Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Not only are we lucky in love (cue the cheesy AWW!), but Dan and I have also had our fair share of good luck with winning a contest or two lately. I'm not sure why we have been so lucky, but I'm not going to question it too much! The Man Registry hooked Dan up with a "groom"ing kit and we also won a super-deluxe kitchen trash can from OneWed and Simple Human. We went back to The Man Registry a few days ago and bought a very stylish tuxedo T-shirt for Dan to wear to the rehearsal. Can you guess which version of this fashion classic he chose?

As you might remember from some time ago, I also won a contest from The Relentless Bride and got to design my own custom wedding garter from Hand Crafted Creations. While I'm not going to let just anyone sneak a peek on our wedding day to see it, I wanted to be sure that everyone knew how beautiful it turned out to be! I'm so happy with it, and am glad to have my "something blue" ready to go for the big day! Thank you, Victoria Joanne!

The Forgotten Blog

So if you check on our blog from time to time, you've probably noticed that it's been quite some time since we've posted anything. We've been way too busy getting everything lined up for the big day -- it's less than three weeks away! Things seem to be coming together as they should, but between work, raising our hairy children, trying to get in shape for the wedding, attempting to learn how to dance and pulling together all the wedding details, our dear little blog has been quite neglected!

We've came to find that one of the biggest stresses of wedding planning (besides a never-ending to-do checklist and budgeting!) is trying to make sure that we get what we want out of our day without offending anyone. It sounds simple on the surface, but it gets oh-so-complicated when you get in the thick of it! One element of the wedding that I have given some thought to was the idea of having a dollar dance at the reception. Is it tacky? Is it all in good fun? Opinions vary pretty widely. As a guest at past weddings, I never thought dollar dances seemed tacky and always had fun giving the bride or groom a few bucks for the chance to goof around and dance with them for a bit. But once we started talking about our reception, I got a little worried that guests might think it seemed like we were a money-grubbing bride and groom! And while weddings aren't cheap for the couple, we certainly know that guests are absorbing expenses to join us on our big day too!

So we thought we might come up with a bit of a compromise - we'd love to get to dance with our guests but don't want ya'll to think we want your money! As some of you may know, both of our families have been affected by Alzheimer's and we have raised money for the Alzheimer's Association in the past. What you might not know is that Dan and I were REALLY LUCKY and were the grand prize winners of the QUASH Sweepstakes in Indianapolis this year. The money we won was a HUGE help for us to be able to plan our wedding without having a lot of extra stress over the budget. So, we're thinking we'll do what we can to repay the Alzheimer's Association and do a dollar dance but give all the money to the organization.

What do you think? Does it a charity dollar dance sound like a good idea to you?

Bachelor/Bachelorette Party Weekend!

If you need to reach Dan or me this weekend, take a number! Dan will be celebrating with his friends in Louisville, while the girls and I are off for a FABULOUS weekend in Vegas, baby!

Dan's Surprise 30th Birthday Party

Sorry it took so long for me to share the photos, but here are a few of Dan's 30th birthday party!

The Big 3-0!

Today is Dan's 30th birthday! Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate at this surprise party last Saturday -- he was very surprised! I'll post photos from the party soon...

In the meantime, here's a photo of Mr. 30 making a tough guy face with Brad, his nephew and one of our ringbearers!

It's In The Mail!

Well, not quite yet... but tomorrow we'll be mailing our wedding invitations. My friend, former roomie and bridesmaid Kim Abbott (pictured below) designed them, so if you like the way they look -- compliment Kim, not us!

Please RSVP online at our TheKnot.com page.

THANK YOU, KIM!

DIY, Take Two

What, you didn't think I would have a DIY weekend and only complete one project, did you?! After finishing our wooden wedding box on Saturday, I needed a Sunday project! Dad and Janet came up to Indy for a cookout on Friday, and they brought my perfect subject with them!

Here's a before look at the porch swing I bought at Grandma & Grandpa's estate auction:



I decided that red would spice up our white house with bluish gray trim! And I must say, I think it turned out quite well (with the help of Dan & Dave, who took care of the hardware aspects!):



I also painted a birdhouse to match... sorry, no photos of that to share. Next step is painting our front door to match! Ah, I hope Grandma & Grandpa would be proud... they were so much better at DIY projects than I am!

DIY Weekend

Dan and I had a fun, relaxing 4th of July weekend-- cookouts, shopping, fireworks. We managed to squeeze some wedding productivity in too! I snagged some reception decorations from a former bride I found on Craig's List and we stopped by Men's Wearhouse and changed our tuxedo choice-- the guys will now be dressed in chocolate!

A while back, I came across a blog post about a wedding tradition from Holland. Indianapolis Wedding Blog offers a better description than I can write:

The Wooden Wedding Box Ceremony has recently been introduced in the United States but comes from Holland. The couple getting married is to find a strong wooden box that will hold one bottle of wine and two wine glasses. The couple then writes letters to one another, expressing their thoughts about good qualities that they found in their partner and the reasons for falling in love with each other. Without reading each other’s letters, the couple is to seal them and put them in the box with the wine and glasses.

The wooden box is taken to the wedding and during the end of the wedding ceremony, the officiant will announce to the guests that the couple has written letters to each other and put them in the box with the wine and glasses. The officiant will explain that should the couple ever find their marriage in serious trouble, before making any irrational decisions, they must open the box, drink wine together, and read the letter that they wrote to one another to reflect on why they fell in love with each other in the first place. The hope is that there will never be a reason to have to open the box until the couple’s 10th wedding anniversary celebration.

At this time in the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom are handed nails and a hammer, and each hammers in a nail to seal the box shut. The rest of the ceremony continues on in the traditional way, but your guests will be talking about what a unique and touching idea this was and will remember your wedding as one that stands out above the rest.

Unfortunately, I don't think we're going to be able to include this in our ceremony. However, Dan and I both really liked the idea so we decided to go ahead and do it... just not during our wedding. We'll probably hammer it shut the day before, but we decided to go ahead and get started on it early. WoodenWeddingBoxes.com sells boxes, and while they are nice enough, I figured we could make our own! So that's exactly what we did. I found a plain wooden chest at Hobby Lobby:

I burned our names & date into it:

Couldn't forget to include the date I made it on the inside:

And then I stained it. Voila!

Next, we're going to have Father Wilmoth bless the box. And then we'll fill it with wine, glasses and our letters, hammer it shut... and open it on September 26, 2019!

Congratulations Rose & Courtney!

Just wanted to quickly share to pieces of GREAT news from two of my bridesmaids! Rose was accepted to the University of Pennsylvania's Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Health Core Studies program. She and her husband, Graham, will be moving to Philadelphia in August. I'm so happy for her to be on her way to becoming a doctor, but of course... I am sad to see her leave Indy! We have been here together for seven years now! :(

Also recent news-- Courtney's boyfriend Nathan is now her fiance! He proposed a few weeks ago when they were on vacation in upstate New York. Dan and I couldn't be happier for them -they are wonderful together! I'm also very impressed with Dan... he actually knew Nathan already had a ring for Courtney but didn't tell me -- he was afraid I would be too excited and let the secret slip to Courtney.

Congratulations girls! Now we will have even more to celebrate in Vegas... only four weeks until the bachelorette party!

Rose & Graham

Courtney & Nathan

Fitting Numero Uno

It seems like most of our weekends have been really busy with events other than necessary wedding planning steps. But last Saturday I finally got to take a really important step-- going to my first dress fitting. Mom and I went together, and she helped me try on veils for the first time. I had never seen myself in one, so it was a fun experience... and a little weird to see myself in something so elaborate. We found one that we both agree we really like, and we might actually try to recreate it ourselves. Grandma made Mom's veil, and she is hoping to be able to make mine too. We'll see how that goes-- hopefully we can find the right lace and tulle to make it happen! Oh, and I would share photos from the try-ons, but can't... don't want Dan to spot them!

The actual dress fitting went really well too -- the seamstress was really sweet (which was a nice surprise-- that's not the adjective I would use to describe most David's Bridal employees!). She even made me feel better about how I look in the dress, since I had a minor freak-out a month or so ago and decided I should lose 10 pounds! I'm working on that, but it's good to know that even if I don't drop the weight, the dress will work. I can't wait to go back to see the changes that are being made... but I'll have to be patient- I don't pick it up until August 21!

Engagement Photos

Yippee! I figured out how to add a slideshow from Flickr to our blog. Enjoy!

Engagement Photos

I've posted them on my Facebook account. So, if you're on Facebook, check them out! And if you're not on Facebook (like Dan), I will hopefully get around to sticking the rest of them on here soon... Stay tuned!

Alas...

...we did not win the Today Show wedding contest. If you missed it, the finalists were on the show this morning - you can learn about them here. I'm not very sad about it. (I write, as I have a single tear streaming down my cheek - cue the violins!)

I don't have time to be sad about it - I won another contest instead! And while it's not an entire wedding, it is a pretty cool prize... and one aspect of the wedding that I haven't given much thought to yet! I've won a custom garter from Handcrafted Creations' contest on The Relentless Bride. I'm a little overwhelmed-- there are so many different options from which I get to choose! So, check out some of the garters they've made, and let me know if you have any suggestions for us! What do you think the groom will like?

Oops!

Sunday's Summary missed one important thing. Our application for the Today Show wedding has been signed, sealed and delivered! Well perhaps it has not been delivered yet, but it was postmarked Friday, just in time to meet the show's deadline. Our fingers are crossed!

Sunday's Summary

Today was a fun day! My *FABULOUS* friend and bridesmaid, Kim Abbott, took our engagement photos. Here are a few, and we'll be posting more soon.

We also wanted to let you know that we have updated our website on The Knot. We will likely be having our guests RSVP on the site, so please familiarize yourselves with it! You can also see a few of our other engagement photos there.

In case there are any other shoe lovers out there, I am so freakin' excited about my wedding shoes that I just found this weekend. Aren't they stunning?

Any Requests?

We're really excited about the DJ we have booked for the wedding. We picked theSimpleDJ because they aren't cheesy like so many other d-bag DJs we've all seen at other weddings. Plus, we get to create our own playlist for the entire night ahead of time. So... if you're coming to our wedding, sorry, but there won't be any song requests that night. Just let us know ahead of time if there are any particular songs you'd like to hear. Leave us a comment here!

I've already vetoed the Electric Slide, and the Chicken Dance is on the list.

We Came, We Saw, We QUASHed

Dan and I had a great weekend. Today, we went to a Catholic marriage preparation retreat...some parts were awesome, some were mediocre. Overall, we came away with some new knowledge and more insight into what we need to work on for a successful future together.

Yesterday was a ton of fun. For the second year, we ran all over downtown Indy to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association during the Quest to Unravel Alzheimer's Scavenger Hunt (QUASH). For 2.5 hours, we followed clues across downtown and went everywhere from the Scottish Rite Cathedral to the Slippery Noodle to the Eiteljorg Museum. I think we logged about 4.5 miles. We didn't come anywhere close to winning-- and we didn't expect to because we knew from experience that some of the other teams are serious competitors. For us, it gave us a chance to raise money and awareness for a disease that has affected both of our families and spend a day cooperating and having fun together. If you would like to help, it's not too late -- you can still contribute to our Alzheimer's fundraising efforts by visiting my personal QUASH page or Dan's.


Pre-QUASH excitement:

Dan in post-QUASH exhaustion mode:

Today Throws A Wedding

Every spring, the Today Show has a special contest for engaged couples. I've always loved watching the finalists compete for the chance to have their dream wedding on the Today Show! Like so many other hopeful girls, I've always watched the show and thought about how amazing it would be to share your big day, and all of the pre-wedding planning, with a national audience! Many of you know that Dan isn't as outgoing as I am (and have even commented that my blogging / his lack of blogging is perfect evidence), so he will probably freak out if we actually make it into the finals. We aren't even going to hire a videographer, in part, because Dan is a little nervous to be on camera. I'm in PR and he's camera-shy... I guess opposites really do attract!

I've checked out the contest requirements and we seem to meet them, so "we" are going to apply! The application asks us to provide a bit of information about YOU - our friends and family. Specifically, the producers would like to know what you think about the idea of us getting married on the Today Show. So please help us - post a comment and tell us your thoughts so that we can incorporate them into our response!

Thank You

Just wanted to extend a big "Thank You" to all everyone for your sympathies following the deaths of my Grandpa (March 25) and Dan's aunt Linda (April 7). While both funerals were very sad for us, the services were beautiful tributes to both of their lives, and we really enjoyed getting to see relatives and family friends again (or in my case, getting to meet a few of Dan's relatives for the first time!).


When we weren't at funerals in the past couple of weeks, we've been busy getting the house ready to sell! We just met with our realtor tonight, the papers have been signed, and it will be officially listed tomorrow! Our goal is to sell it and buy a new one before the wedding... keep your fingers crossed for us!

Just Ordered...

...BRIDESMAID DRESSES!

I'm so excited that we found these great, full-length strapless dresses in chocolate brown. I just placed the order and can't wait to see them in person, and of course, on my bridesmaids!

We had the chance to check out the linen colors at the Edelweiss last Saturday, so I am really looking forward to seeing how all the colors look together.

An added bonus of last weekend was that Dad and Janet were in Indianapolis, so we had the chance to show them the church and the reception venue. They liked them both, but Dad was a little concerned that the dance floor might not be big enough for him to show off his moves! Look out!

Here We Go A QUASHing!

This has nothing to do with the wedding, but is a cause that is close to both of our hearts -- Alzheimer's disease research, support and care. Dan's maternal grandma had Alzheimer's, his paternal grandma had dementia and my paternal grandma was somewhere in between. Watching them struggle through the confusion and mental anguish hurt us both, and of course, was heartbreaking for many of our family members.

Last year was the first year for QUASH - Quest to Unravel Alzheimer's Scavenger Hunt. When I found out about it last spring, my Grandma Lucile was in the nursing home and it seemed like each time we visited, there was a little less of the grandma I grew up with there. It was terrible for our family and I want to do anything I can to help prevent other families from watching their grandparents and parents suffer from this terrible disease.

We had a great time QUASHing last year, and I'm excited to raise more money for Alzheimer's research again this year. If you'd like to learn more about QUASH or want to support my efforts, here's a link to my personal QUASH page. The event takes place April 25 in downtown Indianapolis.

The Dress

I really want to dish all the details about the dress, but since Dan can't know anything about it before he sees me walking down the aisle, it will have to remain a mystery to you too! I bought it on Monday and was pleasantly surprised that it only took me one week and a few shopping trips to find The Dress.I can, however, show you a few photos of dresses that did not make the cut!



Oh, and here is a look at the dress that I thought I would love, but then tried it on and decided it wasn't quite me.

Finally... A Post in March!

It's been a little while since we've written much on here, but we've been so busy with preparations! Things are really coming together, and we now have a good idea about how many elements of our special day will turn out!

We've met with a couple of florists - Steve's Flowers and Distinctive Designs. Not sure exactly who will be going with yet, and we've thought about the DIY route too... but I'm a little nervous that the bouquets might look like more like a first grade project than wedding flowers! Our flowers will probably be shades of red and orange - we want it to feel very much like autumn. We're thinking of using mums, spider mums, circus roses, alstroemeria and some carnations.

It hasn't been purchased yet, but I am SUPER excited about my dress! I've been shopping a couple times in the past week and have found one that I absolutely love at a price that absolutely can't be beat. I won't write any more about it though, since it must remain a secret to Dan!

Dan and I both have really good ideas about the wedding bands we'll be getting. Dan is leaning toward black tungsten, but hasn't picked out the exact design he wants yet. I'll probably have mine custom-made at a local jewelry store so that it can fit to my engagement ring perfectly. And while I don't necessarily want it to be fancy, I really want to have both of our birthstones in it - ruby for Dan and pink tourmaline for me. And we're also going to put a few diamonds across it which can be replaced with children's birthstones in the future. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

We're also looking at options for our cake, which will probably be chocolate-frosted with either strawberry or raspberry filling. And we're even going to get a groom's cake for Dan. No, it will not be a bleeding armadillo a la Steel Magnolias!

Weekend Update

Dan was, ahem, conveniently sick today. So he missed out on the bridal show fun, and we didn't make it to Crate & Barrel either. Luckily, my mom stepped in and went with me to the show. We picked up some good info from various vendors, so it should help with the planning process!

We'll find out if we passed our Catholic marriage inventory in a couple of weeks... cross your fingers for us! :)

A Few Random Photos with My Bridesmaids

Tiffany, my cousin - we grew up together (obviously)

Ashley, my friend from Millhousen - we worked together at Stone's

Courtney, my friend from college - we lived together in Greece

Rose, my friend from college - she lived on the floor below me freshman year

Kim, my friend from college - we were randomly selected roomies freshman year

BIG Weekend

Ever since Dan proposed, it seems like all of our free time is spent planning the wedding! This weekend is no different. Here is a look at what we have coming up:

1. A visit with Michael at Michael's on Mass. I need a haircut anyway, but I'm hoping that we can plan out my hair's next seven months so we'll have an idea of what to do with it for the wedding. I threatened Danny that I might shave it all off, and he didn't flinch... but he did say that he would prefer to see my hair in an updo on our wedding day.
   
2. Next up is a trip to see Father Wilmoth at St. Roch. We'll be among the 500,000 Catholic couples who take the FOCCUS Marriage Inventory. I'm a little nervous, but I think we have pretty much already discussed all the topics that we'll be asked about on the questionnaire (kids, finances, etc). We'll see how it goes!
3. Sunday morning we are headed to Crate & Barrel for a special wedding event. We get to roam about the store with a scanner to register for the goodies to make our house a little more homey! We'll probably also register at Target, but haven't really got that far yet!
4. Sunday is a busy day, because after Crate & Barrel, we are going to the Perfect Wedding Guide's Bridal Show. Let me tell ya, Danny is really looking forward to it!

We also need to start talking with florists, and I have to start dress shopping - for myself and with my bridesmaids: Rose Case, Ashley Hermesch, Courtney Poulos, Kim Abbott and Tiffany Rambo. It will all come together in the end, I just want to get as much done as possible early on to lessen future stresses!

Have a great weekend!

Day 18: Update

I was feeling really overwhelmed with the entire wedding planning process up front, and perhaps I am still a little stressed, but we have accomplished so much in the first couple of weeks!

• Set a date: September 26, 2009
  
• Booked a church: St. Roch
• Have an officiant that we are SUPER excited about: Father Wilmoth. He's so kind-hearted, and hey, if he is good enough for Sarah Fisher, he's good enough for us!
• Booked a reception site: the Edelweiss at the German-American Klub. We couldn't be happier with our selection - the management is very accommodating, and we just tasted the food tonight. It is delicious, but the real kicker is that there will be lots of great German beer a flowin'!
  
• Booked an awesome photographer - Invention Pictures.
• Just about to book our DJ - The Simple DJ. The best part? They aren't cheesy and we get to put together our own playlists. Which means that there will be NO Electric Slide, but we will be doing a commemorative Chicken Dance!
  

Now we just need a dress, a tux, invitations, a honeymoon, rings, etc, etc, etc! It will all come together eventually, and we are excited for every moment of it!

We Have Lift Off!

Saturday morning Dan and I met with Fr. Wilmoth at St. Roch. Everything went really well, and no, I did not burst into flames when I walked into the church. We are both very excited to have him perform our ceremony, which will be held at St. Roch on September 26, 2009. So far, that is the only major detail we have confirmed!

This week, we are hoping to determine where we will be holding our reception. Grafton Peek ballroom in Greenwood is definitely not an option... we met with the owner on Saturday and both of us were extremely frustrated by the time we finished listening to his used car salesman style schtick. Dan confessed that he had several violent thoughts regarding what he could do with a pair of scissors on the man's desk when he refused to let me get a word in edgewise. Overall, this was the worst experience of our wedding planning so far!

After our disappointment, we decided to drop by Valle Vista Golf Club & Conference Center and had the opposite experience: the staff was very friendly and helpful. We have a follow up appointment on Wednesday and are excited about the possibility of having our reception there.

Yay, let the planning games begin! According to The Knot, we only have 229 more days to go!

Pre-Game: Dan's Side of the Story

So, here's what Carey didn't experience on Super Bowl Sunday:

After I talked with Carey’s dad, the scramble to figure out a way to create a unique, unexpected, and romantic event was all over my mind. I had to figure out some way to get Carey out of the house and put this together for under $100.

Then as luck would have it, I got a window of opportunity. Carey’s college friends wanted to meet for lunch around 11 am, and I knew that she would be gone for about an hour. I started to think about what I could do and where I could propose without raising her suspicions. How about something at the house… flowers and candles in an unexpected room of the house… or maybe some little set up with the mail… or, well, I didn’t have many ideas, but I had an hour.

So around 10 am Carey received a phone call and it did not end with her being happy. See Carey can get, how I should say it, feisty when she’s not in a pleasant mood and not eating all day is a quick path to that end. So after hearing that the lunch plans are off (and knowing she was hungry and cranky), I had to scramble once again, but I couldn’t just tell her to leave the house for an hour. So I did what most guys do when faced with a difficult situation… I got grumpy. Great, now both of us are feisty! Of course, since Carey always knows everything, she came up with the idea that I was cranky because I wanted to nap. Thanks honey, that was what I needed! So I ran with the idea and eventually talked Carey into going to lunch with one of her best friends, Rose, so that I could stay home and nap.

Now came the exciting part… I had to find a ridiculous amount of flowers and candles for under a hundred bucks… not very likely, but possible. I drove to one, two, three flower shops and they were all closed… after all, it was Super Bowl Sunday! After those failures, I decided that Wal-Mart has a flower/outdoor area and wanted to see what they had.

So I went in and… NOTHING… I mean absolutely nothing. Well, I did find some ferns, but come on, a hundred dollars worth of ferns isn't exactly very romantic. As I made my way to the candle aisle I was in panic mode. I grabbed 15-20 candles and then got the bright idea to buy fake flowers… sixty dollars worth later, I was ready to go.

Ok, now picture this. It’s Super Bowl Sunday. I’m in Wal-Mart. I’m walking around with… no, not pizza or chips or beer, but one hundred dollars worth of candles and flowers. I was starting to get really embarrassed and darted to the quickest line…turned out to be the slowest. I actually was diverting my eyes from all the other people in there in an attempt to keep my ‘man card’ from being revoked!

I made it though, and after a few beers to calm my nerves, Carey got home and it turned out really well. I did have to put blankets over the bedroom windows to soften the fake flower look! So kids, the moral of the story is if you want to get engaged on Super Bowl Sunday, make plans ahead of time. And, most importantly, don’t buy everything at Wal-Mart!

Introducing...

BRADLEY PETE! He's our first official member of the wedding party, and was intensely excited when we asked him to be our ring bearer last night. We even told him he could wear his cowboy hat during the wedding, and when I mentioned that he would be able to walk down the aisle with a pretty girl, he responded, "Mommy?"

The Knot's wedding planning book that Rose gave me said that it is now acceptable to have a dog serve as your ring bearer. Hhmmm, does anyone really want to see Dozer drooling his slime all the way down the aisle?!

We're Engaged!

Yay, Dan proposed on the most holy of holidays, Super Bowl Sunday! I knew he was planning to at some point soon, well at least I hoped, since we've dated for two and a half years and have lived together for quite a while now. After all, poor Dozer and Harley deserve to have legitimate parents, don't they?

The proposal was a surprise though. I was very oblivious to Dan's purpose for trying to get me to get out of the house, but I finally left for lunch with Rose. After we ate, I was on my way home and Dan told me he was really tired and trying to take a nap, but couldn't fall asleep. The nap line was believable, because he woke up at 4:00 that morning! He asked if I would come back and take a quick nap with him before our Super Bowl party guests came over. I was momentarily distracted by the dogs and Roxy when I first walked in the front door, but then I made it into the bedroom. The first thing I noticed was the smell. No, it wasn't a normal Dan smell, but the fragrance from the 30 or so candles he had lit in the room. Then I noticed all the flowers that were everywhere, and I started thinking to myself, "Hmm... is this what I think it is?" Indeed, once I figured out that he was standing up, and not laying in bed trying to nap, I knew what was happening. He got on one knee, and told me how much he loved me and that he wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. I said yes, but mostly, I giggled. Some girls cry, but for whatever reason, I was so happy and excited that I just couldn't stop myself from giggling uncontrollably. He didn't know what was wrong with me!

Everything about those moments alone together was perfect, and I was so happy that we already planned to have all of our friends coming over in a few hours... it was so wonderful to share our special day with everyone! My ring is beautiful, and was definitely worth the wait (just like Danny)!

Oh, and it turns out, the 4:00 am wake up call was so that he could go down to Greensburg to ask my dad's permission over breakfast... Aw, isn't he a sweet guy?