I'm a slacker (240)

I'm back. Oh dear, I am a slacker. In my defense, I have been quite busy with my man. He's first priority when we're in the same zip code. :)

As for wedding stuff...I haven't done much planning for the wedding itself, but we are looking into housing options. Michael and I will be meeting with a real estate agent on Saturday which is very exciting. Hopefully we'll  have an idea of what we'll be able to afford after meeting with her.

I'm in Nebraska right now, and before I leave I'd like to get Michael's finger sized so that I can buy his wedding ring. :) I get giddy when I think about him wearing one. Yes, I'm a dork. I'd also like to get the marriage license before I leave, but I don't know when we'd have time to do that. Michael's work schedule always throws a wrench into things.

Girl's Bouquets (255)

I love this for the girls. I want them to carry something very simple and easy to handle. I think this may just do the trick :) 

Mooooore Flowers (256)

Love these :)

Centerpieces :) (257)

I love Kristen Nupson. She found these adorable centerpieces and sent me a link :) 

Oh Life...(260)

Drat. Forgot to post yesterday. I have a feeling that is going to happen a lot in the next month. I have finals next week. Joy. And THEN Michael is coming out to see me and then I'm going to fly back with him for 2 weeks :) I'm so excited! I really haven't done anything wedding related in a while (maybe you could tell from my lack of eventful posts? :P) Really my main focus has been on school...or avoiding school. It's over soooo soon and I can't wait :D

Ring Bearer (262)

Here is my adorable ring bearer :) What a cutie!

Shoes? Check! (263)

I GOT MY SHOES!!! :) Just picked em up at Payless and I'm wearing them now. They're super adorable and exactly what I wanted. I just wish that I had my dress now...I just have to wait till January!

Tattoos (264)

I really don't want to step on any toes, but this is a huge pet peeve of mine. I hate tattoos in general. I really do. I don't find them attractive in any way and they only look more disgusting with age. Sorry. All of this to say that I'm so glad that my bridesmaids do not have tattoos. I've heard of so many brides who have to worry about hiding their bridesmaids tattoos or having them show in the wedding and I'm just so relieved that I don't have to deal with that. Cause really, what's more tacky than a pretty, elegant wedding with a tattooed arm, leg or back? Yuck.

I'm a frugal bride (265)

Something old, something new

Something borrowed, something blue

Hmm...more like this:

Something old, nothing new

Something borrowed and something used

But I'm definitely not complaining! This is a very good thing :D

Alterations! :) (266)

I got the dress hemmed! It looks SO much better now, AND I can actually move it it! I have to admit...I was getting kind of worried that I wasn't going to be able to walk around in it without holding up my skirt, but after Rosa hemmed it, it's perfect! I also got it bustled so I won't have to deal with the train at the reception. Overall, it cost over half of what the dress cost, but it makes it look so much better and it's totally worth it to have it done by a professional.

Dress Fitting Tomorrow :) (267)

Well, tomorrow is my dress fitting! Really the dress just needs to be hemmed, but it'll be nice to have that done with. I don't remember if I wrote about this or not, but my mom found a slip to go with the dress at a thrift store for a dollar. A DOLLAR! This is particularly amazing because David's wanted $140 for a slip almost identical to the one we just bought. The one my mom found is a size 20 and I need a 6, but we shouldn't have any trouble taking that in. My shoes aren't in yet, so I'm going to have to find a pair that I own with 2.5 inch heels so that I'm the proper height for the fitting. So excited! :)

More Prettiness (268)

I can't remember if I posted this picture yet or not - I had it saved on my computer. I just love how low and simple it is. It looks like people can carry on a conversation over it AND it's gorgeous :)

Cupcake Bar (269)

Adorable idea. These are the cupcakes and then there is a ton of different syrups, berries, candies, nuts, sprinkles - whatever! Each guest gets a cuppycake and then they can put whatever they want on it. YUMMY!

Oh Dear...(270)

I'm suffering from major senioritis. I have three weeks left of school and then I'll be done for at least a year! I can't seem to focus on anything, I love to skip class (even more than usual ;)) I have no motivation to do homework and I don't really care about my grades at all.

I'm also kind of stressing about the whole moving and transportation to the honeymoon and reception and getting back home. I know that I don't need to stress about that now, but I can't help it. I think I will be stressing about it until it gets done. At some point, I have to move all my stuff and my car out to Nebraska, and we come back for the honeymoon, and we have to get to Fresno for the reception somehow, then we have to get back home with whatever gifts we get at our California reception. My sister laughs at me cause I come up with a different way to do it every time. :P

I Bought My Shoes :) (271)

I have my dress fitting on Saturday, so obviously, I'm going to need my shoes by then so I can get the dress hemmed correctly. Well, I bought my shoes, but I had to get them through a special order because I have fat feet and Payless doesn't sell wide sizes in the store :/ I'm not quite sure how I feel about paying 40 bucks for a pair of shoes that I've neither seen nor tried on. Well, actually I am. I don't like it. They also couldn't guarantee that they would be there in time for the fitting. The sales lady said that they usually come in within 3 days, but it can take as many at 8. I have 5, so hopefully that will be enough. I can't wait to see them :) Here's what they're supposed to look like. I think I posted a picture of these same shoes earlier...

Flower Girl (272)

I've decided to have kids in my wedding. :) We're not sure about Quinny yet, he most likely won't come, but this little cutie will be my flower girl! :) Isn't she a doll!? I was a flower girl in her parent's wedding. I remember it pretty clearly and it was so much fun :) I can't wait to see her all dressed up :)

Kuchkovskiy Wedding! (273)

Today, two of my good friends, Nina Stankevich and Vitaliy Kuchkovskiy were married. It was such a beautiful wedding! I have to admit that I was taking notes the entire time. ;) I think that the most helpful thing for me was to see the order of service. I really want to have a worship service and communion, but I wasn't sure where to put it in the ceremony. They also had their reception in the gym at church (I'll be doing that as well for both receptions) so it was nice to see how they decorated it. It was very simple, but very elegant as well. I forgot that I was in a gym which is exactly what I'm going for. What a wonderful wedding! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Kuchkovskiy!

Chairs (274)

The right chairs improve the look of a reception by at least 300%. Call me picky, but I really, really really want black bamboo chairs at both of my receptions instead of the ugly putty colored folding chairs.  Which chair would you rather sit in? Seems like an easy choice to me. I thought that they would be way out of our price range, but they average about $1.25 a piece. I think it's worth it. For sure.  

Good chair. 

    Icky chair. 

Happy Thanksgiving! (275)

Happy Thanksgiving, all! :) I spent this Thanksgiving with my immediate family and grandparents here in Fresno this year, and it was wonderful. This is my last Thanksgiving at "home," so it was good to spend it with my parents, siblings and grandparents. The food was fantastic and conversations were encouraging. I can't wait for next year when I'll get to spend it with my husband :D

More Yummy (276)

All this Thanksgiving talk is getting me thinking about foooooood :) Yum! I want some of these at the reception for sure.

Food Ideas... (277)

Mmm! Parfaits would be yummy :) 

Just Random (278)

Two things today.

First, I got a free Shutterfly album. I'm one of those lame people who had no idea what on earth Shutterfly is, but after speaking with some friends, I decided that this was an amazing thing. So, for just $3 shipping, I'm getting a cute little "Michael and Amanda" album. Adorable. :)

Second. When I count down the days till an event (mostly my wedding, obviously) I like to think back that number of days and think to myself "that wasn't too long ago..." and think that that's what I'll be saying about right now on my wedding day. That was horribly explained and probably didn't make any sense. I worked 15 hours today, give me a break. Anyway, 278 days ago, it was my brother's 12th birthday and in 278 days, I'll be getting married. I skipped Biology 278 days ago to make my brother a chocolate sheet cake. It was very memorable because I was supposed to spend 4 hours with Mr. Kumano learning about worms or whatever and ended up baking instead. After trying to explain this process of thinking to my brother, I realized how strange it really is...am I the only one who does this? Probably...

So Pretty! (279)

These pictures almost make me want an outdoor wedding. Almost. Then I think about the heat, humidity and mosquitoes and think that I made a good decision.


But still...it's just *so* pretty!  

This Song. (280)

I love it! Thank you Mrs. K and Madelyn for showing me this version, it's beautiful :)

Hair (282)

I have this much hair in my dreams. 

I'm trying to figure out a simple, yet elegant updo for the wedding. The thing is that my hair is so incredibly fine that I'm not sure it will look good in any of the styles that I like. Any suggestions? 

Frustrated (283)

I would consider my family to be pretty smart when it comes to spending and saving money. I was raised comfortably, but we always stretched our what we had as far as it would go, reused everything, wore hand-me-downs, always bought used when we could, and rarely bought things full price. I was taught to think long and hard about something before making a purchase, and I'm very thankful for that. Here's the thing. Now that I'm planning a pretty large event (two, actually) there's really no way around spending a ton of money. It makes me sick to spend this kind of money. And it's not even *my* money! The thing that I'm most frustrated about is the lack of information on how to save big bucks on a beautiful wedding. Sure, there are plenty of "Budget Wedding" articles, but, to be honest, they're pretty lame. Here's one list I found:

1. Trim your guest list.

This is actually a fantastic idea, but I've already cut as many people as I can. I think I need to become a hermit :P

2. Save on invitations - don't include the formal second envelope in the invitations and make your response card a post card.

Yeah, I came up with this I don't know how long ago.

3. Don't serve alcohol.

Considering that we're both going to be 20 and we don't necessarily want to drink alcohol even after that, it wasn't even in the original budget. Thank you again. :/

4. Shop second hand.

Way ahead of you there buddy.

I think I just need to be more creative, ask more questions, make more phone calls, and be PATIENT. Something I'm not the best at...

Slacker (284)

I am a slacker. I realize that it bothers me more than anyone else that I haven't posted in four days. Mainly because I promised myself to post daily. Oh well. I was busy with more important things like spending time with my wonderful fiance and building relationships with new and old people at Heartland Baptist.

I'm back in California now, and while I'm loving spending time with my family, I really miss Michael and my "family" in Nebraska. In a way, it's getting easier to do this long distance relationship. I know for sure that the long distance part of our relationship will be over in 284 days, (actually, sooner than that!) and so I'm focusing even more on spending time with my family here because along with getting married and being with Michael, I'll have to live 1600 miles away from my parents and siblings, not to mention my extended family with whom I'm pretty close with. But, it's still hard to be away from him. This time, we only have to spend 33 days apart, which is such a blessing! I didn't even cry very much when I left, because I know that I get to see him so soon. Also, since I won't be going back to school in the spring, I imagine that I will be spending more time out there. I'm in the process of convincing my parents to let me go out in February for Valentine's Day :) I think I have a pretty good chance of going if I pay for the ticket. So exciting :)

We saw it! (288)

:) We finally got to go see the church on Wednesday night! I love it :) Yeah, it has paneling, pink pews and blue carpet, but we can work around it. With my mom's creative eye, I'm sure it will look fantabulous when it's time :)

In other news, I've been able to spend some time with the new girls in the church and I'm getting so excited to move here and get to know them all better. I met Laura and Michelle on Wednesday night and we got together at Hannah's house yesterday and it was a blast! Then we went to Pastor Troy and Charity's for dinner and we got to talk to them :) It's exciting and so much fun! :) 

Church...again :P (290)

I went to see the church again yesterday, but couldn't get it. Again. So, tonight I think we're going to try and go over with some friends of ours who go to Awana there. This is a picture of the outside, but I can't wait to see the inside :) 

The Church (291)

I didn't post yesterday. Boo.

Maddie and I went to the church yesterday so that I could look inside, but, unfortunately, they weren't open. There were cars in the parking lot, so we figured someone would be there, but the doors were locked, and when we knocked and rang the doorbell no one answered. We even called them, but no answer. Boo. I still want to go look, but I think we'll have to make an appointment.

Happy Birthday! (293)

Happy birthday to my wonderful fiancé! He's 20 years old today and just as handsome as ever ;) He is getting pretty old though. It's 4:15 and he's taking a nap - and snoring pretty loud :P Happy birthday, Babe! :)

I'm Here! (294)

Well, I'm in Nebraska! The flight was terribly long (7 hours....but it felt like 700!) and Michael was waiting at the airport for me with chocolate :) We went to Qdoba last night for dinner (delicious!) and today we've just been hanging out :) We drove by the church - it was closed, so I couldn't see the inside, but the outside is nice :) We also looked around for apartments. We thought we knew which ones we were going to live in, but now Michael's office is moving, so it would be pretty far away. We'll see...I hope to actually look inside one while I'm here :)

:D (295)

In exactly 3 hours, I will be on a plane leaving to see my man!!! I'm so excited! I was up kind of late last night getting ready, but I don't really care - it's worth it :) I'm all packed up and ready to go! See you soon, Babe ;)

Excited! (296)

Today I'm busy packing so that I can go to Nebraska for the next 10 days to spend some time with Michael! I can't wait to be with him!  I'm *so* excited I can't even stand it! Not only do I get to see my man, I'll also be able to see the church and I feel like it'll be easier to plan when I'm actually there. :D I have two classes left today and I have no idea how on earth I'm going to focus on nutrition and math when I know that I'll be in his arms in 30 hours :D

Guest Book (297)

I've been looking around at tons of different websites for a unique yet practical guest book. There's a lot of cutesy stuff out there - post cards (but what do you do with all of them?) individual envelopes glued inside the guest book for each message (what a pain to take them all out to read and put them back in!) typewriter guestbook (but then only one person can sign at a time) origami paper to sign and then fold (then have a house filled with 300 origami figures?)  eh...you get the point. They seem like great ideas when I see the pictures, and they look great at the guest book table, but when I think through it, they just kind of flop.

Here's what I found today on Martha Stewart's website:

These are just cheap little notebooks with card stock covers. Each book has a question on the cover and the guests can pick one book (she had 12, but you can use however many you want) and answer the question. Then they all fit together nicely, it's easy to store and it's easy to read :) 

Photographer (298)

The search for a photographer continues. Here's my problem - my favorite photographer in the world lives here. In fact, he's a friend of mine from church. Mariano, if you're reading this, you need to know that I'm obsessed with your pictures. It's bad. I look at your blog several times a week just to stare in awe at your amazing pictures. I'm really thinking about just taking the "traditional" wedding pictures here in Fresno when we're out here for the reception. I really can't find anyone on the Nebraska end that I like as much as Mariano. But that still doesn't solve my problem, because I really do want to have some amazing pictures and possibly a highlight video of sort from the actually wedding. That's way harder to find than I thought possible. I've decided that after I get the photographer, we can get married. We have a church, I have a dress, all we need is someone to take our picture. Who needs programs, favors, table cloths and hors d'oeuvres? 

Flowers (299)

After checking prices for flowers (and just about having a heart attack!) I'm considering fake flowers for a lot of the arrangements. The ones pictured above are actually fake and I think they look fantastic! I've been browsing different craft stores like Michael's and Joann's and they have some really pretty flowers - I think with some help from a few of those handy dandy 40% off coupons and someone who actually has an eye for this kind of thing, these will work out marvelously :)

Halloween (300)

Now that we're getting married in less than a year, every holiday my littlest brother comes to me with his big ol' puppy dog eyes and says "This is your last *insert any holiday here* with us! Do something special with me!" So rather than going out with some friends tonight, I took little bro trick or treating. He suggested that I wear my wedding dress, but I thought it'd be a little (WAY WAY!) to risky. Poor little John-John. As excited as I am about getting married, I sure will miss my family. I think John's going to have the hardest time with it. He's my buddy :)

Excitement :) (301)

I never get tired of talking about the wedding :) My aunt and I talked about it tonight and I was able to show her my dress and talk about the church and everything. I could feel my face glowing :P Like seriously...it was bad! But, as much as I can't wait to be married, I've resolved to enjoy every second of planning to the fullest. My aunt was saying that after her wedding she was sad because the planning was over, and I think that I'll be like that too. Thrilled to be married, but sad to not be planning a wedding.

Veil (302)

My grandma is in town this week and she's going to help me make my veil :) We went to Joann's today and looked at patterns for veils and trim and beads. We found one pattern in Vogue that I liked, so we pulled it out and looked at the directions. It was 25 bucks, but we think we can do it without the pattern. I'm looking for something pretty simple with beads around the edge.

Our Story (303)

Today I posted our story on a separate page. It's just right up above - just click the tab that says "Our Story" :)

10 months! (304)

Just 10 months from today! It still seems like it's pretty far away, but I know that it will go by so fast!

Invites (305)

Why must these simple invitations be over 3 dollars a piece? It's SO simple. The cheap ones are these horrid, gaudy things that I would never dream of sending to people that I care about.

Boxes (306)

Whenever I tell people that I'm not going to school in the spring, they look at me like I'm not going to have anything to do and that I'll either become this lazy blob or die of boredom. That would never happen even if I wasn't getting married. I live with two Tasmanian devils who would be enough of a job for anyone. But, since I am getting married, that'll give me plenty of stuff to do. I have to make my invitations, which will take forever, and I'm planning on making 800 of these -

yeah....lots to do. Not to mention the other planning and work. I'll be working 3 full days and 1 half in the spring instead of 2 and 1. Which I can live with :) I love my job.

Dress :) (307)

So I picked up my dress today :D I'm actually wearing it right now cause it's gorgeous :D You have no idea how much I want to post pictures of it, but I can't because that would spoil it. If you've seen it, you're one of the chosen few because most of you have to wait for the wedding :) I'm SO excited!!!!!!!

Also, I am reminded that I really need to get better about working out. These arms don't look so hot in a strapless dress :P

Books :) (308)

I just got this book from a friend of mine. Just so y'all know, I'm totally open to receiving marriage books :)

Yummy! (309)

Uh, is my man amazing or what? Check out what I came home to today :D

Hand Cramps :P (310)

Well, I've officially finished addressing all of the reception save the date cards and I don't think I ever want to write anything with a pen again. Now I have to address the wedding save the date cards...but there are a lot fewer of those because we're sending one to the entire church instead of sending them to individual people.

Another thought...is it tacky to hand out invites to guests that I see all the time instead of mailing them? Cause that would save us like literally 100 bucks in postage :P  

Centerpieces (311)

I love this centerpiece. I love the low, simple look. Something that you can see over :P

Place Settings (312)

Place settings like this make me want to have a full course meal at the wedding and reception - but it'd be crazy expensive to do that for our numbers. What do the tables look like for a reception with just dessert? The ones that I've seen are pretty plain and boring, and I don't want that.

Change of Plans (313)

This is really unrelated to wedding planning or marriage, but it will change the way I plan a lot. This WAS the plan. I finish out this semester, take 19 units this spring and finish my last class this summer. Then I would have my associate's degree and would be able to build on that when I moved. I went to see a school counselor today to ask if a particular class would count towards my major. She told me that it's not possible for me to get my degree by August because ONE CLASS is only offered in the fall, and it's much to late to register for it now. Boo. So, I'm going to finish out this semester, and then I'll be done at Fresno City. I can't say I'm disappointed, I never liked it, but the degree would have made it so much easier to transfer. So, with spring and summer semester off, I'm going to have a lot more time to work on wedding stuff! I'm really looking forward to it :)

Long Distance (314)

I've recently gotten several emails from girls who are in long distance relationships asking me HOW I do it.  Honestly, my first reaction was a giggle. Not because it was a silly thing to ask, but because I don't think I handle it well at all. I'm pretty much a baby. I cry when I leave him or when he leaves me, I cry when I lie in bed and think about him, I don't have as much fun at parties cause it just makes me miss him more and I turn into this stinking jealous monster when I see my friends with their boyfriend/girlfriend/fiancée/fiancé. It's pathetic, I know. The thing that I'm looking forward to the most about getting married is that the long distance part of our relationship will be over! I'll be able to sit next to him, hold his hand, turn around and say something and get a reaction instead of texting or calling and waiting for a response. I'm so excited for that :) Only 314 days left alone :)

Our most recent picture "together." :P  

:) (315)

Yeah, my man is the best :) He spoils me so much :P

Save the Date! (316)

The save the date cards came today! :D I'm so excited! They're beautiful! :) Now I just have to sit down and write out hundreds of addresses. Fun. I really want to post a picture, but you'll just have to wait to get it in the mail ;) I love them :D

Yummy :) (317)

I stole this from my friend Allie :P I've been stalking anyone and everyone who has any wedding pictures on Facebook. I love this idea! I think this is what I want at the California reception...just tons of dessert. I love the cookie jars...and I'd definitely want to keep them cause I'm obsessed with any kind of clear glass container :P

Blessed (318)

I was talking with a girl in class today about getting married (cause that's really all I talk about :P) and she was talking about how horrible her mother-in-law and sister-in-law are to her. And she's not just the victim...she does terrible things to them too! The more I hear about other people and the relationships that they have with their in-laws, the more I realize how blessed I am to be able to marry into a family that I LOVE! And it's not only his parents and siblings, I love his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins like I do my own. What a HUGE blessing!

(Photo stolen from Madison...because I love her :P)

Engaged :) (319)

Just extra super excited to be engaged today :D I love it!

Registeries (320)

I really have a problem with registries. It's just too much fun! I registered at Target and Crate and Barrel, and it completely thrilled me, just ask Michael - he had to listen to me squeal about all the cuteness for weeks. I love that man, he's so patient with me :) Here's the problem, my wedding is still close to a year away and my registry is basically done. Every once in a while I look through and add or delete things and it's really an obsession sometimes :P

Invitations (321)

After looking around at several (and by several, I mean almost 100) "budget" invitation places, I'm decided to make my own invitations. I think I'll just recruit a bunch of friends to come and cut paper with me and make up a bunch for WAAAAAAAAY cheaper than any other place. The cheapest invitations I've been able to find (that I actually liked) were over a dollar a piece, and when you need almost 800, that's just not going to work.

Stamps (322)

So here's the thing. This up here is the only option I have for post card stamps. Yep, polar bears. So the save the date cards and the reply cards are all cute and springy with polar bears on them. I think they're cute, don't get me wrong, I was just hoping for something a little more, I don't know...summery for my August wedding invites. Boo.

Examples (323)

I'm so thankful for the parents that God blessed me with. They have been wonderful examples for me in so many ways, but I'm especially thankful for the way that they handle their marriage. Not only have they taught me what it means to be a godly wife and mother and what to look for in a husband with their words, they have lived it out daily for me. I've been reading and listening to a lot about marriage recently and it makes me sad to read about some of the things that people don't know when the go into a marriage - things that my parents taught me years ago. Thanks Mom and Dad :)

December 30th, 1989

Candles (324)

I absolutely LOVE the way these candles look down the aisle! The church that we're getting married in doesn't allow real candles, but I've seen some really nice electronic candles at Target that just might do the trick.

Love (325)

I love this man.

Nips! (326)

So it's not spelled exactly like our last name - Knipp (I love to say that :)) But, I still think that people will get the idea. I'm thinking that a cute little box of Nips with a pretty ribbon will make a sweet favor. Plus, they're caramel, so for people like my crazy fiancé who don't like chocolate they're perfect. I'm also thinking that I'd like to have some kiddos pass them around instead of having them at the tables. My little cousins did this at my aunt and uncles 50th wedding anniversary and they loved it (and the guests thought it was pretty cute too ;)) I'm going to have an over-abundance of children at both my wedding and my reception, so I think that giving them a job might be a good idea. :)

Shooooooes! (327)

LOVE these :) They're just the standard dye-to-match shoes from Payless :)

Veil (328)

When I tried on my dress, Jenni, the girl who was helping me, brought out this gorgeous veil that I LOVED! Here's the thing. It's $149. Yeah. Do you know what it is? About $2 worth of tulle, a plastic comb and $.50 worth of beads. Yep, $149. So, we're thinking that we can make something just about as nice as the one at David's. I'm pretty sure this is the one that they had at the store. Very simple with beads just on the end. I think my mom and I can do a pretty good job. 

DRESS! :D :D :D (329)

I got my dress today! :D I'm soooo pumped! It's EXACTLY what I imagined (I had even cut the picture out of several magazines ;)) I wish I could post a picture, but y'all will just have to wait. I think I tried on 7 dresses, and two of them I really loved, but the one that I picked with just perfect :) I'm SOOOO excited! Plus, it was only $500.17. Definitely in our price range. Momma was bracing herself for 1,000, so this was great!

Shopping :D (330)

So tomorrow, my mom and my sister and I are going dress shopping! I highly doubt that we'll actually purchase anything - I just want to look around, get an idea for what's out there and find a good price for our budget. But, who knows? Maybe I'll find something for a reasonable price? Inexpensive clothing has a way of finding me ;)

Cupcake Wrappers (331)

Oh man. I love these cute cupcake papers. I think that they're simply gorgeous! They're also about a buck a piece, and I'm gonna need about 800, maybe more. Hmm. I think it looks an awful lot like those doilies that you can get at Dollar Tree for a buck per 100. I think I'm going to rally some help and make cupcake wrappers for my wedding. I will figure this out...

Ties (332)

I think I want the guys in green ties. I couldn't find a better picture of what I want...I cut one out of a magazine, but I think it got thrown away by mistake. Boo. 

Apples (333)

I keep finding all of these cute place card ideas and I think that apples are my favorite. What do you think? 

Bridal Bargains (334)

I just got this book in the mail while I was on retreat, and I must say, it's very good! To be honest, when I first heard about it, I wasn't too thrilled - my mom raised me to be ultra frugal-minded, and really, all of the money saving tips that I've been able to find out there were pretty obvious to me (shop around before you make a purchase, buy second hand, don't serve a full meal, etc). I did look it up though, because so many people had recommended it to me and I found it on Amazon for 2 bucks (including shipping) so I picked it up. I've just had a chance to flip through it a bit, but it's full of creative ideas to bring the budget down as low as possible. Hooray saving money! :)   

Marriage (335)

Wow. First of all, I’d like to take back what I said in my earlier post about not agreeing with everything that Voddie had to say in this study. I misunderstood one of his points which is why I said that in the first place, and I’ll elaborate on that more in a bit.

We went through a set of DVDs featuring Dr. Voddie Baucham speaking at a conference about his book, What He Must Be…If He Wants to Marry My Daughter. This was an awesome study for anyone – you don’t have to be a guy looking for a wife or a parent to get something out of it – I think it’s practical for any and every Christian.

The first night was entitled “The Bible and the Father’s Role.” A Christian father is expected to: be a godly example, give instructions, provide, protect, serve and maintain peace in his household. There were more, but I didn’t get a chance to write them down! I’ll have to check back at the book. The jobs that we ventured into the most were protection and provision.

When most of us think of protection, we think of physical protection…”would he take a bullet for me?” and yes, that is part of it, but the role of a protector is so much more than that. A father is responsible for protecting his daughter’s purity and her heart as well as protecting her from physical harm.

A father is also called to provide for his wife and children. In a later session, Voddie mentioned that we often think that to be “the provider” the man needs to have a degree, have an amazingly huge paycheck and be able to afford anything you can dream of. The definition of “provider” that Voddie gives is a man who 1) has a job, 2) has a good work ethic and 3) has some sort of savings. While this is a very important part of a father’s job, Voddie mentioned that many men believe that as long as he is working and bringing home money for his wife and children, he can opt out of any other fatherly duties, which is a complete lie!

The following morning was about “The Ministry of Marriage.” This is where I thought I disagreed with Voddie. One of his statements was “we need to be preparing our children for marriage, and preparing them for marriage at a young age.” My initial thought was that he was saying that everyone should marry young, and while I don’t believe that it’s wrong to marry young (Hello! I’m 19 ;)) I definitely do not think that it’s for everyone. What he meant by this was that you should have your children prepared for marriage at an early age – familiar with the roles of a husband and wife and ready to take them up if in fact they do get married. Voddie talked about how this is such a valuable lesson to learn, and is crucial if the child does get married, and will not hinder him if he doesn’t.

Another topic mentioned in this session was the reasons (excuses) that Christians have for not getting married. He mentioned:

1)      “The pious argument” – When you marry, it’s harder to serve the Lord. This is just bogus! Like the title implies, marriage (if done correctly) is a ministry in itself! What is to keep you from serving in your family, in your church and in other areas of your life? Marriage certainly won’t!

2)      “The textual argument” – “To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am.” 1 Corinthians 7:8.  This passage was simply taken out of context. I’ve not checked this out myself, (but I plan to) but Voddie was saying that in this instance, the people that Paul was writing to were going through some very severe trials and that marriage probably wasn’t the best thing to get into at the time. It wasn’t going to make the situation any better. This was not to be used as an excuse not to marry

3)      “The theological argument” – Jesus never married. True, Jesus never married, but we must remember that Christ is the Bridegroom! He is the ultimate picture of marriage that our human version was modeled after.

This is not to say that because you don’t marry, you’re not a good Christian. Marriage is not spiritually superior to singleness. In fact, some people were given the gift of singleness. Voddie clarified that if a person is given this gift, it’s the gift of singleness as a permanent status.

The third session, “He Must be a Follower of Christ” was an excellent presentation of the Gospel. It just amazes me every time I hear it. The point here was that a couple is not to be unequally yoked. A Christian must not marry an unbeliever. Voddie mentioned several things that people think that they hear when this is brought up: He must be a “good guy,” he must be a churchgoer, he must have “walked an aisle and prayed ‘the prayer’ at some point.” While these things may be true of a believer, they can not be the only things that define that person’s faith. A Christian man will be:

1)      Regenerated - a sovereign work of God. We have nothing to do with it. God chooses us – we don’t choose Him

2)      Repentant - not simply praying for forgiveness of sins and then going on in the same path, it’s actually turning in the opposite direction.

3)      Reformed - a subjective change brought on by the grace of God.

The very last session was the easiest to apply, I thought. It went through “The Four P’s”

1)      Priest – A man who will be a shepherd for his wife.

2)      Prophet – A man who washes his wife with the water of the word.

3)      Provider – I kind of mentioned this before, but the importance of this role is not the dollar amount of his paycheck, but just that he is able to provide food and shelter for his wife. One thing that Voddie mentioned here was that we tend to be “classist” by saying that you have to be able to afford a big house or lots of cars, or luxury in order to get married. He says that by saying this, you are forbidding the lower class from getting married. I thought that was an interesting thought.

4)      Protector – This man places himself between his family and anything that may harm them. Voddie posed the question: how can you tell if a young man is a protector if he doesn’t have a family to protect yet?! A man who is a protector will be a man of personal strength, wisdom and courage.

This was a great study to go through. I had a lot of good discussions with people from many different backgrounds and it was interesting to see their take on it. For me, it was nice to see everything all in one place and it definitely made me very thankful for my father as he raised me like this. I’m also very proud of Michael for being willing to take up such a huge responsibility. It makes me even more excited to get married! I know he’ll do a great job.

  

Retreat! (337)

No more posts till Monday, I'm going on retreat! It's going to be a very fun weekend. We're going through Dr. Voddie Baucham's book, What He Must Be. I bought the book not too long ago and I skimmed through it last night. I'm not sure I agree with everything that he says, but there is definitely some great information in there and it's sure to be an interesting and productive study. So, off I go to the Crapo Ranch! I'll let you know about the book on Monday :) 

More Honeymoon Thoughts (338)

The last few days I haven't done much planning except for honeymoon stuff. I really want to get a budget in place, so we can make reservations as soon as possible - I just want it out of the way. Disneyland is still an option, maybe just for 2 days. We're thinking about possibly staying in Omaha for 3-4 nights and then going to Anaheim for 3 nights and going to Disneyland. I don't know. It's a lot of money to spend, but it's our honeymoon and I want it to be nice. The plane tickets are the most expensive part - almost half of the cost goes into just getting there. We'll see how it goes. I've been spending a lot of time on priceline.com :) 

Another Dress :) (339)

My favorite dress I've seen so far - $12,000. Yeah, not gonna happen. 

Honeymoon (340)

I've been browsing honeymoon locations for the past few days. We're pretty sure that we want to stay in California - it'd be pretty convenient especially because we'll probably have to borrow a car from either my parents or a friend since neither of  us will be old enough to rent a car yet! It's still too early to book most hotels, but we're still looking around to see how much money we can expect to spend. I looked at hotel and ticket prices for Disneyland last night - Michael has never been there, and I haven't been there in almost 8 years. After counting in the air fare, hotel, park tickets, food and some spending money, it ended up being pretty pricey. Then  again, I've never really been on a vacation and I'm not really familiar with what things cost. To be honest, we're content with a nice clean room and some time on the beach - nothing fancy. How much did you spend on your honeymoon? What is a reasonable price? How can we do this on a budget? Input is greatly appreciated!

Kids? (341)

I have a dilemma. I've been thinking about this an awful lot lately, and I can't seem to decide. Should we have a flower girl and/or a ring-bearer in our wedding? On one hand, they're stinking adorable. How cute is this?!

On the other hand....I'm afraid of this -



I've seen far too many tantrums, and it worries me.

Bethany told me that it's uncharacteristic of me to not have kids in my wedding - which is probably true.

Hmm. What do you guys think? Did you have kiddos in your wedding? Any horror stories?

Cuppy Cakes (342)

I served at a wedding last night, and I have to admit that my mind wasn't really on my job. I was mostly spying on the wedding trying to pick up on some awesome ideas. It's been a while since I've been to a wedding, so I was pretty pumped. First of all, it was GORGEOUS wedding! It was all outdoors, which is beautiful, but given the date of our wedding, I think that's gonna be a bad idea. August+Nebraska=miserable humidity. Boo. Anyway, my favorite idea I took away from last night was having a cupcake tower instead of a cake. I was too busy to get a picture (that, and I left my camera in the car...and it may have been awkward for the server girl to be taking pictures of the wedding stuff :P) It looked something like this:

The style was very different, but you get the idea - the top tier for the first anniversary, and cupcakes for people to come and get for themselves. I don't know what they did when it was time to cut the cake - but my mom and I thought it would be cute to just cut a cupcake in half. :)

I think it will work well with my guests too - 30% of them are children under 5  (Yikes! I know!) and kiddos do well with cupcakes :)