Musician For Our Wedding

I went back and fourth on what to do for music at the wedding....since we are getting married on the grass it's not like they just have a sound system out there or a piano. So I checked with the wedding planner for a vocal/guitarist....turns out....ummmm....no. I was not feeling that one at all. So I asked again, for something maybe a little different...what about a ukulele player? My planner came back with a vocalist/harp player.....amazing & so unique. I love it! She will play background music through the whole ceremony except of course during our vow exchange and the ring exchange. Check her out she's got a few songs on her site you can listen too....

http://www.lisaportermaui.com/

The first thing that James and I noticed when we went to her site is that she plays "Beauty and The Beast"....OMG can you imagine me walking down the aisle to that....funny!

I have so many great ideas for pictures too. Here's an example of one I defiantly want to take with James....

Becoming A Step~Mom

I am so excited that on June 27, 2009 that I will not only marry my best friend but I will also become a step-mom. Austin is such a great kid....I was so worried in the beginning thinking that I never wanted to be the evil "step-mother". I remember the first time I met Austin....I was on my way over to James house and he said that he'd like me to meet Austin....I was very nervous. I thought to myself....I'll bring him a hot cocoa....so I stopped into Big Foot Java and picked one up...what better way to win a kid over....right! :) It worked!! :) Austin has such a big heart and welcomed me right away. I feel very lucky to have him in my life.

Our Reception Site Back Home

When James and I return from Maui, we will be having a reception with all of our family & friends at the Eagles Club in Orting, WA on July 11th.

Thanks to my Aunt Debbie, Uncle Jim & My Wonderful Mom.....and many others that are helping make this day happen for us.

There will be more to come on this.....what I do know is there will be dancing, good food, great drinks & even greater people around to share it all with!!

Hope to See you all there!!

The Girls Dresses

When I picked out my dress I found a bridesmaid dress that was just perfect. All the girls agreed. So the plan was to order these dresses…..Tracy called and ordered hers over the phone since she could not make it over that weekend and my sister, cousin and I went to the store to try them on one last time.

I had no idea that when we would get there they would have all of their “summer/spring” collection out. So I thought well let’s try a few of these on. Kerri & Kimmy were both so great about it because I must have had them un-dress and re-dress five different times. We couldn’t find anything we loved more then the first one we picked so that’s the one we were going to go with. Then on the way out….Kerri was just getting her credit card out to pay….I found one more dress. They went to try it on…..and…..we loved it! They only had it in green for them to try on, but we were able to order it in “Candy Pink”, which I like to call “Maui Barbie Pink”. So luckily they let us change out Tracy’s dress that she already paid for and we got to get my new favorite dress. Perfect for Maui & looks just great on the girls!!

So now it’s onto shoes…..to have shoes or to not have shoes….that is the question. I’m thinking some really cute flip-flops or just barefoot (with our toes all “did” of course). I’ll have to think about this one a bit more.

Love You Ladies & I Can’t Wait To Be In Maui With You All Soon!!

P.S. Apparently someone thought Kimmy did not look very happy in the pictures....it couldn't be that at this point she had tried on a million dresses, but she told me that she is very happy for us and I am supposed to put that on here. LOL

Stretchy Pants

So the Best Man & Groomsmen came over to try on these pants that James and I got on sale at Macy’s…..they are perfect for the wedding…..linen cabana pants. They only had 4 on the rack and they were all the same size……we were hoping that they would fit everyone since they had a drawstring waist. The Best Man, Josh, called them “Stretchy Pants” since they seemed to work for everyone. I thought that was pretty funny….reminded me of “The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants”….the girls will know this one. LOL

They worked for everyone after being hemmed up just a bit for Mac & Kyle (Thanks to the expertise of Mary). However I got word later that Josh needed to order a large size since he felt his “Stretchy Pants” were just a little too snug. So Nicole (being so great) ordered them on-line for him.

So now the search will begin for their shirts…….how to match them to my girls “candy pink” dresses will be a fun adventure!!

Wedding Show

I went to my first and only wedding show at the Tacoma Dome with my sister, mom, grandma & Tiffany. It was actually a lot of fun....we got to taste nummy food/cake, get tons of samples, get tons of cards, took some pictures and listen to every one's spiel. I did notice that these shows are not necessarily geared for "destination weddings". I absolutely loved a cake from "The Cake Studio" called orange creme it tasted just like those little orange & white sherbet ice creams you had when you were a little kid...you know the ones with the wooden spoons....to die for! My sister & grandma ended up stealing (well not really, but kind of) me 4 little yellow duckies....ones a bride, groom, ring bearer and flower girl (I'll defiantly be using these next time I take a bath). Fun souvenir! It was a really fun day! We also ended up running into Jill & Kimmy there as well....Jill is getting married in August. After the wedding show we all went out to lunch at the Olive Garden.

P.S. One other thing that happened at this wedding show is that the Tacoma Dome was over charging big time. I called them on it and they ended up posting the correct price on a piece of paper they stuck to the ticket window. So make sure you keep an eye on those sneaky ticket providers.

The Wedding Dress Search

The first time I went out wedding dress shopping, I was with my mom, sister & Tracy. I must of tried on what seemed like a million dresses. I took pictures of like the top 5 and then came home and critiqued the crap out of them...word of advise...don't take pictures...but I think that's impossible because I think all brides do. :) No luck this trip, just a lot of wondering. We went out to Bahama Breeze afterwards for lunch....did you know they have $3 dollar beers....score! :)

Then I ended up going a second time with my sister, Tracy & Jessica. We ended up running late and got to the dress shop an hour before closing. The first dress I tried on was "THE ONE"...I wore it around the store for almost the entire hour....finally the sales associate asked me..."do you like it"...."I love it"! So I put a deposit down on the dress....this way thinking that I still had time to change my mind...just in case. So the four of us went out for a beer and appetizers afterwards & I cried....I couldn't believe I found "THE ONE". It's such an amazing feeling.

While your reading this you must be thinking in the midst of all this wedding dress talking there's also a lot of beer talking, but this whole process is a celebration so what's better to celebrate with then your bestest friends, family and beer!

Love You Girls!!

P.S. Of course I can't post the picture of the dress just yet...it's a surprise! So you'll have to check back after the wedding to see it.

Our Save The Date Magnet

In the beginning of the wedding planning my first thing I wanted to do was order a "save the date" magnet. I thought this way everyone we love will have me & James on their fridge for a least a year....maybe even longer....as some people tend to get a collection of magnets on their fridge. So each time you grab a quick bite or a beer you see our smiling faces and are reminded of our upcoming wedding. :)

Our Honeymoon ~ Poipu Kai, Kauai

James and I were suprised with the most amazing gift of all.....our honeymoon. My Sister and my Dad surprised us by calling our travel agent and changing our flight and hotel. So instead of staying in Maui for our honeymoon we are now flying out the day after our wedding to Kauai. We are so excited! We will be staying at ResortQuest at Poipu Kai....it's a 70 acre resort with two world class beaches just a stroll away.

June 28th ~ July 2nd

AN AMAZING GIFT FROM MY SISTER & MY DAD ~ THANKS SO MUCH & WE LOVE YOU!!

Our Airline Ticket Fiasco

Pretty much the entire wedding group decided to follow our lead and go through a travel agent to buy our airline/car rental tickets. We did this way in advance as suggested by most agencies to get the best rate....knowing that we may have time changes for example that could change slightly from the time of booking until the time we leave. However I never thought Northwest (our airline) would be bought out by Delta! Now none of us knew when were leaving....no confirmation....nothing. At this point my poor travel lady had a "frantic bride" on her hands. I have heard way too many horror stories.....I trusted her and knew that she would figure it all out, but weeks into the airline buy out we still had nothing. With the middle of March fast approaching and the wedding only being 3 months away....James suggested that I call the owner of the travel agency and demand an answer. So that is what I did....within 30 minutes of making that call I got a call back stating that mine & James itinerary had been updated and we are good to go & within 3 days I had the rest of the wedding group's tickets confirmed as well. Of course I'm leaving out a lot of the middle "freak outs" that I had over this, but I suppose the moral of this story is to be in top of things.....especially airfare at all times!! Luckily my travel lady was on top of this and it just took a few more calls to the airlines explaining the situation to change everything. Phew.....no more worries on getting there....we are on schedule to MAUI!!

P.S. If you need a travel agent please to hesitate to ask me who I am using because overall she has been great and very very very patient with me through all of this.