I am my mother's only daughter, so she was ready to throw me a party. She works as a fundraiser, so she's really familiar with throwing big parties. This was the first one she threw without asking the guests for donations, though! She planned the whole thing with the help of a subscription to Modern Bride and then when to Borders and picked up a few more bride magazines. She somehow just knew what needed to be there, and what the budget should be.

Sam and I have been using Hobbit Travel for over five years now, and have found great packages. I've had my adventures, and now when I have a holiday I liked knowing the whole thing is booked and planned from start to finish, and that there are no weird loose ends. We were able to find an awesome cruise deal that included roundtrip flights from Minneapolis to Vancouver, and then there was even a limo service (not a real limo) that would bring us to the port. We even compared prices, and found the prices to be cheaper than on expedia. We've also had problems with services with expedia (with e-tickets) which is why we've been with Hobbit Travel for so long.

We started the wedding day very traditional, and I was at my parent's house in Hudson. The Limo came and picked us all up, and even thought I don't know much about cars, I know that this was an expensive car! I let Rob pick it out, and he obviously knew what he wanted! We looked more like rock stars when we arrived at the church, but when we arrived in downtown St-Paul for the reception we really looked the part of famous people! It really makes the day complete, being able to drive around in fancy car!

This is a fun place that my family is used to renting out for all big events, like my parents' 30th wedding anniversary, and my grandfather's 80th birthday party, and so on. Because Rob and I have big families, lots of aunt and uncles on both sides, we decided that there would be two rehearsal dinners, one with my family and one with his family. For my family, we took over the Pennington Room for a Sunday Brunch. There was a wonderful buffet, traditional food that is cooked really well, with excellent presentation. My father decided the menu, and he wanted simple food, no special menu or anything 'fruffy'.The staff was also excellent, and everyone there went above and beyond what was excepted from them. I was really happy with how it went, the place had a great atmosphere and I can't wait for our next family party there.

I had read on several websites brides that had let their friends take the pictures to remember their wedding day, or couples that set out those small cameras on each table, were all very disappointed with how the pictures turned out. I knew that I wanted to have a great photographer because I wanted a professional who would be able to capture the day and capture all my friends and family during that day. We choose Kristian, or rather Kristian was available to work with us (very busy schedule in the summer, so book ahead), because of his portfolio. Our pictures were clear and beautiful, and we had lots of cute shoots, too! So, so, happy that I can look back on these beautiful pictures to remember my wedding!

I'm only giving it three stars because at the age I am, I still can't tell the difference between an expensive suit and a not expensive suit. The good thing about Men's Wearhouse, other than the commercials, is that they have a really good staff and Rob and his best man did get suits that fit well and look nice. I guess I'm just shocked that the cost of the suit plus the shirt and socks and shoes and ties and all the other small extras ended up costing more than my dress before alterations. I mean, he even bought collar stays! Is this necessary? I think its just Rob, though, and that he'll buy anything if someone tells him he needs it.

Rob and I talked about getting married, and then one day we just sort of agreed, that yes, we would be getting married the following summer. We told our family first, and when the talk of a ring came up, Rob's mother wanted us to go to Bockstruck Jewelers because that was where Rob's father had bought her so many pieces of jewelry. We searched, found out that it closed, and then found out that many of the employees started a new store call Landmark Jewelers! Problem solved! I had never shopped for a real piece of jewelry before, so it was quiet an experience. We did a lot of research before hand, just to make sure we would be getting a good deal. In the end, I choose a precious store that was not a diamond, a topaz, just because I loved the shape and the color. I think it's a bit unusual, but then again I think it's a perfect reflection of our relationship.

I went back and forth over whether I should make the invitations or not by hand, seeing as we had narrowed down the guest list to 50 people and really only needed 30 or so invitations. I found Papertogether through one of the bridal magazines my mother found, and then found out somehow that they were on Etsy. I used to sell my own jewelry on Etsy, so I was familiar with the classy and unique art creations that the website sold. Papertogether makes really beautiful paper creations, they are so delicate and fragile, and they look really elegant on their own. I was able to order 50 copies of a style of card she had made. I am really happy with how the invitations looked, and how quickly they arrived. It was a perfect exchange of art!

One of my bridesmaids and best friends from high school works for the Princess Cruises and has traveled all over the world with them! She suggested the Alaskan Cruise, saying that it was always her favorite! Most people would want to travel somewhere warm and hot and sunny for their honeymoon, but I think Alaska had this rugged beauty. The landscape had this romantic bareness, and the water was so black, it looked like oil. The ship is so big that you don't even know you're on a boat, there's a 24 hour cookie table (!), and pools and nice restaurants. We were able to stop off and visit each town, and it was great to visit Jueanu. I feel so blessed that we got to visit that part of the USA.

I have gone there before with my mom to have my hair cut, so they know my hair and me really well! Rebecca, the owner, knew that I was getting married, so we had a few meetings to go over what I wanted my hair to look like on the day of, and we tested it out to see if it would work on my hair. I think Rebecca is really good in knowing what works with a person's hair and face, and I trust her because she knew right away that I wanted something more modern and was able to fix it to my hair. We also planned it so that I would have my hair dyed before my wedding, and that I didn't need to worry about roots showing in the picture! I'm really happy with how my hair looked, and was so happy that all this could be done in Hudson!