Feeling The Love

On August 10th I was able to have ALL of my bridesmaids including my mom, together for the 1st time ever!! I love how everyone gets along and keeps a smile on their faces. This is so uplifting to me and a reminder as to why they are each so special to me. We all met at David's Bridal that afternoon for our girl's day.  Jessica brought mimosas for everyone but we learned there was no alcohol allowed...bummer. I picked the color "regency" to use. I let the girls decide on their dresses, to be long or short was up to them. A shorter dress would mean the shoes had to match, a longer dress meant that they did not have to be exactly a match but similar. I am trying to be accommodating and doing so, I want everyone to feel comfortable because when you feel good, you look good! Anyone wearing shoes they aren't comfortable in will be miserable the whole day and we don't want that. After some laughs and several dresses later (and discovering that Bernadine has a donk like me, we get it from our mama) a dress was agreed upon. As we left David's Bridal, we decided to act like we are from Kentucky and pop the back to Jami's Navi and pour some mimosas up in Red Solo cups in the parking lot. Good times for sure. Next stop was Chili's where we all had lunch and got to mingle a little more. I really enjoyed myself and seeing all of the people that meant so much to me enjoying themselves too. 

A few days later and I realized "regency" wasn't really the color I had in mind, that color was not "purple" enough, it was too bright. So now I need to make a trip to Geno's for swatches to get a better idea of the color I really want. We will stay with the same look of dresses though since we all agreed upon that. Candace insists on me having my make-up and lashes done so her gift to me will be airbrush make-up by Artistry HD out of Louisville. YAY! That's exciting! I trust all of the girls to do their own make up but we all deserve to be pampered sometimes, so I've left that option up to them. Hair will all be similarly done by Fleet Street Hair Shoppe, except for those girls that have their own stylist that they prefer to use. 

I have been to about 20 weddings over the past few years and one small problem I have noticed at a few of them has been the waiting time between the ceremony and reception...the culprit is the BRIDAL PARTY PICTURES. I understand this because as everyone knows I am very much a picture person myself and always have been. But I decided I don't want to make people wait all that time in between. Besides the fact that riding the horse and carriage will take long enough of a wait as the horse only moves at very slow pace. And with further thinking Quinn and I are very humble and reserved for the most part. As much as we are open about our feelings and love for one another, we are also not used to having so much focus on us and being the center of attention. Therefore, we have decided to do "First Look" pictures. We would like to have our very own private moment of seeing one another for the 1st time, without an audience. This will allow us to have our emotions and nerves a little more under control. We're both criers.  One reason we both hesitated was due to missing out on that "moment" of the doors opening to the music and us seeing one another for the 1st time. We all dream of that "moment". The pros outweigh the con. This way we have ALL the pictures taken prior to the wedding and can leave the ceremony, get into the horse carriage, and be on our way to the reception to eat, drink, and celebrate with our loved ones. We still get that "moment"..it just wont be the traditional 1st moment and that is fine. I think we will both smile more than we will cry by doing it this way. The people I have talked to that have done it, were SOOOOOO glad they did. That was confirmation enough for me. I don't care if its not traditional or what people think or have to say. Its not their day. Period.

A few Save The Dates have been sent out to family members that live in Nebraska and California since they need a little more time with making travel arrangements and whatnot. The rest will be mailed out at the beginning of November so they will not get mixed up with the rush of the holidays that are quickly approaching. 

Before I finish, I must mention one more thing that has happened since I last blogged. Samantha's mother, Ms. Lee,  has volunteered to coordinate the wedding for us!!!  She did an amazing job on Samantha's baby shower and has experience with coordinating weddings, so I have NO doubt she will do a fabulous job for us and I know I can count on her to be my backbone with making this all happen for us. She will make sure everything and everyone begins on time, things are set up as they are supposed to be, and the entire day runs smoothly. I met with her last night to go over a few things and I already feel relieved! 

As you all can see, so much has happened this month. Which is all just in time for my last semester that began yesterday!! I graduate in December and the next milestone will be our wedding day...291 days to go!

Flowers and Changes!

As usual, changes occur! Due to timing and expenses on everyone's end, we have decided not to do a Disney Family Vacation with friends and family for our Honeymoon as we had planned. Instead, we will have our own personal Honeymoon which will be much needed by the time the wedding gets here! LOL. Requirement: BEACH!!

On another note, I met with the florist Pennington's Petals last night for dinner and we were able to come up with and finalize our ideas. I loved finally meeting with her and putting our thoughts together, which was a relief! I absolutely cannot wait to walk into our reception hand in hand as husband and wife with all of my visions, alive! And best of all, she is SO reasonable because she works out of her home, super sweet girl!!

I have another idea for our wedding day that I am waiting to discuss with the Groom himself that I think we will both love and find to be more personal. As the majority of our plans are finalized and deposits are paid, we can relax!! School starts again in a few weeks and I will be graduating college in December 2013!! Such a long road that has been. As I close another chapter in my life, I will be opening another.

So many changes these past couple of weeks in our personal lives has created a new beginning for us also. I am excited moving forward to watch the boys grow and learn in ways they never have before. Life is better than ever and I never take it for granted!