I'm getting married 08-08-08. My FI and I have been planning for 2 years already and it has come down to months...time flies so quickly.

We started booking our location December 2006 and all our other vendors just fell in place. Didn't need to search far for them since the Chateau provided a list for us and we just had to pick. I originally wanted a wedding planner and I'm glad we didn't get one because the experience has been very exciting and interesting.

I can't wait for the day to come already.

My FI and I have been engaged since October 7, 2002. That day was the most amazing, emotional, and nauseating (really) day of my life.

We usually celebrate our yearly anniversary and decided to spend the weekend at New Hope, PA at a bed and breakfast called Fox and Hound. Little did I know my FI was going to propose to me that weekend. On our last day at New Hope we stopped by a Starbucks. I had my mocha Frap and we were playing Scrabble. The phrase "Will you marry me?" was formed and he asked me, "Well, what's your answer?" with a smile and I thought he was joking, but I still answered him with a "Yes" in Scrabble tiles. There was no engagement ring at that time, but that all changed four years later.

On the weekend of October 7, 2006 we went back to the same bed and breakfast in New Hope to celebrate our engagement. The next morning on October 7, 2006 my FI proposed to me again. In a white box tied with a Tiffany colored bow was my FI's proposal. In it was the Scrabble and it said, "Will you still marry me?" and I said, "Yes!" again and he place the Tiffany Lucida engagement ring he picked out for me.

The moment we saw this location online we knew we had to see it in person. Sure enough when we got there we knew it was the place for us. Pleasantdale Chateau was amazing. It had that rustic and romantic feel and look about it. We were lucky enough to get the date we wanted since the place gets booked 2 years in advanced. Love the idea that no other event can take place while our wedding is going on.

We will be having an outdoor ceremony at the Chateau overlooking thier man-made lake with a bridge over it. The site is lovely. Of course, if the weather goes bad the entire team at the Chateau will move our ceremony indoors.

No need for limos to drive to the reception site since all you need to do is walk maybe 10 steps and you're there because we are having our reception at the Chateau as well. The convenience of this setup is just another thing I love.

I found our invitation online at www.allthepieces.com which is owned by Lauren Franklin. When my FI and I saw the invitation online we knew we have to get it. The invitation is made of 100% Belgian solid chocolate bar wrapped in silver foil with the words embossed into the bar. We wanted something different and sure enough this invitation was different.

Due to the weight, size, and price with mailing/shipping, my FI and I decided to hand deliver some of our invitations within our area. The reactions were priceless as they opened the invitation in front of us. Some of them even ate the chocolate bar already. We'll still be mailing some invitations for our out of state and international guests, but at least we were able to cut down on $$$ in the mailing/shipping department.

Lauren was amazing. We were able to get everything done in 3-4 months via email. If I can marry my FI again I would have her do our wedding invitations...maybe I'll have her do the "brooke" invitation (which is made of plexi glass).

Since our ceremony is an outdoor/garden wedding and is happening in summertime, I thought it would be appropriate to have a fan program. My search online paid off because I found it at www.custom-programs.com. Since I already know who and what order the ceremony will be, compiling the program didn't take long. In the end I was able to get the mock up program in 1 month.

I've only communicated with the owner, Adrienne, via email with this whole process and she's been very professional and flexible. Even though I haven't confirmed my porgram (because waiting to confirm my Sponsors) Adrienne was nice enough to keep my info in her files until I've finalized everything.

This shoe is by Filippa Scott and I found it online at www.filippascott.com The shoe is a "duchess satin closed toe with swooping diamante detail" and 3 inches high. The pink padding is what makes the shoe comfortable. I had my eye on this shoe for a while now, but had a hard time finding it. I finally found it at Wedding Atelier in New York.

As I've been breaking in my wedding shoes, I've been experiencing some pain on the knuckle part of my toes as it rubs insdie the top of the shoe. There is the pink padding on the shoes for the heel and ball of my foot, but nothing for the upper part of the toes. I definitely don't plan to be in pain the whole time at my own wedding. I found this product online at www.footpetals.com and it's supposed to cushion your feet so you can dance the night away. I've purchased the "Runaway Bride" set and tried the "Heavenly Heelz" of this set and placed it inside the top of the shoe. So far as I've been continuing to break in my shoes, the "Heavenly Heelz" is helping. I might be able to dance the night away pain free after all!

Searching for a dress for my bridesmaids was gruelling, but in the end I found one that I like and thought would be appropriate for my ladies.

The dress was purchased at Priscilla of Boston in New York, the same salon I got my dress. I ended up picking the dress in the Vineyard collection and it's style 1305 in the garnet color. The dress has the funky bow in the front and comes with a detachable strap, which gives my ladies another option in wearing the dress. The material is so lightweight and appropriate for my summer wedding. Asides from the affordability, the girls can also wear dress again.

Instead of having a Best Man, we have a Best lady. Finding an attire for her was somewhat tricky. My FI and I certainly didn't want her dress up like the guys. Originally we were going for a black dress with some white trimming, but we thought she might end up looking like a playmate.

Like my bridesmaids dress, we found the best lady's dress at Priscilla of Boston in New York in the Melissa Sweet collection and it's style MS215. Since the bridesmaids are wearing red we decided the best lady should wear black. The dress is knee length, has the bow in the back, and it has pockets, which is perfect for holding our wedding rings :o) The dress is affordable and can be used again.

The wedding card holder for our wedding will be a birdcage. I don't think it's an original idea, but it's certainly different from your typical wedding box that you see in the stores. I especially like this birdcage I saw on www.save-on-crafts.com because it has that rustic look which matches our ceremony/reception location. We are planning to add some ribbons that match our motif and loop it between the bars.

Since we are having our ceremony at the Chateau, we were told that we have to use their house florist - Crest Florist.

Our florist consultant, Kim, is so hillarious!! My FI and I are so lucky to have her as our florist because she is so flexible, honest, and professional. I told her what I wanted and she delivered. I wanted my centerpiece to be vibrant, lush, and full of flowers and the second time we met with Kim she just WOW'ed us. The centerpiece just stood out with the colors I wanted with the orchids, calla lillies, and roses.