Dreams Do Come True

Taste Testing

2008-06-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

We are going to for our taste testing today

Our First Nervous Breakdown

2008-06-27T13:07:00.000-07:00

So we have had our very first nervous break down.....it finally just hit my father that I will be getting married next year this time. It really hit him hard and fast.....he was just talking to me and he said to me "I can't believe that he is stealing my Cinderella" And then you could just see the tears starting to come on, he was trying so hard to hold back......he had to leave the room, so that I would not see him cry. It broke my heart

Becoming The Reinos

2008-06-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

Now that Mike and I have under a year to go with our wedding, I thought it would be fitting to start a new life blog "Becoming the Reinos" I thought it would be great to have blog where our family and friends can go to read about our journey into forever. It is still a work in progress since I just started it two weeks ago:)

Becoming the Reinos

I hope everyone comes and take the journey with us into forever! Happy readings!!!:):)

Less Than A Year Left......

2008-06-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

Today is 11 months, 4 weeks that 362 days until I marry my sweetheart!!!

Tomorrow is the day.....

2008-06-19T06:51:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is our ONE YEAR MARK!!!!!!!!!!!!

More gifts.....

2008-06-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

My younger sister Madelyn works in a daycare in Cherry Hill and every year each class room put together a themed basket to raise money for some sort of a fundraiser they have through their daycare. So my sister put in a bid for a basket and the theme was "Baking Time" and she ended up winning. SHe wanted to win it for me so I could use all the supplies in the basket for when we move out. Some of the things in the basket are cake mixes and things like that which I have to use now because they will expire however there were a few things in the basket that I will be taking along with me for when Mike and I move into our place

Favors-N-Things

2008-06-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

For each table at the reception I wanted to do something cute, so I thought of a great favor idea that I can have at all of the tables. I bought this small glass candle holders and I thought it would be really cute if I were to fill them with Hershey Kisses and put one on each table for the guests to something sweet. I was I know it is early to be putting these candy dishes together but I put one together as a sample for later on. Here they are......first I made the labels....those I made a few weeks ago

For the wedding they are going to be filled with Hershey Kisses, I filled them so you lovely ladies could see what they looked like filled

More Gifts.....

2008-06-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

Friday night I came home from work to find a HUGE package waiting for me....I rush over and open it to find out that it is a gift from my aunts, uncles, and grandparents from Los Angeles for my birthday. They bought me and Mike our fancy champagne cups. I didn't want to undo all the gift wrapping so I did not take them out of the boxes. However I did manage to get some pictures.....

The cups that my family bought us are the smaller ones in this picture. The cup that is laying down.

Is it June already?!?!?

2008-06-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

Well we are in the month of June already.....I can't believe it....I honestly NEVER thought that this month would ever come....adn now we are almost at our one year mark....all of this is just so amazing, and I am so thrilled that we are almost there. All the planning and stressing is starting to pay off....before you know it, it will be June 2009 and I'll be getting ready to say I DO!

2008-06-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my mom, my sister and I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond. My mom and sister wanted to buy me my birthday gift......my mom and my sister bought me and Mike our fancy goblet drinking glasses for my birthday. She also bought us our fancy shot glasses. I also bought myself one thing

Gifts, Gifts, Gifts....

2008-06-01T15:50:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to meeeee!! Over the weekend my mother threw me a birthday party with all of our family and my friends. My best friend who is also my Maid of Honor gave me the following as a gift for my birthday

The Count Down Continues

2008-05-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

Today is 1 year, 4 weeks and 1 day until I marry my sweetheart....that's 394 days and counting

13 Months To Go

2008-05-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

THIS MONTH'S TOPIC Asking Your Attendants

#1 Set expectations (for you and them)
Your maid of honor, bridesmaids, groomsmen, and best man may be called in for pretty active duty throughout the planning process. So as you choose your inner circle, keep in mind what you can reasonably ask your attendants to do: Can you ask them to come shopping with you? Absolutely. Can you ask them to spend more than they can afford on a head-to-toe ensemble that they’ll never wear again? Try not to.

#2 More isn’t always merrier
You have six best friends, three sisters, and five future sisters-in-law -- and you’re envisioning a great big gorgeous group at the altar. That’s all fine and well, as long as you keep in mind that having 14 maids involves some extra effort (and some extra expense): 14 bouquets, 14 gifts, and 14 people to consult about the dresses, the shower date, and the bachelorette party.

#3 The “new rules” of attendants
These days, many weddings feature bridesmen, groomsmaids, men of honor, and best women -- a gentle bending of tradition that we love. Brides, if you want your best guy friend in your wedding, he doesn’t necessarily have to stand on the groom’s side just because he’s in a suit.

Taste Testing

2008-05-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

I just confirmed our taste testing with Celebrations. I called this morning to make the appointment, we are set to go for our taste testing on June 27, 2008 at 2:00 in the afternoon. I can't wait, it's going to be exciting!!!

Bridal Shower

2008-05-22T11:32:00.000-07:00

I know that it is a little early to even be talking about the Bridal Shower however my mother and I were talking about my Bridal Shower last night. We did not want to have it at my house because we don't want to have to clean up the mess afterwards. I decided that I was going to start calling around to find out different prices and different places for a Bridal Shower. After calling around to a few places I found one place that was beautiful and at a reasonable price. I made an appointment this afternoon with Adelphia's, they have an amazing private room for our Bridal Shower. We have decided that we want to have the shower on a Sunday afternoon. Adelphia's has a wonderful Sunday Brunch buffet with tables and tables of food. Their private room is just as amazing as the rest of Adelphia's. My parent's were so impressed by the food and the room that not only did we book Adelphia's for the Bridal Shower but we also booked it for the Sunday after the wedding brunch. My Bridal Shower will take place on April 26, 2009 from 11:00 until 2:00. I can't wait!!!!:):)

Grandpa's Gift

2008-05-22T11:30:00.001-07:00

I was talking to my grandfather a few days ago and he wanted to know what I wanted for the wedding. Not only is he giving me and Mike money for the wedding however he also wants to give us something we can remember him by. After talking for a little while my grandfather we agreed that he would buy us our fancy place settings. That is one thing that we don't have to worry about now

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

2008-05-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!

The other day I was thinking "What should I get myself for my birthday?" Every year I buy myself something really nice, so this year I thought that it would be a great idea to buy myself something nice off of my registry. Thursday was my day off from work so I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and bought myself a few nice things off of my registry for my birthday

Bride's Emergency Kit

2008-05-12T11:00:00.001-07:00

For the day of the wedding I have decided that I'm going to need what is called a Bride's Emergency Kit just in case something was to happen. I am just getting a few Rubbermaid boxes and throwing the following in:

Medicinal Container:

Pepto-bismol
Tums
Immodium
Excederin
MigraineTylenol or Advil
Hard candy
Smelling salts
Tampons/Pads

Repair Items Container:

Chalk
Black Sharpie
Blue Sharpie
Earring backs
Buttons
Extra black socks for the boys
Duct Tape
Pantyhose (extras in case anything happened)
Safety pins
Masking tape or sewing tape (last-minute ripped hems)
Thread for all dresses of wedding party & white thread
Small flashlight
Spare hat pins (in case florist forgets them for corsages)
Duct tape (works on falling hems, broken bouquet handles, wobbly unity candles)
'Throwaway' garter
Clear nail polish
Lint remover
Kleenex
Contact Solution
Safety pins
Bobby Pins
Bandaids
Small scissors (for thread)
Small sewing kit

Beauty Container:

Deodorant
Extra Contacts
Nail file & Nail kit
Dusting powder for before pictures are taken
Hand lotion
Handi-wipes
Makeup
Baby powder (also works great for spills on your white dress--just dab with water and then baby powder)
Makeup remover for face and for clothes
Perfume
Nail polish in shade worn, & remover
Hairgel
Hairspray (good for runs in hose too)
BrushWater mister
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Brush-ups

Important Papers:

Directions to reception - extra copies
Phone numbers of all service vendors and cell phone
A list of outstanding to-do's that can be turned over to someone else (e.g. call ahead to the reception site to tell them that we are on our way; pay clergy and organist; etc.) - Maid of Honor and Best Man

39 Days!!

2008-05-12T09:43:00.001-07:00

39 days until our ONE YEAR MARK!!!!!!

Bridal Party Gifts

2008-05-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

A I was at the same boutique where I bought my earrings and I noticed a pair of earrings that would go great with the Bridal Party dresses. I thought it would be nice if I bought all the girl's matching earrings and necklaces. So here is the earrings that I bought the Bridal Party.

First Bridal Party Fitting

2008-05-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

Saturday, May 10, 2008 was the first fitting for the Bridal Party. It It went well, I had such a great time. The only problem we had was that the first dress I has picked out was pricer then I thought. The first time I asked for the prices of the dress I was told the price was $250.00. When we went on Saturday they rechecked the price for me and it turns out that the dress is really $300.00, they had made a mistake in prices. I was not prepared for that, so we had to pick another dress. The Bridal Party had fun trying on the different dresses. I did find a different dress which was great!

Here are a few pictures of the Bridal Party Fitting on Saturday...The first picture is the new dress that I have picked out for the Bridal Party. The colors are going to be the same as on the model.

Here we are on Saturday afternoon trying on different dresses......

Here everyone is in the dresses that I picked out for the Bridal Party.....

My Flowergirls....

Other pictures that were taken from Saturday's fitting.....

Bridal Party Fitting

2008-05-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

BRIDAL PARTY GETS FITTED TOMORROW!!

I am very much excited for tomorrow's fitting session....everyone will be there.....I can't wait for 2:30 tomorrow afternoon....I geet to see my dress as well (the one that I tried on back in February)

Earrings-N-Things

2008-05-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

I JUST BOUGHT MY WEDDING EARRINGS AND PURSE

I just got back from a store right in Haddonfield, it is called "A Beautiful Touch" I heard of them through the Bridal Shows that I have been to. They are an amazing boutique. I fell in love with my wedding earrings and purse so I bought them right away. I knew they were the one, and that is all I needed

These are my earrings :)

My purse is in the ivory....you can't really tell by this picture, however this is what my purse looks like.

For the children......

2008-05-07T12:48:00.000-07:00

For all of the children who will be attending our wedding I have decided to make them a nice basket filled with all different kinds of goodies. I'm not sure if it will be a basket or a bag, however it will be some sort of a welcome gift for all the children who will be attending. What I plan to fill these bags with are:

A coloring book
Crayons
Markers
Stickers
Colorful paper

That is all I came up with for right now.....so the next few months my mission is to look out for different sales on crayons, markers, etc; for our little guests:)

Bridal Party

2008-05-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

Bridal Party is going to get fitted on Saturday, May 10, 2008:)

Jean M

2008-05-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

MY ORDER FROM JEAM M CAME TODAY!!

About two weeks ago I order a few of our Reception supplies trhough Jean M. I LOVE her site and she has such great favors, ceremony supplies, reception supplies, etc; I highly recomend it http://www.myjeanm.com/ Here is what I ordered....

Here are our favor boxes....we will be filling them with light blue and light green M&Ms (our wedding colors)

These are our labels that will go on the favor boxes....the labels that I ordered have our monogrammed R on it with our names in the front. The font and the label are printed in light blue

Since we are having a candy buffet at our wedding I ordered bags to be put at the candy table for our guests to fill. In the middle of the bag is engraved "Live Laugh Love" and at the bottom is our names and our wedding date. The engraving on the front of the bag is in light blue as well.

At our front table Mike and I are having "Share A Wedding Wish" so I ordered the little note cards that our guests will sign and write a wedding wish on. Our names and our wedding date is engraved in light blue on each card. I also ordered the booklet that they will be kept in.

Lastly I ordered two pens to be placed on our front table for guests to sign our guest book and our "Share A Wedding Wish" note cards. I had the pens engraved with our initals "MRC"

Talking to an agent tonight.....

2008-05-02T08:35:00.001-07:00

After dinner tonight Mike and I are headed to the travel agent to talk to them about our honey!:) We already know where we want to go so now we need to get more information on different sites to see, different hotels, the flights, the different tours they offer etc; So hopefully by tonight we'll know what is going on with our romantic honeymoon:)

Wedding Dress Update

2008-04-30T06:57:00.000-07:00

I just got off the phone with Angel Bridal and they informed me that my wedding dress will not be in until August:( My dress will be ready to be shipped on August 1, 2008 and it should be in the store around August 14, 2008. The dress has so much beading and detail to it that it is taking them six months to make my dress. I ordered my dress back in the beginning of February and it won't be here until August.

Table Numbers

2008-04-28T07:21:00.000-07:00

My new project for the next couple of weeks is: Table Numbers. I trying to figure out a different way of doing this. I have a few ideas....that is my new project that I'll be working on the next couple of weeks:)

58 DAYS!!!

2008-04-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

Today marks 58 days until our ONE YEAR MARK!!!!!!

Our Guest List

2008-04-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, Mike and I started to make up our guest list for the wedding. We are letting my family have thier own list, Mike's mom's side is having their own list and his dad's side is getting their own list, and then of course we are making up our own list as well. Just with our friends, and co-workers between me and Mike we have 80 people on our list that's not including our family's list yet. Later on we may have to go back and weed a couple of people out, but I don't mind having a long list, we want a big wedding anyway. We are looking at 160-200 people, so we are right on ball.

Bridal Party Gifts

2008-04-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

As far as gifts go for the bridal party.....for the bridesmaids and the flower girls I have decided that I am going to put a $100.00 towards every girls dress. The dresses are going to cost $250.00 and that is with the discount already. What I decided to do was to put a $100.00 towards that so that it will only cost the bridal party $150.00 for their dresses, and to me I think that is a pretty good deal.

Our Wedding Theme

2008-04-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

Originally we were going to have a Fall Elegance Wedding set for September 26, 2009, however I have always wanted a summer wedding, so we decided that we would set our wedding at the end of June 2009. We looked through the calendar and we decided on the perfect wedding date.....June 20, 2009! This date is perfect, because I've always wanted to be a June Bride and Mike loves the warm weather! We will go with the theme of Summer Breeze. Right now our colors for our Summer Breeze Wedding is going to be Ivory, Lagoon (light blue) and Fawn (sage).

Creating Bouquets with Meaning

2008-04-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

Creating Bouquets with Meaning

When choosing the blooms for your wedding, you’ll certainly consider the color, size, and shape of different flowers, but it’s also nice to think of their significance. In Victorian times, hundreds of flowers, plants, and herbs were assigned meanings. Men and women selected them to communicate matters of the heart. For the flowers in your bouquet or in your groom’’s boutonniere, consider blooms that best express the feelings you share to make the arrangements more special. In addition to the meaningful bouquets showcased in our story

“The Language of Flowers” in the Fall issue of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, we’ve listed several individual flowers and their meanings to help you decide.

* Baby’s breath = Everlasting love

* Bachelor’s button = Celibacy, delicacy

* Calla lily = Magnificent beauty(chosen this)

* Carnation (pink) = Woman’s love

* Carnation = Pure love

* Cornflower = Delicacy

* Crocus = Cheerfulness

* Daisy = Innocence

* Dogwood = Duration

* Fern = Magic

* Forget-me-not = Remember me

* Freesia = Innocence

* Fuchsia = Confiding love

* Geranium = True friendship

* Hellebore = Calming

* Hyacinth = Sport and play

* Iris = I have a message for you

* Ivy = Friendship

* Jasmine (pink) = I attach myself to you

* Jasmine (white) = Amiability

* Lady’s mantle = Comfort

* Lilac = First emotions of love

* Lily-of-the-valley = Return of happiness

* Mint = Virtue

* Myrtle = Love

* Oak leaf = Bravery

* Orchid = Beauty

* Pansy = You’re in my thoughts

* Peony = Bashful

* Peppermint = Warmth of feeling

* Primrose = Youth

* Ranunculus = Radiant with charms

* Rose (white) = I am worthy of you

* Rose = Love

* Rosemary = Remembrance

* Snowdrop = Hope

* Sweet pea = Delicate pleasures

* Sweet violet = Modesty

* Sweet William = Sensitivity

* Tulip (pink) = Caring

* Tulip (variegated) = Beautiful eyes

* Tulip = Declaration of love

* Violet (blue) = Faithfulness

The true meaning of....

2008-04-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

Everyone, from Granny Beulah to the four-year-old down the street, knows the bridal tradition:

Something old,
something new,
something borrowed,
something blue.
Some of us are surprised to find there's one more line: And a silver sixpence in your shoe.

All told, the tradition's designed to whip up a powerful charm for matrimonial fortune. Although the rhyme began in the United Kingdom, the customs it describes have been around for centuries longer. Even here in the twenty-first century, they haven't much changed.

Something Old:
"Something old" reminds you of your origins. In the old days, if you married above your class, this might serve as a grounding force and prevent you from acting insufferable around your less fortunate relatives. More universally, something old reassures the bride that her marriage doesn't simply exists in a vacuum, but is part of a much broader, longer story with many chapters yet to come. Wearing something old, such as a locket containing a picture of your mother or grandmother on her wedding day, is one powerful way of symbolizing your connection to your ancestors. Another nice touch is to take an old handkerchief from a family forbear and have it sewn into the lining of your gown.

Something New:
The union you're now creating with your fiancé on your wedding day is the "something new." You can blend this neatly with the old by tucking a small photo of you and your partner in the same locket, on the opposite side from the your mother or grandmother. Alternately, you could wear a special piece of jewelry given to you by your groom, such as a necklace, brooch or bracelet.

Something Borrowed:
"Something borrowed" serves two purposes. One is to reflect your love and admiration for the person you borrowed it from. When you ask this person to borrow an item of theirs on your wedding day, they'll know exactly how important they are to you, and you'll be reminded of those that love and support you. The second is to borrow the success and good fortune of a happily-married couple. Many brides choose their mother's wedding ring to symbolize something borrowed, a beautiful way of honoring your parents' marriage. If your best friend has preceded you in marriage and happily so, perhaps you could borrow one of her signature pieces of jewelry as a reminder of your friendship —— and a token of good luck. By custom, for the luck to stand, you must return the item.

Something Blue:
Blue worn on the wedding day symbolizes the couple's fidelity. In Biblical times, the bride wore a blue ribbon to signify her faithfulness, and later, after blue became associated with the Virgin Mary, the bride often wore a blue dress. Blue isn't always easy to fit into contemporary bridal attire, but it can be done. Try a necklace with a petite blue stone, a blue ribbon, blue underwear, or a blue garter.

A Silver Sixpence in Your Shoe:
This old Scottish custom is exactly what it seems: a recipe for good fortune. The bride places the sixpence in her left shoe to attract wealth in her marriage (although by old world customs, the father is responsible for placing the sixpence). The sixpence is no longer made in Britain and can be difficult to find, so many American brides substitute a shiny penny instead. These are just a few simple ideas to help you sustain the time-honored tradition of "something old, something new." With just a little thought and imagination, a creative bride can incorporate all of these customs in her attire. And when she walks down the aisle adorned with symbols honoring her family and other inspirational people, she just might feel a sense of being part of something much larger. For many brides, that's exactly how it happens.

The Honeymoon

2008-04-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

After much talking and researching Mike and I have picked our Honeymoon hot spot......We are going to CANCUN! We were torn between Cancun and Costa Rica. We really wanted to go to Cosat Rica, however when we did our research we found that Costa Rica has so many citites where you can honeymoon and each city has its own type of tour you can go on when you are there. We couldn't find too many tours in some of the areas that we wanted to stay at. I don't mind just being lazy and ordering room service every day, but Mike needs to be out and about exploring the city and what not. Some of the nicer hotels we looked into would tell you not to really go outside of the resort and some cities did not really have any tours, so we were having a very hard time with Costa Rica.

Then we decided to look in Cancun....WE FELL IN LOVE WITH EVERYTHING!!!!! The hotels are just amazing, the honeymoon suites are filled with a king size bed, private balcony, private hot tube, walk in shower for two We fell in love with it right away....and they have some amazing tours. The BEST part about the hotels we are interested in and the tours that we want to take.......they are ALL INCLUSIVE!!!!! A lot of the hotels are anywhere between $2,000-$3,000 for 7 days and they include EVERYTHING!!! We are really thrilled with it. And if you book super early they give you even more discounts Now the tricky part to the whole thing is what hotel to stay at becuase they are all so beauitful and amazing

2008-04-21T12:06:00.001-07:00

Today is 1 year, 1 months and 4 weeks until I marry my sweetheart....that's 425 days and counting

My Something Blue

2008-04-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

Mike and I were at the mall last weekend and I picked up a pair of panties form Victoria Secret for "My Something Blue" They are really cute and the back says "My Somethign Blue" I also picked up a pair of "Sexy Little Bride" panties to wear the night before:) While I was at the mall I also picked up my wedding garter.

This is what it looks like, however mine is ivory...I also have to get a second one so Mike can toss that instead.

Bed Bath and Beyond

2008-04-21T11:55:00.000-07:00

Mike and I just got back from Bed, Bath and Beyond. We just finished some of our registry. We didn't put bedding or bathroom on the registry only because we are not 100% sure as to what colors we want to have in the bathrooms or the bedroom, so we just left that alone for right now until we figure the colors and sizes out. We are very excited about our registry!!!!! It took us 2 1/2 hours to figure a few things out. If want to see what is on our registry just go to Bed, Bath and Beyond and type in Christina Loshikian and our registry should come up:)

Wedding Wishes

2008-04-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

Mike has told me many times that at the wedding he wants us to have a place on the front table where our guests can leave us wedding wishes. I thought this was a really great idea, so I looked into ordering it from one of the online wedding stores. I was looking through "Jean M" becasue they have that Wedding Wish Set that you can order. Well I went to order it a few days ago and I was shocked.......the vase that everyone drops there little cards in was $54.00 I was shocked....you order the vase, little note cards and the booklet that you put your wishes in all seperatly, which is fine........but I was not going to pay that much for a vase!I was at Target last night on my break and I came across this really nice vase for $19.99 and I bought it! It is much better then the one they were selling for $54.00! So I bought that and I'm going to put my own little touches to it!

Candy Jars

2008-04-21T11:45:00.001-07:00

Today not only did I buy our cake topper.....I also bought the jars for our candy table.......I was afraid that I would never find ones that were cheap to buy, but I did today! The problem with buying the apothecary jars at the mall or online, they are so expensive! One jar is about $54.00 Today my mom and I were at TJ Maxx and I saw a whole shelf full of the apothecary jars, in all different shapes and sizes. I was blown away, and I could not believe it. I bought 12 different apothecary jars all for under a $100.00 dollars, I was so thrilled and happy! I couldn't believe that I found those jars for that cheap.....I literally paid $7.00 for one and $9.99 for another and I paid $5.99 for another and so on.....I was so happy!!! I'm still so thrilled that I found such a good deal.

Our Cake Topper

2008-04-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

I BOUGHT OUR CAKE TOPPER TODAY!!

I was at the mall today with my mom and I had been eyeing this Cinderella cake topper for the longest time. I decided that I was going to stop eyeing it and so I bought it. I have been in love with this cake topper for the longest time, and I could not be happier with it.

We Booked Our Florist!!!

2008-04-21T11:39:00.002-07:00

WE BOOKED OUR FLORIST!!

Yes, we finally booked our florist! After looking for the past two months, we finally met with a florist that I fell in love with and had to book. Like I had said before we met with a lot of florist who I didn't really like and they were all too expensive. I was at my ends wit and yesterday Mike and I had an appointment with Bryan from "Petals." We sat down with him and he read my mind.......he knew what I wanted and he was amazing! And the best part about the whole thing is is NOT expensive. Everyone else that I looked into over either $5,000 or higher. He is very reasonable, for everything that we are having it's costing us only $3,000. To me that is amazing, to me that is cheap! He had such great ideas and different suggestions about centerpieces and different flowers. Both Mike and I are so happy with out florist! I'm so excited!!!!

Our Song

2008-04-21T11:39:00.001-07:00

Last night Mike and I were talking about our first dance. Well Mike adn I can't dance to the our song for our first dance. Our song is "Everything I Do" bby Bryan Adams....the first time we ever danced to this song was almost three years ago at our friend Matt's wedding. Well he got divorced a month after his wedding because his wife cheated on him So it's safe to say that we will not be dancing to that song for the wedding. Now we are back to the drawing board:)

Thoughts

2008-04-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

Last night I was laying in bed thinking about my dress and I realized that at the end of this year Mike and I are going to buy a house/and or condo (whichever has a better deal) and it hit me..................................I have to grow up and live with a boy! I mean nothing up to this point felt so real.....I mean yeah when we booked the hall, it felt somewhat real, but it still seemed so far away. However when I tried on my dress yesterday and I knew it was the one, it just hit me out of no where that this is really happening and it's not that far away. Now I have to grow up and live with a boy! I have never lived on my own before and now when I move out I'll be loving out and moving in with a boy It just hit me out of no where

I Bought My Wedding Gown!!!!!!

2008-04-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

I BOUGHT MY WEDDING DRESS!!

On February 16, 2008 I had a meeting with Angel Bridal to try on dresses....I went with my mom, mother in law and my grandmother in law....now I thought that I may like some of the dresses but I wasn't sure that I would actually fall in love with my dress! This was the bridal store that I won the $200.00 gift card to......I took about five different dresses into the fitting room to try on......and I fell in LOVE with the first one that I tried on. I knew it was the one! I just knew it! I came out of the fitting room and my mom just sat there and cried. I feel in love with that dress, and that was it! When you know, you just know! Now I present to you my WEDDING GOWN....................

Ring For A Kiss

2008-04-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

OUR RING FOR A KISS BELLS CAME IN!!

I also ordered our "Ring for a Kiss" two weeks ago from The Knot and they arrived today! They look so pretty....the reception site doesn't really like guests to tap on the glasses with their forks, due to the fact that in the past guests have broken glass, and the reception hall puts whatever is broken onto our tab. I thought that instead of having to deal with that I would order these bells for that purpose

Our Ring Pillow

2008-04-21T11:28:00.001-07:00

OUR RING PILLOW CAME IN!!

I ordered our ring pillow two weeks ago from The Knot and they arrived today! It looks so pretty!! It is not as big as I thought it would be, but it is still very pretty

Bridal Showcase

2008-04-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon, my mom, dad, sister and Mike went to a Bridal Show. There were different vendors there and a whole buffet of foods! I was able to talk to different vendors that I needed and we had so much food to eat! This was the first Bridal Show that Mike had been to and he had such a great time! He was talking to different vendors and signing us up for free things. Mike even put us in the drawing to win a free honeymoon! Which I'm crossing my fingers for, they don't draw any names for that until I think at the end of the month. However the one vendor we talked to was a florist called "Petals" and his diplays were amazing! I fell in love with his work right away, so I put me and Mike in the drawing to win a 20% of our order cupon and we won!! I was VERY excited about that! Overall we really did have a great time yesterday I'm glad that we all went. At first my dad was a little werid about it because he was afraid he'd get bored, but he had fun!

We Booked Our Baker!!

2008-04-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

WE BOOKED OUR BAKER!!

This is a little bit of old news.....when we booked our Reception Hall the baker for our wedding cake came with the package. She is already locked in for our date the only thing we have to do is make an appoinment to pick out what cake that we want adn go for a taste test I had forgotten to post this back when we first booked our hall.

Honeymoon Thoughts

2008-04-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

Mike and I went to the mall to talk to a travel agent and get an idea of what the costs would be for a honeymoon. We wanted to find out the different packages and the prices, etc; Before Mike and I went to the travel agency we had talked about our honeymoon and where we really wanted to go. Mike and I have such different tastes that it is really hard sometimes to plan things.....I LOVE to just lay around in the sun and have a drink once in a while, that is my ideal vacation. I love the beach, and I love when you go to the tropical restores and you have your own private gated in pool attached to your room, you can skinny dip whenever you want, you can sleep with the windows and doors open and let the tropical breeze calm you as you sleep, and you eat diner at the foot of the pool at sunset....I LOVE that kind of vacation.

However Mike is the type of person who can't really sit around for too long or he'll go nuts. He likes to sit around for a little bit, but after a little bit he'll want to go and explore or do some sort of an activity. Now I'm not saying that I don't like to explore and have fun, and go diving, etc; So Mike said that he really wanted to go to either Rome, Italy, or England. I'm a Literature major and Mike is a History major so we looked into England and realized that England would probably be our best bet.England has so much history and culture that we both knew that we would really enjoy it and get more out of it. So we knew going into the travel agency what we wanted. So we sat down and the travel guy asked us a couple of questions just to get an idea of what we liked and what we wanted. So get this.............if Mike and I go to England for our honeymoon it is going to cost us $12,500 Now that only includes the flight fare and the hotel fare for a week...that does not include meals, or drinks....so we are looking at probably spending roughly around $15,000 maybe a little less I was shocked when I heard that price....I almost had a heart attack! The other thing is our money is worth less over in Europe, so in reality we would be spending a lot more then anywhere else.So Mike and I picked up a couple of different booklets, and Mike was looking through a few, he really liked the Costa Rico one, and he said he liked the Thati one as well The good thing about the island honeymoon is that it is a lot cheaper and they are all-inclusive, which is great!!! So Mike said that he was going to look through the rest of the booklets and we're going decide where we want to go by the summer. So we are going to go somewhere tropical

We Booked Our Videographer!

2008-04-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

WE BOOKED OUR VIDEOGRAPHER!!

Yes you heard right......Mike and I had a meeting with Command Performance Studios on january 27, 2008. We were going to book the videographer through Mr. K who is doing our photography but his prices were a little too high for video. Command Performance Studios offers a lot more in their package and it costs about $500.00 less then what Mr. K's partner was offering us. I'm so excited, we pretty much have everything booked except the florist....we have pretty much every weekend next month booked to meet with different florists, so hopefully by the end of February our whole wedding will be booked!

Bridal Showcase

2008-04-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago my mom and I went to a Bridal Showcase, while at the Bridal Showcase I entered my name for a $200.00 certificate off my wedding gown. Today I get a phone call from the lady who was in charge of the fashion show they put together that night. Angel Bridal was the bridal store that did the fashion show, the owner called me today telling me that my name was drawn for for the $200.00 certificate I was so thrilled.......so I made an appointment right away to go and try on the gowns they have. The gift card expires at the end of February, so I made an appointment for February 16 at 11:00. I'm so thrilled!!!!!!! When they first started the fashion show, one girl came out in this beautiful ivory, beaded dress, and I fell in love with this dress, and this bridal store has this gown in stock. Very pleased wit that!

Our Toasting Flutes Came In Today!

2008-04-21T11:13:00.000-07:00

OUR TOASTING FLUTES CAME IN!

I ordered our toasting flutes about two weeks ago from The Knot and they arrived today! They look so pretty, they look better in person then they did on the website. I'm very pleased with them!

We Booked Our Photographer

2008-04-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

WE BOOKED OUR PHOTOGRAPHER!!

Yes, it is true! He is actually the photographer teacher that I had my Jr. and Sr. year in high school; Mr. K I had him for two years. I am so thrilled that Mr. K is going to be our photographer, he is such a great man, and he is so funny. He also gave us such a great deal. Mike loved him so much and he loved the prices so much that we booked him right away on the spot. And get this he was looking on his calendar and he said that he is booked the first two Satursdays in June and the last Saturday in June, the only Saturday he had open was June 20, 2009 I was in shock! Mike was like "This has to be a sign, we want to book you now!" So we put our $300.00 deposite down and we are very, very, very happy that this turned out the way it did! His wedding package includes: All day coverage: he's going to meet me at my house around 12:00, take pictures of me getting ready, then we are off to the church for the ceremony at 2:00. After the ceremony is over at 3:15, we are taking pictures for about an hour in Philadelphia at the Art Museum, then off to the reception to take pictures there in their garden at 6:00, then we party from 6-12. So we have him all day (which other places charge you and arm and a leg for that, because most photogrpahers youc an only get them for either 6 hours or 8 hours) We also we an album with our choice of any 100 photos, we also we a couple of other little thigns, and we get our proofs bound in a book. All of that for $3,000. Mike and I don't think that is alot for what he is offering us. And he's NOT charging us for traveling fees, or the extra five hours that we need him, and he's charging us for 2008 prices not 2009. His videography package will cost us $2,000, so we are spending $5,000 for both photo and video all day long! Which I don't think is a bad deal at all!

We Booked Our DJ

2008-04-21T11:06:00.000-07:00

WE BOOKED OUR DJ!!

Let me tell you a little bit about the whole background.....as you already know my mom and I went to a Bridal Showcase on Friday, January 11, 2008, the company that was hosting the event was a company by the name of DJs Available. They are a big corporation of maybe 20-25 different DJs, and each DJ is funny in their own way. When we were at the Bridal Showcase they did a fashion show and right before the fashion show a couple of the DJs got up and did a 15 minute presentation, my mom LOVED it! She said that she really wanted to book them for the wedding. So I called last week to make an appointment to book a DJ for our wedding. The owner of the company said that before we meet with him to sign the papers and put the deposit down, he wants us to get a taste of what all 25 DJs can offer. This company dose a thing every month and it is called the DJ Wedding Reception Presentation. What this is, is that you go to whatever Reception site they are hosting the "wedding" in and you sit and each DJ gets about 15 minutes to give you a taste of what they have. So it's a fake wedding, with food and drinks, the whole nine yards, and they do this so that you can get a taste of what your wedding would be like. So the owner of the company wrote up a contract and he mailed it to me, so now what we have to do is go to this "wedding" bring our contract, pick a DJ that we like at the end of the night, give our deposite and we are good to go! The reason why the owner did it this way is because this company is very popular and they book fast for June weddings, so we wanted us to make sure we had them for our date, so we did it a little differently. They are a great company, when Mike's friend got married last September they booked DJs Available for their reception and the DJ they booked kept us laughing all night! So I am very happy with our choice.

Bridal Showcase

2008-04-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

My mom and I went to a Bridal Showcase on January 11, 2008 and we had so much fun! I talked to a whole bunch of different vendors and I put my name down for A LOT of stuff. After we did that we then walked around and sat down for the Bridal Fashion Show. There was free food and drinks, my mom was having such a great time. The DJ's that were there were so funny, my mom fell in love with these DJ's. She said that I should even set up a meeting with them to book them for our wedding! They were very funny, and up beat and that's what you need for a wedding reception. I also won a Crystal Candel Set last night valued at $80.00, so that was nice! Overall I'm glad that we went, we really had a great time. My mom told my dad what a great time she had and he tells me that he wants to go next time they have a bridal showcase

We Are Getting Close

2008-04-21T11:03:00.001-07:00

I was driving home from work today and it hit me out of the blue, next June I'm getting married It seems so real to me now......now that we have booked the reception site and the church it all seems so real to me. Before I had a bunch of wedding magazines and nothing was really set in stone yet, but now that I think about it, it is not that far away. This year is going to go by so fast and before you now it, it's going to be next year this time and I'll be only months away from becoming a Mrs. Now that everything is set in stone and we have the hall and the church booked it seems so much more real to me then before....I'm not saying I'm getting cold feet, but WOW we really booked the hall and the church, this is really happening. I couldn't believe it, I cried the whole way home, because this is finally what I have waited for and it is rapidly approaching.

We Booked Our Church Venue

2008-04-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

WE BOOKED OUR CHURCH VENUE!!

We met with Deacon Nick, and we are set for June 20, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. We meet with Deacon Nick on February 16, 2008 and that's when we put our deposit down. We are locked it! No one can take that spot, and 2:00 is the last slot you can take so no one can go after us, just in case we run late for whatever reason....I'm SOOOOOO THRILLED!!!!! It was just so great to get the church venue booked because we were afraid that we would not be able to find a nice church that would marry us, so this is just an amazing feeling!!!!!!!

Our Save The Date Cards

2007-11-12T17:14:00.000-08:00

Our Save the Date Cards are in.....they are only a mock up of what they are going to look like. The photographer is sending them to be finalized today. So I thought I would give everyone a sneak peek at what they look like. The rest of our engagement photos will be in soon, so.......for right now enjoy the Save the Date Cards!! Enjoy!!

Engagement Photos

2007-10-09T06:22:00.000-07:00

Our appointment with our photographer is set for Monday, September 10, 2007 at 6:30 in the evening. After our meeting with the photographer, we set up our Engagement Photos! They are set for Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 6:30 p.m. in Ocean City I'm so excited! We are doing to them on the beach right before sunset, I cannot wait! I have my outfit all picked out, and Mike has his pants, but still doesn't know which color top he's going to wear. I will be posting our engagement photos here as soon as I have them. **Photos coming soon**

Photographer's Information:
Dennis Kelly Photogrpahy
236 South Black Horse Pike
Blackwood, New Jersey 08012
Tele: (856) 228-4399
Website: Dennis Kelly Photography

Our Reception Site

2007-10-09T06:11:00.000-07:00

Reception Hall Information:

Celebrations
2201 Galloway Road
Bensalem, PA 9020
Tele: (215) 244-4400
Website: Celebration
Wedding Date: June 20, 2009

We booked our Reception Site

2007-10-09T06:06:00.000-07:00

WE BOOKED OUR RECEPTION VENUE!!

We just got back form the reception venue, we booked Celebrations! We fell in love with the place and after Mike and I talked about it last night, we went back and make a list of each place and Celebrations was the BEST choice for us. They were very reasonable in their prices and the reception site is beautiful! We went back today to put our deposit down and we booked it! Thank God we went back today, because they have two rooms, so they can only have two weddings at the same time, the first room was taken for our date, so we booked the second room! We are very pleased about our choice and we are more than happy!! Both parents loved the place and so did we!! Next we need to book the church...we did it backwards mainly because the church that we want to have our ceremony in wont meet with us for 2009 until January, so we had to book the reception venue first.

Wedding Checklist

2007-05-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

Here is my wedding checklist. I will update this lists as my planning comes along I have marked everything in color codes.

Everything in Green is done.
Everything in Orange is in progress.
Everything in Blue is to do.

24-18 Months
o Announce your engagement and/or have an engagement party
o Begin envisioning your wedding: time of year, formality, type of ceremony...
o Decide on a budget and determine who's contributing.
o Pick your preferences for wedding date: consult families, important guests, location, or officiant to determine if there are any conflicting events.
o Start researching wedding-related expenses in your area. Do your homework early on this - you're more likely to save money by doing so.
o Get organized! Start a notebook or file to house all your wedding planningpaperwork in one place. Organization is the key to keeping your sanity throughout the wedding process.
o Find ceremony site if not determined by your choice of officiant or reception site.
o Begin looking at reception venues.
o Book your ceremony and reception sites as soon as you see something you love that’s available on your date. In peak wedding months [April – October], many venues are booked a year in advance.
o Choose your maids/groomsmen and ask them to do you the honor.
o Choose your flowergirl/ringbearer or any other attendants.

o Decide what gifts you will be buying for your maids/groomsmen and attendents
o Decide on and meet with your officiant to discuss ceremony structure and any religious requirements (counseling, etc.).
o Begin working on preliminary wedding guest list and decide on approximate wedding size. Request lists from your parents and create your own wish list.

18-12 Months
o Decide on a caterer. Get preliminary price per-head and begin working on a menu.
o Execute your caterer contract and send them a deposit.
o Order paper products: wedding invitations, announcements, stationery, thank you notes, place cards, napkins, cake boxes, etc.
oStart searching for:
o Photographers
o Videographers
o Florists
o Bakers
o Musicians for ceremony
o Musicians for reception
o Transportation
o Local hotels for guests
o Choose a color scheme, if you so desire, taking into account the decor of the rooms/areas you have reserved for your ceremony and reception.
o Begin shopping for the bride's gown and accessories.
o Select bridesmaids' dresses & have attendants fitted.
o Choose flower girl's dress & ring bearer's attire.
o Plan wedding reception music (Request demo tapes from musicians and DJs.)

8-12 Months
o Finalize the guest list.
o Brides: Narrow down your gown choices and make a final decision.
o Brides: Decide on the bridesmaid dresses.
o Brides: Collect necessary measurements from attendants or pass off information so that they can order the dresses themselves.
o Book, execute contract and send deposit to:
o Ceremony musicians

o Videographer
o Reception musicians/DJ
o Baker
o Florist
o Transportation
o Photographer
o Reserve wedding night suite.
o Contact all of your services & sign contracts.
o Start looking into registering for gifts.
o Brides: Start shopping for bridesmaid dresses.
o Make sure your honor attendant and best man are aware of what you expect of them. Provide a list of their duties to help them help you.
o Set aside blocks of hotel rooms for out-of-town guests.
o Contact out-of-towners with the final wedding date and time.
o Start planning the rehearsal dinner. Provide the host with contact information for your attendants and any other guests.
o Start working on your invitation wording and design.
o Finalize your invitation wording.
o Finalize menu and service details with caterer.
o Order your invitations and announcements (don't forget extra envelopes).

4 -5 Months
o Grooms: Decide what style of formalwear you & your groomsmen will be wearing.
o Grooms: Start looking to buy or rent tux, suit or other formal attire.
o Grooms: Decide on your groomsmen's attire.
o Reserve tables, chairs, and/or other rental equipment you need (unless caterer or site is taking care of it).
o Start planning your honeymoon.
o Book your honeymoon and make travel reservations.
o Book rehearsal-dinner site.
o Compile packages for out-of-town guests with hotel reservation and city information, and mail it out.
o Decide on a floral scheme, choose flowers, and negotiate prices with florist. Be sure to sign a contract outlining what you agreed upon.
o Finalize your wedding insurance policy, including liability if required by your site.

2 -3 Months
o Brides: Choose attendants' accessories (shoes, gloves, etc.) and either hand off information or coordinate with them.
o Grooms: Give all of the groomsmen the information they need to buy and/or reserve their attire.
o Consider specific ceremony and reception decoration needs like aisle runner, etc.
o Make or buy favors. Allow extra time for custom-made favors.
o Shop for and purchase wedding rings.
o Brides: Make sure your attendants have purchased their dresses and accessories.
o Brides: Buy any special lingerie your gown requires in time for first fittings.
o Brides: Confirm delivery date for your gown and schedule fittings. If you are handling the bridesmaid dress order, confirm the delivery date.
o Brides: Begin your fittings.
o Grooms: If you are renting a tux, visit the formalwear shop to get measured.
o Grooms: Choose and buy any accessories you will need: shoes, shirt stays, cufflinks, and a pocket square.
o Schedule portrait session if you need one for a newspaper wedding announcement.
o Get anything you need for an international honeymoon (passport, birth certificate, visas, vaccinations, etc.).
o Pick up your invitations.
o Start addressing invitations or drop them off with the calligrapher (you'll need to send them out at the 2-month mark).
o Design maps to be inserted in invitations:
o From major airport to the hotel
o To the rehearsal dinner site
o To the ceremony
o From the ceremony to reception

6 Weeks
o Order liquor, wine and/or champagne, if not included in the catering contract.
o Begin writing ceremony program, if you are having one.
o Begin working on vows, particularly if you're writing your own.
o Finalize vows.
o Arrange parking for the reception.
o Confirm reservations for out-of-town guests.
o As you receive presents, be sure to update and/or add items to your registry list.
o Set aside some time to write thank-you notes for gifts received at the bridal shower.
o Research local marriage license requirements.
o Brides: Attend final wedding-gown fitting.
o Buy a guest book and pen. (or make)
o Grooms: Attend your bachelor party.
o Brides: Buy gifts for your maid of honor and bridesmaids.
o Grooms: Buy gifts for your best man, groomsmen, and ushers.

3-4 Weeks
o Send rehearsal-dinner invitations.
o Do trial runs of hair and makeup and schedule wedding-day beauty appointments.
o Finish and print ceremony programs.
o Get marriage license and make appointments for blood tests (if necessary). Check when the license expires.
o Work on a list of "must-play" (and "must-not play") songs
o Discuss song list with ceremony musicians and agree on final choices.
o Pick up wedding rings and check inscriptions before you leave the store.
o Make sure your homeowner's insurance covers your rings and gifts.
o Wrap all gifts for the wedding party and write each attendant a nice note.
o Brides: Shop for all additional accessories like stockings, earrings, evening bag, etc.
o Have a follow-up meeting or phone call with the officiant to go over ceremony timing and details.
o Confirm wedding-night and honeymoon reservations.
o Do paperwork for official documents if you are changing your name.
o Brides: Get final pre-wedding haircut, if necessary.
o Work out wedding day timing and details (who will get the bride there, where the wedding party will dress, etc) and draw up a schedule.
o Call or email wedding party to relay critical info related to rehearsal and wedding (dates, times, directions, duties).
o Brides: Make sure you have your garter and "something old, new, borrowed, and blue" if you want to include these customs in your wedding.
o Brides: Pick up your gown.
o Finalize any special preferences, readings or other ceremony details (in writing) with your officiant.
o Give final head count to the caterer. Confirm set-up instructions and menu items.
o Confirm head count, delivery time, and location with the cake maker.
o Call guests who haven't RSVP'd for the wedding and rehearsal dinner.
o If you're having a receiving line, determine the order you want everyone to stand in.
o Determine any wedding day assignments for members of the wedding party and make lists/info sheets as needed.
o Brides: Pick up the veil and/or headpiece.
o Call location manager and make sure your vendors all have access to the site when they need it.

1-2 Weeks
o Start putting together the seating plan if there's a seated reception meal.
o Finalize seating chart. Buy materials for and make place cards (give typed names to the calligrapher if you're using one).
o Touch base with your officiant and give him/her rehearsal details and wedding day schedule.
o Confirm delivery locations, times, and final arrangement count with florist.
o Grooms: Pick up your tux and try it on (don’t wait 'til the day of to do this).
o Purchase travelers checks for the honeymoon.
o Shop and pack for honeymoon.
o Confirm all final payment amounts with your vendors.
o Confirm location, date, and time with photographer and give them a "must- take" photo list.
o Confirm location, date, and time with videographer.
o Grooms: Get your final haircut.
o Give seating chart to caterer, location manager, or host.
o Prepare your toasts or thanks to friends and family.
o Plan any additional night-before activities with friends and/or attendants.
o Fax transportation providers a schedule and addresses for pickups on wedding day.
o Distribute wedding-day directions, schedule, and contact list to all parents, attendants, and vendors.
o Designate who will meet, greet, and handle each vendor on the wedding day.
o Put together an overnight bag for your wedding night (toothbrush, sexy lingerie, etc.) and designate someone to deliver it to the hotel for you.
o Leave a copy of your honeymoon itinerary with someone in case of emergency.
o Put final payments and cash tips in marked envelopes and give to a designated family or friend to distribute on the wedding day.
o Confirm date, location, time, and play list with band/DJ and/or ceremony or cocktail hour musicians.
o Brides: Get manicure and pedicure and confirm big-day beauty appointments.
o Designate someone to collect the wedding gifts (and any cash) brought to the party.
o Notify your attendants of the hour and place of the wedding rehearsal
o Pay any bills that might be due during your honeymoon
o Compile a list of all flight information, emergency phone numbers, etc. to give to someone for your honeymoon
o Make sure you have all of your extra essentials:
o Toasting goblets
o Bridal purse
o Cake knife & server
o Emergency kit
o Ring pillow
o Guest book
o Unity candle
o Pen
o Tossing garter
o Place cards
o Basket for programs
o Rice or bubbles
o Candles for ceremony
o Cardholder for gift table
o Favors for wedding guests
o Favors

Day before
o Give final head count to the caterer. Confirm set-up instructions and menu items.
o Give announcements to your honor attendant to be mailed on the wedding day.
o Brides: Pull together wedding gown, veil, shoes, stockings, and a last-minute emergency kit (aspirin, makeup, safety pins, mints, etc.).
o Rehearse the ceremony with officiant and wedding party.
o Confirm all specific honeymoon travel plans (including transportation to airport, etc.).
o Drop off favors, guest book, and pen at the reception site.
o Attend rehearsal dinner.

Wedding day
o Confirm with people who you expect to give/lead toasts at the reception.
o Eat a nutritious breakfast/lunch
o Have your hair and nails done at least three hours before the ceremony
o Start dressing at least one hour before the ceremony (*If the photographs will be taken before the ceremony, then at least 2-3 hours)
o Photographer, videographers, ushers, & attendants should arrive at least 45 minutes prior to the ceremony

**Additional checklists provided by Wedding Channel**

Our Song

2007-05-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

This is our first song that we first danced to. It was October 2006 at our friend's wedding...this song came on and Mike looked over at me with this gleam in his eyes that could make the stars in the sky even jealous. He led me out onto the dance floor and it felt as though I had fallen in love all over again. It's as though there was no one but me and him in the wedding hall. The song is entitled "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)" By Bryan Adams.

Look into my eyes - you will see

What you mean to me

Search your heart - search your soul

And when you find me there you'll search no more

Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for

You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for

You know it's true Everything I do - I do it for you

Look into your heart - you will find

There's nothin' there to hide

Take me as I am - take my life

I would give it all - I would sacrifice

Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for

I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more

Ya know it's true Everything I do - I do it for you

There's no love - like your love

And no other - could give more love

There's nowhere - unless you're there

All the time - all the way

Oh - you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for

I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more

I would fight for you -

I'd lie for you Walk the wire for you -

ya I'd die for you

Ya know it's true Everything I do - I do it for you

Wedding Links.....

2007-05-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

Here are a few wedding links of mine....Enjoy

**I'll post more as soon as I get them**

My Engagement Ring

2007-05-24T12:29:00.001-07:00

Here is my engagement ring....yes he did pick it out himself (great taste!)

Meet Our Wedding Party

2007-05-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

Meet Our Wedding Party

Maid of Honor:
Niki (bride's best friend)

Best Man:
Frank Reino (groom’s older brother)

Bridesmaids:
Madelyn (bride’s youngest sister)
Elizabeth (bride’s younger sister)
Jill (groom's cousin)

Groomsmans:
Leo (bride's cousin)

Flower girls and Our Little Attendents:
Bryanna (groom’s niece)
Rosa (bride’s cousin)
Dara (bride's family friend)
Amber (bride's family friend)

Ring boy:
Gregg (bride’s cousin)

The Engagement Party

2007-05-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

Mike proposed at the end of May 2006, and in August we decided to take a vacation together. We decided to go to California. Mike had never been there and I hadn’t see family for years. After being engaged I had a lot of family who wanted to meet Mike and see the ring. We decided this would be the perfect opportunity to go and visit while still seeing the sites. My grandparents threw both Mike and myself a huge engagement party. My aunts, uncles, cousins, great aunts, great uncles, great cousins, and other family that I have not seen in years were there.

Our engagement party took place on Thursday, August 24, 2006 at 6:00 in the evening (9:00 in eastern time) Not everybody could make because I had family who had planned vacation around that same time, so they couldn’t be with us on our happy day. Family arrived and we were ready to party…dinner consisted of rice, BBQ chicken, different types of Armenian dips for the BBQ, cheese pie (it’s an Armenian dish), hummus, and salad. We toasted with wine and for dessert we had all different types of Armenian pastries. In California there is a strip in Glendale, that is call “Little Armenia” this small strip has some of the best Armenian food you will find on the West side. My grandmother had ordered different types of cakes, and pastries for dessert. My family brought gifts, flowers, wine…that night was the best night of our lives. We laughed, we talked about past memories, we drank, we danced, we had a great time! The following are just some pictures of our engagement party. Some of the pictures are not too clear, because my camera wasn’t that great…I will also post all of the professional pictures taken by the photographer as well..... (coming soon)

Will You Marry Me?

2007-05-24T12:13:00.001-07:00

It was May 26, 2006 when Mike took me to Atlantic City for the day. You see it was my birthday weekend and he wanted to do something extra special for me and he knew I loved the beach. We woke up early that morning and went out to breakfast. Walking out the front doors of my house I thought it was going to be the worst day to be at the beach. It was raining and really sticky out. After we arrived at Atlantic City the weather did start to come around. We spent the afternoon shopping; Mike had taken me on a shopping spree for my birthday.

After shopping Mike took me out to a late afternoon dinner. When I sit down to eat I usually like to talk and eat and take my time. Well Mike had other things in mind; he was trying to rush me to get through dinner. Finally we finished and we walked onto the boardwalk. After getting onto the boardwalk Mike turns to me and says that he really wants to go walk onto the beach. Mike doesn’t like the beach, he hates the beach, he hates the sand, he pretty much hates everything about the beach. I didn’t think anything of it; I just thought he was being nice since it was my birthday.

Here we are walking along the water chasing each other, just really having a good time. Right at sunset mike pulls out this small velvet blue box and says “Will you marry me?” Of course I shouted “YES! YES! YES!” It was really nice, it turned out to be a really nice day.

The Day I Met My Prince Charming

2007-05-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

When I first met Mike it was early fall of 2000, when I first started working at Target. I was a level one in woman’s clothing and Mike worked back in electronics. The first time I saw him was a Saturday night when I was working my way through the sales floor trying to get my department clean. Mike came up the main isle at Target and time stopped for me. No lie! I saw Mike walking down with one of his friends talking and smiling. The only think I could do was just stand there and stare, he was everything I wanted in a man. Tall, dark, handsome, a smile that can melt butter. The only problem I had was I wasn't single at the time, but I knew that he was the one. I went home that night and told me mom “I met the man that I am going to marry” My mom looked at me and laughed. She finally looked at me and said “Ok fine, you met your future husband? What is his name?” I looked at her and said “I have no idea.”

It wasn't until three years later that we started seeing each other. I knew Mike was the one for me... I remember a couple of months after we started to date, me and my family went to church Easter Sunday for service. In an Armenian church service we take couple of minutes in the middle of mass to pray and repent. I am sitting there with my head down and my eyes shut, and I started to talk to God. I asked him for some kind of a sign to show me that Mike was the one. You see I had just gotten out of a three year relationship the past year, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to give my heart to someone else. I’m asking God for some kind of a sign or anything to show that Mike is the one for me. Right as I was done, my cell phone starts to ring in the middle of mass. I usually turn my phone off before entering my church, but for some reason that day I had forgotten. The ring tone was Mike’s ring tone, and it was then that I knew I was meant to be with him for the rest of my life....here we are four years later more in love then ever.

A Little About Me

2007-05-24T12:01:00.001-07:00

My name is Christina, I am 24 years old and I was born in Hollywood, California. I lived in California for about five years until my family and I moved toPhiladelphia, and lived there for about two years, and then moved here to New Jersey. I have been living here in New Jersey for about fifteen years now. I live in with my dad, mom, two younger sisters, and our dog Lucky. Lucky has been apart of our family for eleven years now.

Currently I am a full time student at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, and I love it. I transferred in from Camden County College. I am a Literature major, with a minor in law. I have three more semester of school left and then I graduate for good! Currently I work at Zeitz and Stein, L.L.C attorneys at law. I am one of four paralegal that work in the law office. Sometimes it can get to be too much, but I like it there it keeps me on my toes.

As for my love life here is my story...When I was a little girl I would always pray to God asking him for my prince charming. I thought that maybe if I prayed enough, and just maybe if I was good enough than one day, I'd be able to live happily ever after just like Cinderella did. All throughout my teenage days I kissed a lot of frogs, and none of them turned out to be my prince charming. I had given up on love, I thought that love would never be apart of my life. I thought that I would never be able to live happily ever after, just like Cinderella did. I had to settle for a world in shades of grey. Cinderella once sang: "Have faith in your dreams and someday, your rainbow will come shinning through, you'll see. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish for will come true." I had faith in my dreams, but I was starting to give up on all of that, until one day I saw him smile, and I knew that he would be my happy ending. I had now finally found him; my prince charming. He walked into my life and some how everything seemed ok. He wiped away all of my tears from past relationships, he made all of my fears of heartbreak go away. The gleam in his eyes that I see every night would make the stars in the sky even jealous. As Cinderella once sang when she danced with her prince charming at the ball "Mmmmmm, so this is love. Mmmmmmm so this is what makes life divine. So this is the miracle that Ive been dreaming of. Mmmmmm so this is love." Thank you for being my number one fan, and above all thank you for being my best friend! I love you with all my heart and soul now until three days after forever! I'm not the easiest person in the world to love, and yet he loves me even though I have flaws. We have been together for over four years now and it still feels like yesterday, when he walked through the back doors at work and smiled at me...I knew he was the one, and today he's still the one.....So this is my story in a nut shell.

Mmmmm so this is love....