Catching Up, Part II

The second half of this week was definitely just as exciting and busy as the first! It all began on Tuesday morning when I woke with a start--for some reason I had a feeling that I had slept through something very important. Thankfully I had not missed a crucial appointment, meeting, or wedding event, but if hadn't woken at that very moment I most certainly would have! I had slept straight through my alarm and was in danger of missing my dentist appointment, which was all the way back in my hometown, about 2 hours from the city! As quickly as possible, I cleaned up, topped off the Buick's gas tank, and rushed home. Despite some massive construction delays, I managed to slide into the appointment a mere 7 minutes late--whew! To make matters worse, though, the previous night I had fallen asleep with crest white strips firmly adhered to my chompers, so my entire mouth was sensitive and sore :-( Thankfully Dr. Henderson assured me that I hadn't permanently damaged my teeth and in a few short days they'd be as good as new! I left his office feeling clean, sparkly, but yes, a bit more sore. 

After my dentist appointment I met up with Mom and we perused a local gift shop for some one-of-a-kind gifts for my Aunt Katie & Cousin Laura who are hosting the upcoming Bridesmaids' Tea. They've spent so much time planning this wonderful afternoon get-together, and I just know it will be absolutely amazing! I literally cannot wait to celebrate with my girls! We found the perfect gifts, which I'll conveniently omit in case they decide to read ;-), and then proceeded on to Fleming, where we unsuccessfully searched for more candles but did find a beautiful handkerchief to complete my wedding day ensemble! After grabbing a quick bite of lunch with Mom, we headed to my dress fitting and bustling appointment. I hadn't had my gown on since early November (I know, very risky, wasn't it?!) and I was worried that it may be too big, too small, or just wouldn't flatter me the way it had the day we bought it. To my excitement--and amazement!--the gown fit wonderfully! It was a bit looser than November, but not dramatically so, which allowed us to avoid alterations! Hooray! The gown actually felt perfect, and looked even more beautiful, than the day we found each other! It coaxed a smile out of my little cheeks that just wouldn't go away! Having my gown on again made the wedding day seem even closer, and all the more exciting, too! My Mom & Ms. Donna, both of whom are sewing specialists, created a gorgeous Triple French Bustle which was more beautiful than the pictures I had fallen in love with earlier this month. I really began to feel that things were coming together and knowing that my dress was ready was an amazing feeling :-)

After "Bustle Time," Mom & I headed to another local store to pick up more candles, lighters (for the sparklers), and gifts for the little ones. As some of you already know, we're having 10 youngsters in our wedding (my little cousins and a couple close family friends), and we're calling this special group "The Parade of Sweeties!" These little dolls will be ringing bells and carrying signs during our ceremony, so we wanted to ensure we had fun and cute little gifts for them. Stay tuned to see their gifts--again, I don't want to ruin the surprise for their Mommies who may be reading ;-). After a long day of wedding tasks, Mom & I collapsed at home, where, I hate to admit it, I fell asleep sitting straight up! Ha! Wedding planning sure can take it out of you!

Although it was Independence Day, Mom & I made Wednesday our Natural Bridge day. We left home pretty early that morning and arrived with tape measure, paper, and pencil in tow, poised to work! We immediately began measuring the enormous fireplace, mantle, and hearth in the Woodland Center, which will be one of the major focal points of the room. We plan to fill the entire fireplace with gorgeous candles that will cast an amazing glow on the whole room. We then spent a couple hours perfecting the room layout and determining where we'd place guest tables, our sweetheart table, gift table, favor table, etc. When all the dust had settled we had devised the perfect layout! Needless to say, I was extremely relieved that we would be able to easily accommodate all 210 guests, with plenty of space to spare! Have no fear my dancing friends, there will be a generous dance floor, which Darling Fiance' & I plan to take full advantage of! I was also thoroughly pleased to see that the park had extensively power-washed our wooden walkway. We'll have such a fresh clean space for the big day :-)

After the Natural Bridge work-off, we made a quick stop at the grocery store to pick up some last minute grilling necessities, as it's a family tradition to celebrate the fourth with fresh grilled burgers & dogs! Darling Fiance', who had the day off from work, had driven down to celebrate with us, and together we shouldered all the cooking responsibilities for this year's festivities! First, we prepared this AMAZING summer dessert called "Red, White, and Blueberry Shortcakes," which consisted of layers of homemade shortcake, strawberries, blueberries, and light whipped cream--yum! I wish now that I had taken a picture to share with you--it honestly was as beautiful as it was delicious! Then, I created a unique burger chock-full of seasonings and spices--after all, there's nothing I hate more than bland beef. A mixture of ketchup, mustard, worcestershire sauce, steak seasoning, Cajun seasoning, and minced onion made for one amazing burger! We, or rather Darling Fiance', also grilled smoked sausages and franks. While I did all the prep work, my sweetheart cranked up the grill and actually cooked all the food himself! I was so proud! Unfortunately, though, due to this year's drought, we weren't able to enjoy fireworks, but instead we watched the NYC display on TV, which was definitely still fun! It was just great to spend time together on the last holiday before the wedding! Family time is, after all, so, so important!

Thursday morning Mom & I prepared test batches of our family cookie recipes which we'll be baking for our guests as wedding favors. Thankfully, we discovered one error in the molasses cookie recipe, and were able to correct it before the big day! We then calculated just how many batches of each recipe we'll need to prepare. As we'll be giving out four different cookies, we will have to cook six batches of each recipe! That's over 800 cookies! Thank goodness we'll be using a commercial-grade kitchen and will have many hands to help with the baking! That day promises to be an exhausting one, I think! Ha! I can't complain though, I adore baking and it was my idea to give cookie favors--sorry Mom! ;-)

Thursday afternoon I enjoyed watching my sweet nephew, Eli, as well as our Pretty Puppy while Sweet Sister was busy at work. The day literally flew by, and before I realized it, it was 5 o'clock and time for Mom & Dad to celebrate a very special milestone. July 5 is their wedding anniversary, and this year they have been married 36 years! Isn't that amazing?! To celebrate, I encouraged them to go out for dinner while I watched Papdad. Thankfully, they took me up on my offer and enjoyed a much-needed date night, which I was beyond happy about! I wish they could do that more often, but one date night is at least a start!

Friday morning it was all about the cookie recipe booklets--Mom & I worked on binding the cute keepsakes for a couple hours before I realized I needed to pack up and head to Pretty Puppy's Vet Appointment. After two painful weeks, it was finally time to have her spay stitches removed! That was such a happy moment, I can't even properly articulate my relief! It has been SO difficult to keep her from agitating her wound, let alone from running! Needless to say, Friday afternoon was one of the calmest in what seemed like an eternity! After the vet appointment, I headed back to Lex where I emailed all of our vendors the final reception room layout, wedding day timeline, etc. Then, I dashed over to Michael's to pick up more ribbon and other wedding necessities before spending a fun evening with my Darling Fiance'. This was perhaps our last date night before the wedding--which made me think, was "The Amazing Spiderman" the last movie we'll ever see as single people? If so, it was definitely a good one to mark the milestone with!

Finally, Saturday arrived and brought with it another full day of beautiful wedding chaos! Early in the morning, Darling Fiance' helped me scan all of my baby pictures into the computer, which was quite an accomplishment! Now all I have to do is arrange them into our powerpoint, which will still require a couple hours of work, but at least we're halfway done with that project! I've included a couple sneak peeks below which may help tide you over until wedding day!

Following the scanning ordeal, we headed out to get Darling Fiance's final hair trim and stopped to pick up our program paper. Both went splendidly, which left me plenty of time to get ready for my lunch date with Sabrina. We enjoyed catching up briefly over salad & tea before I had to rush off to my makeup trial run. Now that was a fun, fun part of the day :-) Caroline, my makeup artist, is an absolute sweetheart and captured my wedding vision better than I could have imagined! Let's just say you may be seeing some touches of old-Hollywood glamour on July 14th ;-)! 

After the trial run, Darling Fiance' & I headed to my friend Leah's beautiful downtown wedding. She and her fiance' married in a gorgeous Methodist church in what I would classify as a speedy ceremony (think 15 minutes!), and then met us all at The Round Barn for the reception. Leah looked radiant in a mermaid style silk gown with lace overlay while Jordan sported a gray suit and navy tie! Very dapper, indeed! Below are a couple snap shots of the day, which was filled with navy dresses, hot pink rose bouquets, 100 degree weather (boo!) and mason jars galore (yay!). Thanks to Leah & Jordan for allowing us to share in their special day!

Beautiful Church Decor

Reception Tables

Darling Fiance' & I Enjoying the Reception

Leah & Jordan's Pretty Sweetheart Table

Toasts and Cake Cutting

First Dance as a Married Couple!

Our Friends Michael & Cara

I must admit, though, more than once Darling Fiance' & I looked over at each other tonight and just couldn't believe that the next weeding we'll be attending will be ours! We can't wait!

Til Next Time...

Hugs & Kisses,

A Southern Sweetheart