Blog Theme Song

Colbie Caillat is one of my favorite singers and I was so excited when I heard this new song from her! It fits the theme of this blog perfectly and I wanted to share. Enjoy!

One Month to Go!

We're one month away (technically from yesterday, so 29 days now)! I really can't believe it. I'm now realizing there are so many little things that still need to get finished. Luckily, school ended today, so after I get my room all cleaned up I can focus all of my attention on the wedding details. Billy has been a great help lately and has been doing great job helping me get things accomplished. I'm very thankful he is so helpful!

I've had both of my bridal showers and my bachelorette party and they were all wonderful! I'm planning on blogging about all of those events soon. Sorry for the delay, the end of the school year has been very busy.

There will be a lot going on this month, I'll try my best to stay on top of my blogging. I'm very anxious for the big day to get here! It's getting so close!

3 Years Ago...

We saw fireworks on our first date! I forgot about this and now it's the theme of our wedding!

Our first date at Moonlight Gardens : )

Three years ago on this date, May 25th, Billy and I went on our first date! :-) I was working at an audio visual company at the time and my coworkers were getting married on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. I had thought about asking Billy to this wedding for some time, we had been seeing each other more often and he just seemed like a fun person to go to a wedding with. We went, had a good time, went out to Lebo's for karaoke afterwards (Billy claims I forced him, I don't remember twisting his arm and making him go anywhere) and then he dropped me off and went home.

So, I can't tell this story without explaining how we got together, enjoy: Even after we went to the wedding, I didn't really have any more feelings for Billy other than friendship. Every now and then though, I would wonder what it would be like if we started dating. I pushed those thoughts aside when I heard through the grapevine that Billy had intentions of only being my friend. I was fine with this and even though he invited me along on a trip to Gatlinburg with his group of friends (I knew them all but was only close to Karianne at the time) I knew we were just friends. I still felt feelings of friendship after the trip, even though we learned a lot about each other on the 5 hour drive there and back and survived a car crash together. I felt we bonded in a way and I was happy we were becoming better friends.

One night in June, about a month after our first date, something happened. Billy was in town and on the east side of town (shocking I know, how dare a west sider travel to the east side) seeing a friend play her music at a coffee shop not far from my house. He sent me a text message after the performance was over and told me he was on my said of town. I said I'd drive up to see him, but he suggested just stopping by before heading home. We sat on the front porch for about 2 hours just talking about everything. Somewhere in that time I realized I had feelings for Billy and I just knew he was the one for me. Billy left the next day for a vacation with his parents and I took him to another wedding after he got back. The rest is history. I started going up to Columbus to visit him and he would come see me when he would come down to Cincinnati and our relationship grew from there.

Now, we're 3 years past that point and 38 days away from our wedding day. My life is complete with Billy in it. I know he is the one I was meant to be with and I can't wait to call him my husband. I love you, Billy!

2 Months to Go!

We're 61 days away and we really can't believe it! Where has the time gone? I'm so anxious for the day to get here, but at the same time, need the time to go by slow so I can get everything finished.

The Friday before Easter, I had my first fitting in my wedding dress and got it all pinned for the alterations I need. I go back about a month before the wedding for my second fitting. I can't wait to try it on with the all the alterations finished.

I started working on the guest book today. I've uploaded all the pictures and just need to get them into the order I want for the book.

We're planning on getting Billy's wedding ring ordered this week and setting up a time to meet with our organist to pick out all of our music for the wedding ceremony.

I have my bridal showers and bachelorette party to look forward to this month and Billy has his bachelor party to look forward to this month.

We're looking forward to all the fun ahead!

The Weekend of Amy!

This past weekend was all about my amazing friend, Amy! She is marrying her wonderful fiance, Shawn, two weeks before Billy and I get married. We celebrated with a bachelorette party on Saturday night and bridal shower on Sunday. Amy's BFF and matron of honor, Ally, put together a wonderful weekend of celebration! We started at Shawn's house for the bachelorette party and then headed to Black Finn downtown. The shower was held at Amy's parents' house. Here are some pictures from the party and shower:

The gift I gave Amy, a fun robe that says 'Bride' on the back! : )

I love this pic! Three of the four Corryville ladies, Kelly H. was still at a wedding. See the fun boas? We left a great mess for the bar to clean up the next day and many of the ladies said they found purple feathers all over days after the party!

Cheers to Amy! : )

The beautiful bachelorette!

Amy and me at her shower!

Amy got some wonderful gifts at her shower. One of the best was a scrapbook made for her by a family friend. It's all ready for her to add pictures from the shower, wedding day, and honeymoon. Amy's mom made her wedding dress and her favorite part of the scrapbook was the mini version of her dress that her mom made for the scrapbook. She used the same material and it looks exactly like it! It was such a thoughtful gift and brought many of us to tears when Amy was looking through it.

I had such a great time celebrating Amy this past weekend! I'm honored to be a bridesmaid in this wedding and I'm looking forward to watching one of my dearest friends marry the love of her life. Congratulations Amy!

3 Months to Go!

We're three months away! I'm nervous, but also very excited! I went and picked up the bridesmaids' dresses today. They look even better than I could've imagined! I'm so excited to see the ladies in them, they're all going to look gorgeous! This month I hope to plan on getting the favors together, getting our music for the mass picked out, getting out guest book together, and working on the program. It's going to be a busy time, but I'm looking forward to it all.

100 Days to Go... and an update!

Well, we're 100 days away from the wedding! I told Billy today and he asked what all still needed to be done. We still have a lot to work on, but I'm excited that after today we'll be in double digits!

A little update since I haven't in a while...

We went to Krombholz Jewelers for a sale they were having and found a band that matches perfectly with my engagement ring! Now, I need Billy to figure out what he wants for his ring so we can get it and check that off the list.

Two weeks ago, Billy and I went to a food tasting at Receptions Eastgate and both of our moms came along. We got to taste many things they have on the menu to hopefully help us make a decision on the food we want to have at the wedding. It was nice to have my mom and Billy's mom there with us!

Billy and I plan to finish registering this weekend. I realize I mentioned that a while ago, but life is busy lately and the weekends just get away from us somehow.

Also, I got a phone call from Cincinnati Bride today letting me know that the bridesmaid dresses are in! I can't wait to see them! I hope to go pick them up soon!

Four Months to Go!

We're four months away from the wedding! It's making me realize there are still so many little things I need to get finished. I'm getting excited though because showers and the bachelorette party are starting to be talked about and I can't wait for those to get here!

We're actually going back to the jeweler today to check out wedding bands again. I hope we're successful and find something we like!

I'm very anxious for the big day to get here!

Best Man, Flowers and Tuxes

First off, let me apologize for the blog neglect! I'm very sorry, but school and life have been very busy and I haven't had a whole lot of downtime.

So, Billy had the last events of the Best Many Olympics on Super Bowl Sunday. The guys participated in a punt, pass and kick event and 100 yard dash. After these last two events, we went to Skyline with everyone and then went to Sean and Karianne's to add up the points and watch the Super Bowl. At halftime, the Best Man was announced and the winner turned out to be... RYAN!

I know all of the guys are important to Billy and we're honored to have them all be a part of our wedding day. I commend them all for being great sports through the competition!

Since the last time I wrote, we've gotten a few things accomplished for the wedding. My mom went with me when I went to pick out the flowers for the wedding. I was overwhelmed at first, but the woman we worked with had pictures of different bouquets and I'm very happy with all of the flowers that were picked. I can't wait to see them on our wedding day!

Yesterday, Billy and I went to President Tuxedo and Billy picked out the tuxes for the wedding. I'm really happy with what he picked and I think all of the guys are going to look very nice!

I promise not to take so long between posts next time!

Engagment Pictures and 2nd Round of the Best Man Olympics

It's been busy for me the past couple of weeks, so I'm just now getting around to blogging about what we did last weekend.

On Saturday morning, we had our 2nd meeting with Father Barry. We discussed the test we took the first time and picked out all of our readings and prayers for our wedding. Now all we have to do is talk to the music director at the church and our mass should be planned!

On Saturday afternoon, our photographers, Melanie and Adam Pace, came over and took our engagement pictures. As I told you in a previous blog, I'm a big fan of their work. They are very talented and we are so lucky to have them as our photographers. I was very nervous to be in front of the camera and by the end of the shoot, Billy and I decided we're not very good models. Hopefully we'll be better on our wedding day. I was very surprised today when my friend Lindsey sent me a text message saying, "You're engagement pictures are up and I love them!" When I got home, Billy and I were able to look at the pictures together, which I really enjoyed. I can't believe were on the loft3 blog, the pictures turned out even better than I imagined! I can't say enough how thankful I am that Melanie and Adam are our photographers. Check out our pictures here:

www.loft3pd.com/blog

Back to this past weekend, on Sunday, Billy had the 2nd round of the Best Man Olympics. They started with a homerun derby and basketball. Then, they moved on to Scallywag Tag where they played mini golf and laser tag. The day ended with a scavenger hunt. I was there for most of the events but didn't get any great pictures. It was very entertaining to watch the guys play laser tag and almost all the guys really got into the scavenger hunt. The final events will happen this coming Sunday (Superbowl Sunday) and the Best Man will be announced as well! I'll be sure to let you know who ends up being the Best Man!

5 Months to Go!

We're 5 months away from the wedding. I'm feeling pretty good at this point, with almost all of the big plans taken care of. The one thing on our list I hope to finish soon is registering. It's been so much fun so far and I'm looking forward to everything that still lies ahead!

Pre-Cana and Opening Ceremonies of the Best Man Olympics

Yesterday Billy and I went through an all day Pre-Cana course. Our friends Amy and Shawn were there too. We took many classes and some were very helpful. Now, we're another step closer to getting married!

After Pre-Cana, we went to my parents' house where Billy held the Opening Ceremonies for his Best Man Olympics. For those of you that don't know, Billy has a great group of friends and he has five of the guys in the wedding. Since they're all such great friends, it was hard for Billy to choose one to be the best man. He thought a great way to choose was to have a competition where the winner would be the best man. It was a great night, and by the end, Tony and Ryan were in the lead. There will be more events next weekend and any of the guys still have a chance to win. Here are some pictures from the Olympics.

The trophy Billy designed for the winner!

The Rock Band guitar competition came down to Ryan and Rob.

Billy had a jeopardy style trivia game for the guys. My dad was the host.

Rob, Zach, Tony, Ryan and Sean anxiously awaiting the next question.

The guys also participated in a karaoke contest where my dad and Billy picked a winner, a speech contest, they played Goldeneye on the Wii and had a poker tournament. It was eventful and fun night. Looking forward to next weekend! May the best man win!

A Fun Day with My Mom!

On Monday, I continued my long weekend of getting things for the wedding checked off the list. Since I was off for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, my mom and I went up to Fairfield to check out some limo options. We stopped in at a company called A Savannah Nite. Everyone we spoke with was very nice and Ty, the worker who showed us some of the limos, was easy to talk to and very willing to answer any questions. He showed us a H2 limo, and Escalade limo and a party bus. As soon as I stepped on the party bus, I knew it was something I'd really like for my wedding day. It's a lot easier to get in and out of because you step up into it. With the limos, we had to step up, bend down and then walk in. I just feel the party bus would be a lot more accomodating on the wedding day with me wearing the dress and all. We still have a few options to check out, so we will see!

After we left Fairfield, my mom and I had a nice lunch together and then we went to Cincinnati Bride to look for a dress for her to wear at the wedding! My mom was not looking forward to this at all. She was a good sport though, and tried on about 6 or 7 dresses. She found a few that looked great on her and she was even able to pick one out with little hesitation. She bought the dress and was overwhelmed at the time and she questioned if she made the right decision. I thought she made a great decision and as time went by and it started to sink in, I think she felt more comfortable with her decision. You look beautiful dress mom and I think you will looking stunning in it on July 2nd! Thanks for hanging out with me the other day, I had so much fun!

Honeymoon, Rings and Registering!

On Thursday, Billy booked all of the places were going to stay when we go on our Honeymoon to Hawaii! We'll be spending a couple of days in Honolulu and then we'll be spending the rest of our time on the island of Kauai! I can't wait, I really wish we could be there now. Now, all we have to do is find some plane tickets and figure out transportation when we're there. A big thank you to Billy for getting everything booked!

Today we went and looked at wedding bands. We went to Krombholz Jewelers in Montgomery because this is where Billy desgined my engagement ring. Within minutes of sitting down, we found a band that matches my engagement ring perfectly. It's a little pricey for my liking and Brad (the jeweler we were working with) suggested we wait until March to see if the ring becomes part of a sale which would make it half price! I appreciate that he didn't push us to buy the ring today. Billy looked at a lot of bands for himself and he found a few he really likes. He's going to do some research and will hopefully have a decision made by the time we go back in March.

We also started registering today. What an overwhelming, but fun experience! Everyone at Bed Bath and Beyond was very helpful. We were there for 2 hours and didn't even get halfway through the store. Hopefully we can go back sometime this week and finish. As we were finishing up for today, we ran into Amy and Shawn as they were getting ready to start registering! We were a little sad because we thought it would've been fun to walk around with them for a bit and register together. Oh well, hope you both had fun!

It's so exciting to get things accomplished! I'm looking forward to getting more things checked off the list and getting closer to July 2nd!

Six Months!!!

I cant believe were just six months away!!! It feels so close but so far at the same time. I'm looking forward to all the fun things to come. We plan to look for wedding rings, register and take our pre-cana class all during the month of January. One last thing I'll most likely be blogging about sometime this month is the Best Man Olympics! I'm looking forward to witnessing this event.

I can't wait for July 2nd to get here!!!