2007 & 2008

Just popping in to say Happy New Year!

(image found here )

A look back on some of the good things of 2007:

• Obtaining my Masters degree from Butler & starting my job
• Passing the CPA exam on the first try
• Becoming engaged
• A summer filled with a fabulous trip to NYC, a camping trip, summer concerts, weekends at the lake, and time with friends
• Celebrating the engagements of Kristen, Candice, and Laura

And looking forward to the events of 2008:

• Our wedding day
• The 2008 weddings of Jenn & Stephen and Kristen & Terry
• Buying a house and decorating it
• Finally living together in the same city and coming home every night to Chris
• The honeymoon
• The end of wedding planning (I'm only doing this once!)

The resolutions:

• To stop twirling my hair
• To say please and thank you more often
• To be more open to trying new foods
• To drink more water instead of pop
• To blog every weekday, even during accounting busy season

What are you looking forward to in 2008? Did you make any resolutions?

Rebecca Thuss

For those of you that are in need of inspiration, may I recommend the ultra fabulous Rebecca Thuss.

"Rebecca Thuss is an award winning photo-stylist, a creative director, wedding designer and crafter." And the fact that she used to work for Martha Stewart doesn't hurt! Her portfolio features eye candy from everything from favors to confections and cakes to flowers and table settings. If you cannot find inspiration through the images from her portfolio then there is no hope for you.

(photos from the portfolio of Rebecca Thuss)

Bridal Show Poll

Saturday January 5th Perfect Wedding Guide is hosting a Bridal Show in downtown Indianapolis. I am so excited to go, mostly due to the abundance of cake samples, but the fiance isn't as thrilled to attend. Is it wrong of me to ask him to go? Obviously it's what he would CHOOSE to be doing at 11am on a Saturday morning, but I would really appreciate it if he went to it with me to shared in the wedding planning bliss...even if it is just for an hour or two.

So, my newest poll asks the question:
Did your husband/will your fiance join you at a bridal show during your engagement period?!

{Results: 21 votes. yes: 8, no: 13}

The Florist

Tomorrow, I am going to be meeting with two florists.
Each of them asked for me to bring in pictures of what I want the floral arrangements for my wedding to look like. Problem. I have no idea. I mean, I have THOUGHT about it...but I am not even close to deciding. So. here are my thoughts:


My bouquet: I'm leaning towards an white, not too leafy, hand tied with ribbon, and very simple bouquet. Faye & Greer posted this board a while ago and I love them all:

{Clockwise: ranunculus bouquet from The Knot, anemone bouquet from Artfool, peony bouquet by Artfool via The Knot, hydrangea & rose bouquet from The Knot}

Ceremony info: Chris would like the BM's to carry some sort of plum/raspberry arrangement and have the GM's wear plum vests. Boutonnieres are still up in the air. BM's will still be wearing black dresses and obviously the GM's will be wearing black suits.

Reception info: I'm steering away from the "branchy" centerpiece idea. I would like to have half of the tables featuring a small simple arrangement of one of the above white flowers. I'm now thinking that the other half of the tables will have some sort of tall vase with floating candles to compliment the light the two massive (at least 10'x6' long) chandeliers will be giving off.

Help! Do you have any pictures of white bouquets like the ones that I have described above? Better yet, do you have any pictures/links to a plum/raspberry BM bouquet or GM boutonniere? And I'm sure that I will have to play around with the centerpiece ideas, but any other thoughts on the candlelight centerpieces?! Send any links and info my way! I have added a section on my blog page with a link to where you can send me your e-mails! Thanks so much!!

Congrats Candice!!

I have some exciting news to share!!

My great friend Candice (and faithful blog reader) got engaged on Saturday the 23rd!!! I am so excited for her and Landon!! Landon talked to me about a month ago and told me his plan to ask Candice at the Bears v. Packers game. She is a die-hard Bears fan and he always roots for the Packers so it was a win-win when the Bears won and he asked her to marry him! It went something like this, "Candice, I am so excited for this game and to see the Packers play and to be able to spend some time with you. The only thing that would make this day any better is if you would say yes."

Love it. Here is a picture of the two of them after the game when they were back in their warm hotel lobby:

Congrats you two! Can't wait for the wedding!!

I'm taking a little break from blogging until sometime on Friday. The fiance and I are in Syracuse, IN without Internet unless we go to the public library, which is where we are now. And we're still full from eating non-stop since Friday evening. Be back Friday!

Raspberry!?!

So lately I have been attempting to squeeze raspberry into the color scheme for the wedding. Most of the time, the response I get when I tell people is: "Raspberry!? Why would you want to throw THAT color into the palette!?"

Since hearing that response about ten too many times, (granted, I have only told ten people) I have stopped attempting to explain to people that raspberry isn't evil.

Style Me Pretty started my obsession with a plum/raspberry paring with this inspiration board:

Now granted, a little yellow/gold is incorporated into this board...but I could take or leave that portion of it.

So, what do you think!? I was envisioning adding the raspberry into the BM's bouquets with the plum and into the floral arrangements at the reception. That's all. Nothing TOO major. Just a little extra kick of color. Thoughts?!

What To Toss?

The post today is dedicated to one of my best friends, Kristen. Kristen is getting married in May (to Terry) and would like some input as doing a "ceremony toss" or the "grand exit."

Option 1. The grand exit would occur at the very end of the reception. After the "last call" all of the remaining guests would gather outside the venue to see Kristen & Terry off as they jump into a carriage for a ride around Monument Circle & downtown Indianapolis.

(image property of Jessica Strickland)

I love this idea because it's so classic and Kodak moment-ish!

Option 2. The ceremony toss, obviously, occurs right after the ceremony. Kristen would be deciding between having the guests toss biodegradable confetti, rose petals, or blow bubbles.

• Confetti can be customized in Kristen and Terry's wedding colors (plum and green) and packaged for the guests in SO many cute ways!

(image via our stellar photographer Nicole Green )

• Rose petals are SO romantic and beautiful. Kristen, you really can't go wrong with this one!

(image property of Jessica Strickland )

• I love the bubble idea! Besides the whole "it will stain the dress" mentality, its so fun and fresh and carefree.

(image via weddingbee & Scott Robert)

So here is where you, my fabulous readers come into play!

1. Vote on the poll (at the top right of the blog) for what you think Kristen should do!

2. Comment on this post with your knowledge, experience, opinion, etc. as to the cost of any of the options, the benefits/drawbacks of any of the options, or any resources that you might have for her! My goal is to get at least 30 votes to help her decide and 10 comments for her to peruse!

She thanks you in advance!!

{Results: 17 votes. grand exit: 4, biodegradable confetti: 3, rose petals: 8, blow bubbles 2}

All I Want for Christmas

My Wedding-Related Christmas Wish List:

• An e-mail from weddingbee accepting me to become a new member of the hive
  


• Free issues of any and every bride magazine.
• A massive sale at cards and pockets and at Nettleton Hollow for my invitation supplies and for branches upon branches to somehow craft the reception centerpieces.
• For the Cincinnati Ikea opening at least 4 months earlier than expected so I can get vases and picture frames for dirt cheap.
• To book our photographer.

• For vendors to respond in a timely manner.
• For September 2008 to come faster.

Status Update

The weekend is over, a ton of snow is piled up outside, and the holidays are upon us!! I thought that today would be a good day to share where I am in the wedding planning process...more for my benefit than for anyone else's. In listing out every minute detail I hope it looks like I/we actually accomplished something because it sure doesn't feel like we have.

• Got the groom
• Picked the date
• Narrowed it down to 2 dresses
• Forked over the money for the church

the church. picture by Turtle Pond Photography

• Have the contract for the reception hall in my hot little hands
• Coerced someone fabulous into designing and printing the invitations
• Booking our photographer this week (hopefully)
• Started researching rehearsal dinner locations, florists, and the honeymoon

Please excuse me as I pat myself on the back!

Hallelujah

We booked the church this morning!
Who wants to celebrate?!
Too bad we will be celebrating with some two buck chuck wine since our church cost us an ungodly $1,000....
But we will celebrate nonetheless!

{Update: We're booking the reception hall tonight!}
Have a great weekend everyone...I know I will!

An Open Letter....

Dear Jessica Strickland, Jessica Claire, Jasmine Star, and Stacey Kane:

(photo by Stacey Kane)

Why oh why must your torture me so? I read your blogs each and everyday and sit in amazement. And then amazement leads a twinge of depression. For example:

(photo above: Jessica Strickland. photo below: Jessica Claire.)

(photo below: Jasmine Star.)

These pictures are so amazing that I sometimes get a twinge of depression knowing that I could never fork over the amount of $$$ (that is well worth it) to book you as my photographer.
So, I would like to make a simple request. Stop taking amazing pictures like the ones above. Now I'm not asking you to stop taking pictures all together, I realize that you do have to make a living somehow. So feel free to continue to take pictures of babies, family portraits, etc. Just no wedding or engagement pictures. It would make me feel much better. Thank you.

Nearlywed Websites

If you haven't yet registered and paid for a wedding website elsewhere, you HAVE to check out Nearlyweds.com

Nearlyweds will give you an ad-free wedding website complete with the following features:
- a blog
- unlimited photo hosting
- online rsvp
- ability to upload a song/music file to play on your site
- the usual sharing of directions, wedding info, the proposal story, etc.
- bridal party pictures and bio
- allow guests to comment and share stories and pictures of their own
- fabulous, fresh, and colorful non-cookie-cutter template designs
- 2 years of hosting

All for the low price of $50. But, if you go to the bottom of the home page here you can get the discount code for 2 years of hosting for only $35! Or go to What Junebug Loves! and get the discount code for 10% off!

Check out a screen shot I took of the Peony template:


and the Spectacular design Love the idea. Love the designs. Love the price. Thanks to Christy at What Junebug Loves! for the heads up!

Before or After Poll

This weeks poll asks the following question:

Will you/did you and your fiance/husband see each other before you walk/walked down the aisle?

(photo via the a-mazing Jasmine Star)

It's definitely a big decision...what will you/did you decide?! Vote today!
And see below to aid us in our honeymoon destination decision!

{Results: 30 votes. yes: 18, not a chance: 11, cannot decide: 1}

Google Reader

I was talking to my potential fabulous photographer Nicole the other day and she reminded me that I had forgotten about Google Reader!

For those of you that haven't made use of this a-mazing feature of google, go here to read all about it! Google Reader constantly checks your favorite blogs for new content and shows you the updates of each site on one easy to read and condensed window. Then you can choose if you want to go to the blog itself and check out the full post.



So, no longer will you find yourself constantly going to your favorite blogs only to see that they haven't yet been updated! "Subscribe" to your favorite blogs today!

(Hint: searching for "jessicalynn402" should pull up my blog & allow you to subscribe!)

Choosing the Honeymoon

At this point, Chris has gladly taken on the challenge of researching locations for our honeymoon. We're looking into some sort of an all-inclusive resort and leaning towards one of the three the Sandals resort in St. Lucia.

• Grande St. Lucian

• Regency St. Lucia

• Halcyon St. Lucia

Have any of you been to one of the Sandals St. Lucia resorts or have any honeymoon input to share? Any input would be much appreciated!!

Looking Forward

Monday morning I will be driving back to Indianapolis from Cincinnati at 6am to get to work by 8:30am. Commuting early in the morning almost every other Monday for the last two years has grown quite old.

So, here is a list of things that I will NOT miss once we are married and living in the same city together.

• Putting 200 miles on my car everyother weekend
• Having to say good bye to Chris every weekend
• The bachelor pad that Chris currently lives in with 4 other guys
• Only seeing Chris from Friday at 7pm til late Sunday or the crack of dawn on Monday
• Having to pack and unpack every other weekend

There are SO many things about married life that I am looking forward to (but I won't bore you with a list of them). What is the one thing that you are/were most excited about regarding married life?

30 Days

You HAVE to go over to Blue Orchids Designs and check out the new series “30 Days to Plan a Wedding.” (image below via Blue Orchids Designs)

“For the next thirty days we'll cover all the major points that go into planning a wedding. We'll decode some contract lingo so you actually know what you are signing, we'll let you know which questions to ask that you may never have considered, and most importantly, we aren't going to sugarcoat things. What we won't be covering are the latest styles and the season's hottest colors (don't worry, there will be plenty of that come January and there is lots in our archives as well, so grab some hot cocoa and dig around). Planning a wedding is a lot of work and there is a lot of terminology and aspects that you will need to know even if you never have to deal with it again. Our goal over the next month is to help take some of the stress and mystery out of the wedding planning process, so that you can actually enjoy your engagement. Because - as the L'Oreal commercial says - you're worth it.”

I really think it is a must read if you are at any point in the wedding planning process. Features so far have included:
- Choosing the date
- Finding THE dress
- The officiant
- The budget
- The reception venue
And more to come, check it out today! Have a great weekend everyone! Tonight I’m off to a birthday party/pajama slumber party/girls night in with Candice, Kristen, and Justine before heading out to Cincinnati tomorrow. Back to posting on Sunday!

On The Outs

I found my way over to the blog Planning Forever today and found a post on the top 4 wedding traditions that are on their way out. Here's my take on the 4 traditions she says we can live without:

1. The bouquet/garter toss. Let's face it. NO ONE wants to go out on the dance floor to catch the bouquet or the garter. And I'm not sure what bride is excited about being seated in front of her guests with her new husband taking his time searching for her garter. I'm crossing my fingers that I can eliminate this tradition.

picture from: Skiles Photo Blog
2. Formal guest books. Now be honest, will you ever pull out your guest book more than 2 times after your wedding? Doubtful. Many couples are opting for having guests sign photo mats, fill out wedding wishes on slips of paper, or get creative in a photo booth. I'm leaning towards the photo mat that can be displayed in our home.
3. Not seeing eachother before the wedding. I understand that most brides still want the first glimpse of her the fiance/husband gets that day is when the church doors open or when she comes down the aisle. I get it. I was like that too. Until I realized that I could squeeze in so many more GREAT pictures and time with my future husband in the hour or two before the ceremony. And then the moment that the church doors open won't be as overwhelming and I won't cry...as much.

4. The champagne toast for everyone at the wedding. Although I like the gesture, it is expensive to give each guest a flute of champagne for them to toast with. I think that it is acceptable for guests to toast with whatever they have in their hand...beer, wine, or a martini, it all works the same!

And now for my own personal touch:
5. Giving a favor just to give a favor. Unless its a tasty piece of chocolate, I would prefer not to get a favor at a wedding. I must have at least five 2x3 picture frames stashed somewhere that I have still not put a picture in. I have a burnt CD from a friends' wedding that my parents listened to once, but that was about it. And the little candle? Probably won't use it. Don't give a favor just to give a favor. Hint: Going with the candy buffet like my friend Kristen is going to do will please everyone!

What wedding tradition could you do without?!

Poll: The Wow Factor

Don't forget to check out the new poll on the top right of my blog! Which of the following would "wow" you most at a wedding?

(l to r: candy buffet, mashed potato martini bar, cupcake wedding cake)

(not pictured: photo booth filmstrip via pearls events)

{Results: 30 votes. candy/cookie buffet: 3, photo booth: 22, mashed potato martini bar: 4, cupcakes instead of a cake: 1 }

Splash of Color

Everyone loves a good splash of color...especially at a wedding.

(l to r: Chitown Bride, the knot, SpringChic, istock, the knot, CCLA bio)

A vibrant pink bouquet, a red table cloth at the reception, or grass green accents sparkled throughout the day are sure to catch the eye of your guests at any wedding.

What is your wedding "color scheme?" How are you incorporating color into your day? Maybe you are taking after Classic Bride and opting for the all white wedding. Regardless, I would love to know your vision for how color will play into your big day.

Sidenote: This post is not because I am thinking about changing my color scheme....or maybe it is....but that's not necessarily the point of this post....

Going Green

As our search for a church, priest, and reception hall start to wind down, we have another decision to make. The photographer.

I want to share a couple of photographs from Nicole Green, an Indianapolis photographer, whom I am hoping to meet with sometime next week:


I love her work, her packages are reasonably priced, and she is still available on our wedding date...which are three very important factors at this point in time in my search for a photographer.

Cross your fingers!

Tag! You're It!

I have been tagged by Elizabeth at Tie the Knot and Miss Artichoke from Silly Little Mischief
First, here are the rules:1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. 2. Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself. 3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. 4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I hate melted cheese. I refuse to eat it. I think its a texture thing. This means no nacho cheese or queso, and yes...I pick the cheese off of my pizza or order the pizza with no cheese.
2. I didn't get on an airplane until I was 22.
3. I am a Delta Gamma!
4. I am an only child and you would never be able to tell. Kidding.
5. The top three items on my Christmas list as a kid were a dog, a computer, and a cash register. I never got the dog or the cash register...and they still top my Christmas list to this day.
6. Chris and I began dating on 10/31/05 and got engaged on 10/31/07. I love Halloween.
7. I have a lot of letters after my last name. I obtained my Masters in Accounting and passed the CPA exam this past summer. So I can add M.P.A and CPA after my (already too long) last name.

I tag Polka Dot Bride, Glamour This!, Chere Amie, Blush, I Love Weddings, Little Miss Planner, Ready 2 Spark

The Venues

My check book will be busy this week. We are going to attempt to “book” the church, reception hall, and the priest. So I thought that I would take a moment to introduce our venues.

Chris and I will be getting married at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Indianapolis, IN.

(entrance to St. Joan of Arc)

The reception will be downtown in the ballroom of the University Place Hotel and Conference Center. The large ballroom will easily accommodate all of our guests and the convenience of the attached hotel is priceless. Having the reception downtown will give us so many options for picture taking, both before and after the ceremony.

(lobby of University Place Hotel & Conference Center)

We couldn’t be more excited to sign the contacts for our venues and put down the required deposits to save the date! My readers were correct when they said that it would feel like a burden is lifted once the venues have been finalized!