Wow, I managed to ignore this for a long time! I found myself reading other peoples' blogs, chatting online with other waiting ladies, and just trying not to make myself miserable thinking of things that could be, will be, and are off in the future at some undetermined date. I even made a pact with myself to not worry about it or bring it up or anything until after February was over. Well, I am beyond ecstatic to report that the waiting game is OVER!
Because it is so fun to get caught up in the romance, let me retell my proposal (eeek!) story for you! At the beginning of the month, we left for a 10 day trip to Hawaii with Dino's family. We stayed in a beautiful house, enjoyed amazing sunsets, ate ridiculously well (boy is his brother a good chef! Glad he was willing to cook for us every day!), had wonderful adventures, and spent a whole lot of time relaxing and soaking up some much needed sun. We went to a couple of beaches, but they were mostly hike in beaches (leaving us gross and dirty) or rocky or windy or just generally not perfect. That is, until our last day there. We went to a beach that nearly rivaled Australian beaches. It was beautiful, soft sand, water we could actually play in, and perfect weather. We body surfed, sunbathed, snacked, and I even got some pictures of whales! By about noon, though, I was getting a little more burnt than I liked, so we moved into a shadier, less crowded spot a little further from the water. We were just talking, and it looked like we might all have been getting a little crispy and ready to leave, when Dino said "I've been waiting for the perfect time all week to do this" and reached into his camera ring, pulling out something small and shiny. He continued "Will you marry me?" to which I eloquently replied "Really? Really? Are you serious? You're serious right now?" He got me to say "Yes!" though, and placed the ring on my finger.
I was so so shocked! I didn't think he was even thinking about it, let alone buying a ring and toting it around on vacation with us! He was so sneaky too, and managed to surprise me in the biggest and best way ever! I think I was a bit in a daze for at least the rest of the day, if not still in a daze 3 days later now!
So a couple minutes later, his dad walked over to tell us we were thinking about heading out, and Dino told him the good news! His dad didn't seem super surprised, but very happy, and told us that prior to leaving for vacation he was telling people that he might just marry us in Hawaii, since he is a pastor. His mom was so excited too, it was wonderful. She exclaimed "I'm going to get a daughter-in-law!" and was proudly telling everyone we met that we just got engaged. Dino had told his brother the night before, since he was getting a little nervous about getting down to the last day of vacation and trying to find the perfect moment. So his brother wasn't surprised, but was happy for us also (although that might be just because it'll distract their relatives from bugging him about settling down for a bit!).
It was so weird, so amazing, and so wonderful. We didn't have very good cell reception, so I could only text (it took several tries too, ugh!) my parents and best friend, but their excitement was so wonderful. In fact, the response from everyone has blown me away. I knew people would congratulate us, but so many people are beyond excited for us, it is truly making me feel so loved. I've very rarely received flowers before, but my office gave me some beautiful flowers the day I got back (yesterday), and then my FIANCE brought me flowers last night also, something he's only done once before! Not to mention the fabulous new bling I'm sporting now. Emerald cut, just over half a carat, sparkly and beautiful, currently in a "presentation setting" I believe he called it, soon to be placed into a fun, vintage-y inspired setting of our choosing.
Good golly I love that man. And I love the way he proposed. And I love that I have a Fiance now and am ENGAGED!!!
We haven't nailed any details down yet (except for the florist! My friend in Australia is officially my first vendor, as she offered to do my flowers as a gift. What a wonderful wonderful gift and friend!!!), as it has only been 3 days, but for now I think we're just reveling in the excitement, the love, the new titles, and our celebration. But I can't wait to dive in and put a wedding together!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Thursday, August 4, 2011
A Few More Bits and Pieces
I forgot some random little thoughts the other day, specifically in how strangely Dino and my expectations line up.
A while back, I decided it would be cool to get married in a forest (specifically with woodland creatures around, but it's hard to invite chipmunks and robins and the like). I think I mentioned it to Dino in passing, but that was a long time ago. So when we were discussing weddings this past weekend, he mentions that, wouldn't you know, he dreams of getting married in a forest! (I promise not to implant any ideas into his mind that could be problematic, although it is tempting to use my newfound mind control more...) While my thoughts have kind of shifted (in that I like neon and bright colors, which may not be harmonious with the outdoors), I still really love this idea. Nature is beautiful.
His dad is a pastor, and he has told everyone that he wants his dad to marry him, and to this I wholeheartedly agree, and can't imagine anything different. However, it is funny that while he is 100% sure he wants his dad to marry him (us?), he is also worried about how his dad will, uh, adlib... go off script... insert some humor and unplanned thoughts into the ceremony. It's true. He will, but it will still be wonderful!!! His dad is so amazing, and warm and loving, and while he may say a couple unexpected things, I can only imagine they'd be perfect.
We were talking about all the little fancy desserts they had at the wedding, and Dino said he'd like just tons of different kinds of cookies. Boy likes cookies better than pretty much any other dessert. I told him about a tradition that is completely foreign here in the PNW, but commonplace somewhere on the east coast (Pennsylvania, I think?). The Cookie Table!!! The cookie table is a glorious table, and the bride and groom ask people in their lives (ones who volunteer is preferable) to make several dozens of a kind of cookie (hopefully their specialty), and then the cookies are placed on a table for guests to enjoy a bit of the guests of honors' childhood and familiar flavors. I am absolutely in LOVE with this idea. I think it would be a nice way to include our friends and families in the production of the wedding, and maybe a neat little favor. Although, I love cake more than most things, so we would DEFINITELY need an amazing, delicious cake still.
Speaking of favors, I also told Dino about the beer bread mix favors Mrs. Pretzel had at her wedding, even in bottles, and he seemed to love it. We also brewed beer the other day, and he announced to everyone (a couple of his coworkers and me) that he will be brewing beer to serve at his wedding, which I think is an amazing idea. I think it would be fun to either just do that, or also have homebrew as favors as well (custom labels!).
It's nice to see that we are on the same page for so many things, even though I still can't picture what I want overall, these little details are awesome.
A while back, I decided it would be cool to get married in a forest (specifically with woodland creatures around, but it's hard to invite chipmunks and robins and the like). I think I mentioned it to Dino in passing, but that was a long time ago. So when we were discussing weddings this past weekend, he mentions that, wouldn't you know, he dreams of getting married in a forest! (I promise not to implant any ideas into his mind that could be problematic, although it is tempting to use my newfound mind control more...) While my thoughts have kind of shifted (in that I like neon and bright colors, which may not be harmonious with the outdoors), I still really love this idea. Nature is beautiful.
His dad is a pastor, and he has told everyone that he wants his dad to marry him, and to this I wholeheartedly agree, and can't imagine anything different. However, it is funny that while he is 100% sure he wants his dad to marry him (us?), he is also worried about how his dad will, uh, adlib... go off script... insert some humor and unplanned thoughts into the ceremony. It's true. He will, but it will still be wonderful!!! His dad is so amazing, and warm and loving, and while he may say a couple unexpected things, I can only imagine they'd be perfect.
We were talking about all the little fancy desserts they had at the wedding, and Dino said he'd like just tons of different kinds of cookies. Boy likes cookies better than pretty much any other dessert. I told him about a tradition that is completely foreign here in the PNW, but commonplace somewhere on the east coast (Pennsylvania, I think?). The Cookie Table!!! The cookie table is a glorious table, and the bride and groom ask people in their lives (ones who volunteer is preferable) to make several dozens of a kind of cookie (hopefully their specialty), and then the cookies are placed on a table for guests to enjoy a bit of the guests of honors' childhood and familiar flavors. I am absolutely in LOVE with this idea. I think it would be a nice way to include our friends and families in the production of the wedding, and maybe a neat little favor. Although, I love cake more than most things, so we would DEFINITELY need an amazing, delicious cake still.
Speaking of favors, I also told Dino about the beer bread mix favors Mrs. Pretzel had at her wedding, even in bottles, and he seemed to love it. We also brewed beer the other day, and he announced to everyone (a couple of his coworkers and me) that he will be brewing beer to serve at his wedding, which I think is an amazing idea. I think it would be fun to either just do that, or also have homebrew as favors as well (custom labels!).
It's nice to see that we are on the same page for so many things, even though I still can't picture what I want overall, these little details are awesome.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Some random thoughts right now...
Not much has changed since I blogged last... Been pretty much the same for me (aka, no ring...)!
My best friend recently asked me for some ideas of rings I like, just in case. Talk about making me suspicious! However, Dino just had to get some major car repairs done, costing nearly 3k, which is ridiculous, so I don't think he has much extra cash at the moment. My car also just went into the shop (he literally drove my dying car to pick up his fixed car, and left mine there. Talk about perfect timing...).
We also just went to a wedding in Portland, which was fun. Always nice to see weddings up close and personal! Really makes me list things I do and don't like, things I may do or will definitely steer away from. Afterwards, a drunk Dino and I were talking, and he asked me to describe my wedding I've been planning in my mind. I honestly couldn't, though. It isn't like I can make any decisions without a timeline or, you know, a fiance, or budget or anything. I tried to explain this, and he seemed touched that I would take his ideas into consideration, but of course I would! It isn't just going to be MY wedding. Plus I feel like I look at wedding blogs for the pretty, and for general ideas, rather than specific plans. But it seems he is thinking more about our future wedding, even if it is just drunk Dino saying things about it.
Soon enough, though... soon enough I'll be planning my own wedding! I hope so, at least!!!
My best friend recently asked me for some ideas of rings I like, just in case. Talk about making me suspicious! However, Dino just had to get some major car repairs done, costing nearly 3k, which is ridiculous, so I don't think he has much extra cash at the moment. My car also just went into the shop (he literally drove my dying car to pick up his fixed car, and left mine there. Talk about perfect timing...).
We also just went to a wedding in Portland, which was fun. Always nice to see weddings up close and personal! Really makes me list things I do and don't like, things I may do or will definitely steer away from. Afterwards, a drunk Dino and I were talking, and he asked me to describe my wedding I've been planning in my mind. I honestly couldn't, though. It isn't like I can make any decisions without a timeline or, you know, a fiance, or budget or anything. I tried to explain this, and he seemed touched that I would take his ideas into consideration, but of course I would! It isn't just going to be MY wedding. Plus I feel like I look at wedding blogs for the pretty, and for general ideas, rather than specific plans. But it seems he is thinking more about our future wedding, even if it is just drunk Dino saying things about it.
Soon enough, though... soon enough I'll be planning my own wedding! I hope so, at least!!!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Down Under and back!
Recently, Dino and I went down to AUSTRALIA for two weeks of awesome, including the wedding of a dear friend of mine. It was, obviously, amazing!!! We spent time at Gold Coast, Brisbane (where the wedding was, and where I studied abroad a few years ago), and then at North Stradbroke Island. Aside from getting nasty colds, it was the best vacation in a long time. Two whole weeks!
Going to the wedding was fantastic, it was great to see a wedding in person since becoming a little obsessed with weddings. Plus we later got to talk with my friends, the newlyweds, about what they thought of the wedding and what they expected and everything. They did say it was weird to be done with the day they spent 8 months planning, so I can only imagine what people planning weddings for a year or more go through after the day comes and goes. Makes you think a little, put it into perspective some! Just one day, for sure.
Later, we were stopping at a bottle shop (liquor store) for some refreshments, and the boys ran in and my friend and I stayed in the car, and she simply said "I thought he was going to propose." In the excitement of the trip, the idea of proposal had barely touched my mind, but the fact that she had expected that and had actually talked to her mum and sister about it make me think I might not be crazy for expecting it sometime soon! Well, he didn't, but my friend believes it is coming, since we are going to so many weddings this summer, and he may see how non-scary they can be. Of course, her romance was slightly different (long story, but the groom is just cool like that), but I dunno. It was good, though. Nice to talk to someone also into the wedding industry a bit at the moment. And get her view on everything.
Now, however, I cannot wait to go back, and cannot wait until I get to plan my wedding. And can't wait for the next 2 weddings we're attending this summer! Oh how I love weddings...
Going to the wedding was fantastic, it was great to see a wedding in person since becoming a little obsessed with weddings. Plus we later got to talk with my friends, the newlyweds, about what they thought of the wedding and what they expected and everything. They did say it was weird to be done with the day they spent 8 months planning, so I can only imagine what people planning weddings for a year or more go through after the day comes and goes. Makes you think a little, put it into perspective some! Just one day, for sure.
Later, we were stopping at a bottle shop (liquor store) for some refreshments, and the boys ran in and my friend and I stayed in the car, and she simply said "I thought he was going to propose." In the excitement of the trip, the idea of proposal had barely touched my mind, but the fact that she had expected that and had actually talked to her mum and sister about it make me think I might not be crazy for expecting it sometime soon! Well, he didn't, but my friend believes it is coming, since we are going to so many weddings this summer, and he may see how non-scary they can be. Of course, her romance was slightly different (long story, but the groom is just cool like that), but I dunno. It was good, though. Nice to talk to someone also into the wedding industry a bit at the moment. And get her view on everything.
Now, however, I cannot wait to go back, and cannot wait until I get to plan my wedding. And can't wait for the next 2 weddings we're attending this summer! Oh how I love weddings...
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The planner
I'm definitely not the most organized person. My apartment was always a bit messy, I've never had a clean desk at work, and I've been able to utilize a daily planner for about 3 days, tops. That said, when it comes to events and upcoming things that are out of the ordinary, I am a list-maker-extraordinaire! For example, a group of friends and I are going camping in a little over a week. We'll be gone for 2 nights, so no big deal really, but I have booked the campsites and created a fantastic spreadsheet for meals and supplies. One page shows the schedule, what we'll eat and need and when. One page is the shopping list, with a Costco list, a grocery store list, a list of foods to gather at home, supplies I have at home, and finally a list of things I hope someone else has. Finally, a list of things to do the day we leave. And now I'm looking for more lists to make, to make sure everything is ready. I can't wait to finally shop for everything, and get everything prepared and packed!
I'm loving this. Loving planning for a simple little trip. I can't imagine how much fun it will be to be planning a bigger event, a wedding! It might be overwhelming, though, since I'm making this little camping trip into such a huge thing. I feel like I'm preparing myself for a bigger planning project, ready for the challenge of making lists, making plans, and putting together a fabulous event! I love ensuring that people are cared for and fed and enjoy their time, making it easy on them. So I'm ready, and excited to plan.
How quickly did you burn out from planning? Did you feel like you were getting ready to plan a wedding by planning other events?
I'm loving this. Loving planning for a simple little trip. I can't imagine how much fun it will be to be planning a bigger event, a wedding! It might be overwhelming, though, since I'm making this little camping trip into such a huge thing. I feel like I'm preparing myself for a bigger planning project, ready for the challenge of making lists, making plans, and putting together a fabulous event! I love ensuring that people are cared for and fed and enjoy their time, making it easy on them. So I'm ready, and excited to plan.
How quickly did you burn out from planning? Did you feel like you were getting ready to plan a wedding by planning other events?
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Ghostland
For some reason I was clicking through some of my friends' and favorite band members' blogs that I used to follow a year or two ago, and realized that most of them are deserted! It's weird to read thoughts a friend had a year ago, knowing that isn't what they are thinking today probably, but I still feel a connection to them. I need to make sure this blog doesn't head that same way!
Then there are amazing websites like Weddingbee, where the discussion is lively all the time, never taking a break! I love it. Even when a bee retires, they often still occasionally pop back in for a word or two.
This makes me curious to search out older wedding blogs to see what ideas were new and happening 2, 3, 5+ years ago! When candy bars and photobooths were just being dreamed up, and bunting, bird cages, and pom poms weren't all the rage. Back when pink and brown, or yellow and gray were still very current, very modern color combos! Now I feel like all of these are losing popularity due to their "trendiness," which makes me reevaluate what trendy means to me.
Does trendy mean that it is outplayed, overused? Will it date the photos someday? What's wrong with dating the photos? If I dreamed of having dahlias at my wedding 10 years ago, but today they are too trendy, should I not have them? If I love birds and owls and incorporate them into my life currently, can I still use them as a design feature for my wedding, even if it might look like so many other weddings? Or should I pick something completely out of the box, maybe I'll do avocado green and neon orange as my colors, with pansies, and feature earthworms and beetles? As far as I'm aware, none of those are trendy. But on the other hand, I don't particularly like any of those, and don't want them in my wedding! So how bad is trendy? Do I really need a personalized reason to include something, or can I just like it, whether or not other brides are doing the same?
This is a kind of tricky topic, since everyone has their own opinions and thoughts on what is actually trendy, and everyone has their own preferences. Some people value their originality over things they like, while others may be less concerned with being groundbreaking, and more inclined to create a pretty wedding. Plus there is the fact that most people who aren't engaged (or crazy like me) won't be reading wedding websites and won't know what is trendy. Which also makes me wonder, are trends moving faster, now that every time a new one comes along we are bombarded with images of the first people to adopt the trend, so we get burnt out on it faster?
Anyway, something to ponder. I'd include more photos, but I'm not sure what to feature!
Then there are amazing websites like Weddingbee, where the discussion is lively all the time, never taking a break! I love it. Even when a bee retires, they often still occasionally pop back in for a word or two.
This makes me curious to search out older wedding blogs to see what ideas were new and happening 2, 3, 5+ years ago! When candy bars and photobooths were just being dreamed up, and bunting, bird cages, and pom poms weren't all the rage. Back when pink and brown, or yellow and gray were still very current, very modern color combos! Now I feel like all of these are losing popularity due to their "trendiness," which makes me reevaluate what trendy means to me.
Does trendy mean that it is outplayed, overused? Will it date the photos someday? What's wrong with dating the photos? If I dreamed of having dahlias at my wedding 10 years ago, but today they are too trendy, should I not have them? If I love birds and owls and incorporate them into my life currently, can I still use them as a design feature for my wedding, even if it might look like so many other weddings? Or should I pick something completely out of the box, maybe I'll do avocado green and neon orange as my colors, with pansies, and feature earthworms and beetles? As far as I'm aware, none of those are trendy. But on the other hand, I don't particularly like any of those, and don't want them in my wedding! So how bad is trendy? Do I really need a personalized reason to include something, or can I just like it, whether or not other brides are doing the same?
This is a kind of tricky topic, since everyone has their own opinions and thoughts on what is actually trendy, and everyone has their own preferences. Some people value their originality over things they like, while others may be less concerned with being groundbreaking, and more inclined to create a pretty wedding. Plus there is the fact that most people who aren't engaged (or crazy like me) won't be reading wedding websites and won't know what is trendy. Which also makes me wonder, are trends moving faster, now that every time a new one comes along we are bombarded with images of the first people to adopt the trend, so we get burnt out on it faster?
Anyway, something to ponder. I'd include more photos, but I'm not sure what to feature!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
On Wedding Talk
The other night, I told Dino that I may or may not read wedding blogs occasionally. Obviously I meant may not, since I read them CONSTANTLY! I’m not trying to keep it a secret from him, I’m trying to not freak him out. He seems to get nervous about commitment, and while he knew I am drawn to watching wedding tv shows, he didn’t know how much I read and see about weddings every day. I’m trying to clue him in more, though, so he knows just how crazy I am, but I don’t want to overwhelm him!
image from http://skrockidesign.com/aboutme.html
This conversation led to an interesting one, though! He said that I will probably already have our wedding planned in like a week after getting engaged, and that I probably have all the details picked out. From there he decided to start planning our wedding with some hilarious ideas. First it was an 80’s themed wedding. He would wear a bright turquoise suit while I wore a puffy sleeved white dress, or he’d be in a white suit with bright accents. I think I was going to wear hot pink in that case. I ended up vetoing it, mostly because he wanted to carry the theme too far, and also – puffy sleeved dress? No way Jose!
image from http://movies.ign.com/dor/objects/34401/tron-2/images/tron-legacy-20090724083528583.html
THEN he decided we should do a Tron themed wedding. Everyone would be dressed in the black with the light-up strips on their outfits. He even said he’d build me a light-cycle to ride down the aisle! Then we would either hire Daft Punk to DJ the wedding, or, since that would be way too expensive, have his friend dress up like Daft Punk and DJ it. This theme also got a veto because I hadn’t heard of Tron until like 2 years ago after I met Dino, and I’m not super impressed by either movie so far… If I had grown up with Tron and loving it, maybe it could get some more consideration, but I am also not opposed to maybe including some light strip things in areas of the wedding. That would be sweet!
image from http://leehoover.com/wp-content/uploads/sounders.jpg
He also suggested a Seattle Sounders themed wedding, but as much as I love my Sounders, I’m not ready to have them take over my life. I think we kind of agreed that the rave green color from the Sounders would be a good color, and he could wear a shale colored suit, so at least he could represent, but I didn’t want it to go too far. But I love the rave green color, so that would be an awesome color (along with pink, even though he isn’t a huge fan of it) for our wedding.
Most of all, I am excited that we actually talked about OUR wedding. Not my wedding, not when I get married, but when WE get married. WOW. I think that might actually be the first time that’s really happened. Even if most of it was jokey and silly, it’s nice to know he’s thinking about it some and envisions us getting married. He’s also recently been thinking about buying a house in the next year or so, but said he wants my input, since I’ll eventually live there. So sweet. Of course, that just gets me wondering some more about when it’ll be official, but baby steps are being taken!
image from http://skrockidesign.com/aboutme.html
This conversation led to an interesting one, though! He said that I will probably already have our wedding planned in like a week after getting engaged, and that I probably have all the details picked out. From there he decided to start planning our wedding with some hilarious ideas. First it was an 80’s themed wedding. He would wear a bright turquoise suit while I wore a puffy sleeved white dress, or he’d be in a white suit with bright accents. I think I was going to wear hot pink in that case. I ended up vetoing it, mostly because he wanted to carry the theme too far, and also – puffy sleeved dress? No way Jose!
image from http://movies.ign.com/dor/objects/34401/tron-2/images/tron-legacy-20090724083528583.html
THEN he decided we should do a Tron themed wedding. Everyone would be dressed in the black with the light-up strips on their outfits. He even said he’d build me a light-cycle to ride down the aisle! Then we would either hire Daft Punk to DJ the wedding, or, since that would be way too expensive, have his friend dress up like Daft Punk and DJ it. This theme also got a veto because I hadn’t heard of Tron until like 2 years ago after I met Dino, and I’m not super impressed by either movie so far… If I had grown up with Tron and loving it, maybe it could get some more consideration, but I am also not opposed to maybe including some light strip things in areas of the wedding. That would be sweet!
image from http://leehoover.com/wp-content/uploads/sounders.jpg
He also suggested a Seattle Sounders themed wedding, but as much as I love my Sounders, I’m not ready to have them take over my life. I think we kind of agreed that the rave green color from the Sounders would be a good color, and he could wear a shale colored suit, so at least he could represent, but I didn’t want it to go too far. But I love the rave green color, so that would be an awesome color (along with pink, even though he isn’t a huge fan of it) for our wedding.
Most of all, I am excited that we actually talked about OUR wedding. Not my wedding, not when I get married, but when WE get married. WOW. I think that might actually be the first time that’s really happened. Even if most of it was jokey and silly, it’s nice to know he’s thinking about it some and envisions us getting married. He’s also recently been thinking about buying a house in the next year or so, but said he wants my input, since I’ll eventually live there. So sweet. Of course, that just gets me wondering some more about when it’ll be official, but baby steps are being taken!
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