Engagement Entertainment

My own coworkers also threw me an awesome work bridal shower, complete with Beauty and the Beast-themed decor and French delicacies! The bachelorette party is next!

My mom was surprised to learn I was only planning on having one bridal shower. She told me that she had at least four overall--including a dorm friends shower and a recipe shower that others wanted to throw in her honor. I never expected to have or need more than one, but it is so wonderful that my fiance and I have so many friends who also want to honor us. After my bridesmaid-hosted family shower at the end of Octotber, my fiance's work family planned a "Tailgate" potluck party in November, hosted in the staff break room just for us! As a co-ed shower, we were both invited to partake of the delicious food (LOTS of homemade treats!) and great conversation catching up and sharing honeymoon plans with all the staff at the library where he works. What surprised me the most was the generous Disney gift cards and Target card that the group purchased together for a present. And my fiance was shocked by all the wonderful sentiments written in the card. "How did you ma...

My bridesmaids and family are the best! I have really amazing, wonderful friends and family: willing to drive five hours for me, decorate a whole clubhouse for me, and fill the afternoon (four hours straight!) with laughter, games, food, and gifts. Not to mention the fact that it all fit perfectly with a princess-y Beauty and the Beast theme, from the yellow Belle dress cake to the Eiffel Tower wine stand to the homemade bookmarks and "Be Our Guest" treat bags, to the roses on the tables with rose petals surrounding them, to the game of "Disney Charades"! The bridesmaids couldn't wait to see my face when I entered, and I felt a bit like a celebrity while being led into the venue by my Goddaughter to meet a crowd of beautiful ladies all taking photos of my reaction. And my reaction was just awe and happiness at the sight of everything (including pictures of me from throughout the years!). I chose not to eat all day so I could have room for the delicious F...

I have to turn in our music selections to our DJ in six days. We've made our selections already--it took a couple of months to finalize everything, but I think we're both pretty pleased with our decisions. While I won't list off everything from our 5-page packet, I just have to mention that our First Dance song, while not necessarily a "classic classic" is a '90s R&B ballad that takes me back to when I was nine years old and got my first Sony Walkman and cassette tapes. For folks born after 1995, a Walkman is like a giant iPod (For folks born after 2003, an iPod is like an iPhone with fewer apps). Basically just picture a device the size of a paperback book (we still have those, right?) and headphones attached. Or go watch Guardians of the Galaxy again. It's the item from childhood that Peter Quill fiercely protects--and I don't blame him. Look how excited it made me: While I was too young to realize that " NatureQuest: Midnight Jazz ...

The satin opera gloves I ordered to go with my wedding dress were scheduled to arrive in the mail today. Between satin gloves, shiny shoes, and even a tiara, I was starting to feel a little less stressed and a little more like a princess. I planned to write a blog post this evening about the positivity of dressing up, stressing down, and taking a moment to give yourself the royal treatment. Then something else arrived in the mail, completely unexpected, that made me truly feel like worthy royalty. Perhaps you've heard of Belle, the peasant girl turned princess after marrying a beast turned prince? You know, the one from my favorite movie of all time that's only the inspiration behind my entire wedding? While the character herself is fictional and her actions are pure animation, Belle comes to life in the 1991 classic Disney film through the voice of Paige O'Hara, a real woman, singer, painter, and turns out resident of Henderson, Nevada. We share a zipcode. I actu...

What I've mostly discovered about the wedding planning process is that it's quite a fun ride. I love talking about my wedding to anyone willing to listen (bonus points if you bring up the questions first). When I'm having a particularly rough day at work, chatting with my mom on the drive home about centerpieces and choreographed dances lifts my spirits, and it's exciting to come home to my computer to finalize the details of the program that will become my wedding itinerary. My wedding itself. However, if you're reading this blog to gain wedding insight and you happen to be an introvert or suffer from any kind of anxiety, let me be the first to warn you that the process of wedding planning will also involve discomfort. I'm lucky thus far--I haven't received that much discomfort in the wedding planning process (in the grand scheme of things) with the few frustrations I've experienced already written and posted here (see  Controlled Chaos  and Ups a...

First fitting! My bridal gown already arrived, but I was not scheduled to try it on until October 11--today! While I admit I was a bit nervous to see what it would look like in my size and color (in person), I couldn't have been more pleased. After work I drove over to the dress shop and was helped into THE DRESS (and a petticoat) to get the full look. The fit and overall appearance was stunning! The gown sparkled and swished like a dream. Scheduled alterations are only slight--a tiny bit of a hem and taken in just a smidge on both sides of the bodice. It was fun getting to see the owner of the dress shop again, and even more fun to practice moving in a heavy but still flexible garment for almost an hour! Plenty of photos were taken of course, but they won't show up here just yet!