I felt a lot of pressure to pick out a "proper" china pattern. I just finished reading The Help, a very southern book set in Mississippi and it talked about china patterns like they were your last name, revealing your life story, identifying who you are and where you came from, similar to your Greek letters... So you can see why I felt pressure to pick out a proper pattern, not to mention I had no idea what I was looking for.
Thanks to Mom, I finally chose on our china pattern. If she had not been with me, our china pattern would have been the talk of every tea, wedding shower, baby shower, child's wedding, etc. and not in a good way. This is the life story my china would have told if it weren't for her...
So here it is! We are registered at Macy's for our china, silverware and stemware.
Oh, and if you are wondering where Nathan was for all of this, he skipped out on this fun adventure for a golf trip with his dad and brother. But I will be sure that he gets to pick out our cookware, which sounds rather bland to me... hope that doesn't say anything about my cooking!
Lenox Opal Innocence China
Lenox Vintage Jewel Frost Flatware
Marquis Allegra Platinum Stemware. This is my favorite that I picked out.
We also looked at everyday china and silver, we are still looking but these are what I like.
Lenox Butler's Pantry everyday china. You can mix and match pieces. The rooster is just an accent piece.
And Silver. The picture is of a deep serving bowl.
We love Christmas time! The tacky Christmas parties, family time, Christmas sweets, Christmas lattes... Nathan even enjoys watching the Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movies with me! And we received our first Christmas ornament from Hilly! (Hilary Blount) As of right now, our ornament would make a beautiful Charlie Brown Christmas tree.
The Wedding Party-- Some of you may be able to guess why this post is titled "The Wedding Party-Part I"... Nathan is still trying to narrow down his groomsmen list.
I think girls are constantly updating their bridesmaid list from a very early age. As we grow closer to a friend we mentally add them to our bridesmaid list. And as we grow a part from someone we cross them out to make room for new friends.
Guys however, (I am generalizing. You can replace "guys" with "Nathan") think every friend from birth should be standing beside him on his wedding day. Unfortunately our church can only hold so many on stage and I think it is a faux paux to have 20 plus groomsmen. So Nathan has bought himself another week to contemplate his lifetime of acquaintances, and the creation of a two part series to reveal the wedding party.
In all seriousness, we are very blessed to have so many friends and I couldn't imagine getting married without them being a part of such a special day.
Maid of Honor,Sarah Catherine Rice, College Friend. Our friendship was destined. We met at JH Ranch and just happen to have rented houses right next to each other for the following Fall in Tuscaloosa. Sarah Catherine just moved to Charlottesville and I miss her very much!
Bridesmaids (In alphabetical order and not ranked by who is the better friend)
Hilary Blount,Post-College Friend. I have known Hilary the shortest amount of time but we bonded over a camping trip when we had to go into survival mode, as you can tell from this picture. Hilary has the hottest high jeans this side of the Mississippi and wins every costume party, especially those with "tacky" in the name.
Melanie Clark and Patti Clark,Nathan's Sister-in-laws. I am very excited to finally have sisters!! They give me the inside secrets to the Clark family :)
Nathan & Erin, Melanie & Kevin, Patti & Brian at the Sugar Bowl
Evans Craddock, Pledge Sister. Evans is one of the goofiest people I have ever met. I'm sure you will see her signature dance move at the reception. She is also a fabulous writer and wedding consultant. Check out her blog, Slice of Pie.
Meredith Hardegree,Pledge Sister. Meredith is the most loyal friend. Don't mess with any of her friends or else... Oh and Meredith could be a hand model. She has the prettiest fingers. (Meredith is the one in the middle.)
Michelle Howard, Pledge Sister. When I met Michelle, I thought she came to Alabama to cut up dead bodies, but apparently Forensics is also debate. Michelle and I would sit in her room and discuss sorority politics among other things. I miss those days.
Sarah Lovell, High School Friend. I have known Sarah the longest of all my bridesmaids. I was her first friend when she moved to Vestavia in the eight grade. We had matching hair cuts and she almost threw up on our way to the first day of high school.
Mallory Young Shabel, College Friend. Mallory's new husband, Jonathan and Nathan were fraternity brothers so we met and became best friends from all the Kappa Sig band parties and date parties. Mallory is the best nurse, just ask Nathan.
Stacey Summerville,Sorority Sister. I rushed Stacey and we have been best friends every since. Stacey is hilarious! Her and Evans together is the best! Did I mention Stacey can beat anyone in a dance off!?
As Nathan noted is our last blog post, I have had walking pneumonia, which should be every bride's dream. The week off work was great for wedding planning, despite feeling crapy. Here is all that we have gotten done! P.S. Contrary to Nathan's post, I did take a shower while I was sick... some days.
1. We have a Date- July 10, 2010. I have learned that having a date is essential for the rest of the planning process. "When are you getting married" is the first question everyone asks.
Why July? Well, July is Blueberry month, Firework safety month, Hitchhiking month, Hot Dog month and Ice Cream Month. All things that are very important to Nathan and I. Ice Cream month is especially fitting since Nathan wants his groomsman cake to be an Ice Cream Sundae bar. Maybe we can hitchhike to Orange Beach for our honeymoon.
2. We have a Church, Mountain Brook Community Church. Nathan and I have been going here for the past year and really enjoy it. I am especially excited that we now get to join a new Sunday School class for Engaged and Newly Married couples.
Charles Herron, a family relative, will be marrying us, which I think is very special because 26 years ago he married my parents and 23 years ago baptized me.
3. The reception will be at Matt Jones Art Gallery. I LOVE this location! As soon as my mom and I walked in, we knew this was the place to host our celebration. Very classic, yet different.
4. I found a dress! Sorry no pictures until the wedding day, but I had a great time dress hunting with my mom, future-mother-in-law, and high school friend, Sarah. And let me tell you, dress shopping is very tiring!
So that's about it. Still working on finalizing a caterer, band, florist and cake person. Stay tuned for the unveiling of the extra-large wedding party.
After much "encouragement" to post on our blog, I have decided to write about a few things that have been on my mind. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays because you get to dress up and eat LOTS of candy. Moreover, the day after Halloween is even better because you can buy extremely discounted goodies. Thanks to Publix and Dollar General, I have been on a sugar rush for the past month. Publix had a 10-pack of full sized Snickers and M&Ms for $1.00!!!! That is correct...$1, Bob! I have also enjoyed an assortment of Hershey kisses, air heads, and cookies. So I'm definitely looking forward to my next dentist appointment.
In addition to my candy fix, I have been trying to keep my distance from my new fiance. Unfortunately, Erin has come down with walking pneumonia. Where is this pneumonia stuff going anyway? Maybe this has worked out well because her time off has given her the opportunity to do some wedding planning. Is pneumonia a good enough excuse to lay around all day? I guess so, but the prescription doesn't necessarily prohibit bathing. Perhaps she will have time to look at some of my wedding responsibilities :)
Like most people (I think), I have not quit craving delicious Thanksgiving food since November 1. Sweet potato pie, caramel cake, corn casserole, turkey and dressing, squash casserole, pumpkin pie, macaroni and cheese, and cranberry salad... these are a few of my favorite things! Geez Louize, I am a hungry hippo now! More importantly, I am looking forward to spending time with family. It will be a much needed, relaxing break. Erin and I are also having to experience our first holiday of shared family time. I sense the beginning of being pulled in two different directions for many years; but it will be a new, exciting time for both of us.
Finally, there is one last thing that consumes a large part of my cognitive processes--Alabama football. This season has been incredible, and I am absolutely pumped about the (very good) potential of having back-to-back undefeated regular seasons. I can't wait to destroy the Aubs again and move on to the most anticipated game of the season against Florida (basically the national championship game). However, I am quite nervous about the possibility of an upset down on the plains. We will see how it goes! Roll Tide!
I love this Wax Seal Monogram Necklace I found on Etsy! What a neat way to add a personal touch to Christmas Cards, Thank You cards and wedding correspondence. No e-mail signature, tweet or facebook chat can come close to being this classy. AND, it was my first purchase with the "C" monogram for my new last name, Clark.
P.S. If you have never been on Etsy, it is awesome! If you are crafty you can sell your stuff on there too. I could probably outsource all of my wedding purchases to them... invitations, bridesmaids gifts, bridal jewelry, etc.
We don't have a date, a church or a reception site but we do have a flower! I love the deep blueish purple color of hydrangeas. My dad grows the prettiest ones in our backyard. I asked Nathan what he thought about having hydrangeas as our flower. Very seriously (which is rare for him), Nathan expressed his concern that a Hydrangea would not look good as a boutonniere. He imagined a huge hydrangea bloom on his chest. I laughed really hard. It is very sweet that he is playing an active role in the wedding planning.
The more i think about hydrangeas as a boutonniere the better an idea it becomes... If all eighteen groomsmen stood really close together maybe it would look like a large flower arrangement rather than eighteen groomsmen standing next to Nathan?
I haven't found a picture of the perfect shade of hydrangeas but it is somewhere in between these two.
After three and a half years of dating, Nathan decided he liked me enough to put a ring on it. And so the planning begins. For all of our friends and family who don't live close by, we want you to be a part of our journey to the alter. We hope to keep you updated on the wedding and our adventure in becoming husband and wife (we are so lucky to have such great role models... our parents).
But first for the proposal!
November 13, 2009
Nathan and I went hiking at Oak Mountain State Park. Hiking here is one of our favorite things to do together and Oliver gets to join! So our hiking adventure begins with Peavine Falls, where Oliver plays in the waterfall and literally drags me up the hill.
We hike over to a boulder that we like to picnic on. It has a wonderful view and is off the beaten trail to eat our delicious sandwiches that Nathan has packed for us. After lunch we begin cleaning up and Nathan says, "Oh I forgot to tell you that I got Oliver a new dog tag." I look and immediately see a huge carabiner around Oliver's neck. Attached to that carabiner is a red heart shaped, dog tag that says"Will You Marry Me". I turn around to see Nathan on one knee. I am shocked and laughing and Nathan is silent. So for a few seconds I am starring at Nathan waiting for him to find his words (or realize there is no turning back) when he finally asks me to marry him and I say yes, with a huge smile on my face!!
So with seven short months until the big day, day one of planning has already begun with Nathan learning several important lessons...
1. It is tacky to have 20 Groomsmen in your wedding.
2. I am only going to like MAYBE 10 percent of his ideas.
3. His opinion really doesn't count
