More Photos!

Hooray for a FSIL who loves me enough to take her valuable time to get together all the photo edits on our high school engagement picture shoot! I got them in the mail today (along with 8 million other wedding related items - it was like Christmas) and thought I would share a bunch, while I decide which ones to include in our Blurb guestbook.

Enjoy!

 

 

  

 

  

 {cheese. i know.}

 

  

  

 

  

  

 

  

  

  

  

  

 

  

  

 

  

  

 

  

  

 

  

  

 

  

 {taking him to the principal's office. uh oh.}

  

 

  

  

 

  

{the cafeteria... our relationship had defining moments here, lol}

 

  

  

 

  

  

 

 

  

 

{the auditorium, where our relationship really started}

Hope you enjoyed the glance!

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Wedding Jewelry!

I have been on a quest for wedding jewelry for quite some time. With the date change up and the chaos that ensued, however, it kind of fell by the wayside.

When I got to Wisconsin I suddenly realized - I have no jewelry to wear.

I set out on the town of Eau Claire looking for something that mixed pearls and "sparkle" be it diamonds, rhinestones, whatever (I didn't really care so long as it included pearls and some sort of "sparkle").

I scoured the mall and found, well, nothing. Being a girl from the south I am used to tons of pearl options, but apparently the pearl craze is just beginning here.

{Detour: At one store I witnessed a girl my age, a teacher, getting her first strand of pearls. So cute. The saleslady was commenting how when she started working there 10 years ago, no one wanted pearls, but suddenly it just ramped up...I think I may have helped the girl more than the saleslady, but I digress.}


In any case, I was looking for something with pearls and sparkles because I have been dropping hints for months that I would love, love, love these earring jackets that I saw at Spencer's Jewelers for a wedding present from the FH.

What is an earring jacket you may be asking? Something along the lines of this:

{This shows a diamond solitaire earring in the middle, whereas I would put my pearls in the middle.}

 

I fell in love with them around...um, November, but the FH contended that I had received enough jewelry that year to last me for quite some time {engagement ring, wedding ring, pearl drop necklace...sigh...he was probably right}.

 

So I let them fall by the wayside for Christmas, but like I said above have been dropping hints about them for a wedding gift.

In any case, while I have no idea if I will actually receive them wedding day, but I wanted to coordinate jewelry to match just in case, and hey if all else fails, I wanted to like it just as much, without spending as much.
 
Enter Etsy. Whew, how Etsy and its wonderful vendors have served me time and time again.
 
Considering that we have, ahem, 3 weeks to the wedding, I was sure that I wouldn't be able to get anything in time.
 
I was looking for simple, classic and lovely. I fell in love with many necklace designs, but worried that they would be too much when combined with earrings, a hair flower and a veil. That is a lot of accessories.
 

Like this one from luxedeluxe

 

{Truth be told, this one was a close contendor anyway for being purchased, but since her maker is located in edinburgh, scotland - there was no way to get her here in time, while remaining cost effective. sad day.}

 

Luckily, I found another design that was simple and that I also loved and whose designer was willing and able to work within my tight schedule. Enter EricaBapst and her lovely design "My one and only" {how appropriate, non?} 

 

and look! Matching earrings!

 

 

  

I convo'd Erica and let her know the situation and she let me know that she would have them in the mail to me within 24 hours of my purchase. Go Erica.

 

So folks, there it is, the winning jewelry.

 

I will try not to be too sad if I end up not wearing those earrings ;) 

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Travel Bags for the Maids!

So I lied again. Invitations are not my next post because I have yet to take pictures of them all completed.

Instead I will feature the lovely (if I do say so myself) travel bags that I send to my Maids.

(mainly because one of my lovely maids, VM, already took a photo of hers and posted it online, thanks lady!)

Here they are:

{If you are wondering about the double monogram it is because VM is ultra-chic and has a hyphenated last name...which her husband also took as his last name. Swanky, right?}

I filled the bags with finds from the travel section at Target, and attached that little bow with a safety pin, in case it was not everyone's preferred style (and for easier washing).

I also attached the little poem to the upper right hand handle that said:

"Because you are a maid and friend,

One that is amazing and oh so dear,

I decided to show my thanks and send

These travel treats to get you here!

{Wisconsin that is}

Enjoy!"

{It's no Whitman, but I think it got the point across :)}

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Our Ceremony

Last week I was finally able to make it to St. Charles Borromeo to meet with Deacon Kinnick about our wedding ceremony!

and finally see the church in person...check it out:

{gorgeous! [and it better be for what we are paying]}

In any case, it was lovely to actually meet the man who will be marrying us and to plan out all of our ceremony details. As a little preview, here is a summary of the readings that we chose, and order of our Catholic Service Outside of the Mass (because the FH is not Catholic we are having a service outside of the mass meaning basically that communion will not be served).

I. Introductory Rite

• Processional
• Greeting
• Opening Prayer

II. Liturgy of the Word

• First Reading Genesis 2: 18-24
• Responsorial Psalm Psalm 340
• Second Reading Ephesians 5: 2a 21-33 (If you know me you may be surprised at this choice, but I swear the explanation is fabulous...and the FH was adamantly against Corinthians)
• Gospel Acclamation 1John 4:12
• Gospel Matthew 7:21, 24-29
• Homily
• Rite of Marriage
• Unity Candle (my sister will sing)
• General Intercessions
• Nuptial Blessing

III. Concluding Rite

• Final Blessing
• Dissmissal
• Recessional

All in all it should take about 40 minutes, which granted is longer than some wedding ceremonies, but is much shorter than an entire Catholic Mass. All of the paperwork has made it through not only St. Joseph's in Athens, but the Atlanta Tribunal and the La Cross authorities and finally to our church.

Whew! We are pegging away at things one little bit at a time. Next up, Invitations!

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hey! remember me?

I am still here! Working diligently on wedding projects, I swear to you, though I have not blogged one bit.

In the meantime I was worrying about graduating and getting from Georgia to Wisconsin!

 {this is me with our fabulous faculty, minus the equally fabulous Dr. E}

Oh yeah! and printing, assembling and mailing our invitations; sending my bridesmaids travel bags; picking up my dress; ordering veils; spray painting vases for centerpieces; painting our card box; crafting my own flower hair fascinator; trying to find a new cake lady (since ours can't change for our new date) and setting up appointments with every vendor in town.

Updates to come!

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Here we go...

Ready everyone? New wedding date: June 12, 2009.

Join me won't you? (in going insane, that is)

Get ready for a marathon of projects.

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Reframe

Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.

Robert Schuller

 

There is in every true woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up, and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.

Washington Irving

The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.

Epictetus

 

If I had a formula for bypassing trouble, I would not pass it round. Trouble creates a capacity to handle it. I don't embrace trouble; that's as bad as treating it as an enemy. But I do say meet it as a friend, for you'll see a lot of it and had better be on speaking terms with it.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.

Winston Churchill 

 

In counseling (of which I have had but a very small amount of training) they have a technique called the reframe. It is a way of looking at your present situation in a different light, something manageable.

 

I am reframing all over the place. 

 

The support and love from all of our friends and family members and everyone who has commented on this blog is overwhelming and  in that love and understanding I feel blessed to have such people around me. It is reaffirming to know that I have friends that will say things like: 

 

 

"The important thing at the end of the day is that you will be married, and that is so much bigger than this."

"Whenever, wherever you guys decide to get married I will be there."

"I am sure whatever you guys come up with will be amazing, whenever it ends up being.  You're both incredibly resourceful people and I'm confident your wedding will come off without a hitch.  I just know it."

  

"Don't worry about us. I know you must feel like you are putting a lot of people out, but don't even worry about it. We all love you so much and just want to be there with you to share your special day. It has been a long time coming and I would jump on a plane tomorrow if you decided you needed to elope in Vegas."

 

 

This will not overcome my happiness at marrying my best friend. This will not overcome the blessings in my life that I should be celebrating right now, including these wonderful people who are my friends.

 

Thank you all for your support and reassurance, but most of all for your trust and generosity in allowing us to make the decision that is best for us.

 

We love you all.

 

Updates to come.

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