Updates!

I owe you all a few updates, and it has been on my list of things to do. If you saw the list you would understand why updating here has taken a while!

First thing's first: The invites are out, and we (by "we" I mean the counsel of Louise and her mother) would like the response cards back by October 14th. Which I just realized is Sunday. Which means if you get them postmarked by Saturday, we should be good. Mother Dearest keeps threatening that i will have to call everyone on Tuesday if i don't have all of the responses and let's face it, that just ain't going to happen.

Some of you got information about the rehearsal dinner and brunch. The rehearsal dinner will be Thursday night at the Church. the rehearsal is scheduled for 7 p.m., so dinner will start at 7:45 p.m. (ish). Brunch will be at Annie's house (the return address on the invite) from about 10 a.m. til whenever. It is an open house, but the Bride and Groom might be napping if you come past 1. I have a feeling that night before will be long and full of partying.

There are several surprises and exciting things planned for the reception, and we took personalization to the max. I hope that you all can make it and join in the fun. We are looking forward to dancing/drinking/galavanting and taking pictures with each and every person on out guest list!

Some Logistics:

The Country Inn and Suites is the closest hotel to the reception venue. You could potentially walk back to your room from there. Click here for information about that particular hotel.  There are many hotels in and around White Marsh that are lovely as well.

If you wanted to be close to the church, I would suggest the Admiral Fells Inn or something near Harbor East, but they are really pricey.However, if this weekend is a vacation for you, those are lovely spots to see Baltimore and be able to walk everywhere fun like Canton and Fells Point.

The wedding ceremony will begin at 2:30 p.m. Many people have asked whether or not we will be having a Catholic Mass, and we decided not to for a few reasons. It is long. It is boring for non-Catholics. Non-Catholics might feel weird when we Catholics are Eucaristing it up. We will be taking pictures in the church from the end of the ceremony for up to a half an hour after that. If you have an interest in getting a picture with the bride and groom at the alter and you are not immediate family, we need to know ASAP. We can accommodate you, but the photographer needs the shot list soon. Email me, Louise, by clicking here.

The reception will be held at the VFW Post 6506 (click for directions). Our DJ is Living Legend Johnny Dark and it will be a wild time!

We have, after much thought, registered at Target. You can access our registry here.

Again, we are astounded and touched by the generosity of our friends and family. Thank you all for everything. This love story has truly been built by many hands.

A little lesson on loss.

Adam and I have been preparing for the wedding in a number of different ways. From finishing our Catholic Initiation with our RCIA classes, to running errand in order to find the right shoes, to paying for the invitations, to making a million decisions about what to food and liquor to serve to what shade of ecru tablecloths to buy we feel like we have done it all. I am sure you married ones out there are grinning and saying "I told you so," and that's fine. One thing I don't think we had planned on, and that is a little unique to our situation is our weight loss.

In January, Adam and I decided to join a gym. I don't know why. I don't think we went into it planning on anything other than three days a week we would do some cardio, so light weights and call it a day. In February, I decided to join a Center for Medical Weight Loss. I saw the coupon for their program in my doctor's office. I thought about all of the times I had tried to lose the weight and failed. I thought about the last wedding I was in and the insult the groomsman I was paired up with had for me. I couldn't bear the thought of being "Pretty, for a big girl," on my wedding day. Something clicked, and I knew I needed a change.

After seeing my success with the doctor, Adam joined her program in March and we have been battling the bulge as a united front ever since. It has been, and will continue to be, a life changing choice that we are happy to be going through together. We have lost a total of 136 pounds between us, and still have 80 pounds to go until we reach any kind of goal. Needless to say, the only way some of you will recognize us is by the outfits on the day of!

In summary, weddings take a lot of prep, and they should! Adam and I are preparing to spend our lives together as healthier, happier, more energetic people and I can't wait!

An Update for the Masses.

Here's what's new: The Save The Dates are out and turned out great! The wedding dress is ordered, beautiful, and about 12 inches too big. And I am shrinking every day. Insert freak out now. We have set a time for the rehearsal, bought some presents for the bridal party, signed a contract for the flowers and invites... and it feels so real! Adam and I are trying to keep the stress level down and keep reminding each other that the important part is that we are married at the end of the day. Everything else is fluff. Any suggestions on where to find an inexpensive wedding dress to have just in case all alterations/schemes fail, you may send them my way ASAP. KTHANKS!

A New Post for a New Year

A lot of you have been asking how wedding planning is going, so I thought I would write a mass blog to blast everyone and share! Quel quiant!

We are imersed in RCIA classes at St. Casimir's. This particular part of our journey to the alter has been an immense blessing. Adam and I are learning a lot about our faith, we are getting on the same page about our beliefs and our personal preferences, and we are really connecting on a different level. It is a great tool to go together and get to know what we expect not only from eachother, but from our spiritual life.

Additionally, we have started signing papers and filling out questionaires to have our marriage approved by the Archdiocese of Baltimore. I never thought I would be getting married in a Catholic Church, but I have to say they have it down. They ask all the right questions to help you make more informed choices about your partner and what kind of life you expect to have together.

We signed the agreement for the hall rental and just have to pay it off. my dress hsould be coming in soon and I am sooooooo excited! As soon as it comes in, I can make more decisions about decor and the exact shades I would like my bridesmaids in.

We haven't signed any contracts for the caterer, but we know who we don't want. Big Bad Wolf took themselves out of the running by being incredibly disorganized, and Red Hot and Blue is just not the quality that they used to be. I fell in love with Beefalo Bob's (www.beefalobobs.com Who knows why my hyperlink button isn't working!?) thanks to their great customer service with 101.9's BSO night(1019litefm.radio.com).

The giving nature of our families and friends has truly astouded us and touched our hearts. So many people are making this dream a beautiful reality. My brother is donating the bar, three people have lent me their veils to try on with my dress, an annonymous family member has helped pay for my wedding dress, my mom is donating the floral arrangements (and a million other things,) a photographer friend is giving us an incredible discount, my incredibly talented friend Charles Dowd donated our custom avatars (cdowd.com/avatars)for our Save The Dates, and another family friend just today offered to do the videography. Thank you, thank you to everyone. It is such an incredible feeling to be so loved!

And I swear, I am sending out the Save The Dates. Eventually!