Bio

Jess and Joe's Wedding


	A New England Winter Wedding January 1, 2010 [ The Engagement \| The Venue \| Other Vendors \| My Ideas \| DIY Stuff \| Bridesmaids \| Miscellaneous ]

June 25, 2007

Joe and I met while I was in my senior year of high school, and he was taking a year off from school, at a mutual friend's party. He was not only my first love, but also my first kiss and boyfriend. We started dating officially May 3, 2005, a little over a month before he left for boot camp in the Navy. We were in a long distance relationship for over a year (me going to school in Boston, and him stationed in San Diego), when he left on his first deployment. He was originally supposed to be gone 6 months, but ended up getting extended to 9. I flew out to San Diego to watch his ship pull in, and that was when we realized we could overcome anything as a couple!

He came home on leave 2 weeks after he got back, and took me on a 3 day trip to NYC! The final attraction that we saw was the Empire State Building, as neither of us had ever been to the top. I was sort of expecting him to pop the question, but wasn't sure. We slowly walked around side to side, and there was no proposal. So after we had walked the whole 360 degrees around, I decided that it wasn't going to happen. So I suggested that we head back to the hotel (on Staten Island), so we could catch the ferry back before they gave us a (yet another) parking ticket. But he said that we should take just one final walk around. We took a quick stroll, and jumped into an empty spot. I started looking down and exclaiming how beautiful everything looked, and Joe wasn't replying. So I finally turned to him to see what was going on, and he quickly jumped down on one knee, with the ring box open, grinning, and blurted out, "Will you marry me?"

My mouth dropped, and I stood there speechless, for a few seconds, trying to figure out whether what I was seeing was really there. I finally composed myself enough to say yes!

Here are a few pictures, for all your enjoyment!:

First hug after 9 months!	Out to dinner in NYC	Minutes before the proposal!

Professional Engagement Photos
These photos were taken in Newburyport by Jaime at A Photographic Memory! I am a photoshop addict, so I edited some of the photos myself.


	We're getting married at Andover Country Club! So far, they've been awesome to deal with. We're using the Trumpeter's Room. It's their smallest, but coziest room! I'm really excited! It has a cocktail lounge area and a ballroom area, and a fireplace. I think it's going to be perfect for an intimate winter wedding! Update: In January and February 2008, the Trumpeter's Room went through some cosmetic renovations! And Joe and I finally got to see them in June 2008, so we took some pictures! The cocktail lounge area with the bar and tables, with the entrance to the room in the back of the picture. There's also some high tables that are behind the bar. The fireplace that's in the cocktail lounge, which we're going to have lit during the reception! The grand piano in the cocktail lounge, along with the entrance to the dance floor in the ballroom. Part of the ballroom, with the tables set up for a luncheon. Why so long away? Because Joe is getting out of the Navy in May or June 2009, and I'm going to be finishing up my masters degree in December 2009. So January 1, 2010 would be a great way to begin the new year together! Photographer - Dave Soucy, A Photographic Memory - Hooksett, NH Videographer - Nicole Resendes - MA Boudoir Photographer - Melissa Robotti - Arlington, MA

Those are not the actual dresses I'm using... but that's basically the main idea of how I want my bridal party to look.

The Colors
My wedding colors will be red and ivory, with dashes of gold and silver (why pick only one metalic?) gold

Inspiration Board
Here's an inspiration board that I made for fun:

The Dress
Sorry, no pictures of the dress until the wedding day! The only people who have the privilege of seeing it ahead of time is my lovely bridal party! But, to give everyone an idea, it's an ivory Demetrios A-line dress, with a tulle skirt, and it has red rose, green stem embroidery coming down the bodice and onto the skirt. It's very me! I found in Filene's Basement in Boston during the summer, sometime after the ROB, and it was love at first sight! At first, I thought it wouldn't fit, because it was a few sizes larger than I normally am. But, after talking to the sales assistant there, she convinced me to try it on, explaining that wedding dresses usually run big, and it fit like a glove! The only problem was that the zipper was broken, and it was a bit dusty. But nothing a trip to the dry-cleaners couldn't fix! It's now in perfect condition, waiting patiently in the closet to come out for my wedding day!

My Hair
I want to do a half-up do with curls. I don't want all my hair up, because I think that makes my head look too small when it is. I absolutely LOVE the second hair style! And I think it's a high possibility that I'm going to use it, except with red flower hair crystals!

The Accessories
I bought my veil off ebay, from Veils by Lana. Cheap, quick shipping, and gorgeous! And I love this faux fur wrap!

Finally found and ordered my absolutely perfect red wedding shoes!!! From AnnTaylorLOFT.com:

The Garter
I got this garter for free, actually, made for military brides.

If you're a military bride, here's some information for how you can get your own:

FOR MILITARY BRIDES TO BE:
I make a free wedding and toss away garter to show my appreciation for the military.

INFO I NEED:
1. Name and address to send the finished garter
2. Wedding colors
3, Color of wedding dress
4. Approximate wedding date

Ladies, it is important you email me when you receive your garter. I worry it was lost in the mail when I don't hear from you.

REQUESTS TAKEN THRU THIS EMAIL ONLY----
damar@zianet.com

Sorry, I can't make a camouflage colored garter

-MarLena the Garterlady

Groom's Attire
I really love the After Six La Strada style 842 for a tuxedo. And I'd like to do something that's not so shiny for the vest and tie!

And the groom will have a red rose boutonniere, while the groomsmen will wear white ones... and I'm thinking that'll be the only difference in their attire.

Bridesmaid Dresses
I'm going to have four bridesmaids and there's also going to be one groomswoman. The bridesmaids are all going to wear red dresses, and the groomswoman is going to wear a black dress to match the tuxes. The dresses are designed by Mori Lee, and are design number 732. Here are the dresses, and what the different colors look like:

The Bouquets
I keep going back and forth on what exactly I want to do with the bouquets. All I know is that my bouquet will have red roses, and my bridesmaids' bouquets will have cream roses. So here are a few ideas. And yes, we will be making our own bouquets! It's going to be fun!

And I love this snowflake brooch:

For anyone who is interested in doing their own bouquets, these videos are a must watch!: http://www.expertvillage.com/videos/clean-rose-bridal.htm

Ring Bearer
Joe's dog, the cow (really named Isis), is a cutie. And we would both love to include her in our ceremony as our ring bearer. Especially since she thinks she's the threesome in our relationship, and always tries to get in our way during our cuddle time. We'd probably have a flower girl and a biscuit boy (that throws the doggie biscuits for Isis to follow).

And here is (an unflattering picture of) the pillow that I bought for only $8 from A.J. Wright. While I was in line, at least 3 ladies commented on it lol:

The Centerpieces
No idea what I'm going to do for centerpieces... so here's some inspirations (most of which are way out of my budget)

The Place Settings
I'd like to do menu cards, placed in folded red napkins.

The Cake
Scratch the cake idea! We're doing cupcakes! For flavors, we are thinking red velvet, carrot cake, and vanilla (for the boring people). Although, Joe would really like to see if we can do Italian Rum cake flavor -- so we might replace one of the other flavors with that. Basically, what I want, is the cupcakes on the left, but with red frosting, put together like the stand on the right, with cream roses:

The Cake Topper
I absolutely adore this cake topper for two reasons. One, because I believe that a wife and husband should always help each other out in life. And two, because Joe and I will have gone through 4 years of a long distance relationship when we finally get married. So it's like we're always far away trying to get to each other!

Invitations
I think this is the invitation I'm going to use, but in red and ivory instead. The invitation doesn't come printed, so I'll probably end up printing them myself.

Signature Cocktails
No, we're not having an open bar... but I still really love the idea of having signature cocktails for people to order. Especially people who might be sick of getting the same old martini, and are interested in trying something different. This took a lot of thought, but I came up with, what I think is, a pretty good and varied menu.

Here are the meanings behind all the drinks (for anyone who may be interested):

White Russian: I was trying to decide between this, and my favorite drink, the vodka cranberry. In the end, I decided that vodka cranberry may be too boring. So I went with the White Russian. For one, I have a lot of friends who love this drink, and for two, I quite literally am a white Russian. Hehe.

Italian Stallion: Since I came up with a drink that speaks to my nationality, I figured it'd be fitting to have one speak to Joe's. I'd never heard of this drink before, so I guess it's "Something New".

Tinto de verano: This is the drink I drank just about every time I went out when I studied abroad in Granada, Spain. I've never seen it served around here, so I figured I could "borrow" it for my wedding.

Blue Moon: I must say, I was having a hard time finding a drink that is blue and fitting. The blue lagoon was way out of season, and Frostbite is way too creamy when we already have a creamy drink. But then I found this one, and I thought the name was cute. Plus it's a nice, simple drink that's not to girly and not too manly.

Place Cards
I like this idea with pine cones.

Wedding Favors
Instead of wedding favors, we're probably going to donate to the ASPCA, since Joe and I are both animal lovers. They even give you neat little cards to put on the guests' plates:

Wedding Rings
We found my dream wedding band at the Zale's Outlet in North Conway! Originally, it was all diamonds. But the lady who helped us said we could replace some with pink sapphires, and voila! (They're pinker in real life.) I really like having sapphires in my wedding band, because it's both mine and Fi's birth stone!

Now for Fi's wedding band! He hasn't found his dream ring yet, but I've decided to keep a collage of rings he likes:

Something Blue
I want to have blue toenails for my something blue! The whole garter idea now has gotten too unoriginal, but I really like this one, because the blue is still kind of a little secret:

Randomness
I found these very pretty candle holders at the dollar store, and had to buy them. I think I'm going to place 1-3 roses in each one and place them on the cocktail tables in the bar lounge area:

I found these coasters at the dollar store (as well), and I pretty much had to buy them! (Still trying to decide how they'll be used...):

I really love these cocktail napkins! I'm probably going to get them in red with gold lettering, from MyJeanM.com.

I love this idea of putting the bride and groom rubber duckies around the bathroom basket! So cute!

Monogram
This is not the actual monogram we'll be using (if we even use one... which most likely we won't!). I just had some fun on photoshop!


	I absolutely love crafty stuff! And I love the idea of really making this wedding my own by doing a lot of stuff myself! So the more I can do myself, the better! Honestly, if I could photograph my own wedding, I would lol. Here is what I've been up to: Wedding Choker Made of freshwater pearls and swarovski crystals. The freshwater baroque pearls were bought off ebay from seller charlotte8266 for less than $10 total. The Swarovski crystals and clasp was bought off Artbeads.com. And the Swarovski spacer bars were bought off JewelrySupply.com. I recommend all those vendors. And stringing supplies was bought from Wal-Mart... which is obviously the cheap way to go. The table markers I found these frames at the dollar store, and thought that they were adorable! So I decided to use them as table markers. I made the numbers on photoshop, and printed them out. I think I may possibly change what the numbers look like, but I haven't decided yet: The wedding flutes I also found these flutes at the dollar store, and then bought some ribbon and mini wire roses at a craft store. One of my bridesmaids helped me put them together. She had the idea for the little bows at the bottom: I DO I know it's over-done on theknot, but I still love the I DO letters: And this is what it's going to look like when I put them out on the cake table (from knottie MrsKisstin92006): Card Box I love the signature knottie card box ides!!! My dad helped me put mine together, and I love it!:: Instructions for card box: http://ame3505.tripod.com/diycardbox/ More Project Ideas

Here's a few nice words to the ladies I've chosen to be my bridesmaids (in alphabetical order).

	Ana: I guess I should start by saying thank you for letting me come over your house when I missed the bus in 8th grade. Who knew we would have become such amazing friends! You've always been there to defend me, and hunted down my junior prom date when I cried because he wasn't allowed to stay out late. We rebelled for the first time together when we attempted to go to a rave in high school. You were there during all the fun times, and all the bad times as well. You're also my food buddy, because who else eats such a huge variety of foods as us? And I have enjoyed becoming a part of your family!
	Christina: My very very very first friend! I guess I should start out for thanking you for being at my very first birthday lol. And being there for me since birth. You've always been there to give me rational advice, to keep me from making crazy decisions. I've also highly enjoyed your dry humor and sarcasm. You've helped me out through the good and the bad, especially when I was having a bad freshman year in college. You were there when I was sexiled. And you continue to be there for me whenever I need something. You've been a great friend, and I hope we'll stay friends for a long time!
	Linda: I have thoroughly enjoyed going on double dates with you. Thank you for being an awesome friend throughout high school and college. And going on random drives with me to the mall and scrap booking stores. I think I've spent more time in the car with you than anyone else. I've enjoyed being a shopaholic with you. And you've been an awesome friend, covering up for me when I was being a bad girl. And always being around when I needed someone to hang out with. Also, thank you SO much for helping me out so much with wedding ideas! I'm glad we've been able to stay friends all this time!
	Muffy: I'm so glad that we are practically next door neighbors right now, much like we planned for our future hehe. You're always there when I need to get out of my dorm for a minute or two. And I'm glad that we've become a bit closer during the past couple of years. You're always there when I need a laugh, and I have enjoyed writing silly poems and taking crazy pictures with you. I've also enjoyed all our many different family trips together: the zoo, the butterfly museum, WWII museum, Newport mansions, and the wicked long and crazy trip to Montreal! I am so glad that I have been friends with you so long!


	Favorite Bios I absolutely love looking at knotties' bios! They're all so inspiring! So I have compiled a list of some of my favorites: mrsanayisnin - This is the inspiration for my winter wedding! Absolutely stunning! oct142006bride - Absolutely gorgeous wedding! I can only hope my wedding will compare! greengelato - Very pretty and modern garden wedding! pezywvu - Very very very cute wedding! I absolutely love the read shoes and bear! ihearttim - Such a gorgeous wedding! The bio takes a while to load, but is worth the wait! nykola - I absolutely love her ceremony! And she also DIYed her flowers! mrstdiddy2 - Our Boston wedding celebrity! Her wedding was so bright and colorful and creative! Pictures Contact Me! If you would like to contact me, either page me on the Boston boards, or write me an email: haskinster [at] gmail [dot] com Check out my wedding blog!