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!

number 22

ok ok! i think i've kept y'all in suspense long enough! sorry for the mental torture. my big announcement: drum roll please........

meet jack - the newest member of our family and the cutest being in existence on the planet at this very moment.

"hi! my name is jack, and i'm now a tappan! i am a golden retriever. my favorite things to do are explore, sniff the ground, eat leaves, chase the kitty, cuddle with humans, lick faces (human and animal kind), lay in the monkey grass (because it's cool on my belly), and chew on my rope baby chew toy. i'm a "morning dog" - i like to get up very early, and bark and whine until everyone else is up with me so we can PLAY!"

overall, he is a very very good dog. he loves to cuddle and is very well tempered. we're currently trying to break his nibbling habits and constantly making sure he doesn't tee tee on the hardwood floors. *bad dog!*

this is my family's dog - meaning that it will stay at the tappan house when andrew and i are married. luckily i'll be around for a few more months to give mom and dad a little help in raising our new baby!

here are a few more pictures for your enjoyment! feel free to comment on how precious and perfect he is! haha!

number 21

what a fun weekend!! some special family friends were nice enough to throw andrew and i an engagement party at smith mountain lake saturday. i hope everyone had a great time - i know i did! delicious food, great friends and family, and an absolutely beautiful setting! just a few pics from this fabulous event:



the cake was definitely a topic of conversation - way to go walmart!

some of my beautiful bridesmaids joined the party -

shoutout to sarah for coming all the way from indiana! *muah! (that's me blowing you a kiss!)

here's a pic of andrew and i with our beautiful, wonderful, hardworking hostesses! we love you!

we finished off the night with a house boat ride. we fit 30 people on that thing!! that's always my favorite part of going to the lake - you get to check out the gorgeous (massive) houses.a BIG thank you to everyone who helped with the party: mrs. nancy, mrs. mary, and mrs. judy! your hard work (and all your love!) paid off!

attention!!! i have some really awesome, exciting news!!! keep your eyes open for my next post!

number 20

hey friends! i'm such a consistent blogger this week! i'm really excited to have finished one of my projects. it took me forever to figure out how to neatly wrap my wedding card box, but i did it! voila! i hope you're as proud of me as i am of myself! haha! the ribbon is actually the bright kiwi/lime/green apple color that follows the theme - just doesn't show up that way here.

it was a tricky little thing, to say the least. so, when you see this very fancy "present" at the wedding, put it to use! just slip your card right in the front of the box!

number 19

YAY! last weekend was a huge success for andrew and i! we really enjoyed the band, 58 west. they had a great feel, lots of energy, and a super playlist. we found ourselves singing along to most of their songs that night, so we're sure that everyone will really enjoy them come september! band? check!

despite my mom's best efforts and advice ("why don't you get something pretty and white?"), i ordered my garter today! if you haven't checked out http://www.etsy.com/, take a sec to do it now -- better yet, take a few hours (there are a TON of items out there!). this site is very well known in the blogosphere, but not so much throughout the internet itself. here, users can sell their handmade or vintage crafts, jewelry, or in my case, wedding garters, for a very thrifty price. you, in turn, get an awesome - one of a kind keepsake or gift! for your viewing pleasure: today's wedding purchase.

haha! i'm so excited! it fits perfectly with my color scheme and adds a bit of feisty flair to my wedding attire! mom's comment: does it really have feathers on it? yes, mom, it does. love it! do you?

i realized that i had promised y'all a while back that i would post my inspiration board that prompted me to use the green apple/black combo. in my side bar, you see that i've listed "snippet & ink" as one of my favorite wedding sites. i can't count how many hours i've perused this blog. one day, i believe it was even before andrew and i were engaged, i found this: i decided (and not just because the bride in the center could possibly be my future self) that this would be the scene to shoot for. i love the colors together, and it definitely has a unique quality. you don't see the 2 colors together all that often. yay me! i'm not sick of seeing them together yet, either! yet!

since i'm in the blogging mood today and feeling generous, i'm going to share two of the most essential pieces for the wedding party:

so sharp! the ladies will be wearing the sophia dress from j.crew, and the men a joseph feiss black tuxedo - tres chic.

ok ok! that's enough suprises spoiled for 1 day! hopefully this gets y'all looking forward to the date as much as i am! love y'all!

number 18

band audition #2 is in the works. tonight andrew and i are going to listen to 58 west (www.58west.com) at smith mountain lake. keep your fingers crossed that this is the one! we're really getting close to the date and there a few major things that we haven't exactly gotten together - this being one of them. in the spirit of finding a band, please leave us a comment with any music that you'd like to hear at the reception! if you say the electric slide, you'll be uninvited. haha.

love y'all!

number 17

sooo we've had a little (or big) visitor on the mountain over the past few months...

bear encounter #1: andrew, sport, and i had decided to take a little after-dinner walk down the mountain one evening.

 there's a clearing on our road where deer usually graze and as i was looking to see if one was there. i spotted something a little larger and more grizzly. a bear, my friends! by the time i could stop bumbling and actually tell andrew what i saw, it was gone (of courseee!). long story short: we got one of my neighbors with a truck to come get us and sportie.

bear encounter #2: monday we woke up to find our little friend at our HOUSE! 

we have a corn feeder in the back yard for deer, and mr. bear was trying to sneak a little snack for himself. he wandered around the house, watching us peer at him through the windows, took a peek in our bluebird house (luckily not finding anything he thought was particularly tasty!) and went on about his way. fortunately he was around long enough for us to snap a few pics!

number 16

i'm just a tad behind on the weekend post, but i had to have a little time to recoop!! andrew and i traveled to the chesapeake bay this weekend to celebrate courtney marshall and steve ash being united in mewwage. :) it was such a beautiful weekend. the ceremony was held in weems, virginia at christ historic church. it was such a serene setting - i've never been in a church this old before. it was built in 1735. here is a little peek: the inside was the most interesting part, we sat in, what i would describe later as, "the little cubicles" and stood throughout the entire ceremony to be able to see the bride and groom. not an ounce of decoration was needed, the historic beauty of the church was decor in itself. so sweet :)

courtney is my big sister in zeta, and there were more of my favorite sisters there celebrating along with us! from left to right: top row: margo (emily's zeta little sister), courtney (mine and emily's big sister), emily (my zeta twin), me!, ashley (my zeta little sister); bottom row: meredith and alie(who are also zeta big and little sister! haha). we had so much fun! they had an awesome band AND awesome food (crabcakes!!! andrew had about 15!!). courtney made a beautiful blushing bride, and i wish she and steve a lifetime of happiness!

as for wedding planning, andrew and i have been planning more for AFTER the wedding. we've spent the past few days talking about honeymoon hot spots and where we'll spend married life for the first few years. we've stumbled on an awesome travel website: bookit.com. this site blows the others away on price deals! aruba is looking pretty nice now! please leave us a comment listing anywhere exotic and awesome that you've been! hurricane season has become a pretty big hurdle.

we've also been on the apartment hunt for a while now. fear not!!! there will be no living together until AFTER the big day! we've found a few places around town that we like, but nothing is set in stone yet!

on an ending note: i can't believe the wedding is less than 4 months away! whoa.

later gators. love y'all!

number 15

"I'm glad we're here together in our nation's capital..." - Forrest Gump

haha! i swear that was said about 352 times this weekend! what a weekend! i'm STILL exhausted. i had such a wonderful weekend with my family in washington dc; it just reminds me that i don't get to see them nearly enough. we started off friday by having lunch with my dear friend alex at five guys* in arlington, virginia. it's always a great weekend when you get to spend time with long distance family, spending time with long distance friends is definitely a bonus!! uncle charlie and aunt brooke hosted a wonderful rehearsal dinner at the national museum of women in the arts. what a beautiful place! we had a table just for the cousins and spent time catching up, reminiscing, and drinking too much champagne. andrew fit right in with the tappan men, as i knew he would. it's always great fun to show off a great fiance'!

saturday, after recuperating, andrew, john, and i spent the day sightseeing and being the stereotypical tourists. although there's never enough time to see everything, we did get to browse through the national air & space museum and the national museum of natural history. one exhibit in particular really interested me. check it: honey bees

they actually got to go outside! i was so fascinated! after the wedding, we celebrated with charlie and lynne until i could celebrate no longer. i was so exhausted, at one point i decided to take a little snooze on andrew's shoulder in the hotel lobby. here are just a few pictures from the weekend! what a great time! i'm so excited that i don't have to wait too much longer to see everyone all over again!

in the picture above: me with my beautiful cousins, elizabeth and tori tappan. we had a great time singing and dancing to the band. any chance that andrew has to wear a suit, he's guaranteed to have a great time. so handsome.
* five guys is a burger joint that if you have not experienced, you are missing out on one of the wonders of the culinary world. try it, you'll love it.

number 14

really quick: i promised that i'd post a picture of the inital flower letters. i'm planning on wiring them to the gate on the fence outside the church. i'm quite pleased with how they turned out!!

number 13

gah!!! i've been such a bad blogger! first i started out blogging once a week - - now it seems like i'm easing toward once a month!! i'm trying - really! my excuse to everyone has been that andrew and i got so much planning done in the first couple of months, that there just isn't that much left to blog about!!

the past week has been one of highs and lows. earlier in the week, emily, my maid of honor, came to spend a few days in danville. we had a great time relaxing, laughing, and enjoying each other's company. lauren joined us on tuesday for my first wedding dress fitting in lynchburg!! they loved the dress as much as i did, and it still looked just as pretty as the first time i tried it on!! i never want to take it off! emily and i finished her trip with a fabulous southern dinner with andrew and his parents on wednesday night. i'm so glad she came even if it was just to relax and have a little girl time!

thursday night andrew and i took some time to say goodbye to one of the dearest members of my family for the past 12 years. our sweet chesapeake bay retreiver, sport, has been declining steadily in health for the past couple of years, and friday was his final day with us. he was always a great friend to have around, and i have a scar on my nose to remind me of him forever. my senior year in high school, sport and i were playing in the snow, always being a puppy, he came barreling down the hill where i was sitting and head-butted me right in the face -- resulting in a broken nose and a few (ok, a lot) of tears. i'm glad i can laugh about it now! needless to say, he will be missed incredibly in the tappan house.

on a much lighter note, we spent saturday at smith mountain lake celebrating andrew's long time best friend, brad's, birthday. i worked on saturday afternoon, but got to the lake just in time to grab a hot dog off the grill and take this picture of the boys:

we have another busy weekend on the agenda. my older cousin, charlie tappan jr., is getting married in washington dc on saturday night to lynne christofferson- the 2nd of 3 tappan weddings this year!!! i'm really excited, my nana is coming to danville on thursday and we're all going up for the wedding on friday (andrew included). i've been so fortunate to be able to spend many holidays and birthdays with andrew's wonderful family and get to know them on a personal level. since my family lives so far away, andrew has only been able to spend about a day with mine! this weekend should be a great time with the tappan family in the big city!! i know andrew will fit right in!

number 12

blacksburg in the spring, oh how i love you.

andrew and i celebrated his birthday with some great friends, food, and fun in blacksburg this weekend! we were both due for a good road trip together - it was just a bonus that we got to act like college kids again!!

saturday was virginia tech's annual spring football game. while andrew golfed with his fellow MBA alum buddies, i cheered on the hokies all afternoon and of course, tailgated! the highlight of the weekend (besides seeing all of my long-lost hokie friends, of course) had to be getting my yearly dose of tech's on-campus cuisine. no joke! for those of you who aren't familiar with the award winning food, virginia tech - seriously - has THE best eateries any college student could want. i dream about it at night. WEST END, please cater my wedding!!!! haha

as far as wedding planning goes, i've recently been compiling several lists for the wedding events to come in the next 5 months: engagement parties, showers, and my bachelorette party!! yay! also on the agenda is ordering the invites for the big day. for those of you who are slightly out of the loop, for the past month or so i've been working part-time at The Invitation Destination in historic downtown danville. this is where all of my paper products will come from. the owner, melissa, is really creative and considers each customers individual needs and ideas -- great for me!! we've got a TON of great stuff too! haha!! now she owes me some advertising money!

i finished my flower initial letters a while back (after a few burns from the hot glue gun), and i promise i'll post a picture of them as soon as i take one! that's all i've got for now! love y'all!

number 11

heyyy friends! yet another weekend has passed without wedding planning -- it's good to give yourselves a little (or big) break from it now and then! honestly, at this point, there isn't TOO much left to do! however, save the dates were sent out yesterday!!! i feel like i've conquered a small feat in finishing those things! 1 point for me!

while i was NOT wedding planning, i was having some fun in the sun with some of my favorite girlfriends! the girls and i traveled to virginia beach to celebrate my friend, and zeta big sis, courtney's final weekend of bachelorette-dom. the weekend was filled with lots of laughing, lounging, and of course, lingerie. saturday was the ideal beach day. 78 degrees - not a cloud in the sky. you can see that i got a little 'sunkissed' myself -- which now, has turned into a tan! woo hoo! 2 points for me! we had such a great time celebrating with court and the girls, i only wish i could do it more often!

while i was having a busy weekend with the ladies, andrew was "man caving" with one of his best friends, andy, in richmond. don't be mistaken -- "man caving" has nothing to do with exploring, hiking, spelunking, or even being outside, for that matter. a man cave is a sanctuary where men can go to be with their friends and away from any kind of female influence in order to work or play without interruption. their activity of choice this weekend was surfing the interwebs for disgusting and outrageous videos and, of course, madden. man, i'm so sad i missed it.

meet andy: his going to be a groomsman in our wedding!! andy and andrew were roommates for two years at radford and have remained close friends ever since. :) we love some andy.

friday is andrew's 26th birthday! he's growing up!! too bad wedding workouts start today - i guess i can make an exception for some birthday cake! right? haha happy early birthday, boo!

i don't have much wedding related info to post now, however, check out my photog crush. http://www.jenniferfarris.com/. i'm really crossing my fingers for this one! that's all i've got! love y'all!

number 10

over a week since my last post!? sorry y'all! andrew and i have been taking a little break from wedding planning for the last week. i DID finish the save the dates (minus a few addresses); however, they seem to still be sitting in the living room in a big pile. whoops!

what we've been doing (besides NOT getting save the dates sent):

we spent last wednesday night celebrating andrew's niece's first birthday. miss leah is andrew's older brother, mack and his wife kellie's, baby girl. i'm convinced she's the cutest thing i've ever seen. the proof is in the pictures: case closed. i'd take her everwhere with me, if i could. the party was a super cute pink and brown themed event (two thumbs up, kellie!) - compelete with delicious cake and cute baby clothes.

friday night my little brother, john, took a break from fraternity life to grace us with his presence. john, andrew, and i spent the majority of the weekend shoulder to shoulder on the living room couch reliving our childhood days by playing mario kart and 007 on the nintendo 64. a great time was had by all (except john because he's good at losing). lesson learned: i rule, boys drool.

after an unsuccessful 3 holes of golf, andrew and i decided to stay outside and enjoy the sunshine on saturday. we took my super sweet, super stinky dog, sport for a little hike through the woods. we discovered fun things along the way: a beautiful view, a horse, a donkey, deer bones, and other things that will remain unmentioned (possibly bear poop! YIKES!). needless to say, we got our workout in! a few highlights:

haha. the horse is my fav.

on a more somber note, tomorrow is the 2 year anniversary of the massacre at virginia tech. it's so amazing to look back and see how far we've come after overcoming such a tragedy. i'll always be a hokie, and especially since april 16, 2007, i have 32 reasons to make sure i never forget it.

"This is a tragedy in American history. So for today, forget any and all of your college affiliations. For today, we are all Hokies."

number 9.5

my second post. please contain your joy.

i have yet to ask all my potential groomsmen to stand with me. however, i believe they know who they are. i guess i am not as proactive as laura. anyway...

i also have yet to pick out a tux. i know you ladies are just dying to see it. i have decided on a classic black tux, white shirt, black tie. when in doubt go basic and classy.

as laura mentioned, we saw a potential band. unfortunately, they did not live up to my expectations. i believe finding a band that is suitable to our tastes and price range will be the hardest part of our wedding planning adventure. oh by the way, it is an adventure no matter how simple you try and make it. needless to say we are still on the hunt. (dinosaur jr., make it happen sissy!)

we met with a caterer on saturday: visions. they provided laura and i with lots of menu options and some delicious samples. i am still salivating at the thought of their chicken trumpets. in addition to great food, they also provide the table linens, chair covers, etc. in the colors that boo really wants. i hope they are on top of their game because that would be one less thing to stress about.

we watched the hills last night. as all of you who watch the show, and some of those who don't, know that two of the characters are spencer and heidi. i watch this program hoping to see spencer catch fire. unfortunately he hasn't yet. my point: anyone who has relationship like spencer and his super genius fiance heidi, SHOULD NOT get married. i hope they are acting. i hope they aren't like this in real life. and the hills is definitely not real life. santa isn't real either.

number 9

really quick : i promised that i'd post a picture of my bridesmaid craft that i worked so hard on! they were a labor of love, trust me!!!

i made my five bridesmaids a puzzle out of cork board and painted the "clues" onto each piece. they read "wheel ewe (a female sheep) bee m+eye brides maid". needless to say, they all said yes!!

they took a little (or a lot) of time to make, but i was really proud of them, and my girls are definitely worth it!!

number 8

BRIDESMAIDS!!!

the tradition of the "bridesmaid" is believed to have originated from roman law, which required witnesses at a wedding to ward off evil spirits. i have 5 beautiful ladies that have willingly accepted the position to beat up anyone who gets in my way down the alter. along with 1 maid of honor, and there's no tellin' what she'll do!! haha.

drum roll please...

the first announcement goes to the gal who's put up with me the longest: stacia outten (now petrancosta) has been my best friend since the 7th grade. both being the new girls in dequeen, arkansas, we immediately became attached at the hip and have been able to remain best friends since - despite only living in the same town together for 1 year. she's definitely one i know i'll be able to call on until i'm wrinkly and gray - no matter how many miles separate us - i'll always refer to her as "my best friend from arkansas". love you staysh.

my best friend throughout high school was the complete opposite of me (except we were both awesome, duh!) lauren smyth was captain of the cheerleading squad, tall, outgoing, and an amazing dancer. no one will ever know how we hit it off so well and stayed friends as long as we have! she was definitely my saving grace at chatham high school, and i know without her advice and shoulder to cry on every now-and-then, i wouldn't have made it through alive. i love her like my very own sister and know it'll always be that way.

i can't remember the first day i met alex or the first conversation we had. i just remember always being friends with her. alex moses and i both joined zeta tau alpha as freshmen, our first year at virginia tech, in the spring of 2004. throughout our four years together, we have become undeniably best friends. she's such a strong, genuine person - anyone would be lucky to have her as a friend. lucky me! i can always count on alex for a great time, a big laugh, or a carrie underwood sing-a-long - all which are necessary at some point or another. AND she shares my appreciation for a good craft project! i love you, al.

you'll never hear me call this one "emily". emily tretiak, or "tretiak", has fallen victim to the same curse as i, being referred to as only your last name all throughout college, and possibly forever - even after marriage - as i've been told. tretiak was my sanity junior/senior year at tech when we both decided to take on positions as president and c.o.c.(vp1) for zeta. she was definitely the brains of the outfit and always stood beside me, looking tough, when i had to reprimand. in other words: she's my best friend who gives me strength, confidence, and tells me the truth (even when i don't always want to hear it). she's a super classy gal, and i know i'll always look up to her, and not because she's a lot taller than i am! i'll add that she didn't even get mad at me when i demolished the interior of her jeep with taco bell. xoxo. love you, girlfriend!

last but certainly not the least of the bridesmaids is my new sister: sarah wyatt swanson. she's got to be one of the coolest chicks ever -- and we're going to be family!! not only is she the most creative person i know, she plays the drums in a band -- a REAL band!! so awesome. sarah is andrew's older sister, and i, not having any real sisters of my own, am SO excited to finally be getting one! from the first time we met, she has always been so great to me, always accepting me with open arms. sarah, honestly, is the icing on an already perfect cake (probably made by mrs. avery). haha. i love her so much already as andrew's sister, and i know that we'll continue to be great friends as sisters-in-law.

as the caboose: miss emily baxa will be straightening up my train (no pun intended) and calming my nerves. i chose emily as my maid of honor because she's definitely earned it. emily and i lived on the top floor of EastAJ our freshman year and became best friends as new members of zeta tau alpha. inseparable doesn't even describe it. we did EVERYTHING together, even shared the same sorority big sister (shoutout to courtie!) - making us "twins". how fitting. even now, she is my other half. i could go on and on forever about the countless memories we've shared and how much i love her, but i would start crying in front of the computer. in being my MOH, i don't expect her to keep me sane for the next 6 months, i just want her to stand beside me on my wedding day like she's done every day for the past 6 years. i love you, em. thank you for being my very best friend.

these are my very best girls: they have no idea what they're in for ;) i love y'all.

number 7

weekend wrap-up:

we did a lot this weekend, not enough to say that we were 'crazy busy' by any one's standards. but a fun weekend, to say the least!

friday, we all went to hear a band that was in the running for the reception. we quickly discovered that it wasn't much to get excited about. i'll just say that we're still searching for the right one. any suggestions? throw 'em our way!

saturday was a lazy day. it rained a lot, so andrew and i stayed in and made some adjustments (mostly additions) to the guest list. this thing is out of controllll. how anyone could ever plan a "small" wedding is beyond me. a solution to the issue has yet to be determined.

andrew and dad went to the nascar race in martinsville on sunday. a little father and son-in-law bonding - complete with mullet hunting and redneck watching! mom and i used our girl time to shop and think about the reception's floral arrangements. after being given a few estimates from local florists there were a lot of comments floating between us such as "oh...WE could do THAT!!" and "So-and-So loves that kinda stuff!!!" i mean, really, a handful of hydrangea can't be TOO hard to arrange!

monday, us girls made a trip to hobby lobby to find some wedding goodness and coincidentally bumped into a bridesmaid as well!!! (name announced later!!!) i've found so many little wedding accents that i want to attempt myself - my evenings will definitely be occupied this week! these are my next two projects: a wedding card gift box and 2 floral initials for the gate in front of the church. here are pics of what the finished projects are supposed to look like:

do-able? i think so! finished project pics will be posted!

also, i've been working very diligently on save-the-dates. they're pretty much completed, and my envelopes came in yesterday! friday is the estimated date of departure! get exciiited! they're fab! (as are the return labels!)

i have 1 more bridesmaid who has yet to receive her invite, so as soon as i hear from her lovely self, i'll be publicly announcing my 6 favorite gals! (along with a mini-bio! yesss! can't wait!)

that's all i've got! love y'all!

number 6.5

this is my first foray into the blogosphere. bear with me.

i just wanted to give all the ladies who read this wonderful blog a man's insight into some of this wedding biznass. i went with boo (laura) and my 2nd mom (debbie) to meet with potential cake maker(s) and caterer. i do not think it is as bad as the stereotypical male would lead you to believe. the process was not painful or boring. in fact, i like having some input (thank you boo) on what i will be eating on my wedding day. did someone say crabcakes?! nom nom nom.

speaking of food, i believe that it (along with music) set the tone for how much fun guests are gonna have. good food can make a decent wedding great and bad food can make a great wedding horrible. same can be said for music. pro tip for all prospective brides, and those soon to be, it is better to have no music at all than craptastic music (band or dj). anyways, food can serve the same purpose. delicious food brings people together and, in my opinion, makes a crowd happy. and seeing that the people you love most are at your wedding, you should want to make them as happy as you are. plus they give you presents. simple math: great music+ delicious food=happy boo.

number 6

gah!! it hasn't even been a month yet, and i'm already slacking!! last week was a super busy wedding-planning week. mom and i headed up to lynchburg on tuesday and guess what?! we accomplished what we set out to do! yes, ladies and gentlemen, i have found my perfect wedding dress! without giving everything away, here's a sneak peek!!

hah i'm such a tease! this picture is nothing. this is the most beautiful dress that was ever made, as far as i'm concerned, and i feel amazing in it! it makes the big day seem that much closer! we've already put a deposit down on it, so i'm not just dreaming; it really IS mine!

the busy day continued with shopping for bridesmaids dresses, meeting with a potential caterer, and going over cake designs with a baker. i'm really excited about andrew's groom's cake, it just might outshine my own. haha lbh: never gonna happen. haha just kidding, boo! the other reason i've been so busy is because i've been crafting something very special for my bridesmaids. these are some of the most important ladies in my life, so i wanted to spend some of my own time and talent in designing the perfect way to extend my invitation for them to stand beside me on my wedding day. these will be going out this week! i'll post a picture once the girls recieve theirs, so you can see too!

1 more thing: andrew and i met with the rector at the episcopal church of the epiphany in downtown danville yesterday! IT'S OFFICIAL! september 26 is the big day! i'll be printing and finishing up save-the-dates tomorrow and tuesday - hopefully they'll be in the mail by next week. between all that and trying to stay within budget (rearranging some figures here and there), i'm still suprisingly not stressed! everything has gone pretty smoothly, no hang-ups yet! we're currently looking for a band too!!

we've got a lot of things in the works, but with the dress behind me now, everything else will be a breeze right?

number 5

which one to choose?! us girls had SO much fun saturday. we went to 5 different stores, and i tried on about 25 different dresses. i'm having a tough time deciding -- every dress is so pretty! i was able to zero in on a certain type of silhouette that is most flattering, and we decided that ivory looks best with my skintone. mom and i are headed up to lynchburg tomorrow to try out a few bridal salons there and to see what j.crew has to offer in the bridesmaids department! (glad i already have my mind made up on that one!)

one woman at a store that shall remain unnamed brought out a light blue beauty and thought it would look faaabulous on me. thank you for your excellent opinion. not. we did come home with some fun stories and gorgeous pictures, most of which i'll have to keep to myself until the big day. here are some fun ones i am allowed to share:

i had to try on just ONE ballgown. this one was massive - you can't tell all that much in the picture - you'll just have to trust me. mom and mrs. avery thought it would be fun to play dress-up too! here they are: one wearing a crown, the other wearing a veil. presh.

tomorrow's a busy day! dress shopping again and meeting with the caterer and cake decorator! yay! more updates when i have them. love y'all!

number 4

i am so excited, i can hardly contain myself! tomorrow, mrs. avery (andrew's mom), my mom, and i are going to raleigh to look for my wedding dress!!!! we are going to be three very weepy women. i know that as soon as i see myself in that white dress it's going to hit me like ton of bricks -- "i'm getting married!! i'm REALLY getting married!"

as if this picture won't give me the chills already. no, this woman is NOT me. she could be my long lost twin, no? i found this picture on a snippet and ink inspiration board. the photographer was linda chaja. it really is beautiful --makes me want a birdcage veil and a taffetta gown real bad!!

what do y'all think of me as a bride?!

haha. mom and i went and visited with a florist this morning. apparently i have "really good taste" in flowers - another way of saying that everything i wanted was expensive. ouch. luckily i don't have my heart set on any one flower in particular so i was able to have a few options availible. i will tell you that the bridal party's bouquets and mine will be mostly white - as will most of the floral decor at the ceremony and the reception. very clean and crisp! i'm getting more and more excited with every detail that is planned!! on next week's agenda is the caterer and the cake decorator. yum - food - my favorite (andrew's too!!)


i've gotten some great responses about our blog! i'm really excited that people are reading it! the site address will go out on our save-the-dates. my hope is that this will be a place guests can come to get up to date information about our planning, registries, event locations, or just to say hi! feel free to leave a comment-- i'm checking all the time!! love y'all!

number 3

well... i had my first wedding mini-nightmare last night. it had to happen sooner or later, right? might as well be sooner. i call it a mini-nightmare because it wasn't INCREDIBLY horrible, just horrible enough for me to be "perturbed" if it did happen. in my dream, apparently the chosen color for the day was red -- remember, our wedding isn't being held in february or december where red would be fitting for a valentines or christmas themed wedding. just red... in september. now, i don't consider myself a "control freak"; nor have i ever been told that i have that characteristic, but i do have ideas of what i envision for our big day, and it doesn't include red satin sashes or giving out candy canes as favors (not meant to offend anyone who has chosen to do this! just not for me!) . to make matters worse, the flowers were awful! picture: gray flowers with hints of mauve. mmm. again - not at this wedding!

overall, not that bad! i'm glad i got my first little scare out of the way! i also dreamt that they allowed facebook at work and that i had huge diamond earrings to match my engagement ring - both of which aren't happening anytime soon. i don't believe i have too much to worry about in the whole dreams-come-true department!

on a funnier note: when i was in one of my best friends, stacia's, wedding last december, i dreamt that the other bridesmaids were passing me while we were marching down the aisle. i don't know where my brain comes up with these things!

number 2

this weekend i was able to go play with some of my very very best girlfriends in richmond. the weekend was planned to celebrate emily's (my roommate 2/4 years at vt) 24th birthday, enjoy the gorgeous, premature spring weather, and relive the college days by pretending we still get a spring break. it was definitely a bonus that andrew and i got engaged just one week ago, and i was able to share my excitement with my best gals. we definitely made the most of our time together, and i'm already looking forward to our next time together!


shoutout to my girlfriends: thanks so much for being so supportive and excited for andrew and i! i love y'all too much!

i'm planning on working on our save-the-dates tomorrow. i'm making them myself, so when you get yours in the mail, be really excited about it, and be sure to tell me how great of a job i did! hah. i'm just kidding. (not really) i'm very excited about them because (1) i designed everything and (2) i'm a little obsessed with my color scheme - more on that later! i don't want to give TOO much away!

thats it for now! love y'all!

number 1

hey yall! i'm trying out blogging as a new way to keep everyone updated on the progress of our wedding. we'll see if i can stay devoted to posting and actually keeping this current! andrew and i have always talked about getting married, but last week, we made it official. i'm really excited to get the ball rolling on this and put my creativity to good use! check back to see what projects we're working on and fun things i find along the way. love y'all!