Our 1st Anniversary - At Home

Today we celebrated our one year anniversary at home. We got dressed up and ate at a fantastic Italian restaurant called Soffritto’s. When we got home we ate the actual top tier of our wedding cake from our freezer(which was surprisingly still moist and delicious) and reminisced about our wedding day.

Our first year as a married couple wasn’t that much different than the 3 years before besides the fact that people were calling me Mrs. Wilson(it STILL sounds weird) and Bryan wears a piece of jewelry other than his gauged earrings. Don’t get me wrong, it was an absolutely GREAT year, but how was this year EVER supposed to top the year before? What could really top all of the planning, presents, excitement, love, pampering, and traveling that we did the year before? It couldn’t. More than anything, it’s left us wondering what’s next for us while wanting to do everything at once. College, babies, traveling, etc.

I’ve realized that our first anniversary is less of a celebration in our marriage as it is in our relationship as a whole. To think back on how long we’ve been together, the things we’ve been through, and the life we’ve made together is what’s really rewarding. Last week Bry hung some pictures up in our room that I had found from years back. One of them was a picture of us on our first dating anniversary where I decorated the frame with little stickers that said “Wouldn’t it be nice”. It really brought me back to the time when that Beach Boys song was our anthem. The days when so many people didn’t want us to be together and we clung to the idea that one day when we were older we’d be able to be together and no one could stop us. To think that we’ve made it to this point through so MANY pitfalls, speed bumps, and sticky situations and still came out with enough enthusiasm and love for each other to get married and still believe we may have a “happily ever after” is amazing. Sometimes we’ll think back on some of the situations we’ve been in and wonder why we didn’t throw in the towel, but we’re so glad we didn’t.

Bryan's response to this when I showed it to him really said it all: "Awww that makes me so happy :) it's all so true! We need to try and make every year of our lives exciting and do things to make every year memorable!" Well said, Mr. Wilson, well said.

Happy Anniversary, my love, and here's to many more memorable years!

16 Days Until Disney!!!!

Soooo when we finally called to make reservations at one of the restaurants, they were all booked already! We have been so bummed out about it… until today! I was searching online to figure out the best way to defrost the top tier of our wedding cake when I saw someone’s post about their first anniversary at Disney. They said that the restaurants in Disney will recreate the top tier of your wedding cake for you which sounded like the perfect idea for us! We were never thrilled about having to make a timed reservation when we’re not quite sure what our days will look like once we get to Disney. Plus, depending on which park the restaurant is located in would dictate which park we would have to visit that day. While I’m sure it wouldn’t have been an issue, it’s certainly easier to be able to do whatever we want during the day/for dinner and come back to the hotel to find a fresh cake waiting for us! I think it will be the perfect way to make sure our actual anniversary doesn’t go by unnoticed while we’re entranced by the most magical place on earth.

Problem solved.

Wedding Album!

Today, we FINALLY got a preview of what our wedding album will look like. We'll be making a few changes. For the most part, I can't wait to have it in my hands so I can look at it over and over again!

http://showmyalbum.com/lauranovak/katy-bryan/preview.html

My favorite picture from the wedding...

Doesn't it look like a fairy tale?

Hello to anyone who may still randomly read my blog!

I have so much to tell you! Most importantly: We're married! The wedding was magnificent as was the honeymoon.


Married life? It doesn't feel any different than engaged life or dating life. It still feels like we're not real adults and we're just playing house. And, we're not good at it! Our house is always a mess! Can you imagine when we have kids down the road? Yikes... I guess we'll be "that" house. We're good together, though. That's all that really matters to me. We never have to try with each other.

Anyway, I plan on being back. Look forward to much more from me.

“Without you in my life there would be no meaning. Baby, I’m yours forever.”
Bryan sent that Jason Mraz lyric to me through text message earlier. How perfect it was in lieu of the milestone that was hit today(that he had no idea about, I’m sure).

Today marks 100 days until our wedding. 100 gloriously gruesome days. I’m broken up into these separate pieces about it: excited for it to get here, ready for it to be over, and nervous as hell. Of course, I’m not worried about the marriage – only the wedding. I’m worried that something won’t come together. Something will be broken. A vendor/artist won’t show up. Something goes horribly wrong. I’ll forget about a huge piece of the wedding. Worries. Worries. Worries.

These are completely normal, I’m sure. Hopefully, once the day comes, I will be able to make myself let go of my need for perfection in details and enjoy the day for what it is – the day I marry my best friend for the past 8 years and the love of my life for the past 6. Nothing can mess that up!… right?

As far as being excited for it to get here and ready for it to be over, those emotions are just as strong. I can’t wait to stand up in front of our friends and family looking our best and then party the night away in true Bryan-and-Katy style. When I think about all of the little details we’ve pulled into the mix to incorporate our personalities, I get so excited that I can’t think straight, sit still, or sleep(depending on what I’m doing at the time). I think the ready for it to be over is self-explanatory. I don’t think you realize how much your life completely stops for a big occasion like this until you’re almost there. We’re both more than ready for our lives to go back to normal. Also... the honeymoon promises to be amazing :).

Let the final countdown begin!

Save the date, ladies and gentlemen!

Woohoo! Our save the dates arrived in the mail yesterday! Keep an eye out for yours soon!

I feel the need to take this time to rant about the Etsy website. My save the dates, invitations, and even the stamp we use for our return address(you'll see on the back of the envelope) were purchased from that site. I've got to say that I have LOVED everything that we've purchased and all of the merchants we've worked with so far have been GREAT. If you haven't checked them out, you're truly missing out!

First attempt at placecards: Success!

Today we decided to gather the missing pieces and make a sample placecard for the wedding. I saw this idea online months ago and thought it was adorable! Not only do I love pinwheels, but they keep that funloving spirit that we want the wedding to have. Despite the fact that the clear label tape we bought didn't work in our machine and we couldn't find the balls we purchased previously to make them spin, I think they turned out very well!

I'm contemplating doing something I've told myself I wouldn't do.

I currently have my ears gauged. I was actually letting them close up a year or two ago, but it was also while I was making the transition to Bank of America and my dress code was drastically changed on a daily basis. I felt like I was losing a part of who I was. To counterbalance this change, I decided to re gauge my ears to keep a small bit of my punk/skater touch(damn the man!). Currently they're at what I consider to be a modest/tasteful size.

I once again considered letting them close up to be able to wear traditional earrings on my wedding day. I decided to keep the gauge and treat Bryan and myself to earrings from a website I've liked for a while. It's called Omerica Organic and they make wooden organic and handmade plug earrings. Due to this they're a bit pricey, but when I read on their site that their company is 100% wind powered and that for every wooden piece they sell they plant a tree, I was all about spending a little bit more money to support a business that's into giving back instead of only taking.

At first I was dead set on this pair: side hearts. They're tasteful and adorable. I would have to gauge my ears up one more size(which would barely be noticeable) and you can pick out what color wood for the plug and the heart inlay! The only problem with the earrings was that I was afraid of how noticeable the hearts would be on such small plugs. Would it even be worth it?

Well, I was at Alicia's on Friday and I was showing her the website when she pointed out these new plugs. They have BIG hearts and on the backside of the plug, it says LO VE! They'd be perfect! Then I checked the size... I would have to go up THREE sizes! That pretty much takes it from tasteful to "why do you have big holes in your ears". At one point, I'm thinking "who cares, it would be worth it for the earrings" but on the other side... I'm just not sure if I want to go that big! Bryan seems excited at the idea. He said, "Well you were going to have to gauge them to get the first pair, so do that gauge TONIGHT and see how you feel about gauging it even more!"

I'm not sure what I want to do. Thankfully I still have 7 months until I really need to have my mind made up.

To splurge or not to splurge...

Every decision for our wedding is a difficult one. For every little detail we have to decide whether to get something normal or to get something with 'Katy and Fig' flair. The problem with deciding to get something to fit our personalities is that it usually takes a lot longer to find and the price tag is usually a bit more steep. On top of that, to find something over the top enough for us that wouldn't be tacky for a wedding is no easy task. Take toasting flutes for example, we could get the clear, elegant ones from Macy's(and hopefully have someone buy them off our registry for us) or we can buy ones like the colorful ones we found online that are nearly $50 more expensive. So for each and every detail we have to weigh the pros and cons, and let me tell you- it gets tiring! Oh, the joy!

The satisfaction of finding a really good deal

I've been blessed/cursed with a groom that wants to be a part of the wedding plans. Because of this, I try to ask him about every decision that needs to be made about the wedding to see if he has an idea or if he likes mine. 75% of the time he only half listens to what I say and says it sounds great even if he doesn't have a clue what I'm talking about, but that other percentage of the time - He knows EXACTLY what he wants.

In May of 2008, Bryan was the best man in his sister Alicia's wedding. Instead of having everyone rent a tuxedo, they decided to have all of the groomsmen buy suits. It ended up being a good idea. The suit wasn't much more than Bryan spent to rent a tux for his brothers wedding months earlier, and I can count at least 3 occasions on which he's worn it since then. In the beginning stages of the planning process, I asked him what he wanted him and his groomsmen to wear. At that point he began to rant about how much he liked their idea/how much of a deal it is/how much he loved his suit. After a gentle reminder that some people may have a problem with the idea - the plans were set.

I could be mistaken, but I think it was actually Alicia and I that found the suits at Men's Wearhouse once when we were out about looking at dresses. They were perfect. They were brown just like we wanted and they were Sean John(which makes them even better in Bryan's eyes). For the last six months I've been watching the roller coaster prices on the stores website. Just yesterday I checked and the 'sale' was $399 buy one get one for 100. I didn't think the sale was going to change between today and yesterday seeing as it wasn't a weekend or a beginning of a month like most stores wait for, but I really didn't feel like working at the time, so I figured I'd check anyway.

Much to my surprise, they fell from $399 to $199 with the same BOGO deal! I felt like jumping up and shouting for joy! I was convinced that we would be lucky if we got them for $200 a piece, but $15o is that much better! That is literally only dollars more than what he spent to rent a tux for his brothers wedding. I think I'm almost as excited about the suits as I am for my own wedding gown! I am anxiously waiting to be able to pick the suits up and see them all try them on. Now I have visions of colorful ties dancing in my head. I love this part!

I need your help and advice...

So the wedding is now only 9 months away! Exciting? Yes! Terrifying? Yes!

Anyway, I've been trying to think of things we haven't tackled or even discussed yet and get them out of the way. Bryan and I(as I've mentioned before) are fans of cute, quirky little details. So one of the things we've been thinking about are cocktail napkins. Of course we could always do the monograms of your initials or use the cute little clip art-type piece that my brother is making us to go on our invitations and other stationary... but then I thought about something else. Tell me you guys think it's funny, cute, corny, offensive to some, lame, etc. If you like the idea and have any ideas for other quotes, help a lady out!




We would plan on using the colors for the wedding/the bridesmaids dress colors and shuffle the different ones together into one big colorful napkin stack. What do you guys think? Please be honest. The fate of my napkins are in your hands!

Orange Wedding Shoes

One of the things I decided early on in the planning stages of our wedding is that I would be wearing orange accessories. No only is orange my favorite color, but since we decided to be married in the fall, it was an undeniable choice for a main color in the wedding.

Believe it or not - orange shoes are hard to find. I guess not everyone has the same affinity for orange as I do... Imagine that. Throughout some intense searches, I was able to find two pair of shoes that I was willing to try out.

After trying them on, there was no question about which ones I liked better. I picked the shoes on the right. They're dressier, closer to the hue of orange I was looking for, and I think the shape is better. However, I am still going to stay on the lookout to make sure there's nothing better out there!

Our Engagement Party!

On September 5th, Bryan and I hosted our engagement party. We held a picnic-themed barbecue at our home. Thanks to the help of friends and family, everything turned out great!

This was all of the delicious food. Bryan and I are very simple, easy-to-please people. We provided a smorgasbord of delicious food such as barbecue chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, meatballs(courtesy of Grandma Wilson), fruit salad, pasta salad, chips, dip, salsa, etc. Instead of buying a cake, our dessert consisted of a number of different flavored cupcakes that my family and I made. I want to save them for a separate post because I loved them so much.

These were the table decorations. To keep on with the picnic theme, we took baskets and filled them with a red fabric liner, squeeze bottles of ketchup, mustard, and BBQ sauce, a pail of flowers, plastic cutlery, paper cups, etc. We also had a different set of adorable salt and pepper shakers at each table and the classic picnic tablecloths.

Our plan was to make a very laid back party. We made plenty of different areas to sit at and even had a volleyball net set up - people seemed to love it! Hopefully it was a mouth-watering taste of whats yet to come!

More news about the wedding!

Thinks are moving ahead, now! We've started our contract with Riverbend, had our initial meeting with the photographer and plan to have that contract done early this week, got in contact with the DJ my sister recommended for us, and I found my dress! The date has now been set for October 9th, 2010, so jot it in your date books, ladies and gentlemen. We also had our engagement party last Saturday! I'm just waiting to recieve the rest of the pictures from the party before I write about it.

Our decision on the photography package?:

Upon calling the studio, we found out that the photographer we planned on using was not available for that date. Fortunately, the person on the phone was the photographer that usually doesnt travel, and said she would be fine traveling to Conshohocken to document our big day. The great thing about her is that for a price in the middle of the two packages I listed on here, we get so much more!

Up to 7 hours of wedding day coverage by Katie Harker and an associate photographer
A 12x12 album with 32 pages and 80 images
Two 6x6 parent albums with 20 3.5x5 images each
A minimum of 600+ images in a proof catalog
Complimentary engagement session
A signature board from the session or wedding guest book

I am so excited to see how the pictures come out in the end! After all, what else do you have left after the day is over?

Our wedding is trying its hardest not to become the everyday cookie cutter wedding. Bryan and I don't consider ourselves the cookie cutter couple. We have hundreds of hobbies ranging from extreme sports to granny crafts and we love each and every one. We tried to keep this in mind while planning the feel of our wedding. We also tried to include our love for cute little novelty items.

One of my first ideas came in the way of our placecards. One of Bryans old-man-hobbies started about a year and a half to two years ago. He would go to Michaels or Joanns to pick out a pre-built birdhouse and run home full of excitement to paint it. It didn't take long for us to have a table full of his prided birdhouses(and nothing to do with them). He even painted one as part of his sisters wedding present. Luckily, these two apples didn't land very far from eachother when they fell off the tree, so she loved it, but poor Bryan was, and still can be, the butt of many jokes.

All of this nonsense is just leading into the fact that we decided to paint adorable little birdhouses and adorn them with nametags to use as placecards. I finished the first mock-up last night and I am loving the way they turned out:

**Colors, shapes, and sizes may be subject to change.

I would like some opinions from any married women. Now that we've found our venue, we've decided who we will use for our photographs. It was actually easy seeing as one person wouldn't go out of Delaware. The part that I would appreciate opinions on actually has to deal with the packages. There were two packages and they were approximately $1500 different.

Higher Package:

• 7 hours of coverage
• 600+ pictures in a proof catalog
• 65 pictures in an album
• Complimentary engagement session

Cheaper Package:

• 5 hours of coverage
• 400+ pictures in a proof catalog
• 45 pictures in an album
• Engagement session available for extra cost

So, questions:

Those of you who had an engagement session: Was it worth it?

Those who didn't have an engagement session: Do you wish you did?

Those of you who had pictures taken of you getting ready or of your whole reception: Did you love them? Were they worth it?

If you didn't: Do you wish you did?

You get the drift. Help a lady out!

Did we find our venue for the wedding? I think so!

On Monday, my fiance(Bryan AKA Fig), his sister (Alicia), and I made our way up to Conshohocken PA to check out this place called the Riverbend Environmental Education Center. Long story short, we loved it! Here are a few pictures:

In October, almost a year to the day before we're planning on having our wedding they're actually holding their annual "Shiverfest" fall festival for the kids. I'm so excited to go visit to see if the leaves are changing and to see it dressed up much like the way we're going to!