Partayy!!!

As some of you may know, this past Saturday was our long-awaited Engagement Party!  (I think there were some issues with Facebook invites, because I know a lot of people that we invited who said they never saw notice of it, so sorry to you all!)  It was a great night of celebrating and bringing families together.

Bride & Groom!

James' mom and aunt were amazing as they put on the whole thing--food, decoration, ambience and all--and it was soo beautiful!  We even got some sweet gifts, which we weren't expecting at all.  I really love all of our friends and family, and I love spending time with everyone at once, which means a lot coming from someone who hates being the center of attention.  It just makes me even more excited for the Big Day to finally get here so we can all party together again....

Dad and 2 of his 3 son-in-law's.

The cutest little flag I ever did see, marking which house it was!

Wedding Bells!

**And for anyone paying attention, I GOT MY DRESS yesterday!  I went back to David's Bridal with one of my Bridesmaids, Oanh, to get her dress picked out, but I ended up trying on MY dress again and we knew immediately that it was the one.  I got compliments from everyone in the store and I think my smile was about 100% bigger this time around.  We rang the bell, took all the pictures, and sent away for it.  I go in for my first fitting in 6 weeks, woo hoo!!

March-ing On... photos updates and stuff.

Amidst any and all wedding planning I've been getting to spend a lot of time with some pretty great people lately.  Sadly I don't have very many pictures, but I guess that's what memory's are for.

A few weeks ago I went to my friend Amy's birthday party.  We had a nice dinner at her house, then went to a movie theater in Pasadena where we got to sit in reclining chairs with fleece blankets and food/bar service at the push of a button(!!).  We watched Amanda Seyfried in "Gone," and while it was kind of cheesy, it was still a great time with some lovely ladies.

I've also been getting to spend more and more time reconnecting with my dear friends Katy and April.

Melissa and I, on the hunt for a great bridesmaid dress...

The Huber daughters (-1) cooking lunch for Jamanda, Travis, and Melissa.  What a treat to get to see Jody again for the first time in almost a year!

I have meltdowns, he burrows.  

Wedding planning is a little overwhelming sometimes, I'm just glad it's not consuming us anymore...

On St. Patty's day James and I traveled out to Riverside to celebrate his Grandpa's birthday at Creola's.  I got to meet a lot of his extended family and also have really yummy food!

As for us, this week we've booked our DJ, registered/picked out the Groom/Groomsmen attire, planned out our rehearsal dinner, checked out hotel blocks, and on Thursday we are meeting with a travel agent to discuss our honeymoon plans! I don't want to speak too soon, but I think that's the thing we're most excited for in this whole process.

We were supposed to have our engagement photo session this weekend, but due to the REALLY WEIRD rainy/windy/dry weather we had to cancel them.  Luckily, my best friend and Maid of Honor rocks at photography so she saved the day.  More on that later.  Next weekend is filled with some pretty exciting things, so I'm sure you'll be hearing from me again very soon.... Happy Monday!

Wedding Politics (and Leaders)

So yesterday we had a great breakthrough; we finally found our venue!  We have always wanted to have the ceremony at the church, but we could not find the perfect place for a reception, until now.  I don't think we're going to disclose it just yet (sorry!) due to the wonderful, wedding politics.  I had heard a lot about these, but it wasn't until I was engaged that I realize how oppressive they are.  Whether it's making final decisions, creating a manageable guest list, or even just idealizing the day, SO much goes into each choice, and it creates a lovely web of intricate complications.

If it was up to me (you're thinking, It is, isn't it? actually, no..), I would invite everyone, but alas, budgets and family relationships and dates and times limit everything.  I guess all I'm trying to say is, if you're reading this, you're probably someone I want to invite, but if you never see an invite, it's only because of wedding politics, not because of anything personal.
BLlleeeeeehhhHhHhhgggghh.   -_____-

On a brighter note, aside from the fact that we booked a venue last night, we also picked our officiant!  It was a bit of a tough decision (again, wedding politics! We have SO many great pastors in our lives!), but I am proud (and extremely overjoyed) to announce that Jeff Levine will be officiating our wedding!  Even before James and I moved up to The Fold (the young adults/post college group) we had enjoyed Jeff and Lauren's friendship, but once we moved up we grew even closer.  Jeff and Lauren are a couple that we admire for their kindness, genuineness, honesty, and for the way that they incorporate God into their marriage.  We love how real they are, and we have always had respect for them for that, even if sometimes we think they're kind of quirky.  ;]  As we continue with The Fold and as we grow in marriage we know that Jeff and Lauren will be there to help and support us, and we couldn't be happier about that.  Great advice, great cooking tips (kudos, Lauren!), and a lot of great times ahead, I'm sure of it.

(On a side note, this past weekend Jeff and Lauren helped us organize and execute our first day of registry shopping.  We spent a few hours at Macy's, then returned home where Lauren gave me a thorough rundown of her kitchen basics/necessities, and then taught me how to make her spaghetti carbonara in minutes.  It was delicious!  The meal was coupled with some great pre-marital advice, and James and I both left their house smiling from ear to ear.)

 Cheers, to finalizing a lot of stressful decisions, and to great friendships!

Wedding Blues

It's been exactly two weeks since we've gotten engaged and let me tell you, it's been a busy two weeks.  We have been planning up the yin-yang and though it's something enjoyable to do together (practice for marriage, or so I'm told) it's really exhausting, and sometimes awfully defeating.

Since I'm pretty sure hardly anyone reads this blog, I'm okay posting specifics on here, because I don't think it will give too much away.  The wedding is going to be in August, so I'm going for warm, end-of-summer colors, and attire that will be suitable for the weather.  Just yesterday it was 91 degrees in San Diego, and this gave us a grim reminder of how hot it could be on our special day...

My color scheme.

Groomsmen attire, as opposed to heavy, black tuxedoes.

We have settled on our ideal date, picked our bridal party and colors, hired our wedding coordinator, planned an engagement party, created a wedding website, settled on our perfect honeymoon, and I am going dress shopping in two weeks!  We are also currently drudging through the process of finding the ideal location for our reception--why does everything have to be so expensive?!  Sometimes it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel... we are going to be married at the end of all of this, right?

I guess I just have a case of pre-wedding blues, or maybe engagement blues is the better term.  Luckily for me, I have the best partner in the world, fully ready and willing to help me with any and all of the planning, from making phone calls and excel spreadsheets, to giving me a massage when I'm overwhelmed.  There really is a lot of joy and excitement in the process, it just tends to get clouded some days...