Venues, Invitations, and Caterers. Oh, My!

Sometimes I really hate the media mill for giving us normal folks a glimpse into the nuptials of the highly rich. While it is fun to imagine what it must be like to be able to give your guest swag bags with hermes scarves, coach bags, and tiffany bracelets, it can also seriously distort your sense of what is realistic and necessary in a wedding. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a wedding fairy that could wave her magic wand and you could find the perfect venue, with tables, chairs, and linens included, all for the bargain basement cost of undying love and devotion. Even better the caterer who would do everything at cost, without requiring me to thaw taquitos from sam's club while figuring out how to serve them without looking tacky, cheap, or horror of horrors both.

This doesn't even begin to encompass the fun of playing diplomat between his family, my family, and various friends and relations. Where will the happy occasion be, when will it be, who will be invited, who will pay for what, and the list goes on and on. You would think these questions would be easily answered but just wait, everyone will have an opinion about what is the right thing to do.

It is fun to plan and to dream and wish and hope and pick out the flowers and the dress, and the invitations, and plan the food that will compliment your theme. Just don't get stressed, don't get too demanding or possessive, and when it really comes down to it remember this is a party not the 2nd incarnation of the Spanish inquisition.

Kind of addicting

I am kind of amazed at how addicting this blogging thing is. I don't really have much to say, just felt like rambling for a little bit.

I have discovered that planning a wedding when you are a very opinionated person can be a bit of a challenge. I have a vision in mind and it becomes very frustrating when no one really seems to share my vision. Oh, well I guess that just means I will have to get creative. I will admit that www.theknot.com and www.weddingchannel.com are fun because they have pictures of actual real weddings. This is good because they usually provide much better ideas then the professional websites that are just trying to get you to buy their products.

I don't know if I have mentioned this before but being in long distance relationship is completely yucky. I don't recommend it at all, but alas and alack it is what I am stuck with right now so I have gotten good at looking at the positives.

Positives of a long distance relationship:

1. Conversation: You have to talk to and get to know the person you are in a relationship with because talking is all you have. I figure Brad and I have talked to each other more than couples that have been together for a year because we can't just sit and watch a movie together we have to talk.
2. Save money: Can't go on dates every weekend, so it saves you money. (of course this all goes out the window when you can finally travel and see each other)
3. Good Foundation: Allows you to make sure that you really do like each other and it isn't just the hormones making decisions for you.
4. Solidifies Commitment: Long distance is not easy you have to work twice as hard to make sure the other person knows you care for them and that they are important, because you don't have the other nonverbal forms of communication.
5. Lots of Special Occasions: Because you don't see each other much, what time you do spend together is a special occasion.

Okay, now just to balance it out.

Negatives of a Long Distance relationship:

1. No Hugs: On those long, hard, irritating days, when all you need to make the world better is a hug, they just aren't available.
2. Lack of real life face time: Can't just be together, on those nights when you don't ahve much to say you can't just sit and be together you have to talk, gets old sometimes.

There are my random thoughs for the day about long distance relationships. Long distance is not what I would have chosen but when I decided to try the on line dating thing that was one of the possibilities I had to be willing to accept. I is possible, even doable, just not ideal so to all of you out there in long distance relationships, keep your chin up.

I get to go try on wedding dresses this saturday, should be fun to play princess for a few hours.

So I have been having fun all day at work looking up pictures of ideas for the wedding. And can I just say the biggest problem is that all the bridal models have long hair and mine is short, so coming up with ideas is a little difficult.

Here is a picture of Brad and I that we took in September when he came to Grand Junction to visit.

Entering the Technology Age

It is amazing what you will do for love. Since I have started dating Brad I have driven up to Logan, Utah and back for one evening, gotten a cell phone, and started a blog. I have been given the "dubious honor" (as Brad puts it) for updating and taking care of our newly started Blog.

I taking this on as a way to keep long distance friends and family updated about our upcoming wedding. I was starting to get carpal tunnel syndrome from writing so many emails answering all the same questions. So to simplify things I will just give people a link to our blog. Isn't it nice how technology can make things simpler.

I realize for a while this blog will be sparse as I try to corral pictures and information, but I figured the best place to start would be with the basics.

Brad and I met on May 29, 2007 via www.ldsmingle.com. He sent me a smile at 11:45pm and I responded because even though his profile didn't have a picture I figured any guy whose sister would vouch for him at least deserved a chance. We chatted on line for about 2 weeks at which point his computer decided to give up the ghost so we were forced to move our conversations to the phone. Since that seemed to be going well we set up a day when I would be up in Utah, our original plan was that I would go up to Logan for the day, but then all sorts of family decided to show up for the family reunion and I realized that I couldn't give up an entire day. So, literally, the evening before I called him up and asked him if he would mind meeting me in Salt Lake for the afternoon. He was so nice about the change of plans and understanding about the fact that I wanted to spend time with my sister that I don't get to see very often. This won him big points both with me and with my mom.

So I met him in Salt Lake we went to lunch, wandered around crossroads mall, and went to the Joseph Smith movie, it was great he was nice and funny, but really really shy. During the movie he put his arm along the back of my chair but that was as far as it went. After that day we have spoken on the phone everday since then. We have become best friends and I can't imagine not ending my day without talking to him. I went up to Logan in August for a police department party, after which we held hands. Then he came to Grand Junction the end of September for a weekend, which is when we kissed for the first time. I went to Orem for Conference weekend and then again for my birthday in October, and he came down and stayed at my brothers house. I spent Thanksgiving in Logan with him and his family, and it was on Sunday afternoon that he proposed.

Such a romantic story. We were cleaning out my car after church so I could get packed up to go home, and we walked around the side of the house to through stuff in the garbage can. Brad was crying saying how much he missed me when I was gone and couldn't wait for the day that he didn't have to say goodbye anymore. He stopped, gave me a big hug, looked me in the eye and said, "Elizabeth, will you marry me". I replied, "Yes, I will". He apologized for not having a ring, but he had been planning on waiting until Christmas but he just couldn't wait anymore. I told him I didn't need a ring I just needed him. So we laughed and giggled and talked about how happy we were to be getting married. Then we went inside to tell his family, and call my family. It took me 3 hours to track down my mom, I didn't realize their church was in the afternoon and then she was over at my nieces house for dinner. So I had to call my niece Heidi's cell phone and ask for Grandma. When they figured out what I was telling her there was much cheering. I guess about 3 minutes before they were asking mom if she thought Brad would propose over Thanksgiving and she said probably not because if he had I would have called. And then guess what I called.

So far the plan is to be married in the Logan Temple on May 29, 2008. We haven't figured out completely what I am going to do about school etc. I will post information as I get it, flowers photographers, dress, etc it will all be here, including gift registries (hint, hint).