Crafting Invitations

Lewis and I began working on invitations last weekend. We opted to save some money and do them ourselves (I know.... that's a shocker isn't it?). Plus, we think it adds a bit of personal touch. I can honestly tell you, I thought I might get stuck tying all the ribbons and sealing all the envelopes when he figured out how detailed and time-consuming this task was going to be. However, he continues to amaze me with his enthusiasm for planning the wedding. He is involved in every minute detail... everything from picking the colors to the decorations to the food to assembling invitations. EVERYTHING. This is a picture of him cutting the velum papers for the invitations. And yes... he has to hand-cut them. All 125 of them! Lewis rocks.... just another one of the many reasons why I love him. Sorry ladies....he's taken! :-)

THE DRESS

Last Saturday was everything I had dreamed of and more. I picked my Mom up in Rockwood on Saturday morning and arrived in Knoxville with all of my family waiting for me. Strawberries and mimosas began our perfect day.... and the day was CRAZY. My cousins had the perfect assembly line going on in the dressing room....we must have g one thru 30 or 40 dresses in record time! Lucky for me this wasn't their first rodeo.

And the opinions about each dress were loud and clear. I knew exactly what looked good, and what didn't work. My family can be honest. Brutally honest. That's what I love about them! I knew I didn't

have to worry about picking out a dress.... no way they are going to let me walk down the aisle in an ugly dress! :-)

Here are some pics of my family at the bridal shop. And yes.... for the record... we do start 'em young! That's Caroline taking it easy on Janice's shoulder...looks like we wore her out! The pic on the right is Paula and Lisa trying to find me that perfect dress!

Hotel Reservations

Lewis posted a link over on the left side of the page that will take you to the Hotel Reservations page. We have blocked 20 rooms at this hotel. They are all suites that have a couch, microwave, and refrigerator. There is a free hot breakfast served in the morning (eggs, biscuits, gravy, waffles....). It is right off the Lebanon exit, and just a few miles to the wedding venue.

I found out there are 2 other weddings taking place the same day as mine.... and they have the remainder of the rooms blocked for their families. So be sure to book early if you plan to attend. If we run out of rooms we'll have to find another hotel for you. Thanks!

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y....hey!

I expect Saturday to be a fun day...and I can't wait! I'm going to Knoxville to meet my family for a fun-filled girls adventure on a mission to find the perfect wedding dress! My cousin that lives in South Carolina, and one that lives in Virginia will be there too.... which makes it even more special. My Aunt Kathy (my Mom's sister in Knoxville) has organized the shopping day (THANKS KATHY!). My family is awesome and I'm so blessed that they are excited to be a part of this occasion.

As the bride, I'm going to watch as the ladies swarm the dress racks and pick dresses for me to try on. Eventually, I will find "THE" dress among the 4,273 dresses that I will have to try on. Do I care that I won't be picking any of my own selections to try on? Absolutely not! Knowing that the gown I wear on my wedding day was picked for me by my family will make it THE perfect dress.

It's In The Mail.....

Lewis dropped all of the "Save The Date!" cards in the mail today! These also include information about the hotel accommodations. We booked a block of rooms for Friday and Saturday night (28th & 29th). The hotel is right off the Lebanon exit and only a few miles to the wedding venue. I found that there are two other weddings going on that same weekend and those families are booked at the same hotel. I'm going to go ahead and assume they must be Vol Fans as well! :-)

I'm still looking for an affordable hotel in Nashville for those wanting to stay in the downtown area to experience some honky-tonkin' while they are here. Unfortunately, Vanderbilt has a home game that weekend .....so alot of the hotels have already blocked rooms out for that weekend or they have jacked the prices up on the rooms. Go figure. So stay tuned for the down-town hotel information.