Whew!

Posted Sunday, July 05, 2009 4:43 PM

SO much to report!  It has been way too long since our last blog, and it's definitely been a very busy 59 days! 

 Since school got out, we have been busy putting the arrangements in place for our wedding, and boy have we been working hard!

 We began with the invitations.  They were assembled in a fun evening at Aunt Kate's in early June, with an assembly line to put all the pieces together and get the envelopes stuffed and stamped.  The final touches were put on and address labels were done by Mom and Dad (and sister Cassie!) Smith, and they finally went in the mail (what a wonderful day that was!)  RSVPs have been arriving, a few each day, and we're getting more and more excited to share our wedding day with all of our loved ones.

Next up were wedding bands, which we chose and ordered from Wedding Day.  They are in, and ready to go for the big day!  We think they are beautiful, and can't wait to wear them for the rest of our lives!

Our next task was flowers.  We ended up going with a florist that's talented, as well as special to us, as she is a "celebrity florist" with a special connection to our love of musical theater.  Our florist, Debbie Turner, is the woman who played Marta as a young girl in the Julie Andrews classic movie "The Sound of Music"!   Not only is this a special connection; she is truly a talented florist and we know that our flowers (combinations of pink and orange roses) will be gorgeous!

Cake was next on the agenda..  Since neither of us had any huge dreams pinned on a big, multi-tiered "wedding cake" and our main objective was providing a yummy dessert, we decided to go with sheet cakes, and then ordered one small round "pretty cake" from Byerly's, complete with white fondant and a cake topper.  Should be delicious!

Last weekend, we had a non-wedding related weekend (well, kind of) when we attended the wedding of our friends Ryan and Rachel Goetsch.   It was very fun to be guests at a wedding, especially so close to our own!  We gathered a few great ideas, and had a wonderful time "getting away" for a short weekend in Wisconsin.

Then it was back to the real world.  Mom Smith was very insistent on beautiful centerpieces, so we next went on a shopping excursion with Aunt Colleen for veiling material (she is making me what is certain to be a gorgeous veil!) and centerpiece materials.  We ended up with tall cylindrical vases which will hold a floating candle and silk rose petals in our colors of orange and hot pink.  We mocked one up over the holiday weekend, and it looked beautiful!

 Meanwhile, Joseph and I have been busy bees in the evening, shopping online for attendant gifts and details ~ I ordered jewels and a tiara for my hair, Cassie and I found adorable shoes for the bridesmaids, I've found some comfortable underthings for my gown ;) and I've begun my fittings. 

We also got our engagement photos back, and they couldn't be more beautiful!  We are so pleased with Jay's wonderful photography, and can't wait to see what he does with our wedding photos!

What else?  Hmm.....unity candle, guest book & pen, card box.....the details are all coming together!

It all became a little more real last week, when my Mom's amazing family threw me my first bridal shower!  It was wonderful, and overwhelming.  When I got home, I asked Joseph, "I feel a little too spoiled, getting all this attention, all of the lavish gifts, AND I get to marry you, too??"  and it's absolutely true!  I suppose I'd better soak it all up....but it's really all too much!  It was wonderful to celebrate with my aunts, cousins, bridesmaids, grandma, mom and sister....and I know there's  more to come!

Well, that's all I can think of for now.....I'll try to write more as our wedding quickly approaches!

~A