So, I wanted to publish a quick blog entry about those friends and family members of ours who have somehow agreed to stand up next to Matt and I when we marry in October.
Below is a breakdown of those idiots:
Matt's attendants
Matt Weiss: a friend of Matt's from his high school tennis-playing days and working at Action Territory Family Fun Park in Kenosha, WI
Tim Mortlock: Matt's closest-aged cousin, also known as Seaman Tim.
Kevin Mortlock: Matt's cousin & brother or Tim.
Bjorn Bedore: another friend of Matt's from his high school tennis-playing days in Kenosha
Owen Guerrero Reynolds: a cousin of Matt's from his dad's side of the family. (We haven't asked Owen yet, as he's in Nicaragua serving in the Peace Corps. Hopefully he doesnt see this before then. If so, hi Owen, would you like to be in our wedding?)
My attendants
Jen Bruch: a friend of mine whom I met at my first job out of college in 2000. Jen, Teri and I lived together in Chicago for a year as well.
Megan Reynolds: Matt's younger sister, currently working as a snowboard instructor in Lake Tahoe, CA.
Megan Watson: a friend of mine from high school. Megs is currently due to give birth a week after our wedding, so we're hoping all goes well and she stays healthy enough to participate (but will not be upset if the baby decides to show up early) :)
Teri Kieffer: another friend of mine whom I met at my first job out of college. In addition to living with Jen, Teri and I lived together for a total of 3 years in Chicago.
Jamie Levey: a friend of mine who is one of a handful of girls who enjoys sports as much as I do. Jamie currently lives in Hermosa Beach, CA.
The ushers
Scott and Mark Patterson: Brothers and Matt's cousins from his mom's side of the family
We are so looking forward to sharing our special day with everyone and are honored and grateful to have so many great friends willing to stand up with us.
17 February 2010
Finding a dress isn't so hard
So, as my previous post read, I went dress shopping on February 15th with my maid of honor, Jen Bruch. I'm going to be honest, I was quite hesitant internally about going to try on dresses. My body certainly isn't in a shape that I wanted to see in a wedding dress. Additionally, I was worried the store wouldn't have any dresses in my size. This seems completely silly now, and may seem so to the reader, but it was a valid fear of mine.
I took a print out of my favorite styles that I found online at David's Bridal, so I could help give the bridal consultant an idea for what I wanted. That said, I had no specific, consistent style of dress. All of my choices were all over the place. Going in, I knew I liked lace and I knew I liked v-necks. The dress I ended up with has zero lace, nor does it have straps.
I had a couple of strapless dresses on my favorites, but only thought that it'd be a good idea to try some on simply to rule them out. I did the same for a fancypants ball gown too. (That was atrocious, by the way!).
After trying on a handful of dresses, I had a favorite, which was the second one I tried on - a v-neck dress with a well defined waist and an a-line skirt. I felt really great in it and even thought that it made me look skinnier than I was!
My consultant was great. She was patient, never pushy, and seemed to ask the right questions about each dress. She ended up having me try on the dress I ultimately chose, which really made me feel comfortable in the situation. She had me walk around the store and sit in my favorite dresses, to ensure that also felt comfortable.
I was waivering between two dresses near the end of trying on dresses... and so I tried both on again at least two times, ultimately deciding on a strapless taffetta dress. This is likely all quite boring since I will not include pictures...but it was a nice experience for me.
I'm quite appreciative that Jen was there with me. I'm not the type to enjoy shopping, especially the type that includes trying on clothes. The experience I had was enjoyable and exactly as I'd like it to be.
I took a print out of my favorite styles that I found online at David's Bridal, so I could help give the bridal consultant an idea for what I wanted. That said, I had no specific, consistent style of dress. All of my choices were all over the place. Going in, I knew I liked lace and I knew I liked v-necks. The dress I ended up with has zero lace, nor does it have straps.
I had a couple of strapless dresses on my favorites, but only thought that it'd be a good idea to try some on simply to rule them out. I did the same for a fancypants ball gown too. (That was atrocious, by the way!).
After trying on a handful of dresses, I had a favorite, which was the second one I tried on - a v-neck dress with a well defined waist and an a-line skirt. I felt really great in it and even thought that it made me look skinnier than I was!
My consultant was great. She was patient, never pushy, and seemed to ask the right questions about each dress. She ended up having me try on the dress I ultimately chose, which really made me feel comfortable in the situation. She had me walk around the store and sit in my favorite dresses, to ensure that also felt comfortable.
I was waivering between two dresses near the end of trying on dresses... and so I tried both on again at least two times, ultimately deciding on a strapless taffetta dress. This is likely all quite boring since I will not include pictures...but it was a nice experience for me.
I'm quite appreciative that Jen was there with me. I'm not the type to enjoy shopping, especially the type that includes trying on clothes. The experience I had was enjoyable and exactly as I'd like it to be.
15 February 2010
Finding a dress
Well, today I am venturing off to find myself a wedding dress. Well, maybe not find one, but look for one. I'm not one who enjoys shopping, even less enjoyment with trying clothes on, so we'll see how today goes.
We're starting at David's Bridal on Elston in Chicago. If we've no luck there, we may head out to Harlem Avenue, where apparently many bridal stores consume space. Thanks to my coworker Karen for the recommendation. She also recommended that I tell any shop that my wedding date is 2-3 months prior to when it is. Hadn't even known I should do that, but it sounds like a great idea and a good way to avoid any last minute dress disasters.
Off I go. A follow-up post will hopefully come shortly.
We're starting at David's Bridal on Elston in Chicago. If we've no luck there, we may head out to Harlem Avenue, where apparently many bridal stores consume space. Thanks to my coworker Karen for the recommendation. She also recommended that I tell any shop that my wedding date is 2-3 months prior to when it is. Hadn't even known I should do that, but it sounds like a great idea and a good way to avoid any last minute dress disasters.
Off I go. A follow-up post will hopefully come shortly.
16 January 2010
We've found a venue!
As you can see, I've done an awful job at keeping this site updated... but here's the latest news:
Matt and I went to visit The Irish American Heritage Center one night in December after a recommendation from a friend. The building is an old school, which has been converted in the IAHC. (This was one of the first reasons why I liked it, sight unseen). The center has a neat little pub in the bottom floor, where we decided to go for some food and drinks prior to checking out the space.
We were eventually shown the brand new banquet room on the second floor & I immediately fell in love with it. Inside is a huge mahogany bar that looks as if it belongs in a pub in Dublin. There's a stage for a band or dj that isn't too imposing. There are a couple of projectors built into the ceiling, with 2 screens that are also built in. There's a state-of-the-art sound and light system (not that I understand how that works).
In any case, as it is with most decisions I make, I decided I really liked this place and hoped that Matt did as well. Luckily, he and I have similar tastes in most things. Now, it was on to convincing Matt's parents this was the place.
The IAHC is located just off the expressway in the middle of a neighborhood, as most schools typically are. As I already said, it's an old building as well. I wasn't sure how Bob and Fran would feel about that. We met them for dinner and drinks after they visited and they couldn't have been more excited for us, which in turn made me excited all over again.
So, this brings us to the date. We had hoped on getting married on October 9, 2010 (one year to the date of the engagement), but the room was booked that evening. So, after checking the Illinois football schedule (who knows why, since they're awful), we decided on the following Saturday, October 16, 2010.
So, there you have it. Matt and I are going on Monday the 18th to sign the contract and put down the deposit. Holy moly, it just became more real.
Matt and I went to visit The Irish American Heritage Center one night in December after a recommendation from a friend. The building is an old school, which has been converted in the IAHC. (This was one of the first reasons why I liked it, sight unseen). The center has a neat little pub in the bottom floor, where we decided to go for some food and drinks prior to checking out the space.
We were eventually shown the brand new banquet room on the second floor & I immediately fell in love with it. Inside is a huge mahogany bar that looks as if it belongs in a pub in Dublin. There's a stage for a band or dj that isn't too imposing. There are a couple of projectors built into the ceiling, with 2 screens that are also built in. There's a state-of-the-art sound and light system (not that I understand how that works).
In any case, as it is with most decisions I make, I decided I really liked this place and hoped that Matt did as well. Luckily, he and I have similar tastes in most things. Now, it was on to convincing Matt's parents this was the place.
The IAHC is located just off the expressway in the middle of a neighborhood, as most schools typically are. As I already said, it's an old building as well. I wasn't sure how Bob and Fran would feel about that. We met them for dinner and drinks after they visited and they couldn't have been more excited for us, which in turn made me excited all over again.
So, this brings us to the date. We had hoped on getting married on October 9, 2010 (one year to the date of the engagement), but the room was booked that evening. So, after checking the Illinois football schedule (who knows why, since they're awful), we decided on the following Saturday, October 16, 2010.
So, there you have it. Matt and I are going on Monday the 18th to sign the contract and put down the deposit. Holy moly, it just became more real.
28 November 2009
This is our wedding blog
Matt and I got engaged on October 9, 2009 during our trip to Amsterdam. This is an attempt to blog about our journey going forward. I can't promise this site will be updated as often as some may prefer, but I will do my best to chronical our life from this point forward.
Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for stopping by.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
