Save The Date

Brian and I both had an idea of what we wanted our 'save the date' to look like pretty soon after we got engaged. In fact, we actually managed to complete them well before we needed to! Now that we've actually gotten them sent out, I thought it would be nice to post a picture of them. Believe it or not, once we had decided to do our save the dates this way, this was the first photo booth we went into, and our first take. (We had a couple practice ones the day before!) We made the signs that are in each photo and then photoshopped our information at the bottom of the photo. We then sent them off to be put on magnets, and voilà! We made our save the date!

Our last touch was our presentation. We put together a design with card stock of what we hope our wedding colors will be similar to and sent them off to our recipients. All in all, we were both pretty impressed! Here's our final product:

Rock the Microphone

Ok, I know we've veered off the wedding path for the last few blog posts but that doesn't mean we've not been working our tails off figuring things out. (Actually, it's been pretty low key. Nothing too exhausting.) So, now that we're back on to wedding stuff, I can officially announce that we have booked our DJ! Encore Entertainment will be delighting us with their presence at our reception, and once again, we are very happy with our decision. We have heard a lot of great things about Rob, our DJ, and are confident that he will be able to keep the flow of the night moving along smoothly.

Also, Picture the Love, our wedding photographers, has posted some of our engagement photos on their blog. You can view them by clicking here.

And last but certainly not least, speaking of photography, Brian had the awesome opportunity to attend the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, CA this past January 1st to photograph the Ohio State Buckeyes versus the Oregon Ducks game. With a field pass and roof access, he was able to capture some incredible shots. To view and / or purchase his prints click here.

With that, I suppose we ought to get cracking on more wedding planning. Our next objective is our florist.

Welcome Home, Jack!

The past four days have been filled with excitement from our new puppy, Jack. He came home with us on Friday night and has been such a good boy since then. He has the sweetest personality, but is a little bit shy when it comes to new people and new things. We are working on introducing him to the world! So far, Bun and Jack have gotten along quite well. Bun hasn't moved out, yet, so I think that's a great sign! There's potential for these two, I tell ya!

(Click on Jack to see more photos!)

The Name Game

(Welcome, 2010, but we've got more important things on our mind right now:)

Today is the day we bring home a friend
A puppy! You see, we’re expectin’.
And since the hour is upon us now,
We have got to think of a name somehow.
There’s Tum Tum and Fido and Lucky and Max.
There’s Buddy and Buster, we’ve even seen Jax.
There’s Fluffy and Stinky and Bacon and Ace
If we actually considered some of these, it would be a disgrace.
We’ve been through the lists; we’ve spoken to friends.
But what’s in a name? It all depends…
He was born on Halloween, and will be 10 weeks old.
And training him outside is going to be cold.
He’s silver in color and seems as sweet as ever.
We literally have 4 hours to think of something clever.
Speaking of time, we really can’t wait.
To pick up our puppy. It’s officially a date!
So we’ll continue to brainstorm, till we think of something cool.
Because in just a short while, we’ll be covered in drool.

Collards, Black-Eyed Peas & Hog Jowl

New Years Day is fast approaching, and according to folklore, collards, black-eyed peas and hog jowl, when served together, promise a year of good luck and wealth. Sounds like a great way to start the new year. Speaking of, that means in less than 14 hours we will be arriving in 2010, and in just over 8 months we will be attending our wedding! 2010, here we come! (We are still so excited!)

Our Christmas holiday was lovely. We saw family and friends, had lots of good food, and had lots of good fun enjoying each others company, playing games, and lounging by the fire. We also had a white Christmas which we haven't had in a long time. We tried to build a snowman but the snow was so powdery that we really couldn't form anything or pack it down so we left him to lie on the ground. All in all, it really was a beautiful holiday weekend. We really couldn't have asked for more.

Polar Express

It's Christmas Eve. Less than 24 hours til Christmas, and the holiday is well underway. With a festive 'ugly christmas sweater' party under our belts, we are in full holiday-go for the countdown to Christmas. Ironically, we ran into Santa last night fulfilling some last minute gift wishes in Columbus, OH.

Fortunately enough, Brian and I will be spending the holidays together! He is flying in to Maryland on Christmas and I am very excited that he will be able to join in all the fun!

With that, we are ready! Full steam ahead! Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight! (Santa asked me to pass that along last night...)

Due Amici

In Italian, due amici means 'two friends'. In Brian & Erin talk, due amici means 'we've got a rehearsal dinner site'! Both meanings fit the title well because not only have we really found a great rehearsal dinner site - Due Amici (had you any idea that it would be called that?!), but Brian and I both are two wonderful friends to each other. So, with 228 days til the wedding (227 til the rehearsal dinner) and 5 days til Christmas (4 til I fly home), we are still making headway with our wedding planning!

What's even better, folks, is Due Amici and The Venue at Smith Brothers have some very similar characteristics which Brian and I have both been drawn to. The exposed brick, the lovely lighting, the elegant atmosphere, and without really even trying I think we're kind of stumbling upon a 'theme'...almost. (I suppose it could just be a common atmosphere...)

Nevertheless, we are excited to have one more item checked off of our list of things to do. Still on that list are the DJ, the florist, the bridesmaid dresses, the groom and groomsmen attire, oh, and the honeymoon, among other things. With 2010 right around the corner, I think we are doing quite well with our planning.

On another note, as 2009 is wrapping up, we have decided to expand the family with the addition of a new puppy!

He will be arriving on January 8th or 9th, and along with our preparation of a new puppy - gathering of toys, putting away shoes, reading about puppies, thinking of names, purchasing a bed, rearranging for a kennel - we have also been preparing Bun for his new puppy friend. We've yet to determine Bun's reaction to the situation, time will only tell, but it's sure going to take some transitioning to get used to this one.

All in all, we are extremely excited for our puppy to be here. Even though we still don't have a name picked out, and we will be house training and walking our new puppy in the middle of winter, we are just ecstatic about his arrival, and are looking forward to introducing him to Bun and all of our other family members.

(And hopefully, just hopefully, we will later be able to add a new dynamic duo to the due amici list: Bun & Puppy. Either that, or the title of our next blog post will be Due Nemici - two enemies.)

Holiday Spirit

Thanksgiving has come and gone. We had a wonderful Columbus Thanksgiving this year. We celebrated with Brian’s Dad and family first, and then headed to his Mom’s a bit later. It was so nice to see everyone. We had some delicious food and were all around grateful for the day. We even got to see the first snow flurries of the year!

And speaking of holidays, we’ve decided to spend our Christmas holidays with our own families this year. We figured we’d deal with the swap thing next year when we actually have to! I’m looking forward to heading to Maryland and having a Christmas Eve sleepover. There’s no way to not be in the Christmas spirit then.

So, in lieu of us celebrating our holidays apart, we decided to put up our Christmas decorations so that we can fully enjoy them for the entire month of December. I’ll tell you what - it’s amazing how simple decorations can transform an everyday living space into the North Pole. Every time we turn on the Christmas lights I smile. It’s just so warm and cozy, and such a fun time of the year. Now, it really feels like Christmas!! Happy Holidays!

Three Little Words

Dress. Kleinfeld's. New York. (Technically four words.)

And not little at all. I found a dress! It's unbelievable and so surreal. I can't believe that I found one, but I am so happy with it!!!

Let me explain.

My best friend, Shanna, lives in New York. She suggested that I come up there to take a look at some wedding dresses as there is quite a selection. (Plus, it's been forever since we've seen each other.) So, I booked a flight and arranged an appointment at the infamous Kleinfeld's. (This store is featured on the TLC show called 'Say Yes to the Dress'.)

Then, Tamara (another best friend) decided to meet us up there and join in on the fun! (The three of us went to high school together and we are never short of fun when we are together.) AND, my Mom, my grandma, and my sister Amy all decided to meet us, too.

So, on Friday night Tamara took the train from Baltimore, MD to New York, and I flew in from Columbus, OH to New York. On Saturday, my Mom, Gram, and Amy all drove up from Columbia, MD to make the 11:00 am appointment at Kleinfeld's. Unfortunately, Shanna was feeling a bit under the weather so she needed to stay home and rest. (She was scheduled to perform later on Saturday - a special performance just for her guests in town!)

On Saturday morning, Tamara and I met up with my Mom, Gram, and Amy at the hotel that they were staying in, and then all took a cab to the bridal salon. When we arrived it didn't look like much, but when we walked in we knew we were in for a treat! The place was beautiful, and there were wedding gowns everywhere. It was bustling with excitement, and there were lights, and sparkles, and tulle, oh my!

My appointment was with a consultant named Judith. (That's the same as my Gram!) And she explained that she gets all the 'Erin's' because her granddaughters name is Erin. (Could be a sign?!) Nevertheless, we all went in to the dressing room, and after discussing what I was looking for - budget, ideas, etc, Judith returned with some options. I tried them on and liked them but didn't love them.

Off Judith went again in search of some more options. When she returned again she had a 'Goin' Fishin' ' gown (we named it) with lots of tulle that looked like netting. That one was not for me. Once again, she was off.

The third time she returned I was immediately drawn to a gown that she had. I loved it. And when I put it on I loved it even more. It's not what I originally thought I was looking for, but I love it, and am so happy with it. Everyone with me loved it, too, which made the decision that much easier, and since it was definitely in my budget...it was a no brainer. We bought the dress!

It's beautiful. It's lovely. It's comfortable. It's me. I can't wait to wear it on our wedding day, and I can't wait to see Brian's reaction as I walk down the aisle. It's going to be incredible.

The dress arrives in May in New York, at this point. Shanna was definitely disappointed to have missed the dress appointment earlier that Saturday, but put on the most incredible performance at her gig later in the afternoon. We all felt so special to be there and to be able to see her perform. She has such an amazing voice and her music invokes so much emotion. She did an awesome job!

The rest of Saturday was a bit surreal. I still couldn't believe that I had just purchased my wedding dress! And that I was in New York! After Shanna's gig we headed to a cool cafe called Cafe Orlin where we got a bottle of wine and just enjoyed each others company, chatted, and laughed. And, after so much talk of New York cupcakes, we then headed to Crumbs to satiate our palates. Crumbs takes cupcakes to a whole new level, as you will see in the photos.

On Sunday, Tamara had to leave early and Shanna still needed to rest up, so I met up with my Mom, Gram, and Amy at a place called High Line Park in Manhattan. It's an elevated park that follows the route of an old freight train line, and you can see incredible views of the city.

The entire trip to New York was a highlight. It was so nice to see my family and friends, it was awesome to see Shanna perform, and it is so exciting to have found a dress.

Those three, ah hem, four little words are actually quite big! AND, we have a dress!!!

Pursuit of Happiness

We've received our engagement photos! We are speechless. The images are incredible. They capture us; they show our love for life and each other; they make us smile; they are us in our entirety.

We spent the day at Lynd's with Kim & Eric, and aside from dealing with a weird bout of poison ivy (I am so allergic) we had an awesome time. I had no idea I was anywhere near any poison ivy. I know I'm allergic to it so I'm usually pretty conscious, but I guess I was so caught up in the moment that I didn't notice it. (I'll have to peruse the photos a bit closer to see if I can find any culprits.) It's been nearly 3 weeks since I first noticed it, and I am happy to say that I'm almost through with it.

Anyway, right, our images. Incredible. Breathtaking. Lovely. Our words won't do them justice, you'll just have to see for yourself!