Wedding Wednesday: The Dress!

I alluded in an earlier post that I have found THE DRESS!

No, we won't be getting married for another 10 months, but I could not walk away from the dress.

I began looking at dresses at the end of October when I was at Tyson's Corner for a work trip. My momma drove up with one of her bff's to begin the hunt. We looked at Nicole Miller first, and I was LOVING her 20's themed dresses. 

This was the first dress I tried on, and one of my ABSOLUTE favorites. It was so simple, and I loved the lace neck line.The cap sleeves were hard for me though (anyone else think they make your arms look "meaty"?)

This one was totally different and made me look tall and thin, a plus in my book! I could definitely see it for a New Years wedding or something like that... not going to work for my fall theme though.

I also loved this one from the Spring 2012 collection... much more traditional than the other two.

We also went to look at the Brides by Demetrios at Macy's, as well as a small shop in the area called White Swan Bridal.

I found one that I thought was going to be THE ONE when I was at White Swan, but they didn't carry it in ivory. Believe me, it looks much more gorgeous on than in pictures :). But... this one still wasn't the one for me. I love the lace, and the fact that it is so different! It is Moonlight  for anyone interested :).

I came home for a weekend and ended up going to David's Bridal, just to look and see if they might have something I liked. Our consultant was really distracted, and as expected, nothing really caught my eye. But, I did get to have one of my bridesmaids come dress shopping with me!

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving was a big one in terms of wedding errands. We went to see our reception venue (fingers crossed!) and my mom made an appointment at a small bridal consignment shop in the area. We had both heard WONDERFUL things about Blush and it ended up being the best bridal experience I had. The owner basically gives you her attention for an hour - no one else is in the shop but you! 

My mom, sister and aunt happened to be there with me and they were the three I had always pictured being there. My sister is a junior in college and she hadn't been able to be at any of my other appointments.

The owner lets you look through the store in your size (and bigger ones if you want to get dresses altered) and pick out dresses that you might like. I picked a few, and then I saw a dress that had the neckline I had been looking for all along. My sister turned up her nose at it, but I knew I wanted to try it on.

It ended up being the first dress I put on, and it fit PERFECTLY! I had been looking everywhere for "this dress" and I hadn't found anything like it. I knew I didn't want anything big, poofy or itchy, and the dress made all the requirements in my book. 

Without giving too much away, I ended up finding an accessory that made it into THE DRESS! I absolutely love it :). My mom, aunt and sister all told me that it was the one when I walked out of the dressing room. It just looks like "me". Ahhhhh!

And... its already at my parent's house - so I may or may not go look at it every time I am home. :)

Only a million more details to go! Linking up with A Happy Wife in New Orleans!

Photo Dump, Catch Up, Same Ole Story

We've been keeping pretty busy and enjoying the holiday season around here!

The Sunday after the Tech/UVA game we headed to the Boar's Head Inn for brunch with my parents and Stuart's parents. It was beautifully decorated and S's madre even surprised me with the most delicious cake for my birthday! We've decided this might become a tradition!

The weekend of my actual birthday I flew down to Atlanta to see one of my best friends with my college roommate! Nicole, my college roommate, is getting married in May so we got some wedding tasks done while we were down there! 

We went to Bridals by Lori but didn't see Monty there unfortunately. They do have lots of Breast Cancer awareness swag on sale though! 

I saw some family, asked our ring bearers and junior bridesmaid to be in the wedding and went to dinner on my birthday. Here are Nicole, Heidi and I!

When I got home, both of these were waiting for me from S. I am a lucky girl!

This weekend was l-a-z-y. We went to Stuart's work Christmas party Friday night and spent the rest of the weekend running errands, watching Christmas movies and snuggling :). 

Happy Monday!

Wedding Wednesday, Catch Up Edition!

Wellllll, I hope November was good for you - it's been pretty busy around these parts!

We've had a ton of football (where we froze our tooshies off!):

and even survived the BIG rivalry game!

HOKIES WIN FOR THE 9th YEAR IN A ROW!!!!!

In between weekends of fun, a ton of wedding tasks have been done (rhyme anyone?).

• Our Flower Girls said YES!!! I actually gave them bride coloring books with the cards, and my cousin sent me a picture of their written responses. Koral and Addison are adorable and I know they will do such a great job!

• We found a venue! Well, my momma found a venue. If we can get the numbers down, that is. But I love it - we would have the whole club, incuding upstairs, downstairs and a little "pub" where the bar resides. There is even a fireplace - PERFECT for a November wedding!!
• Oh, and one more little thing.... I FOUND THE DRESS! Post to come on this experience - but it is perfect. And my momma, sister and aunt were there with me. I AM IN LOVE!

Happy Wednesday!!

Dear Darling Santa...

First of all, prayers for y'all up there in New York and New Jersey. Sandy is a real b-word and I hope you and your families are safe and together today.
________________________________________________________________________

Secondly... I have a little confession.

I am one of those people who starts listening to Christmas music early. Usually not October 30th early, but considering Sandy has brought us some snow, I am ready for a little "Angels We Have Heard On High" and Hanson's classic, "Christmas Means to Me."

In fact, when I go to grab lunch today, I will be swinging by good ole Starbucks for my first skinny Peppermint Mocha of the season. #noshame

Considering my birthday is a mere month away, I have sent Stuart and my Madre my Christmas/Birthday list for the year, and I thought I'd share some it. In case, ya know, you want to send me something ;). Kidding.

A Monogrammed Hokie Koozie. PERFECTION! 

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Michael Kors Love Knot Ring

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Hokie Sweatshirt with "Old Style" VT in Canvas 

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A Tortoise Monogrammed Bangle (with my new monogram, eeek!)

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Matching Tech and UVA Love prints (with orange umbrellas)

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 Monogrammed pocket tee in a HUGE size for leggings :)

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Clarisonic Mia to get my face in tip top shape for the wedding!

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I am not trying to ask for too much around here since my parents are graciously taking care of the wedding. But, if Santa wanted to bring me these things, I would be okay with it :)

Stay warm, stay dry, stay healthy!

Wedding Wednesday

I promise to post about things non-wedding and non-work related at some point. For real.

Buuuttt, today is Wedding Wednesday!

In the progress department:

• This weekend my momma and her BFF Miss Mary came up so we could LOOK AT WEDDING DRESSES!!! Ahhhh - it was so weird to put one on! Obviously, no pictures :). I did determine what kind of dress I want and what color, which was the whole point of this weekend anyway. I have two dresses I adore, and one in particular I cannot stop thinking about, but I need to see it in the color I want. 
• We got our first "House Divided" apparel! S's roommate from college, Laura, sent us a flag! I cannot wait to have a house/townhouse to hang it :). Woooo!

• I have our outfits picked out (mostly) for our Engagement pictures and S's mom bought him a plethura of white oxford's that I can pick through - so thankful for her shopping sense!
• Momma and I are going to look at a possible reception venue tomorrow afternoon! We are going to have a pretty large wedding so finding a place that is affordable and what I am envisioning is going to be a task. Hence the starting early :).
• We are also starting on the guest list!

No other big decisions have been made thus far! I have spent a lot of my downtime between fairs in Panera (I am talking 10 hours in the last two days people) researching stuff online. And I just discovered Chickfila has free wifi so I got my Kid's Meal fix and am doing some work before I meet a friend for an early dinner before the fair tonight.

Only one more sleep in a hotel until I return to my (well one of them) bed!

Happy Wednesday!!!

Country Roads, Take Me Home

So ready to be back in my bed y'all. My no dishwasher, boyfriend FIANCE AHHHH down the road, tiny one bedroom home.

Some things that happen when you live out of a suitcase:

• You improvise dinner. And utensils. God bless you Giant next to my hotel. Mmm good.

• You get mean mugged by a 6 year old whose mother tries to homeschool her in Starbucks. While you sit in the Sbux for 4 hours between visits and fairs. SERIOUSLY.
• You talk to your GPS more than anyone else. Mainly at high decibals.
• You have your momma and her BFF come wedding dress shopping with you. Ahhhh, no official dress yet but I have two I can't stop thinking abouT.
• You have your fiance drive three hours to go to a movie with you. And he does. Lord have mercy, love him.
• You gain 74305783478 Panera points and have never been more grateful for free internet/coffee.
• You spend hours wandering around Targ. This is not something that is unusual from home life though.
• You cross your fingers your hotel recognizes you are not a business man and dont need 34 news and ESPN channels but in fact need Nick at Nite to go to sleep with a little HGTV and TLC mixed in.
• You get so lonely you go to the hotel gym and yell at the old man on the treadmill walking reading the paper (in your head) cause you just wanna watch Say Yes to the Dress and get a few sweaty miles out.
• You countown the days for home.

Can you tell I am a little homesick? Love my job, over the area I am in. Takeee me hommmeee!

The One With the Bridesmaids.

I am a lucky, lucky girl and I have some great friends that I am so blessed to have stand by my side, not only for my wedding, but also every day in between.

I knew I wanted to ask them in a simple way. But I also knew I wanted it to be special. And cheap. Cause planning a wedding is expensive and its not like I'm raking in the dough y'all.

In comes Michaels and their coupons. If you have an iPhone go download their app IMMEDIATELY! Seriously - so useful. Droid users I'm sure they have something for you too.

With a little help from S on the printing front (the paper was thick so he figured out a way to bend it a little to get it to go through the printer), some brainstorming and cutting - this is what I came up with:

I finished them off by putting them in envelopes (the cards and envelopes came in a pack), hand delivered them to the girls I saw this weekend and mailed the other three off. And I finally heard from the mailed girls yesterday, so without further ado, here they are!

Maid of Honor, my sister Natalie

Matron of Honor, Nicole

 Bridesmaids:

Heather

Heidi

Kylee

Lindsey

All of these girls have been such an important part of my life and all are from various stages. So lucky they all said yes!!!

Happy Wednesday :)

The One Where I Pretend I'm Still In College

How come no one told me when you leave college, your liver also leaves college and does not appreciate when you return to your college habits?

Rude, I tell ya.

I spent the weekend in my FAVORITE place on earth with some of my favorite people. Seriously - I certainly hope Heaven is a lot like Blacksburg.

Two of my bff's and my matron of honor and bridesmaid (they said yes! look for a post on that tomorrow), came to visit for the weekend and attend Tech's homecoming with me. Ahhhh!

We slept a little, cheered a lot, and played hard :)

Tailgatin and hydratin. Wooo girlfriends! 

Back in Lane - feels so good. Plus we were winning after our 20 point deficit to DUKE in the 1st quarter. I love winning.

Finally in Lane together - it has been a long time coming! :)

Hokie House and two of my best girlfrands. Obviously a happy camper. With curled hair - shout out to my sista! Lets be real, we all know I have no hair talent.

Found Jim and got him to take a normal picture. Probably the biggest win of the evening. 

Some of the group: Hev, Nicole, Jim, Jim's girlfriend - Erin, and moi. 

And this is how the evening ended. If I had any shame this would be lost in the depths of my iPhone. Lucky for you, I have none. Benny's sticks are no Pokey Stix. That is all I have to say about that. 

Side note - PTL for NOVA. I can always find a Panera and a Target next to each other when I am travelling for work and need to kill some time. Woooo!!

Happy Tuesday!

The One With The First Wedding Wednesday

Wedding Wednesday - eeeeekkk! So excited to actually participate in one!

Even though we just got engaged Saturday, I have had a few ideas bopping around in my head since, ya know, FOREVER.

One of the things I've always known is that I'd want a fall wedding. Sooo.... we will be getting married:

FALL 2013!!!

We have a date in mind, but obviously we need to find a reception site first. And wait for the football schedule to come out... priorities people!

I just happened to be in Michael's looking for some tools to do my first craft - which I will share on the blog sometime next week, and I found the colors. Stuart, being the wahoo that he is, wouldn't agree to an orange and maroon Hokie themed wedding for SOME reason. Pfffff.

So, we made a little compromise.

Our wedding colors will be: ivory, champagne and a wine/burgundy color. 

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These are some of my inspiration photos I have found. I don't want too dark of a gold color and we won't be using the stark white that is in the color palette but I ADORE! The men will be wearing black suits instead of tuxes because that is what Stuart wants :)

Ahhh - so many decisions to be made but we have a few down! We asked my minister to be our officiant and one other important part will be coming together later this week. :)

Happy Wednesday!

The One With The Proposal

And here friends, is the rest of the story. ;)

A few months ago, I was at the wedding of a high school friend of mine. And it seems, that day, I was going to change my destiny. No - I didn't meet Stuart there. 

Getting ready. Prepared mentally. Pivot position. Arms waiting.  

And that baby was mine. See anyone around me - nope. Quick like a cougar I am! ( Good thing I shaved my pits y'all).

Fast forward a few months and we ended up at my favorite place in the world, Carter Mountain :). We go every year and this year my aunt and uncle were in town so we planned to go this weekend.

Warning: This is super long, and I want to write everything down so I never forget :)

Stuart was in California on business Thursday and Friday and got back in at 10am on Saturday morning and we were supposed to be at the mountain at 11. Needless to say, it was a busy morning. A few weeks ago Stuart told me to go buy a dress I would be comfortable all day in, to get engaged in. I ended up finding a super comfy, flattering dress at Old Navy for $20 bucks after searching in a much higher price bracket for over a week. Happy - yes :)

I couldn't sleep Saturday, so I was up at 5 - which gave me ample time to catch up on my shows and call S at 6:30 while he was waiting at Dulles during his layover. When I called, he told me he wanted me to "try on" my engagement dress for him so he could see it when he got home.

I finally got up, showered and ready and went to grab Bodo's for us for when he got home. He got home, showered and dressed up a little more than one should for a 75 degree day apple picking - another clue.

We hopped in the car and spent the next hour apple picking with my aunt and uncle. I may or may not have smacked his butt and felt something I thought might be a ring. And I may or may not have been trying my damndest not to sweat while I was becoming incredibly impatient.

Finally, we walked the mile back to our car and sat in in for a minute - cooling off as the cloud cover came and listening to Tech score a touchdown (one of few - sad day). Stuart then told me he wanted to talk to me for a second and pulled out this plastic table cloth from his birthday and spread it on the hood of the car. He helped me get up and sat next to me and started saying lots of sweet things. Every sentence or so, some family would be making the journey back to their car and interrupting him. I seriously broke out in the giggles. We could see the whole valley from the hood of his car, and it was beautiful watching the clouds roll in. Finally - he hopped down off the car, helped me down, and asked me if I would marry him. I squealed, kissed him and said yes!!

A sweet family came by and took a few pictures for us and congratulated us :). We hopped back in the car and I took this picture of my beautiful ring! Seriously - obsessed with it.

We hopped back in the car and headed back to his apartment while making a few phone calls. After being on the phone for two hours - we decided we were STARVING! Where else to go but CFA?! 

We headed out to Starr Hill (another part of his proposal day plan) to get two of "The Love" glasses and a 6 pack. The Love is our FAVORITE beer and it is local to Cville - I am obsessed with it. I love the fact he knew that I would want little tokens to remember our day by and these glasses are perfect. I tried to get him to take a picture of me with our swag but I could not stop laughing. Pure joy that boy makes me feel, I tell ya!

He made reservations at our favorite fancy-ish restaurant in Charlottesville at the same table we always sit at (which I now know is table 21) and ordered Prosecco, delicious meals and our favorite dessert, Tiramisu! Our waitress was adorable and was so excited for us!

We packed bags earlier in the day to head home because he knew I would want to see my family and some of my friends in person! He had only slept 3 hours in the middle seat on a cross country plane and still let me indulge in a little too much Prosecco and drove the two and a half hours home. Lucky girl, I know!

We stopped by my grandmother's house and told her in person before Stuart's parents invited my parents to his house to toast with some champagne. Honestly - that might be my favorite part of the night (but lets be real, I can't really pick a favorite). His parents gave us some BEAUTIFUL Waterford Flutes and I LOVE them!

His mom also put out a spread for us and some of our friends came over - even though it was 11pm! My high school BFF included and she was so adorable - the only one who cried all day :)

See? Haha. She made a huge deal out of this weekend for me and I am so blessed by all of our friends and family. Sunday our engagement was announced at church and we asked my childhood pastor (and BFF to my padre) to be our officiant before another round of food and friends. Hev even got me these sweet gifts to start off my bride-to-be swag!

 (rooouughhh after an exciting, exhausting weekend)

Hev and I stopped by another friend's house on our way to one of my favorite local staples for a goblet of Moscato and a little dinner to celebrate while Stuart hung out with his best man :). One of my friends from middle school works at the restaurant and came over to hug me with congratulations and somehow the whole restaurant heard her and started applauding me - so embarassed!

After this, we packed up and headed for home while doing some wedding planning during the drive - ahhh! I still can't believe it's real and I get to wake up everyday for the rest of my life (minus the next year) next to my best friend and cutest boy I know. :)