What we've been up to...the kinda (but not really) short version

Hello! And welcome to our very first blog post. As we get ready to send out our save-the-dates and launch our website, I figured it was a good time to get together a post. I realize no one will be aware that this site even exists until they actually receive their save-the-date....but let's just pretend someone is reading this.

From here on out we're hoping to use this blog as a way to keep our family and friends involved in wedding planning...to keep us motivated to work on our HUGE wedding to-do list...and hopefully to make the whole planning process more fun and less stressful.

So to start here's the "short" version of what we've been up to.

First a little background on why we're getting married after all of these years. We've been talking about having a Vegas wedding (and generally, a wedding) for many many years, but practicality always seemed to get in the way (i.e., I was in grad school, we wanted to save for a house, etc.). Finally (only took about 8 years...we're slow learners I guess), we realized two things: 1) there will always be a more "practical" way to spend our money besides a wedding; but 2) we really want to share our wedding ceremony with our family and friends. So with that in mind, we decided we would shoot for a small Vegas wedding. We decided we wanted to talk to our families in person and feel them out (in regards to Vegas) at our annual holiday visits.

My mom basically beat me to the punch when I took her out for coffee to talk about the possibility of a wedding. I think she said something like "So, do you think you and Erik will ever get married?" LOL (Love you mom!). Long story short, she was on board for a 2011 wedding.

By the time we made it to PA, we had pretty much made up our mind that we wanted to do a destination wedding in Las Vegas. Erik talked to his Dad and Lisa first, and then we had a lot of fun sharing the news with the Brandt and Franczak families.

Christmas Day with the Brandts.

I figured, while I was around friends and family, it made sense to try to squeeze in some wedding dress shopping. So I rounded up Cara (BFF), Chris (BFF), Lisa (Erik's stepmom), and Olivia (Erik's sister). It was 50% fun, 25% overwhelming, and 25% terrifying. Next time, I'll be more prepared.

I'm currently shopping for a parasol to complete this look. (kidding)

After Pennsylvania, we were off to Las Vegas for a top secret scouting trip! Okay, it wasn't really top secret. Lots of people knew we were going...and a few knew why. But I felt like I was on a secret mission.

Jan. 2: Thank goodness for inflight wi-fi! Researching vendors and setting up last minute meetings.

To sum up the trip, it was a whirlwind of scoping out chapels, ballrooms, and restaurants. Plus, we were trying to squeeze in an engagement session with a really awesome photographer (we did! more on that epic day later).

Jan. 4: Erik at Planet Hollywood's chapel.

It was an exhausting trip. But I am so glad we went. I don't think we would have decided on The Platinum if we didn't see it in person. Oh and as an added bonus, we got to hang out with my mom and Ed! (They were in Vegas/Laughlin for New Year's...party animals.)

Jan. 2: Dinner at Firefly.

Back to Spartanburg (and reality) where we had to make decisions, come up with a firm budget, and figure out how to stick to it. After going back-and-forth about the pros and cons of the different venues, we finally decided on The Platinum. In the end, we'll get more for our money there...and uh, did I mention it will be on a roof...at night...overlooking the Vegas strip? How awesome is that? (more on The Platinum soon).

Because we're dorks (okay, mostly me), we (I) took pictures of the contracts. This is us signing the contract for The Platinum and Chelsea Nicole Photography.

Jan. 28:

So that brings you up to speed! Since then, I've been a deadbeat bride. LOL. Don't get me wrong...I'm super excited about this wedding. But planning it?...not so much. All of that is about to change now that we're about 7 months out. So stay tuned, and cheer us on (in the comments section please!) as we try to pull this whole thing together.