Countdown to Wedded Bliss

Our big day is here (august 2, 2008)

2008-12-31T16:13:00.005-05:00

Our big day is here!!!
I stayed up on Friday night before the wedding writing a letter to Michael that would be delivered to him on the day of our wedding. Once I finished the letter, it was easy for me to fall asleep! I think I was just so exhausted--all the planning and stressing---I was getting married!!!!! I got a great night of sleep and was rested for the big day. My day started off at the hair salon with my bridesmaids--we went in shifts since it was a small salon. Unfortunately, the day became a little rushed at the salon--probably my 1 regret of the day--i wish we had started earlier in the morning at the salon--as it was 8:30am was not early enough--even though our wedding was at 4:30 in the afternoon. But all in all, we made it and everything turned out just fine :)
My grandmother got her hair done too :)

Melissa and Lara at the salon (they were a part of the first shift of appointments--such troopers)

Lindsey and Christie getting their hair done

Lilly and Chloe getting their hair set

Jennie, Rachel, Lesli, and Me getting magazine inspiration :)

Getting my hair and makeup done---the royal treatment :)

Our ride to the church...

Goin to the chapel.... :)

The boys getting ready

The men have arrived at the church

The boys getting a quick bite to eat before putting on their tuxes.

Our adorable ring bearer Cavan. He had so much fun hanging out with the big boys :)

A few pictures of our wedding

Lara and me

some of the church decor

My family and me right before going down the aisle

Making my way down the aisle

Our beautiful aisle runner

My cousins (Lauren and Ally) --the program and guest book attendants

My bridesmaids and me

MARRIED!

After the wedding in the holding room right before we took pictures

The reception:
A shot of the reception ballroom

Best man and Maid of honor introduction

Our first dance - "Signed Sealed Delivered"

Grooms Cake - GO VOLS!

Our wedding cake - inspired by a cake in the Martha Stewart Weddings book

Daddy/Daughter dance

Polish apron dance--This was such a fun time at our reception. It is sort of like the dollar dance you see done at some weddings but this is a polish family tradition.

Candy buffet

Our parents

Rose Petal exit

Our getaway car

For more pictures, be sure to check out our wedding album online:

Enjoy!!!

A Chattanooga Wedding!

2008-12-31T15:15:00.008-05:00

We were so excited for the big day! Here are some pictures of the Thursday and Friday before the wedding!

We just so happened to arrive at the hotel at the same time as one of my childhood best friends, Lindsey (she was one of my bridesmaids too) and the junior bridesmaid, flower girl, and ring bearer (my 3rd grade teacher's children). Here is a picture of us all. Can you believe the pretty blonde was my 3rd grade teacher--and she has 4 children!!!??? She is one amazing lady and has meant so much to me in my life--it was only fitting that her family was apart of my wedding :)

Here is a picture of the beautiful hotel lobby.

We got right to work on Thursday night. Luckily, the hotel let us have a room for storage :) (thank you wedding planner Pam!)
We got the candy into the jars, took the glad press n seal off the escort card display and put together the table numbers. We also gave the welcome bags to the front desk to hand out to all of our guests!!! Mom and Dad kept my wedding dress in their hotel room. They also had a steamer to make sure we could steam out any wrinkles from travel--and also so the bridesmaids could get wrinkles out of their dresses too.

This is Marsha (my sister) and me on thursday night before the wedding. Actually, Michael took me on a date that night in downtown Chattanooga. It was our last date night before we got married :)

I also spent most of thursday afternoon and evening greeting some of our guests.
Here are my Uncle Rob and Aunt Gloria. Aunt Gloria is actually an ordained minister and will be a part of our wedding ceremony.

A family friend of Michael's wanted to host my Bridesmaid Luncheon. She hosted it at a tea room in Chattanooga and she thought of everything. The food was delicious and she had a charm cake for us too as well as little favors for everyone. Michael's mom even had favors for us all too.
The tea room

My maids and me

The KDs

The charm cake

Getting our charms

While the girls were all at the bridesmaids luncheon, Michael and his groomsmen and some of the men in the family went on a golf outing.

The rehearsal
Lara and me getting ready

Jay and John rolling out the runner

Michael and me at the altar

Junior Bridesmaid, Flower Girl, Ring Bearer, and me

The men

And later that night, the rehearsal dinner was held at the Walden Club in downtown Chattanooga. This club is on top of a bank building in Chattanooga and has a panoramic view of Chattanooga--its soo beautiful. It was the perfect location for the dinner :) Michael's parents did such a great job planning this special evening. They even had personalized M&Ms (for Michael and Meredith) made up for everyone to take home as a favor---they even had our picture on the M&Ms. So cute!!!

My mom's side of the family

Our good friends Adam and Julie with Michael

The delicious buffet

We presented all of our attendants with gifts at the rehearsal dinner. We appreciate each of them so much. We have such wonderful friends and family!

A picture of the M&M's Michael's parents had for everyone for favors at the dinner :)

Stay tuned for pictures of our big day!

I'm Back!

2008-09-24T19:03:00.012-04:00

Wow! It's been a long hiatus, but I'm back now. I have so much to update you all on. I'm married now! YAY!!!! It was such a wonderful day! We so much enjoy married life....but before I get into all of that, let's take a step back. Take a look at the weeks before the wedding. All of the last minute things were being wrapped up, my parents came in for the week before the wedding, and we had a pre-wedding BBQ for the groomsmen (so they could get their tuxes too). Here are some pictures leading up to our big day!

Here are a couple of pictures of the out of town welcome bags for the hotel to distribute. Michael's mother helped out quite a bit since she is a Chattanooga guru! We had some things that Chattanooga was notorius for as well as a few of our favorite things.
Skittles (packaged in Chattanooga and also we love them!)
Cheerwine (our FAVORITE and exclusive to the south)
FIJI water (the BEST bottled water)
Power T sugar cookies (because we LOVE UT football and that's where we met too!)
Moon Pies (made in Chattanooga)
Planter peanuts (packaged in Chattanooga)
Wrigley's gum (packaged in Chattanooga)
Chattanooga souvenir magnet
coupons to Krystal (perfect for late night snacking--and also headquartered in Chattabooga)
coupons to tourist attractions and restaurants in Chattanooga

We made booklets that served as a guide to Chattanooga including where to go for every meal.

Michael and I also had hand-written notes in each of the out of town bags for our guests welcoming them to our wedding and thanking them for what a special place they had in our lives.....it was a more last minute idea and became stressful as we got down to the wire. Michael's mother had notecards made of the Tivoli Theatre that had the marquee personalized with Meredith and Michael's Wedding. They were sooo cute--we just had to do something with them!!!

Here are the candy buffet vases. We had to hand wash each of them--in addition to the jars for the guests to take the candy home in. It took a while, but it was totally worth it. Our guests LOVED the candy buffet!

Here is the escort card display. We had to get this ready before making our way to Chattanooga to ensure that every card would fit. We had some trouble but somehow we managed. We wrapped it up in Glad Press 'N Seal to make sure the cards didn't fall off in transport. I think it turned out really great. Our calligrapher wrote all of the names and the ladies at our local scrapbook store helped me figure out how to make it all how we wanted it.

Time to go to Chattanooga! (I really wish we had pictures of all of our cars packed down with wedding stuff) In the weeks leading up to the wedding, we had put a large table in our entryway and started gathering everything that we needed to bring to Chattanooga. We had my Rav4, my parents in their Avalon, my sister's Santa Fe, and Michael and his best man loaded Max's car down too. We also had my cousin and Adam and Julie bring things too. It was definitely a group effort and we couldnt have made it without them :)

RSVPs

2008-07-11T12:52:00.003-04:00

The RSVPs for the most part are in....they were due on July 1st--and needless to say we were missing quite a few. Our wedding planner urged us to go ahead and call guests even a couple of days before the "deadline."
Mom and Dad have been handling all of the RSVPs and the seating chart--thank goodness. Michael and I got the chance 1 day to go and "check the mail" while we were home for the Virginia shower....you know it sounds silly, but it is pretty exciting getting RSVPs in the mail....so naturally I had to get a picture of the moment :)

(Michael was less than thrilled) hahaha

Now, now thats better

Recipe shower in Virginia

2008-07-06T10:47:00.006-04:00

Here are some pictures from an amazing shower we had in VA that a couple of my mom's friends threw for us Father's Day weekend. We had a great mix of family and friends in attendance. We had a lot of fun and it was so great for a lot of them to finally meet Michael--yes, he came to the shower too :) My dad was there too, but funny enough he volunteered to take the gifts as we opened them to the car and so he wasn't seen much. He CLAIMS he was there to see me open up each gift--but Mom and I aren't too sure about that :)

Practicing cutting the cake for our wedding day :)

Michael and me with the wonderful shower hostesses ("Miss Ginnie" and "Miss Paula")

Some of the many AMAZING gifts we received!!

The yummy spread of food :) Miss Ginnie even matched the miniature roses (from her garden) that were in the center of the cake to colors that reminded her of different aspects of the wedding :)

My sister and me with 2 of our cousins (Ally and Lauren). They will be attendants in the wedding :)

Some of our wonderful friends and family that were there :)

Bachelorette Party :)

2008-07-06T10:38:00.006-04:00

Yes, I promise I am alive. WOW!!! what a busy month. I apologize for the hiatus.

My bridesmaids threw me a FABULOUS bachelorette party in Buckhead GA! We stayed at the beautiful Ritz Carlton --right across the street from Lennox mall! It was soooo much fun. Here are some pictures from the weekend!!!

MY FUN ACCESSORIES THAT MY SISTER PICKED OUT FOR ME TO WEAR FOR THE EVENING :)

YEP, no doubt about it. I had a BLAST!!!!

And in case you couldn't tell, this picture says it all--IT WAS HOTTT!!! Typical summer heat of atlanta I suppose :)

My sister made us all fun goodie bags and we were all sporting the bling rings we each got :)

Here is me and my sister. She wasnt in many of the pictures because she was the photographer for the weekend :) Thank you Marsha for taking GREAT pictures!!!!

Thank you so much girls for an AMAZING weekend!!! I was thrilled to be able to spend time with each of you!!!!

FINALLY....the recipe for those strawberry flowers :)

2008-06-12T07:33:00.002-04:00

WOAH! So busy!! (and surprisingly not too badly with wedding stuff) :)

Since the ivites have been sent, Mom and Dad have received a steady flow of response cards. :) VERY exciting. Michael and I head to Northern VA (my home) for the weekend for a shower. We are so excited :)
I had my bachelorette party this past weekend and I had a BLAST! I will blog about it as soon as my bmaids send me more pictures that they took :)

*****

Many have asked....sorry it has taken so long. These strawberries are from the AROUND THE CLOCK shower that my mom and I hosted for one of my best friends. Enjoy!

Strawberry flowers with coconut cream
(Makes 2 ¾ cups)

1 (3.4 oz) package coconut cream instant pudding mix
¾ c sour cream
¼ c heavy whipping cream
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
¾ c confectioners’ sugar
1 t coconut extract
1 qt strawberries, washed and dried
Garnish: toasted coconut

In a small bowl, combine pudding mix, sour cream, and cream. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until well combined.
Reduce speed to low; add cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and coconut extract beating until well combined. Cover and refrigerate 30 min.
With stem side down, make 2 vertical cuts from tip to ¼ inch from stem end of strawberry. Gently spread apart to form 4 petals. Spoon or pipe coconut filling into each strawberry. Garnish with toasted coconut if desired.

Have a great day!!

Monogram Shower!

2008-05-30T09:12:00.004-04:00

What a fun shower this was!!! Some of my bridesmaids decided to throw me a shower in Knoxville. The theme was monogram. I registered for a lot of monogrammed items and I am OBSESSED with the new monogram!!! It was not required to bring a monogrammed gift but many people did. We got a good variety of gifts :)

I have the BEST friends!!! Everything was so cute!! (from the MAGPIES cake, heart shaped ice cubes, yummy food, cute invitations, fun games to the cute favors) Enjoy the pictures!!! There were a few guests that left before we got the chance to take their picture.

Entering the WEDDING WAR ZONE....enter if you dare

2008-05-29T22:04:00.006-04:00

Thats what we have been calling the media room downstairs in my basement.....these pictures do not even do it justice. All of the invitations were sprawled out on the floor in box lids....the jars for the favors, hundreds of strips of ribbon, wedding gifts, etc.....It was a nightmare down there for my fiance who is a neat freak--and somehow he could not see the organized chaos that existed down there...--it was just chaos to him. These pictures were taken actually before the invitations came in and aftr Mom and I had picked up the clutter--

Luckily, the invitations were sent on Tuesday and the jars have ribbons tied on top and a label in the bottom....so we were able to clean it up a bit.

Here are some pictures of the wedding invitations and the calligraphy! (and yes, in case you are wondering, we did send ourselves an invitation in the mail) :)

I have so many DIY projects for the wedding I have been working on for the past few months.

ESCORT CARD DISPLAY --that i blogged about a few months ago
My cousin's wife, Ashley, came over with her school's diecut machine and I had ordered a diecut shape of a gift tag to use in our escort card pockets. Its kind of a confusing project.....
Each family will receive a "pocket"/envelope--names will be written on these pockets. Inside the pocket will have the gift tag shaped cardstock. One that has the table number assigned to them. Then, each individual will have their own gift tag that has a "C" or a "B" (i.e. chicken or beef). Thats how the servers will know who has which entree.
Ashley cut out SOOO MANY gift tags with her diecut machine. WHAT A HUGE HELP!!!
I had Kinkos cut strips of paper which i then turned into "pockets" with a circle punch to cut a semi-circle in the center and then used this heavy duty adhesive to stick the edges to make the pocket. This makes it look similar to a library pocket.

Candy buffet with small squatty mason jars for the guests to fill up and take home.

We have had the rubber gloves out while we have been sorting candy by color for the candy buffet so that it goes with the wedding colors....we have all of the vases downstairs that we have been hand washing and measuring how much candy will fit. Mom ordered the last of the candy and it should be arriving on my doorstep sometime this weekend or beginning of next week. YAY!!

Candle wax dripping protectors: You know those green and wite circles that fit around those small congregational candles (the candles we are giving each of our guests during the unity candle) to prevent the candle wax from dripping all over you? Well, I wanted to make them coordinate with the wedding collors so I decided to make some myself with peach colored cardstock/scrapbook paper! Luckily I found a large circle punch at the scrapbook store. Then we got an extended reach hold punch to punch a small circle in the center and then used scissors to cut and "X" through the center to feed the candle through. THEY ARE DONE!!!!! Thank goodness....Mom punched the large circles, Ashley helped me out with the center circle punch, and my sister helped me cut the "X" in each one.

Next up, the menus. We are having our AMAZING calligrapher write up our menu and then we will photocopy it onto some shimmer paper and I have a corner punch to make it fancy and also some small rhinestones to glue 1 or 2 at the top in part of our wedding "logo" header.

As for our wedding gifts, well, I don't have the room to "display" the gifts as they used to traditionally do. I have been breaking the rules a bit and putting the gifts away and actually start using some of the gifts. The only ones we haven't used or put away are the monogrammed ones.

Our cocktail napkins arrived in the mail a couple of weeks ago! They turned out great and are a really pretty peach color.

ENJOY!!!

Another Chattanooga Shower

2008-05-29T21:37:00.008-04:00

We had a shower mother's day weekend in Chattanooga. (I realize I am a little behind in blogging this one) We have been referring to this shower as the Cornerstone shower. Michael's parents' sunday school class (the Cornerstone class as they are commonly called) threw us this shower. The Gentry's hosted the shower at their home on the Council Fire golf course. It was so much fun.

The decor had a summer soiree flare and it was called "The First Year of Good Cheer". Guests were assigned a month of the year to theme their gift around (similar to Around the Clock, but this was months of the year). When we opened gifts we started with September (the first month after we are married) and then went through the rest of the year and ended with August. We got a lot fo really cute things.

Here is a picture of the awesome cake they had. In case you didn't already know, I am obsessed with our new monogram....so the fact they had a monogrammed cake was PERFECT!!!!!

We got a lot of fun gifts :)

BEST PHONE CALL EVER!

2008-05-21T15:46:00.003-04:00

I just got a phone call a couple of hours ago.....MY WEDDING DRESS IS IN!!! (about a month early!) I am so psyched!!!! It is in Virginia--so I will have to wait until June 14th for my first fitting! BUT AT LEAST IT IS HERE!!! I'm so excited!!! Things are coming together so wonderfully!

The calligrapher finished our invitations in 7 days! UNBELIEVABLE!!! Seriously, she is amazing!! Her name is Debi-Lyn. She is GREAT! Drop a comment if you are looking for a good calligrapher and I will give you her contact info :)

Tonight, Michael and I are hosting a invitation stuffing party!!! I am so lucky to have such great friends in the area. Julie and Adam, and Jay and Ashley are coming over for dinner and then helping with the invites....(pictures to follow)

Also, we had quite the hurdle yesterday with the invitations....It wil cost $1.17 to mail each invite. YIKES!!! The $0.59 LOVE wedding stamps won't be released until Jun 10th (too late to send the invites). So, after toying with MANY different options, we are settling for 2x $0.58 LOVE wedding stamps (that we had to order online because they were out of them at all of the knoxville post offices) and a $0.01 tiffany lamp stamp. UGGH! Oh well. I think this was the best option... And to top that off, the LOVE stamp for the response card won't be ready until June 10th too....so we have to use the flag stamps.....BOO :(

Cake tasting

2008-05-19T15:28:00.005-04:00

Michael and I got to have our cake tasting this weekend with his parents. They were all so yummy!!! :)
Here are some pictures of the tasting...

For the wedding cake:
white cake with a vanilla mousse filling with buttercream icing

And this is what it will look like :) (I love Martha Stewart)

For the grooms cake:
We thought about chocolate but decided we wanted to be a little different than traditional. We didn't want nuts because of allergies (my own and other people who may be allergic)
We decided on an orange velvet....because we love red velvet cake but didn't want it to be red in color....the orange goes with the wedding decor a little better. :)

And this is what it will look like.....

Yeah right....that's a surprise!! You will have to wait to see it at the wedding or in pictures from the wedding :)

Cakes will be made at THE CAKE GALLERY in Chattanooga, TN

It's Official!!

2008-05-15T11:47:00.003-04:00

I am so excited to announce that I am in the middle of a job transition. I will still be working for Scripps Networks (the LEADER in Lifestyle Media--including HGTV, DIY, GAC, Food Network, and Fine Living), but I will now be in a different department and a different office (only a 5 minute longer commute). I am VERY excited about this change. I have enjoyed working for the HGTV Media Traffic Department, but I was ready for a change. I interviewed twice 2 weeks ago and found out on Tuesday that I got the job! It was announced at work yesterday in my department--so now I can post it! :) My last day in my current job will be June 6th. So I will start the new job the following Monday (June 9th)! I will be working in the Interactive Ad Sales/Ad Sales Marketing Department. This seems to be more of how I want my career path to go so I am excited! Michael is so excited about this too! He knows I have been wanting to be more challenged at work so he is excited about this transition! :) I'll keep everyone posted on how things go!!!

Work Shower

2008-05-13T14:55:00.005-04:00

My co-workers threw me a shower at work! It was so fun! They made some yummy food too :)

Here's my department at HGTV :)

Some fun gifts we got :)
I think I was showing my excitement for Michael when I opened the pizza stone. That was something he picked out to register for--so I knew he would be thrilled!! :)

Since my mom was in town for the week, she got to come too :)

Some of my sister's pictures from the shower

2008-05-07T11:12:00.006-04:00

Here are a couple more pictures from Sunday's festivities:

I HIGHLY recommend the Bed and Breakfast in Chattanooga where the tea was. My mom, sister, and aunt had a blast and it was such a quaint and beautiful place to stay. If you are ever in the Chattanooga area, you should definitely check it out!!!

More pictures of gift opening....you will see a lot of that nature inspired gift-wrapping. That is from the specialty store we registered our everyday china at in Chattanooga. It is called Revival LLC and it is located downtown. They also spray perfume on this white finely shredded paper.....the gift presentation is sooo neat!!!

Enjoy!!! Have a wonderful wednesday!!! I am having my work shower today!!! So excited :)

Chattanooga Tea/Shower

2008-05-05T08:41:00.011-04:00

Yesterday, we had a BEAUTIFUL shower hosted by a good friend of Michael's family. It was in Chattanooga at a Bed and Breakfast and it was absolutely gorgeous!

I was so glad that my mom, sister, aunt, "cousin", and both of Michael's parents could be there for the shower. There were also some good friend's of Michael's family who were there to celebrate! And, Style Diaries was there too :)

Here is a picture of our family that was there and the hostess and her family too.

Here is a picture of me, my mom and my sister.

Here is Michael's parents with us overlooking the river on the bluff.

Here is a picture of me with my cousin (Jay's) wife, Ashley! She is my "cousin"!! :)

Here is my mom and one of her sisters (my Aunt Lillian)--also Ashley's mother-in-law!

Here is a picture of us with the hostess (Rebecca) and her family. They adopted little Sarah Jane when she was a baby. She is 6 now and soooo adorable!!! :) This was the first time I had met her!!! But before Sarah Jane, Rebecca and Tyler kind of had Michael as their "adopted" son!! :)

Here is Michael with Sarah Jane...SOOOO cute!!!

Here we are with Sarah Jane!

The flowers were beautiful. The food was delicious!! The weather was gorgeous!!! We could not have asked for a more perfect day!

Opening gifts and visiting with our guests :)

And here are a few more pictures of the BEAUTIFUL view.

Taking it home :)

Shower hostess gifts....

2008-05-02T13:49:00.002-04:00

please shed some light of some fun hostess gifts. I have a lot of mine picked out but I would love some more input. I have one in particular hostess (shower is on sunday)--nothing like the last minute--she is very difficult to shop for....she doesnt cook or entertain at her own house (the shower is at a bed and breakfast). She likes to read and write......any ideas??

Wedding gifts arrive :)

2008-05-02T13:30:00.004-04:00

We were so excited to come home to 3 packages on my front doorstep the other day! nope, they weren't wedding planning supplies, they were wedding gifts!!!

The parents and brother of a good friend of mine, Christie (one of my bridesmaids), sent us our first 5-piece place setting of our Kate Spade fine china! It is beautiful!!! --and all in 1 piece :)

A cousin of my grandmother's sent us our first Wilton Armetele platter. My cousin and his wife LOVE theirs and highly recommended that we register for some. They are great! We cannot wait to use it.

Also, my sister called in an order from a local specialty store in Knoxville (Glass Bazaar)--where we have registered for our everyday flatware and our Christmas china. Our everyday china can also be purchased here. My sister got us a serving piece from our everyday china!!! They hand delivered it, but unfortunately we got it after someone else had gotten to it (maybe the UPS man or something) and we got it in a few peices....Luckily, Glass Bazaar is understanding and they are replacing it for us! :)

We have a triple header shower week next week!
Sunday, we have a shower/tea in Chattanooga
Wednesday, I have a shower at work
Saturday, we have a couples "The First Year of Good Cheer" shower given by Michael's parents' sunday school class :) (each couple is assigned a month of the year and they are to bring a gift suited for that month--similar to around the clock, but with months of the year instead!)

We can't wait!!! :)

Wedding Shower season continues :)

2008-04-28T14:22:00.005-04:00

This past weekend, Michael and I threw a shower for our good friends A&J! We threw them a STOCK THE BAR shower. It was great! They mean so much to us and we wanted to do something for them. The shower was very casual. We grilled out and FINALLY made use of my backyard. We borrowed backyard furniture from my cousins and had enough seating for everyone! It was great! Thank you Jay, Ashley, and John!!!

This is a picture of me, Julie, and Alicia

This is Adam and Julie with their bow bouquet

Cutting the yummy MAGPIES cake.

They got all kinds of great stuff....

And the guys had a great time playing CORNHOLE with the boards my dad made for Michael for Christmas (my mom made the bean bags!) :)

We had tons of food and I didn't space plan for it as well as I should have....
The menu included:
hot dogs and hamburgers
chips and salsa
ruffles and french onion dip
fruit salad
strawberry spinach salad (from the WS shower--see recipe in a post below)
potato salad
cole slaw
beans (but we accidentally left them in the crock pot in the kitchen and totally forgot about them)

Drink menu:
Sangria (my specialty--recipe is from an old cooking light magazine and I love making it)
Wine
Beer
Crystal light (strawberry, orange, banana)
Sweet Tea
variety of sodas
variety of liquor

And of course, MAGEPIES for dessert! YUMM-O!

**Needless to say, we ran out of room on the buffet table and we had to move the drinks to the ground....

Around the clock bridal shower

2008-04-22T15:26:00.009-04:00

This past weekend I went home to northern VA to co-host a shower for my best friend from home(Lara) with my mom! We had so much fun! I am the maid of honor in her wedding!! It is so exciting to be brides together!!! :) Our weddings are only a few short weeks apart from each other.

I made these yummy Strawberry flowers with coconut cream. They were delicious. I got the recipe from the SOUTHERN LADY magazine. My FMIL loves this magazine and shared some of them with me so I could find some recipes for the shower!!! :) She also got my mom a subscription ;) (I will have to post this recipe for you all at some point soon) Here I am piping the coconut cream into the strawberries.

Since the theme was AROUND THE CLOCK, it was only fitting to incorporate all things dealing with time and different times of day. We had 3 different centerpieces.

One was in the dining room where all the food was. We used my mother's silver tea tray, filled a couple of the teapots with flowers and create a little placecard explaining it was ENTERTAINING TIME--since that was one of the "times of day" that was assigned to some of the guests for their gift. We also incorporated clocks into these centerpieces. We borrowed old clocks from one of my mom's friends.

The second centerpiece illustrated DATE NIGHT. I had a fun brightly colored flower arrangement of tulips in a trifle bowl. I had a basket with a picnic tablecloth, a bottle of wine, and 2 wine glasses. Again, we had a clock and we also put the invitation with the display. This was on the kitchen island--just for decoration.

The third centerpiece was on the kitchen table--again just for decoration. It was DINNER TIME. I used my mom's kitchen aid mixer and added flowers. It turned out really cute! We also had a little plaque that said "It's five o'clock somewhere" and of course, a clock! :)

I had a really cute--and yummy--cake made for the shower in Knoxville and then I took it up to Virginia in the car! It was a HIT!!! They made a clock face on the cake and used the color scheme lime green and orange--which we tried to tie in from the invitations and flowers for the centerpieces.

Here is the beautiful bride-to-be! :)

Unfortunately, I did not get a lot of pictures, but I am hoping people will send me more to post!

These are the games we played:
"The Groom's Name" When guests arrive, each one is given a fake ring and instructed NOT to mention the groom's name during the entire shower. If someone catches another person saying his name, they (the person that said his name) must give up their ring to the "catcher". At the end of the shower, the person with the most "rings" is declared the winner and WINS a prize.
Kitchen Memory: This is the game where you have many kitchen items on a tray. You set it out for a minute or so, then cover it up and the guests have to recall what was on the tray from memory. The guest with the most correct wins a prize.
How old are you?: This one is from Martha Stewart. Assemble a dozen or so photographs of the bride, showing her at different ages. Mix them up so they're not in order. Give pencils and paper to everyone, pass the photos around, or display them someplace where everyone can see, and have guests write down their guess as to how old the bride was in the picture (she has braces, so that must have been in junior high). A prize goes to the person who gets the most ages right.
Anniversary Game: When each guest arrives, they are asked the date of their wedding anniversary. It is written down on a sheet of paper next to their name. If they are not married, their birthday can be used. The person with an anniversary (or birthday) closest to the wedding date of the bride-to-be wins the door prize.
Timer Game: Set a timer while the bride opens the gifts. When the timer goes off, the person who gave the gift the bride is currently opening wins a prize.

So you see, we tried to incorporate TIME into all of the games! The prizes were fun little gifts Mom picked up at Stein Mart--i.e. a candle, lotion, an apron, Paula Dean spices, etc. They were a hit!! :)

Lara got a lot of great stuff off of her registry and people even got really creative with their times too! It was a lot of fun!

Here is a picture of me, Lara, and my mom!

Red Velvet Cheesecake recipe (from my Williams Sonoma shower)

2008-04-12T17:06:00.004-04:00

WOW!!! This is the ultimate cheesecake!!! I still cannot get over how yummy this was!!! I cannot wait to get a spring-form pan so I can make this :)

Red Velvet Cheesecake

1 ½ cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
¼ c. melted butter
1 T sugar
3 (8 ounces) packages cream cheese (DON’T GET LIGHT—GET THE REAL THING)
1 ½ c. granulated sugar
4 large eggs beaten
3 T unsweetened cocoa
1 c. sour cream
½ c. whole buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp distilled white vinegar
2 (1 ounces) bottles red food coloring
1 (3 ounces) package cream cheese, softened (DON’T GET LIGHT—GET THE REAL THING)
¼ c. butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1 T granulated sugar
2. Press into bottom of 9 inch springform pan
3. Beat 3 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese and 1 ½ cups sugar at medium-low speed with an electric mixer, 1 min.
4. Add eggs an next 6 ingredients, mixing on low speed just until fully combined
5. Pour batter into prepared crust
6. Bake at 325 for 10 min.; reduce heat to 300 and back for 1 hour 15 min. or until center is firm
7. Run knife along outer edge of cheesecake
8. Turn off oven
9. Let cheesecake stand in over for 30 min.
10. Remove cheesecake from oven; cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 min.
11. Cover and chill for 8 hours
12. Beat 1 (3 oz) pkg cream cheese and ¼ cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.
13. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth.
14. Spread evenly over top of cheesecake (not on the sides)
15. Remove sides of springform pan. And garnish if desired.

Barbara's Vertical Stuffed Potatoes and Contemporary Beef Wellington Recipes (from my Williams-Sonoma shower)

2008-04-12T16:55:00.004-04:00

These both were very yummy!

The vertical stuffed potatoes are a slight twist on twice-baked potatoes. They look so gourmet!!!

Barbara’s Vertical Stuffed Potatoes

4 large baking potatoes
1 box boursin cheese or 1 cup cream cheese
chives (optional)
shredded velveeta
8 T whipping cream
4 T butter
Fresh rosemary sprigs
Paprika

Scrub the potato well and prick several times with a fork. Oil the potato and bake at 425 degrees for about 45 min. to an hour depending on the size of the potato. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes.
Cut a thin slice crosswise from both ends of the potato. This will allow the potato to sit on the plate. Cut potato in half crosswise. Carefully scoop out the pulp leaving about ¼ inch around the shell. Brush a little oil on the skins of each potato half.
With a mixer, mash the pulp until smooth. Add seasonings, boursin cheese or cream cheese, butter, cream, and velveeta cheese. Mix until smooth.

Place the mashed potato mixture in a pastry bag. Use a large star top and pipe the potato mixture into each potato half. Potatoes can be made ahead of time, covered and refrigerated. When ready to serve, place on a baking sheet and back at 325 degrees for approx. 30 min.
Sprinkle a little paprika on the potatoes
Garnish with fresh rosemary.

*************************************************************************************

Contemporary Beef Wellington

Duxelles
¼ c. (1/2 stick) butter
1 T finely chopped shallots
1 lb. mushrooms, finely chopped
¼ c. (or less) madeira (wine)
2 T. minced parsley
salt and pepper to taste
ground nutmeg to taste

Beef Wellington
6 (8-ounce) beef fillets, cooked but at room temperature (Trim the fillets of all fat and season with salt and pepper. Barbara cooked them on a griddle on the oven—it was one of those ones that are rectangular and went over a couple of stove eyes. Cook for a few minutes on each side—they will be cooking in the oven too so you want to make sure they are not overcooked. )
Salt and pepper to taste
12 sheets phyllo pastry
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, melted

For the duxelles, melt the butter in a skillet and stir in the shallots. Cook over low heat until tender. Stir in the mushrooms and cook for 10-15 min over low heat or until all the liquid evaporates and the mixture is very dark in color, stirring occasionally. Stir in the wine, parsley, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Increase the heat slightly and cook until all the liquid evaporates. Chill, covered. In the refrigerated until needed.
For the beef wellington, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut 2 sheets of plastic wrap slightly longer than the phyllo and arrange the sheets overlapping on a work surface. Cover the phyllo with a damp paper towel (this will help avoid drying out).
Stack 2 sheets of the phyllo on the plastic wrap, brushing each sheet with some of the melted butter. Arrange one fillet 3 inches from the end of the narrow edge of the phyllo stack and spread the fillet with ¼ cup of the duxelles. Fold 3 inches of the phyllo over and brush the exposed phyllo with melted butter. Using the plastic wrap turn the fillet and phyllo and brush with melted butter. Fold in the long sides of the phyllo and brush with melted butter. Continue folding the phyllo (as you would a burrito) around the steak, brushing with melted butter after each turn..
Arrange seam side down on a buttered baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining phyllo, remaining butter and remaining fillets. Bake for 20-30 min. or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown and the fillets register 140 degrees on a meat thermometer for rare. Freeze for future use if desired.

**i think i might call WS and check on the beef wellington recipe because it didnt mention anywhere in the recipe about cooking the meat but i know she cooked it before hand. i didnt take notes because i figured it would be in there. i did the best i could from memory. ill let you know.

Strawberry Spinach Salad recipe (from my Williams-Sonoma Shower)

2008-04-12T16:51:00.004-04:00

OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS SOOO YUMMY!!! I am slightly allergic to some nuts and generally I don't like them anyways, but I decided to try these caramelized pecans on the salad.....OH MY GOODNESS so yummy :)

Strawberry Spinach Salad (serves 4-6)

Caramelized pecans add crunch!
10 oz fresh spinach
1 cup sliced celery, cut on diagonal (Barbara says this makes it more pretty)
1 pt. strawberries

Caramelized Pecans:
1 cup sugar
1 cup pecans

For caramelized pecans, put sugar in a non-stick skillet (make sure it is non-stick) on medium heat. Roll the pan (do not stir the sugar) from side to side until all sugar is melted. Then add the pecans and stir with wooden spoon until they are browned. Immediately place on parchment paper. Cool (it will look similar to peanut brittle). These can be prepared ahead of time.

Poppy Seed Dressing
¾ c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 T. grated onion
1 T. poppy seed
1/3 c. vinegar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 cup Crisco oil

Mix sugar and vinegar in a blender (I imagine a mixer or food processor would work too) Add salt, grated onion, and dry mustard. Slowly add oil. Stir in poppy seeds or blend with blender on the lowest speed. Chill.

Combine spinach, celery, and halved strawberries. Coat with poppy seed dressing. Toss gently and garnish with caramelized pecans.

(sorry, I don't have any pictures)

I've been tagged :)

2008-04-11T15:26:00.002-04:00

I was tagged to list six unimportant things about myself by The Style Diaries...WAHOO!! My first tag! Yay!
1) you link back to the person who tagged you.
2) post these rules on your blog.
3) share six unimportant things about yourself.
4) tag six random people at the end of your entry.
5) let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs

1. I don't like to mix my food and usually eat one thing at a time. (i.e. if I have a plate of corn, beef, roll, salad, fruit, etc) I would start with the corn and not go to the next thing until all of the corn was eaten) Michael always points out how weird it is that I do that.
2. I am insanely unorganized, but when it comes to sheets and towels I am a bit finicky about how they are folded and how to put sheets on the bed....Michael is learning how I like things done :)
3. I get a kick out of how much money I can save at the grocery store--I love that Kroger has how much you have saved at the bottom of the receipt. I like to make/beat records. My mom sends me coupons in the mail to help me out--since I dont subscribe to the newspaper.
4. I hate throwing out my magazines--no matter how old--especially wedding magazines. I still have ones from over 5 years ago.
5. I am the world's worst when it comes to identifying artists and song titles when a song comes on the radio.
6. I prefer listening to the radio over a CD or IPOD.

OK, now I tag....and if you haven't checked out their blogs, here are their links:)

Evan McJames Hickey's Blog
Living our Love Song
It's a Jaime Thing
The McWoods
The Warnock Family Blog
Elizabeth Anne Designs

Red and White Preppy

2008-04-09T09:47:00.001-04:00

Red and White Preppy--Please invite me to read your blog! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! :)

Sunday festivities (Part II)

2008-04-09T09:23:00.008-04:00

After church, we made the trip to Chattanooga. We had a 3:00pm appointment with the pastor at Brainerd UMC (where we are getting married) for our first pre-marital counseling session! It was great! This is the book we are working through!! I highly recommend it as it was highly recommeded to me by my cousin and his wife :) It is called BEFORE YOU SAY I DO (by H. Norman Wright and Wes Roberts). You will need one for you and one for your fiance.

After our session, we went to go and see Michael's parents and then all went to go and see one of their family friends who has about 15 classic cars. We got to go and pick one out for our send-off/grand exit for after the reception! We are sooo excited!!!!! We are going with the blue one. Because of where it was in this man's garage, we couldn't get a GREAT picture, but you get the idea. It is a 1931 Chevrolet. It has one of those little windows out the back. It is going to be so cute for the pictues!!! (the green one pictured below is similar in style and it was easier to get a picture of)

Sunday events

2008-04-09T09:07:00.003-04:00

Sunday, Michael and I went to church together where I usually teach Sunday school to in the 3-5 year old class. We attended service today. My good friends, the Nichols, (who I used to nanny for and who's children have been in my Sunday School class at one point or another) are getting ready to go on a medical mission in New Zealand for a year. They were speaking in service about their trip and I really wanted to be there for it. Michael didn't have to work at the golf course and I didn't have to teach. Normally, we would go to Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church together, but we really wanted to see the Nichols before they left. Anyways, tears were shed. I am truly going to miss them. Michael and I took the 4 children to see ENCHANTED before Christmas together! I had so much fun! Here are some pictures with the children (Phillip, Claire, Anna, and Andrew)

Here are some pictures of them from my nannying days :)

Saturday festivities

2008-04-07T14:41:00.011-04:00

Saturday was the day of the very first bridal shower! I have been looking forward to it ever since Michael's mom told me she wanted to host one for me. It was a Williams-Sonoma Spring cooking class and shower! It was AMAZING!!! I was able to have a total of 11 people including myself and the host. It was in Knoxville at our Williams-Sonoma. We had a wonderful cooking "teacher"!

I had some of the ladies who attend the church where I teach sunday school, my mother, my sister, Michael's mom, and my good friends (Julie and Cathy) came to the shower. We had a full meal that was sooo delicious!! Strawberry Spinach Salad with this yummy poppy seed dressing, vertical stuffed potatoes, Beef Wellington, and Red Velvet Cheesecake. YES! You saw that right...RED VELVET CHEESECAKE!!! It was sooo delicious. I will have to post the recipe at some point. I really want to make it! :)
I (unfortunately) did not get any pictures of the salad--it was soo yummy. I will be posting that recipe at some point as well :)

This is me, my sister (Marsha), and Julie

Dawn and Me

Karrie, Carrie, and Me

Me and Cathy

Julie and Me

Michael's mom (Jane)--the FMIL, and Me

My FMIL had the cute apron I have on in these pictures made! It even has my new monogram!!! She thought of everything...right down to the favors--Williams Sonoma spatulas in the cute spring colors tied with a cute ribbon!

Everyone raved about the food! It was such a wonderful idea for an intimate shower! I had a ball!!!!

And now for the presents:

As you can see, I got all kinds of great things!!! :)
stemless wine glasses
bride and groom cookbooks
Untensil container with a variety of cooking utensils
and my KITCHEN AID MIXER!

I cannot wait to start using these!!!

(more pictures to come from my sister's camera)

I had a wonderful Saturday!

Williams Sonoma shower
ordered invitations
hung out with my mom, Marsha (my sister), and the FMIL! :)
We all went out to dinner as a big family (Michael and his parents and me and my family)

BUSY BUSY WEEKEND!!!

2008-04-07T12:10:00.009-04:00

Sorry I've been MIA.....

I took off work last Friday to spend the day with my parents (who came down from Northern Virginia) in Chattanooga. We had 4 wedding vendor appointments on Friday.

We left Knoxville at 8am and drove to our linen rental company store. We had a brief meeting with the linen company. I showed my parents what Pam (the wedding planner) and I came up with for our reception tables. Linens are pricey. We had to do some wheeling and dealing and make many compromises, but what we came up with will be beautiful. These pictures don't do it justice, but of course will look much better with the tables set and with the flowers, etc.
Table overlays

Chairs with chair covers and the light peach organza sash

Our compromise: We will be doing 40% of the tables with the striped sheer overlay and the remaining 60% will have a light peach solid satin table runner. This will save a few hundred dollars!!! :)

These are for our wedding cake tables:

Brides Wedding Cake: Its this pin tucked sheer overlay with little shimmery beads at the tucks. We will have a light peach underlay for this table (matches the table runners that will be on 60% of the tables). IT IS BEAUTIFUL!!!

Grooms Wedding Cake: This is a sheer striped overlay. It has a masculine feel without being to "harsh" next to our soft toned decor.

This is for our sweetheart table. This is a cream fabric with embroidery detailing that brings in our pale yellow and the peachy pink color!

This is for our candy buffet table. This polka dotted sheer overlay gives a whimsical and fun touch to our candy table! I am very excited to see how this will turn out :)

Mom and Dad brought in so much candy that they have been collecting for the candy buffet! It looks like they robbed a candy store!!! ;o) I am seriously going to have to take some pictures and post later!! :) They brought in some more big glass containers to add to my collection. I think we are up to around 20 containers :)
Also, Mom and Dad found a GREAT deal on some small squatty Mason jars for the guests to fill up with candy and take home! They brought all 300 of those too! (and I think we are going to need a few more because of our HUGE guest list) Needless to say, my house is the Wedding War Zone!! So much stuff!! :)

We also met with the florist on Friday. She met up with us at the linen company's store. My parents hadn't met her yet and she brought in some stuff to show us. Everything is going to be so beautiful and our florist is AMAZING!! I am so excited!!! (sorry no pictures)

Next up, our menu tasting! In a word, YUMM-O!!!! Everything was so delicious! I cannot wait!!!!
We will be having 2 options:
Herb Roast Tenderloin of Beef, Truffle Demi Glace
Marinated Airline Chicken (which we are calling Marinated Breast of Chicken--I don't want the guests to think we are serving rubber chicken from some in-flight meal deal), Mandarin Cranberry Relish, Orange Chili Sauce

Each entree is served over a bed of mashed potatoes and asparagus!
The presentation was spectacular!!! I wish I had gotten a picture!!! :(

Our Salad choice:
Asiago Caesar Salad

Mom and Dad were very pleased--and so was I! :)

Our last appointment of the day was at the hair salon! I was so excited! Judy (the hair stylist) knows exactly what she is talking about and for a rough draft (no product), she did superb!!!

And....best of all, my dad was a trooper through the whole thing. (so was Mom, but that's a given!)

More to come later today from Saturday and Sunday's festivities!!! (including my first bridal shower!!!)

Goodbye winter...HELLO SPRING!!!

2008-03-27T09:29:00.007-04:00

I just had to post this today....it's going to be in the upper 60s today and then in the 70s tomorrow!!! YAY!!

This was about as much snow as Knoxville saw this year ...which is more than I can say about the past few years. Too it only last for about 2 hours before it was all melted awayI love snow and unfortunately I don't get to see it often living in Knoxville.
(i think this was back in February)

BUT.....the cold weather is leaving us and now we can pull out the capris and flip flops....SPRING IS FINALLY HERE!!!

AND WE ARE ONLY 1 week away from the 4 month mark for our wedding!

Look what the Easter Bunny brought us!

2008-03-27T09:04:00.007-04:00

We spent Easter weekend in Chattanooga with Michael's parents. We got to meet with the wedding planner and go to the linen rental company too. It was also so great to spend time with my FFIL and my FMIL! (for those who don't know the wedding terminology--my future father-in-law and my future mother-in-law) We went shopping, relaxed, and did some wedding stuff too. Sunday morning, the Easter bunny brought me some Vera Bradley pajama shorts and some gummi bears!

After church that day, we came back to Michael's parents' house and the Easter bunny left something else. This was for both Michael and me. It was wrapped so pretty.

We were so excited to see what it was!!! Here is a play-by-play:

HOORAY! It was our first dinner plates from our everyday JULISKA china collection!!! How exciting!!! (and I promise Michael was really excited even though his smile looks forced in the pictures!) :)

Random Questions

2008-03-26T21:34:00.002-04:00

What accessories do you wear everyday?
My engagement ring :) (thats my most favorite accessory), earrings, but i change them up depending on the outfit.

What is your beauty routine?
I have mild adult acne (i think it is from resting my chin on hands when I am at work, hormone changes, and stress) that i am trying to remedy so I try to switch it up every now and then. I love L'oreal PURE ZONE products (which I am pretty sure they removed from the shelves for some reason but I stocked up so much at one point that I am still using it. I also occasionally use YONKA products--which I love! I moisturize only in the morning before applying makeup.

What was the last item of clothing you bought?
2 dresses and 1 pair of shoes from Ann Taylor LOFT! (i love that place)

Do you use a dresser, closet, or both?
Dresser, Chest of drawers, a few rubbermaids under the bed, and 2 closets. YIKES!

What type of earrings are in your ears right now?
Pearl studs

What type of figure do you have?
I am 5'5...definitely pear shaped (i get that from Mom).

Do you wear glasses? only when I am at work staring at the computer all day

What type of handbag do you carry? I switch it up a lot.....but usually they are always BIG bags....i call them work bags. I have so much JUNK in them though

What is your ideal style?
In a nut shell, ANN TAYLOR!!! I love that stuff!!!

What jewelry are you wearing right now?
pearl studs and my engagement ring :)

Do you wear knee-hi stockings?
nope

Do you have to wear matching lingerie?
My bra and panties ALWAYS had to match when I first started wearing bras....now, not so much. I would love it if they did though.

Do you wear makeup?
Absolutely...otherwise it is a very scary sight

Do you wear nightgowns?
yes. I don't like wearing pants to bed because they get bunchy and twisted and its all very uncomfortable

What outerwear do you put on when going out on a typical winter's day?
I love my northface. But when I dress up, I have a long black coat.

What is your favorite perfume?
Classic--Banana Republic
Michael--Michael Kors
Light Blue--Dolce&Gabbana

Is your motto "quality over quantity"?
it depends what it is. For basic/classic items that I will use again and again - I prefer quality. For items that I think I might only use for a season, I will go to Target or TJMaxx

Do you wear rain boots?
sometimes. I have these really cute wellies that are black and white polka dotted :)

Do you wear socks or slippers when your feet get cold?
usually both...my feet are always really cold

Do you have a set of travel luggage?
Not really. I have a few pieces from a set I used to have, but the airport guys banged it all up and broke the wheels off of some of the pieces. My mom and dad bought me 1 piece of a new set, but we never finished off the set. We registered for some though to go with that set!!!

What is your daily uniform?
To work? There isn't one. I can wear jeans and a tee shirt if i wanted.

If you are married, did you wear a veil with your wedding dress?
engaged - yes I am wearing a veil

Do you wear a watch?
no--i use my cell phone as my watch

What item of clothing always makes you feel extremely beautiful?
I love my wedding dress!

What is your favorite type of yarn?
??? I don't knit

Do you prefer zippers or buttons? zippers are definitely easier but I like the look of buttons better

More cute dress finds :)

2008-03-22T15:09:00.005-04:00

I found a few more bridal shower dress options...what do you think?

This is a cute dress from GAP!

Here are 4 dresses from Banana Republic that I like as well:

The great search for bridal shower dresses...

2008-03-21T10:16:00.009-04:00

I have been looking for cute new dresses to wear to my showers and have come up a bit empty-handed. Usually, I have no problem finding about a dozen dresses at Ann Taylor but this year nothing has really struck me. I want to go with some bright fun colors (--so dresses from the black and white store won't work). I went shopping with my friend, Julie, and we found my rehearsal dinner dress (see picture above). I tried on a JCrew dress that Julie has and I liked it--so it is definitely a contender. (see below)

I saw this dress featured on TODAY yesterday morning and I might look into getting this one....what do you think? Can anyone recommend anywhere to get some fun dresses for showers?

This dress is on mega sale and I LOVE it! It's from this website CK Bradley. I hadn't ever heard of it, but they have some cute stuff....if you get it on sale, the price tag isn't too horrible. What do you think? The only drawback is the color since it so closely resembles my rehearsal dinner dress.

The Church

2008-03-18T22:00:00.006-04:00

Michael and I are getting married at Brainerd United Methodist Church in Chattanooga, TN. It just so happens that his parents were married there too! It is a really beautiful church!! Here are some pictures I have of the church!!!

On My Way To Toned Arms!

2008-03-18T21:48:00.003-04:00

I have to let you all in on a little secret...its my new arm workout (in hopes of slimming down my flabby arms). My co-worker, Lauren, showed it to me and let me tell you...WOW! I think I can already tell it is going to work. She calls it 3 sets of TWENTY-ONES. This is what you do:
Take some small hand weights (I am starting at 3 lbs and working my way to 5 lbs--I may go for 7 if I feel the need) --another hint, bring them to work with you if you have a desk job. THEY ARE GREAT WHENEVER I TAKE MY EYE BREAK FROM STARING AT THE SCREEN
Do your basic bicep curls--except only bring them half way up (to a 90 degree angle) and back down. Do this 7x
Then, start out at the half way point (arms at a 90 degree angle) and bring them up for the "rest" of the bicep curl. Do this 7x (start at 90 and bring them up to the full curl).
Then do a full bicep curl 7x.
That completes your first SET of TWENTY-ONES. Do this 3 times... TRUST ME, you will feel the burn. Lauren tells me I will start to see the difference in a matter of a few weeks! I am so excited.

This area was the one area that I decided to focus on prepping for the wedding :) I think I am on my way.
I did 3 sets of TWENTY-ONES twice today to make up for missing yesterday.

Check out our wedding photographer's blog!

2008-03-12T15:11:00.003-04:00

Michael and I are on our wedding photographer's blog from our engagement session. Check it out!!!

Waldorf Photographic Art

Wedding Jewelry

2008-03-12T10:07:00.006-04:00

You have all heard the SOMETHING OLD SOMETHING NEW SOMETHING BORROWED SOMETHING BLUE AND A SIX PENCE (or penny) FOR HER SHOE.

Something old: I have that one covered. I am using my grandmothers (now my mom has it) brooch and attaching it to my bouquet on the stems.

Something new: I suppose my dress, shoes, my earrings, and my new bracelet that I am having made. I saw a blog post on STYLE ME PRETTY with a beautiful bracelet.

This particular wedding that they were highlighting was in the middle of the winter so the bride's bracelet had a snowflake brooch. Obviously with an August wedding, that wouldn't exactly work, but I liked the idea of a rhinestone brooch and a multi-strand pearl bracelet--so I did some digging. As it turns out, this bride had the bracelet custom made. I found out that it was custom designed & made by the amazingly talented Christa Baker (starliftrc141@aol.com). I have since contacted Christa and she will be making my bracelet. We are both in search of the perfect brooch to use!!!
I saw these other MEGA expensive bracelets (they were almost $300 and the pearls nor the diamonds were real). They weren't exactly in my price range but they provide a nice inspiration.

Snowflake bracelet picture: Rachel Trigueiro
Other bracelets: Haute Bride

Something borrowed: My mother's pearl necklace.

Something blue: I am working on that one still. I think I might wear my sapphire ring and also go to the embroidery shop and get a piece of fabric embroidered with (blue thread) Michael and Meredith Crawford (or our monogram) and our wedding date (August 2, 2008) and have it sewn in my dress on the underside of the skirt.

and A SIX PENCE FOR HER SHOE: My aunt Wendy went to London for Christmas this past year and brought me back a British penny for my wedding day to bring me luck. This will be perfect! Its really shiny too!

Bridesmaid dresses are in :)

2008-03-07T16:03:00.006-05:00

My mom was planning on going and getting them today--since she has time. I will see my mom the first weekend of April and I will get the dresses then from her to give to Lesli, Jennie, Christie, and Rachel. (I can also have my mom mail the dress to you if you would like)

Emily, you can either get the dress from my mom since you live sort of near there now or you can wait and get it from me later. Her phone number is 703-304-7658. Her email address is kkmiec@cox.net

Lindsey, you can get the dress from my mom since you live so close.

Melissa, Lara, and Marsha, you can get the dress from (my) mom next time you are in VA or we can mail it to you. Let us know which would be better for you.

If you ONLY paid a deposit on your dress, PLEASE CALL AND HAVE THEM RUN YOUR CREDIT CARD for the balance. (please try to do this today if possible)

ALTERATIONS:
Those of you who live in and around the Northern VA area are more than welcome to go to Rosalin's for alterations. I have the name of someone who will do alterations in Knoxville if you are interested. (just a reminder: you should wait to get alterations until you have your shoes to try on with it)

I think that's it! I am so excited they came in early!!!!!

is this thing working?

2008-03-07T16:03:00.005-05:00

i have been having technical issues with blogspot......

The "to-do" list

2008-03-07T15:57:00.004-05:00

Some of you (for whatever reason) think everything is almost done for the wedding....but unfortunately, I have 6 pages of a to-do list......I worked on it last night--combining items recommended by theknot.com, my friend Julie (and fellow bride-to-be), and from my wedding planner file/book. YIKES!!! I have 8 items to complete for this weekend. Wish me luck!!!

The Monkey Suit

2008-02-26T09:00:00.002-05:00

Tuxes have been picked out for the guys. We are getting them at Walkers Formal Wear in Knoxville. Measurements are supposed to be in by March 1st. I'm crossing my fingers on that one.

Here is a picture of what the guys will be sporting on August 2nd. It's a Calvin Klein suit....the funniest part is that Adam Foster and Julie Noonan (our friends who are getting married only a couple of weeks before us) picked out the EXACT same tux for their guys!!! What are the odds?!
The tuxes are scheduled to come in a week and a half before the wedding. We are planning a BBQ at my house (soon to be "our" house) for the Saturday prior to the wedding for the wedding party and their dates. The guys will then be able to try on their tuxes and make sure everything fits correctly. We will also enjoy the time with our closest friends as a HUGE THANK YOU for everything they have done for us and all of the love and support they have given us too!

Unity Candle

2008-02-21T12:38:00.004-05:00

So I am sure you all have seen a unity candle done in wedding ceremonies. I just love the symbolism and I think it is a very important part of the ceremony. I saw a different version of the unity candle on a website, where the bride and groom have their traditional unity candle but also each guest is given a congregation candle (you know like the ones used in the candlelight Christmas Eve services at church).
The first guest's is lit. Guests pass the flame until all are lit. The mothers of both the bride and the groom come up to the alter to light the side candles. The bride and groom then light theirs together. This variation typically includes a proclamation that this ceremony represents the unity of friends and family supporting the couple in their marriage. I just LOVE this idea. I have never been to a wedding where it has been done but I think it will be very beautiful! If you will notice in the pictures I am posting, at this particular wedding (which was outside) they wrapped the candle with some sort of palm leaf or something--instead of those paper wax catchers. I wanted to make the candles look nicer than the paper wax catchers that come with them. I can't do the leaf thing because there ceremony is inside and I don't think it would look right. I have also thought about getting some pretty patterned or colored card stock and making my own wax catcher. Anyone have any other ideas?

Wedding dress shopping

2008-02-20T16:15:00.002-05:00

Of course I will not reveal the picture of me in the dress I chose (you will have to wait for the wedding day for that).

Here are some of the others I tried on....some were just for fun....

For your viewing pleasure...

2008-02-20T16:10:00.002-05:00

Here are some pictures from getting fitted for bridesmaid dresses at Rosalin's with my Virginia bridesmaids. We also decided to play around with the funny old wedding hats in the dressing room.

Wedding Registries

2008-02-20T15:10:00.004-05:00

We have finally finished our wedding registries. We are registered at:

Bed Bath and Beyond

Pottery Barn

Williams-Sonoma

Restoration Hardware

Revival LLC (a small specialty store in Chattanooga, TN)
We are registered for our everyday china here. We chose the JULISKA berry and thread collection in the cappuccino brown and white colors.
12 W 13th St. Chattanooga, TN 37402
(423)265-2656

Glass Bazaar (a specialty store in Knoxville, TN)
6470 Kingston Pike Knoxville, TN 37919
(865)584-9072
We are registered for our everyday flatware, Christmas china, and you can also purchase our everyday china here. We chose the Ricci Merletto flatware.
Our Christmas pattern is Grenadiers by Bernardaud:

Our Honeymoon!!!

2008-02-20T14:30:00.002-05:00

Michael and I are so excited about our honeymoon. We are going to St. Thomas and staying in the Ritz Carlton. Lindsey, one of my AMAZING bridesmaids, was able to hook us up there and we cannot wait. The hotel looks beautiful and I have heard wonderful things about it!!!

Escort Card Display

2008-02-20T11:34:00.002-05:00

This is one of those small details that many people don't really think about, but it is important. We are doing an hors d'oeuvres buffet for cocktail hour followed by a plated dinner. Whenever you do a plated dinner, it is very important that table numbers are assigned to your guests. (Otherwise, people won't fill up the tables as complete as they should be and you end up needing a lot of extra tables) It is not as important to me to assign seats though. My mom (who has suddenly become a Martha Stewart fan--which I LOVE!!) has been watching the show. The wedding special was on a few weeks ago and it talked about this very thing. Mom liked the example they featured with a board and putting the escort cards in envelopes. That way if some last minute table number changes need to be made, they can be without having to remake the entire escort card--because with the envelope idea you have the table number written on a piece of paper and stuck into the envelope--the guests' name is actually on the outside of the envelope. I saw this idea yesterday and knew I had to recreate it. I am hoping I can get my hands on an unused composite picture frame from Kappa Delta. (crossing my fingers) I would make the background of the "board" peach dupioni silk and probably do pink and yellow escort cards. Not exactly sure, but i think it will turn out GREAT! What do you think? (it may be a little hard to see it)

The Save the Dates

2008-02-20T11:18:00.002-05:00

After a couple of weeks of hard work, the Save the Dates are ready to send. Michael was a HUGE help. The magnets you will be receiving in the mail in the next few days were ordered from Magnet Street Weddings. I HIGHLY recommend them! They are wonderful to work with, their prices are very reasonable, their work is AMAZING, and they had my order to me early.

We made the hotel information cards that are coming with the Save the Dates. I ordered some shimmer paper (my new obsession) that actually matches the shimmer paper that is part of our invitation. I was also able to find the EXACT ribbon that is on our invitation and used it on the hotel information card to tie everything together. It turned out great! It took me forever to get those cards just so. Kinkos was a GREAT help because the cardstock shimmer paper is too thick for my printer so they printed them for me and after speaking with Julie (a friend and fellow bride-to-be), she told me they would also cut them for me. MAN DID THAT SAVE ME A LOT OF TIME! The ribbon took the longest but it was definitely worth it. Yesterday I took the Save the Date, envelope and the hotel information card to the post office and luckily it was standard postage! GREAT NEWS!!!! I was worried because of the thickness that is added when you attach ribbon. Anyways, all is good now!

This is the BEAUTIFUL ribbon that is with our invitation (and our hotel information card). We are finding ways to incorporate it into other aspects of the wedding :)

This is the save the date.

The Candy Buffet

2008-02-20T11:11:00.002-05:00

I am really excited about our favors! We are having a candy buffet at the wedding. The tables will have a small mason jar (with ribbon and a gift tag of course) for each guest. We will have a candy buffet set up in the reception ballroom for guests to go up to and fill their jar to take home with them. This is a great way to continue the use of my color scheme and create a decorative element to the room while still providing a tasty treat for our guests! Since Michael's grandfather (who passed away last year) had such a sweet tooth and was known for his love of candy (and always had some in his pockets to share), we will be dedicating the candy buffet in his memory. This will also make it very personal and meaningful. Let me know if you have any ideas for peach, yellow, white/ivory, silver, and pink candy.

Update on things...

2008-02-12T15:34:00.002-05:00

Wedding dress has been ordered (actually it was ordered right after Christmas) THE DRESS IS BEAUTIFUL....the only problem is that it isn't supposed to come in until mid- June......I hope it comes in earlier. I will let the dress be a surprise :)

Almost all of the main vendors have been booked--except for a florist and linen rental company. We are close to hiring the florist. We are just waiting to hear back from her on the cake flowers price (which shouldnt be too long after Valentines Day). We hired a wedding planner. Her name is Pam Newberry. (http://www.wtrplanning.com/) You should check out her website. I wish I had gotten a picture of our first meeting with her....oh well. Looks like I will have to make sure and get one for our next meeting.

I have been working on the inserts to go with the Save The Date cards. Those should be mailed out (hopefully) on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Check your mailboxes...

My mother is on the hunt for a MOB dress. If you have any suggestions as to where to go to find one, let me know.

We had our engagement pictures taken a few weeks ago. We bought the rights to one picture. See above! We had a blast--you would not have even known that Michael was sick as a dog, I was having a bad hair day, and we were both FREEZING outside. Check out all of our pictures http://www.waldorfproofs.com/pickpic/gallery/jump.php Just click on our engagement image and the password is “kmiec-crawford”. Please let me know what you think!

The Bridesmaid dress

2007-12-20T16:32:00.003-05:00

Marsha, Lara, Christie, Jennie, Lesli, Rachel, Emily, Lindsey, and Melissa!!!! YAY!!!!

The countdown to the wedding has begun......226 days to go!!!! I have heard from each of you and you have graciously accepted my invitation to be in the wedding! THANK YOU SO MUCH! It means a lot to me! and good news! I have picked out the bridesmaid dress!!!! If you want to see it, go to:
http://www.jimhjelmoccasions.com/dress_db_occ/display_dress.php?imageno=5678
The color I chose are the colors shown on the model on the website and on the model below (--thanks Lesli). BISCUIT with a mango sash. WHAT DO YOU THINK? My sister and Lesli really liked it!!! :)

It is a Jim Hjelm dress and I absolutely LOVE IT!!! Tell me what you think :) All bridesmaids should have their measurements and the size they would like to order for the dress by MARCH 1st. (earlier if you can!!!) We will need plenty of time for the dress to come in, for me to get you your dress, and for you to get it altered if necessary.

The only problem is that they are kind of pricey....but the good news is that I found it for $192 no tax in North Carolina where my sister lives. (That's about $70 cheaper than what I was quoted at other stores in both TN and VA)

I want to ask each of you to go to a bridal store in your area that carries the dress....try it on. Ask to be measured and then let me know which size to order for you. I will order the dress from the store in NC and have it shipped to me. Then I will get your dress to you so that you can have it altered and such.

For you taller ladies (5'8" and taller), you can request length to be added when you order the dress that was it wont be too short. (i think it is about $15 extra to do so)

The style number is JH-5678 (that's a Jim Hjelm dress from the occasions collection)

Lara, Melissa, and Lindsey: We can go to this bridal store in Virginia together over Christmas if you would like.
The Bridal Closet Vienna, VA USA 703-242-2870

Christie, Rachel, and Emily: I would suggest the bridal shop listed below. They carry the ENTIRE line of Jim Hjelm dresses.
Faccio Bridal Franklin, TN USA 615.778.9437

Jennie: This bridal shop in Cincinnati also carries the full line so they should have the one
Bridal & Formal Cincinnati, OH USA 513-821-6622
Lesli: You have seen the dress. Just let me know which size you decide on and I will order it.

Marsha: You can just get yours at Bridal Mart on your own where you tried the dress on.

I am looking into the shoes. They wont look right unless we get dye able shoes to match the dress. I will let you know soon about those.

As I am sure you can tell, I am so excited about this! Please let me know by March 1 about your size for the dress. That should give each of you plenty of time to go and try it on and get measured!

Remember, you can order it longer if you need to.

I go wedding dress shopping on Sunday with my Mom in Virginia!!! I will update after that!!!! :)

stay tuned...

Our wedding website

2007-12-20T16:30:00.003-05:00

You all should check it out!!! (don't forget to sign the guestbook!!!)

http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/MeredithKmiec&MichaelCrawford

Let the planning begin!

2007-12-10T17:15:00.002-05:00

We got engaged 8 days ago and we are on a roll!! Mark your calendars for August 2, 2008. The church is booked and so is the reception venue! YAY!!! ...and I picked out bridesmaid dresses!!! I'll have this thing planned in no time!