Good News, Bad News...

Ok, so A LOT has been happening lately as you can imagine. I don't have time to go into details about everything, but here's a quick recap:

Good News: I got a job!!! :)
Bad News: It's in retail. But it's at Victoria's Secret, so I could definitely do worse. Plus, it will be nice to come home smelling like flowery perfume as opposed to meatballs.

Good News: I had my bridal shower and bachelorette party this past weekend! They were both really fun, and I had an awesome turnout at the bachelorette.
Bad News: The shower was at a really inconvenient time (partly my fault, but mostly outside of my control), so the turnout was not as good as I had hoped. But we still had a great time, and I got lots of great stuff at both events. :)

Good News: My dress came in!!!!!!!!! It is BEAUTIFUL, and so is the veil - both of which Caitlin made, and she did a fabulous job; I can't stop staring at my pretty dress. :)
Bad News: If you could call it "bad news," I still need to get the dress altered some more by Edith, my Nashville seamstress. I wasn't satisfied with the shape of the dress before and didn't speak up about it (dumb, I know), so now I'll just have a couple days to get it right before my bridal portraits. Let's hope Edith and I can make it happen!

Good News: Collin and I are all set for our honeymoon - we booked a private transfer and made all our dinner reservations at the hotel. :)
Bad News: I lost my passport. Like, seriously lost it. I've searched my entire house and storage unit, and Collin searched through my car and all my stuff in CT. The thing has literally disappeared. So, I'm a little stressed about it, to say the least. I'm trying to find a way to expedite a new passport, but it's not going to be easy (or cheap). Wish me luck, please...

In OTHER news, I finally figured out the programs! I came up with a design myself (thank you very much) and have done a couple test prints already at Kinko's, so now it's time to print them! Other recent accomplishments include: assembling favor boxes (with some help!), finishing the seating chart, (almost) finishing the escort cards, and wrapping up my vendor meetings. I've still got a lot coming up this weekend - dress alteration / final fitting, wedding hair trial, makeup consultation, more crafts, etc...

With this passport dilemma now, on top of other drama that I don't care to expand upon, I'm really feeling stressed. Please keep me in your prayers... I'm trying as hard as I can to keep a positive attitude, but it's getting tougher as more and more things keep piling on (not all of which are wedding-related). BUT, the good news is that Collin and I are getting married in TEN DAYS!!!! And that's the best news of all! :)

Love,

C & A

Dress, Diet, and Deadlines!

Hey all!

I made some purchases tonight for the wedding, so I wanted to update you on what's been happening! Here's a quick recap of what we ordered:

• vases for the reception
• sparklers :)
• cake topper!
• garter

The cake topper and garter are both from Etsy, an amazing website where crafty people sell their handmade stuff. There are LOTS of cute wedding items on there, which are really fun to browse through. :) The sparklers we actually bought online also, and the shipping was free! It's amazing what you can find online these days... I would say that 95% of my planning has consisted of online research.

Also, Collin and I finally decided on our first dance song. :) I'm not going to say what it is yet, but I'll give you a hint: it's old school! Can't wait!!

In other news, my dad is continuing to recover and is eating much better than before, which means we are all eating better! Wedding diet commences now, I guess! Haha. Now I just need to start working out... or maybe the stress of the wedding will take care of any excess fat lol. Either way, I definitely don't have any room for error in my dress!

Speaking of the dress, after looking at photos from my last fitting, I've decided that it's not quite up to par yet, unfortunately. It's in L.A. right now, but after Caitlin gets done with it, I'll need to take it back in for alterations two weeks before the wedding. Please keep your fingers crossed that everything works out in a timely manner! I have full faith in Caitlin, but it's other people I don't trust as much... And it is a rather important piece of clothing. :) I think it will be fine, honestly, but I do get paranoid every now and then.

Invitations are still in the works, but definitely coming along! I hope to have them out by next weekend or shortly thereafter. Cait has done a fabulous job designing them. She is basically the creative director of our wedding haha. She's awesome!

56 days to go!!! The official countdown has begun. :)


Love,

C & A

P.S. If you know of any great sites/stores to recommend for wedding shoes, please comment!! I have done a lot of searching with no luck so far... Already checked Zappos, Overstock, Off Broadway, Dillard's, and Macy's. Help!

Dress Update!

I had a meeting today with my seamstress at b. Hughes, Edith. She had some fabric swatches picked out for me that were very nice, but much pricier than I anticipated... She said she would shop around some more, though. She also took my measurements so she can start working on a muslin sample gown (not sure what else to call this?) to get an idea of the shape of the real gown. She complimented me on my small waist, which is always encouraging to hear :) especially since I had been feeling larger than life lately...

She might have the unadorned dress ready to go by the beginning of June - if all goes well (and quickly) - for when I travel to MN with Collin. Caitlin will be there, so she would get the chance to see me in the gown and take it home with her to L.A. to finish it. This would be ideal, but definitely a quick turnaround for Edith. The latest I should have the dress from her is sometime in July, so I can at least have it back from Caitlin in time for my bridal shoot :)

Getting excited!! It's hard to keep the dress details secret from Collin...

C & A (well, just A this time)

A little bit of this, a little bit of that...

I have LOTS of random news to update you on, so here goes!

First off, I celebrated my 22nd birthday last Thursday, the 18th! Collin came in the night before (actually, I picked him up at around midnight), so I got my perfect birthday present :) We went out to dinner with my parents that night at a new Mexican restaurant in Cool Springs called Chuy's, which was pretty good! Of course we had cake and all that good stuff, too, plus my parents forced us to sit through old home videos ;) It was a fun night! I'm a very blessed girl.

I got lots of great stuff this year, but one of the coolest birthday presents I got was a homemade necklace from my very own sister-to-be (and bridesmaid and dress-maker) Caitlin! It's so pretty and thoughtful! I think I might be marrying into a pretty decent family ;) Here's a pic of the necklace (I can't get it to turn right-side up...):

On Saturday, Collin and I had a birthday/engagement dinner at Firefly in Green Hills before my sorority's semi-formal. A bunch of my friends came, and it was so much fun! I definitely recommend Firefly... Delicious!

Collin and I also celebrated Valentines Day during his visit, and it was wonderful! I have such an amazing fiance. I hope he doesn't mind if I brag on him a little, but he did some awesome stuff for Valentines!! For presents, he unwrapped a bunch of Hershey's kisses, took out the paper slips, and rewrapped them all with slips he printed off saying all the things he loves about me (see below for an example) :) He also made me a mixed CD with a bunch of songs that remind him of me, and he even recorded his own track wishing me a Happy Valentines Day! The last thing he did, which was the best of all, I'll keep secret since I think he would be concerned about preserving his masculinity, haha. Just know that it was very thoughtful and romantic, and he's pretty much the best guy ever!

In wedding news, I think we have our photographers narrowed down to three:

1) Laurie Carpenter - http://www.lauriecarpenter.com

2) Keoni K - http://keonikphotography.com

3) Matt Andrews - http://nashvilleweddingphotography.com

Each photographer is pretty unique, but I like them all for different reasons... Laurie is more traditional, Keoni is definitely more eclectic, and Matt is a combination of both. My mom and I have already met with Laurie, and Collin and I met with both Keoni and Matt while he was here over the weekend. We liked them both, so I set up additional appointments with both of them so my mom could meet them. Our meeting with Keoni is tomorrow, and our meeting with Matt is next Friday, but he's holding our date for now. I'm excited to see how these meetings go, since my last meetings with them were pretty brief (they were both on Friday, and we had 2 other wedding appointments that day!) So, I'll keep you posted!

As for the rest, Collin and I had a marathon of wedding appointments Friday, as I said, so in addition to meeting with the photographers we also tried cakes (yum!) and met with Jennifer at Old Natchez. I think we may try to sample some food at Old Natchez when Collin is back in town in a couple weeks with his family! I'm currently awaiting some Save-the-Date samples from a company called Designs in Paper (http://designsinpaper.com/). I was referred to them by a sorority sister as well as by Jennifer. I also have a pretty good idea of the dress I want based on the lovely sketches Caitlin drew for me, and I have an appointment with a seamstress at b. Hughes Bridal on Thursday.

Everything is moving right along! Keep an eye out for more updates, because soon they will probably start pouring in!!

Thanks again for all your support! :)

Here's a few more pics from Collin's visit:

C & A

P.S. I forgot to mention that I've been nominated for Belmont Homecoming Queen haha! The game is this Saturday, so wish me luck! ;) But really it's an honor just to be on Homecoming Court. Definitely didn't see this one coming!!

Happy Valentines Day!!

Happy Valentines Day from Collin and Amanda!!! We wish you lots of love and happiness :)

Collin sent me two dozen roses on Friday, so even though he can't be here ON Valentines Day, he did a great job making sure I was taken care of. :) He's the best! We had a "Skype date" tonight, but we will actually go out and celebrate next Friday when he is in town. Thursday is my birthday as well (which he will also be here for), so next week will be full of celebrations!!

Quick update: My mom and I met with our first photographer on Friday, and we were very impressed. Her name is Laurie Carpenter, and she has been an independent wedding photographer for 7 years. She is personable, flexible, and takes great photos. Here is her website: http://www.lauriecarpenter.com/index2.php

Also, I got some awesome dress sketches from Caitlin, so we're getting that started! :)

Enjoy V-Day!! Spread some love!

C & A

Polterabend?

Last night I randomly brainstormed a bunch of wedding ideas - favors, bridesmaid gifts, gifts for Collin, decorations, etc. - and I actually came up with a lot of ideas I really liked, but most of them have to stay secret for now. ;) I'm very excited about all of them, though! I really want our wedding to be memorable for everyone.

One idea I can share, though, is a tradition I found online for the eve of the wedding day. It's a German tradition, which is appropriate since both Collin and I are of German descent (especially Collin - his last name is Gebhard, for goodness' sake!). I definitely wanted to incorporate some traditions that would be unique yet fitting for us, so I looked up German wedding traditions and came across this one. It's called Polterabend, and it's where on the eve of our wedding, our close friends and family members come over (most likely to my parents' house) to celebrate and watch while Collin and I break a bunch of dishes... Which we then have to clean up. Haha. It's cool, though, because it signifies the last thing that will ever be broken in our household as well as us working together and resolving things. I think it's neat... We'll see if my parents think so...

For more updates...

- The work on the dress is just beginning! I talked to Caitlin today, and she is working on sketches. Yay! I can't wait to see how this all turns out. :) Haven't been to any more shops (snowed in!), but perhaps next weekend. I think I've got a pretty good idea now of what I want, though, so I may not have to do much more looking.

- We should have a decision on the photographer/videographer soon, hopefully! My mom and dad are narrowing down our options, and Collin and I will help make the final decision.

- Still researching DJs... One has come highly recommended by a bridesmaid's sister, and I'm trying to get more info on him. He is well within our budget, which is of course appealing.

- I've narrowed down my cake ideas to two, and I've narrowed down the bakers to two as well. Next step for this is tasting! :) I might try several bakers just to taste their cakes... Haha.

- I've been doing a lot of research on table decorations, and I have lots of great ideas... But I'm still open to suggestions, by all means, so if you're good with designing on a budget, please comment with ideas!!

- Invitations will probably be by David's Bridal since they are the most affordable and have some really nice options. But I really love the work of this girl: http://jesslehry.wordpress.com/. Definitely need suggestions for Save the Dates, though, and I would prefer to do magnets for those.

In other news, Collin's parents and a couple of his siblings will officially be coming down here in March! They will meet my parents for the first time. :) And maybe we'll get the rehearsal dinner squared away!

I think that's about it! I would appreciate any feedback or ideas you have, so feel free to comment. Thanks!

I'll keep you posted as we mark stuff off of our checklist! ;)

C & A

Snow Day!

I don't have a lot to post right now, which is why you haven't heard from me in a while. But to give you some news unrelated to the wedding - we got SNOW! And not just a little... We got like 5 inches. It's awesome! But it means that I'm stuck inside today with nothing to do and nowhere to go, haha. I was supposed to meet a couple bridesmaids at David's Bridal today to try on my top-choice dresses and so they could try on bridesmaid dresses, but we had to cancel because of the snow. Unfortunately, we are not well-equipped to handle significant amounts of snow here in middle Tennessee, so the roads are a mess.

My dog Molly is enjoying the snow even more than me! She absolutely loves it; it's adorable. We went sledding with my friend/bridesmaid Amber yesterday, and it was the most fun I've had in a while. I also took tons of pictures of Molly in the snow... I felt like such a mom. :)

My schoolwork has slowed down a little, too, thankfully, which means now is the perfect time for more wedding planning! Stay posted for updates!

C & A

Venue? CHECK!

A decision has finally been made on our venues!! Collin and I will be getting married at Clearview Baptist Church, and our reception will be held at Old Natchez Country Club. :) I'm sooo excited that we were able to make Old Natchez work! It was definitely my top choice, and it's going to be way less stressful than the Factory, though the Factory is very pretty. We will make the deposit this week - thereby making it official - and then start tackling everything else on my lengthy list... But I already feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders now that the venues are set, which means our date is set as well!

So, mark your calendars and SAVE THE DATE: September 4, 2010!!! :)

Also, I tried on dresses Saturday for the first time, and it was actually a big success! I was kinda nervous about it for some reason, and I ran late to my first appointment, which stressed me out even more. But everything went really well, and I started feeling like a bride for the first time since getting engaged. :) I think I feel a little self-conscious sometimes because I am a younger bride; I feel like people don't take me as seriously, or assume that I have no idea what I am doing. And maybe I don't, but who really does?! I'm doing the very best I can, and I'm super excited, so anyone who judges me or tries to bring me down can just go find another target! Plus, I just secured two venues in two weeks, I have a binder full of all the paperwork and policies of everywhere I've looked (highlighted and with questions), I have started research in all areas (from cake to DJ to photographers), and I am always finding new ways to stay under-budget. Take that, naysayers! ;)

On the other hand, I fully realize that for every person who tries to rain on my parade, there are five more people handing me an umbrella. I have more support now than I've ever had before - from my family, my friends, my sisters, my awesome future family, and of course, my sweet fiance. :) I am more blessed than I deserve, and I am forever grateful for the wonderful people in my life who encourage me daily. Collin, in particular, is really stepping up to the plate by putting up with my freak-outs, breakdowns, and constant wedding chatter, which I appreciate more than he could possibly understand. Though the stress gets to us sometimes (it's inevitable), we've managed to keep our priorities in line, and we always come out stronger than before. I definitely couldn't do any of this without him; he is the most important person in the world to me.

Thank you to everyone for all of your support and encouragement! We're definitely making progress, and I'm excited to see where this journey takes us next.

God bless!

C & A

Nashville Bridal Show = CRAZINESS

Yesterday I went to the Nashville Bridal Show with my mom, and it was insane! I didn't know so many people even lived in Nashville, much less women with rings on their fingers. I got to wear a flashy pink "Bride!" sign around my neck - to my amusement and slight embarrassment - as I was approached by well-meaning vendors and had my mouth stuffed with cake bites. It was a bit overwhelming, to say the least, but pretty informative. And thankfully, a lot of the vendors offered discounts for bridal show attendants, which may prove to be useful. I don't know whether or not I will actually use any of the vendors, but it was still good to get an idea of price range and services. I came home with a bag full of brochures, contracts, and business cards, and immediately trimmed the pile by dumping all those which were over-budget or undesirable. No use in wasting my time, right?

I also talked to a sorority sister who was a September bride last year, and she offered me lots of advice on vendors. The more I talk to other brides, the more plausible everything seems. Everyone is on some sort of budget, after all, though you would never know that from the abundance of advertisements featuring "real brides" with flawless make-up, complicated hair-dos, ballroom gowns, diamond jewelry, and 3-carat rings either standing in the doorway of an ornate cathedral or sitting at a reception table with velvet tablecloths and centerpieces of long-stemmed roses. Right.

It's especially bad here in Franklin - one of the most affluent cities in the country. When reality sets in that this dream wedding just isn't possible, it can be disappointing, and it can make the planning process a little more stressful and a little less blissful than for those whose only limit is their imagination. But, whenever you do find that rare gem that is close to your dream for less than your dream budget, you feel even more accomplished. I WILL have a beautiful wedding, and I WILL do it on a budget. I'm already learning that attitude is everything.

I have an appointment tomorrow with Nashville City Club, and two appointments on Saturday at bridal stores - Faccio Bridal and David's Bridal. I'm planning on scheduling more appointments for later this week at a couple other venues. Hopefully the venue will be settled before long! I'm starting to get a little anxious, even though I've only been searching for about a week and a half.

So, followers - all 3 of you - look for updates this week!

C & A

Dress? Check. Pastor? Check.

I must be the luckiest girl alive. Collin has an older sister named Caitlin who lives in L.A. with her husband and recently graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Furthermore, she currently works for Saks Fifth Avenue Bridal in Beverly Hills as a bridal consultant, and will soon begin working as a consultant for Vera Wang. Her dream is to open her own bridal line, and guess who her first client will be? :)

Yes, that's right, I'm going to be wearing a custom-made wedding dress! How exciting is that?? Every girl dreams of her perfect wedding gown, and now my dream will be possible thanks to Caitlin. I can't wait to get started!! At this point, I need to start figuring out my preferred style, fabrics, and silhouette. I already have some ideas, but I need to start trying dresses on to see what works well on me.

The concern with custom-made, of course, is cost. I don't yet know my budget for my dress, or even for my wedding, so it may prove to be very challenging. The most expensive area may be the sewing - should professional seamstresses have to step in - or the fabric, depending on how intricate the dress is and what fabrics I choose. But Caitlin has assured me that we will discuss ways to make my dress work within whatever budget I have, and thankfully we won't have to pay the mark-up prices you see at retailers. So who knows how this project will go... but I trust Caitlin to make a beautiful dress, and I am very excited to work with her on it.

So, dress.... check! (Well, sort-of)

Another wonderful connection Collin has in his enormous family is pastors - he comes from a long line of them! Collin had always wanted his grandfather to officiate at his wedding, but when it came time to ask, he was so nervous! He called him on our way to the airport, and his grandfather told him it would be an honor and a joy. Hooray! Collin was beside himself with happiness, and I shared in it. After all, this is going to be my family, too. :)

Pastor... check!

So far things are coming together quite nicely. That's all for official news at this point, but be assured that I'm doing daily research on all areas! ;)

C & A