8 hours of photography by 2 photographers, a couture styled engagement shoot, a PASS gallery of your wedding + engagement, the digital download of all your low-res images, delivered in less than 4 weeks, a custom website, and an EXPERIENCE that you won't soon forget.

Again...*SWOON* what more could you ask for?  Simple, clear cut, and best of all - BEAUTIFUL.  The photos, are beautiful.  These are some of the ones that jumped out at me in the beginning, and made me continue to follow her blog.

SO anyway, long story short, we agree that it is within our budget-ish enough to set up a meeting.  We show up in Hartford at Alicia's home studio.  She has a cheese plate and water and is sweet as can be - and it really is that simple.  The only wrinkle or hesitation after our initial meeting had to do with the cost of the wedding album.  Wedding albums, if done properly, are expensive.  More expensive than naive little me could have ever imagined.  So the cost of the photography and the album fell a bit outside of our initial budget.  BUT.  I have the best fiancé ever and the most supportive parents and future in-laws ever, and we made it work.  Conversation over, photographer booked!  We will be working with Rachel from Alicia Ann Photographers (formally No Eye Has Seen Photographers) next summer, and we couldn't be more excited!

As you may know from reading about our engagement pics here or here - we didn't actually meet Rachel until the day of our engagement shoot…which I was also a little nervous about.  But there was nothing to be nervous about! Rachel is so so sweet, and was so helpful with every detail leading up to the day we took our pictures.  The photos came out AMAZING, and the process was so simple.  They were posted on the blog here - and we received a PASS gallery of all the images, so I was able to download them and use them for our engagement party just a few short weeks later!!  She has also been beyond patient... answering my random questions and rehashing timelines with me, as I start running into all the silly things you never thought you'd think about.  I legitimately can NOT wait until August, to see the beautiful moments she is going to capture for us on our wedding day.

Okay…I warned you it was going to be long!  How did you choose your photographer?  Is anyone else as in love with wedding photography as me?  Send me the links to some of your favorites - I'm always looking for beautiful new blogs to read!!

and just because I can't help myself, I'll leave you with a few more pretties to look at…

I love love, but valentines day cards?

Happy Valentines Day everyone!!

I love love, so there isn't much to dislike about Valentines Day! One thing I do struggle with is finding the right valentines day card for my favorite boyfriend-turned-fiancé, soon-to-be-husband.  I find most cards are either wayyy to cheesy, or try too hard to be funny.  I love love and romance, but want to fill the card with my own words...so the more simple the better!

Here are a few that I found that I plan to keep on the back burner for future Valentine's Days!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/LHCalligraphy

https://www.etsy.com/shop/RowHouse14

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DahliaPressShop

https://www.etsy.com/shop/cottonflowerpress

https://www.etsy.com/shop/pepperpressny

https://www.etsy.com/shop/fluidinkletterpress

https://www.etsy.com/shop/chathamandcaron

What are your Valentine's Day plans?  Besides your Valentine, don't forget to send a little extra love out to the rest of your friends and family today!!

I work tonight, so my Valentine and I had breakfast together today…and will be enjoying dinner at our favorite spot tomorrow night!  Here's a few more of our engagement pics - some sweeter moments to go along with a sweet day.  xoxo!!

The Bachelor Wedding Recap: Wedding Soul Mates

Alright, here it is….the Bachelor Wedding.  By now, it is old news for most of you. Which is just how I want it!  This post is not going to dwell on the things that I didn't like, or the things that were silly, or the things that were different about Sean & Catherine's wedding and my upcoming nuptials.  There has been MORE than enough media and blog coverage on all of those topics.  This post, instead, is going to talk about all of the ways in which Sean/Catherine and Ant/I are WEDDING SOUL MATES.

I know, that sounds like an extreme use of the term soul mates.  But - as I learned while watching this wedding take place on TV (DVRed, even) - I am a delicate bride to be, who LOVES a good wedding. and there were definitely details about this wedding and moments that had me quite emotional... and feeling like Sean and Catherine just get me. ...and my wedding vision.

Officiant: Sean and Catherine asked his dad to officiate their ceremony.  That conversation hit very close to home for me - especially with the way his dad reacted.  Seriously?  Seriously? Sounds familiar. Our wedding is a special thing, and having someone who knows us marry us is THE most important thing, and has been from day one. They joke about his dad being able to hold it together during the ceremony, and he says "ya'll just tell me what you want me to say, cuz the weddings all about what y'all want."  Their response: "we trust you, and that's why you're part of this, we know it comes from your heart." and I teared up.  I'm telling ya.  Emotional mess.  Ant started laughing at me at this point.  I know I haven't gotten into much detail on the blog yet about our own ceremony plans, but I promise it will all make sense soon enough.

Boudoir shoot:  I talked a little bit about MY glamour/boudoir experience here - and Catherine hits it right on the money.  It's about being vulnerable and comfortable in the moment.  I'm sure her pictures came out amazing - and I'm sure Sean was very happy with the gift.  Like I said in my post, it is a fun afternoon and a great way to treat yourself - and as far as I'm concerned being an engaged woman you have the PERFECT excuse for such a treat!  Like Catherine did, I highly recommend bringing a friend - although, if we're being honest…I left the posing tips to the professionals, but that's just me!

Rings: Ant and I just recently started the search for our wedding bands…and let me tell you, I'm with Catherine on this 100%.  Ant put his friend's wedding band on to try it out, and it was the first time I had seen him with a ring on.  and it was weird.  I giggled a little bit.  and then he tried my dads on to get a sense of another style... and I giggled again.  When we went to our first jewelry store to look I was a little better behaved.  We found some that look really nice on him, but even still…to quote Catherine, it was "so weird."  Ant is not the type to wear jewelry of any kind, so to see him with one of these rings on, and to really realize the full meaning behind it, was weird in the best kind of way.  That is what his hand is going to look like, as a married man, for the rest of his life.  MY married man, at that!

For me, it was less weird in the sense that I already have my engagement ring, but it is too funny the amount of symbolism that other band brings to the hand.  I LOVE nothing more than the fact that Sparkly screams to the world that I am a engaged woman…she reminds me how lucky I am every day.  But the wedding band will truly represent our commitment and love.

Living selfishly:  Is not a bad thing! Sean talked about living selfishly in a way that struck close to home.  He said he was ready to live for Catherine and their future children, after having lived selfishly for so long.  Let me repeat - this is not a bad thing! Whenever someone brings up children - since that is naturally the next step after marriage, I immediately respond that while Ant and I are SO ready for this next step in our lives, we are not quite ready to stop living selfishly together.  We want to enjoy married life for awhile, just the two of us.  When we are ready, Ant and I can not WAIT to start a family and be parents.  He is going to be the absolute best father and partner in that adventure…but not yet!  

Sean freaking crying: as Catherine walked down the aisle.  That's where any level of composure I had went away.  I began to freaking cry.  Then I started to panic about what I am going to do on our wedding day if Ant cries…then I ran downstairs and made Ant promise not to cry so I can hold myself together.  This was where he laughed at me again.  In a nice loving supportive way of course…and asked if I wanted hot cocoa.

Music:  While I did not love their music choice in particular, I did love that she walked down the aisle to something unique and different.  Ant and I have been putting a lot of thought into our music choices - we want them to be fun and "us"…whatever that means!  I'm trusting our DJ to help us make that part of the ceremony perfect.

Ceremony: Everything about the ceremony is exactly why Sean/Catherine and Ant/I are wedding soul mates.  The ceremony was simple and personal.  There were no cheesy lines, nothing fake…the officiant was full of daddy love and support.  The personal vows were perfect.  They showed their personality, with the right amount of silly and sweet, and were full of love.  Ant and I are writing our own vows, which I am so nervous and excited about.  Watching this ceremony made me want to whip out a pencil and start writing mine right there…

Recessional:  Sean and Catherine cried and giggled their entire way back down the aisle as husband and wife.  And while I can't pretend to imagine how I am going to feel on that day, knowing Ant and I I would guess it is going to be a perfect combination of those emotions.  It is the perfect expression of excitement and joy.

Did you watch the Bachelor wedding?  What were your thoughts?  I've noticed that since I got engaged, I have become a very different type of wedding guest…(even though in this case I was a guest from my couch)…you can't help it!  You have marriage on the brain!  In this case, when you cut through all the ABC editing silliness - you end up with a wedding and a marriage full of love and commitment.  YAY for that.

The February List: 6 months to go!

GAH. 6 months. The beauty of this, is that this is why I make the lists!  It keeps me breathing and organized and in check!  Last month's list I did a little bit of cheating in it - with some vague goals…and I promised myself I would fix that this time around - so we will see how that goes!

The February List:
First: the things that are rolling over..
-Call and schedule a cake tasting - epic fail from last month
-Invitations - get a sample with our words and our colors - decide if we are using it or not. - utilize my wonderful DOC to help us with wording.  I can't handle how much silly things like that make my brain hurt.
-Groom/Groomsmen suits - get final offer/options from Jos.A.Bank outlet - decide it we are using them or continuing to look elsewhere. -see what I mean?  I'm getting a little lengthy here, but at least at the end of the month it is a clear yes! or no.
-Officiant - order certificate and visit Groton town hall. -fingers crossed!!!
-Videographer***** - sorry guys, I'm already cheating.  I'm keeping this one vague.  But putting a million stars next to it as my own not so friendly focus reminder :)
Now: the new things on the list for this month..
-Discuss timeline for the day with DOC
-Confirm timeline for the day with caterer and DJ
-Call Kathy at Branford House to update her with timeline info
-Email caterer about chicken options
-Email MUA about contract
-Say Yea or Nay to current wedding gift idea - if Yea, book! if Nay, begin to brainstorm
-Book hotel room for wedding night

Ok - I'm going to stop there.  As I start writing I'm coming up with 40 million other things I need to do - but the point is to break this up into reasonable chunks! This won't include everything I might work on this month - but will hold me accountable to a few of the things I've been doing a great job of procrastinating on!  I'm an expert procrastinator…especially when it comes to the silliest things like sending out a quick email!  As you might have noticed - February has sort of a theme - I want to get the timeline for the day situated once and for all, and make sure everyone is on the same page!

What is on your February list?  Besides hibernating and staying warm if you live anywhere near me!! J.Crew just sent me a $25 rewards card titled "Spring Fever?"…YES, J.Crew,  yes.  Spring fever.  I know I just got back from vacation but I am ready for some sun again - and shorts and sandals and using our beautiful backyard patio! sigh.

Our beautiful surprise patio - just waiting for it to be warm enough for outdoor dinners!

THIS IS OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. (in the summer, not now) We are lucky.  It is beautiful all year round - but I'm ready for some kayaking and swimming!

The January List: Recap

Okay, so I'm back from vacation and it's time to reflect on January's list.  If you missed it - you can read about it here!  

The January List:
-Bridal Shower/Bachelorette dates - DONE.  Not that I can take a whole lot of credit for this….but still.  I have the best mother and MOH and they worked magic and these are good to go!  My bridal shower will be at the end of June, and my Bachelorette will be the end of July - two shorts weeks before I become a Mrs!
-Invitations - make real progress on picking one. - Since I cheated and was really vague in my wording here, I can successfully cross this off.  Ant and I have an invitation picked - but we need to figure out wording and then pay for a real sample to get made and sent to us - since we are changing a LOT of things, including all of the coloring on it.  As long as we like the sample, we will be done! So I consider that making real progress!
-Wedding undergarments  - DONE.  I go back in a few weeks to try on the ordered and perfectly altered version.  I had SO much fun doing this…it became a girls day with my MOH and I may have gotten a few extra things in the process.  More about this later, for now all that matters is it is DONE.
-Accessories!!! Veil, jewelry, shoes - 2/3 DONE.  Veil and jewelry are all set!!!  As you have read about my veil epiphany it was quite the experience.  I have not yet figured out shoes - but I have a date with my roomie in the city to go and find some!  I figure between her and I and Manhattan, we should be able to find the perfect ones!
-Groom/groomsmen suits - Errr. So we made a lot of good progress - talked to two different stores and got an idea on pricing - but still not really where I'd like this one to be.  I might have been a little ambitious.  I'm going to be more specific on my goal related to the boys suits for February.
-Email Noreen about centerpieces - DONE. and she is fabulous and we're on the same page and that is done. YAY :)
-Call for cake tasting appt - the easiest thing on the list, and not done.  I blame vacation mode for that!  Oh well.
-Email Videographer*** - So I cheated again on this one - I can cross it off because I DID in fact email a number of videographers.  But what I meant by this line was to PICK and BOOK one, and I did not do that.  So I guess it is technically done, but I need to get my butt in gear and get something finalized this month.
-Officiant*** - Lots of research was done - so I want to cross it off…but in reality we still have a lot to do.  Again - I'll stop cheating and be more specific in next month's list so that I can accurately rate my level of success! 

Okay, so that was my first month of lists.  Phew.  I survived!  Looking back at it - it really does help me feel like I got things accomplished.  The month goes so quickly it is WAY too easy to let it happen and realize all the time you lost!  This is helpful to keep me in check.  I'm learning though - for February I'm going to be extremely detailed in my goals, so at the end of the month there is no question about whether or not it is DONE.  Because I really enjoy writing DONE at the end of each item :)

I'll hopefully have "The February List" ready to rock and roll tomorrow, in the meantime - I'll leave you with some shots from my last week - I had an AMAZINGLY relaxing time in FL - and had 3 people at work comment on my TAN when I got back….which, if you know me…is a bit of a miracle.  This chick is by no stretch tan.  I generally go back and forth between glow in the dark and lobster - but I'll take it! 

It rained the first two days - but the keys are beautiful even in the rain!

I could have eaten Key Lime Pie for breakfast, lunch and dinner...

The view from our suite at the Marriott in Key West was beautiful

The whole gang!!

Ant is meant to play the drums - look at him!

My second choice for a ceremony venue, if I had to choose ;)

Sunset during the Super Bowl, back in Ft. Lauderdale.

This was Ant's sad face when we found out our first flight was 

cancelled, forcing us to spend an extra day in the sun.

This is how I avoid lobster status - sunblock and shade!!

It's been winter for so freaking long I forgot how 

extra sparkly sparkly is in the summer. Sigh.

My favorite part of vacation - 8 uninterrupted days with this guy.

We came home to about 6 inches of frozen snow on the ground - so reality hit hard! But that's okay - we are refreshed and ready for February.  We've already lived one month of 2014 - how is your new year??