Tag: engagement

Pause for a Wedding

engagement photo
DColeman Photography
engagement photo
DColeman Photography

I have a very good excuse for not having a post ready for today.  I promise, it’s a good one.

J and I are getting married Saturday.  We will be headed to the town that we will become Mr. and Mrs. in.  We will spend time with our closest family today while finalizing all the details for our perfect day.  I am counting my blessings that we hired a wedding coordinator to help us with all the small details.  Normally, I am on the ball and thrive with small details, but I have my heads in the clouds today.

I told you I had a good reason for the lack of post.  And this reason will stay for the rest of the week.  Sorry!

Cheers!

Our Love Story : How We Met

our love story
DColemanPhotography

With only two months until our wedding day, I thought it would be neat to share how J and I met.

J and I do not really have a typically meeting story, or maybe we do.  I don’t know, it’s different than any other guy I dated in the past, which might be why it worked out – again, I do not know.  I’m thinking too much into it.  All I know is that I love telling the the first time we met story.  J likes to tell the how we met story, but the other one is my favorite part.

We first met at a local bar on the South Side of Springfield on a Friday night.  J was new in town and had a few friends visiting from St. Louis.  I was going out with my roommate to meet up with another friend for a birthday party.  J’s friend from out of town asked to buy me and a friend a drink and no offense to him, he was not my type.  I know they always say don’t judge a book by its cover, but it was hard.  The V-neck shirt, glaring white teeth as in Ross from Friends in the episode where he bleaches his teeth so white that they glowed in a black light kind of white.  He was just not for me and I was tired, so I politely turned down the offer.  My friend took him up on it and so then they decided to introduce me to J.  J was feeling pretty good that night, if you know what I mean.  He doesn’t remember meeting me and all I remember is this horrible dancer who looked like he would be in a lot pain the next day

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Fast forward to the next day when J’s friend and my friend conspired to meet up while downtown.  After a night of dancing with my date the five us decided to head to the local Steak-N-Shake for some grub.  I started talking to J who was in much better shape than the night before.  We talked about food, the bootheel of Missouri, which will always hold a soft place in my heart.  I decided that he was pretty decent and much better than my actual date, so I tried to be cool by asking for his number to go to breakfast one morning at the local hot spot.

Two weeks went by and my friend asked for his number to go out with us that night.  I decided to beat her to the punch and texted him first… I was so slick!  He was busy or had to get up early the next day, I don’t really remember his reasoning, but I called him boring and that started the conversation from there.

He finally asked me to dinner on a Monday night, he picked me up in his shiny, red truck and we headed out for steak.  We talked, laughed, and he wasn’t completely turned off by my mess-of-a-bathroom when he dropped me off, but still texted me again – whew!

That was it, we had a few moments of uncertainty along the way or really I had one moment and the thought of J not being around was enough to end that moment quickly.  Now he were are 2 months until the big day when I become his wife.

I cannot wait for the next few months to get here.  But I do not want to miss out on any of our time right now.  I have been keeping all of the little knick-knacks during our engagement in hopes of creating a journal.

Cheers!

Wedding Planning Tips: Save the Dates

wedding planning tips save the dates
photo by Savoy Ballroom, graphics by MereLynne

Want some valuable wedding planning tips when sending out your Save The Dates?

Well, you have to come to the right blog.  I recently sent out our save the dates – actually a few weeks ago, but waited to post my tips until everyone received their postcards so I wouldn’t spoil anything for anyone.

J and I decided to send postcards over an actual formal save the date card with the fancy tissue paper and embossed envelope.  First,  I am not that formal of a person and second, the postage is so much cheaper on postcards! Saving some of that cha-ching for more important parts of the wedding.

Here are some wedding planning tips when selecting your save the dates and things I would have liked to do differently:

1) postcards, postcards, postcard.  I mean, postcards are simple and easy to send.  No envelope licking (ew!) required.  Gross!  Just the thought of licking nearly 100 envelopes or having to use a wet towel – it’s just a mess.  Not to mention if you wanted to go super-duper traditional and have the outer envelope and the inner envelope – that’s double the licking.  And like I said above, the cost of sending a postcard is considerably less when sending a standard letter or worse an odd shaped envelope.  I had that happen to a friend of mine, she budgeted the average amount of postage stamps for her save the dates then when she went to USPS to mail them.  While waiting in line she got slammed when she learned that the envelope was a square and that would cost more… almost double.  That adds up for 150 save the dates… let’s do the math.  $0.46 per stamp * 150 save the dates = $69 bucks.  Now double it – $138 bucks just went to USPS that you had not planned for.

2) ensure that you have the spelling correct for all your guests.  I did not know everyone on my guest list.  Some were family of J’s that I had not met and others were some of his family friends that I had not met.  Names can be weird.  Spellings are not always common.  Double check that spelling before you waste a save the date or worse, send out a misspelled name!

3) one thing I would have done different is placed a return address on the postcards.  Luckily, I had a stamp made a few months ago, but it would have been so much nicer to have them pre-printed on the cards.  Also, I didn’t want to be blissfully unaware of any save the date not reaching their intended target.  My OCD tendencies could not handle that.

4) another thing I wish I would have thought of was space.  The space to address the save-the-dates was a little small.  I do not normally require people to have a magnifying class to read my handwriting so I had to nix first names.

5) do not put off address your save the dates.  I kind of did that.  I thought it was going to take so long to sit down and actually address the cards so I put it off, like any normal person who was avoiding a task that didn’t seem fun, which it was not fun.  It did not take as long as I thought – like an hour, maybe?  If that.

There we go – simple, easy wedding planning tips that I like to pass on to others so that they could be wiser in their wedding planning than me.  Go forth young ones and conquer.

Cheers!

 

My Day: wedding planning

wedding planning
photo by DColeman Photography

Wedding Planning – less than 4 months away from the big day.  EEK!

I love paid days off of work, they are my favorite.  I get to sit in my PJ’s most of the day watching trashy reality TV while getting paid.  What’s better than that?  I woke up, made myself some cheesy pasta because that’s normal, right?  Then I plopped down in the big comfy recliner with Tiny in my lap to watch my favorite TV show – Dog the Bounty Hunter.  I will pause while you laugh…. done? okay.

As you may know, I have been working on my wedding planning for awhile now:
I said yes / wedding budget tips / Ranking What Is Important / A few Engagement photos /6 months to go

wedding planning
wedding planning tips for budgeting

I have some wedding planning details to work on today, mostly dealing with money.  Think it’s time, like every bride would do … re-evaluate the wedding budget.  It’s important to take a look at the budget from time to time to know if you are still on target and don’t have any surprise expenses popping up.

For J and I we were originally under the impression that our friend’s Uncle would be our officiant and that would be our friend’s wedding gift to us; however, that was months ago and we have yet to hear anything about it.  So, now enter my panic mode and have decided that we need a backup officiant.  I talked to our wedding planner and that’s going to cost about $150.

That’s $150 that we were not planning on spending for that… we had other ideas for that money.  You know, like favors or programs.  Now, I have to re-evaluate so that we can afford it all.

Oh wedding planning!  It’s fun, but also stressful.  Don’t get too overwhelmed with it, that’s what I have to keep telling myself or that’s what J keeps telling me.

Wedding planning helps you get an idea of the big picture.  Know what parts will cost the most, for us it was the venue, photography and alcohol – you know, the important parts – the booze and the part that will capture those moments!

I will be sitting in this big, comfy chair for most of today working on some wedding planning – crunching numbers, stressing out, and thinking that I’m wanting to do too much; however, in the end it will all work out and I will get to marry my best friend.

Cheers!

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Summer To-Do List

crispin
It’s official. Summer is here. The humidity is up and my allergies are finally starting to subside, a little. I put together a little list of fun things that I’d love to do in these next few months. What do you have on your to-do list?

1) Attend a Cardinals Baseball game
2) Go to the lake as much as possible
3) Grill majority of our meals
4) Learn to make a new summer cocktail, preferably with raspberries.
5) Work more on our wedding plans (getting those invites addressed without pulling out my hair)
6) Commit to Crossfit at least 3x a week (fingers crossed)
7) Spend time with J’s family and my family
8) Teach Tiny a few new tricks
9) Start saving for my Bachelorette party(!!!) in NOLA.
10) Go to Founder’s Park to watch a movie

Cheers to a great Summer!

Knowing When You Have The One Worth Fighting With

IMG_3706

Want to know a secret?  I’ll let you in to a little personal secret of mine pertaining to my past relationships.  You see, back in high school and undergrad of college most of my friends thought of me as this “2 week girl.”  No, not because my relationships would only last 2 weeks, but because I couldn’t stand having a disagreement with someone.  I just never saw the need to fight or not get along.  It wasn’t really important to me to fight.  I thought, why waste your time?

So, that’s where my “2 week girl” came into play.  You can bet that after an argument that I just didn’t see the importance of the guy and me would be over in about 2 weeks.

I promise that I am not this cold-hearted, stone-faced woman.  I really do have a heart and I would bend over backwards to help my partner out.  I would be there for them, whether if it was helping study, a family crisis, etc.  I was there.  I just did not see the need to fight.  Why?

Then it all changed.  One night, I met J and he changed my world.  We fell fast for one another.  We decided early on that it would be the two of us.  The two of us against the world and we would be together.

us J

It hit me one day – J was worth fighting with.  We may not always agree on every topic.  We frustrate each other.  Our personalities are not identical.  I am much more reserved and J is very outgoing.  I am a homebody and J is happy out with people.

We also make each other happy, laugh, and work harder at being a better person.  J pushes me to go after my dreams.  I do not think I would have been as passionate about MereLynneConcepts on Etsy without him.  We are there to listen to one another and help each other.

As women (well most women) we watch these romantic comedies, you know – the cliché ones.   The movies where at the very end, right before the credits roll the two characters embrace and say something like, “I’d rather fight with you then make love to anyone else.”  Then there is an extremely long and passionate kiss.

Super unrealistic.

J and I may get into it time from time, but he is worth every hard discussion, every time I have to admit I’m wrong – J is worth it all. We’ve had to learn how each other react to a fight or disagreement.  Not just learning but compromising our typical actions for the one we love.

I may not have the romantic comedy ending, but I do have the person that makes my soul instantly melt. I found the person that I will face the world with, as a team.  For that I am grateful.

Will you be my bridesmaid?

bridesmaidgift

I saw a pin on Pinterest awhile back and it linked to lauren.david.style’s blog here.  I fell in love with the idea of packaging all the details and knick-knacks about the wedding into a nice box to give to my bridesmaids.

I had already asked the fabulous ladies to be my bridesmaids and now it was time to get them some info about J and I’s big day.

bridesmaidgift-open

I decided early on that it was not worth the stress to find a dress that fit in with the style of the wedding that made each girl feel beautiful.  Each of my bridesmaids are their own woman and knows what fits them the best.  I have given them some guidelines and details of what our style is so that they can find a dress that fits them and their budget.

bridesmaidgift-box

I included information about:

the big day – when, where, what time, and paint chips to see the colors.

my bridesmaids – a little introduction about each of my girls and how they came to be such a large, important part of my life.

their dress and accessories – navy blue, knee-length dress with eggplant (plum) heels or wedges.

their role – to feel beautiful, to have fun, and know that I am truly grateful for them standing with me on my day.

Cheers!

An exciting time

Road trip to #Branson!
It’s a pretty exciting time for me right now. I’m ready for what the future has to offer, my eyes are open and I will not ignore any more opportunities.

#happy
The most exciting part of 2013 is J and I’s wedding in November. We’ve been planning, organizing, and buying items for it. The closer we get the more ready I am for it to get here. I haven’t been too overwhelmed yet, but I’m sure it’ll hit. We are almost 5 months away from the big day!

Passed out. #dog #doglove #sleepypup #Sleepingdogs #lovedogs #sumner
These two pups mean the world to me. The love I get from them and give to them is priceless.

Working from home on the Etsy store with Tiny's help of course. #doglove #dog #Etsy
And finally, my new Etsy venture is thrilling. I will be adding more items to the shop this coming week. I’ve spent time creating new designs, working on my policies, and even my business plan. I may have a degree in Marketing, but actually attempting to use what I’ve learned is a whole new ball game. I’ve been reading up on SEO, advertising, sponsorships, etc.

Cheers to exciting times!

Prioritizing

J-M-10082 photo by DColeman Photography.

Priorities.  I’ve given it a lot of thought.  I know what makes me happy in life from work-life to home-life.  I know what I need to succeed and go to bed each night knowing that I have accomplished something that day.  Whether my accomplishment is big or small.

For me, it’s pretty simple (at least I like to think so).  I need:
– the love of my fiance, J
– cuddles from two rowdy pups, Maggie and Tiny
– a job that not only pays the bills, but one that I feel I am truly helping someone else
– a roof over my head
– something to be working towards
– my friends
– my family
– being creative

A lot of these parts intermingle with each other.  For instance, being creative, having a job, and something to works towards can all be combined.  I believe that if I find a passion that combines all three then I will have found my dream job.

Having something to work towards is something that I’ve recently struggled with.  I graduated with my undergraduate degree.  One year later, I started pursuing my Masters.  Now, I’ve graduated and … now what?  It’s hard for someone who has always been working towards some sort of degree to know where to go to next.  I know that I need to find a career that I am passionate about; however, I am wanting to move out of Springfield within the next few years.  So, for me this time needs to be spent finding out what qualities of a job make me the happiest, what qualities I want to avoid at all costs, and where J and I want to end up.

It’s a process.  A deep process with quite a bit of thought and time.  I cannot rush and I have to go with the flow.

For someone who is as Type A as I am, this time can be challenging.  Here’s to hoping that I can take a deep breath.

Cheers!

6 months to go

Love <3 #branson

Here we are: six months to go till J & I say “I Do.”  Whew! TIme flies when you are having fun.
Trying on my WEDDING DRESS this afternoon. I'm so excited! #wedding #weddingdress #thebigday
I found my dress – that was a huge weight off my shoulders!  My dress is absolutely perfect, in every way.

Here are a few tips that I’ve discovered along this wedding planning process:

– check your budget.  It’s very, very important to stay on top of your budget. Buying wedding gifts, favors, and little things here & there can really do a number on your budget.  You think you are a-okay and in the green, but then as you get closer to the big day and final payments are due then you might shock yourself.

– prepare your rehearsal dinner. I have the venue booked for our rehearsal dinner and a menu in mind, but it’s time to start narrowing down your guest list. If you’re wedding plans are similar to ours then a small, imitate dinner is all you’re looking for.  Our venue is a room at an event center where we can come and go easily.  It’s small enough that we are envisioning a room full of family and future family sharing stories, laughing, and eating some good food.

– block hotel rooms.  J had one task that he made his own. I had no input in which hotel he blocked, I just wanted to make sure that we had a room.  I have to admit – he did good!  We have one of the nicest hotels in Springfield reserved with a shuttle for our guests so no one will have too much to drink and no way to get back to their room.

We are still working on finding an officiant.  It’s next on our list and will be done ASAP! It’s making me a little nervous that we don’t have someone booked yet, but can have everything fall into place perfectly.  So far, I will not complain about how smooth the wedding plans are going.

Cheers!