Where will we go and what will we do... you'll have to wait to find out, too! :)
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| Not the most flattering picture of Kyle, but I recently noticed the ring was on his finger here and I had no idea... |
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| The big moment! |
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| The bliss! |
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
One Year of Engagement!
One year ago today, I was completely in the dark about what would be happening near midnight on June 26. Today, Kyle is completely in the dark about what we are going to do to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of our engagement. It only seems fitting to surprise him, given the surprise he gave me last summer!
Where will we go and what will we do... you'll have to wait to find out, too! :)
Where will we go and what will we do... you'll have to wait to find out, too! :)
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Invitation Creation
Well, another week of wedding planning has passed, and I have worked hard to complete all our homemade invitations, with great help from my mom, sisters, and Mailboxes Etc's awesome card stock paper cutter! Here is a snapshot of the supplies:
Now, I had been warned by many people to avoid making anything ala Martha Stewart when I could buy it for less hassle and stress. I was bound and determined to make my own invites, however. I know that I have scrapbook experience, and I could do it with the help of my family. We succeeded, but not without a few snafus.
First, the hole puncher seen above in the picture was great, but some of the colored card stock we bought was too thick to punch through easily, so we had to experiment. Amanda would step on the puncher, but often it would then stick in the pressed-in position and the paper and the leaf cutout would get caught.
After dealing with that issue, we realized that the envelopes were the wrong size. Oops, I ordered the largest size available in the color I had chosen, and it wasn't until we got them in the mail that we realized we had the wrong ones! Apparently, OTHER colors came in the right size, but the color I had chosen maxed out at A7 (2 sizes too small) and I didn't even read the size when ordering. Luckily we could return them and ordered new ones.
There were a few other minor "oops" moments (breaking off the tip of the Exacto knife...) but we survived, no cuts, no major set backs, and ready to send out invitations as soon as we compile an updated and accurate address list.
- Heavy weight chocolate card stock
- Light weight ivory card stock
- Light weight fall colored card stock
- Leaf hole punch
- Firefly ribbon
- Double-sided tape
- Regular tape
- Scrapbooking adhesive
- Scissors
- Stencil
- Envelopes
- Ruler
- Printable mailing labels
- Exacto knife
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| Taking over the kitchen table |
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| The beginnings |
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| Looks like fall! |
First, the hole puncher seen above in the picture was great, but some of the colored card stock we bought was too thick to punch through easily, so we had to experiment. Amanda would step on the puncher, but often it would then stick in the pressed-in position and the paper and the leaf cutout would get caught.
After dealing with that issue, we realized that the envelopes were the wrong size. Oops, I ordered the largest size available in the color I had chosen, and it wasn't until we got them in the mail that we realized we had the wrong ones! Apparently, OTHER colors came in the right size, but the color I had chosen maxed out at A7 (2 sizes too small) and I didn't even read the size when ordering. Luckily we could return them and ordered new ones.
There were a few other minor "oops" moments (breaking off the tip of the Exacto knife...) but we survived, no cuts, no major set backs, and ready to send out invitations as soon as we compile an updated and accurate address list.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
100 Days Until our Wedding!
I am so excited that we have reached this major milestone. It is a great relief to know that I have crossed the threshold and the wedding will be here before we know it! One, because I am excited to have more free time without having to plan a wedding. Two, because I am still actually excited to marry Kyle. Who would have thought?! We have survived nearly a year of our engagement with minimal wedding-related conflicts.
Our last weekend in Colorado, besides actually getting stuff done for the wedding, we got to have a lot of fun! We attended the Frisco Barbecue Festival, and avoided the temptation of many treats (although we still ate some meat), the Breckenridge Kingdom Days Outhouse Races, and trivia night at our favorite bar, The Cala Inn. We love spending time in Colorado, and always seem to get along the best with the beautiful atmosphere of the mountains. Perhaps it is the fresh air and peaceful sound of the breeze through the trees, which don't exist in Phoenix.
As a part of our pre-wedding fitness plan, we made sure that we got our work outs in each day! Here are some pictures that commemorated our weekend away.
Our last weekend in Colorado, besides actually getting stuff done for the wedding, we got to have a lot of fun! We attended the Frisco Barbecue Festival, and avoided the temptation of many treats (although we still ate some meat), the Breckenridge Kingdom Days Outhouse Races, and trivia night at our favorite bar, The Cala Inn. We love spending time in Colorado, and always seem to get along the best with the beautiful atmosphere of the mountains. Perhaps it is the fresh air and peaceful sound of the breeze through the trees, which don't exist in Phoenix.
As a part of our pre-wedding fitness plan, we made sure that we got our work outs in each day! Here are some pictures that commemorated our weekend away.
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| On Hoosier Pass Loop |
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| Relaxing with our healthy snacks at the end of the trail. |
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| Kyle "reflecting" on the landscape :) |
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| We were laughing at where the GPS showed our arrow. Notice all the surrounding civilization on the map... |
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| This little lady stalked us and held us hostage by hiding under our car, and on the tire, for over 10 minutes! |
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| We added a new pass to our database (we take pictures at all the pass signs we drive over!) It was sleeting on us! |
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| At the top of an unnamed mountain along the Continental Divide Trail near Loveland Pass. It was REALLY windy. |
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| With Grey's and Torrey's in the background |
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| The mountain we just climbed as we drove down Loveland Pass. It was a lot higher than this picture looks. 1000 feet elevation gain! |
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Wedding planning week continued...
The rest of wedding planning week in Colorado was so fabulous!!! I told you already about my visit with the florist, who I am so excited to work with to help achieve my vision of my wedding venue. I am so much more excited for the wedding now that I've consulted with various other vendors, too.
First, I met with my planner, Johnna, who is a gem. She is so genuine in her anticipation and excitement for our wedding, that I am not feeling anxiety at all, but rather pure excitement for the results, and reassurance that she is on the same page as me! She is so vital in the planning process, and will assure that I have no worries wedding weekend, (like that is possible) but will allow for me to feel like I am taking a wedding "vacation" instead of just putting on a huge event with a lot of pressure attached to it.
Then I met with our DJ, Courtney, for a walk-through of the venue. It helped me to remember the set up and gave me a spatial idea of what the layout for the reception could be. I also met with her with Kyle, so she can really cater to our style throughout the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. She is super willing to work with our vision (ok, it is really MY vision), and is willing to try new things like with our slide show.
After all this, I had the opportunity to shop for tuxes with Kyle finally, and we chose one for our groomsmen! It was so easy, it was almost sad that it took us as long as we did to start to look.
On top of all of this, I designed the invitations, ordered our favors, planned the outline for the day of the wedding, tasted the rehearsal dinner options, set the contract with the hotel for the weekend of the wedding, and took in the mountain atmosphere (both figuratively and literally), enjoyed a Rockies game with my brother and his girlfriend, AND maintained my diet!!! I couldn't be more happy at the conclusion of the week.
I feel a total sense of accomplishment.
More to come on the tuxes and the troubles, and the weekend of fun Kyle and I spent in the mountains!
First, I met with my planner, Johnna, who is a gem. She is so genuine in her anticipation and excitement for our wedding, that I am not feeling anxiety at all, but rather pure excitement for the results, and reassurance that she is on the same page as me! She is so vital in the planning process, and will assure that I have no worries wedding weekend, (like that is possible) but will allow for me to feel like I am taking a wedding "vacation" instead of just putting on a huge event with a lot of pressure attached to it.
Then I met with our DJ, Courtney, for a walk-through of the venue. It helped me to remember the set up and gave me a spatial idea of what the layout for the reception could be. I also met with her with Kyle, so she can really cater to our style throughout the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. She is super willing to work with our vision (ok, it is really MY vision), and is willing to try new things like with our slide show.
After all this, I had the opportunity to shop for tuxes with Kyle finally, and we chose one for our groomsmen! It was so easy, it was almost sad that it took us as long as we did to start to look.
On top of all of this, I designed the invitations, ordered our favors, planned the outline for the day of the wedding, tasted the rehearsal dinner options, set the contract with the hotel for the weekend of the wedding, and took in the mountain atmosphere (both figuratively and literally), enjoyed a Rockies game with my brother and his girlfriend, AND maintained my diet!!! I couldn't be more happy at the conclusion of the week.
I feel a total sense of accomplishment.
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| Rockies game! They have a gluten-free food stand! |
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| We had some storm clouds but no real storms |
More to come on the tuxes and the troubles, and the weekend of fun Kyle and I spent in the mountains!
Friday, June 15, 2012
Wedding Planning Week Days 2-3
So far this has been a very successful wedding planning week. For having a destination wedding, the ability to be "on location" this week has really helped to get down and dirty with the planning. I feel like our wedding will be really personal, professional, and fun!
The first vendor I met with was our florist. I didn't really need to meet with them in person, but I feel like the face-to-face contacts help me convey my personality in a way that will not translate over e-mail. If my vendors get to know me better, I feel like they can better capture my spirit, and the vibe I want going on the most important day of my life (so far). So meeting with the florist, I got to sincerely express my concerns with my previous contract (like having all the same centerpieces, which I had originally requested) and got to see first hand some of their handiwork so I could use that to make some changes. I decided to vary the height of the centerpieces and add in a variety so that we could add dimension and extra color. I also added a couple of extra special touches that I had been inspired to include when reading other wedding blogs. I'll leave those details as a surprise!
Petal and Bean, a.k.a. "Creative Flowers Inc", a.k.a. Stacy and Dina Sanchez, have really captured the essence of wedding flowers (for over 15 years!). Their creations are unique, modern, stunning, and totally Colorado. I can't wait to see what they come up with for our wedding!
If you're interested, Stacy blogs and has a Pinterest account as well. See their wedding planning services at
And isn't this the cutest barn you've ever seen?! On location downtown Breckenridge!
The first vendor I met with was our florist. I didn't really need to meet with them in person, but I feel like the face-to-face contacts help me convey my personality in a way that will not translate over e-mail. If my vendors get to know me better, I feel like they can better capture my spirit, and the vibe I want going on the most important day of my life (so far). So meeting with the florist, I got to sincerely express my concerns with my previous contract (like having all the same centerpieces, which I had originally requested) and got to see first hand some of their handiwork so I could use that to make some changes. I decided to vary the height of the centerpieces and add in a variety so that we could add dimension and extra color. I also added a couple of extra special touches that I had been inspired to include when reading other wedding blogs. I'll leave those details as a surprise!
Petal and Bean, a.k.a. "Creative Flowers Inc", a.k.a. Stacy and Dina Sanchez, have really captured the essence of wedding flowers (for over 15 years!). Their creations are unique, modern, stunning, and totally Colorado. I can't wait to see what they come up with for our wedding!
If you're interested, Stacy blogs and has a Pinterest account as well. See their wedding planning services at
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Wedding Planning Week: Day 1
I am in Colorado. Real rough, I know. I have one week here to work on finalizing some of our wedding plans so as to feel a sense of relief that all is how it should be (done, or in progress at least). I have a fairly busy schedule meeting with vendors to assure this, and I hope the result is that I can relax and start focusing on other things, like my accessories.
My expectations for the week include time to relax, like the dinner I enjoyed on the deck of my father-in-law's house with my "fake beer" (sugar free, gluten free, black cherry cream soda and root beer) this evening. I also got to see some people that I don't see often enough, although pretty frequently lately: my brother and his girlfriend, Irina, and my bridesmaid Jenna and her son Arthur. I hope to get re-excited about my wedding, and get stuff done! I also hope to exercise, maintain my diet as best I can, and spend time outside. I found that I have time to sleep, read, and shop online without the distractions of home!
Overall, I look forward to the entirety of the week, and plan to share all my accomplishments as I go!
My expectations for the week include time to relax, like the dinner I enjoyed on the deck of my father-in-law's house with my "fake beer" (sugar free, gluten free, black cherry cream soda and root beer) this evening. I also got to see some people that I don't see often enough, although pretty frequently lately: my brother and his girlfriend, Irina, and my bridesmaid Jenna and her son Arthur. I hope to get re-excited about my wedding, and get stuff done! I also hope to exercise, maintain my diet as best I can, and spend time outside. I found that I have time to sleep, read, and shop online without the distractions of home!
Overall, I look forward to the entirety of the week, and plan to share all my accomplishments as I go!
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| Roughing it... |
Friday, June 8, 2012
Friday Confession: Surviving Wedding Diets
I know that perhaps my posts seem to have a common theme lately, but when you decide to go, go big I guess! We are in the second week of our new workout regime/ pre-wedding diet. This is the "cleanse" stage. I think it means that I have to get rid of all my memories of anything with cheese, sugar, bread, or alcohol.
Here are my tips to all brides who are looking for help while trying not to think about food (although sooooo hungry...) on their pre-wedding fitness journies:
1. Shop for wedding stuff on Etsy to take your mind off of how you are feelings- it will eat up hours of your time. (sorry, didn't mean to bring up "eat" there)
2. Shop at Target for absolutely nothing in particular, or better yet "pre-shop" your registry as often as you can. You can't expect to pick out all the gifts you'll need for life in one trip!
3. Look through fitness magazines at all the girls who look like how you WILL look after you survive this time. Then tear their faces off.
4. Call your best friends and ask them to tell you stories about what they are cooking and how many disgusting calories are in that food.
5. Exercise. I recommend long walks to clear your head with an LMFAO soundtrack, Zumba with a Pitbull soundtrack, and smashing things with a Linkin Park soundtrack.
6. Stop watching daytime TV- too many commercials for food, restaurants, and Health Alert systems.
7. Stay as far away from your significant other as possible, you'll want to kill him when he loses all his weight in the first 2 weeks, while eating pizza...
8. Sneak a Hershey kiss, you know you want to, no one will ever know...
9. Mix a lime in with diet tonic water and pretend you are drinking, or drink water out of a wine glass, margarita glass, martini glass, champagne glass, hurricane glass...
10. Buy your dress in a larger size so you don't feel the pressure to diet in the first place?
As I seriously fight off my food withdrawals, I will try to follow my own advice (most of this list has already been accomplished), and I look forward to the day when I can happily eat a bread stick with my salad.
Here are my tips to all brides who are looking for help while trying not to think about food (although sooooo hungry...) on their pre-wedding fitness journies:
1. Shop for wedding stuff on Etsy to take your mind off of how you are feelings- it will eat up hours of your time. (sorry, didn't mean to bring up "eat" there)
2. Shop at Target for absolutely nothing in particular, or better yet "pre-shop" your registry as often as you can. You can't expect to pick out all the gifts you'll need for life in one trip!
3. Look through fitness magazines at all the girls who look like how you WILL look after you survive this time. Then tear their faces off.
4. Call your best friends and ask them to tell you stories about what they are cooking and how many disgusting calories are in that food.
5. Exercise. I recommend long walks to clear your head with an LMFAO soundtrack, Zumba with a Pitbull soundtrack, and smashing things with a Linkin Park soundtrack.
6. Stop watching daytime TV- too many commercials for food, restaurants, and Health Alert systems.
7. Stay as far away from your significant other as possible, you'll want to kill him when he loses all his weight in the first 2 weeks, while eating pizza...
8. Sneak a Hershey kiss, you know you want to, no one will ever know...
9. Mix a lime in with diet tonic water and pretend you are drinking, or drink water out of a wine glass, margarita glass, martini glass, champagne glass, hurricane glass...
10. Buy your dress in a larger size so you don't feel the pressure to diet in the first place?
As I seriously fight off my food withdrawals, I will try to follow my own advice (most of this list has already been accomplished), and I look forward to the day when I can happily eat a bread stick with my salad.
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| All I can think about is food... |
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| Could really use these about now, since I'm chopping everyday! |
Monday, June 4, 2012
Wedding Website Relaunch!
I put in some major tech time this past week trying to get our wedding website up to date! We finally have enough of the details ironed out to include hotel, travel, and pictures galore! I am excited to share my other major web-based endeavor with my blog readers- please visit, "Like", sign our guest book, and share!
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| The homepage preview |
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Meet and Greet- Maid of Honor 2
Cassie, the youngest sister, always having to wait for everything in life, well, you also had to wait quite awhile for my blog post about ya! SORRY!
Cassie just graduated from Purdue with a major in Biology, and is moving on to Veterinary School at the University of Minnesota in the fall. I am very excited that my wedding will be the first one she's been in! I'll be setting the bar pretty high, I know!
Cassie was the wonderful sister who really nailed the bridesmaid dress shopping. She and Amanda both tried on numerous dresses, but Cassie's eye for the unique color and modern style first spotted the dress we wound up picking.
Now that Cassie is an "adult" it has been fun taking her out, getting to introduce her to my many girly drinks, and with that our whole family has had some fun times out on the town over the past year and half.
I also get to share my love of the Golden Anchor of Delta Gamma with my youngest sister, both things I have a lot of pride in.
Hope that Cassie enjoys choreographing our wedding party dance with me in the upcoming weeks when I return home for a wedding planning visit! :)
t
Cassie just graduated from Purdue with a major in Biology, and is moving on to Veterinary School at the University of Minnesota in the fall. I am very excited that my wedding will be the first one she's been in! I'll be setting the bar pretty high, I know!
Cassie was the wonderful sister who really nailed the bridesmaid dress shopping. She and Amanda both tried on numerous dresses, but Cassie's eye for the unique color and modern style first spotted the dress we wound up picking.
Now that Cassie is an "adult" it has been fun taking her out, getting to introduce her to my many girly drinks, and with that our whole family has had some fun times out on the town over the past year and half.
I also get to share my love of the Golden Anchor of Delta Gamma with my youngest sister, both things I have a lot of pride in.
Hope that Cassie enjoys choreographing our wedding party dance with me in the upcoming weeks when I return home for a wedding planning visit! :)
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| Check out the size of those pancakes! In Albuquerque |
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| Delta Gamma Sisters! |
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| At Breckenridge Brewery, we tried the flight! |
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| The girls in Denver at Maloneys! |
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| In Denver fall 2011, check out the creeper Kyle! |
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| With the hat collection- Christmas 2011 |
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| Shots at Harry's Chocolate Shop- Purdue |
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| Christmas 2011 Limo ride! |
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| Our snowman! |
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| At the DG house at Purdue |
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