Soaking up the sun in ???

Jacob decided on our honeymoon destination! He is booking our flights this week. For those of you who didn't know, we decided early on in the wedding planning process that the destination would be kept a secret from me; a surprise to look forward to during the insanity that is wedding planning.

Having a fiancé who is willingly, and lovingly, taking the reins and getting this dream vacation planned for me is divine. I love that he wants to surprise me with this. I literally do not want to know where we are going until we are on the plane on September 19. It is kind of nice not having to worry about this, as I am up to my eyes in other details.

Seriously, I cannot tell you how excited I am about this trip. I could not tell you the last time I took a serious vacation...aside from the weekend roadtrips with friends. Getting away from it all and starting our marriage off on a beautiful getaway sounds absolutely perfect to me. Best of all, we plan to attack the pile of boxes already at Jacob's (my belongings) and get situated prior to the wedding so we can fly home and just "be" before diving head first back into work (and legally changing my name, and those other fun post-wedding projects).

The one thing I do know about the destination is that it is a tropical locale. (Don't worry, insurance and other precautions will be taken should a sudden September hurricane arise!) So come September 19, we will be soaking up the sun on an exlusive beach somewhere, margaritas in hand. Oh and wishing my new brother-in-law a very Happy Birthday! :)

DIYing my way to the alter

I love making things. Have ever since I was a little girl. Pretty sure that comes from my Mom who has always been dubbed as crafty. Seriously. You could give the woman a sock, glitter and a mason jar and she could turn out something really cool. (A female version of MacGyver, my mom!)

Since I like that sort of thing, and to add extra flair to our wedding, I am working through an extensive list of DIY projects that I created. Over the MLK day weekend, I got a few projects finished (wreaths for the church doors, decor for the reception site front door, etc.), a few projects started (large cardstock signs that say "Thank" and "You" for a special picture, etc.) and even had time to contemplate more.

For instance: I really like the idea of using bouquet charms in the bridesmaids' bouquets (and mine of course!). However, I was having a hard time coming up with how this would be feasible (without spending money on kits I came across online). After pondering on this for a few days, I may have come across a way that could potentially work:

I will use flat bottom marbles, pin backs and some glue...

...to create custom, one-of-a-kind bouquet charms for the wedding day bouquets.

My plan is to cut tiny round images, glue them to heavy white card stock and glue the flat sided marble to the front of the image. I have seen similar projects just like this for the creation of magnets, push pins, etc. Instead of affixing the marble to a magnet or push pin, I will glue the marble to a pin back, as long as I can find pin backs in the appropriate size.

If not, I will have to play with other ideas, like maybe two marbles per pin, etc. Instead of being a true bouquet charm (they typically hang by a ribbon from the bouquet), these will have the ability to clip to the ribbon holding the bouquet together. And after the wedding, long after the bouquets wilt, the charms will be able to clip to another surface!

Not sure that this project will work, but I want to at least try it!

What images will I use for these you ask? I think I would make each one different to represent my friendship with each girl. For instance, with Erin, I could use a tiny image of a Skyline Cheese Coney (because we LOVE Skyline Chili!). This could be fun. So many things could work! As for my bouquet, I may see if there is a way to shrink an image from my Mom's parents' wedding to use for my charm.

I plan to gather the supplies for a first attempt this weekend. Will definitely keep you posted on how they turn out!

Planning for Post-Honeymoon Life

The average amount of time it takes to plan a wedding is between 12 and 18 months. How much time do these couples actually put into planning the rest of their life together? I was told that it is much less (somewhere on the total other end of the spectrum). Maybe that is a factor in the huge divorce rate of this country?

To get married at our church (Southland Christian Church), couples have to go through a four week pre-marriage class with other engaged couples. It is led by two couples, both have been married for several years. Topics discussed range from marriage expectations and communication to finances and intimacy. These classes are supposed to spark conversation amongst engaged couples and give people the tools they need for a good start to their marriage.

Our classes began earlier this month. For four Wednesday nights in a row, we are meeting in the atrium at Southland to talk, laugh and grow. I have already learned some really pertinent things (last night's "fighting fair" session was particularly useful!).

I think this class (and the topics learned) is extremely important in our growth as a couple. To continue this growth, we have several things in mind for the remainder of our engagement, including us reading"The Five Love Languages" together. (Great book for all couples!)

Yes, planning a wedding is time consuming, but planning for the rest of your life together is so much more important. Who cares how lavish and finely planned your wedding is if it is planned without contemplating what happens after the honeymoon?