Save the Date

It's all going down here:

A co-worker told me about this place and as soon as I looked it up on the internet, I had a feeling this could be just what we were looking for. The hall was built in 1923 to be used as a community meeting place, and was recently renovated and refurbished. There are so many things I love about this place. For the first time, I am able to visualize what our day might actually look like.

Things are starting to come together. I even found a dress! And thank goodness I did, because it takes 4 months to be made and shipped to the store. Did you know that? I sure didn't! The dress should be here by October 1, just in time for me to slip it on and walk down the aisle.

Get excited - it's really happening!

Hit the Road

It's rainy and cold here today and the Sierras have received nearly a foot of new snow in the past week. Memorial Day is this weekend marking the start of summer, but it feels like we can't escape winter. Luke and I are getting out of town for a few days to check out Mt. Shasta area. We have an Ice Ax Clinic on Saturday on the mountain, and no set plans other than that. The weather is questionable at this point, so we are throwing in all the adventure gear - bikes, fishing poles, inflatable boat, and ski gear. Not sure what the weekend will bring, but that is part of the fun. There is something so comforting about sitting beside my man, the dog in the back, open road stretched out before us, and no set plan for the days ahead.

Happy Memorial Day weekend. Have a safe and fun time whatever you do!

Say Yes to the Dress

This weekend begins my search for the perfect dress. Mother of the bride and maid of honor (Miss Kristin Conover) will be joining me on this quest. We will also be looking for dresses for both of them and I'm hopefull we can get all three dresses this weekend.

Any ideas on what you are looking for ladies? Oooooh Kristin, maybe something like this?

Mom, I know you love colors like this. Have you thought about what color or style you want?

As for me, I have a little something in mind. Let's see if Sonoma County can make it happen.

Wedding Inspiration

I watched Father of the Bride last night. I've always loved that movie and now that I am planning a wedding I loved it even more. The movie starts with Steve Martin sitting alone reflecting on the wedding process and the wedding he just threw for his daughter.

"I used to think a wedding was a simple affair. A boy and girl meet,
they fall in love, he buys a ring, she buys a dress, they say "I do."
I was wrong. That's getting married. A wedding is an entirely
different proposition."

Two and a half weeks engaged and two weeks into the wedding planning process I can definitely relate to that statement! From the beginning it has been important to us to not get lost in the wedding industry hoopla and remember the importance and true meaning of having a wedding and getting married. It's not your colors, or what caterer you have, or the linens and wedding favors. The true importance and thing I keep coming back to when the wedding planning starts to get overwhelming, is the union of two people and families into one and the lifelong commitment they are making to each other. The wedding date (which is still in the air - oy vey!) will come and go, but this union and marriage we are planning will last forever. As long as we keep this in the forefront of our minds, we will be good to go.

Luke and I were talking on the phone last night about all the details of a wedding (and associated cost) and he said "how about we focus on FUN instead of fancy." YES! I love this, isn't he just the best? I had been searching for some form of wedding inspiration all day, and this was it.

We can promise you one thing on our wedding day, no matter what it will be FUN! :)

The First

Hello blogging world! Thank you for reading my first post on my first blog ever! I've been thinking about keeping an online journal of my life for a while now. We will see how this goes. Thank you for taking this journey with me.

As most of you know, Luke and I are ENGAGED (woohoo!). The love, support, and excitement from friends and family has been humbling and completely amazing. We feel so loved and blessed. Neither of us want a long engagement and are leaning towards a November wedding of this year. We can’t wait to begin our lives together as husband and wife and see what the future holds! Here are a few pictures from the unforgettable weekend Luke proposed.