So many invitations! (78)

Because I'm getting married out of state, we're having a reception here in California a week after the wedding. This means that almost all of the wedding plans have to be doubled  - one for Nebraska and one for California. I'm *almost* done addressing the invitations for both events. I've told myself 3 days in a row that I'd finish them that day, but I still have a big ol' pile to work on. Boo.

...and some good news (79)

In addition to working on all things wedding, Michael and I have been waiting to hear about a rental home. We were told that we could either move in in August or in November. While we would be thrilled to move in at any time, August would really be best because if we had to wait for November it would complicate things - most apartments required a 1 year lease which would require us to stay longer than we wanted. BUT! We just found out this morning that we will get the house August 1st, and I'll be able to move in shortly after that!! Praise the Lord!! This means I can get everything settled in before the wedding and make it home :)

Snip its :) (80)

I've been so reluctant to post lately because, while I'm DYING to share what I've been doing, I REALLY want to save it for the wedding and reception. Up until this point, it's just been ideas and venues and food and stuff that wouldn't really be a surprise, but now it's really fun decorations and invitations and dresses and flowers that I want to show off on the wedding day. So my mom suggested just taking a picture every day of something that will give you a hint, but not a full view of what we're up to. Here we go....

Bridal shower number two! (86)

I had my second bridal shower this weekend :) Thank you Nina for taking these beautiful pictures! 

Double Digits!! (98)

Hooray! We made it to the double digits! I don't know why, but it makes it seem so much closer :) Today we went out and bought some more pots for our centerpieces. It's coming along :) I have a shower coming up next weekend that I'm pretty excited about. I'm so blessed :)

Caterer :) (102)

My mom and I just met with our wonderful caterer, Delinda Hernandez of The Four Roses! :) We really weren't sure of what to expect, but she was FANTASTIC and set our minds at ease for the whole event. She's such a joyful person and wonderful to work with, which was one of the reasons we chose her to do the catering. We found out today that her prices include the linens and the dishes, which we were not expecting and will end up saving us some more money :) Hooray! One top of that, she's waiving the sale's tax AND giving us 10% off. She kept acting like it wasn't all that much, but we're dealing with over 300 people here, so hey, that discount can get us a plane ticket! She also understands my obsession with the look of long tables :P

Ahhh...gorgeous :) The simplicity! The repetition! I. Love. This. 

So yes, Delinda has reassured us that with her help, we can indeed pull off relatively large wedding and reception one weekend and turn around to do a massive reception 1600 miles away the next. So. Excited! 

What to say...what not to say...(109)

I haven't been posting on here lately because we've been working on the actual parts of the wedding that you all will see! I'm not sure what I should show you and what I should keep as a surprise! I'm thinking that I want as much of it to be a surprise as possible...:) Decorations are coming along very well, and I can't wait for everyone to see them :) We've been talking about food, we've ordered invitations, and I have 3 showers coming up. Exciting things are happening! :) We've moved my moving date to June 17th because of some changes in our summer plans and the Long family has generously offered to host me while I'm waiting for our house or apartment to be ready for me to move into. It's so exciting!

Centerpieces (112)

Okay, I know in a previous post I had said that we opted out of doing topiaries for the centerpiece, but we rethought it and decided to make them out of TISSUE PAPER! Dirt. Cheap. We made the "prototype" tonight and I can't even begin to tell you how much I LOVE it! It's exactly what I was looking for - tall and elegant, but cheap. We bought tissue paper in bulk (2000 sheets) which was WAY cheaper, we're getting bamboo and pots from the 99 cent store, and then we'll buy some black spray paint for the pot. So cute! So it's all for less than 5 dollars a piece which is FANTASTIC!

Never hurts to ask :) (120)

ASK FOR DISCOUNTS! 20% off wedding invitations and 20% off fabric for table runners! That's a total savings of $118.37! Yes!

I'm so excited that my invitations are being ordered :) They're all ready to go, I just want someone else to look over them real quick so that I know I'm not making any stupid mistakes :P

They're so pretty :)

Tables (122)

We went all over Fresno today looking for cheap, tall, elegant centerpiece options. We were thinking candelabras, but while they're readily available, they're 20 bucks a piece and we need at least 16. Then we considered topiaries - we could construct our own at home and save some money. Buuuuuuuuuut, the materials alone cost almost as much as a live topiary and we don't want to spend that much. Hmph. We went to Home Goods, Ross, Marshall's and Bed Bath and Beyond hoping to find something tall and pretty on clearance, but no luck...everything is going to cost us about 20 bucks just for the main part (it doesn't include candles or flowers.)

We've also been looking for fabric to use as table runners. There's this black and white print that I LOVE at Home Fabrics, but it's 8 bucks a yard and we need at least 90 yards for our tables. We started looking at sheets and curtains as another option for runners, and did actually find some that I like, but we don't have nearly enough to cover all the tables. Boo.

Wedding Stuff is Happening :) (123)

Momma and I are getting to work over here on the wedding stuff :D Tonight we're planning on purchasing all the plane tickets so we can start FINALIZING some things! Woot! Love that :)

We're sitting here working on centerpiece ideas, invitation wording and the order of ceremony :) Oh boy. I'm so overwhelmed, excited and HAPPY! :D

So much is going on in these next few weeks, I'm MOVING in just 8-9 weeks! While I'm SO excited to be with Michael and my friends in Nebraska, I'm going to MISS my family and friends here :( So emotional! I still don't know where I'm going to stay while I'm out there, which is so weird for me...so strange to NOT KNOW what's going to be happening to me in the near future. I'm not worried or stressed surprisingly, because I know it'll all be alright, but it's going to be so DIFFERENT!

Good changes :)

I feel like this kid :P

Table (124)

Mom and I are working on centerpiece/reception stuff today :) This is my favorite so far

Save the Dates (126)

I MAILED THE SAVE THE DATE CARDS! Yes, it's true. I didn't think that it would ever truly happen, but it has and I'm so happy about it. This also means that the guest list is officially DONE. Oh yes :)

Now to move on to the California reception guest list and save the dates :P

Thank yous (127)

Today, I'm writing thank yous. I am determined to stay on top of this so it's not completely overwhelming! It helps that my showers are so spread out (one in April, one in May, one in June and one in August) so I'm hoping that I can keep up :) I am so blessed to have so many people showering me with gifts for my new job as a wife and homemaker :)

Bridal Shower! (128)

Last Saturday, I had my very first bridal shower! Our good friends, the Knutsons hosted it for me and it was absolutely beautiful! This shower was for my homeschool friends, and most of them were able to come. We had such a wonderful evening with these lovely ladies :) Mary Ann and Maddie were in town for this one, and both of my grandmothers were able to come which just made it better. We played a few silly games, ate cheesecake with strawberries, got advice, opened my presents and then everyone prayed over me. I'm so blessed to have such great friends :)

I'm baaaaaaaaaack! (129)

I've been told by more than one person that I need to post on this blog again :P Yes, the wedding is still on ;) Since I posted last, Maddie and Marcus and my future mother-in-love came to visit and we were able to get some wedding stuff planned :) The best thing is that the guest list is FINALIZED! Woot! It's a whole lot smaller than I expected, but I think people will understand. Save the date cards will go out shortly :) The moms also made some phone calls and have Charity and Laura all signed up to help with wedding decorations and food. Yay! I'm so excited!

I also had my very first bridal shower last Friday! It was so much fun, but I think I'll write about that in a different  post :)

Ring Bearer! (159)

So excited! We just picked up Quinny's outfit for the wedding! Again, it was just the Easter clothes that Costco has to offer this time of year and the colors and style were just perfect! Best thing, it was only 17.99! It has grey pinstripe pants with a matching vest, a sage green button up shirt and a green striped clip on tie. SO adorable! :)

Random Wedding News (160)

Well, there hasn't been much wedding related activity going on here lately, hence the lack of blog posts :P But, I did receive my wedding invitation samples! I think I've decided on the style that I like, now I just have to spend some more time on the wording.

I showed Claire her flower girl dress and she seemed happy with it :) I'm so excited to have her in the wedding.

I talked to Quinn about being the ring bearer, and in that conversation mentioned that I was a flower girl in his parents wedding 13 years ago. He was quite upset that his parents picked me and Bethany to be in their wedding rather than him. After explaining to him that he wasn't born for another 10 years, he was still confused and upset. Poor kid.

The wedding nightmares continue. Bethany seems to be the one ruining the day in all the dreams, but I'm not sure why. The dreams have included a barnyard wedding, Buzz Lightyear sweatpants, bad hair days, and horse trailers.

Madison, my other bridesmaid, is coming into town along with my future mother in love and Marcus, my brother in law in mid April. I'm SO excited! Maddie, Bethany and I are going to see Wicked at the Saroyan here in Fresno. This was their bridesmaid gift :)

That's pretty much all. I think I found someone who can arrange my flowers for me :) She'll make my bouquet, the girl's bouquets, a bouquet for me to toss at the reception and boutineers for the men. So exciting! :)

Invitation Samples (168)

My mom and I have been talking about invitations lately, and we decided to go ahead and order printed invites rather than going the DIY route. I think it's better that way for this. I was kind of nervous about ordering like 200 invitations without actually seeing or feeling them, but when we started looking around, we found that most invitation companies allow you to order samples for free so you can see them. So we ordered a few from two different companies, and they came yesterday! I was so excited! I definitely have a favorite one :)

Flower Girl Dress :) (171)

My mom found Claire's dress! I'm so excited! It's beautiful :) I was going to post a picture, but I think I want it to be a surprise :) Best part: it was only 16 bucks! :D

Wording (173)

There are some things that I really didn't think of when I thought about planning a wedding like the wording of the actual invitation. There are a TON of different samples available online. I've actually been looking at them for about an hour. I think I made it to the point where I really don't care any more. I do know that I want something pretty traditional - my parents will be the ones inviting, not Michael and me. This narrows it down a little bit, but still, there are SO MANY options!

Invitations (174)

I found the perfect invitations at Joann! They're exactly what I want, and they're only 25 dollars for 50 invitations. Right now, they're on sale for 25% off, but I'm waiting for the sale to end so that I can use my 50% off coupons. :) Hooray saving cash!

Dreams (175)

I've been having so many wedding dreams lately. Seriously. And none of them are good! Last night I had a dream that I was getting married and we weren't ready AT ALL! I had my dress, but no veil and I was having a super bad hair day and the stylist couldn't get me in at all on that day! There were these 5 guys who came and wanted to sit at the front of the church during the ceremony and they were wearing bright orange pajamas. Our pastor couldn't make it and we hadn't sent out the invitations yet. My grandpa and his brother and sister and their spouses were able to came, but they were the only guests. In fact, Michael wasn't even there. At some point, I realized it was just a dream, but it wasn't until after the wedding. Weeeeeird dream :P

Nips (176)

I spent all day today going to different Rite Aids all over Fresno and I finally collected 50 boxes of Nips! Woot!

Sale! (177)

Guess what was on sale this week at Rite Aid?!? Nips! For just 79 cents a box which is an AMAZING deal! We bought 12 from the Rite Aid down the street, and we're going to search for every Rite Aid in town to get 50 boxes of these. Yummy! :)

Flowers! (178)

50% off of all flowers this week at Michaels! Woot! I bought just about anything that I liked, so we can piece together bouquets for me and the girls :)  

The Wedding Party and Moving (180)

Well, the wedding party has officially been decided! Michael's cousin, David will be his groomsman. :)

We did finally figure out how I'm going to get all my stuff moved out to Nebraska. I'll be going out in June, and then my mom and dad will drive out to Salt Lake City with my car and his truck pulling a trailer with all my stuff in July and Michael's parents (and any tag alongs ;)) will drive out there in the truck and take the trailer and my car back out to Nebraska.

Such a wonderful thing to have that finally figured out!

Nightmare! (184)

I had my first wedding nightmare last night. I'm actually surprised that I haven't  had one sooner. In my dream, I had odered these beautiful, simple invitations. They were pretty expensive, but I loved them so much that I didn't care. They were a half sheet of white cardstock with a raised off-white border and were blank so that I could take them to Office Max or somewhere to get them printed. Anyway, I had ordered them and they finally arrived. My mom called me while I was at work and told me that they were there and I was so excited that I couldn't focus. When I got home, I ran into my room and opened the box to find the ugliest wedding invitations ever! They were these tiny cards with a black and white picture of a glass of water and a wedding dress on the front. When I opened the card, had yellow and hot pink stripes on one side of the paper, and on the other it said:

"Bride ______
Groom______
Parents______
Time______
Date_______
Please come."

It had all these paper inserts inside too. There were like 8 of them and they were all different sizes and colors and they had random words on them...they were different in each invitation. I remember that one of said "going" and another said "ice cream." I threw the box of invitations into my trash can and I sat down and cried.

As I woke up this morning, I was tearing up, but then once I realized why I was crying I couldn't stop laughing. Oh boy :P

Photographer (186)

Check out our awesome photographer's website! I'm so excited to have Nina and Vitaliy shoot the wedding :D

http://vitalinaphotography.com/

More Guest List Stuff (188)

Michael was so patient with me last night while I read through the guest list over and over again trying to get this all figured out. I started by putting all the family members and church members on the final list. With just those two groups, we have 165 people. After talking it over for a few hours last night and more this morning, we were able to bring down the number by a lot. Not very many people outside of Heartland and our families will get an invitation, but I think that they will understand. We plan on sending out announcements after we get settled.

Snip, snip! (189)

Well, I'm getting ready to work on the guest list again. I'm going to go through and highlight church people (all of Heartland is invited as a group) and family members. Then I'll go through and pick out all the friends who are like family and we'll see where we are then. This will hopefully be the final cut so that I can send out the save the dates!

I can't focus! (190)

I'm having trouble focusing on anything. Tonight, we're supposed to have a real discussion and figure out who and what goes where when. I am going out of my mind. I can't wait till my parents get home so that we can have this discussion because it's driving me crazy not knowing when I get to see my man again!

Real Simple (191)

I splurged and bought this magazine in the airport in Fresno when I had that nasty 5 hour delay. It hurt to pay 15 dollars for paper, but the free 1 year subscription to Real Simple and valuable information inside softened the blow. I think the most helpful information was about how to handle a "B-List." I really didn't want to have to make one, but it's inevitable, so I might as well learn how to handle it. :) The pictures are also fantastic and it was just fun to look at. :)   

The final stretch (192)

This is it! I flew back to Fresno last night and I won't be going back until I move to Nebraska for the wedding! It was weird saying goodbye yesterday...in some ways, it was harder than usual. I've gotten spoiled because I got to see Michael a lot in the past few months (in the past 100 days, I've spent 45 days with him) and now I won't see him till as late as June 14th. On the other hand, I was pumped to get back here, tie up all the loose ends and MOVE! Either way, this is the last stretch and I'm excited about finishing it up! :) 

Hydrangeas (201)

I think I want to carry hydrangeas down the aisle. They're so simple and beautiful, and it doesn't take too many to make a full bouquet. I really am considering using fake flowers, at least in my bouquet, so that I can hang on to it forever and display it and show my kids because I'm a sap like that. I think I'm going to stop by Michael's sometime soon and see what they have. It won't be too terrible if I just go when I have a 40% off coupon, and I have over 6 months, so it shouldn't be a problem. :) 

Photographer!! (202)

I'm so excited to announce that we have our photographer booked! My friend from Fresno, Nina Kuchkovskiy and her husband, Vitaliy will be shooting our wedding for us! They gave us an awesome deal, and I can't wait to have them here :) They're such a sweet couple and the pictures are absolutely gorgeous!

In other news, as of today, Michael and I have been engaged for 6 months today :D Yay! So that means we're almost half way through the engagement period. I can't wait to marry this man :)

I'm in Nebraska now, so, as usual when I'm here, I probably won't be posting as regularly. I'm super excited to be here on Valentine's Day because even though Michael and I have been a couple for two Valentine's Days we have never spent it together. I'm not sure what we will do, but it's sure to be fun. :) It's going to be a fun trip. The Valentine's banquet at church is on Friday, I think, and on Thursday, I get to go see Mary Poppins with the girlies. I'm so excited!

My Dear Brother (205)

"Will you still be going to Disneyland for your funeral? I mean...honeymoon?"

Amtrak (206)

After A TON of input from various people, I've decided that Amtrak should work for us. Just to clarify, we're not planning on using it from Omaha to Anaheim - just Anaheim to Fresno. So we won't have to worry about spending the night or anything. I looked it up, and it's going to be about 70 bucks for the two of us (AWESOME!) and will only take about 6 hours, which is totally do-able :)

Ultimate Wedding Contest 2011 (207)

Vote for us :)


http://www.ultimateweddingcontest.com/entry/97243

My Plan (208)

I think I have it figured out. I needed to do this to help me visualize it though :P Unfortunately, my parents still aren't giving me much input. Why do I have to be such a planner?! I hate uncertainty! :P

Honeymoon Thoughts (209)

I would consider myself to be a pretty organized person. However, I'm not so great about organizing and planning a vacation. I'm trying to plan out our honeymoon, but it's not going as well as I would have liked. We're still thinking that we would love to go to Disneyland, but then we have to think about how we'll get back to Fresno in time for the reception. Hmm. We won't have a car, so would a train be a good option (from Anaheim to Fresno?)  Have any of you taken Amtrak? Is that a good option? What hotels near Disneyland are good options?  Anyone know how to fly two people from Omaha to John Wayne and then Fresno to Omaha for under 800 bucks? I'm clueless. On days when I have to do things like this, I feel like a clueless 12 year old. I'm just a baby! ;)

Indoor/Outdoor (210)

Outdoor weddings and receptions are so incredibly popular right now. Who gets married in a church? I've been looking around online trying to find some good pictures of indoor receptions and weddings to get an idea of how I can set things up, but every single picture I find that I like is outside! Don't get me wrong, I love outdoor weddings - in fact, I think I would have loved to have one if our wedding was in May or June - but I want inspiration for an INDOOR wedding...hmph.

7 Months! (212)

Just 7 short months till the wedding! I'm SO ready for it! I probably look like an idiot anytime I talk about anything wedding related. I get this goofy grin and get all excited and happy :) I'm just totally in love with my man and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him! :)

Hair (213)

Marriage Advice (214)

Noel Piper recently posted this on her blog - Wisdom for new brides

• When there’s trouble, it’s not because there’s something wrong with you or with him or something wrong with your family or his–it’s because God made you different than each other.
• Marriage is for sanctification.
• Remember no one will love him like you do.
• Read the Bible together every day.
• Pray together.
• Hold onto Jesus.
• Remember that all marriages are cross-cultural.
• Laugh a whole lot, especially when things are crummy.
• Never criticize him in front of other people.
• Let your behavior be respectful even when you don’t feel like it. Politeness like “please” and “thank you” can help clear the air.
• Be patient.
• Do things together, and time alone is important too.
• Appreciate each day. Don’t let things hang over from the past and don’t worry about the future.
• If you’re not feeling well, let him comfort you, and don’t go hide under the covers.
• Keep pursuing each other and learning each other.
• Make room for silliness.
• Stay friends.
• Learn how to celebrate together. You live close to your families, but make your own celebrations too for Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.
• Be as crazy as you can at home, then when sober times come, you can be sober. I hope you’ll have more than 62 years like we have.
• Let him be head of your house, and Jesus be head over all.
• Know every day about God’s sufficiency–not just in hard times, but all the time. I pray that God will lavish future grace on you.
• Go on the mission field. That will put everything to the test.
• Pray. Hug. Laugh.
• I wasted too much time wanting my husband to be what he wasn’t. Your husband is who you’ll know best from here on out. Enjoy who he is.
• Read out loud together.
• Launch out and be your own family, but remember you can call your mother anytime–and any of these friends too.
• A threefold cord is not easily broken. Please keep Jesus as the third strand in the cord of your life together.

Save the Date! (215)

Michael said that we can't use this because Arthas Menethil is dead :P I still think it would be funny to order a few and send them to his friends :P

Groom's Cake? :P (216)

For the Alliance!...I think? :P 

Candles (217)

The Knot (218)

Within a few days of getting engaged (well...after my first visit to David's and they got all my info :) Haha :)) I started receiving snail mail, phone calls and emails about wedding stuff. One of the first things that I heard from was The Knot. I didn't really want to sign up for anything, so I just deleted everything. Now, after almost 6 months of being engaged, I decided to finally sign up for The Knot. Oh my. I love it. It's really an amazing resource. If you're engaged, you really need to use this. It's great for staying organized and keeping all your information in one place. :)

Why? Why did I do this to myself? (219)

Dear young girls who are addicted to thrift stores,

Please take my advice and make sure that you're not going to get married to someone who works half way across the country before collecting anything large for your new home. You will be kicking yourself when you put two and two together and realize that you have to get all your junk over there.

I thought I was so smart collecting all this stuff. A couch, a table, 5 chairs, a bed, 3 dressers, a desk, a huge trunk, coffee table, two side tables, dishes, picture frames, mirrors, books (tons and tons and tons of books,) baskets, rugs. Eh. I'm sure that I'll be glad that I did this when we actually move into our house or apartment or whatever, but for now while I'm trying to box things up and arrange moving plans, it's a real pain in the neck.

Worship (220)

I realize that every Christian wedding since 2002 has used this song in their wedding, but I want to use it so badly! It's such a wonderful, powerful song with such amazing lyrics! I get chills every time I hear, sing, or read these lyrics - so much truth packed into one song. Who cares if everyone else is using it? I want it too :) 


In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless Babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save

Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live, I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From a life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand

Rectangular tables (221)

It's not that I have anything against round tables, but I don't understand why everyone uses them. I find rectangular tables to be more space efficient, easier to sit at and easier to set.

Wedding Videos (222)

I love wedding highlight videos. They make me cry every time. I am not a crier, but every time I see a wedding highlight video, I tear up. It doesn't matter if it's a stranger's video (cause I see plenty of those...I realize that I'm a stalker, but whatever) it always makes me cry. I would really love to have one for our wedding...something that we can watch over and over again and show to our children and grandchildren. I want something that captures the mood of the entire day, my bridesmaids putting on my shoes, my handsome hubby to be just chilling with the guys waiting for every thing to start, candid clips of our parents, our guests laughing, my little brothers stealing candy from random tables, kisses, tears, my daddy, little girls dancing in their frilly party dresses. Every thing needs to be set to some sweet poppy love song. Sigh...I'm such a sap.

Do I really need...? (223)

As much as I complain about how big my guest list is, I really do want to have a lot of people at my wedding. I am willing to cut corners in other places in order to accommodate the extra guests. I'm already sorry that I printed save the date cards...while the cards were relatively inexpensive at first glance, there's postage, address labels...oh yeah, and the fact that I need 600 of them to consider - which made them pretty pricey.  Here are some things that I'm considering cutting out in order to save money...

-  Programs. Are they really necessary? What happens to them when the guests go home? My guess is that at least 80% of them get thrown away within a few days. 

-  Favors. Is this tacky? I'm just saying...how many wedding favors have you actually kept? Do you need another trinket with our names and a date on them?

-  A guest book. What happened to the guest book from your wedding? Have you looked at it since? I think it's just another thing collecting dust...I do want to keep track of who was at my wedding, but can't there be a more interesting way of doing that than just having them sign their name in a book? 

-  Full meal. This has been decided, so don't expect a hefty meal at the wedding :P We plan on serving cake, cheese and crackers and fruit...enough to fill you up, but still relatively inexpensive. 

I'm sure there's more, but I'm too tired to think. Off to bed I go :) Night night all :) 

The guest list rant (224)

Today I've been working on the save the date cards. I would love to send them out pretty soon, but I have to have my guest list complete before I do that. I always used to think it was funny that brides had so much trouble with their guest lists. I mean, come on, how difficult can it be? Sigh...it's not fun AT ALL.

When we made our first draft of the guest list for the reception (I was just naming people off the top of my head and writing them down) we had over 600 people on the list. After we went through address books and directories, we had over 700. That obviously wasn't going to work. Right now, we're at 450 for the reception. I think that's as small as it's going to get. I'm just not sure where to draw the line. There's the whole family member thing. I have people on this list that I'm pretty sure I've never met in my entire life. But if they're my cousins and my mom was close to them I'm supposed to invite them. How many generations am I supposed to invite? My mom is still in contact with her third cousins. Do they get an invitation? When they get it in the mail will they say "I'm so glad I was included!" or "She just wants a gift."  I don't want to make people feel uncomfortable! If I'm close with 3 siblings and acquainted with the fourth, do I invite them so that they don't feel left out? What about my friend's boyfriends/girlfriends do they get their own invite or do I just invite my friend and say that they can bring a guest? Kids? I'm inviting some kids...is it okay to not include others? How do I tell a parent that I don't want their kid there? People from work? Do they get invited? Old friends? My parent's friends?

You know, Prince William and what's-her-face only get to invite 15 people each to their wedding. I think that might be easier. If it's good enough for the prince of England, it should be good enough for us, right?

Arghejkwe,fjansof[weilfnaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh.

I know that everyone says "This is YOUR wedding! Invite who YOU want to invite!" but that's not really how it works out. I can almost guarantee that there will be hurt feelings if I do that. I DO NOT want to hurt feelings!

Maybe we can elope?

Where's the Focus? (225)

I really want to make it known that the focus of this wedding is not on us. It's on Christ. It's so easy to get caught up in all of this bridal stuff. Everyone wants to make sure you know that everything is about you and what you want. I really want to stress that it's not about us - especially in our ceremony. I would like to have some kind of congregational worship song, communion (just for Michael and me) and a short gospel presentation. I'm not sure how to put it all together though. Does anyone have any ideas for an order of ceremony?

Cuteness :) (226)

I love tiny things :) I wonder how much it would cost to make these teeny tiny place card holder thing-a-ma-jigs? I'm sure we could put them together, and they would make a great favor...but I'm not sure if I really want to make 500+ of them.

I'm baaaack...and wedding bands :) (227)

Well, I'm back in Fresno. :( It was super sad to leave, but it's encouraging to know that in just a few short months, I'll be with Michael for good. :) I'll actually be going back in less than a month for Valentine's day (our first one together :)) so it's not too bad. I've been talking to my mom about when and how we're going to get all of my stuff moved out to Nebraska. I thought it was really smart to start collecting furniture and household items, but I didn't stop to think that I would have to move them half-way across the country. That complicates things.

I've been looking at wedding bands lately. I honestly have no idea what I want, or what "goes" with my engagement ring. I'm really terrible at that kind of stuff. Here's my ring...

I can't decide if I want a plain band like this -

Ooooor something with some sparkle, like this -



What do you think?

Bridesmaid Dresses (231)

We bought the bridesmaid's dresses yesterday! :D

Black dresses and green scarves :) They'll probably be wearing green shoes for the wedding :)

I also got Michael's ring finger sized last night, so when I get back to Fresno I can buy the ring from my neighbor :)