Photos from Glen Arbor

I'm Back!

Greetings to my three loyal readers.  I'm so sorry about my absence...but I have good reasons, I promise.  Three weekends ago, my parents came for some super-wedding shopping.  We found an amazing outfit for my mom to wear to the wedding, which was a huge relief because she had been looking for forever.  We also found several dresses for me, which was lots of fun!  I now have an adorable dress to wear for my Michigan bridal shower in a couple of weeks, an amazing rehearsal dinner dress, and a day-after brunch dress (which I believe will double as an engagement-photo dress).  Two of my three dresses are not online anymore, but feast your eyes on my rehearsal dinner dress:

(image courtesy of J. Crew)

Isn't it gorgeous?  I love the color, plus it's cashmere so it feels super luxurious.  I think it's both casual and elegant, all at once, and I can't wait to wear it!  I have a great pair of black suede mary janes with patent leather bows that I think will look great with this dress.  Thoughts?

I also purchased the wedding earrings I wrote about a few posts ago from Swarovski, which are gorgeous, and some wedding perfume (Armani Code) and a few wedding-day lip products from Dior (lip liner, lipstick and lip gloss).  Definitely a shopping-filled weekend, but lots of fun!

The next weekend, I flew to Chicago and then drove up to northern Michigan with Lisa and Randy for our friends' Chris and Liza's wedding.  They got married at the Homestead Resort in Glen Arbor, Michigan, which is on Lake Michigan.  I haven't been to northern Michigan in years, and we just had such a great time spending time with college friends.  It was like a little reunion!  I'd love to attach a few photos from the weekend, but adding photos in blogger is really frustrating me.  Look for my next post, which will be completely photo-themed.

I returned home this past Monday, and on Thursday night, Matt flew back from Indiana!  He has been gone a month, and I have been crazy lonely without him.  We've had a great, relaxing weekend while we gear up for our big move to Bloomington - which is happening a week from tomorrow!  I can't believe that our time in Virginia is finally coming to a close.  

So, there it is.  My excuses for not blogging in two weeks.  I hope you will forgive me!  

Absolutely Gorgeous...

...but not my color scheme.  If I were having a spring/summer wedding, I think I would absolutely  love something like this:

(image courtesy of Style Me Pretty)

I just love the champagne/blush/ivory color palette.  It seems very refined and elegant.  I also just saw someone's wedding photos, and the bride was wearing this very same wedding dress!  How coincidental...

Anyway, I came across this color palette (also courtesy of Style Me Pretty, of course) which fits my November wedding a little better...

I love these colors.  This palette just looks so rich and beautiful.  We are using one of the above elements in our wedding...but I'm going to let that be a surprise!  I can't give everything away now, can I?

Eye Candy

I don't really have anything interesting to write tonight, so I thought I would post some gorgeous photos from Jessica Claire's amazing photography blog.  

I have quickly become mildly obsessed with reading her blog and seeing her drop-dead gorgeous photos.  These are all posted on her blog, which you can read here.  You should definitely take a moment to breeze through the first few pages - wow, wow, wow!!!  I love some of her detail shots, and, well, actually, I love everything about her photographs!

Hello, Lover

Can I just share with you how obsessed I am - still - with my wedding shoes?  I purchased them several months ago for an undisclosed price (as in, I refuse to share the exorbitant price with the general public) and, well, they are amazing.  Hello, Lover.

Well, they are amazing, right?  What can I say, kate spade knows her stuff.  I can't help but notice my new love of all things kate spade.  We have registered for kate spade china, kate spade vases, I have these gorgeous kate spade shoes, and...well, I guess that's it.  If I had my way, I would have a kate spade clutch to match for the wedding day.  But also, if I had my way, someone else would pay for it.  

What I love about these shoes is that they have character.  And, I can wear them again and again - and I will!  I have already started planning outfits that incorporate these shoes, after the wedding.  I keep the shoes in the shoe box, and each shoe is individually wrapped in little plastic bags.  Yeah, I'm protective of them, but wouldn't you be?  I just can't wait to wear them on the wedding day!

Adorable Wedding Photo

I just discovered that Jenn put different wedding photos on her MySpace page than she posted on Facebook.  Excitement!  I came across this incredibly adorable photo of, of course, the two of us:

Well, I just love this photo.  I remember this moment very vividly:  we just had to peer out of those little blinds to see who was already sitting in the church, waiting for the wedding ceremony to begin.  I have made a note to see if my photographer can take something like this, as well.  Love!

Details

When I think about my wedding planning, I feel like I'm doing pretty well.  Dress?  Check.  Ceremony and reception location?  Check.  Invitation designer?  Check.  Bridesmaids, and bridesmaid dresses?  Check.  Matt's suit and tie?  Check.  Incredible vendors?  Check.  Oh-so-fabulous designer shoes?  Check.  You'd think that everything is taken care of.  Right?  

Wrong.  Lately I've been thinking about all the little details that still need to be taken care of.  Like, ceremony programs.  What am I going to do about those?  I'd like to make them.  But how?  And what should they look like?  What format should they be in?  And the out-of-town guest welcome bags for the hotel rooms.  What should I put in there?  What will seem personal and thoughtful, albeit mass-produced?  And, most importantly, how much will they cost???

I've also been thinking a lot about my bridesmaid presents.  I keep having fabulous idea after fabulous idea about what to include, but...I realize that I have to narrow the list down, as each gift must be multiplied by four.  Well, really, I should multiply each item by five, because I want everything I plan on buying them!!!

Other little details:  how exactly am I going to wear my hair?  I have two styles that I love and are relatively similar, but I'm not 100% sure about either of them.  And, what should I put in my hair?  A little comb?  A cluster of combs?  A little sparkly hairpin stuck somewhere?  And what about a second pair of shoes for the reception, in case my feet start hurting?  Should I get a pair of silver ballet flats?  Or something with a little wedge heel??  Will I even need a second pair of shoes????

Yeesh.  Just writing about all of these unknowns has ensured that I'll have another wedding nightmare.  By the way, I've had two extremely vivid ones this week.  

One great thing about the wedding (one out of a gazillion, clearly) is that I have an excuse to buy some truly fabulous clothing and accessories.  After months of looking, and a few disappointments, I believe I have found my wedding earrings, courtesy of Swarovki Crystal:

Wow, they are just gorgeous.  I initially wanted a small drop earring, but after extensive online research, the earrings I saw in person just didn't cut it.  I didn't want anything too big and dangly, because I knew my ears would start hurting - plus I really don't want the earrings to overwhelm the dress.  Also, I am likely wearing my hair at least partially down, and since it will (hopefully!) be extra pretty, I wouldn't want the hair to fight with the earrings.  These look absolutely gorgeous in person - like diamonds! - and I think will add just the perfect amount of sparkle to my ears.  What do you think?

Milestones

Matt and I have a lot of milestones coming up.  Well, one just passed:  Wednesday, July 30th, was Matt's last day in the Army.  Technically, he gets out on September 28th, but he is now on terminal leave.  I cannot believe that this day is here - I remember when we were celebrating his two-year mark.  I could not be happier that he's done, and can move on to other ventures!

Today, Matt and Oscar left for Indiana.  Matt is going on a two week trip with his dad out west, and then at the end of the month, he will fly back here to Virginia.  Oscar will stay with my future sister-in-law and his doggie cousins.  On September 8th, our movers come, and on the 9th, we leave our little apartment for forever and move to Bloomington, Indiana.  It always seemed like our move was distant, in the future.  Then, suddenly, I gave my notice at work, Matt finished work, and now he's on his way to Indiana.  I know that these few weeks will fly by, and then suddenly, we're moving!  And a mere two months later, we're getting married.  

When I write it all down, it seems like there's a lot going on - but I can't help but feel giddy and excited for what's to come.