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Happy Planning!

Tom & I meet while attending the University of Cincinnati when I was a freshman in 2004. He graduated in 2006 with a construction mgt. & engineering degree. He currently is working for Turner Construction on the Queen City Tower downtown. I just graduated in March from UC with my BS in biological sciences & a minor in physics. I'm currently attending Mount St. Joseph getting my masters of nursing (MN so I will be an RN) & I graduate in August of 2010 so I'll have about a month to relax before the big day!

We have been together for over 5 years now & have 2 very spoiled dogs, a beagle named Gordie & a coonhound name Jack. We're HUGE UC fans so we spend almost every Satuday watching our Bearcats & on Sundays I take over the TV to watch the Steelers :)

          PAWrade: meet Robin Hood & Friar Tuck
                                                 & nbsp;   

Tom propsed on Valentines day of 2009. I was completely in shock especially because all week he had acted like he had no clue that Valentines day was that weekend, so needless to say I was a little upset when I left for work that Saturday morning. When I got back he had gotten me a dozen roses & a card (I should have known then b/c he never gets me cards) & told me to change for dinner. We went to the piano bar of Celestial & then went to our table (with a city view) plus another dozen roses and a bottle of champagne. He popped the question after the first course (I guess he couldn't wait) & of course I said yes!

We decided on October 2, 2010 as our date because it was my grandparent's and my great grandparent's wedding anniversary so I think it will be an extra special day that I can share w/ my grandma.

A very blurry ring shot, I'm going to try to get some better ones

FI decided to go with a tungsten band and my ring has a matching band with baguettes.

We got like 100 pictures back so I picked a few of my favorites. All our pictures turned out amazing. I'm so happy with them. Lucky Clover Productions (now Locust Street Studio) took them in August for us and they have been wonderful to work with!

The ceremony will be held at 1:30 in the afternoon at St. Monica St. George by the campus of the University of Cincinnati.The church is beautiful and Fr. Al is wonderful.

Because all of the flowers stay in the church we're not really going to decorate. I'm going to have an "In Memory" arrangement made for the alter and then we're going to put something on the reserved pews.

We aren't writing our vows but we are required to memorize the ones in the book:
I ___ take you ___ to be my husband/wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad and in sickness and and in health. I promise to love you and honor you all the days of my life.

We will be having the reception at the Phoenix in downtown Cincinnati in the Grand Ballroom. We are going to hire a local lighting company to do uplighting & pinspot lighting because he hates that it does have pinkish walls. I think I'd like to do amber uplighting to give the room a glowing effect. FI would like to do a pattern on the ceiling like the one seen in the picture. I love the Romeo & Juliet balconies & the huge chandeliers.

I'm sooo in LOVE with these toasting flutes. There the Park Avenue Toasting Flutes from Things Remembered :)

If I don't get these the Tara set are really beautiful too and so are the serving set that matches. They were on sale on Things Remembered for $100 for both.

Cardbox:
My wonderful Dad is going to help me DIY my cardbox. I bought 4 black frames on sale (5x7) & I'm going to put our e-pics in them. I was going to screw them but he suggested just gluing (sp??) on a box we made and then painting the top black to match the frames. So it will look something like this but without the white border around the pictures:
(Road to the Aisle)

We ended up screwing the frames onto the side of the box he made and then he screwed it on a lazy susan he bought at Home Depot. The top he made out of wood and covered it with a black damask material. I don't have any pictures of it but it turned out so well. Everyone loved it!

The BM's are wearing black and I liked the darker reds to try to stay true to the fall colors but I know with the black dresses the color will be lost so I'm looking for pinks, creams (because my dress is ivory I dont want to use white) & greens to help it pop.

Bouquets:

My aunt is doing all of my bouqets and all the ceremony flowers for my wedding gift (soo amazing!!) so instead doing a variety of the flowers like I had originally wanted we're now going go to do garnet glow calle lilies. Because she's paying for them & I want to rein in the costs. Plus, I'll get my variety at the reception & I used the 1st bouqet to show my florist & I can't wait to see what she does for our CP's :)

The girls will all carry a dozen of these calla lilies and they'll be wrapped in a dark pink with ivory pearl pins.

My bouquet will be composed of the same calla lillies and ivory roses. So, something like this but with more flowers and I really want the sparkly pins so my aunt said she could do that :)

Centerpieces: 

Tall & Short

(From the Knot)I'm not going to do this with red, instead I'm going to do it with the colors of the 1st bouqet at the top. AND I just found out today that my wonderful aunt/godmother will be doing all the flowers minus the cp's as my wedding gift (happy dance).

I would like to do something like this for our head table, with the votives and floating centerpieces. I'm also going to get some vases for the girls to put their flowers in too.

BOOKED OUR FLORIST :) She's amazing and she really understands what I want. I showed her the bouqet above and she decided to use the beautiful pink & red flowers below. I can't wait to see them when they're all together.

Flowers she would be using plus curly willow branches, the crystals inside of the clear vases & hanging votives plus some greens for the tall ones and for the short ones they would look like the picture above with the same flowers listed below & crystal in and around the vases:
Pink Kangeroo Paw:

Pink Cymbidium Orchids
 
Red Cymbidium Orchids

Pink & Red Ranunculus

Red Dahlias

And Deep Red & Pink Roses

Corsages:
We're doing rose corsages and I found this rose and I really like the pink with the ivory & one would probably  be enough so they wouldn't be too bulky/

 Carmen Rose

The FI has decided he wants cheesecake instead of regular wedding cake which I think I can do for him seeing that this is only the third thing he has asked for (the other 2 are a good DJ & then calla lillies).

Cheesecake :) Inspiration:

FI loved this one so this is what we ended up going with, we didn't do the hexagons though because of the extra cost, just squares. We had Jerry's Cheescake in Milford, Ohio do it and they did an awesome job. The cheesecake was sooo good! We did White Chocolate Raspberry, Turtle and then an Almont Butter Cake layer with Strawberry filling Mmmmm.And this is what it looked like:

It was champagne colored with ivory accents.

How gorgeous is theis cake?! I would LOVE to do this but I can't imagine how much just the flowers cost :(

OK, I keep changing my mind about cakes BUT my Mom and I found this in Martha Stewart's Wedding 

The next two are from theKnot

For the top we're going to use an arrangement of flowers that match our centerpieces.

                                                           & nbsp;                        I'm in love with these shoes. The Christian Louboutin Silver sling backs. Still looking for a cheaper but similar shoes.

These are from Aldo, kind of similar and much cheaper

These are from rsvp

Paris Hilton heels:
Not in gold, maybe pink (if my Mom doesn't kill me haha)or silver

I ended up getting these from DSW they're Steve Madden Luxe.

Earrings:
I found these earrings on Esty from OWD Bridal and I love them but I'm going to keep looking because there just a little more than I want to pay:

 Diamond Nexus Lab These are pretty expensive too but I have found some similar ones by Nadri.

I've decided to wear my mom's ivory pearls so I'm now looking for something that has pearls and some bling but aren't too big/long.

 These are by TrinketsbyLisaT from etsy.

  Or these in cream from cocktailbling.com

Hair Inspiration
 

Garter:

I love this garter from hellodesigncrew on etsy. I think it goes great with my white/black theme.

The girls will be wearing black cocktail dresses because I want them to be able to wear them again, plus I want them to spend money on something that they love just as much as me.

 BM Dress Ideas:

**08/23/09**

We went to Bridal & Formal today with with my MOH & one other BM. We fell in love with a Valenta dress. We are looking to get it in black BUT the dress is $225 & even with the discount for getting all of our dresses there the dress is still $190 and I know the 2 that were with me can afford it but I'm worried about the other girls so we decided on a second dress from Besolie. Both in black & both can be worn again. I'm thinking if most of the girls are ok w/ the price then I will do like a $50 gift card towards the dress to make it $140 and then get them smaller gifts or something not sure yet....*sigh*

AV9982 The dress is duet satin and that's what gives it that shiny appearance BUT we found out that if we did it in all black it wouldn't be shiny which what we wanted. We liked this one because we liked the top and that it was more of straight cut also it doesn't look like it goes to to one side.

 ***We found the dress for the girls at a price less than the bridal salon & that everyone is willing to pay :)** 

I think we're going to order this dress from David's Bridal for my cousin Hannah (my jr. BM). I'm having it shortened so she matches the BM's.

The girls in their gorgeous dresses :)

I got the Hannah Vera Bradley bag for my Jr. Bridesmaid Hannah, 2 cute things of chapstick, I'm paying for her make-up (she's not getting the entire deal, she already wears too much make-up) and a bottle of body spray from Victoria Secret (it's berry something). I'm looking for a pair of earrings.

  
I also got her a pair for freshwater pearl stud earrings.

For the BM's I'm thinking:
-Manicure the day before the wedding
-Coach Wristlets based on all the girls styles

For my MOH I got her a smaller coach purse. It was smaller than I thought when I got it but she's only 5'0'' and she dosen't like big purses so I think she'll like it (I hope!) :)

-Jewelry for the wedding

CZ studded leverback earrings with cream perals for the girls by TinketsbyLisaT (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39626747)
I'm also going to get them these freshwater pearl bracelets from blustarfruit
 GOT the bracelets today & they are BEAUTIFUL!!

Love Spell Lotion for Victoria Secrets and maybe shower gel or spa socks

-I've also been thinking about getting them flip flops and adding flowers on them using these instructions (http://www.projectwedding.com/wedding-ideas/diy-gorgeous-chiffon-and-tulle-flowers/8). So I can make them like the blume flip flops from J. Crew

I'm also thinking about getting them some of these for the day of to get ready...after we have mimosas and breakfast :)

 Coppola Sofia Mini Blanc de Blancs

Flower Girl:
She's very girly so I'm going to get her some jewerly (probably some little pearl studs & a bracelet), some candy, a tiara (because she reallly wants one) & I also found this adorable kitty purse that I know she would love

We booked our honeymoon this week! I'm so excited, I know have something else to motivate me while finishing graduate school. We are going to St. Lucia and staying at the Grande for 10 days :)
http://www.sandals.com/main/grande/gl-home.cfm

1/19: We saved up enough to pay for our entire honeymoon and our flights! I'm so excited. Next thing is passports!

**We LOVED St. Lucia! It was absolutely gorgeous and Sandals was great. I can't imagine going on another trip that isn't all inclusive. We will def. go back to another Sandals.**

Pictures :)

I've always wanted to do caramel apples for our favors since FI & I both love them & it would be perfect for the fall. I was going to do big apples but the more I thought about it the more I thought how bulky the would be on already cluttered dining tables and not everyone likes them (gasp). So, I saw that d1rtymart1n1 posted this and I think I'm going to try it out. If it works I think I'll do 3 in a little bag (one plain caramel, one w/ nuts, and one with mini-m&ms)

1) Wash and peel a large, fairly tart apple. I used a Pink Lady here, but as you can see it's a little dark and mealy. Next time I'll go with a good old Granny Smith. Using a melon baller, extract balls of apple. A large apple will yield about 6 balls (plus scraps for you to snack on). Place in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice.

2) Prepare a dipping station. I'm using mini-cupcake papers and shortened bamboo skewers (cut with kitchen shears- the remnants are great for stirring and whatnot). I also have a bowl of crushed nuts (peanuts in this case) and a bowl of warmed caramel apple dip.

3) Carefully spear each ball of apple through the ROUND end. Keep the flat end on the bottom, so they stand upright. Using a paper towel, blot off the excess lemon juice. This is important- if the apple has too much juice left on it, the caramel won't stick.

4) Dip the apple in the caramel, using a twirling motion to coat it evenly.

5) Transfer the apple to the nuts and roll, using a gentler twirling motion.

6) Stand the apples upright in the cups and let them chill in the fridge to solidify. Cute and addictive! 

If we don't do mini ones we're going to do regular sized ones.

How good do these look :)
 (JL Designs)

Ceremony: St. Monica St. George Catholic Church: http://www.smsgparishonline.com/
Reception: The Phoenix: http://thephx.com/
Flowers: My Aunt is doing all of my flowers for the ceremony, bouqets, bouts, corsages ect for me as my wedding gift. Marti Thompson is doing the centerpieces:
Invitations: Me. Some supplies (champagne & onyx colored paper) cards & pockets, white cardstock 110 wt. Wal-Mart had it all cut at Staples.
Save the Dates: Me. Magnets from the Advertising Store
Photography: Lucky Clover Productions: http://www.luckycloveronline.com/
Make-Up: BrideFace: http://www.brideface.com/
Limo: Motortoys: http://www.motortoyslimoservice.com/index.htm
Hair: Mi Salon in Florence KY
Dress: David's Bridal
Bridesmaid: Bridal and Formal, Flower girl mygirldress.com
Groom/Groomsmen: Men's Warehouse
Light: Goodwin Lighting
Favors:Me
Rehersal Dinner: McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant (Any Cincy ladies who still need a RD location Melissa is so sweet. The room overlooks fountain square and it's huge. Plus, the food is AMAZING!)
Hotel: Garfield Suites
Bakery: Jerry's Cheesecake: http://www.jerryscheesecakes.com/
DJ: Party Pleaser's DJ: http://www.partypleasersdj.com/

We're still trying to pick all of the important songs so I'm going to make a list so I don't forget all the ones we like :) No matter what these will all be played

-Whatever it is: Zac Brown Band
-Then: Brad Paisley
-Lucky: Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat
-Everything: Micheal Buble

**I think we've decided on Everything :) **

"And this Song of the Vine,
This greeting of mine,
The winds and the birds shall deliver,
To the Queen of the West,
In her garlands dressed,
On the banks of the Beautiful River."

I'm hoping to make OOT bags for our guests since most will be at least 4 hours away from home:

Fun Facts about Cincy:
Foods we are famous for:

Famous People (Just a few):
-William Howard Taft
-Pete Rose
-Anthny Munoz
-Bootsy Collins
-Nick & Drew Lachey
-Sarah Jessica Parker
-Steven Spielburg
-Ted Turner
-and yes Jerry Springer is a former mayor here

I'm going to try to keep with the Cincy theme & include:

• 2 water bottles of water
• 2 Busken cookies
• A sample of Graeter's Ice Cream (Our hotel rooms have kitchens so I'm going to put it in the freezer)
• Some skyline dip a tiny sample (maybe)
• Grippos (chip company founded in Cincinnati in 1919)
• Peanuts with the Reds logo on it since they were the first baseball team
• Wedding time line with map/directions
• Cincy visitor guide
• Some of the fun facts about here
• Thank-You note

 (mmmm)

 (I could go for some Black Raspberry Chip right about now)

 KD's
 Little Brother and Grandma so cute :)First Dance to Crazy Love

Flowers: Marti Thompson
Lighting: Goodwin Lighting
Cheesecake: Jerry's Cheesecake
Reception: The Phoenix

Church: St. Monica St. George
Dress: David's Bridal
Bridal Party Dresses: Bridal and Formal
Flower Girl: Mygirldress.com
Hair: Mi Salon
Tuxes: Men's Warehouse
 The Fam :)

Me and my Daddy

11/11/10: This is just a few of our pictures. I just got these "teasers" today and I LOVE them. Although, it took Locust Street a month to get us these they did a great job. Make-up is by Nancy Dawson from BrideFace (LOVE her!!!)

And like the other ladies, if you use any of these please credit me or my wonderful vendors. Thanks :)

Getting Ready Pictures:

Details:

This was the same pillow my mom used, her and my Dad's name and date are on the sides and she added Tom and I's names to the middle of the hearts. Nothing fancy but I still loved that we got to use it.

My Beautiful Dress :)

Ceremony:

Post-Ceremony Pictures:

Portraits:

Reception:

OK so my friend who caught the bouqet said she would fight for it (love her) so I had to put these in order so you can see what happened. The BM also had to fight for the garter.

 oops :)

Ring Shots