This is minobotbride's Blue Wedding!

Went shopping with a friend today and I think I've found my LBD! I have it on hold till Friday at the store, and I'm hoping to go back with my mom and get her opinion tomorrow :)
I have also booked a church for my wedding, found a photographer, am in talks with a pastor about doing the ceremony, and I designed my invitations - I'm putting them together tomorrow and should have them all sent and given out by the end of the week!
*is proud of self*

have done:

- booked a hall for the reception
- talked about an officiate and decided on a JOP (I think)
- tried on wedding dresses and decided on a LBD instead of the traditional white thing that's only worn once
- bought supplies to start creating invitations
- called two places about having the ceremony there

to do:

- try some invitation ideas
- find LBD
- book officiant
- find a place to have the ceremony!

The first thing you need to know is that he forgot to pack the ring. But he was forgiven immediately, and come on, it's not on the list of things one normally packs - you know, socks, underwear, toothbrush... engagement ring?
And then there was the Rick-roll, almost-proposal that occurred during the drive from SeaTac airport to my home!
And of course, the 9 days it ended up taking for the ring to arrive in Canada after a quick phonecall and the wonderful shipping skills of Christian's parents. (Thank you both, by the way!)
But after all that, the proposal was great.
I was pretty sure he was going to ask me on the 31st - we'd arrived home the night before, and I knew the ring was waiting for him at the post office. I woke up earlier than expected (too excited to sleep).
Christian slept later, and then made arrangements with my mom to drive him into town - he needed to pick up a few things, including the ring of course, and I couldn't know what the things were.
When Momma-Bot brought Christian back, he immediatly went into "his" room, shut the door, and pretty much stayed in the room for the rest of the day! He emerged 3 or 4 times to ask me for scissors, and string, and other random things, but aside from that I didn't see him.
Around 4pm, he let me in and we talked for a bit - he told me we'd go out for dinner, and that he needed to buy something else after we'd eaten.
So we went out for dinner, and then into town, where he bought some Ben&Jerry's icecream and some bendy straws. When we got home, he asked for a clear dish and a spoon, and then he went back into his room!
I read a little bit, watched some "Transformers" with my brother, painted my nails...
Finally, at about 9:30pm, I was allowed into the room.
Twilite first gave me the clear dish with icecream. While eating it, I found a bendy straw ring. When the icecream was gone (he ate some too), I read the note he'd put on the bottom of the dish.
"I hope you like the ring! Just kidding :) Go to the top desk drawer."
In the top desk drawer was a moose. I'm not kidding! A very cute moose, crafted out of the styrofoam packing that my computer had come in, with googly eyes and cardboard antlers... Leaning against the moose was another note.
"Give the moose a kiss, and then pull the string to your left."
The string to my left hung from a very clever cardboard lake (that handy computer packing again), and when I pulled the string, out came a sturgeon! Taped to the fish (cardboard) was another note.
"Sturgeon Ring Delivery Service! Kiss him too, and pull the string above your head."
The string above my head revealed a balloon with another note, this one had a cartoon picture of the two of us on it, and read:
"We're in a balloon, Holly! Have a seat on the bed ]:D"
I sat down, and Christian pulled out my dad's acoustic guitar and performed a song he'd written about us. I was so close to crying while he sang, but I didn't want him to stop singing!
When the song was over, he got down on one knee and held the ring out to me.
"Will you marry me?" he asked.
And I said yes :)

In just 8 days, FH will be back with me on the mainland. I am getting so excited...
When he gets here, it'll have been 175 days since we were together - that's 6 months!
All I can say is, thank God for Skype, and laptops, and webcams, and cell phone plans that allow you to have a Hawaiian phone number in your Favorite 5!
I'm so excited for him to get here, and I'm so excited to find out how he's decided to propose... And I'm so excited to see the ring!

FH will be here in 10 days, and sometime in the 2 weeks he's here, I'm getting my proposal!!
so excited....

I mentioned earlier in a post that I want to have my sisters giving leis to the guests as they arrive at my grandparents' house.
I knew I didn't want to give real flower leis - for one thing, I'm in Canada and I could see that getting expensive, even for just 80 guests! I also knew I didn't want to give silk flower leis - seems cheesy.
When my FH came here last summer, he brought my sisters beautiful kukui and koa nut leis - they're polished and painted nuts, strung on ribbon, and they last forever. I have one that he gave me when I arrived in Honolulu in January, and it is gorgeous.
As far as I can tell, you can get them inexpensively in Hawaii, so I'll need to talk to my FMIL to arrange that... but I'm excited!

So what I have planned so far is:
- the number of guests: 80
- the location: my maternal grandparents' home
- the colors: sky blue and silver, with dark grey accents
- the date: July 2010, probably the 25th
- the guest gifts: kukui nut leis
- assignments for family members: ushers, givers of programs, givers of leis, and ringbearers

As far as attendants go, I'm fine with having none. I've talked with the friend who would be my MOH if I were to have attendants, so she knows that she's the MOH, up there or not. And I would have my sisters too - but it'd be difficult to get all of FH's friends here for the wedding (he has one brother - not many, like me). So it's easier all round to forgo attendants.
I do want to have my sisters in "bridesmaid" dresses though, and my MOH too - because they are important to me.
I'm thinking of having my sisters in blue dresses, and my MOH in silver. My plan for their dresses is a page taken from a friend of mine's wedding plan: I want them to pick their own dresses. As long as the dress is the right color, and they're happy with it, I will be too.
I can't wait to go dress shopping...

Oh, and it's 29 days until FH is back in Canada with me!

? What are your first names?
Christian and Holly

? How long have you been together?
399 amazing days

? How long did you know each other before you started dating?
just under two years

? Who asked who out?
well... we'd been talking every night since we met in Vancouver, so it was more like, "so, are we officially together now?" and i think i asked him.

? How long did it take to get serious?
just under a year

? How old are each of you?
i'm almost 21, and he's 26

? Whose siblings do/ did you see the most?
right now, it's about equal

? Do you have any children together?
no, not yet - we're waiting till after the wedding :)

? What about pets?
no, but i share his family's dogs vicariously

? Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
not being in the same country or time zone is pretty hard, but we're doing well.

? Did you go to the same school?
no

? Are you from the same home town?
no - i'm from the Fraser Valley in BC, Canada, and he's from Oahu, Hawaii :)

? Who is smarter?
we're both pretty brainy

? Who is more sensitive?
again, we're both in that category

? Where do you eat out most as a couple?
i think that, were we to count it up, Zippy's (in Hawaii) would win

? Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
nowhere yet, really, but that's changing this summer. he's coming here, and then we're going to Portland Oregon for a few days before heading to Northern BC.

? Who has the craziest exes?
we both do :)

? Who has the worst temper?
eh, i don't know - we're both easy-going

? Who does the cooking?
no one right now, but it's going to be me

? Who is more social?
probably me

? Who is the neat-freak?
definately me

? Who is the most stubborn?
hmm... hard to say

? Who hogs the bed?
i'd say him - he'd say me. and we both steal the blankets.

? Who wakes up earlier?
me

? Where was your first date?
i guess me picking him up from the Vancouver Airport, getting Subway, and then getting lost together for 3 hours in Vancouver looking for the Sylvia Hotel... long story.

? Who has the bigger family?
immediate, me - extended, him

? Do you get flowers often?
no, but i'm fine with that

? How do you spend the holidays?
apart, for now - but in 13 months, together

? Who is more jealous?
oh, we both are

? Who eats more?
he does

? Who does/ did the laundry?
neither of us at the moment, but since i won't be working for the first while after we're married, it'll be me

? Who’s better with the computer?
he is.

? Who drives when you are together?
so far, i've driven when we're here and he drives when we're there - but i'm hoping to change that this summer, i don't want to drive the whole time.

? What are your astrological signs?
i'm Leo, he's Aquarius

? How tall are each of you?
he's 5'11"-ish, and i'm 5'4"

? How do each of you work?
he works as a Gaming and Programming teacher, and i work in a used bookstore

? Is that what you went to school for?
he's a Bachelor of Computer Science from the University of Hawaii - so yes, for him. i haven't really taken any formal post-secondary education yet, but i'm going to take an Applied Business course before moving to Hawaii.

So, today I was up at my grandparents' place for a family birthday thing, and got to look around for inspiring ideas.
I think I have found the perfect spot for the ceremony - with me and FH standing so that the guests see us, and my grandpa's
beautiful gardens behind us, and the view of the Valley behind/below that.
It will be amazing!
One thing, though, is that my grandpa has taken his hydrangeas out and replaced them with something else. Doesn't mean that
I can't have them as my flowers, but it's going to take a little more looking around. Of course it's not written in stone that I
Absolutely Must have hydrangeas :)
FH talked with his parents a few days ago and got the numbers of family they think will be able to attend the wedding - they
guessed at under a dozen. And they are totally into the "second reception" idea, which is good.
So, right now my guest list is at 79 people, still well under my "under 100" mark. I'm happy.
My aunt was married at my grandparents' place 17 years ago, and she thinks she had between 90 and 100 guests, which is why I've given myself that limit.
FH ordered the engagement ring a few days ago, and he'll be here with me in BC in just over a month - I'm ridiculously excited.
My mom and I walked around the local resort town tonight, and explored the biggest hotel there for a bit, which reminded me to bring up honeymoon plans with FH tonight during our nightly Skyping...!
And I found out yesterday that my brother and his girlfriend are talking engagement and wedding timelines! Although it sounds like they're thinking of a Destination Wedding.
It's a catching thing, this wedding stuff!
:)

Yesterday my mom and I were talking wedding (kind of a non-stop topic, really). We worked on a guest list (my side alone is at 71 people… Yikes!), and talked about flowers and jobs for family to do.
I have 8 younger siblings, and I'm really close with all of them. My sisters are all kind of too young to be bridesmaids, but I think I can find some way for them to be involved and important. My oldest brother will have a big job - ushering and helping people park at my grandparents' place - it's on a mountainside, so walking to where the ceremony will be held may prove somewhat difficult for older folk.
My middle brothers, ages 10 and 5, will be assigned to handing out the programs, and the little twins, who will be almost 4, will be the combination ring-bearer/flower boys.
I'm thinking that since my FH is Hawaiian, it'd be very sweet and appropriate for my sisters to hand out leis to the guests as they enter the ceremony-area. I'll have to talk to his mom about getting the right amount, but I don't think they are too expensive, and I know they're easy to come by in Oahu!
As far as flowers go, I really like hydrangeas. They're the right color, and I checked the blooming season a few days ago, so I know I'm good there. I've taken a peek at hydrangea bouquets online, and I like what I see: really gorgeous arrangements of just hydrangeas, with ribbon and maybe a little tulle to fancy it up.
To top it off, my grandpa has hydrangeas growing in his garden close to where the ceremony would be, so it would all tie together nicely.
And then there's the guest list… 29 people from my family, and the rest are close friends. From what my man has said, his parents will definitely be there, and his mom is really unsure about how many others from his family will be able to make it.
I think it'd be nice to work with his mom and arrange a second reception in Oahu when we get back - a celebration with the people who can’t afford to get to BC, and that way they wouldn't feel obligated to attend the wedding here.
Oh, and I talked to FH about who we'll get to officiate - his family is Catholic, and mine is Protestant. I know that my pastor has co-officiated with a priest at other weddings, so we'll have to see about that.
All in all my head is full of wedding this and wedding that right now!
But what can you do… It's a lot of planning for one day, but the goal is awesome: No More Goodbyes!

My mom took my younger sisters camping this weekend, along with her best friend from college and her two daughters. They got back today, and one of the first things Mom said to me (after "I missed you, How are you, I missed you :]) was that maybe having the wedding at my grandparents' place isn't a good idea.
Like I said yesterday, my goal for my wedding is: beautiful, memorable, and Low Stress.
And not just low stress for me, but for everyone involved.

We talked about it for a little while, but, when it comes right down to it, I really want to get married at my grandparents' place.
It's exactly right - the first time I thought of it, I knew it was exactly right.
So, we'll work things out.
:)