Favorite Shots...

Here are some of my favorite shots so far....Special thanks again to Mary Sledd Owens of Sledd Photography. I couldn't be happier with how professional and accommodating Mary was and how perfect the pictures turned out.

More pics to come!!!

All 604 prints are located here....

wedded

Our perfect day came and went already! Here's a sneak peek at how it looked...

On This Day Next Month!

We'll be getting married!

I can't believe it's already here. The past year and some months felt like they took forever to get through, but in reality they flew by. And where I was calm and collected over the past few months, I feel very anxious. All I have left to do is have my dress altered this weekend, buy some bubbles to use when we make our exit, meet with the DJ to finalize our play lists, and have Lon's final tux fitting. Through it all, Lon has been unbelievably supportive. Now I've just got to set my sights on April 18th and chill until then... if that's even possible!

Engagement Pics!

Lon's mother Janet took our engagement pictures this weekend, and they are amazing! Here are a few of our favorites...

Invitations!

I haven't had a chance to take actual photos of these beautiful babies yet, so these pdf snapshots will have to work until then. I cant tell you how much I love them. I'm so proud to have worked with Terrence Moline - such a great talent!

Répondez s'il vous plaît

The invitations are out! We sent them earlier this week and have already heard a couple of happy comments! I'm so proud of them and can't wait for them to arrive in everyone's mail box.

I'll post pictures of them next week, as I don't want to ruin the surprise for any of the recipients.

:)

Registry Items on Sale!

Sadly, Macy's is not doing so well in this economic downturn. As a result, they have deeply discounted many of their items - most of our registry actually.

I'd highly recommend checking out our registry now, if you intended to get us something from there... Just a friendly update!

We're also registered at Crate and Barrel and Breed & Co. where our china, crystal, flatware and other kitchen items are.

The Bridal Party Attire is Set!

Lon and I were finally able to finalize the bridal attire today, as the sample of the Calvin Klein gray tux was in! To my merriment, it looked fantastic! After some slight urging (read insisting) I had him fit again and ordered the tux in a smaller size. I understand their training, but the saleswomen kept insisting the jacket be as long as Lon's hand outstretched. This meant he needed an extra long - which made his legs look quite short. Last time we went, I tried to argue my point, but lost. Then I came home, did some research and found I was right - contemporary fashion shows tuxes to be as long as the mid thumb (see picture below). So he'll wear this with ivory vest and tie to match my dress.

For the groomsmen and fathers, black two-button Calvin Klein suits with gray vests and ties to match Lon. (please excuse the model's head!)


The bridesmaids will still wear these yummy watermellon J Crew dresses as posted before....
I am so exited about the contrast between the bridal party and Lon and me. It's really going to be gorgeous! This contrast, paired with that in the flowers - pinks and spring colors for me; white, pale pinks and blue thistle for everyone else - should really pop!

Bridal Shower and Fun in MN

We had an absolutely great time in Minnesota. I'll post more on it later, but for now here are some of my favorite pics!

Visiting Granny

Boys back from snowmobiling

Cousin Party - Lon and Chad singing Karaoke

Lon reading to Adam and Bella

Head on over to my web album to see the rest. I'll work with Janet to get more pics from the bridal shower as well!

Thanks to everyone who spent time with us in MN!

99 Days

That's less than 100 days until our wedding!

Things we've checked off our list recently:

1) Florist
2) DJ
3) Wedding Bands
4) Registry
5) Hotel
6) Tuxes
7) Invitations (sending Save the Date soon)

Upcoming tasks:

1) Have Dress altered - must tone-up a bit more first
2) Finalize Lon's tux selection

Of course there a lot more things to check of our long list, but nothing pressing or super stressful! We're finally to the place where I can clear my head and think creatively about all the details... yay!

Sparkly 2.0

Lon and I checked off two more items on our list today - wedding bands and tuxes.

Choosing our wedding bands was my favorite part - clearly! Lon has always had his eye on rose gold, while I wanted the band that matched my ring. Until we got to the store!

We put the matching band next to my ring and it was sparkly! I liked it but there was some character lacking, it just seemed too perfect. Then I saw one similar to the one above. It has this great vintage feel and is so pretty and delicate! After we left the store, I kept thinking of how great it is and how it stood out next to my ring, while complimenting it so well. It also looked great alone!

Lon chose a rose gold milgrain band that will have to be special ordered - it's going to look great on him and I cant wait to see it. We'll have to go back and order it all in a few months so I'll post more pics later.

The tuxes: After an atrocious experience at another shop last week, we tried out the Men's Warehouse. Originally, I had hoped to purchase Lon's suit so we could get the tailored look that I love. Sadly, you cant rent suits and Lon would look strange in a suit standing next to his groomsmen in tuxes. On the bright side, I actually liked their selection of tuxes and was happy with our choices. We're hoping to have Lon in a Calvin Klein gray tux, while his groomsmen and our fathers are in black tuxes with dark gray vests and ties. Something like this for Lon....


Now all we have left is to select our flowers on Wednesday and secure a DJ (of the big ticket items that is).

Planning Rush

Lon and I are both on vacation this week and are busy working to get everything done before the maddness of work and school resumes.

So far we've selected our registries at Macy's, Crate and Barrel and Breed and Company. Breed & Co. is a local shop that sells both hardware and kitchen ware - fine china! We went with Pickard, the American made the manufacturer whose clients include the Airforce, Whitehouse, all American embassies and fine hotels. We chose this pattern, with our monogram, DIL in the center:

(my mock-up)

Wedgewood Stemware in Barbara Barry:

Lenox Studio Flatware:
Today we're setting up a room block at La Quinta, finishing our registry at C&B and picking out Lon's tux.

Tomorrow we're turning off our phones and doing nothing! Nothing at all! (if that's even possible ;))

Getting Very Close

Last week was pretty crazy on the wedding planning front.
- My wedding dress arrived at the shop in Dallas (early yay). Lon gets to pick it up when he goes there for work in two weeks!

- We got the wedding invites finalized--will post after they mail--and are now in talks with a printer. Looks like I'll only pay less than $300 for him to print the entire job (addressing the envelopes and paper included). Nutz.

- I randomly checked out the bridesmaid dresses on JCrew and realized that they had gone on sale - exiting - er scary! I quickly contacted my girls to ensure I had the right sizes and got ready to buy them. Then I checked their homepage to see if I could score free shipping and found a coupon for an additional 30% of all sale items. Sweet! All said and done, I got the dresses for $95 with shipping and taxes.

Having those items checked off my list is such a relief. Now I can turn to other things that I've been slacking on. Primarily, finding a DJ. For a while I was entertaining the idea of just playing an IPOD and having my friends MC. Based my ridiculously picky nature with music, and my habit of changing songs mid-way during our parties, I think it best to hire a professional. But here's the prob - I dont want to hire a professional wedding DJ. Austin has so many talented DJs who play funk, soul, hip hop and etc that I should be able to find one that will keep our party going, and not play the chicken dance.

Anyhoo....we're decorating our Christmas tree today! Here's a pic of Lon in front of it. Notice the sweet holiday vest I made him two years ago, nice eh!

Paperwork

Things in the wedding planning area of my world are moving pretty slowly these days, so I haven't had too much to report - until now!

TMoline is working on our invitations and etc. and we absolutely LOVE them!

I'm dying to show you, but if I do, you'll have nothing to look forward to!

I can tell you that it incorporates one of my favorite pieces of his art(not the one above), is very colorful and romantic.

Exciting!!!

Bridal Shower I

We bought our tickets for the bridal shower in MN! After some thought, we decided to add a day to the trip. We'll be traveling from January 14th through the 18th, and staying with Aunt Sherrie and Uncle Tom. It's going to be snowy and cold - Yay!

We found the best priced tickets on Frontier Airlines - the only downfall being a 3 hour layover in Denver. I'm hoping we can take advantage of the time for a quick jaunt to the city (a place I love).

Is it possible to make a trip to the city and back in 3 hours?

Lon's parents plan to fly in that weekend as well. I am so excited for our families(extended) to meet and get to know each other. It's going to be a snow-filled blast!

On Shoes

I just saw these on J Crew and thought they'd be really cute with my dress. But, are they at all bohemian? I'm told my dress is a bit boho chic...

I could also do these lovely little things and match the dresses my bridesmaids will wear...

The Happs

Budget 2.0 has made things a lot easier on me, forcing me to narrow my focus and make some final decisions.

Last week, Jessica and I bought all of our centerpieces at Garden Ridge (including a lovely trip to the location in Shurtz, TX). These pics don't do the look justice, but as you can see, I'm going for a warm/romantic look.
I surrounded the candle holders with store-bought river pebbles and added rocks from the River House. We came up with this idea when my parents where here to visit in May. While they were here, we took a trip to the River House and collected rocks from the river in hopes of incorporating them into our decor. They seem to fit perfectly here and pay honor to a special part of Lon's family and now ours. As I noted here, our linen color will be similar to our kitchen table, but brighter. We've also considered adding colored glass or a sash to add dimension. But at this point, I am happy with how it looks.

I am also in talks with a friend about DJ'ing the wedding. She has an impressive repertoire of music, amazing taste and has similar experience working at weddings. I think she'd make a fantastic DJ and hope she will seriously consider accepting the task.

With the centerpieces done, and DJ in works, we're getting very close to the end. Next, I need to choose a tux for Lon and his groom's men and register at Crate and Barrel and Bed Bath & Beyond. Then all that will be left is execution of the invitations and other DIY projects. Everything's wrapping up so quickly now - it's exciting but scary!

Emerald and Aqua

Snippet and Ink must have read my mind today... this post brings be back to my original color palette - Emerald and Aqua...

Depression 2.0 = Simple Elegance

Lon and I had our first big budget talk since Depression 2.0 hit. It's become abundantly clear that our recent budget (which had busted our original one of just $10K), was not appropriate in this economic climate.

That said, our poor little burgeoning budget took a hit tonight. Yep, we made some cuts, and developed a new outlook on our wedding - simple elegance. It's been coming for awhile now, so it almost feels right to accept it and move on. Looks like we're not the only ones...

Things that got the axe:

Gone is our hired DJ - instead we'll ask a friend to MC when needed (announcing us to the reception and various toasts/dances) and use our Ipod.

Gone is the decor for our ceremony and most of our reception - I had considered flower arrangements for the tables briefly, but now think my original plan of using candles will work best--and be best for budget 2.0. We also talked with the florist about ceremony decor (after steadfastly saying no to it all along, citing our rustic preference for the ceremony) but cut it instead.

Gone is my hair and make-up artist. Yes, this seems silly, but it was one luxury I was looking forward to. Luckily, I enjoy doing make-up and am good at styling my hair, so I'm confident that I'll be happy without help. Instead of hiring someone, I think I'll have my make-up done at Neiman's before hand for ideas and buy a few new products.

Gone are the appetizers. I already cut these a few weeks back, but now realize I was preparing us for more cuts ahead.

Also on the chopping block:

- Our wine and beer selection will likely take a hit. Originally, we planned on serving Texas wine and beer. Clearly, we can find cheaper imports. I'm a big fan of Yellow Tail Shiraz/Granache, so we'll probably use that. Lon is also willing to settle for a mid-rank beer, instead of his higher- priced favorites.

- Helping our bridesmaids pay for their dresses. I really wanted to do this in an effort to help their budgets, while getting nicer dresses. We'll probably just give them a color palette to work with and have them spend what they are comfortable spending.

- How lux our save the dates and invitations will be. T. Moline is designing them now, and will be getting back to us on the cost of printing them. Hopefully, this wont be too much more than printing them on Lon's mom's printer, if so, we'll go back to printing on Janet's printer.

- Our invite list - I'm pretty sure this will self-edit with the costs of airfare and gas as high as they are and likely rising. Lon and I are getting used to the idea of a more intimate wedding. I hope seeing all my Minnesota family at my bridal shower in January will make it easier for them to decline attendance if necessary.

The most reassuring part? Lon and I both have good jobs, savings and a healthy outlook on all this. As he said during our discussion, "Either way we're getting hitched." I couldn't agree more.

Color Scheme

The idea of a two-color wedding has gone out the window. Gone are the simple aqua and emerald notes from this spring. I honestly can't nail down two colors (and don't really see the point in only having two). Instead, I now have aqua, fuscia, cream, emerald, and silver (with hints of lemon and orange). This post today on Snippet and Ink was so refreshing to see...