The Year of the Wedding

Well helloooooooo 2012!!

2011 was a great year in so many ways... but 2012 is shaping up to be one of the most memorable years on the books, namely because we'll vow "to love and cherish, in sickness and in health, until death to us part" in front of our closest friends and family come October.  We've been engaged since June, so it feels great to actually be in "The Year of the Wedding" and I hope that means planning will kick into high gear.  We're making decent progress so far...

• Budget plan outlined (...still saving... and saving...)
• Rough guest list going (...so hard to figure out that A/B column)
• Church/officiant reserved (...he's very close to my fiance's family)
• Reception venue secured (...it's seriously amazing and sets the whole tone)
• Caterer contract signed (...a bit expensive, but is a package deal with the venue)
• Bridal party selected (...3 of 10 are out of state)
• Wedding dress found (...it's magical)
• Photographer contract signed (...we can't wait to work with her)

... but there is still SO much to do!

All bundled up to ring in the New Year!  Last photo of 2011 <3

At the time, I thought with such a long engagement it would feel like FOREVER before the big day finally arrived, but I'm already realizing how grateful I am for the extra time to make it all happen.  We need it!  I know the next 9 months will fly by, so here are a few of my 2012 resolutions:

• Remain focused on wedding plans and continue to chip away at them with a bit more tenacity
• Be more confident with the decisions we make & try not to second guess everything
• Get our wedding website up and ready to go
• Stay committed to eating right & making exercise a priority (...maybe I could lose that last 20lbs)
• Follow through and get some non-wedding related projects done, like organizing our apartment and clearing away the clutter (... this is a big one, as 2012 could bring about a move too)

I could go on, but perhaps putting just a few things out into cyberspace will help hold me accountable.  How is your own wedding planning going?  Does the to-do list dominate YOUR 2012 resolution list?  Here's to a great new year for all of us, especially those now in our wedding year! *cheers*

Photog - CHECK!

So, I posted before... about feeling the pressure to pick a wedding photographer.  We had four great options all under $1,000 out the door.  But... I didn't have that "this is it" feeling with any of them and didn't want to force such an important decision, so I decided to expand my search (i.e. our budget), to see what I could find.  Well, I think it was meant to be, because we found her!  We found the person who we KNOW is the perfect fit to document this important time in our lives.  She was actually running a special for those who booked before the new year, so we got 20% off of her package, which brought her within our new budget range.  It's such a great feeling to know that we can move on, feeling confident we have such a talented person sharing the day with us behind the lens :)

I'll happily give her a little plug...
http://www.karieannephotography.com/  (Lansing, Michigan)
She's very sweet and really knows her way around a camera, thanks to a photography degree and many years of practice.  Added bonus... she's on Pinterest, which I'm totally obsessed with!  She posts ideas for new and unique photos and I've already seen her then follow through and pull them off beautifully, so we're excited to see what she comes up with for our day! :)

She says she's bringing sparklers!  Um, YES!

Have you expanded your budget to make something happen, after realizing it's something you don't want to compromise on?  More than once?

Allow myself to introduce... myself

Yea, that's right.... I quoted Austin Powers in the first 5 words of my new blog.  I couldn't resist... :)

As you've probably already guessed... I'm a blushing bride!  We've been engaged since June 4th, so about 4 months now... and we'll be getting married in October 2012, so just 11 months left to make it all happen!  Somewhere between researching for my own wedding and drooling over everyone else's... I fell in love with a site called Weddingbee.  The bloggers are down-to-earth brides going through the same phases as I am or newly wedded Mrs's sharing the details about their big day and I just LOVE the whole web-based community.

That being said... my motivation behind this personal blog, is to perhaps have a chance to be part of the hive.  So there you go, my ulterior motive!!  Honesty IS the best policy, right!?  Though that's the ultimate goal... along the way, I aim to document the highs and lows of the planning process with full honesty.  Honesty with myself and with my audience, though they'll intentionally remain unknown.  I want to be able to talk about the dress and the details of the day without my closest friends or Aunt Bertha or my co-workers knowing my inner most thoughts.  I want the majority of our guests to be left in the dark until that day... so they're seeing each personal detail we've added for the very first time.

So, reader... if you're even there... buckle your seat belt and join me for the ride of a lifetime!