Tying the Knot: We Did It!

September 27, 2008. Best. Day. Ever.
Surrounded by our family & friends we tied the knot.
Until we get back from our honeymoon in St. Lucia and the pro picts come in, I leave you with one taken by my friend as we were leaving the bridal suite for the cocktail hour as Mr. & Mrs.
And yes, my dress was gorgeous. Thanks.

Off to Tie the Knot

I sit here at my computer in the wee hours of Friday morning writing my last post as a bride-to-be. I never thought this day would ever get here....I never thought I would actually be writing this post. And to be honest, this is the hardest post I have ever had to write.

No words could ever express how thankful I am that fate brought Chris and I to that concert three years ago. No words could really ever tell Chris how much he means to me. No words could ever thank my family and his family and all of our friends for continually supporting us in our relationship over the years. No words could accurately describe nervous anticipation that comes with knowing that your wedding is TOMORROW. No words could ever express how much I wish that my Daddy could physically walk me down the aisle tomorrow. No words could ever thank all of you for commenting or sharing advice and inspiration. No words could simply just properly thank you for reading my little blog.

I know that I always put a pretty picture with each post, but tonight I leave you with something else. Hopefully something just as pretty and beautiful. An excerpt from our program:
Once upon a time, there lived a little girl named Jessica.
An only child, she was certainly the apple of her parents’ eyes.
She spent her summers at the lake and attended various summer camps.
In high school, she was quite the cross-country runner.
When it came time for her to spread her wings and fly,
she went to ____ University in Indianapolis, Indiana.
It was there that she joined Delta Gamma
and gained the sisters she never had.

There once was a little boy named Chris, the youngest of four.
He soon found his dimple could get him out of any trouble he caused.
His childhood was spent playing sports and travelling with his family.
At ____ High School he became a stand out golfer.
A short time later his golf skills took him
to the University of ______ on a golf scholarship.

On a hot summer night on the ninth of September in 2005,
the boy and the girl both happened to attend the same
Rascal Flatts concert in Cincinnati, Ohio.
After the concert the girl and her friend
needed directions to the local bar.
They approached the boy and his friends,
only to find out they just so happened to need a ride to that same bar.
They introduced themselves, and the boy flashed his dimple to the girl.
From that moment on, as fate would have it, they were inseparable

Halloween, 2005, was the day that they officially started dating,
even though they knew way before then that they were together.
On Halloween, 2007, the boy got down on one knee
and asked the girl, the apple of his eye, to marry him.
She said yes.

That concert is the reason that the boy and the girl
are standing before each other today,
just waiting to finally become husband and wife.

Today they will recite their vows.

Today is the first day of the rest of their lives together.


Signing off for the last time as a bride-to be.... xoxo jessica lynn

No More Goodbyes

Almost every Sunday night for the past 3 years we have had to say good-bye. One of us would have to head back to either Indianapolis or Cincinnati after spending the weekend in one of the two cities. But this past Sunday night was different. Sunday night when I watched Chris pull out of the driveway I had a huge smile plastered onto my face. Sunday was the last time that we will ever have to say good-bye to eachother after a fabulous weekend and head off to our separate cities. This coming Sunday we will be married and happy and together. I cannot wait. Blogging this week will probably not so much happen, except for one last final post as a blogging bride-to-be on Thursday before I become a "wifey."
Thank you all so much for your sweet comments/encouragement about our upcoming wedding, they are much appreciated!!
photo: Jasmine Star

Constantly Checking

You know what happens when you are 10 days out from your wedding?

You start to compulsively check weather.com ... like it's your job.

Our 10 day forecast came up yesterday. At first it showed showers for our wedding day. I didn't mind so much, since those forecasts are generally not accurate this far out. Earlier this morning the little sum symbol was displayed and my heart did a little pitter patter. Now we're back to a 60 % chance of showers.

All I'm asking for is a a partly cloudy-sunny day on our wedding day from 11am-6pm. Is that so much to ask!?

Just attempting to get a picture like this...

Cross your fingers, friends!

photo via: ben chrisman

Looking for...

Engaged 24 year old female, looking for pictures of a simple cake to send to her cake baker. Nothing too fancy, nothing with chocolate frosting, and nothing with adorning flowers. Just a simple oh-so-charming cake.

Below is a picture of one of my favorite cakes, via juliet nicole :

Only qualm: I don't know if I want to wrap my raspberry ribbon around the cake. I love the look of the black ribbon, but its not really in our color scheme. So, by Friday I have to send the baker a picture of a cake that I like. Help! Please comment and leave a link to a simple cake that you love. I need all the inspiration/ideas I can get!

Candy?

I am thisclose to placing an order from bulk foods to stock our candy bar at the reception with the following:

• -Hershey's Kiss (5 pounds)
• 72 White Swizzle Sticks (Rock Candy on a stick)
• White Jordan Almonds (5 pounds)
• White Nonpareli Chocolate Drops (5 pounds)

Here's the thing. With only 11 days to go before the wedding, I am still unsure of the whole candy bar idea. Let's pro/con it...

Con:

• Those 4 candies would cost me $88.77. Even then I would want to go to another website and order the white gummy bears which would cost me another $30.00. Plus little bags for people to scoop the candy into. All of this=expensivo.
• We could be putting that $100 we would spend in candy towards something for us.
• If we didn't do the candy bar then we wouldn't really have a "favor" to give our guests. But then again, do you really consider giving someone a little candy a worthy "favor" for them?

Pro:

• BM K To already has 5 vases/jars with scoops that I can use.
• The candy can be here within 2-3 days
• 75% of guests will be staying in the hotel adjacent to the reception hall. Because of this I think that will stay a little later to celebrate and therefore might want a little somethin' to snack on.
• The candy bar is a great addition to a wedding reception for the following: Most of your {older} guests will not have heard of the concept of a candy bar so to them its a fresh little detail. The kids will love it. The 20-30 somethings will devour it.

That's the short and sweet of it. What are your thoughts? Is it worth the money for a cute detail? Or should we forgo the sweets?
picture via: joyful weddings and events

Napkin Update

About a week ago I ordered 150 cocktail napkins with our monogram from etsy seller Designs By Tine. They came in the mail today and they are MORE than picture perfect. I highly recommend the seller.

So we have 150 white cocktail napkins with our plum monogram on them, 150 plum napkins, and 150 raspberry-ish napkins (plum and raspberry napkins purchased from local party store). I'll let my MOH have the task of collating them so that they alternate. She'll love me for that.

I figure that 450 napkins will just about carry us to dinner. Once we run out we'll just use the venue's standard napkins.

Check off another task, thank you very much.

A pretty picture for this post:

photo via jasmine star

Hand Tying

Monday night was spent watching Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill with the Maid of Honor while painstakingly hand tying raspberry ribbon around our tall centerpiece vases from ikea that will be on every other table at the reception. The hand-tying gives this result, when finished:

Photo by jasmine star as seen at joyful weddings and events
At our reception, each tall vase will be filled with water and contain 5 floating candles.

Our florist will be filling small vases with plum and raspberry dahlias, similar to the bridesmaids bouquets. These small vases will adorn every other table. I'll go over to the florist the week of the wedding to hand tie those vases with raspberry ribbon.

In just a few short weeks, I'll be sharing the professional pictures with all of you of how our centerpieces turned out! I cannot believe it!

Two Weeks

In two little teeny tiny weeks we will be married. Ohmygawd.Love this picture via: m3 studio

Meet Me!

The lovely Liene contacted me recently about appearing on the Meet the Readers section of her fabulous blog, Blue Orchid Designs. Needless to say, I am thrilled and quite honored! Head over to Blue Orchid Designs "meet me"!!
photo via: nicole green
For those of you coming over to my little blog from Blue Orchid Designs, welcome!!
Here are just a couple of my favorite past posts that will help you get to know me a little faster!
The Proposal
Our Engagement Pictures
My Favorite Ring Shots
Our Monogram
Our Bridesmaids Dresses
Bridal Bouquet Sample
Bridesmaids Bouquet Sample
Plum Peep Toe Wedding Shoes
Our Original Color Scheme/Inspiration
Our Wedding Inspiration: Plum, Raspberry, and a little Gold:
So to my new visitors today, I hope to see you around here more often! And I always like to finish a post with a pretty little picture. I love fall and I just cannot wait for the moment when Chris and I are married and can drive away from the church for a moment alone....thus, this picture is perfect in every way:photo via: classic bride

Little Ones

My eyes floated to the cutest flower girl that I have ever seen. And then I discovered that there were three of them.And that there were three dapper little men to accompany the little flower girls.

As I mentioned here we are having three little flower girls, all of which are Chris' nieces. Chris' three nephews will escort the flower girls down the aisle. Last weekend I was able to see the girls in their dresses and they. are. adorable. Today I am making the flower girls pomander balls and wrapping their glittery presents I promised them as a gift for being in our wedding. Two weeks from now they will all be prancing down the aisle right before me and I am so excited to see them (hopefully) make it to the front of the church!
And I wouldn't mind grabbing this photo either....

All photos via: evoke photography

Thoughts and Advice as the Big Day Approaches

So today I came across this cute little blog, Pretty Bride . As I was scrolling thru her past posts, this one caught my eye and hit home with me:

"Union" by Robert Fulghum

"You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry.

From that moment of yes, to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making commitments in an informal way. All of those conversations that were held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks – all those conversations that began with, “When we’re married”, and continued with “I will” and “you will” and “we will” – all those late night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe” – and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart.All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding.

The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “You know all those things that we’ve promised, and hoped, and dreamed – well, I meant it all, every word.”

Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another – acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another these past few years. Shortly you shall say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same."

Wow. Ten days, friends. This is when you realize that the little details don't matter so much. No one is going to know that you spent 4 hours hand tying the centerpiece vases with ribbon, no one will remember the candy bar that you did/didn't have, and the programs and invitations that you spent hours stressing out over will all be long gone. In the end, the simple truth of the matter is that you are married. And that's all that matters.

Words cannot describe this surreal feeling, knowing that our wedding is only 10 days away. I am excited, full of giddy nervousness, and just in a state of disbelief that the moment that I/we have been waiting so long for is almost here.

The pretty picture to accompany this post is one that you might have seen before because I have posted it before. But I post it again because it is one of my most favorite images that I have ever seen since I started blogging. I know that you cannot really see either one of the couple's faces, but you can see the emotion and love between the couple. Are any of my readers getting married September 27th?! I would love for you to introduce yourself/leave a comment!
Little words of advice for those of you that are nearing your big day!!
These Little Moments - Advice from Clink
Words of Wisdom from 2000 Bride via Big Sur Bride

A School Bus, Perhaps

The fiance and I are currently searching high and low for wedding day transportation that won't leave us with only a penny or two in our wallet. Long story short, a "party bus" or a large stretch limo big enough to fit our 16 person bridal party would cost us more than we bargained for.


Then I saw this picture and almost called the local school bus company. Almost. It would only be worth it for the picture on the right. The fiance thinks I'm crazy and respectfully refuses to board any sort of school bus on the wedding day....or let it idle loudly in front of the church. He is no fun.
photo via: pen carlson

Yes or No

Yes or No? If we don't do this then we will not have our guests "do" anything when we exit the church.

This is for real now. I'll be ordering the ribbon tonight if we're going to go ahead with it.

What do you think? Me likey, but I don't want it to be too cheesy. That's why I need your input.
See previous post here for why these ribbon wavers are our only option.

Photos via: east hill photo and amy squires

Sporadicness

Hi Friends,
Blogging will be sporadic this week as there is much to do before we tie the knot. Please enjoy one of my favorite ring shots EVER that is oh so appropriate for this blog.
xo, jessica lynn

photo copyright: elite photo design

Napkin Help

Friends,

I need your help.

A couple of nights ago, on the whim, I ordered 150 white napkins from this etsy seller. The white napkins will display our monogram in plum ink:

Here's where you come in. 150 napkins won't even get us through more than 10 minutes of the cocktail hour. Thus, I am now in need of both plum and raspberry cocktail napkins. At least 150 of each (with no monogram/no printing) to intermix with the white napkins. Do any of you know of any websites I can visit to obtain said napkins!?

Much thanks for your help. Our beverages thank you.

Socks and Shoes

I love love love love love pictures of brides wearing something other than the typical white or ivory bridal shoe on their wedding day. Check out these stunning magenta peep toe pumps.

And then when I see the groom wearing argyle socks...be still my heart.

And its even better then you can convince/make your groomsmen sport the argyle socks too.

Chris and our groomsmen will be wearing these plum/lavender/grey argyle socks from banana republic

Are you going to be wearing colored shoes on your wedding day? Are you thinking of outfitting the men in argyle socks!?

photos: bobbi and mike, the fairmount bride, the brides cafe, bobbi and mike, natalie moser, white box weddings

Can We Just Take a Moment?

Dear Wedding Fairies,

Can we just take a moment here and comprehend that I/we will be married in 24 days!?!?! You, my friends, have a lot of work to do....because I cannot do this on my own. Get to work on that Knot.com checklist, mmmkay!? Oh, and the meeting with the florist tonight, I would really just l-o-v-e not to have to deal with that... xoxo, the bride-to-be

Dear My Little Bloggity Blog,
Obviously you know that it's getting down to go-time. Please don't hate me if I don't post EVERY day during the week for the next three weeks. It's not because I'm avoiding you, it's just because my daily to-do list is taking up more than one 4x6 post-it these days and I might have to put you on the back burner every once in a while. Who am I kidding, you know that I'll blog everyday. At least until the week of the wedding. Then all bets are off. Much love, jessica lynn

Dear My Little Readers,

As we near the big day on one hand I am more than excited, more than ready, more than thrilled about the wedding. Most of the time I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve...just waiting impatiently. But on the other hand, I am nervous, I am emotional and I am uncertain of what the actual day will hold. For the most part, it's just that I don't want the planning to end. Every day I come home from work and I plan, I think, I blog, I search for inspiration and ideas and then I plan some more. Thank you for experiencing this with me. Thank you for your time. Thank you for stopping by daily, weekly, or just every once in a while to see what I have to say. This blog started as a way for me to organize my wedding thoughts, but has become a true blessing because of all of you. Your input, your comments, your ideas have shaped our wedding day in so many ways and I cannot wait for you to see the results. Months and months of wedding re-caps are to come.

For every post, a pretty picture...or two:

The quest for a field in the middle of Indianapolis and hoping for amazing light begins...

photos via: christine farrah

You Would Think It's an Ad

Are you kidding me? You could have plucked these images out of a wedding magazine/ad for all I know! Love love love {and I'm normally not a huge fan of yellow}.
Love the chair, love the pale yellow dress, love the non-black suit, love the fetching tie. Yes, I said fetching.
If you don't love the yellow dress, you at least have to give her props for her yellow pumps.
The dog sold me on the whole wedding. The bow tie was just added charm. Naturally.
"Hmmmm maybe I'll just kick back with my new hubby on these FABULOUS yellow striped lounge chairs for a moment before we step into our TO-DIE-FOR reception...". I'm sure she said that. And if she didn't say it she was sure thinking it.
Who doesn't love a little detail?
Check out the whole post on the next exit photography blog.

Need a Lift?

Chris and I are STILL looking for the perfect wedding day transportation that isn't going to cost us 1/8 of our wedding budget. How nice would this be?!

amy carroll photo

Check It Off

I think that the concept of Labor Day {weekend} was not to work and to relax instead. There was plenty of relaxing this weekend, on a raft near the dock, with a beverage in hand. However, there was also much accomplished.

• The Blurb book {our guestbook} is done. It is a-mazing. When opened, each page on the left has an image from our engagement session. The page on the right will be blank for our guests to sign. Here is one of the "left page" layouts we created:

• Ceremony programs were finalized.
• Table decor was finalized.
• "Must-Play" song list {along with the "Do Not, Under Any Circumstances, Play list} was finalized.
• Fiances' Mom finalized the rehearsal dinner invitations....they are fabulous.

26 days to go and my Knot Checklist says we have 77 more tasks to complete. Down to the wire we go...