The Blair Wife Project: Introductions

Ah!  Ok I am SO excited about this one guys.  "The Blair Wife Project" is a new blog series that we're going to do a little differently - Cate is going to guest blog her own wedding planning adventures for you here!!  I LOVE her, for being her and for so graciously allowing me to be involved in this exciting time in her life.  All posts will be from her point of view, but I will throw my 2 cents in every once and awhile!  One of my favorite things about weddings and the bridal industry is how unique every bride is, and I LOVE that this will allow you to see an entirely different point of view than the one I share with you regularly.  So without further adieu ....here's Cate!

Hello! I’m Cate and I am the cousin-to-be Rachel mentioned recently got engaged. When Rachel began (aggressively) suggesting I document details of my engagement and wedding for this blog, I all but jumped at the opportunity to ask if I could be somewhat of guest blogger. The other shoreline bride, if you will.  Rachel and I have been planning this wedding for years so it just seems fitting we stick together in the blog department, right?

Rachel and I have been dance partners since Cody’s (my fiancé) brother’s wedding in October 2011. In addition to introducing me to Instagram, Rachel and I – I feel- forged a real bond when, in our wine-induced haze, we took each other up and started slow dancing. One moment we were giggling over nothing and then both of us looked at each other and in the same exact moment realized “oh sh*t, we are next!”  Little did we know how real that moment was!

(Rachel interrupting here - this is a picture from Keith & Sabrina's wedding of us with the bride!)

So- introductions. Relationship stats.  Cody and I met with college in 2009. We were both hired as Resident Assistants and went through training together.  Cody, affectionately a bit of a hoarder, still has the ice -breaker activity thing where he took copious notes to try and remember everyone’s names in the group and next to mine wrote “dark hair –(hot)”.

 Seven years later we are engaged. We were friends for about a year before we started dating February 28^th, 2010 and we got engaged on February 26^th, 2016 in Portland, ME.  I would say we are a bit goofy. We are both avid runners. He’s a car guy, I’m a bookworm. We have two cats, Frank and Bandit, and you might think we have a dog by the number of pictures I have of a silly hound-mutt on my phone but we don’t. That’s Cody’s brother’s dog.  I have a slight obsession. 

Cody and I are both CT born and hoping to get married fall 2017. I, personally, would love to just go and elope somewhere beautiful like Hawaii or New Zealand but I don’t think either of our families would have that. Plus despite my non-traditional-I-won’t-wear-white-because-you-say-so heart, a big part of me is excited for the journey. 

If I had to pick a phrase to describe our ideal wedding theme/style, it would be industrial-minimalist. So far, we both love the look of hardwood and metal interiors and are of the philosophy less is more. As a bride I don’t care too much about tradition or spectacle. I actually get pretty anxious at parties with more than 6 people. I don't want crazy up-lighting. I don’t want fireworks or a seven-tier cake. I just want to marry my best friend and have some fun doing it with the people we love most. 

The month of April is dedicated to the venue search. We have tours booked at about seven places so far and I will be sure to take notes and detail for Rachel to share with you! 

Check back soon for more updates on their venue search!!!

xoxo