I'm Alive!

It has been a very long time since my last update. The firm where I work had another round of layoffs and the good news is I made it through another round. The bad news is that I got transferred to a different group where I am insanely busy every second of every day. I am exhausted by the time I come home from work - hence, why the updates have been few and very far in between. The plus side is I feel like I have a lot more job security - which is great!

Now on to wedding related news...

The bridesmaid dresses have come in. The flower girl dresses are in. The paper for our DIY invitations have come in so we can start printing those bad-boys up soon. We bought the gifts for our bridal party (well, most of them anyway).

My dress has finally come in and I am going for my first fitting in about three weeks. I have scheduled my hair trial for earlier that day.

That is all for now! I just wanted to briefly update anyone who follows. No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth (at least not yet)! :)

Third Time is a Charm!

Or in our case - third choice is a charm.

Brian and I haven't been indecisive about too many things relating to the wedding. Much of what we have chosen thus far was relatively easy. We both have essentially the same vision for the day and everything else has fallen into place smoothly.

My facebook status a few weeks back said something to the effect that picking a first dance song has been the hardest part of wedding planning. My sentiments are still the same. Our initial choice for our first dance song was changed when we realized that there was no way that we could comfortably dance to it. We then settled on a different song that was beautiful but not really "us". So now - our third (and FINAL) choice is "Pistol" by Dustin Kensrue. It isn't a cookie-cutter first dance song or a popular Top 40 artist but it is a bit funny and contains a whole lot of truth and sentimentality. Brian played it for me a year or two back and it has stuck with us and we're finally content with our first dance song. Thankfully, the Amish Outlaws are a bunch of the nicest guys one would ever meet and have been overly patient with us as we changed our minds again and again.

Here are the lyrcis:

I love how you curse when I wake you up
And sweetly demand that I fill your cup.
Your smile or your cool gun powder glare
Honey, you lay me bare.

You're the girl of my dreams
And a pistol it seems,
but you shoot me straight and true
Time to lay down my bets,
Oh, I put all my money on you.

When I'm in the dark, girl, you bring me to light.
It seems like you're almost always right.
So keep boxing my ears when I sew them shut.
Baby, you sure are tough.

You're the girl of my dreams
And a pistol it seems,
but you shoot me straight and true
Time to lay down my fears,
Honey, I feel so safe around you.

If the tiller man taught me anything,
It's that a hard-headed woman is what I need.
To help me to always do my best.
Baby, my life is blessed.

You're the girl of my dreams
Darling, please wear this ring.
You're an angel through and through.
Time to lay down my life,
Honey, I'd do it gladly for you.

Time to lay down my life,
Honey, I'd do it gladly for you.

Here is the video (though ours will be performed by the Amish Outlaws):

Ever the Same

FINALLY!

We have finally picked our first dance song. We really came down to the wire on this one as our band is learning the song so they can perform it for us and they needed to know well in advance. Our first choice (Red Hot Chili Peppers - Hard to Concentrate) didn't quite work out because really, how the heck were we supposed to dance to that? So, this was a song we had in mind in the beginning and stuck with us throughout the tedious song selection process.

The notable thing about this song is that Rob Thomas wrote it for his wife who was suffering from an illness at the time. She has since recovered but the expression of love within the song itself is really remarkable. It isn't all mushy gushy (let's face it - that just isn't "us") but it is romantic in its own right. I'm pretty excited about it.

Here are the lyrics to Ever the Same, by Rob Thomas:

We were drawn from the weeds
We were brave like soldiers
Falling down under the pale moonlight
You were holding to me
Like a someone broken
And I couldn't tell you but I'm telling you now

Just let me hold you while you're falling apart
Just let me hold you and we'll both fall down

Fall on me
Tell me everything you want me to be
Forever with you forever in me
Ever the same

We would stand in the wind
We were free like water
Flowing down
Under the warmth of the sun
Now it's cold and we're scared
And we've both been shaken
Hey, look at us
Man, this doesn't need to be the end

Just let me hold you while you're falling apart
Just let me hold you and we'll both fall down

Fall on me
Tell me everything you want me to be
Forever with you
Forever in me
Ever the same

Call on me
I'll be there for you and you'll be there for me
Forever it's you
Forever in me
Ever the same

You may need me there
To carry all your weight
But you're no burden I assure
You tide me over
With a warmth I'll not forget
But I can only give you love

Fall on me tell me everything you want me to be
Forever with you
Forever in me
Ever the same
Call on me
I'll be there for you and you'll be there for me
Forever it's you
Forever in me
Ever the same

Forever with you
Forever in me
Ever the same (Ever the same)

Wedding Day Jewelry

I was very excited to mark another check off of my list for the wedding (ok, maybe a partial check because I still need to get a headpiece whether it be a veil or comb). As a combination Valentine's Day, birthday and wedding gift - Brian gave me the most beautiful pearl necklace and matching earrings. It will match my dress perfectly which is funny given that he has yet to see it. So, my wedding day jewelry will be the following (the necklace, earrings and my engagement ring and wedding band):

We were also able to pick up Brian's wedding band this weekend (although I couldn't take a decent picture of it - this is my best shot):

Almost a Year's Worth of Wedding Planning Experience!

At the end of this month, Brian and I will be engaged for a year and have about seven months to go before the wedding. The last few weeks have been productive as far as wedding planning goes and we're thankful to have a few less things to worry about.

Brian picked out his wedding band from Omega Fine Jewelry in Ramsey, New Jersey. We will be picking it up this weekend so I can post pictures next week.

We reserved a block of rooms at the Comfort Inn & Suites in Nanuet, New York for our out-of-town guests and friends.

We have booked bridal party transportation and a hotel shuttle for guests of the hotel to and from Patriot Hills with Royal Crown Limousine.

We designed the save-the-dates ourselves and are having them printed through VistaPrint. We did standard postcards with travel information on the back. Hopefully we will get them back soon so they will be in our guests' hands by the end of February. Here is a picture of the front of the postcard:

I had my makeup trial with Christine of Color Makeup Studio and booked her on the spot. She did a wonderful job and when she was done, I still felt and looked like "me" - just a slightly more upscale version. Apparently I wasn't in the picture taking mood that day as all but one picture taken that day came out pretty terrible! Here is a picture taken a few hours (ok, seven hours) after the trial:

Unfortunately you can't really catch the details from this far away but she did focus a lot on my eyes and it showed.

The moms have picked out and ordered their dresses. My mom is going with a Daymour Couture (Style Number 3001) in aubergine. Here is a photo of the dress in champagne:

Brian's mom is going with a David's Bridal (Style Number 34382) in brown. Here is a picture of the dress in eggplant:

We made our first appointment with a florist (Dykstra Florist) for Saturday, February 21st. I finally know what colors I would like for the flowers and hope that someone, somewhere is within our budget!

Charcoal, Champagne, Ivory and Blush

A big concern in planning the wedding so far has been my color scheme. When I found my dress - I fell in love with it in the light gold color thinking that it gave the dress an antique and elegant feel. Add that to the fact that I was pretty set on having charcoal grey bridesmaid dresses and it all threw me for a loop when it came time to narrow down a color theme.

I tend to be attracted to muted and subtle color combinations and I have finally found one that I am happy with. Our colors will be charcoal grey, champagne, ivory/white and blush pink. The pink will be used very sparingly in our bouquets and on the paper products. I don't think I could have gotten Brian to agree otherwise. Here are the colors side by side (our grey is a tad bit darker than what is shown here):

Our Honeymoon Location is Picked!

Initially we were just going to do a mini-moon for a few days after the wedding. However, Brian and I do short trips (long weekends) all the time and we wanted our trip after the wedding to be different. We sat down and talked about where we would want to go if money were no object (which it certainly is but it can't hurt to dream, right?) We both really wanted to go to Hawaii and were concerned that with our limited budget, we wouldn't be able to. We reached out to Rhonda at Travel by VIP (recommended highly on the Knot's honeymoon board) and she put together a package for us that far exceeded our expectations.

Before I get into any details on the trip, I just want to insert a plug here for Rhonda. I was a bit hesitant at first to work with a travel agent, let alone one that predominantly does her business on-line and not face-to-face. We gave it a shot anyway and am so glad that we did. Within hours of my initial email inquiry, she responded back with some very helpful information, collecting details of exactly what we wanted and got started putting together packages right away. She's very friendly, attentive and has kept us updated every step of the way. We have no hesitations going forward and feel as though we are in good hands. If anyone is in search of a travel agent, I would suggest at the very least dropping Rhonda a note and seeing what she can do for you. Her email address is Rhonda@travelbyvip.com. Travel by VIP does not charge you for helping put together your honeymoon package - they get paid directly by the resorts.

Now on to the really good stuff...

We are getting married on a Saturday and have allowed ourselves a day to recover. We leave on an early flight Monday morning, have a brief layover in Phoenix and arrive in Maui at 2:23PM in the afternoon (which is really 7:23PM EST). We will be staying at the Royal Lahaina Resort on Kaanapali Beach for five days.

We will then be staying for five days on Hawaii's Big Island at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort on the Kona Coast.

In 8 months and 13 days, we'll be on our way!

Bridesmaid Dresses Picked Out!

After much consideration, we have narrowed down the choices for the bridesmaids dresses. The girls had their choice of floor-length gowns from Bill Levkoff in european satin material and the color European Grey. These are the current front runners for each of the girls:

We will be ordering the dresses from Helen Bohn as well. I got my gown there and was able to get a discount for the girls.