All Things.....

Okay, okay, I know this week was supposed to be "all things groom", however, for me, this week has been all things "basketball"!! For anyone who is or is not a basketball fan, I have to say that this year has been THE BEST year of NBA playoff basketball since the Jordan era. So, this week, I did take a mini break from all things wedding, and went all things "NBA basketball"! I guess that you could say, in a tiny way, that this is "all things groom"! Where there's a groom, there's basketball, and for my fabulous fiance, there's also, his soon to be bride!

Photo Credit: David Christensen Photography

The Groom's Boutonniere

In honor of my fiances first trip on the road to wedding planning, I figured that we would dedicate this week to "all things groom"!! While my fabulous fiance has donned many boutonnieres in his many days as a groomsman, the boutonniere that he will wear on our wedding day, will be the most important one ever! We haven't decided on the exact boutonniere, but here are a few that caught my eye.

Photo Credit: The Knot

Our First Visit Together

This weekend was an extremely busy weekend. However, any moment spent with my fabulous fiance and my family is so worth it. This was the first time that my fabulous fiance had visited the very site that we will exchange vows and become husband and wife. He has now officially become a part of the wedding planning committee!! :) It was just exciting to have him there, so that he could start to get a feel of our upcoming nuptials next year. I can't believe how time is just flying by, but every day that goes by is a day closer to becoming a wife to my fabulous fiance, and I can't wait!!

Chris & I at the Biltmore for the 1st time together
Little sister, Mom, & Myself (The girls)

Happy Memorial Day

Formerly known as Decoration Day, today we celebrate and give thanks to those men and women who have served and given their lives for our country. There are so many traditions associated with Memorial Day, i.e. barbecues, picnics, retail shopping, and even the Indianapolis 500. But we all must remember the true celebration and the true observance of today.....all of the heroic and honorable men and women who have given their lives, serving for a better America. To them, I say, Thank You!!

Yum.....

This weekend, we will be hitting the highways of 85, headed to Georgia, to do lots of wedding stuff. Tomorrow we will be going to taste food for our rehearsal dinner. We have lots of ideas, so we will be putting our palates to the test. I am sure that everything we taste will be remarkable. Can't wait to fill you in! Yum, Yum, Yum!

In the Spirit

In the spirt of American Idol night, I thought that I would share this beautiful musical creation. What a fabulous delight! Enjoy the cake and enjoy the music!

Photo Credit: Ross Oscar Knight

Can Anyone Say..........CHOCOLATE

There are millions of things that we can all agree to disagree on, however, one of those things would NOT be the love of..........CHOCOLATE!! Everyone holds a tiny place in their stomach and their soul for chocolate! We will be having lots of special treats at our wedding, but one of them will be a decadent chocolate surprise. One that will melt in your mouth and not in your hand. Ha ha! Not M&M's! But it will be a glorious chocolate delight, with each and every bite!

The Engagement Dress...Part 2

Okay, okay, what would a week be without another look at that "engagement dress"!! Here is another bride in Oscar's masterpiece. Each bride has her own vision, appeal, and look, but wears the gown beautifully! From the hair, to the veil, and the soft makeup, each bride creates her dream day in her dream gown.

Photo Credit: Edyta Szyszlo Photography

A Magical Fairytale

Every weekend in Atlanta, the Biltmore hosts amazing weddings. I love to see the inspiration of brides and how they transform the beautiful space at the Biltmore, into their magical fairytale. The gorgeous smiles that grace the faces of each bride, excites me even more for our special day to come. I can't wait to create a magical fairytale of my own at the exquisite Biltmore.

Photo Credit: Christine Gallagher Photography

Sleeping Beauty.....Sleeping Bride

Today has been just an exhausting day! I am just getting home from work (at 11pm) and I have attempted to make too many wedding related decisions in one day. I have been deciding on details of the room flip, lighting, draping, reception and rehearsal food.....and the list goes on. So, this sleeping bride is in overload mode. I will be sure to fill you in on some of the details and decisions that I made today, after a few hours of beauty sleep. At least I can be the sleeping bride now and not closer to the actual wedding day. I am sure there are brides all over the world that represent the bride in the photo. That bride would be me today!!

The Spirit of Ecstasy

As I drive up to the Biltmore, to marry the man of my dreams, I will be led by the spirit of ecstasy. The spirit is the mascot on the Rolls Royce. There is no other car that I could dream of riding to my ceremony in, than a Vintage Rolls Royce. The representation of the spirit is everything that I will be feeling and resembling on my wedding day. The Spirit of Ecstasy is in the form of a woman leaning forwards with her arms outstretched behind and above her. Billowing cloth runs from her arms to her back, resembling wings. On June 12, 2010, I will be the woman with her arms outstretched, ready to greet her groom, with her veil running through her arms, grasping onto the once in a lifetime feeling, of marrying her partner for life.

A Bride's Best Friends

Yesterday was Mother's Day, and what a blessing it was to be with my mother and have both my younger brother and little sister home to celebrate. The two ladies in the photo below are the two most important women in my life. The gorgeous woman in the middle is my mother and the beautiful lady on the other side of her is my baby sister, AKA, my maid of honor. I had planned on writing about my mom and Mother's Day weekend, and today I was even more inspired. Today I met three of the most phenomenal ladies, ever!! These three ladies reminded me of the relationship between myself, my mom, and my little sister. The ladies that I met were a mom and her two lovely daughters, who completely blew me away. The love, care, and respect that the three of them had for one another, truly, warmed my heart. Throughout life, there is nothing like having a mother as your best friend! For me, there is nothing like having my mother as a best friend. We go throughout our day, going to work, wedding planning, making deadlines, and quite frankly, being caught up in our own worlds. Today, my eyes were opened wide, to the many spectacular souls that surround us everyday. I saw in those lovely ladies, me and my family, many years ago....I was around the age of 16 when I first fell in love and wondered, in so many ways, what the future would hold. I was just beginning to discover myself and discover what love really was. Today, I am all grown up, and I have found the love of my life, who at 16, I didn't even know his name. I looked at this mother and her two daughters today, knowing that true love does exist and it can either be standing next to you on a daily basis or it is out there,waiting to be found......nameless, precious, priceless, and one of a kind.

Myself, Mother, & Sister

Floral Centerpieces

One of the things that I have yet to really wrap my head around are the centerpieces for the wedding. There are so many things that I like about various centerpieces, and that makes it a tough decision. I am very particular about flowers. I feel like you need just the right amount of flowers for your wedding. I am not a big fan of "overdoing" the flowers. I will be setting up a few appointments to look at florals in the next month or so, and I hope someone gets my vision. Til then, these are some of the centerpieces that have caught my eye. They are all beautiful, elegant, and romantic, and that is the look that I am going for.

Photo Credit: Hidden Garden Flowers

The Engagement Dress

When I first became engaged, there was one dress, in particular, that caught my eye. "THE" Oscar de la Renta dress. There was just something about this dress that I just absolutely loved. Every magazine I opened, every wedding site I went to.....there was the dress. While I never actually tried on the dress, due to the fact that I would have had to fly across country, I still think that it is a beautiful gown. While I have found my gorgeous wedding dress, that I am in love with, it is exciting to see that someone else, had that same excitement as I did upon seeing this dress. This dress to me is called "The Engagement Dress" because it was the first dress that I saw that made me know and feel like I was going to be a bride. And the dress that I will be wearing as a bride, is truthfully breathtaking and magical!! I can't wait!

Photo Credit: Jay Lawrence Goldman Photography

Draping.....Just Beautiful

So the topic of conversation today, amongst my mother and I, was.....Draping!! Draping is so beautiful, rather it be the ceiling, the walls, or just a beautiful entry way. Our venue is so beautiful, I am not sure if any draping would be needed. However, when you see these beautiful photos, it really makes you second guess yourself. Draping is so whimsical and magical to me. It really creates a feeling that you want to get lost in. Our entry way to the ceremony and reception will both include draping, however, we have yet to make a decision for the cocktail hour and actual reception. So, as with a lot of things lately, stayed tuned. One more decision to be made. Regardless, you can really never go wrong with beautiful draping, and these photos prove that.

Photo Credit: Jason Angelini Photography

Photo Credit: Isn't She Lovely

Photo credit: Project Wedding

Tahiti

So, I thought that it was time to introduce you to another fantastic option for our honeymoon.
There are so many magical places around the world, and we really want to be able to celebrate our honeymoon in one of those places. Just viewing some of these photos, makes you want to skip the wedding and head straight to the honeymoon!! That is what Tahiti will do for you. Enjoy and feel the magic!