The Save-the-Dates

The Save-the-Dates all went out a week or two ago. (Time blurs for me now.) By now everyone should have received theirs, so I feel like I'm safe posting the image.

Here is the front:

And here is the back:

The quote on the back is something my mom found. I've tried searching for its origin on the internet, but everyone attributes it to "Anonymous." It definitely fits our theme, though.

Again, I want to apologize for my atrocious handwriting on the envelopes. They needed to get done fast, and I was the only one willing to do it on a short notice. The invitations will look much nicer, I promise!

The Gown!

On May 10th, I went with my mother, my cousin, my aunt, and my grandmother to David's Bridal in Rensselaer, NY. I didn't go in with any specific style in mind, but I knew what I didn't like. I don't like lace or tulle, and I was nervous about something without straps or sleeves, because I've never had any luck keeping a halter top up!

When we first walked in, I checked in, and the manager could not find me even though I had registered. I suspect this was due to the wedding being over a year out, and maybe their system doesn't go that far. So they weren't able to find any dress I had marked as a 'favorite' on their website. No matter, I was introduced to Patty, and she brought us back to a dressing room. She asked a few questions about where and when the wedding was, looked at me, asked my height, and went to the back to pick some dresses. 

While waiting for Patty to come back, I was frantically trying to connect with my other grandmother via Skype on my phone. She lives in Florida, and was unable to be with us. After some technical glitches and phone calls we got through to each other, and she was able to enjoy the day with us.

I tried on four dresses that day, and the fourth was The One. The first was much like the fourth, but slightly different in color and threading. Here are pictures of gowns 2 and 3, which I ultimately decided against:

 

 

I really liked the back on this one, but apparently it was a real pain to tie - and snap. It had snaps!

 

Ultimately, the one I chose wasn't in a style like any of these. When I tried the fourth one on, we knew. Patty knew. She came back with shoes with a 5-inch heel so I could see what the dress looked like at the proper length (I couldn't walk in them at all, and after a while standing hurt!), a tiara and a veil. Everyone cried. I cried. My mom cried. Even my grandma on Skype cried. (I'm told even my grandpa, whom I didn't know was watching, also shed a tear.)

When I had made my decision, they made me make a wish, and ring a bell, and then everyone clapped. I felt a little silly, but whatever. I'm sure it's just to let other salespeople know that Patty made a sale. :p

Is it a little early to be looking at gowns? All the wedding websites say 6 months out, and here it was, more than 12 months out and we're looking at gowns. Turns out, that 6 months doesn't cut it anymore! It now takes them 5 months to order the dress in the right size, and then another month or two for alterations, so we went in at quite the right time.
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Well, I'm glad that's out of the way! Next step: bridesmaids' gowns in July.

The One-Year Mark

The wedding will be one year from today. Exactly. We didn't do anything special today because Jeff had to get some car repair work done, but yesterday we went to PF Chang's and then saw Godzilla, so I'll say that counts.

Happy negative one anniversary, Jeff! <3

That's it. Just wanted to make a post marking one year. :)

The Last Few Months

I know, I've been slacking in keeping up this blog, and I apologize. Here's what's been going on the last few months. Keep in mind there's not a lot I can say while still keeping the element of surprise alive.

The Song:
The song is a song I picked years ago when Jeff and I first started dating. We were listening to the specific soundtrack in the car, and we both enjoyed the song. I said "Wouldn't this make a nice first dance song?" and he agreed. Since I won't reveal what the song is, I will instead reveal what it is not.

Our song is not:

• My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion
• Love Shack by the B52s
• White Wedding by Billy Idol
• Can You Feel the Love Tonight by Elton John
• Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley
• The Rains of Castamere from A Song of Ice and Fire

Jeff says: If I hear Rains of Castamere at any point during the evening, I am bolting for the exits.

Sarah adds: Bolting? Bolton? Pun?

The Dance:
Luckily it was pretty easy to find a dance type for this song, and after a few months of practice, we have our dance! It's not very difficult and it's pretty easy to remember. We still need to polish it up and continue practicing during the next year, but it's nice that we've already gotten this taken care of.

Our dance is not:

Or:

Or:

In fact this last one is banned from the wedding. No one is allowed to ask the DJ for this song. :p

Jeff says: Wait... it's not the Macarena? I've been practicing the wrong dance!

The Shoes:
I have my shoes! They're a little strappier than I expected, and the heel isn't as high as I expected, but I think they'll be perfect for a May evening. :)

Here are some of the shoes that I was considering, but decided against. (Serious this time, no jokes.)

The Save-the-Dates:

We ordered our Save-the-Dates from Vistaprint, and I love them. They are perfect for the theme! They came in a few weeks ago. Finally, yesterday, I was able to gather everyone's address, so these will be going out sometime next week. 

I will post a picture of the Save-the-Dates once they've gone out. Don't want to ruin the surprise now, do we?

Additionally, I want to apologize for my terrible handwriting on the envelopes. The invitations will be either professionally written or printed. -_-

The Engagement Shoot

I apologize for the delay in this post. We've all been busy with the holidays, and vacations, and trips, and illnesses, and game launches and play openings that I just have not had time to write up the most recent step in wedding planning. About a month ago, we had our engagement photos done!

I hadn't even considered getting engagement photos done originally. Shortly after our engagement, mom said she wanted Kate to take the engagement photos and that she'd cover the costs. Well who was I to say no to a free photo shoot? I arranged it with Kate and about a month ago, she and her brood (her husband Matt, and her two children Cassie and Allie) came down to Mass for the day. The plan was for everyone to go down to the park in which Jeff proposed and the shoot would take place there. It's a beautiful park, even if it was a little cold that day, and everyone had a blast!

At first - due to scheduling conflicts - we were worried that we would not have Naomi for that weekend, but it turned out that we did - and I'm so glad it turned out that way! When these three little blond girls all get together, the cutest things tend to happen:

While on the walk, the girls all lined up on this log and posed for a picture without any prompting from anyone. That's Naomi on the left, Allie in the middle and Cassie on the right. I do wish that these girls lived closer together and could see each other more often. They all have so much fun when they're together.

In addition to Kate's clan being there, my parents also joined us on the trip. It had been a while since I'd seen them and I was glad to have them along. Also, they brought the dog!

Naomi loves animals, and she spent a good deal of time on this trip walking Sammi. Sammi is an Australian Kelpie, and quite a senior dog. She was very well behaved with Naomi. 

One of the things we did on the shoot was re-create the proposal. We went down to the little 'beach' area, and Jeff put down the white stones in an X again. 

But it was November, and this area of the woods was very muddy. And of course the girls could not resist playing in the mud:

See the mud on her nose?

Of course the main point of this trip was engagement photos, and we will eventually be choosing one photo to put on our Save-the-Date cards. I will leave that one as a surprise, but put here some of the other photos that we loved.

This one here is by far our favorite photo, but we really can't think of a good use for it:

The Talons

I'm a nail biter. Not only am I a nail biter, but I'm also a nail picker. I admit it. Some may think it's a nasty habit, but it doesn't bother me at all when I do it or when others do it. It's a habit I've had since - I assume - my fingers have been dexterous enough to do it. Many of my family members have attempted to break me of this habit to no avail. "They'll bleed," I've heard, "They'll get infected," "They'll start to be in-grown." None of these arguments have ever come to pass. My nails are fine and always have been, regardless of the way I 'trim' them.

We've scheduled engagement photos to be done this weekend (more on that in a future post), and since I know my hands will be a focal point in the shoot, I have been resisting shortening my nails. It has honestly not been a difficult task. I've done it before just to see if I could and it's pretty easy. It's not stopping the habit that bothers me. What bothers me is the length of my nails now. I hate it. It's the worst, and I don't know how any of you people deal with long nails. You're all crazy!

I can't type well now. Typing is slower and with every keystroke I end up hitting my nail instead of using my fingertip. There's the sensation in the shower when the water goes under my nail and hits the soft, sensitive fingertip underneath. It's frickin' weird. I constantly have to clean out dirt and food from under them. Whenever I have an itch, scratching it actually hurts! And my nails right now aren't even that long compared to what's popular among the ladies. Jeff and I plan to hit the rock gym next weekend, and just the thought of a nail accidentally scraping against the cement wall is enough to make me grind my teeth. Luckily the photo shoot is Saturday, and then I can go back to the bliss that is short, short fingernails.

Well, until the wedding that is...

The When and Where: Updates

Confirmed! The wedding will be taking place on Saturday, May 16, 2015. It will be an evening affair at the Beardslee Castle in Little Falls, NY. Save-the-Date cards will be going out early next year once we have done the Engagement Photos and make up the invitation list. Watch your mail for them!