Yeeee-haw!!!

Alright folks - Step one, CHECK!!! The deposit for our church has been PAID.

things are starting to feel official. things are starting to swirl around in my head. lots of looks, lots of decorations, lots of feelings, lots of STRESS. i can feel it coming. i'm planning on doing my best to combat what my doctor says is going to be one hell of a year for us. i'm really glad i get to keep seeing her. it's nice to have sort of an objective view of things by seeing her. so, YAY for that!

The date has been chosen, and now (officially!) so has the church!

photo credit: gary royer. check him out on flickr!

now that we've got the church, we're working some more on the reception. we're still in love with the idea of COSI, but that is really going to depend on our budget and what that allows for us.

other than the venues, food, and drink, we're concentrating on getting a KICK ASS photographer. we've interviewed about 5 locals and we're still in the thick of that. once we pick one, i'll definitely link to their websites and blogs. however, if any of you have any fantastic recommendations on photographers, we would be extremely thrilled to hear them! our style is sort of as follows: not so much posed (but we'll do the altar pics for our families, of course), but more photojournalistic. we like the sweet moments we're finding in albums and on the interwebs. we are romantic, we are fun to hang with, we laugh at each other and with each other, and we are also artists. we want our photography to reflect all those elements. a lot of what we're finding is really beautiful, but we also want to get the biggest bang for our buck and a lot of what's out there is so far out of our budget it's scary. :( SO. Bring on the recommendations!!!!

i have also been perusing the blogosphere out there as well. there are so many women out there who are likeminded in the respect that we want to throw great parties, but NOT go into debt over them! i adore the DIY movement, and lemme tell you - i plan to DIY as much as I feasibly can! here are some of my absolute favorite blogs: check them out and see if they inspire you as much as they inspire me!!!

Snippet & Ink, A $10,000 Wedding, A Practical Wedding, Etsy Wedding ... there are so many great blogs out there, and so many women who are, like me, convinced that you don't have to go bloody overboard to have a fantastic celebration. check out the blog list to the right and see who i'm following!

here is a tiny list of what is floating around in my head for inspiration:

wine, marine blue, peacock feathers, romance, vintage, mis-matched, buttercream, music, chocolate, wedding photos, string lights, overlays, netting, red lipstick, river rocks, silk flowers, tea lights, taper candles... i'm sure the list will continue to grow as i continue to pull inspiration from EVERYWHERE.

Also - check out this book I got on the cheap from amazon: tons of great ideas!!! Woot!