Monday, August 11, 2014

One Month Check-in

Hi, friends! I know, I know... I said a while ago I was going to get back in the swing of blogging. I had the best intentions, too! However, this past month has been a bit jam-packed with fun, and I've been the best kind of busy. More specifically, I've been the "newly engaged" kind of busy, and I adore it. I've been trying to get as much "planning" done as possible before school starts next week (say it ain't so!), which means if I've been on the computer, it's been to look up flowers and tablescapes and letterpress vs. thermography. I have always had a passion for all things wedding, so this extreme-planning has been a blast, but I've missed the blogging community!

Still just as happy as I was our engagement weekend! 

I think John's and my one month engagement-versary (because that's a thing, right?) is the right time for me to get back into blogging. Now that I've really used this time to soak in being engaged to my fiancĂ© for exactly one month, I can share all this joy with y'all! In order to catch you up on planning and life in general, I'm going to post each day this week, sharing bits and pieces of what I've planned so far. Here's to a fun week of posts! 

 photo blogsigpng_zpscb1d9054.png

Friday, July 25, 2014

Friday Bride Day


Y'all, the struggle is real today. And by "the struggle" I mean "the struggle to keep a rational head and remember my grateful heart while trying to make wedding decisions." Yeah, I think I'm transitioning into stressing-over-nothing-for-no-reason mode.... Which is stupid, because I have so much to be thankful for, and stressing over something so minute is selfish. 

My dad reminded me of this the other night, as I lamented about limiting our guest list and the process of registering...  If these are my only worries, I am lucky. I mean, yes, these things like flowers and entertainment are EXPENSIVE so I want them to be just right, but ultimately? This wedding is one day. The family John and I are creating, along with the family we already have, is forever. 

Just because I'm keeping perspective doesn't mean I can't share my planning successes and lamentations with y'all! Here's a list of things we've done so far:
  • Decided on a budget
  • Picked and secured a venue
  • Set a date
  • Found and secured our officiant 
  • Found photographers
  • Found and booked videographers
  • Found entertainment
  • Started our guest list
  • Created wedding website
Honestly, even though I feel like I've gotten so much done, there's a bazillion more things left, and I am determined to get the majority of the big things done before school starts! Here's what's happening in the next week:
  • Meeting with photographers to sign contract
  • Meeting with potential caterers
  • Meeting with a potential florist
  • Insure ring (!!!!!COUGH JOHN WE HAVE TO DO THIS LIKE YESTERDAY COUGH!!!!!)
  • Checking out the venue again- John's already seen it, so he's probably going to stay home while I go with my mom and cousin. I can guarantee an excited post with pictures after that!
  • Dress shopping!!! There's a designer consignment bridal shop near our venue, so I have an appointment after looking at the venue! So excited for two of my favorite women to be there!
  • Blocking out hotel rooms- Not as glamorous as the first two things we're doing while we're in the area, but it's a necessity! 
  • Pick out a color scheme- I can assure you: all three of my top ideas heavily feature PINK! ;) 
  • Skyping with potential DJ- You can definitely expect a full post on my DJ vs Band thing soon... I never thought I'd end up leaning towards a DJ, but this guy seems great! 
  • Finalizing the guest list- I'm kind of cut-throat, surprisingly... Not family? Haven't seen or talked to you in years? Very little chance we'll keep in touch after the wedding? Probably not number one on the list... (Kidding, sort of.) 
  • Finish asking wedding party- one flower girl, ring bearer, and bridesmaid (well, kind of two...) to go!
  • Registering- Can't. Even. Talk about it. Seriously, this is what stresses me the most. 
Basically, anything and everything on this list will get its own post. I love reading about other people's planning journeys, and I certainly find it therapeutic to write out mine! As overwhelming as this to-do list seems, I'm going to remind myself that while it may suck figuring out the guest list, you know what doesn't suck? Having so many (healthy!) friends and family who support John and me.

Do y'all have fun weekends ahead?! I sure do! My cousin and her precious baby are visiting from Michigan, and I cannot wait to squeeze them as soon as I get home this afternoon!

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Whirlwind Week and a Warning

Y'all, I've been wanting to blog for days now, but it's been such a crazy week, I just don't know what to start with! I guess I'll start with this whirlwind week thing!
Last week, I attended a PLL viewing party, went to Carowinds with John and two precious Clemson couples, had dinner with my family and two other families I've known forever, attended a surprise birthday party in Charleston, celebrated a wedding in North Carolina, moved out of my old Clemson apartment, and celebrated my cousin's tenth birthday. 
Whew! Here are a few pictures of said fun events:

Birthday girl Sandwich with Christine and Leslie- the other two in the Early Childhood Three Amigas!

If the beautiful birthday girl looks familiar to you, it's probably because she's a blogger, too! Christine started her blog Seashells and Magnolias this summer, and it is as precious as she is. Christine's mom texted me a few months ago and asked if I could come to Charleston and surprise her on her 21st birthday, and I've been looking forward to it ever since! Her mama is adorable (which should come as no surprise, because Christine had to get it somewhere!) and she and her husband, Christine's dad, planned the whole evening perfectly. 

We surprised Christine and had dinner at High Cotton- a beautiful and delicious restaurant downtown. After thanking her parents for such a generous dinner, fifteen to twenty of Christine's friends and I headed to the bars. I think my favorite was the Pavilion Bar on top of the Market Pavilion Hotel. I mean, look at this gorgeous view: 

See that pretty white building? That's the Customs House! I just love Charleston's history.

I left early the next morning to get back for two of my dear friends' wedding, which was held about an hour away from home at the beautiful Dennis Vineyards. I've known the groom since we were kids in Sunday School together, and the bride was my freshman roommate at Wofford. Knowing how genuine these two are apart, and then seeing how genuine their love for one another is... Well, let's just say the waterworks were flowing that night. 

Since the bride and groom graduated from high school with John and me, we got to experience a little class reunion! So fun! 

On Sunday, it was another early morning. John and I drove to Clemson so I could move all my stuff out of my old apartment. Like most people, I hate the process of moving. So tedious and annoying. Thankfully, John's dad helped move all the big stuff, like my couch and bed! Yay for future in-laws! :) 
After successfully getting everything into my storage unit, we headed to Spartanburg and celebrated another birthday- my cousin's tenth! His party was Hunger Games themed, and wow was it thorough! Everything, from the food to the tables were labeled and themed! I love how dedicated he is to party planning; even when he was little he loved to go "all out!" 

Most of our "cousins club" plus our significant others! 

If you've made it through that recap, I applaud you! Gosh, it wears me out just thinking of all that! Thankfully, I've had a bit of a slower week this week, so I've had time to work on wedding stuff... 

Which leads me to my warning! After lots of contemplation, I decided I'm definitely going to keep y'all in the wedding loop! I read one of Sarah's posts where she mentioned this post from Kay, and everything clicked. 

I wouldn't be my authentic self if I didn't post about wedding stuff; I LOVE weddings! Gosh, now that John and I are planning our own, I need to seize this opportunity to talk about weddings and not sound crazy!!! In fact, I'm actually connected to a community of wedding bloggers, through Southern Weddings, AKA my favorite of all favorites. 

So there you have it. Expect a lot more wedding posts in the super-near future. About how John and I have picked a venue, set a date, and found our ceremony officiant. (All of that? True stuff. Told ya I've been busy!) 
 photo blogsigpng_zpscb1d9054.png