number 35

i'm going to be posting a series of "catch up" posts. basically, a list of those things that were behind the scenes during the making of the wedding day! since, i've yet to upload the pictures from my digital camera, i'd like to share some of my favorite pictures from my AWESOME bridal portrait shoot with jennifer. all of these were taken in downtown danville.

^ this ended up being my mom's and my favorite - as a result, it was the BIG portrait that we had at the reception!














i highly reccommend jennifer to any new bride. she was such a pleasure to work with. really listened to the ideas that i had in mind and adding her own creative, artistic touch. plus she makes you feel REALLY good about yourself - always throwing in an "oh YEAH!" or a "mmmhmmmm" just when you need it. check her out and give her a call - http://www.jenniferfarris.com/. ENJoY!

number 34

well. everything is said and done, and i finally have a new last name. last night was the best night of my entire life, and i have the pictures to prove it. everything ran seamlessly; the food, cake, music, and drinks were fantastic. i have so many fun pictures and little details that i want to share with everyone - when i get a few minutes.

andrew and i are about to head out on our minimoon excursion, but i just wanted to tell everyone how much i enjoyed their company at the celebration last night. andrew and i definitely enjoyed ourselves, and i believe everyone else did as well! we love you ALL! :)

number 33

7 days and counting...

7? 7? you may ask. isn't it 8 days until the wedding? ah yes! oh, but it's only 7 days until MY BIRTHDAY! haha! my birthday just so happens to fall on the day before our wedding day! 24 shining years young! "they" say that the wedding day is all about the bride and what she wants (whoever "they" is), but really, FRIDAY is MY day!

i could not ask for a better birthday present than to have my closest friends and family there on my special day! conveniently most will be arriving on friday morning/afternoon/evening! happy birthday to me!

i'm so excited. i might do a little jig! *insert funny dance move here*

number 32

13 DAYS! whoa.

last week andrew and i booked our mini-moon. if you're in the wedding loop, you know that andrew and i have been planning on only taking a few days off after the wedding to relax - saving our big honeymoon dollars for the spring and a tropical location! so...check out our digs:


i'm really excited about these 2 spaces. i really wish that it was going to be cold enough to use that fireplace!! sunday after the wedding, we'll be heading south a few hours to asheville, north carolina, home of the biltmore estate. hopefully by the time we arrive, the leaves will be just beginnning to change colors! i know i said that it would be fun to relax, but i would love to put this on the agenda:

this gorgeous sight is located in dupont state forest - about 40 miles outisde of asheville. did i mention it's a 3 mile hike to get to the waterfall? we need a little exercise (outside of the cabin!) i'll be sure to post a lot of pictures once we get back, i know it will be gorgeous!

just wanted to give y'all a little taste of what i'm looking forward to after the big day (besides being a wife, obvi!)

number 31

little people, big wedding.

ok. the headline on this blog refers to my last minute endeavor with the wedding! view below:

aren't they the CUTEST?! i'm so so so obsessed with these!! this will potentially be my cake topper. i had originally decided not to have a cake topper at all, but these little ones changed my tune! i'll post a picture as soon as i have the mini-couple finished!

look at me! 2 days - 2 blog posts! woo hoo!

number 30

i hope everyone enjoyed the pictures from our last post! those who have visited the new apartment even have said that the pictures don't do it justice! andrew will most likely be staying there during the wedding weekend. if you have time, please stop by and take a peek!! we've been hanging pictures and buying small furniture pieces to make it a little more like home, but we can both say that we LOVE it so far!

yesterday was SUCH an exciting day! i had SO much fun shooting my brial portraits. as i said in a previous post, i chose jennifer farris (www.jenniferfarris.com) as my super fantastic photographer and yesterday just made me know even more that i made the absolute perfect decision! i wish so badly that i could give everyone a sneek peak, but of course that would ruin my big debut for the big day!

on the to do list for this week: andrew and i MUST go pick up our marriage license! and on MY agenda, start playing the "name game". i've already told some, but for those of you who are unaware - i am taking andrew's last name; however, i will still be keeping my own!

will be my name as of september 26. to break it down for you: my first name will officially be "laura leigh". anyone who knows me knows that i've always secretly wished i could have gone by laura leigh all along! and to my mom, it's what she's been calling me for the past 23.95 years. needless to say, i'm really excited about it!

fyi. it is officially 19 days until the wedding. AH! i can't believe it! the past 6 months have gone by so unbelieveably fast! i can't wait to have all of my best friends and family together - it's going to be a GREAT time, i'm sure of it!

number 29

hey friendssss! this is more of a picture post. i finally got to the apartment to take a few pictures - we've done a little updating: painting and furnishing! welcome to the living room! this is the first room you see when you walk through our front door! see: andrew's new baby - the 46" sony. we've still got a little decorative work to do, but we've got the essentials down!this is my favorite thing about the living room so far: a really awesome rug! pretty, right?!bathroom, a little on the small side, but it's got a toilet and a full bathtub - what more do you need?myyyy favorite room, the bedroom! andrew's a big blue fan, and this suited us perfectly. the color is eddie bauer's mercer blue. luckily we get a lot of light in the room because it's pretty dark on the walls. definitely the right choice, though.pretty kitchen! this is only room left to paint. right before we signed the lease, they put in brand new kitchen cabinets and new tile floors *yay for us!* we're planning on painting the kitchen yellow pretty soon. i'll post updated pics when that happens.with every awesome apartment comes a weird mural. no? well ours does. the "breakfast nook" comes complete with the french countryside. yes, we have inquired, and no, we cannot paint over the mural. any ideas on how to spruce this baby up would be greatly appreciated!

and lastly, the stinky sunroom. after sweetening it up with about 7 air fresheners, it doesn't stink as bad, but i'll continue to call it the "stinky sunroom" for effect. still haven't quite figured out what to do with this room besides use it for storage. it has a great view of downtown danville....and highway 29.

thats it for now! a little glimpse into the place we'll soon call home! they're putting cable and internet in saturday and that's where andrew will reside until the wedding day! COME VISIT - even though there's no guest room, the couch is BIG!

number 28

hey friends! look what i found in the paper on sunday:

pretty, right? haha! the date is getting close, and iiiii'm getting excited!

blog to post list: pictures of my bridal shower, pictures of the new apartment, and pictures of the past weekend!

i promise they're all coming VERY soon! xoxox

number 27

"we were 'those girls' last night, and it was REALLY fun!" - my gal, meredith.

i'm not sure that there's ever been a more PERFECT bachelorette weekend in the history of time. ok, so maybe i'm a little biased. however, i'm quite positive that this past weekend was the best time i've ever had in my entire, unmarried lifetime - the perfect send-off to my life as a single gal! the weekend was full of laughs, fun stories, dancing, lingerie, booze, pictures, and maybe a few (happy) tears. i have the absolute best friends, hands down, in the entire world.

meredith t., emily t., and emily b. were fabulous enough to open their bachelorette pad to the party crew for the event in richmond. the decorations couldn't have been better!! you can tell how much time and love went into planning and executing this weekend - i'll forever remember and be thankful for all of their hard work.

we kicked off the weekend on friday waiting for all the girls to arrive, getting to know the new 2 (stacia and lauren! muah!), and getting ready for the night's festivities. the girls made some delicious, nearly authentic, mexican chicken tacos, yummy sangria, and a beautiful lingerie cake made by courtney, my zeta big sister. our group moved right along to banditos, a fun mexican burrito bar in richmond where we all danced the night away to our 80s favorites!!

saturday, we took time to recoop at a local neighborhood pool thanks to lots of water, diet pepsi, and ukrops box lunches (SO essential!). it took a few shifts for us all to be showered and ready by em b.'s specified time, and by 5:00 all 13 of us were ready for the official night out! all decked in our bachelorette gear, we spent some time at the house laughing, champagne toasting, and oohing and ahhing over the sexy lingerie!! this 3 hour period was my personal favorite of the whole weekend! complete with a mini "roasting" session from those who know me the best ;) we loaded into our cabs and headed to blackfin in downtown richmond to have dinner and dance (yet another) night away! everyone was able to get home safe and sound and snuggled into a bed by a decent hour...for the most part! :)

we said our goodbyes on sunday and headed back to our respectable lives. i'll always remember this weekend and being with ALL of my absolute best friends, having the time of our lives! I love you girls, so much!!! thank you all for a weekend i'll never ever forget!!

oh. ps. this is what andrew and the guys did while i was gone:

yes, that is a fu manchu. so many words come to mind. i only have 1 for now: gross.

number 26

it has been a long time since we updated the blog. a few quick items.

invitations have been sent. i put a lot of time, thought and love into these. just kidding! my extraordinarily talented fiance laura did an awesome job designing/making these. i don't know much about invitations/papery/design and i even liked them.

as you can see to the right, this weekend is the bachelorette/bachelor party. laura and i are super excited. we have such wonderful friends and family who made these parties possible. it will be great to have a mini-vacation as we get closer to the big day. much thanks! a quick aside : i trust your tastes when it comes to laura's lingerie. ha!

laura and i now have our apartment. thanks to my wonderful future mom-in law, the rooms have been painted to our liking. we have almost all of our furniture, minus a few small things. with all the fantastic gifts from the shower, i am basically set. just a few more items and i will be fully moved in. hopefully, this will be done by next week.

number 25

i know! i know!!!

it's been entirely too long since my last post! we've just been so busy lately - and with a cute puppy like jack to play with, can you blame me?!

i went to richmond last weekend to spend some time with my zeta sisters reliving the college days! it's amazing how much fun you have when you have so many of your best friends in one spot at the same time! *we missed you, al!*

on the marriage front: andrew and i have been getting really pumped about our new apartment! i just picked up the keys yesterday, and we've gotten the thumbs up to go ahead and start painting next week!! lately we've been dreaming of what kind of furniture we'll have and how to decorate on a budget (well, maybe that's just me!). andrew will be moving in this time next week to get things settled in before the big day. it should be an adventure - to say the least! i'll be sure to post some pictures once we get the paint on the walls.

on the wedding agenda - MY DRESS IS READY! the boutique in lynchburg called this week to tell me that i could come pick up my dress!! let's all cross our fingers that it fits like it should (read: not too small). i'm so excited! everything seems to be falling right into place. granted, i've got a long list of things left to do. on that list: i've got a long list of men who have yet to be fitted for tuxs - the groom AND my dad being on that list!! these boys! we'll get it done - i'm not concerned!

the summer is FLYING by! i can't believe next saturday is august 1st. next saturday afternoon, my wonderful family-to-be is throwing me a bridal shower (my first and only! and i prefer it that way!) i hope there'll be cake! two of my best gals, emily baxa and emily tretiak, will be making the trek down to danville for the big shindig. it's tretiak's first time to danville - does she know what she's in for?! haha

andrew and i have our 4th of 5 pre-marital counseling sessions today. i've come to see that this is so important for a couple. even if it's not at a church, definitely sit down with someone who will ask thought-provoking questions and really get you talking about important issues. to get these things out on the table initially and really develop good communication habits (if you don't have them already) is SO essential to a healthy relationship. ok! off my soapbox! bottom line: i think both of us have really enjoyed it and actually look forward to going each time.

i think that's it for now! just a quick wrap up! i think that's all you were wanting anyway! what have you guys been reading since i've been away?! :)

number 24

groomsmen comes from the old native-american word gruhmiquano meaning awesome family and friend. just kidding. but they are part of my awesome family and friends. my favorite men...

john tappan is laura's kid/man brother. so i kinda of look at him as the little brother i never had, but without all of things you dislike about little brothers. he attends radford university (wants to be like his future bro-in law haha). i am excited about joining his fam and i'm proud to call him a friend. he can always be counted on for a laugh. hopefully one day he can make me a better golfer.

jason burnette is dear friend of mine from high school through grad school. we've been through lots that has made us who we are today. i can remember playing against jason in basketball and baseball when we were tiny. he's always there to lend a ear if you need him or to gamble (he LOVES cards). jason is a truly great friend and i miss him now that he lives in greenville, nc.

david richardson and i go wayyyy back to good'ol blairs middle school all the way through tunstall sr. high, dcc, ru undergrad, and ru grad school. needless to say, we've hung out a few times. through dave's tutelage i learned many things, mainly not to be an idiot/pansy and how to play pool. david is one of the best friends i could ask for and i miss him (he's living in richmond).

ben swanson is my other big brother. since i was lucky enough to have him join my family (way to go sarah), ben has been an awesome friend. he brings lots to the table (wise and sagacious, funny, musical talent, and t-shirts haha) and takes nothing off it. ben is such a great person, my only qualm is that he lives in indiana and i don't get to see him as much as i should.

andy morrin was my roommate for two years at radford. he's the nicest person you'll ever meet and the greatest madden player i know. he is basically an offensive genius. andy taught me the ways of the man cave and we've had the best of times. andy has my back and i have his. he is a true friend in every sense of the word and i'm lucky to know him.

brad dalton and i have been thick as thieves since we were 7 or so. i still remember sunday school, roller blading, backyard football, crashing dirt bikes, and every other tremendous thing we did. i am pretty sure the definition of good is brad dalton; he is so genuine, sincere, and just...an amazing friend and person. he always makes me laugh and i know he will have my back forever.

mack wyatt has known me for my whole life; all 26 years. he is the greatest big brother in the history of the universe. mack is mad-scientist level smart and he's taught me so much (computers, cars, video games to name a few), that it is obvious how remarkably blessed i am. i love him and i am honored to have stand with me.

my best man was a simple choice. my father, mike wyatt, is considered by most historians to be the gold standard for dads. i cannot imagine growing up without him. he never missed a game or anything else i did. paps has always been there when i needed him. he shaped me into the man i am today and set the bar (insanely high) at the man i want to become. there is no better man, he is the best and i love him.

number 23

i think i owe it to my perfect weekend to devote a blog post to it. this weekend we celebrated july 4th at the wyatt's! saturday was filled with slip 'n slides, strawberry ice cream (homemade!!), and summer yard games. andrew and his dad manufactured an adult and kid friendly slip and slide that stretched over 75 feet and ended with a big pool of freeeezing water! yes, i did go down it!

we had SUCH a good time. my family got to spend some time with andrew's, and jack spent time napping. yes, he is always that cute. jack made friends with andrew's poodle nephew pierre, too! since the pups were present, there were no fireworks at the wyatt house. i know you're thinking, "what's the fourth without fireworks!?", but as andrew and i came back to my house saturday evening, we were able to stop and see the fireworks from downtown danville in the horizon - a great way to end the holiday!