This is jeffek69's Pink Wedding!

We just ordered them from Valentine's Promise. They should be here in a week - cross your fingers!

http://www.vponsale.com/invitations/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=251_268&products_id=275

So, Josh and I registered at Target and Kohls this last weekend. It was super fun - I loved walking around with the gun and looking at everything. Surprisingly, to both myself and Josh, he had fun too.

The next day my grandma mentioned that it would probably help out my Aunt Beth a lot if I registered at her store too, which is a little boutique gift store that does sell very nice stuff that would be appropriate for a registry. And my mom thinks I should also register at Pampered Chef because apparently their stuff is way better then everywhere else.

Now, I personally don't mind registering at two more places. But wouldn't that look tacky to be registered at four places? Or is it nice to give more options? How many places did you register at?

About a year ago, my great aunt asked my grandmother if any of her granddaughters (there are four of us) wanted our great great grandmothers wedding band. Since I am the oldest, I got asked first, and I said yes, it would be really cool to have a family heirloom. Of course, back then I wasn't engaged. When I got engaged, I didn't count on getting the ring since I hadn't heard anything about it since, which was a year ago. But then my great aunt e-mailed me asking about it, and after a few e-mails it looks like it is going to be here in time (just have to get it from CA to WI). It is exactly the right size, and from the pictures it looks like it is going to go PERFECT with my solitaire engagement ring. The wedding band is white gold, just like my e-ring. I am so happy that it looks like this will actually happen and be here in time!!

So this weekend I went shopping with 2/3 of my bridesmaids, and we got the dresses, jewelry, and boleros they will wear. I didn't want typical Davids bridal dresses, but fun and young dresses, since all of my bridesmaids are teenagers (ok, Christi will turn twenty by the time of the reception). But really, more formal dresses wouldn't have fit the vibe we're trying to have. So here they are, along with shoes we're getting from payless. The photographs are of two of the dresses with the boleros my sisters will wear behind them.

Dresses from Maurices
Boleros from Younkers and Vanity
Jewelry (not pictured) from Kohls
Shoes from payless

Oh, best of all, EVERYTHING we bought was on sale!!

Also, the white bolero is a bolero I got from Bonzie on etsy! It is GORGEOUS! I can't wait to wear it!

How long did you date before you got engaged?
5 yr 5 months

Did you get the ring you wanted?
Absolutely - a round solitaire diamond in white gold!

Was the proposal a complete surprise?
Not at all! I totally knew it was coming! We are bad at keeping secrets...I love that.

Do you wish you had a bigger/smaller diamond? If so How big or small?
It's perfect - bigger then I thought it would be!

Did you cry when he proposed?
Nope - I was really excited! I only cry when I'm sad.

Where do you want to go for your honeymoon?
A beach!

Are you buying his wedding band for him?
We'll probably buy them together

Have you gone over your original wedding budget?
Don't really have one - I just want to keep everything affordable.

What day of the year will your wedding be?
A Friday for the Ceremony
A Saturday for the Reception

What kind of weather?
Hopefully sunny and perfect (why would you want it to rain?)

Inside or outside?
Outside! Although we're thinking the ceremony might be inside - still throwing this idea around

Church/justice of the peace/other?
Church minister - my Grandfather

How many people will be there?
12 at the ceremony
200+ at the reception

Time of day?
Wedding will be in evening
Reception will be late afternoon into the night

Any kind of theme?
Fun - Simple!

How many bridesmaids? Who would they be?
3 - my two sisters and Josh's one sister

What kind of cake/what will it look like?
hmmm... cupcakes, or pieces of different kinds of pie, or dirt cake... I don't really like wedding cake at all.

Where will you have the reception?
Josh's parents back yard

What kind of dress will you have/color/material?
White

What kind of flowers in your bouquet?
I think just red roses

Kind of engagement ring?
1.25 brilliant cut solitaire

Kind of wedding bands?
still have to go back and look!

How will you wear your hair?
Down for the ceremony - up for the reception

Who will be important to be there?
Ceremony: My fiance and me! Our parents! and of course the other six people - my sister (one of my sisters can't make it), his sister, my grandpa (officiated), grandma, grandma, and Josh's best friend.
Reception: Everyone we know! But to me, my sister who can't make the ceremony and my aunts

Will the reception be big or small?
BIG

What will the groom wear?
Ceremony: black suit
Reception: nice polo and khaki color pants

How old will you and the groom be?
I will be 21 and he will be 23

How long will you be engaged before you get married?
Almost two months

Live together before or wait till married?
Wait till marriage

Take a long time to plan the wedding or will it be simple?
SIMPLE

Will you do it yourself or with family or hire someone to plan the wedding?
Do it myself with family

Will you write your own vows or use something pre-made?
I want to write them together - so they're our own but we're vows are the same

Last post then I seriously have to write a paper...

Finally, to keep the new wedding planning craziness going this weekend, my fiance and I went shopping at the mall today. Macy's was having a shoe sale, which seemed like fate, since I needed to get my shoes sometime in the next few weeks before I go to try on my dress again. So I tried on a bunch, and found three I really liked. Josh was not good and convinced me to buy all three pairs because if you bought three pairs, you got 5% more off. I know I'm marrying that boy for a reason...:) I was glad he was there and helped me pick them out - his opinion matters to me, even if he mostly agrees with me.

So now I have three options, which will be good. I'm having two separate events about a month apart, so options are good. The flats are for later in the night at the reception, or just to wear this summer....

Josh and I decided we didn't want a long engagement because I'm still in school and don't want to stress about planning a wedding my whole senior year (instead it will be just the last month of my junior year). The biggest worry I had about this short engagement was finding the right wedding dress. I can be a picky shopper, so I'm told. So that was number one on my list of things to do.

I went home two days after I got engaged, and my mom and I decided to go just try on some wedding dresses to get some ideas on styles that I liked/didn't like. We took my Grandma, who I had I just told, and off we went. We went to one store that was incredibly busy and not very friendly AT ALL, and then we went to one more that was wonderful. I tried on four or five dresses there, then the owner who was helping us went and got a different dress out of the other room. I tried it on and it was perfect! It was actually a prom dress all in white, which works well on me because I have a smaller frame and I did not want any train at all. Here are some pictures - I've included some in pink and black because you can see the detail better in these pictures on the computer. The dress needs to be taken in and I wanted to add some straps so I'm not pulling it up all the time, and the owner through the alterations in for free, along with giving us 20% off! Whooff - I'm glad this part is done!

We officially became engaged on April 15, 2009! Josh surprised me by coming over to see me at school on a Wednesday, which is unusual because he goes to school 1.5 hours away. We were sitting around and he told me to close my eyes. He then asked me if I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, to which I said yes, then he got the ring out and proposed. I opened my eyes and there was the most beautiful ring - exactly what I always told him I wanted! I said yes!

We have been dating for 5 years and 5 months. We met in high school, and started dating the year after Josh graduated. Josh is 23, a University of Wisconsin graduate, and works full time with his father in their growing business. I am in my third year of college at University of Wisconsin and will be graduating May 2010 with a double major of Communication and Political Science. I am planning to attend graduate school for Communication.

But we are so excited to finally be getting married!