THE DRESS (that's right....THE one!!!)

Another breakthrough in wedding planning happened last Saturday (Oct.25th)!

The search for the dress had only begun 3 weeks earlier. It all started the 2nd week of October at the White Room in Helena, AL. I got word that they were having a sample sale, but was sure I wasn't going to be able to make it since Mark and I had plans to go out of town that weekend. As luck would have it though, we decided that we would return early on Sunday so that Mark could get in some more study time for the FE (Fundamentals of Engineering Exam) that was coming up pretty quickly. After we made that decision (on Friday) I decided I'd call the White Room to see if by any chance they had any open appointments on Sunday (after 3pm) during their sample sale - turns out they did!! So I made an appointment then sent a text to my two B'ham bridesmaids, Deana and Ruth Ann. By some miracle they were BOTH available to go to the dress shop with me on Sunday! (on a side note...we are all usually really busy and its nearly impossible to get together, much less to get all 3 of us together!) So things were working out just perfectly! :)

At the dress shop on Sunday I tried on some beautiful dresses. I ended up narrowing it down to 2 and then started looking closely at price (I gave the saleswoman my budget for my dress on the way in and she was going to "police" our search based on that). Unfortunately, even with the sample sale discount (in some cases 50% off!) the dresses were STILL out of my range. They were very beautiful though, the saleswoman was amazingly patient and helpful and kind, and we had a wonderful experience there. I would definitely recommend The White Room - if you can afford it ;)

The next weekend my mom came up from Montgomery, AL to go dress shopping with me once again. This time I went to the Carriage House in Homewood, AL and The Something Blue Shoppe in Hartselle, AL (a little over an hour's drive from Birmingham!). The Carriage House had some beautiful dresses (hello Monique Lhullier and her beautiful lace! Another stand out was Christos), but once again the dresses were quite pricey! So we headed up to The Something Blue Shoppe where i had heard they had beautiful designer (yet more price-friendly) dresses. Our time there was limited because they close at 4pm on Saturday (like most dress shops around Birmingham - which i think is RIDICULOUS! I mean come on...does no one work??) So I grabbed as many dresses as I could to try on in a little under an hour - of course I went over that time and the sales ladies (somewhat) patiently waited for me. We left the store about 4:45 or so i think :) During that flurry of dresses there was ONE that stood out. It was beautiful and flattering and romantic and stylish and I couldn't get it out of my head all week! Unfortunately, that shop doesn't allow for pictures to be taken in the dresses (dumb!) so I didn't have anything that i could go back and stare at...errrr, i mean reference. :)

So this past Saturday my friend (and bridesmaid) Deana went back with me to check out that dress...as well as others since I hadn't had much time there the week before. We chose several dresses for me to try on as well as "the possible" dress. I tried on all the other options first and then put on THE dress. :) It was as beautiful as I had remembered. With the veil I had tried on the week before it was the perfect mix of modern/vintage (which for those of you who know me know that's totally my style). Deana even started to get teary eyed!! :) I knew this was it. Deana and I managed to sneak a few pictures in the dressing room so now i have a few (although not the best) pictures to gaze longingly at until the dress comes in :) Which the dress should be here by mid-February...I can't wait!! 

I have to admit I had a small battle with anxiety right after i ordered the dress. You see, as I've mentioned before, I'm "slightly" obsessive. I always have to research and research and think and make lists and research some more before i make important decisions. And I couldn't believe I had already ordered my dress just 3 weeks after i began searching! I think that's a record!! My mind started to freak out a bit though - had I looked at enough dresses? What if there was something better - for {gasp} a better price?? After about 15/20 minutes my mind began to settle down. What was I thinking? I LOVE this dress. This dress is AMAZING. This dress is THE DRESS that I'm going to be wearing while I marry the man I love with all of heart, my best friend, the love of my life. :) I'm SO excited. 

(and NO Mark...I'm not going to post any pictures! those are under lock and key :) ...you'll just have to wait! )

I love this Bouquet.

Not much time for an entry at the moment, but I had to share this bouquet. I love it! It's so soft and romantic and so garden-like. I love the colors and the texture. I could do with a little less greenery in the middle between the peony and the ranunculus, but overall it's pretty close to perfect!

A *little* switch-a-roo

So...we'll start this entry with a little background...

when Mark and i got engaged it was a total surprise to me. I mean, I knew in my heart that we'd eventually be married...I just didn't know when. Mark and I had never talked about engagement rings and certainly had never gone to look at them...i had never dropped any hints or anything. So, the ring Mark picked out was an emerald cut diamond ring from Levy's Jewelry in downtown Birmingham. They told him when he purchased the ring that no wedding band had been made to go with it and that he might have to have one custom made. 

Fast forward to us getting engaged and several months later going to look at bands..... we looked everywhere. Seriously....everywhere we could think to look in Birmingham. None of the bands i tried on looked good with my ring. My ring has a unique curve in it where the diamond sets and the curved bands didn't fit nor did the straight ones. The diamond setting also wasn't high enough for a band to slip in under it. So, we realized that our decision was going to come down to 2 options. 1 - have a custom band made to go with my ring or 2 - switch the diamond into a setting that comes with a wedding band. After MUCH thought and searching we decided to go with option 2. We switched the diamond into a different setting. We found an amazing setting that came with a band at Diamonds Direct in Birmingham. The people there we so friendly and helpful (they don't work on commission!) and the set was an awesome deal. It actually ended up being less for us to change the setting than it would be for us to have a custom band made. So we ordered the setting and 5 weeks later it came in. I went today to make the switch.....and here's the result:

I love it!!

It turned out so beautiful!!! I could not even imagine it would turn out so well! I couldn't be happier. I had so much anxiety about this decision. I'm such a sentimental person...I felt so torn making this decision. But...in the end, the thing that settles my mind and my heart is that I am able to keep my original setting. Mark and I plan to put a sapphire in that setting and I'll wear it as a right hand ring. The thing that makes me happiest is the thought that Mark and I will have 2 rings to pass down to our children and their children and on down. :)

and just for good measure (what started this entire process!) here's a shot with the matching wedding band...

I'm still getting used to seeing this ring on my hand. It's so strange to look down at my hand and see this ring instead of the ring I've worn throughout our engagement - 8 months now! And...I still have a piece of the other ring on my hand...the main part actually!...the diamond and the sentiment of my man! :) 

Wedding Website

So in addition to having a wedding planning blog, I decided that Mark and I needed a wedding website - one that was actually for us (not just me like this one!) :) It was also very important to us to make the travel plans as easy as possible for our guests. With a website, we can put up to date information, accommodation info, travel, directions...even a way to RSVP online!  So I did a little research (mostly through WeddingBee where there is TONS of referrals, reviews and advice!) and I decided on MyWedding.com. I had a few requirements for our website, which this service happily met:

1 - it has to be free

2 - it has to be customizable 

3 - it has to give us an easy domain name

4 - it has to have lots of different features (ahem...pictures, please!)

5 - it has to have additional pages I can add for the info of my choice

6 - it has to be easy to navigate for our guests

7 - it absolutely cannot be super cheesy (you know the wedding websites i'm talking about here!!)

AND...as a HUGE PLUS...you can add music on this site, as well as take music requests from you guests! YAY! Any of you that know Mark and I know that music is a very very big part of our lives so this feature was just a huge added bonus to us!

Here's a link to our page: www.mywedding.com/markandliz

And here's a screenshot of the welcome page (minus the verbiage): 

I'm not done with all the pages yet. For example, I haven't uploaded our picture album yet or added all of the music that we want to add (although i did make sure to put up the song that Mark wrote for me - awe...how sweet) :) but everything I've done so far has been super easy and user friendly. So...I'd definitely recommend them!!

big BIG News!!!!!!!

WE HAVE A PHOTOGRAPHER!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited and so relieved to say that :) So...who did we book?? McLellan Studio from Franklin, TN (right outside of Nashville). Their work is amazing and I'm so excited that they will be our photographers! These guys only book 15 weddings a year so I'm so glad that we were able to book them. So, enough about the details...let's get to some of the images!!

These pictures are all from a wedding they did last September. All images are owned and copyrighted by McLellan Studio.