Flower Power!

So, I just got the mock up arrangements for the reception...and I LOVE THEM!  They are just what I was hoping for...yay!  So, here they are....

And guess what else?  The invitations came in- WOOHOO! So, I am hoping that after the holidays I can get them all addressed and out the door in February.  I am hoping it won't be too hard to make it happen!

Engagement Video

So, I have been experimenting with different software and options on DIY viedo makers.  And I finally did it, I bit the bullet, and just bought some software.  And I have to say that while I am still learning it, it has been fairly easy to figure out, and should become much easier once the manual gets here- I downloaded the full trial version and my full software suite should be here in about 5-7 days.  Yay!  So, here is my first product...I made a video slideshow using Jason & my engagement pictures.  I am hoping to start playing with video pretty soon- I really want a Sony Bloggie to take some videos with and use to make little movies with.  I am hoping to get good enough at it that when the wedding comes around, I can make my own wedding video- nothing super complicated, but something that is unique and personal!

Anyways, here is the video....just click here....I reduced the resolution slightly just to make it easier & quicker to load...hope you enjoy it.

We are FINALLY IN!

YAY! We have finally moved in!!  OK, OK, technically, we have been in just over a week, but we are finally at the point we are getting more settled and really feel like we are living here!  It is so wonderful to be in the house, but we are still hard at work.  We are slowly moving over the last few items from the old house and working to get everything finalized here.  Did I mention that they have not finished our driveway or the retaining walls yet?  That is a bummer because it has been raining so now our driveway is nothing more than a mud hill with a trench dug into it.  I am hoping the weather will hold out and then they can finish.....

So, the other day, before it started raining, I was able to snap a quick shot of the beautiful views from the front of our house....

We are really enjoying the house...now if I could just get my butt into gear to finish moving all the rest of the stuff....

-Jess

Our House...In The Middle of Our Street...

So, every single time I say "our house", I think of that cheesy 80's song....oh well...it is going to be move-in day soon, and then it really will be OUR HOUSE!

So, I don’t want to get too excited yet, but we are targeting an October 1st move-in date! Our builder is going to try and honor that, and make it happen. I hope he does!!




So, we have been working this week (so far) on glazing the walls and finishing the tile backsplash. I am excited because in two weeks we have carpet scheduled for install, and that will be the last thing we do before we move in! Anyways, here are some pics of the glazing and then the kitchen backsplash & above the stove.

Sorry that the quality in the pics isn't as good- I used my phone, and it doesn't have a flash...but it gives you a taste of the walls & tile in the kitchen.

We also had a bunch of the appliances delivered yesterday, so they will be installed this week- which is exciting to me- then, the kitchen will totally look like a real kitchen! Yay!

I can’t wait to get to live there!

Quick Catch Up!

So, I have been busy lately. We have been up to our eyeballs in construction related decisions, activities and the what-not. Then, add on to it, keeping up with school & work, two football teams, and trying to keep our house we are living in up to par, and well, we have been exhausted!




But I am very excited- my dishes for the new house have been delivered! Yay!

I love them- they are ultra-light, break & chip resistant, and a classic look. Plus, they are white….I KNOW, white seems BORING, but white is also very easy to mix & match in color accents, vintage and new pieces, and I would love to get an old fashioned white glass cake plate. I think it would be so fun!





Last night was the 1st night of ballet. It was so wonderful to be dancing simply for the sake of dancing last night. I am hoping it will do things to improve my posture and my overall shape. I am not a fan of round! ;o)



Next week will be 9 months to go on the wedding. It is crazy how quickly time is flying by, My friend is getting married in 1 week, which is crazy to think about. It feels like yesterday she was texting me pics of her ring and coming in my office to show it to me, and we were so giggly & happy. Now, the time is almost here! I am so excited for them!



So, because things are so busy, I am going to cut this one short…but I will write more soon…I promise!

-Jess

The Veiled Dilemma

So, we are today at t-minus 300 days to go, and I am super pumped- although I need to get my butt to the gym, I will worry about that tomorrow- after all, tomorrow is another day!




My thoughts of the moment revolve around veils and shoes. Now, I have ordered the actual shoes, but I have planned to have these boring white shoes dyed either a deep red or a dazzling blue, but the question is…which one? If I go red, it matches my colors, but blue will give me my something blue….hmmm????



The true dilemma has been around veils. When the whole thing first started, I wanted a long flowy veil that could flutter in the breeze at the beaches of T&C, but things changed a little since then, and I thought I wanted a cage veil- until recently. I recently saw some pictures of some other weddings, and the brides had on cage veils, and to be quite honest, I was not impressed with them. They did not fit the hairstyle or the overall style of their dress or venue. And I got to thinking….to cage veil or to chapel veil? I was pretty set on a chapel veil, or at least floor length, until I saw this “Astyn” veil. And now, I am torn again. This veil is WAY more than I would actually spend for the veil, but I do love the look of it, and may try and find something very similar.



I had been thinking I would wear my hair asymmetrically to the side, with my bangs down blunt across.



My bangs would be similar to this….

But my hair would be pulled up like this….

Or maybe more simply, like this…

I have a really pretty flower clip I would probably use, either with or without my veil, depending on which veil and how it looks. But here is the dilemma….which veil…here are some I have been drawn to…



Astyn

Chapel Length, Simple Finished Edge

Floor Length Chiffon, Ribbon Edged

General Asymmetrical Cage Veil

So, what do you think? I just can’t seem to make up my mind….please give me some feedback....


Love ya!
J

Stressed?

So, I know everyone is supposed to be stressed about building a house, or planning a wedding, and I know I probably am at a higher stress level than I would normally be at this time, but I am really not feeling this big stress…at least not yet. I keep wondering when it will hit. I mean, there have been moments of high stress, like when Jason and I have to agree on something and we both want something totally different. That MOMENT is stressful, but for the most part, those are moments, they pass and I move back to not being stressed. Am I being delusional about it all? Am I stockpiling my stress and will it all come spewing out in the weeks before the wedding or the days prior to moving? I am a little fearful of that right now, because we are nearing the end of the house construction. We have the tile floors in (almost completely- just a few places that need floors, like the pantry and one powder room bathroom) and we have all our cabinets installed. We have most of the light fixtures in place (except for the few that are still on backorder and should be arriving in about two weeks). The plumbing is all decided and is waiting to be installed. The paint is on the walls and we are simply awaiting touch-ups. The furniture is picked out, ordered, and some has even started to arrive at the store. We seem to have the “big” items all picked out, arranged for, and ready to go. I think the only “big” item left to determine is the landscaping, unless I am totally missing something.




I know MOVING will be stressful- trying to pack and decide what to keep and what to give away is always time consuming and tough, but really, I am not that worried about it. While I can have packrat moments, I tend to get very “trash it” happy when I am packing. Our garbage man should be wishing I would start packing now instead of doing it all at once- the amount of garbage we will have will probably fill our bins 8 times over! But I am excited about it. I am hoping that by this time next month, we are packing, we are boxing up all out non-essential items to make the move easier. I think the hardest part will be rounding up boxes! Speaking of which, anyone have any moving boxes?



The wedding planning is going well too- I mean, I have not had that moment when I am going, “I just don’t want to do this anymore”. Each day I go over my little list in my head, and I think, “wow, this is coming up, so I should maybe start to work on it now” and then I start envisioning and planning in my head. I expect things to get more stressful as I get closer tot eh wedding, but my goal is to have the decisions made, and to try and relax and let the professionals I have contracted to actually carry out the visions we have teamed up to create for the wedding. I keep telling myself to not focus on details that people won’t remember and to try and focus on the details that will last. Focus on the overall look, the little things that will make an impression, and remember to enjoy it all, to savor it, to take it in and remember that this is my once in a lifetime, this is my big “I do…forever” moment, and to focus my energy on that, not on whether to have napkin rings or three sets of wine glasses, or whether the invitations should be letter pressed or printed. At the end of the day, I will probably be the only one who keeps an invitation, and what I want most are looks of joy and love on everyone’s faces in all the pictures my fabulous photographer will be capturing, I want Jason & I to have a moment, followed by a million more that evening, that fill us up with joy, with hope, with love, and that whether we were in front of thousands or in front of none, all know we are in love, we are happy, and we are having the night of our lives…the rest are just details!

Pictures!!!

So, back on July 2, we went and took our engagement pictures.  It was SO HOT!  But we had fun anyways, and we also got to eat some yummy sushi!!  Anyways, I thought I would include a few pics...these are some of my favorites!

And my favortie one.....

We had an awesome photographer- Ms. Kristi Lostak Hughes of Kristi's Photography.  Check out her site...

The house is coming along.  I need to update my pics for it, but just been busy- Jason has had lots of practices & scrimmages between both boys. 

Well, enough of this escape, I guess it is back to realty....

Jess

Album Crush!

So, I totally have a huge crush on this album right now!  Oh my, it is so wonderful!!I have totally found the wedding album I want! WOW! That is all I can say. I LOVE THIS! So pretty & so elegant….and I am sure SO expensive…but maybe if I start saving now, it won’t seem quite so expensive…or maybe it will be my big splurge!




Of course, they do offer a more economic version that is a DIY. You have to mount your own pictures, which would be great if I were not such a crazy person that cannot make a straight line, even with a ruler and lots of help! But if you want to see that version, here it it. http://www.cypressalbums.com/selfmounttypes-artisan.php



I am so in love with these albums, I really want to buy lots & lots, but I guess that would not be very practical, so maybe just for the wedding…

Catch-up

So, I was totally negligent in my blog about noting the 1 year to go mark…oops! Can I just say that last week was SUPER BUSY!! Actually, the last TWO weeks were…




So, on the 18th we had our engagement pictures scheduled- been looking forward to them for pretty much EVER…. and what do you think happens…WHAM- stomach flu! Luckily, it wasn’t Jason or I (because we both had already gotten it), but it was our photographer. Since we both had already had it, we knew it was bad, so we had to reschedule. But I won’t lie, I was SUPER bummed and disappointed. I had wanted to get my save-the-dates done by the end of June, but unfortunately, we had to reschedule pics for July 2- so much for getting them done before June ended. Oh well.



So, I mentioned it was super busy, so here is a hint at how busy it was… between June 14th and June 27th, between both boys, we had 24 baseball games. So, it averages out to a little over 2 games per day. But, I am happy to say the Dragons are City Champs, and the Bombers took 3rd in State. Congrats to both teams!!



Also, throw in there all the normal life stuff, and the fact that I had to get the boys ready for the DC trip they are on this week, and well, it was just a busy last two weeks. I am really looking forward to a week off from baseball, and a long weekend this weekend. Whew!!



So, we are within the year mark- woohoo!! I am very excited about it. I made a little inspiration board to give off the feel of the wedding…it has pics of the venue, and elements of style I want to include in our weddng. A nice little glimpse into the overall theme and look…

So, beyond baseball & the wedding (is there really life beyond baseball?), we are moving along on the house. We have a roof up, and they are installing our entry way. We had a little hiccup on the entry door, but they are moving along on it now, so we are back on track. They are also finishing the install on our garage door, so we will soon be able to put the house on lockdown when they leave at night- Jason and I can now stop worrying that someone will come in and damage things inside the house!

Here is the roof as they installed it...

And the entry way, as it is being installed...

They start painting the interior today, and as soon as we get the entry and garage finished, they will stucco the outside. Then, it will really look like a house- yay! Then, we’ll move into the trim, cabinets, flooring, and finish work. I am so excited to get to that phase. I can’t wait to see it all come together. I really can’t wait!



Well, I hope I have caught up on what’s new, and I will try my hardest to update more often.



Lots of love!

J

Doors & Veils

The house is still coming along…it feels like it is moving so slowly- I know it really isn’t but it sure feels like it. But there is definitely some awesome progress being made. We have walls up, and they are textured. It looks like a house. They are working currently on roofing the house- so once we get that phase finished, then I will post some more pictures of the house. We are also waiting for our front door to be delivered. It will be in Friday or Monday (hopefully, it will be Friday!). But I have the pictures they took of it before they shipped it out. I have to say I LOVE it so far. If anyone needs a new door, the people at Old World Door in California were awesome. Check out their website here.

Front of Door

Back of Door

I just love it because it is EXACTLY what we wanted- totally customized to our specifications!



As for all the wedding fun, I have just been working on music playlists and trying to remember to get skinny so I can rock my dress! It is hard, but I am taking the steps I need to(I hope I am going to continue to) and I am headed to the gym after work today. I have to stay committed. I am thinking I may wallpaper my office in wedding stuff to remind me to work out and eat right. No more breakfast burritos. :o( BOO! I love me some breakfast burritos! But back to the playlists- I will see if I can find a way to post some of the playlist so you can listen in on it and let me know what you think.  And I am still totally open for some suggestions. Thanks Jill for your list- it rocked, as did your wedding!  I can't wait to see some pics.



So, I am way excited at the idea of having this cute little fishnet cage veil. I cannot wait!! I think they are so awesome, and I am pumped that I will be rocking one on my big day! Here are some pics of the style I really love.

I will do a flower in my hair, but it will be a little smaller than these show since I plan to do my hair on the side, and well, I have a lot of hair and I don’t want everything there on the side to get so big that it looks like my head has sprouted some crazy huge growth on the side! Maybe I will try and do some sample style picks this weekend, if I get bored and have nothing to do- haha!

Moving Along....

Well, it has been busy at the house- they are making a ton of progress, and we now have real walls, not just frames of walls!  It is really exciting that we have actual walls up.  They should be doing texture this week and maybe next week.  Our front door is in progress, and heading our way next week.  We have countertops picked out and we also have all our finish trim picked out.

I ordered our light fixtures and furniture last week, and I can't wait for them to come in, just to be able to see and touch them, you know?  So, I think my favorite room might be the dining room/kitchen area.  I am in love with the furinture and fixtures we have picked out.  The dining room will have a big double pedastal table & a hutch in it.  Here is what it looks like...

I am totally in love with this table & hutch.  Total love!

I am thinking about using these light fixtures for the dining room lighting & over the island...

Dining Room

Island Lighting

I hope they will really make a nice compliment to the furniture and the island.  The island is an awesome granite called River Bordeaux.Sorry for the poor picture quality- it is from my camera phone and with some pretty crummy lighting in the granite place...

Jason & I can't wait to get it in and have our big massive island with this awesome slab...

As for the wedding, we are nearing the one year to go mark...we are taking engagement pictures on the 18th, and I am hoping we get some really awesome ones, so plan to check back after the 18th, and I will upload the best of them!  Can't wait!

I am really looking forward to the house being finished, because it will mean we are ready for visitors, and I can't wait to have house guests!  And then once the house is finished, it will be full on wedding mode for a little while, which will be nice too...

So, I had a thought, I am not sure what I will do when I don't have a house or wedding to worry about...could it be that before too long, I will have time for relaxing?  Hmmm, sounds so nice! ;o)

Lots of love & I miss everyone!!

A Visitor!!

So, I am so super excited- my momma is coming to visit this weekend!  I cannot wait to get to see her!  It will be the first visit she has made out here on her own since I moved out here.  When I moved, she & my grandparents helped me move, and she stayed a couple of extra days.  It was so fun.  And now, she is coming back for another individual visit!  YAY!  I can't wait to pick her up today.

While she is here, I am going to take her by the house, and I also get to show her THE DRESS!  We are goign to go and I am going to show it to her in person.  I <3 this dress, and it is the one I want to get married in, so it means so much to me for my mom to get to see me in it and give it the final blessing.  I know she will love it (she loved me in the pics, and it is so much better in person- you get the whole feel for it, the moment, love it!).  I wish I could post pictures, but alas, you will have to wait until the wedding!  ;o)

Have a wonderful weekend!
-J

Quick Update!

So, I thought I would update the blog. I have been a little negligent in my blogging duties. Things have been busy! The boys are full swing into baseball now- we have already done 2 tournaments (Go Bombers! They just placed 1st in the opening city tournament! Go Dragons- they are undefeated and looking to dominate their league!!), and several games. Whew- I get tired just thinking about them all!!



So, the house is moving along. I have been picking out lights, flooring, and furniture like crazy! I guess now it is time to start spending that money…after saving for it so long, it is a little sad to actually have to start spending it! But I am excited to have nice, new things!



So, the wedding planning is at a nice place right now. We are ahead of schedule on the plans. My photographer just recently shot a small wedding at our venue. The link to her blog about it (including some pictures) is here. I am very excited about the idea of having such an awesome photographer taking pictures of us at such an awesome location!



Speaking of pictures, I have booked us to take our engagement pics, and I can’t wait. I think it will be fun- I am hoping for a nice, fun time- I love the idea of getting some cute, fun shots in addition to the typical romantic ones. I hope they come out the way I am envisioning them!



So, I am looking for good suggestions for that old-time (or new with old time sound), classic romance music- think Nat King Cole, Michael Buble, Diana Krall, etc., that would be fun for a wedding. I also would love any ideas for other fun music to put on my playlists for the wedding. So, if you have any ideas, please let me know!



Thanks!

Jess

It Looks Like A House

So, we have been working on the house, and as promised, I am posting some pictures!  Here are the most recent pictures I have taken of the house.  The framers will be finished framing it out this week- how crazy is that!  Anyways, here they are!!!

The View from Our Street

Our Front Entry

Climbing The Roof

Part of Our Roof

The View from Our Porch

Our Porch

There are more pics of the construction & the view on my Facebook page, so if you want to see more, check 'em out there!  We are very excited!

WE HAVE A DATE & A VENUE!

Yay!  So, we really have a date & a venue now!  I am so happy! 

We are getting married June 22, 2011 in Del Mar, California at the L'Auberge Del Mar.  I can't wait! 

On a different note- our house is underway!  They have been framing, and it looks like a real house is going to be there now, and not just a pile of dirt!  I have not downloaded the pictures yet, but as soon as I do (hopefully later on today), I will upload them here.  I am just thrilled!

I hope this finds you all having a great and wonderful Easter- blessings & peace to you all, and may this day of rejoicing be filled with love & joy!
-jess

Sunny San Diego?

So, it looks like we will be enjoying our wedding on the west coast in sunny San Diego!  Yay!

Here are some pics from the venue we have chosen...I am in love!

This is the terrace where we are planning the ceremony & reception

I am now working out details with a local photographer & coordinator.  Once I get all my details confirmed I will post an update!

So, it is all finally coming together, and I am so thrilled!  With the details falling into place, I can focus more on the house and just relax and enjoy being engaged and building our house! 

Setting A Date

So, we are trying to firm up a date_ I am thrilled, I won't have to keep saying some time in June 2011!!

So, as soon as we get it confirmed, and get the venue confirmed, I will post an update and some more pics!  But it is exciting, I found a venue, a day of coordinator, florist, & photographer that I like, and now I am hoping they are all available- and since it is over a year out, I am hoping it will work out!  YAY!

I Found "The Dress"!!

So, I found it!  I really really did!  It is wonderful!  I would post a picture, but everyone came unglued that Jaosn might see it, so I will keep this one secret.  But it is a mermaid dress, and it is GORGEOUS!  It is tissue taffetta.  So, anyone in Farmington that ever needs a formal gown or wedding gown, I totally have to tell you to go to Silk, click HERE to go to their website.   Jackie is FABULOUS there!  And if you can't tell,  I am way excited! 

I am also looking at a new location- the whole going out of the country thing is complicated.  So, I am starting to look at places on the coasts, and I have a front runner right now, so we will see how it looks after I have my phone "interview" with them.  They have been very helpful through email though.

Since we will no longer be doing it at the resort with the fabulous blue canopy, we are looking at possibly going back to either red or wine for the 3rd complimenting color for the wedding.  I love this bouquet...

...so it may become our color inspiration!  Any thoughts?  Black, white, & black magic red roses!

A Little More Progress

So, they have made a little more progress on the house- I need to upload some of the pictures, I know, but I haven't had time to download them yet.  Anyways, they are working on the foundation- and let me tell you, our house is not going ANYWHERE!  They are building a substructure because we have to level out so much, and that will be back filled with dirt & concrete, and then, on top of that, they will put the normal slab foundation.  However, Jason & I did get to stand at the corner of our "living room" and look out and see the views, and they were WONDERFUL!  I will see if I can get a good pic to upload, it was getting dark when we were there last, and the pictures of the view came out a little hazy.  Anyways, we are moving forward on the house, and I am starting to look at furniture.  The wedding planning is coming along, although, I am not sure how much more I cna do right now- it seems it is mostly a wait and wait game right now.  BOO!  I want it planned and done, so I can just relax. :o)

Anyways, I promise I will try and get some pics of the construction progress up soon!

I Don't Know Which Dress To Choose!!

So, I am in a dilemna!!  I love two dresses I have tried on, and I am not sure which one I should choose. We are planning a beach wedding, and so, the 2nd one lends itself to a beachy wedding very easily.  But everyone comments about how the 1st dress  looks like it was made for me...so which should I choose...HELP!

Dress 1:

Dress 2:

So, the lighting and the dress shop for the 2nd dress was BLAH!  But, I still love the dress.  And I love dress 1 too...so I want some input...anyone have any ideas?  Help me!!