It's Almost Time...

I admit, I've gotten a little behind on blogging these past couple of weeks as everything has started to pick up for the wedding.  But, it's almost time!!

My parents were in town today so we spent the day running last minute errands.  We ended with dinner at Beer Run, a deep breath, and are now ready for the celebrating to begin!

We've seen a few of our out of town guests and wedding party quickly, but can't wait to start hanging out and celebrating the wonderful blessing of marriage!

Charlottesville Shower!

This past weekend my near and dear Charlottesville bridesmaids threw me a Charlottesville shower.  They planned it around an all local theme and it really reminded me why I love this city so much!

From Take It Away sandwich's to Capellini Cupcakes and mom's favorite "tailgate tortellini salad" - I couldn't have asked for a more fun get-together two weeks before the big day!

These are just a few shots from the celebration!

I am one very blessed lady! 

Lauren, Kelly, Sarah, Maria Jamie and I! 

Awesome painting of the Downtown Mall. 

Feast goodies! 

Meg Runion Studios

There are so many talented photographers in Charlottesville, and Brodie and I couldn't be more excited about having Meg Runion Studios shooting our wedding!

I met Meg in the Junior League and so when I needed a photographer, I knew where to look.

I'll let her pictures speak for themselves.  For our engagement shoot we went to some our favorite places around Charlottesville...Market Street Wine Shop, the Downtown Mall, Pen Park and this field we fell in love with off Route 250 on the way to Ivy.  Enjoy

This was the blooper of the group...can you tell!  We seriously had no idea Jackson was up to no good until Meg started laughing hysterically.  I'm sure she will remember this shoot for awhile...

Thanks Meg - we can't wait to see the wedding photos next! 

White House Catering

I got a little distracted with planning, but I'm back with 11 days to go!

Continuing the vendor spotlight...White House Catering.

We decided to go with a group from Richmond and I'm so excited about the wonderful food that will be served.  It was important to Brodie and I both to have food served at our wedding that would be reflective of something we would serve if we had guests over for dinner.  So...start guessing!  I don't want to give everything away, but White House has been great to work with and I can't wait to see them in action June 11th!

CCS Events

First up in my series of posts spotlighting my vendors...CCS Events!

When we decided the wedding was going to be at Cardinal Point, we knew that we were going to need some help pulling things together.  Since there has never been a waiting there before, we wanted someone to keep us on track, and make sure we had silverware for people to use, enough bathrooms and ample power, and someone who could guide us, so we could design the event as ours.  Enter, Colleen Cook.

Brodie and I stumbled upon Colleen at a Bridal Show in Richmond.  Two weeks into our engagement, I, of course, had every magazine there was to be had and couldn't wait to check out the show.  A less enthusiastic Brodie agreed to tag along since my mom wasn't able to attend.  After walking from booth to booth with Brodie slowly fading on me, I immediately knew we may have hit the jackpot when we walked up to Colleen and Brodie actually started asking questions.  (Her motto is also "Tie the Knot Without Becoming One" - sounds good to me!)

Since we didn't have much time, we quickly worked out a plan with Colleen, and off we went!  We've been driving to Richmond to meet her every few weeks, but it is oh so helpful to have someone else working on some of the nitty gritty details!

Some of my favorite ideas of Colleen can be seen here.  Enjoy!

Vendors

I never thought that securing all the vendors for a wedding would be one of the most difficult parts of the process.  For me though, that was DEFINITELY the case! 

It wasn't that there were not enough good options.  In fact, it was just the opposite!  I enjoyed the process, mostly, because I was able to meet so many great people.  The flip side of that was, I could only have one cake, caterer and dj (although my dad did suggest we just bring everyone on board...although I think that was during one of his joking moments :), right dad?!)  The process made me realize that deep-down, I am a very indecisive person, and that's not a helpful trait when planning a wedding. 

The exciting part for the vendors we are going to work with, is that they will be able to be a part of the inaugural wedding at Cardinal Point!  

For the next several posts, I'll spotlight each group we're working with - stay tuned! 

Smile.

Yesterday evening Brodie and I had a delayed engagement photo session with Meg Runion.  I didn't want to take pictures when it was freezing out, and it turns out yesterday was worth waiting for!

I don't have any photos to show you yet, but I can promise you at least one of them will go down in history and be talked about for a LONG time to come - aren't you excited to see?!

In the meantime, here are some of my favorite photos that Meg has taken.  She also makes these awesome frames so you can display your favorite shots!

Happy Friday!

Wedding Day 5K!

When we first started putting plans together for our big day, we had all sorts of ideas.  Brodie - especially - was into the details, and the brainstorming sessions surrounding how we could make our day very "like us".

One of the ideas that came out of theses discussions was a Wedding Day 5K.  For those who know us well, you know that we both think there's nothing better than getting up early, getting in a good workout, and then being set to tackle the day.  We figured our big day was as good as any to keep our tradition going strong AND we'd have the added bonus of running with our friends, family and out of town guests! So, we're going for it!

We let everyone know about the race but including this insert in our invitations! 

In addition to getting some exercise, we'll also pass places where we've spent much of our time in Charlottesville:

• Albemarle County Office Building - Brodie's work 
• NBC29 - My previous work 
• Park Street - Click here and then "Our Story" and "Brodie's Perspective" for a better explanation :) 
• Martha Jefferson Hospital - My work 
• Charlottesville City Market - Our favorite Saturday morning tradition (usually after running so we can have a honeybunch!) 

Walkers are welcome too!  There's no rush - it's just going to be a fun time to visit and hang out before the ceremony starts.

Showered with Blessings!

This past Saturday I had a wedding shower with family and friends from growing up back in Woodbridge, VA.  Cristina, my maid of honor, and my two matrons of honor were gracious enough to pull it all together, and Cristina's mom let us use her beautiful home for the big event!  Words can't describe how perfect everything was - I seriously couldn't have asked for more.

It was great to be able to have so much family in town (Aunt Judy and Aunt Jacqui - you win the award for traveling the farthest!) and to be able to spend time with old friends, neighbors, and my bridesmaids!

Since everyone knows I love wine, the entire evening had a wine theme.  As you wandered through the house, you could visit different "countries" and taste their wines and food selections.  What a great idea!

They also had awesome plates that held your wine glass so you could eat and drink AND have a free hand.  This seems like such a small thing, I know, but it's just an example of the careful attention they gave to every detail.

Here are a few snapshots from the wonderful events.  THANK YOU to everyone who was there!

Everyone got their own wine glass to taste! 

A station to share marriage advice! 

Each of my bridesmaids submitted a question about me  and guests had to see how many they could get right.  Some of my girls were nice...others exposed some of my more embarrassing secrets! 

Mom and Me :) 

What a great decoration for the Italian station. 

This package definitely wins when it comes to creative wrapping.  Thanks Patsy and Jessi! 

Bridesmaids...and the awesome rehearsal practice bouquet!!! 

Invitations!

After many edits, back and forth trips to our wonderful vendor, FSR and lots of stuffing and stamping, invitations have been mailed!  From the beginning, I always wanted something simple, and I think we accomplished just that (hopefully you will think so too!)

When I first started working with FSR, they told me their collection was a little limited.  Then, they handed over two HUGE books filled with different examples.  From different fonts, to colors, lined envelopes, etc. my options turned out to be endless, so I can't even imagine what would have happened if I had even MORE options!

Can't wait to see this framed and hanging in our new house so we can always remember June 11, 2011!

I just love these ring stamps!  

 

Dad was getting a little frustrated with all the assembly lines we had going on... Deep down though, he was having fun :) A huge thanks to Aunt Jacqui for all her help (she refused to let us take her picture since it was so early!) 

The final product! 

www.tiecoon.com

Ok, so, this post is for the guys (or the ladies that do shopping for the guys!).  When Brodie was looking for ties for his groomsmen, he stumbled upon this awesome website.  They have TONS of $5 and $10 ties.  

I will admit, I was a little skeptical at first, but he ordered several, and the quality is great.  It's the way we will be going for awhile!  In the meantime, below are a few options in the running for the wedding tie.  Do you have a favorite?   

Let the Celebrating Begin

This weekend my Aunt Debbie and Uncle Mark and two matrons of honor graciously hosted an engagement party for Brodie and I.  It was great to get our wedding party together with our immediate family and start celebrating! 

Orzo outside....as you'll see...was the perfect location and we were blessed to be surrounded by family and friends! 

Orzo is where we celebrated our engagement with my parents, so definitely appropriate!

Yummy shrimp. 

Chris (Groomsman second from the left) made a surprise visit from Orlando!!

Deep in conversation! 

So happy to see Becky and Shawn! 

Brodie and Ellie! 

The Fines :) 

Friends and Family 

Just a Teaser of What's to Come

My mom and I met with our event planner this weekend, and one of the things originally on our to-do list for the meeting was to see a mock-up of flowers.  However, a few days before we learned that all of our flowers aren't in season, so the florist (Jerry Littleton) asked to push it back.

Mom and I were both a little bummed, because we'd been so excited to see them.  When we showed up though, Jerry surprised us with these!

I thought they were beautiful.  He said he just threw them together to give us an idea.

If that's the case, I can't wait to see what's to come!

Sugar High!

Needless to say, after two cake tastings in one day, and am feeling pretty pumped up on sugar!  I had always imagined that this would be one of the most fun parts of the planning process, and I was right!  Not only did both the wonderful bakers present their options in a pretty way, I'm not sure I've ever gotten to eat 6 different cakes in one sitting!  For my sweet tooth, it was a perfect fit!

Now, the hard part is going to be trying to make a decision!  We definitely want a cake (I really can't wait to cut it and just hope Brodie doesn't smash it in my face - I have a feeling he will behave :)).  The following are a few pictures I found that I've used as inspiration, but basically, they are all beautiful, so you can't really go wrong. 

One funny side lesson I heard as I was doing my research and it seems to be a good piece of advice.  Don't let anyone drive with the cake unless it's the person who made it, or the person who paid for it!  I'd be a nervous wreck driving something this awesome! 

Stay tuned for more! 

Curacao - Here We Come!

Paradise!  Brodie and I finally booked our flight and made our Curacao honeymoon official last night!  We aren't exactly how we ended up with this choice, but we sure are excited.  Brodie was the first to stumble upon the island in his Google research, and then somehow it just kept coming back to us.  

I've always envisioned going somewhere warm and sunny for my honeymoon, and I have to say, I'm not sure we can get much better than this!  To top it off, the historic Willemstad (pictured above) provides a taste of European flare, but a lot closer to home! 

We'll be heading out the Monday after our wedding so we can enjoy the day after with family and friends, and hopefully try to talk through some of what I'm sure will be a wedding day that's gone in a flash!  I can't wait to use this time away to enjoy the first week of marriage with Brodie! 

Bridesmaid Dresses!

After much searching....we've found the dress!  My wonderful maid of honor, Cristina, and bridesmaids, Sarah and Kelly met my mom, my nana and I in Springfield this weekend to give it one more go.  The real good news was, we were successful at both shops we went to!  Ultimately, we decided to go with a lovely little strapless number from Alfred Angelo.  The girls said they liked it, so I hope they weren't lying!  Hopefully it is something everyone can wear again though (I know, I know, everyone says this, but I think it's true for this one!)   

Can't wait to see everyone all put together on the big day! 

It's going to be in a "Mocha" color - not bright green!  I have to leave a little element of surprise out there!