So long, Summer!

The last time I posted was at the beginning of June. It is now near the end of August. I know, I know... there are three months missing! What is going on?

I've been a little busy... that's all.

For starters, I've been working almost nonstop since school ended last semester. There have been a lot of personnel changes at my job, and it's been crazy keeping up with everything that is now different than it was. There are lots of new people to train, and lots of old ones to deal with (you know who you are!).

I've also been busy working on the wedding! 142 days to go, and boy, is it going by fast! It's almost down to four months left of this craziness!

What have I done?

Matthew and I have almost finished all the "big" things that we need to plan. A few weeks ago, I took my bridesmaids dress shopping, and I picked out their dress. Let me tell you, I have the absolute BEST bridesmaids EVER! For one, they were all sweet enough to show up to try the dress on at the same time. A special thank you to my sister-in-law Sarah who came all the way down from Minneapolis to go with us! Second, my girls are the best because they all told me they liked the dress... which was a big relief! Third, we were in and out of the store within an hour! It was the most pain-less dress shopping experience of my life... I am blessed to have such wonderful girls standing up with me!

Here are all my beautiful ladies trying on some dresses:


My gorgeous maid of honor, Abigail!



This week, Matthew and I also finalized our guest list (I think!). That's a big relief! Now we just need to compile addresses....

Finally, this week, Matthew and I started our registries! It was so much fun going into the stores and picking out the things for our future home. Also, the gifts and coupons that we got for setting the registry up wasn't bad either!

Here is Matthew having fun with the registry gun:




On Sunday, we are going to go pick out the suits/tuxes for the guys, and help Matthew figure out what he wants to wear!

Also this week, I hopefully will be able to finalize what I want to do with the centerpieces for the tables. I'm working on a vase situation (will they be big enough for what I want?!), and I'll keep you posted.

That's all for now... I promise that my updates won't be so far apart from now on! The big day is coming up soon!

weddings and shoes and dresses... OH MY!

Hello everyone! It has been a busy month! I can't believe it's already June 6th! 215 days to go!

So much has happened since the last time I updated you. I don't know where to begin!

First, a huge congratulations to my friends Dana and Dan who got married over the weekend. They've been together for over 10 years! I am so happy for you two, and I hope you have a long and happy marriage! Here is a pic of me and my girls from that day...



It was a wonderful wedding, and I felt very honored to be a part of their special day!


It's crazy how time is going by so quickly... within the past month, Matthew and I have actually worked on quite a bit for our wedding! We purchased invitations (thank you Michael's coupons!), met with the photographer we want, and started counseling... but that's not all!

I have been looking for the perfect pair of shoes to wear for months.... I wanted something that was closed-toe (winter wedding!) and did not have an extremely high heel so I could be comfortable all day. Finally, I found a shoe that I loved, but it was in black in the store. So I decided to take a look online to see if it came in white. Not only did it come in white, but it was $30 less to purchase it online than in the store! Combine that with a 20% off coupon that I got for giving out my email address, and my shoes came to 50% off what I would have paid in the store... including shipping! They arrived last week Thursday, just in time for me to go dress shopping this past Saturday!

Which brings me to my last piece of big news... I found my dress!

Maybe I didn't say it loud enough...

I FOUND MY DRESS!!!!

After trying three different stores and dozens of gowns, I finally found it. It's very different than the first dress that I thought I loved, but it's so much better. I am so excited! Here is a picture:



Ha! Did you actually think that I would post a picture of my dress? You're crazy! I will tell you that the dress is under this giant white fluffy cape, but you won't see it until my wedding day! Nevertheless, let me assure you that I am so excited and happy with this dress! Once I put that one on, I didn't want to take it off! I can't wait for it to arrive so I can wear it again! I also feel a huge sense of relief off of my shoulders now that I have a dress. Everything else can fall into place.

Next on the list? Bridesmaid dresses... ;-)

P.S. Happy birthday to my bff (and bridesmaid) Lisa! (She's the girl in the blue in the first pic). Love ya!

Happy New Year! I can't believe that it's 2011 already... time flies faster and faster every day! As of midnight, it will be 370 days till the big day! There is so much going on, so I'll start right away!

A few days ago, Matthew and I went to the craft store, and I bought our favor-holders for our reception. They were on clearance (even better!) so I bought out their entire stock! They are now sitting in my room, taking up lots and lots of space! (When you see them, you'll understand why; for now, let it just be a mystery!)

Matthew and I have finally finished asking everyone who is going to be a part of our bridal party (bridesmaids, groomsmen, ushers). It's so nice to know that everyone who is in it knows, so the rest of the planning can keep going!

Finally, on Thursday, I am finally going dress shopping! I can't wait! I've been thinking about this day ever since I was a little girl, and I am so excited to finally go! I want to get the dress that day (and not drag the whole process out for a long time) so I have two appointments at two different bridal stores. The first appointment is at the store that I'd really like to get my dress from (and it also happens to stock my favorite brand of dresses...Maggie Sottero), and the second appointment is 'just in case' the first one doesn't work out. It's going to be so much fun trying on so many pretty dresses! Once I pick it out, I'm not going to show the whole world until the wedding (to make sure that Matthew doesn't see it by accident), but I might provide a clue or two as to what it looks like.

I think that's about it! As much as I have already done, and as much as I still have so much left to do, I am very much enjoying the whole process.