The Day of Days...Part I: Getting Ready

Saturday, July 14, 2012, at the bright-and-early hour of 6 a.m., I woke to the sound of frying eggs and giggling children romping in our neighboring cabin. While their early-morning antics on any other day may have frustrated me, on this particular morning they simply made me grin. Their pure joy was so sweet, so innocent, so...real! After all the blood-pressure rising to-do lists, the sound of their laughter set the perfect tone for our wedding day--pure, unabashed joy! As I lingered in bed, soaking in the sounds of happy children, I slowly breathed in every emotion, every smell, every thought, because today, finally, was our wedding day, and I intended to remember every beautiful detail of it! After several moments of reflection and meditation, I crawled out of bed, donned my fluffy cotton slippers, and surprised my parents with a letter from their soon-to-be-married daughter. I'll never forget the looks of love and bitter-sweet emotion on their faces as they read my heartfelt thank you's to them! I understood that while they were elated for us, they were also a bit, well, sad to be losing their baby. Feeling a bit of the same emotion, I could no longer restrain the tears, and immediately felt them trickle down my cheek. It was at that moment that I realized I was embarking on a new adventure in life, one that would undoubtedly be filled with exciting new memories, challenges, and triumphs. But this time, my adventures would involve a man other than my father. Sensing his sadness, I desperately wanted to explain to my sweet Daddy that I would always, always be his little girl. As we exchanged big bear hugs, as we have my entire life, I believe he understood me completely.

Our emotional morning was interrupted by a swift knock at the door from our wonderful hair stylist, who had arrived right-on-time to begin fluffing the locks of both my future-mother-in-law and mother. As the ladies chatted excitedly about the day ahead, I hopped in the shower to prepare for my own pampering sessions. Just as I was slipping into my gorgeous silk Victoria's Secret "Bride" robe from my dear friend and bridesmaid, Jennifer, our little cabin was greeted by several other guests--all of my bridesmaids and some of their family members. Each lovely lady took her turn in the "hair chair" while I finished my wedding vows to Darling Fiance'. Finally, it was my turn! Just as the hair magician coaxed my tresses into the perfect shape, our wonderful photographers arrived--Mary & Gabe of Honey Heart Photography! Ever the sweet couple, Mary & Gabe seemed genuinely excited for our big day, which made my own excitement grow even more! It was suddenly feeling quite...real! It was the day Darling Fiance' and I had been longing for for almost two years, and everything felt utterly perfect. Around 1 pm, with the day speeding along ever too quickly, my friend and makeup artist, Caroline, arrived. Some of you may remember that Caroline and I had concocted a secret makeup look that would only be revealed on the wedding day. Well, the time had finally arrived, and as Caroline painted on a gorgeous, "old-Hollywood-esque" bold red lip, my friends and family members were beyond shocked! They simply couldn't believe how "daring, yet breathtaking" I looked, which was my exact goal! At that moment I felt like (yes, I know it sounds cliche') a true princess. After all, I was surrounded with my dearest friends and family members, was being styled to the nines, and would shortly marry my very own prince-charming. What a very, very blessed Bride I was!

I believe Mary & Gabe captured my joy perfectly in our "getting ready" photos, a few of which are included below.

My Fun Reception Headpiece!

My "Bride's Bible" from Mom & Dad!

Our Vows (yes, they're on notebook paper--a tribute to our meeting at college!)

In the midst of our red-lip extravaganza, our wedding videographers, Bryan and Lisa Manis of Manis Productions, sneaked in just in time to capture my wedding day look! (Stay tuned for a posting of the highlight video, which should arrive sometime in November!) Next came the gorgeous flowers! Erica of Hide and Seek Designs first brought in the cream-colored bouquets, which were nestled adorably in the cutest orange delivery boxes! Each girl would carry a bouquet made of only one flower type that was unique to her. This created a soft, romantic look with one girl carrying soft white tulips, one girl carrying ranunculus, and so on. My bouquet was also all-white, and was filled with lush cabbage roses. (Sadly, my dream peonies just couldn't be found anywhere in the United States due to the harsh summer drought. So, my second-choice-cabbage-roses seamlessly stepped in, and my day, I believe, was just as perfect as it would have been with those elusive peonies!) Next, Erica and her husband delivered the guys' boutonnieres, which perfectly matched each girl's bouquet. Below are a few images of our gorgeous wedding-day petals (Thanks Erica!!!).

Next, it was on to the Woodland Center, where my bridesmaids and I would take our pre-ceremony photographs. Due to the slight drizzle that had settled on Natural Bridge, we chose to drive my wedding gown over to the Center, where I would dress in the safety of a clean, dry room! As I slipped into my lovely wedding gown, with my mother and sister tucked carefully at my side, I was overcome with emotion. Struggling to hold back the tears, I knew that at that very moment we were making a once-in-a-lifetime memory. As Mom and Sissy carefully secured each sparkly bridal button, my heart fluttered. I tried desperately to open my eyes wide, to take in everything around me, just as I had done earlier that morning. In an instant, they were finished, and I was now fully a bride. As I turned to face my sweet Mother and Sister, I grabbed them both in an embrace that I hoped would say everything that my choked-up throat wouldn't let me utter.

Meanwhile, outside, as the rain drizzled down harder and harder, my prayers for clear weather went up faster and faster! And then, just as I was praying, the rain stopped! The girls and I hustled outside to take our photos, and just as we were finishing up, the rain resumed. My hopes for an outdoor ceremony were dimmed ever so slightly. But, I reminded myself, there iss still hope for a rain-free ceremony! After our pictures, my bridesmaids headed back to the cabin to relax while Mom & I stayed in the Woodland Center. (It was simply too risky to transport my gown back and forth in the rain.) And so, the minutes before our marriage ceremony continued to flutter by...

Frantic Friday

Friday morning I awoke to the sound of soothing rain drops. An avid water-lover, I lounged in bed for a few brief moments, relishing the peaceful melody before realizing that today was not the best of days for "Mr. Rain" to visit. No, most certainly not! In fact, today was perhaps one of the worst possible days for rain, because today we were transporting decor from Lexington to the Bridge--including chairs! As I threw back the curtains to discover a washed-out gray sky and a heavy, consistent pour, I knew that we were all in for a very long, soppy day. "Better today than tomorrow," I thought & whispered a quick prayer that the clouds would empty before our big day. After a quick shower I greeted Katie, who had apparently been awake for much longer than I. She had already been a very busy bee that morning and had loaded the entire enormous mountain of wedding decor into her spacious SUV. Relieved and unspeakably grateful, I began gathering all of my beauty necessities, and together we loaded the final items into my car, including THE dress! While both Katie & I were soaked, my gorgeous gown had remained safe and protected in its neat little bag--what a relief!

After loading both vehicles, I had two errands to run before Katie & I headed to the Bridge--a stop at Miles' Salon for my wedding-day spray tan (yes, in the pouring rain!) & a trip to Martine's to pick up Darling Fiance's surprise Groom's Cake. Thankfully, the salon visit went surprisingly well! I was fortunate enough to snag a parking spot just outside the main entrance, which minimized my rain exposure and left me with a spot- and streak-free golden glow! As I parked outside of the bakery, though, I realized that there was simply no way for me to enter unscathed, so instead I called Martine who was kind enough to bring the safely-wrapped cake right out to my car! What a sweetheart!

Finally, we were off to the Bridge! The entire hour-long commute was unfortunately plagued with a torrential downpour, so upon arriving at the Bridge, we carefully unloaded the Groom's Cake before seeking shelter in the Woodland Center. Now, for those of you familiar with spray tans, you'll recall that post-airbrush, one's skin must remain dry for at least 8 hours to ensure a beautiful result. Hence our dilemma--Katie & I had two fully-loaded vehicles and no one to help us unload them. Wanting to look my best for wedding day (and not wanting to waste the money I had paid for my tan!), I suggested that we instead begin decorating the Woodland Center. Katie insisted though, that she could begin the unloading process while I began decorating. And so, we worked. Tables were arranged, podiums & wall-hangings were hidden away, and the fireplace was cleaned. Before long Tiff arrived with more tables, and shortly thereafter Mom & Pat arrived with the final decor items! By 1 pm, the five of us were finally making some progress in the Woodland Center! The only problem? Darling Fiance' & his groomsmen had met Uncle Gary, who was supplying a trailer, earlier that morning to pick up our rental chairs & linens. Unfortunately, though, they still hadn't returned to the Bridge, which meant that we were now running behind! To make matters worse, though, I hadn't heard from Darling Fiance' all day and was unable to reach him on his cell. I anxiously began worrying that something had gone wrong on their trip...

In an attempt to keep my mind off my fears (and to stay on track!), the "Fab Five" began bagging all 1,200 of those delicious handmade cookies! Mid-bagging, we were surprised with the arrival of reinforcements! Darling Fiance's mother, grandmother, and two great-aunts had come to offer their assistance! Hooray! As we were training the women in our bagging technique, the door to the Woodland Center flung open and I was delighted to see my Darling Fiance' and his guys! Having been worried, I asked what had taken them so long and was saddened to hear that because of the rain they had spent several hours tracking down tarps & loading the chairs, all while fighting the elements in order to make it back to the Bridge. The guys were all thoroughly soaked, so after they unloaded the chairs we sent them off to prepare for the rehearsal.

After finishing the bagging, the 1,200 cookies were finally arranged on their own table in beautiful baskets galore! What a sight that was--mounds of homemade cookies in hand-stamped muslin bags all piled high in my mother's heirloom baskets! At that moment it all somehow felt very sentimental to me...we were getting married and we had all of our closest family members helping us along the way! Just as tears began to well up in my eyes, Mom & Tiff began scooting me out of the Woodland Center, insisting that I leave early to cleanup before the rehearsal. I resisted at first, worrying that we wouldn't finish decorating in time if I left early, but finally succumbed to their persistence, realizing that a stinky Bride probably wouldn't win a lot of smiles at the rehearsal!

After a quick shower, some makeup, and several minutes with a head-full of hot rollers, I felt like a new woman! Unfortunately, though, the weather wasn't doing anything new as the clouds continued to burst open, dumping their contents onto the beautiful woodlands surrounding our cabin. I knew then that the rehearsal would simply have to take place in the Woodland Center, and, disappointed, began heading in that direction. Papaw & Pastor Charlie were both already there, along with most of the bridesmaids, groomsmen, and the "Parade of Sweeties," when I arrived. Rayna, our day-of-coordinator, and her two assistants, had also already arrived, bringing with them the four extra table linens that had been mistakenly left at Purdon's earlier that day (long story!). While I was thrilled to see all of my loved ones together, to be honest, I was a bit overwhelmed and stressed during the rehearsal. The Woodland Center was nowhere near ready for the big day, the weather forecast was looking decidedly gloomy, and I hadn't spent any "couple time" with Darling Fiance' in over two weeks! (And by "couple time" I mean having a conversation longer than 10 minutes alone!) Not to mention the fact that some of my helpers had strong opinions about the decor, and had even told me several times to "calm down" that day, which made me feel absolutely the opposite of calm! Looking back, I realize that each and every person who worked tirelessly to help us had the absolute best of intentions, but during those tense moments, I just couldn't believe that my loved ones were actually almost arguing with me about the decor for OUR wedding! All of this tension suddenly made me want to cry, and by the end of the rehearsal, which was supposed to be carefree and fun, tears were once again filling my eyes. I pulled Darling Fiance' aside, requesting that he ride with me to the rehearsal dinner so that we could talk, but before we made it out of the parking lot, I had a breakdown. Yes, a full-out, cry-like-a-baby breakdown. At that moment it had all become just a bit too much for me. I wanted nothing more than to hide away in the cabin with Darling Fiance', Mom, and Dad while all the others enjoyed the rehearsal dinner. But then, there was a knock at the car window. Mom & Dad were standing there, beaming at me, so I tried to wipe away the tears before rolling down the window. Instantly realizing that I had been crying, their smiles dropped and they began probing. Finally, I explained. Saying just what I needed to hear, in their typical wisdom-filled parent fashion, they reminded me that "today was simply the storm before tomorrow's rainbow." This, I will not lie, made me grin! Pulling myself together, I realized that my wonderful friends and family waiting for us at the dinner were all simply trying to help, and that hiding away from them just wouldn't solve any problems. Darling Fiance' wiped away my tears, gave me one of his mega-watt grins, and together, with my parents, we made it over to the rehearsal dinner!

As soon as we took our seats between our parents, I surveyed the room and realized that everyone surrounding us loved us deeply. This thought, together with a delicious meal, left me feeling refreshed and revived! (I'm sure that handing out presents to all of the smiling-little ones and our loving-parents and bridal party certainly helped too!) Below are a couple snapshots from the dinner:

My cousins Macey & Kelsey, members of the "Parade of Sweeties."

My girls & I!

 By the end of the wonderful meal, I felt renewed with energy and was ready to tackle the rest of the decorating, but before I could return to work, Darling Fiance' stole me away for a ride in our get-away vehicle--a brand new Dodge Charger! Let me tell you, this was certainly a treat! We finally had a few moments alone to reflect on the massive step that we were about to take, which was definitely much-needed! By the end of our drive, I was bursting with excitement to become Darling Fiance's wife!

This excitement seemed to be contagious as we entered the Woodland Center where our closest family & friends were already back to work on the reception decor. For the next several hours we all worked tirelessly on steaming the table linens, opening the "cootie catchers," and arranging candles around the room, all the while swapping jokes and grins. Around 11 p.m. not only was the room humming with warm laughter, but things were certainly beginning to come together! Jennifer and I had teamed up to adorn the mantle and fireplace with hundreds of candles and sparkling glassware (I must say, we were quite the dynamic duo!) while the rest of the bridal party had finished opening all 200 "cootie catchers" (which turned out to be quite the hit with our guests!).  Meanwhile, Mom, Sweet Sister, and some of Darling Fiance's friends and relatives had painstakingly steamed all 33 beautiful duchess-satin linens by hand. After all this hard work, I began to notice the drooping eyelids of our helpers, and after thanking them profusely, asked them to turn in for the night. While most gleefully obliged, Mom, Jennifer, and "The Anderson's" refused to leave until the room was finished. So together we spent the next 2 hours decorating the entry-way table, preparing the signs and bells for the "Parade of Sweeties," and creating the wonderful children's tables for the reception. These special tables were filled with candy and suckers galore; miniature cars and airplane favors; paper, crayons, and stickers for doodling; cute paper crowns and kid-friendly plates; and an "I Spy" camera scavenger hunt, complete with disposable cameras (which left us with hundreds of fun snapshots!). All in all, the little ones had goodies galore, and their mile-wide grins and crown-adorned heads on wedding day certainly made all the hard work worthwhile!

Finally, at 2 a.m., I dropped Jennifer off at her lodge room and bid the Anderson's goodnight. Together, my sweet Mommy and I made our way back to the cabin, where, unfortunately, my bridal insomnia continued its reign. While my parents slept peacefully in the room next door, I sat awake, struggling to write a special note to share with Daddy before the wedding. For days I had struggled to find the words to share with him. How do you sum up the love for your Daddy in one small note? How do you thank him for teaching you persistence and courage? How do you explain that he'll always be your first love? Finally, at 3 a.m., I found the words, and as the tears streamed down my cheeks, I penned the last note to my Daddy as a single woman.

As I tucked away the special card, I suddenly remembered our "childhood pictures" powerpoint. I still hadn't completed the timing for the show, so I quickly pulled out my laptop and began tapping through each photo, assigning a time to each slide. By 4 a.m., my insomnia was finally slipping away, and thankfully I had finished the powerpoint timing! As I scooted under the soft covers and laid my head atop the pillow, I suddenly felt something firm. Lifting up my pillow I found a beautiful soft pink satin pouch, embellished with a tiny white rose. Tugging at the drawstring, the bag opened and revealed a beautiful white "Bride's Bible," embellished with my new name and a sweet note from my Momma. Once again, tears filled my eyes and that night I fell asleep thanking my Lord for his wonderful blessings.

Cookie Thursday

Wednesday evening, after the lovely bridesmaids' tea, my Lexington girls and I returned home together. Despite being exhausted from the nights' activities, we were all anxious and excited for the wedding, and thus spent the entire hour-long commute chatting away!--What was the most current weather forecast for Saturday? When were we having our hair styled? Did everyone have their jewelry and shoes? How were last minute plans coming together?--We were all full of questions, and by the time we returned back to the city I felt anxious about all the remaining tasks! I knew we could pull it all together, I just didn't know exactly how many sleepless nights it would take to do so. Anxious, I tried to focus on my day-by-day tasks as specified in my self-compiled master to-do list, which was broken down into an hour-by-hour play-by-play. I found comfort in this organization and after changing out of my cute tea dress I prepared for the night's tasks--putting the finishing touches on the house before Darling Fiance's groomsmen arrived from the Great White North, packing Pretty Puppy's food and toys for her week-long visit with our neighbors, and packing for our stay at the Bridge.

I speedily finished cleaning the house and packing Pretty Puppy's goodies, and was knee-deep in a suitcase full of bridal accessories when I heard a knock at the door. Smiling, I flung the suitcase shut and dashed down to meet Darling Fiance' & his pal Conor, who had just flown in from Fargo! Pretty Puppy excitedly pounced on her new best friend, who looked thrilled to have finally arrived down South! We spent the next half hour catching up with one of our favorite Ginger's before being interrupted by another resounding knock at the door. Darling Fiance' & I exchanged huge grins as we realized that the rest of his best friends had finally arrived! We nearly fell down the steps with eagerness and threw open the door to find the bright, smiling faces of Adam & Peter. The Minnesota boys were together again, and boy, was it chaotic! At 1(or was it 2?) am I finally decided to hit the hay and leave the boys to their reminiscing. I later learned that they didn't turn in until around 3 am after enjoying pizza and "bro-time" at Old Chicago. All I knew at the time was that when I awoke at 6:30 the next morning they had all crashed in the guest bedroom except poor Conor who had been booted to the couch! I should've taken pictures of this grown-up sleepover, I know, I know, but I was too busy thinking about feeding four hungry men at the time. And feed them, I did! I made two huge platter-fulls of Swedish Pancakes (thin, crepe-like pancakes that Darling Fiance' adores) and apple pancakes, which were devoured in mere minutes by the hungry guys! After washing it all down with glass-after-glass of milk, orange juice, and coffee, the guys began getting ready for their day while I headed off to begin my day's adventures, which began with a last-minute eyebrow wax at the salon.

Next, I headed to Rack Room Shoes where I desperately hoped to find my wedding day heels. I know what you're thinking--you didn't have your wedding day shoes by now?! And the answer is yes, well no, I did not actually have them yet. Let me explain...months before the wedding I had found the perfect pair of heels for the big day--a gorgeous pair of sand-colored stilettos with a cute half bow on each heel. When one would stand with her feet together the half-bows would join to form the most adorable full bow I had ever seen. I immediately purchased these gorgeous heels only to realize just days before the wedding that when I donned them I was about a half-inch taller than Darling Fiance'! What had I been thinking?! Darling Fiance' is tall, but so am I, and six-inch heels simply would not work! Thus began my frantic heel-search. Thankfully, though, by what I now believe may have been something of a shoe miracle, I found my new perfect pair as soon as I entered Rack Room! Boasting a more modest three-inch heel and the same gorgeous sand-color as the stilettos, these pretties also had a cute bow detail and a peep-toe front. I was amazed! After snagging the shoes, I stopped in at good-Ole Wally-World where I grabbed as many LED tea-lights as possible, which we'd be using in our post-ceremony luminary bags. Then, as Darling Fiance' & his guys spent the day playing paintball at his Bachelor Party and picking out our get-away car, I headed to Bath County, where one of Mom's coworkers was loaning us her office's industrial kitchen to bake our wedding favors--four of our favorite types of cookies!

When I arrived, Mom & my Sweet Sister, Tiff, had already begun mixing up the oatmeal-raisin batter (Darling Fiance's favorite!) and were in the process of dropping them onto massive baking sheets. I joined right in and a couple hours later we had already baked 400 oatmeal-raisin cookies! Originally we had agreed to make around 800 cookies that day--200 oatmeal-raisin & 200 molasses (both are Darling Fiance's favorites) as well as 200 snickerdoodles & 200 wedding cookies (my two favorite varieties). We suddenly realized though, that somehow the oatmeal-raisin recipe was yielding double the amount we had planned it to yield, and we had ended up with 400 of this variety alone. Without missing a beat, Mom suggested that we keep the extra 200 for the bridesmaids, groomsmen, vendors, and family members who would be helping setup the Woodland Center the next day. Problem solved, we moved on to the molasses cookies. Mom, Tiff & I found our cookie-making rhythm as Tiff became queen of the batter mixing, Mom became the chief batter-dropper, and I became the master-baker. In a few short hours we had cranked out another couple hundred cookies and it was on to the snickerdoodles. This variety required a bit more time as each individual cookie had to be rolled in a sugar-cinnamon mixture before being baked. Together though, we hand-rolled each and every snickerdoodle and had moved on to our last variety--the wedding cookies. These too were hand-rolled, but this time in sweet powdered sugar, before we began the massive clean-up effort. I was amazed at the good spirits and swift work of just the three of us--in about 8 hours we had baked 1,200 delicious cookies for our wedding guests to enjoy! And, dare I say it, we had a great time doing it! Below are a couple photos from "Cookie Thursday."

Mom & Tiff Working the Industrial Mixer

First Batch of Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

Tiff's thinking, "How Many More Do We Have to Make?!"

We Make a Great Team!

Mid-Day Tally--600 Cookies

All 1,200 Cookies!

Exhausted, the day was nowhere near finished for the three of us--Mom & Tiff ran to the store to pick up last minute wedding items while I (and the cookies!) headed to Mom & Dad's house to load up the car with wedding decor to be delivered to the Bridge that night. Thankfully, I had reinforcements to help with the loading process--Darling Fiance' & his three pals met me at Mom & Dad's and together we loaded both cars with beautiful wedding decor--baskets, southern-style fans, mirrors, candles, etc. After making the hour-long drive to Natural Bridge, we unloaded both cars into the Woodland Center and Darling Fiance' & I headed back to Lexington (another hour-long drive!) while his guys checked into their lodge rooms. My dear friend Katie, as well as Darling Fiance's Mother, Grandmother, and Aunts, had arrived earlier that day and we were anxious to welcome them, not to mention all of the guys' suitcases had been left in our home, so Darling Fiance' had volunteered to fetch them before returning to the Bridge that night. After visiting with Darling Fiance's family in their hotel, we returned to our home, where Katie was waiting. Darling Fiance' hurriedly gathered all of the guys' bags and headed back to his room at the Bridge (where he finally arrived at midnight), while I caught up with Katie. Together with her mother, she had prepared the cutest bag of goodies for me, complete with a body scrub from the Dead Sea, nail emery board & buffing block, and a delicious Hershey bar! What a sweetheart, right?! After plenty of reminiscing, we finally turned in for the night around midnight, but I struggled to fall asleep, so instead finished packing and preparing for the next day. When sleep finally found me it was after 2 am! **A warning to future Brides--this pattern of sleeplessness became very, very common for me in the 2 weeks prior to the wedding. I later realized that for 14 consecutive days I had been running on 3-4 hours of sleep, sometimes less, each night. But somehow, miraculously, I wasn't the least bit tired! My cortisol & adrenaline must have been near record levels, which, thankfully, was just enough to power me through the most important day of my life!

We're Back and We're Married!

Good afternoon my sweet, sweet family & friends! It feels SO great to be back to blogging and back to sharing my life with you! The last three weeks have been absolutely amazing! Darling Fiance' & I are enjoying our 16th day as husband and wife (yay!) and couldn't be more thrilled with how our wedding and honeymoon turned out! Over the next several days (and probably weeks!) I'll be sharing all the wonderful details with you--how the last couple days before the wedding were spent, how we felt on our joyous wedding day, and how special and amazing our honeymoon was! I'm looking forward to reliving all of those wonderful emotions and can't wait to do it with you guys! 

Til Next Time...

Hugs & Kisses,

A Southern Sweetheart

Terrible Tuesday & Wonderful Wednesday

While I have literally enjoyed almost every moment of wedding planning up until this point, it pains me to inform you that Tuesday will unfortunately go down in history as "Terrible Tuesday, " for a number of reasons. It all began with the dreaded programs...

As soon as I had roused myself sufficiently & gathered all of my wedding paraphernalia, Pretty Puppy & I headed to my parents' house to finish some last minute details, namely the ceremony programs. Now, over the past several weeks I had worked numerous evenings on the program layout  and upon embarking on my drive home, was confident that all we would need to do was print a test version for approval. Ha! Little did I know what chaos was about to begin! After arriving at my parents' home, Mom & I caught up a few minutes before heading to town for printing. We looked over the computer version of the program and made numerous changes before leaving. After arriving at her office, though, I suddenly realized that I had neglected an entire section of the program, which meant that I spent the next two hours re-formatting the entire document in an attempt to fit it in! What was worse yet, though, was that no matter how small I made the margins, or shrunk the text, it simply wasn't going to fit into the layout we had originally envisioned. Mom & I ultimately decided to abandon the original plan in favor of a newer format, which, after several more hours, finally worked! I was unbelievably relieved when we at last began printing! 

Oh, but the fun was just beginning..as soon as Mom & I began printing a couple test versions, her printer demolished our gorgeous cardstock--the machine literally ripped the paper, crushing our printing hopes! After numerous failed attempts to print, I was ready to abandon the program project all-together! My patient, loving Mother, as always, came to the rescue, though, and my hope was once again revived when we located another printer that could supposedly handle the weighty cardstock more efficiently. Indeed, we found success, and were able to print 20 perfect programs. We approved each one and decided to run the remaining copies that very moment. Meanwhile, during the printing, Mom & I would fold and cut the completed versions. We were finally finding our rhythm when the printer finished. I jumped up and gleefully grabbed the pile, but before returning to the table with them I decided to quickly double-check the top one. My heart literally fell through the floor--the top program boasted a lovely upside-down inside segment of text. I hurriedly flipped through the rest and realized that halfway through the printing job the machine had switched orientations. This meant that half of our programs were perfect--but the other half were ruined. I hate to admit this, but I was so angry that a tiny tear welled up in my eye.  We just couldn't win that day...

Mom took one look at me and knew in an instant that something had gone very, very wrong. After she discovered the problem we both felt defeated and angry, for after all, we didn't have any extra cardstock on which to attempt a reprint. At that moment, we simultaneously began packing all of our things and Mom directed me to return to the city, while she dealt with the programs. I had no clue how we were going to solve this problem but I knew that if they were in Mother's hands, they'd be perfect.

Pretty Puppy & I did indeed return to the city, where I was determined to complete a positive and meaningful task. I chose to finish wrapping gifts & writing thank you notes, and by bed time my mind had temporarily forgotten the programs--at least enough to allow me to rest.

Wednesday morning I turned my attention toward more positive and enjoyable tasks--I was desperately trying to wash the previous day's failures from my mind. I began the morning with a quick stop at Kohl's to look for a party dress. I hadn't found a "going away" dress or a "reception gown," and thus thought it would be the perfect opportunity to peruse their summer dress collection. Within moments I had found a cute sequined mini-dress that screamed "PARTY!" I just had to try it on! Success! The dress fit like a glove and I knew that for it's modest price & fun details it had to be mine! After dress shopping, I moseyed to the other side of town to get my engagement ring cleaned for the last time as a single woman! Post-cleaning it sparkled and glimmered so beautifully--I couldn't help but steal glances at it on the car ride home ;-) It definitely made me feel more and more excited for the big day!

That afternoon I finally packed for the honeymoon--which was just too fun! I loved seeing all the bright colors & tropical patterns that I had collected over the last couple months come together. I began dreaming about the white sands and warm, balmy nights--let's just say ever since then I'm extremely anxious to disappear for 7 days on our island escape!

After packing, I quickly prepared for that's evening's festivities--the Bridesmaids' Tea. I chose a fun coral dress with pearl accessories for a cute, girly look. I then met up with two of my lovely bridesmaids and we thoroughly enjoyed mani/pedis at a local salon before heading to the tea. The Tea itself was absolutely wonderful! My cousins & Aunt Katie had decorated the tables with lovely plum & cream tea pots, goblets, and cloth napkins. Our plates were all elegant Longaberger pottery and our tables were filled with lush fresh hydrangeas and roses. Our dinner was FANTASTIC--we noshed on potato soup, fresh summer salad greens, chicken cordon bleu, green beans & crescent rolls. Then dessert was my favorite--red velvet cupcakes! I think we were all dying of food pleasure after that amazing meal! We ended the evening with gift exchanges and lots of hugs! I have the best family & friends, and it was refreshing to celebrate with them! Below are a few snapshots from the tea!

All Ready!

Beautiful Tables!

Adorable Favors--Teapot Ornaments!

Red Velvet Yummies!

Fresh Summer Salad & Flavorful Entree'

Aunt Katie & I Passing Out Gifts

Girls Enjoying their Gifts!

Wedding Day "Getting Ready" Robes & Personalized Hangers!

Love My Cousins & Aunt!

Aunt Katie Gave Mom & I the Most Beautiful Longaberger Tea Pots!

Practicing the Boys' Bow Ties for Saturday :-)

My Cousin Laura & I!

Til Next Time...

Hugs & Kisses,

A Southern Sweetheart

Mad Monday

Monday morning, first things first, I decided to run over and speak with our neighbors about Lily. This sweet mother/daughter duo agreed several months ago to watch her for us while we are away on our honeymoon, and thankfully they are fantastic with dogs. Having two of their own, they joked that "one more wouldn't make any difference" to their daily routines! You can imagine how relieved and thrilled Darling Fiance' & I were! And to make things better still, not only does Pretty Puppy love our neighbors, she loves their dogs, too! When she stayed with them several weeks ago as a "trial run," the mother/daughter duo reported that she had played until she could barely keep her eyes open! Thankfully, when I visited them Monday, they confirmed the plan and were excited to see our little one bright and early Thursday morning!

Next, I dashed over to Hobby Lobby to pick up a few more candles and wreaths for our ceremony & reception decor. Thankfully, they had everything we needed to complete our wedding day vision, which made me one happy lady! They even had a gorgeous spray paint color called, "Ballet Slipper," that I had been searching for at other craft stores for months! I was absolutely thrilled to finally find it as this spray paint would complete one more little detail for our wedding day chair decor. You'll have to see if you can spot it on wedding day :-) After my Hobby Lobby run, I finalized our chair & linen pick up times, Groom's cake pick up time, and other miscellaneous details with our vendors. Before I knew it, it was four o'clock and Darling Fiance' was back in town after a hard day at work, which meant that it was time for us to head to Fleming to meet with Grandpa about our ceremony (my Grandfather is a minister and will be officiating our ceremony along with my childhood pastor).

We spent the rest of the evening at Grandpa & Grandma's house hashing out the details of our ceremony, from the seating of the Grandmothers all the way to the Recessional. As we are incorporating a couple unique details into our wedding, this took a bit of time, but thankfully by the end of the night we had settled everything. Darling Fiance' & I were both thrilled and excited to actually walk through the ceremony with Papaw--it made it seem all the more real! As the days are drawing closer we are definitely getting more and more ready to become husband & wife!

Til Next Time...

Hugs & Kisses,

A Southern Sweetheart

Super Sunday

I have fondly begun referring to yesterday as "Super Sunday," although, truth be told, I'm pretty certain that every day from now until the wedding will be "super" in its own right ;-) Every moment yesterday was packed with wedding tasks and tid-bits, from printing the menus to putting the finishing touches on the house before guests begin arriving. Thank goodness my sweet Darling Fiance' was right by side all day, helping to tie the loose ends together! 

Unfortunately, though, my initial zeal was dampened a bit when my morning began with some unpleasant back pain, which I still haven't quite determined the cause of. I assumed it was the way I had slept and attempted to patch myself up enough to accomplish that day's tasks. I'm a bit disappointed to report, though, that the pain is still nagging away at me this morning, so I can only pray that it eases away before all the fun festivities begin on Wednesday evening! After loading up on ibuprofen (and by that I mean taking one, haha!), Darling Fiance' and I finally finished printing our gorgeous wedding day menus. Elegant and graceful, they definitely blend with the remainder of the wedding decor seamlessly! Now that we have the menus finalized, I can't wait to see the entire tablescape together! And on a side note, I'm not going to lie, I think my mouth watered a bit as I was reading the menu ;-)

My next big task of the day involved arranging all of my childhood photos into the powerpoint that already contained Darling Fiance's. I knew this would take some time, as we both have numerous adorable pictures to share with our loved ones, but I honestly had no idea it would take 3 straight hours! There's just so much more to a powerpoint than throwing the pictures on there randomly, though, so I should have expected it. First, there's the chronological order, then the special effects, and, of course the overall aesthetic appeal of the show. Hopefully we accomplished all of those in our slideshow, but the bottom line is, we honestly just want our guests to enjoy it! We'll see how it pans out on Saturday, but until then, our fingers will be crossed :-)

After being glued to my laptop for so many hours, I was definitely ready to move! My back had loosened up a bit, so Darling Fiance' & I seized the opportunity and finished storing some of our wedding gifts. We then cleaned the house and prepared for the arrival of family members from afar who will be joining us on Wednesday evening to kick off the celebrations! I can hardly wait to see all of our loved ones! Now we just have to hope it doesn't rain, as the forecast is predicting :-( There's still plenty of time for that to change, though, so I'm trying my hardest not to fret about it!

We finished the day with gift-wrapping and note-writing for our lovely wedding attendants. Spending some time putting our appreciation on paper certainly caused us both to reflect on our bridal party. Darling Fiance' will have three of his childhood best friends and one college friend by his side on wedding day. And boy, have I heard some fun stories about these guys and their adventures! From mischievous nights of tee-peeing to lake-side camping and hot drum-line practices, these guys have been through it all together. I know that they mean the world to Darling Fiance' & even though they'll be separated by hundreds of miles in the coming years, I know their friendships will always stand the test of time, because to him, they're more than best friends, they are brothers.

As for my girls, I'll have my wonderful Sister, two college best friends, one very special hometown best friend, and Darling Fiance's younger cousin by my side on wedding day. These girls come from very different parts of my life, but each and every one fill a special spot in my heart. My Sister has been my biggest fan, my second mother, and my strongest supporter over the years. While we may butt heads from time to time, she's always watching over me and we always come back to one another. I'm so thankful to have such a supportive and loving big Sissy, and I'm so glad that she'll be there helping me on wedding day, just like she does every day!

My friend Jennifer & I have known each other since freshman year of college, when we lived in the same dorm. We have spent many-a-night at the library, cramming for test-after-test, and we even went through medical school applications, interviews, and acceptances together. We now attend the same medical school and I couldn't ask for a more loving, funny, and loyal friend. She's always there when I need her, and for that, I'll be forever grateful. I know that over the years we'll still be laughing about life together!

My dear friend Katie & I have also known each other since freshman year of college, when we met in an introductory chemistry class. Spunky and hilarious, Katie has kept me in stitches ever since! We used to trudge to the library together for late night study sessions, which would often be interrupted with bouts of too-loud laughter! Over the years, despite pursuing different majors and careers, Katie & I have realized that our friendship is one that will be ever-present. Now that college is over and she's moved back home, I love visiting her down South and plan to continue doing so. I hope that my "Georgia Peach" will always remember she has someone who loves her dearly up in 'Ole Kentucky!

Sabrina & I have known each other since childhood, when we lived in the same hometown. The funny thing is, though, growing up we weren't ever close, probably because we were in different grades in school. Last year, though, when I moved into my townhouse, Darling Fiance' & I ran into Sabrina & her husband Daniel, who were living in the same community! That meeting was truly meant to be! Since then, we have become the best of friends, enjoying girls' nights together, spontaneous lunch outings and even fun coffee breaks. I have been lucky enough to get to know her family over the last year, too, and I can honestly say that I feel like she's my second sister! We have so much in common and I am so blessed to have found her. I know that over the years, as we go through life, marriage, jobs, and babies together, we'll always be two-peas-in-a-pod!

When I first met Darling Fiance's younger cousin, Emma, I knew that she was a very talented and special young lady. Her infectious smile, her warm heart, and her amazing talent for the theater just drew me in to her. She radiates kindness and this, together with her hard-working attitude, will allow her to achieve all of her goals in life, I'm certain! I'm so thankful that she's going to be a part of our special day and can't wait to see her this week!

All in all, Darling Fiance' & I both agreed that our bridal party means the world to us, and without them, and our amazing families, this week of wedding festivities wouldn't be possible! On that note, let the wedding celebrations begin! 

Til Next Time...

Hugs & Kisses,

A Southern Sweetheart