Wedding Planning Road Trip #1

Hey Y'all! Whew... Sorry it has been a few weeks since I have posted, but Ryan and I have been hard at work on our first DIY wedding project (More to come on that soon...)

Anyway... Wedding Planning Road Trip #1

As you know from previous posts, Ryan and I will be getting married in South Carolina. However, as many of you also know Ryan and I currently reside in Maryland. So, that means that over the next year we will be making several trips to SC with the intention of knocking out a great deal of planning. Tomorrow we head down for our first official wedding planning road trip.

(Technically we went down in February and booked our venue, but for for simplicity's sake we will say this is trip #1)

So, what do we have on the agenda?

1. Meeting with Al (Our Officiant)
2. Checking out a local restaurant and Baseball game with my MOH/ Sister
    (Hopefully giving us some wonderful recommendations to pass on to our amazing guests)
3. Meeting with the florist
4. Welcome Home party for Megan
     (Opportunity for Ryan to meet some of the Family)

We were supposed to have a meeting with the Hotel, but moved that to June when we will be back down. And let me tell you, I for one am glad it got moved. Between work and life I have been a little exhausted lately. Which may explain why I overslept this morning! So, being able to relax some this weekend and not be stressed with a ton of appointments sounds good to me.

I look forward to giving everyone a recap when we get back! In the mean time wish us luck!

Confessions of a Bride to Be...

Late last night I was still sitting in bed staring blankly at the computer screen. (and by staring I mean surfing the web looking at all things wedding) When I finally closed up shop and laid down, I tossed and turned thinking about the one line of thought that I continues to be the center of my attention: My Wedding!

Over the past few months I have begun to get a handle on what I want our wedding to look like, feel like, and even taste like. I have even begun to grasp the planning aspect of our wedding (even though this is the biggest event that I will ever plan.... ***gulp!***) . Now I simply long to reach out into cyber space and find other brides (or grooms) that are blogging about their road to the alter. Over the next year as I write stories of the crazy adventures that Ryan and I go on while planning our wedding, I want to hear other people's stories of mishaps, adventures, and the deep love that grows in their relationship as they prepare to become Mr. and Mrs.

So I will admit it. Last night, after I had browsed all my favorite wedding inspiration blogs and become throughly frustrated because they each (yet again) had an incredibly complicated DIY project that I could never even attempt to do I began to seek out bride to be blogs. (I mean really, who is talented enough to draw your own wedding invitations or make their own wedding dress!) Hoping to find a bride that could sympathize with me. A bride that was busy and didn't have time to plan a wedding, but wanted to include all sorts of sweet and personal things into her wedding because, well, it was her wedding. A bride to be that had changed her mind a million times because she just wanted everything to be perfect. A bride that was real... After over an hour I still had not found a soul sister to follow on her way to the alter. I had not found a woman that as I read her experiences I would nod my head in agreement and say "Amen". So I closed my computer and tossed and turned for a while stewing about all the stupid wedding bloggers that keep making me feel sub par with all their beautiful DIY projects and flawless weddings. (Side note: I mean how realistic is that anyway!? Where are the wedding blogs about the beautiful wedding where the minister showed up 30 minutes late, or the invitations got returned because there wasn't enough postage on them, or it poured all morning before the beautiful outdoor ceremony you had planned... I need real, I need authentic, I need stories that are beautiful because marrying my best friend is one of the most beautiful things in the world-- even if it is a rain storm, or is hours late because aunt Sophie with the ring bearer and flower girl can't find the venue, or even it is at the local junk yard-- it is beautiful.)

Now, fast forward to this morning. On my drive to work I began thinking how ridiculous it was that I looked on the internet for hours trying to find someone to relate to as I plan my wedding. I have plenty of friends and family who are the real deal. So tell me, what kind of a bride are/were you? A Craft Queen? A Busy Bride? Did the pictures of DIY projects intimidate you or inspire you? Did you change your mind all the time about little details?

I would love to hear your stories. Because, like I said, I need Real.
Much Love,

P.S.- If you are a DIY Craft Queen know I love and admire you. Know that my anti-DIY mood come from the fact that I am knee deep in the first of many DIY projects. More to come later about that...

Where we Stand...

Now that I have shared Ryan's proposal, I thought I would catch y'all up on the wedding plans thus far. 

After a searching for the perfect wedding venue up and down the east coast, we settled on a venue near my hometown in South Carolina. Who knew that the most beautiful wedding location was under our noses the whole time? We will be married in downtown Greenville near the banks of the Reedy River. Our ceremony will be in a beautiful courtyard followed by a reception overlooking the river. Ryan and I think it will be the perfect setting for our closest friends and family (about 100 people) to join us in celebrating the most exciting and wonderful day of our lives.

Wyche Pavilion (picture provided by Google Images)

We are so excited to have our wedding in downtown Greenville, SC. Since many friends and family will be coming in from out of town, the downtown area will allow everyone to enjoy the entire weekend (without the hassle of driving around an unknown city). The hotel is within walking distance of the wedding venue, restaurants, shopping, and nightlife.

Downtown Greenville (Image provided by Google Images)

In addition to having the venue booked, we plan on having beautiful ceremony music provided by my cousin. He is a musician and composer currently studying at Appalachian State University in North Carolina. Ryan and I are so excited and blessed to have him provide the music for the ceremony. To make the ceremony even more meaningful, our friend, and my former college chaplain, the Reverend Al Masters will preside over the ceremony. I truly could not feel more honored or blessed to have people that mean so much to Ryan and I be a vital part of our ceremony.

More details are completed or are in the works, but I can't let all the beans out of the bag at once! I'll give you a few clues to come upcoming posts though: Inspiration boards, music, and more will be coming soon!

Happy Wednesday!

The Proposal: He Put A Ring On It!

 If Ryan and I are going to track our road to the alter and beyond, I suppose I should start at the beginning: the proposal.

Ryan always hates it when I have to go on trips without him. Not because he doesn't see me for several days but because he is a worrier. On a cold Friday in January, Ryan helped me pack my car for a women's retreat I would be attending. As I walked out the door I handed him the spare key telling him that all the Christmas stuff sitting in boxes by the door had to be stored and put away by the time I got back. My weekend was spent retreating with about 20 women in a huge beach house in Delaware. It was truly wonderful. I have never felt so relaxed and at peace.

The Beach at Sunrise

However, being the only unmarried woman there, several of them asked about Ryan and if we were going to get married any time soon. I shook my head and said no, maybe in a few years.

In no time at all Sunday rolled around and we were headed home. At some point during the drive, Ryan called and asked when I was going to get home. Thinking he had not moved the boxes I had asked him to move, I rolled my eyes and told him I would be home in an hour or two. I had no idea what he was actually planning. As soon as I got home Ryan was there, waiting for me. He told me he wanted to help put all my stuff away. Thinking that he was just trying to be sweet I gave him some things and stayed wrapped up in what I was doing. But he took all my bags and told me that he would take care of everything. Giving in I followed him into the apartment to discover that not only had he cleared out the stuff I had asked and picked up my messy apartment, but had the whole place covered with candles and rose petals. Floored by this romantic gesture I froze. Then Ryan pointed out that he thought he saw a note, and suggested I sit down and read it. So I followed his direction and sat down and read the note. After reading the sweetest note from the man I love, I looked up and saw Ryan down on one knee. Needless to say, I said yes.

The ring that Ryan gave me belonged to his grandmother. It is truly the most beautiful ring I have ever seen.

A picture cannot do it justice.

Much Love,

Where to Begin? (Part II)

Hello World!

I let Ryan have the honor of setting up, naming and designing our blog. Now that it is all done let me give you some backstory on this whole blog thing. As Ryan mentioned, neither of us are bloggers. That being said, I have enjoyed reading friends "Newly Wed" blogs and knew I wanted Ryan and I to jump into the Blogosphere to share our adventures with our friends and family across the globe. But then I started thinking about our wedding (which, by the way, is one year away!), and thought about how I would love to share with everyone the wonderful adventures we are going through to plan the wedding of our dreams! Plus it would help me as I look back and remember this experience, since I can't even remember what I had for breakfast this morning!

As with almost everything we do, Ryan and I will be doing this together. So I hope that all our friends and family will follow us as we share all of our adventures.