Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Today I am highlighting the song I hope to use during our "grand exit" from the reception, Going up the Country by Canned Heat, a '69 Woodstock classic. LOVE this song! And if you listen closely, the lyrics are pretty on base with us leaving...a perfect fit! One of my most favorite parts of the song:

Now baby, pack your leaving trunk, you know we've got to leave today
Just exactly where we're going I cannot say, but
We might even leave the USA

Since our honeymoon destination is a surprise to me, this is perfect! Click on the video above to listen to the song.

Rainy Day Memories

As our engagement photo session has been postponed today due to terrible weather (i.e. cold, windy, rain...), I thought I would share a taste of our wedding tunes with you today.

I'm going to start with one reception moment that often has the most cliche music selection...the father/daughter dance. Allow me to first preface by saying I am not a Butterfly Kisses kind of girl. Not at all. (And no offense to those who have and will use that song in the years to come...my lovely sister Katie included.) Instead, I thought about my Dad, and my relationship with him, to find the song that we would use.

It did not take long to think about The Beatles and their extensive song list. Some of my earliest music memories involve my Dad and his collection of Beatles albums. Whittling down the song options was the toughest part of this selection...but ultimately, I chose In My Life, from the Rubber Soul album. Dad is enthused with this idea. A win-win scenario in my book. Click on the video above to hear it!

Strike a Pose

In just a few days, Jacob and I will be heading over to Keeneland for our engagement photo session with Mary Lashbrook. So excited!

And it looks like we may get our wish...we really wanted a cloudy/rainy day for the session (love how days like that appear in pictures!) and it looks like rain for Monday. Just praying for a little warmer than what the forecast is predicting (a cool 59 degrees), but it is what it is.

This weekend, we will be figuring out our attire. I am wearing a mauve/pink color dress that is really silky and super cute. But I still need to figure out shoes (considering some cute strappy sandals)...and now maybe even a sweater to wear over it for a few pictures. As for Jacob...that will be the real project this weekend (wish me luck!).

I have scoured the Web looking for poses and ideas for our shoot. And I found some pretty cute ideas! Here are a few of my favorites:

Photo from Image Jolie:

Image from Jennifer Creed Photography:

Image from Melanie Mauer:

So that was just a sneak peek of what to look forward to in our engagement shoot. Stay posted for how it turns out!

A Taste of Things to Come

Last week, Jacob and I attended an open house at Keene Run with my mom and his parents.

This event was put on by their catering service, DaRae and Friends, to showcase the venue as an event spot and display their tantalizing food offerings...and let me tell you, the food was amazing. I tasted things I have never tried before (like shrimp and grits...wow) and sampled old favorites with a new spin (DaRae's pimento cheese was to die for!).

Ultimately, it was really great to see the clubhouse full of life and people. A hint to what it will look like on our wedding day. Also, I enjoyed examining the space inside the clubhouse to create an idea of where my DIY projects could go, how things could be set up, etc. Prior to the wedding, and once I have more stuff together, I plan to go back down to Keene Run for a few sample photos. Much to get organized!

The pictures I took were not that great, but here are a few to get a better understanding of what the space looks like:

This one doesn't do the front justice, but you can see the stairwell leading from the parking lot to the entry...a perfect place for large, ripe pumpkins to sit and greet the guests:

Ignore the random people...this is the front entryway. Very elegant and spacious. Large entry table on the right, perfect for the guestbook and some photos, among other things:

Right beyond the entry is the bar area. Very upscale and seating space is available in there. The bar is rather decently sized...and a large TV is viewable above the bar (perhaps guests can watch a football game or something if they want...):

The large dining space down the hall is divided by a half wall and pillars. The decor is very understated and classy. I love it! The tables and chairs are gorgeous...no need for tablecloths on these tables:

There is a wrap-around porch at Keene Run that is pretty much amazing. There will be seating, more than likely, on all sides of the patio. Also, there will be high top tables for people to mingle. The outside tables, brought over from the pool house/rented, will certainly need some extra pizzazz, so tablecloths will definitely be needed:

This shot was taken a little further away, to get a fuller view of the back of Keene Run. If the weather is nice, we may set up tables on the sidewalk like they did for this event. I love how spacious this venue is!

Well there you have it...a sneak peek at Keene Run Golf Club! So excited to share this venue with everyone.

First Wedding Gift!

We received our first wedding gift last night! Dear friend, and bridesmaid, Crystal, gave Jacob and I two necessary baking items, a muffin pan and a glass Pyrex measuring cup. Love it! These will certainly come in handy, especially considering my current 12-cup muffin pan was a Goodwill find when I first moved out of my parents' house in 2005. Time to upgrade!

A very big thanks to Crystal for this wonderful Birthday gift (and first wedding gift!). Now...we really need to get cracking and finish those registries...

Gratz Park Inn...here we come!

Jacob and I got a wonderful birthday surprise yesterday...his parents reserved a room at the Gratz Park Inn for us on our wedding night! This is so exciting!! Up until yesterday, we were toying with the idea of staying at the house on September 18. But now, we will get to stay somewhere cozy and romantic!

All photos from Gratz Park Inn.

A big thank you to Debbie and Jerry for this fabulous surprise!

A Very Happy Birthday

Today is Jacob's Birthday! Hard to believe that he is 27 now...

Here is a photo of us from the open house we attended last week at our reception site, Keene Run Golf Club. Look for an entry this week on our experiences and to see a few photos!

In the meantime, Happy Birthday Jacob! I love you and cannot wait to marry you!

Making a Grand Exit

So many weddings these days don't have a "grand exit." You know, when the bride and groom leave the reception to a crowd of people waving sparklers, blowing bubbles, throwing confetti (eco-friendly of course), bird seed or, in the old days, rice.

My sister's wedding last summer had an exit from the church where we blew bubbles at them...it was cute and the photos turned out adorable. Bridesmaid Anna's wedding a few years back had a grand exit...they left the Bell House to 100 Years by Five for Fighting and a crowd of people saying goodbye to them from the porch. It was a really touching moment.

But other than those two occurrences, I cannot recall another grand exit at a wedding I have attended. In fact, a lot of weddings I have been to see the bride and groom through the end of the reception...even after the lights flash back on and the DJ pulls the plug. I have even attended weddings where the bride and groom attend after-parties and hit the bar scene after the reception comes to a close.

So not feeling that. If I had it my way, Jacob and I would leave the reception a good 45 minutes before the party ends (we will see if I can talk him into this...). AND we would have a grand exit from the golf club. In fact, I am hoping to have guests out on the patio and down the front stairwell waving sparklers at us as we hop into our getaway car. If possible, I also plan to ask the DJ to play a specific song as we leave...Going up the Country by Canned Heat. LOVE that song and the lyrics are pretty fitting too!

I am picturing something like this:

What do you think about this idea for our grand exit?

Oh Hoppy Day

Do you think it would be possible to have Hocus Pocus (our pet lop rabbit) join in on the wedding day festivities? Initially, we (or at least, I) toyed around with the thought of having her hop down the aisle at the ceremony. Or at the very least, place someone in the wedding party in charge of getting her into the chapel to join in on the fun.

That idea has since been scrapped, as the church apparently frowns upon pets being included in services. AND Jacob thought it was a silly idea...which is probably for the best since Hocus is not a very big people person...and she does not like to be carried...and with our luck, something would happen and she would end up running wild through one of the largest churches in this part of the country. Not a good combination.

However, I am trying to convince Jacob into letting Hocus at least be a part of the photo session prior to the start of the ceremony...how cute would that be??! If we could figure out someone to pick her up at home/get her to the church/take her home again, it might be possible...

Our most recent "family" photo:

Invitation Design Process

I may have told you that I am planning to make my own invitations for the wedding...as well as RSVP cards and programs and other misc. other signage as needed.

To begin this rather intimidating task, I have been looking around at various paper suppliers and the kinds and colors of paper they offer. So many choices! I don't even know the exact color combination I want to use...perhaps varying shades of green or orange with an ivory color?

I have gone ahead and requested numerous samples so I can try a few color combinations together. I would ideally like to create a mock-up of our wedding invitation prior to placing an order of hundreds of sheets of paper.

The template I am using is something I came across online from the Budget Savvy Bride...it will create a pretty basic invitation (see below):

Once the paper comes in, I will take it all to Kinko's for them to cut it to the dimensions I need. And then the assembly process begins! (Print...layer...assemble..done!)

At this point, I am not sure how decorative I will get with these invitations (aka what kind of design will adorn the top of each). I have not come across a design or pattern yet that I particularly like...at least enough to put on our wedding invitations. Maybe I will end up creating something myself? Maybe something like our monogram...or J and K...like below:

We will see how these ideas pan out...

Once I get a little further along in this project, I will definitely share my progress!

Take a seat

Are wedding reception seat markers for the bride and groom a have or a have not? I am kind of torn with this DIY project idea...this isn't something I have seen a lot of in weddings I have attended, and the photos I have seen on the Web leave quite a bit to be desired. The ones I have come across are typically labeled with the usual "Bride" and "Groom" or "Mr." and "Mrs." like the ones below:

These are not bad ideas at all; they just do not reflect us as a couple.

I realize we will spend very little (if any) time sitting at our table...thus making seat markers not a super important decor project. But it could be a cute touch (and would reserve our seats for when we do try to sneak a bite to eat!).

If this is something we end up wanting, I will certainly make it a DIY project and will go with "K" and "J" letters...painted in a shade of burnt orange or emerald green and tied to the chairs with a ribbon in a corresponding color. This "theme" would go with another piece of decor I have been DIYing for the wedding...you will see in September!

Time flies when you're having fun

One year ago today, Jacob asked me to marry him! So hard to believe it has been that long already. Time really does fly, eh? Only 5 months and 15 days until our Big Day...

This photo was taken on April 6, 2009 at the Melting Pot...three days after we got engaged.