The Wedding Party

The brothers
The sisters

Flowergirl

My niece Auden. She's 2. She didn't love the attention, but the attention loved her. This is the closest thing to a smile I saw on her face all day. But dang her dress is adorable. Picture from my cousin Kathryn. My awesome 2nd shooter. She emailed me some teasers a few days ago.


Still waiting on pictures... a disc from my sister is arriving today. And the disc from my cousin is in the mail too. I don't know when I'll see the photos from my photographer. Hopefully really, really soon.

Married.

Picture from the best Best Man ever. Waiting on the rest...

#1 Wedding pet peeve...

I HATE fake cakes. People seriously spend time and money frosting pieces of styrofoam because they can't afford super fancy cakes. IT'S JUST CAKE for goodness sakes! If you can't afford a fancy one, then have a simple one. It's obnoxious to hear people swept away by what they think they have to have at their wedding due to the wedding industry. Believe me, I love beautiful "wedding porn" as much as the next person, but I also have my feet on the ground enough to know what is important.

Bride + Groom = IN LOVE, COMMITTED, FAMILY, FOREVER.


That's a wedding. Not the effing cake.

Swimsuit Giveaway!

From TheMeanestMom via ThatWife

I pick this one.

I wish...

I were a better blogger. I'm so inspired by things I read everyday that I wish I could do the same thing. Aspirations are good to have though right? 3 and a half weeks away from my wedding probably isn't the time to be worrying about it anyways. :)

My sister, sisters-in-law, and I at my bridal shower a few weeks ago.
I still need to finish my Thank Yous.

Grandma and Grandpa Shaver

I don't know much about these two. I met Grandma Ruby and Grandpa Carl over Christmas but Carl was in the hospital the whole time, and not very coherent. Ruby was distressed and sad. Grandpa passed away a few weeks after I left. I love this picture that Andy's dad emailed us. The happiness that is evident on their faces is infectious. I love knowing that Grandpa Carl has every reason to be smiling that widely now. :)

First 2 "married" nights

will be spent here! The Omni San Diego. Priceline.com got us a Deluxe room for only $75 a night. Not too shabby considering it's Easter weekend. It totally overlooks San Diego Bay so I'm hoping for a good sunset on Easter Sunday. We'll call to request a bay view room in a couple of weeks. Honeymoon on a budget. Check.

One month to go!

We've got our reccommends in hand. Hooray!

Invites are in the mail (I wanted them out sooner, but my mom said people will forget if you send them too early. Funny lady.)

Now we're trying to figure out our hotel for the weekend of the wedding. And we're broke. And I don't necessarily want to leave it up to Priceline/Hotwire. Ugh. Any ideas for a nice place in San Diego? I don't really know about hotels since I always stay at my own house.

Sweet Cheeks!

We're so close to done. I think all of our vendors are booked now!

Weirdly, something I didn't really think I cared about, the cake, is now making me really excited! Sweet Cheeks Baking Co. is like a big deal, and making MY cake!

I'm a bouquet copier.

I couldn't help myself. It is just too perfect for words. I can't wait to have her in my hands on April 11.

P.S. Our MyWedding.com wedding website is now live: www.breeandy.com

Pre-nesting

I think nesting is only supposed to happen after your married, but I'm getting a jumpstart since I moved into what will be our first place a few months prior to the wedding.

We got a lot of basics and they're nice and comfy (hooray for an IKEA not too far away and a friend of Andy's with a super nice couch to get rid of) but it's super bland. I'm craving color and life. I found this picture on decorology and it is now my goal... which is weird since I'm not a fan of blue so much. But doesn't this look relaxing and beautiful?


I ordered these from Urban Outfitters as a jumpstart...

You're invited...

(click to enlarge)

After a lot of blood sweat and tears... they're going to the printer today! YAY!

Engagements...

We tried to channel the Beatles in these next two.







Taken at Balboa Park. So much fun, so many backgrounds to choose from, so totally San Diego. Thanks Mr. Tiscareno.

Cake design!

Okay... combine these images and you'll get our cake. I think. We're still on the hunt for the right bakery. Why is it so weird to these people that I want Cream Cheese frosting. We don't like buttercream nor do we care for fondant. It's all about the YUM with our cake.

Plunk it down on this gorgeous cake stand (gently). And we're in business. DONE.

Update...

I live in Tacoma, WA now... jobless, homeless, and broke. I'm sleeping on a friend of Andy's futon and living out of a suitcase, but it is so great to see him everyday.

I gave in and showed him a picture of my dress. But not me in it. And he hasn't seen it in person.
Click to see it!

We also exchanged the first option of bridesmaid dresses for these from J.Crew instead. It's the dress I originally wanted but it was too expensive and then sold out... and then it reappeared in the Sale section with just enough dresses for our sisters. Yay!

We have picked a photographer: Craig Tiscareno Super fabulous. We took engagement pics at Balboa Park last week and are DYING to see how the images turn out. From what we saw looking at his camera, they're going to be amazing.

There's still sooo much to do but first things first... 1) Job. 2) Apartment.

I have a winner!

Just in case Andy stumbles over here, I can't post my dress. I absolutely love it though. I found the dress that feels like what I want to get married in. I'm wearing it with a yellow cardigan to make it feel really, REALLY me.

It's this one from J. Crew

Apparel!

So... I'm officially the pickiest bride ever. But I think I'm doing a really good job of not being an off-the-handle Bridezilla. I just can't find anything that remotely resembles what I think I want to wear on my wedding day. Ugh. I'm not giving up. I'm glad I still have a few months.

However... Andrew, the lucky little punk, picked out his suit without even trying it on. Then he put it on and looks like the most suave, handsome, groom ever. Thank you Calvin Klein.

Andy's Suit.

We also bought all the ties for the groomsmen and our dad's. So at least the guys will have clothes...

the REAL plans....

As of a 9 days ago, we're honest to goodness officially engaged. April 11, 2009 is our big day. and the Army isn't taking him away until August. the plans are getting started.

Andy wants me to blog a bit more frequently, so I'm going to try to remember to update what I do each day (or so). I'll try to include pictures and links whenever possible.

so far...
1) I've been researching photographers. Finding one whose style I like as well as who fits into my budget will be a challenge but luckily there are a LOT of options here in San Diego.

2) I've elected to have the same videographer as all of my siblings since he's a close friend of the family and my brother's brother-in-law. we have yet to talk details, and once it's in stone. I'll post.

3) I'm meeting with a wedding planner later this week to see if she can take care of making details happen. Once I move up to WA, it'll be really nice to know someone here is helping me out. I don't want to put pressure on my mom or sister. They're busy enough as it is.

4) I've gone dress shopping. I haven't found "The One" yet. I forgot my camera. When I go tomorrow, I'll remember to have my mom take some pictures.

5) I'm online shopping for bridesmaid and flower girl options. My favorites are from Shabby Apple. They just went on sale, so I'm going to have to jump on it.

Bridesmaids.Flower Girls.

6) My colors are Yellow, Green, and Grey (possibly with punches of Orange and Red). The theme or style I want to encorporate is quirky, chic, modern with a little retro kitsch... think London in the 60s since he's obsessed with the Beatles, and I, London.

changes of plans...

The Army loves Andy. It loves Andy so much it's sending him to do some very important work in Iraq... for a year, starting in April, as in 6 months from now. After the shock wore off and I stopped crying, I decided it was time to act. Why am I living here at home without a job when the love of my life is in Washington? I love Washington. I'd love to live there! So... I'm moving. Aah!

I love thinking about moving for the fun aspects of it. Obviously getting to see Andy everyday will be amazing. Getting to know a new town, making some new friends, starting a new job and most importantly... getting a new apartment to call my own!

I've never lived in my own place but I've always wanted to and Tacoma is surprisingly affordable. I'm going to try to live in the neighborhood where they filmed 10 Things I Hate About You. How cool is that? I'm excited to stretch my creativity and meager budget to make my little place in the world adorable and inviting.

On the whole marriage front, we aren't sure what to do about timing. I'd like to wait until he's back from Iraq and discharged from the Army and doesn't have to leave me ever again. He'd like to get going ASAP. We'll see how we feel after living in the same place for a little bit. :)