Blog comments...

...just a quick note that I've heard that there have been a couple issues with commenting on our posts. I think I've fixed one of them. :)

You now have the option to type in your name and leave a comment (instead of needing a google account to log in).

If you have any other issues with commenting, please send us an email and let us know: annloveserik at gmail dot com.

Invitations...

...are in the mail!

(Some of) The invitations!

We worked from 8:00-12:30 Friday night, and most of the day Saturday. Crazy how long this takes. Erik was in charge of the glue gun, the return address, the postage, and assembly. I spent all of that time hand addressing 50 envelopes.

July 22...Erik and the postage.

July 22...Me and the calligraphy pen.

Anyway, I can't say it was the most fun part of the whole process, but it's done! And it feels good. It feels like the wedding is going to be here in no time, and I'm getting more and more excited. :)

Today...Erik at the post office.

I'll post picture of the finished product soon (wouldn't want to "ruin the surprise" for our guests)!

So who's following our progress? Post a comment and make me feel validated. :) And wedding guests, post a comment when you get your invitation! What do you think of our handiwork?

Epic Engagement Session

When we started planning, we talked about what our priorities were for the wedding. Generally, here's how it shakes down 1) create a meaningful ceremony, 2) have a really good time with our friends and family, and 3) get really awesome photos! I was so excited when my top pick for photographer, Chelsea Nicole, was available on our wedding date. And she was willing to do a very last minute engagement session with us while we were there on our scouting trip in January! Score!

I was super excited for the photo shoot...I was not so excited for the weather. See, if you know anything about me, you know I'm always cold. So the fact that it was freakin' snowing in Las Vegas was not exciting for me. But, I figured it would be worth it for some awesome pictures. And how long could an engagement session take? Answer: A long time. Should have asked about that ahead of time ;).


That rock took a lot of effort to climb. And when I say climb, I mean, Erik and Chelsea pushed my butt up there.

We started out at Red Rock Canyon. We drove around the scenic drive and jumped out at different locations. Then Chelsea suggested we try to get a little bit closer to the rocks and asked if we were willing to walk a bit. SURE! ...a million hours later... At least that's what it felt like. I was freezing cold and hiking in heels. And climbing on rocks. The sun had set by the time we started hiking out, and it was completely dark by the time we neared the end of the trail. Thankfully, Chelsea had a light for her camera that she was able to shine to help us get back to the car. But for a while there, I was convinced we were going the wrong way and wouldn't make it out. Coyotes would eat us. But fortunately, before panic could really set in, we made it to the cars!

It would have been nice at this point to head back to the Mirage (where we were staying), hit the spa, and get a massage. But, me being the photo-lover that I am, had signed us up for a two-location shoot. It was time to head down to Freemont Street! This required a costume change. So we stripped down at the cars into our suit and cocktail dress. You know, you might think the hike, in heels, in the dark, was the low point...but no. My dress wouldn't zip up. The zipper was stuck. So Erik yanked and yanked and yanked on it. And Chelsea gave it her best shot too. But no luck. Finally, I encouraged Erik to give it as much brute force as possible. And what do you know? The zipper totally broke! Fantastic. We're a good 45 minutes away from the hotel. And even if we did get back there, I didn't bring a back up dress.

REMAIN CALM. Lol. That's what was running through my head. DON'T FREAK OUT. Chelsea offered me her coat and said we could hit up a drugstore when we got to Freemont Street for safety pins.

Flash forward to Freemont Street. We stopped in a Casino, got a round of margaritas, and got to chat with Chelsea a bit more. After the hiking, and the cold, and the zipper...I really needed that drink! It was good to take a few minutes and just unwind for a bit.

Soon enough, we were back out into the cold in search of safety pins. We found them at the drugstore, and Chelsea expertly pinned me up. Meanwhile, a spongebob character (sans his/her? spongebob head) was chatting it up in the check out line. Oh Vegas.

"Hey, Erik, can you feel your extremities? Yeah, me either."

After that, we basically walked down Freemont Street and posed for pictures. I felt fantastically awkward. It's hard to sit down and cuddle in the middle of the street while strangers are watching! For most of the photo shoot, I was feeling awkward and uncomfortable. Chelsea was great; but, it's just a strange experience having someone follow you around and take your picture.



I guess cuddling and kissing is probably not the worst thing people have seen on the streets of Vegas.



In the end, that is exactly why I am so happy we did the engagement session with Chelsea. I would hate to feel uncomfortable on our wedding day. So it was great to have a "practice" photo shoot and get to know Chelsea.



Last shot of the night. I'm wearing Chelsea's coat.

We started out around 3:00 or 4:00. We went straight out to dinner afterwards, and it was well past 9:00. It may have been the coldest day of my life! My feet were killing me (mostly because I was wearing 4 inch heels on Freemont). Oh, but did I mention? OUR PHOTOS ARE AWESOME! I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

P.S.--We are exactly 100 days away from our wedding!!!! Eeeeep!

P.P.S.--Check out Chelsea's blog for her latest work. How excited are you to have her take your picture?!?



Should have packed hiking boots.



June/July To Do List

We're 4 months out and I happy to say we're making some progress! As I type this Erik is putting the finishing touches on the invitations and starting to design the response cards! On the left, you can see I've updated our to-do list. Here are the major things we're working on:

Book Hair & Makeup Artist: I've contacted a few people and I think I've settled on one. Just need to sign the contract!

Book Florist: Still trying to decide between two. Close to making a decision.

Book Officiant: I've been playing phone tag with Rev. Linda, but fingers-crossed, we'll finally get to talk tomorrow and discuss our ideas for our ceremony. Hopefully we'll be on the same page...then we can sign the contract!

Finish Registry: You'd think this would be easy, but I'm actually having a really hard time with this one. We definitely want to have it complete by the time invites go out.

Update Website: We'll be adding more details about Thursday and Friday events as well as the registry (once I finish it).

Design Invitations: In progress! So far they look awesome. Erik's doing a great job! It's so nice having a graphic designer at your disposal.

Send Invitations: Hopefully early in July? That could be pushing it though.

Work on Writing the Ceremony: We're really looking forward to customizing our ceremony and making it our own.

Shop for Wedding Rings: Erik will be buying our wedding bands...it's going to be a surprise for me!

Make Dress Fitting Appointments: Self explanatory.

Get Dress Cleaned: Since I bought the dress at Running of the Brides (read all about that here), it's pretty beat up at the moment. Time to get it cleaned.

So that's what we're working on! It's amazing how much time it takes to plan a wedding. I can totally see why people hire wedding planners.

June 21, 2011...Our 8th Anniversary.

P.S....Did you see Southwest is having a fare sale? Check it out!

Gettin' down to business

Holy crap it's June... looks like our blog was last updated in April. Yep, that sounds about right, because that's probably that last time we made any sort of progress on wedding plans. We closed on the house on May 3rd and moved in on the 4th. The weeks leading up to closing were super stressful (thanks to the incompetence of people handling our mortgage). And since moving in we've been unpacking, painting, furniture shopping, etc. So that's my excuse for not checking much off of that to-do list on the left. I think it's valid.

May 3, 2011...right after closing.

We're now less than 5 months away (still can't believe that), and there's nothing like a little time pressure to get me motivated! I'm teaching two summer courses starting July 5th, so I'm going to try to bang out as much as possible in the next few weeks.

We haven't been complete slackers (more like 85% slackers). We actually accomplished a few things in the last two months. We've settled on colors (blues, greens, teals) and have a good idea of what we want to do for decorations. The bridesmaids have been deployed on their dress-shopping mission. :) Erik booked the DJ! We're going with All Night Long. And just yesterday, we decided what our invitations will look like (Erik will be making them, just like the save-the-dates).

So that's where we're at. Lots to do. Trying not to panic. Still trying to enjoy the process.

May 6, 2011...Moving is exhausting!