Decision 1 - CHECK!

A couple of weeks ago Ian told me that his sister (my NEW sister in law) has generously offered to help us with the invites for the wedding. So we started tossing around ideas of what we wanted. Cue Google. I started looking at every type of invitation I could get my hands on, well metaphorically speaking.

I came across nice invitations, ugly invitations, themed invitations, tacky invitations... you name it, it's out there. Ian and I mutually decided that we wanted there to be a theme that went into all of our stationary, so we wanted what went on our invitations to be something that we really loved because it was going to be on everything.

We started brainstorming ideas with various members of our family and Ian's mom came up with the idea of doing a monogram. Something classy that was really US. Ian and I really jumped on that idea. We started tossing around ideas and about a week ago we decided on something. We are both really happy with it and I would love to post it, BUT my fiance wants it to be kept a secret until the invites go out.

Sorry :(

Now if only we could find that magic venue that has all of the things we need for next to nothing!

A little about THE DRESS

So I have been trying to squash the urge to look at bridal gowns... very very unsuccessfully. I've given into the urge many times and have spent hours (literally) perusing website after website and magazine after magazine in search of the perfect gown to marry Ian in.

Tonight I purchased a magazine called the knot. It's draw - it's HUGE! So I brought it home and while consuming my afternoon snack (one of my meals to attempt 6 small meals a day) I enjoyed looking through the seemingly endless pages of dresses.

Most bridal magazines enjoy the "hide the price" game. So you have no idea if your looking at a $500.00 dress (ha! fat change) or a $15,000.00 dress (more likely). It can be a bit frustrating not knowing if the dress you are falling in love with is completely out of your price range, or a possibility. However, the knot (or at least this issue) is different. They have a $ scale at the bottom of each bridal designer listing telling you if your looking at the cheaper end ($-$$) or the - holy shit this cost more than my university education, car and a years rent put together - end ($$$$-$$$$$).

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the dresses that I was falling in love with (the more classic gowns) are at the lower end (mostly $-$$). I deduced that this was because the more expensive dresses tend to have a more couture look to them. While that is all fine and dandy it is my personal opinion that they are just too weird for my wedding day. I want to be able to look at these photos with my children and not hear, "Mom what were you thinking?"

Sadly I will not be posting too much about the wedding dress as I plan on following the "don't let the groom see the dress before the big day," rule. And if my finance is a good fiance (which he is) he will be reading this blog religiously. Right honey?!?

Operation "Not Fat" Bride... day 3 (465 days to go)

I'm off with a roaring start! Well in all fairness it has only been three days but I'm feeling pretty good. Saturday was softball practice and Sunday was 10 minutes of climbing the stairs in my building over and over and a visit to the gym. Monday was another gym visit.

My trips to the gym have been rather humbling. I realized how incredibly out of shape I am. It's a good thing I have 465 days to go before I walk down the aisle. And for those who are wondering I didn't count, I found a website that does countdowns.

My only vice seems to be the late night snacking. Ian has been very supportive of this, even given the fact that he is on mainland right now. I'm hatching plans on how to eat more during the day and give up the late night snacking. We'll see how that goes.

I had planned on starting today but this morning I noticed a severe lack of food in my fridge so a trip to the grocery store is required before I can put my plan into action.

The Awkward Stage

I have a confession to make. 3 weeks prior to our trip to Tofino I really needed a hair cut. However I was secretly praying that Ian would propose. If he did I knew I would want to grow my hair out (for the wedding of course). I was convinced that if I cut my hair he would for sure propose because, then take that much longer to get some length back but, I was scared that if I didn't cut my hair he wouldn't and I would have to spend 3 weeks with awful hair for nothing.

I decided to take a risk and boy am I glad that I did. That being said it's been nearly a month since Ian proposed and my hair is now at the infamous "awkward" phase. That phase where your hair is too long to be considered a pixie cut anymore but not long enough to do anything with. So it just sits there being awkward.

I've spent most of the evening looking at websites dedicated to dealing with the awkward stage, any suggestions from those who have grown their hair from a pixie to something a little longer? I've mastered the "softball" hair with the "du-rag" or handkerchief. But that look isn't really suitable off the field. I've tried hair bands but I've discovered my head is a strange shape that doesn't like headbands... they run away. Besides my mop is still a little bit short for them. Ian suggested I try extensions, this was mostly because he is fond of my short hair and doesn't want me to grow it out. I told him unless he wanted to fork over $500.00 (at least) for them then I would be more than happy to do that. He quickly agreed with me that the natural way was a better option.

So I am open to any ideas that any of you readers have (hee hee I have readers).

Bridal Bitches... cont.

Does anyone but me wonder if any of these horrible people watch their episode of "Say Yes to the Dress" after the fact and immediately (or even not so immediately) regret their ass-hole-ish behavior?

Operation "Not Fat" Bride

Okay we all knew this was coming. I like to think that I'm not a "Fat" person but many will agree I'm hardly skinny. However in the spirit of good body image and all that I am going to try and consider myself in the most positive light possible. That being said... I would like to rid myself of the random lumpy bits that have appeared since my days as a 11 hour a week dancer and year round softball player.

Here is my dilemma. I love food too much so diets SO don't work. I'm lazy and exercise plans usually last about... oh a week, if that. So I've hatched a plan to keep myself honest. I will be relying on Ian a lot for this and after a phone conversation last night (where he assured me that he was quite fond of the way I looked, don't worry) he assured me that he would do his best to help me. Although he was not impressed by the end of our late night snack runs.

I emailed my two closest island friends Shay and Mei and realized that they are members of the gym across the street from me. I really have no excuse not to join. It's reasonability priced, there is no contract, it's across the street and I have two work out buddies. So today on my way home from school I signed up. Then this afternoon I am going to be putting a gym calendar on the fridge - not a schedule, but a log of what I have done. I'm hoping that having the incentive of not being allowed to put something on until I've actually done it will help motivate me. Also it might hinder me from those late night snacks if it's on the fridge. Reminding me of my hard work every time I go to open the fridge.

Lastly I've started wearing my pedometer again. Hoping that will help too. Well it can't hurt.

The Study Hoody

Every person who has ever been a student knows that there is something that you need to study effectively. Sometimes it's a certain beverage or a hair tie or a wonderful pair of pants. For me it's a hoody.

When Ian and I started dating I had this habit that he hated. I liked to snoop. A LOT. So one day I was snooping through his closet and came across a black hoody I had never seen him wear. It's a big zippy from Old Navy that was so soft and so wonderful. So I started wearing it. Ian at this point decided that he wanted to wear and it and started getting "mad" (ie not really mad but not pleased) when I wore it.

From that point forward it was a bit of a battle of who could get to the hoody first. When we moved in together I started stealing it wear around the house when I got cold, which in our old place was pretty much every day. It has now morphed into a well worn, soft, faded, security blanket type hoody. You all know what I mean. So since I've started school I enjoy studying in it. In fact I don't study well without it.

When Ian was on the mainland for the Olympics he took my study hoody with him. When I went to look for it I was unimpressed to find it missing. However it IS his hoody so I couldn't be too mad. Then when he returned home without it I was very displeased.

Long story short, the hoody is now back home just in the nick of time. I need to start studying for finals soon. Ian had to go to the mainland this weekend for a job but he was nice enough to leave the study hoody with me.

You know your sick when...

Looking at wedding dresses makes you nauseous. Yesterday I sat down to enjoy a few hours gained by an unexpected class cancellation. With the extra time I did what I normally do when I have nothing else pressing. Look at wedding dresses. About 1/2 way through a website with some very nice dresses I realized I was feeling really really ill. So I put down the computer and curled up on the couch. I woke up 2 hours later and didn't feel much better.

So for the past 24 hours I've been doing not much but sleeping and watching tv. BUT on the plus side I'm now feeling well enough to look at wedding dresses again. HAZAA!

Bridal Bitches

Tonight I caved. Not having decent cable I don't get TLC which plays one of my favourite wedding shows, Say Yes to the Dress. Judge me if you must. However this evening I searched and searched for a free way to watch this show to no avail. So I caved and subscribed to it on iTunes. So I've spent the better part of this evening watching episode after episode of this show.

Something I have noticed is that a lot of people that these brides bring with them are assholes. I have spent a lot of this evening feeling so bad for some of these women who seem to have the most horrific families.

One bride's twin sister was down right MEAN and I wanted to reach inside the screen and slap her around. She clearly didn't want to be there and when this girl came out looking happy and excited she quickly jumped up to criticize and belittle her. Then she had the audacity to follow her into the change room and basically say, hurry up we're all bored. WHAT A COW!!!

Anyway the point of the story is I feel so blessed to have friends and family that are nothing but supportive. I remember shopping for wedding dresses with my mom and sis for my sister's first wedding (and second wedding) and it was the most exciting and fun experience ever. Everyone was smiling and happy and in my opinion that is the way it should be. I am so excited to start looking for my dress... in a little over a month. Need to get through finals first so I can really focus on the dress.

For Sydney

I had a request to post something on my blog to help my lovely friend (and bridesmaid) Sydney. So I had to come up with something to write on a very low wedding day. In all honestly I've spent most of the afternoon asleep... me thinks I picked up a bug when I was on the mainland.

However, there is one little thing i can mention. I went on a blitz this evening to order as many free wedding type catalogues as possible. I don't intend on ordering anything out of them by they are wonderful for ideas.

If anyone knows of any free catalogues or free catalogue sights please point me in the right direction.

Venturing to the Mainland

This past weekend I ventured home to start the wedding plans. Well, if I'm being completely honest start isn't the right word, continue is. Ian decided to come with me so that we could scope out potential venues, when all was said and done we were both pleased that he decided to come.

We arrived fairly early on Friday having caught the 4pm ferry and I arrived at my front door to find my parents not home. So I called my mother's cell phone and discovered they had decided to eat dinner at one of the local pubs. Dropping me off there Ian then continued on to his parents house. I walked in and saw my parents and lots of hugs and demands to see my ring followed.

Almost immediately the conversation moved to the wedding plans. Having already shared many of my thoughts with my mom there wasn't a whole lot of new news to share but my dad was eager to hear what was being discussed.

Later that night armed with bridal magazines my mom and I started to peruse. We didn't want to go to deep into them because we knew that in the morning my sister would be arriving and would be very upset if we looked at everything without her.

The next morning once my sister had ditched her older children and arrived with the baby in tow (who has started walking I might add) we dived into the magazines. This next section was written that evening:

This weekend is the first visit home since Ian proposed. I've been excited about this ever since Ian proposed. So armed with bridal magazines I went sat down with my mom and sis ready to be wowed by what they had to offer. I have to say that I was kind of disappointed. I remember when we were looking for Kathy's wedding the dresses in these magazines were spectacular... Not so much. I only saw one dress that made me sit back and go... wow. Now that's a dress.

Kathy had to go to a friends baby shower so she left and then Ian picked me up to scope venues in the afternoon. We looked at three possibles not being wowed by any of them. One of them we deemed a "Solid Backup" should the need arise. We both decided that we should keep looking though. Since our "vision" for the wedding is rather unique we have almost ruled out many of the golf course type venues. We have found that they tend to be fairly rigid with their ideas of what a wedding should look like and their ideas are not really us. I have full faith in my fiance to find something spectacular though. I've known Ian for nearly 8 years and one of the things I have learned is that when he sets his mind to something he makes it happen. It's one of things I love most about him.

That evening I was really lucky to get a visit from two of my bridesmaids so we could talk more ideas and "fun girly stuff". We had a great great time and I was very reassured that everyone involved seemed to be on the same page regarding the little details. What I mean by this is none of the serious has ideas has been met with any serious rejections. The girls seem to happy with the same types of dresses that I am liking and are very excited about wearing purple. YAY!

Sunday (today) was another visit with my sister and a trip to Michael's for inspiration on center pieces, which was very successful indeed. It was also the first time visiting with the children since becoming engaged. My sister being really cheeky decided to keep the kids in suspense about their roles in the wedding. The poor little ones didn't even know if they were invited. I decided it was more than time to set the record straight. I knew that my niece Anastasia was dying to be my flower girl and I wanted nothing more for her to have the job. So, after walking in their door and getting settled I called Stasia over and told her that I needed to ask her something. Looking very excited she popped onto my lap. I said that I needed someone to be my flower girl and she let out a squeal. It made my day. It felt so wonderful to see her so excited. We then proceeded to discuss her dress, her hair, what she would be invited to and many other details. Being the type of little girl that she is she was FULL of questions. My little nephew asked if he could be the ring bearer and my sister and I told him that we defiantly wanted him and his older brother to be in the wedding, but since there were 4 little boys that we wanted to be involved we weren't sure what job he would be doing. We made sure to re-assure him many times that he would indeed have a VERY important job in the wedding.

So, all in all it was a very productive and very satisfying weekend. Now all I have to do is make it through finals so I can really sink my teeth into the planning phase.

The Honeymoon Nest Egg

I know it's tacky (supposedly) to talk about money but I'm rather proud of my idea and mom style "pulling a rabbit from a hat" that I don't care. So if you don't want to hear about my financial situation I suggest that you stop reading.

Last year when we moved I decided it was time to invest in a decent bed. I have always known that a good bed will help your sleep exponentially and the one we were sleeping on was like cement. So after months of convincing Ian conceded and we made a trip to Sleep Country during their mix and match sale. We bought a great bed that I now LOVE. We decided that since we didn't have the cash up front to do the 6 month payment plan.

Last month was our sixth month and now the bed is officially ours (and I no longer have to pay citifinancial money which is a small victory all on its own). So we each had a little extra money in our budgets.

Fast-forward to Ian proposing and us talking about the wedding. We have very generous parents who are helping us pay for the wedding but we aren't able to factor the price of a honeymoon into the wedding budget. So Ian and I were honeymoonless and didn't really know what to do about it. Our best plan was hope someone took pity on us... not really a plan.

Then last night I remembered that extra money sitting in my budget from the bed and did a little bit of re-working of some of the other variable expenses. I realized if we start saving now and put aside a little money each month by the time we get married we will have enough money saved to go on a rather fantastic honeymoon! YAY! Now all that's left is to decide where you go.

Any suggestions? We are looking at a budget of about $1200 per person and I would really like to do all inclusive but I don't have Ian's input yet.

Econ 313

In the room that I have my Econ 313 class my ring shimmers like nobody's business, must be the way the lights are hung. It makes it very hard to concentrate on market waste and insurance policies...

World's Best Fiance

I an and I both agree that there are a lot of decisions that are dependent on booking the venue for the reception. Since Ian has very specific requirements and knows most of the entertainment venues in the lower mainland I am leaving the majority of that decision with him. Obviously I would really like to have some say in where we getting married but I trust his taste that he won't choose something ugly.

So the poor guy has been working tirelessly since we got engaged emailing every venue between Langley and Vancouver (I'm not even kidding he has sent hundreds of emails). I'm not sure how he's doing with the search or if anything is coming close to working out but I have to say that the dedication he's showing is really wonderful. I feel very blessed.

The Date is Set!... sort of

In the initial discussion of when we should actually get married Ian and I had a few different ideas. I wanted to do it while I was NOT in school so it didn't interfere with studying too much. Ian wanted to do it as soon as possible. There was also the issue of summer weddings being more expensive. Ideally we wanted to do it in the summer of 2011 but we thought that it would be cheaper to try for a fall wedding. However we didn't want to do it too far into the fall in case Ian or I decided to return to school. SO... the thought was September if it's cheaper or July/August if September wasn't any cheaper.

At this point we were stuck until we did a bit of research. That research has since come and gone and we determined that getting married in September was not going to save us anything. SO, summer wedding it is. Ian suggested the middle of July (July 16 to be exact) and I thought sure!

Fast forward to Saturday and my first meeting with my new ball team and the dates for Provincial finals... the end of July. Which means that they could conflict with the wedding in 2011, hmmm I would hate to have to decide between provincial finals and my wedding. So I egged Ian into going one week earlier. Just to be safe.

SO banking on our chosen venue being available we have set our date to be July 9, 2011. YAY!

FOOTNOTE: Ian has been emailing venues to see about availability as well as the technical requirements that he needs to make his reception vision a reality. Things like available power, rigging etc. The emails he has received back have been catering menus. Poor Ian.

Why Am I Not Latino!?!

So in the hunt for wedding dresses (I caved and started googling designers, I want a list of shops to hit before I start hitting them). I came across one such designer Da Vinci Bridal and while I do enjoy the Bridal Gowns I started hunting around the sight and came across the Quinceanera Dresses... and WOW. I am very tempted to get married in one of these spectacular numbers.

I KNOW, RIGHT?!?! Ian how do you feel about me walking down the aisle in bright pink?

Here a ring, there a ring, everywhere a ring ring!

Ian and I were looking at wedding bands last night and it made me want to know more about my engagement ring. So Ian dug through his emails and showed me the progression of how my ring came to be.

He started emailing Roberta (his lovely ring designer) in December and one afternoon right before Christmas he met with her for a couple of hours to hammer out a design for me. He told me that he was shopping for a Christmas present for his mom. Liar :).

This is what came of it:

Over the next couple of months Ian and Roberta exchanged numerous numerous emails. Ian watched from the mainland as my ring took shape starting with this:

And then after a few more emails looked more like this:

Finally the final ring was decided on and Roberta went to work. Poor Ian was at this point second guessing himself and freaking out that he had it wrong. I have since reassured Ian that this ring is perfect and I love it. A little fact that makes me laugh no end I feel that I must point out is that the inspiration for the shape of my ring came from this K-Mart necklace:

Ian suggested I buy this and have a matching set. I'm thinking that's a pretty good idea.

I still need to get my ring sized but I am avoiding it because I don't like taking it off my finger, it feels wrong somehow. But I am looking forward to meeting Roberta in person and thanking her for putting so much love into my ring.

Lions and Tigers and Bears... and Penguins?

I've officially started the hunt for the attire. I'm trying really hard not to look to hard at Bridal gowns because the one thing I learned from watching my sister do this was that you don't really know until you put it on. So I want to wait and go into the shops with an open mind. But that being said I can look at bridesmaids, flower-girl and mother of the bride attire.

As mentioned previously I have found a make of bridesmaid dresses that I am liking. I really want the girls who are going to be my bridesmaids to be my friends after I get married so of course I want their opinions on their dresses. I emailed them the website and asked them to give me an opinion on what they saw.

One of my lovely bridesmaids replied back that she happily wear a mumu if I asked but respectfully asked that I not put her in this number:

(the shorter one) for the simple reason of her safety. I thought it would be cute watching my bridesmaids waddle the aisle like penguins and then had the brilliant idea of a penguin themed ceremony. At that point I had a really good laugh. Although one has to admit our nephews in little penguin suits with tails waddling down the aisle would be really really cute.

One of my bridesmaids got really excited about the idea asking if she could wear her penguin toque. Ian also got really excited about the idea of having a top hat.

FOOTNOTE: I'm not actually serious about the penguin theme but I read somewhere that getting through a wedding with grace and dignity requires a sense of humor. I like to think that I'm doing pretty good so far.

Starting to sink in

Tonight was celebratory drinks with wonderful friends Shay and Mei. Talking to them and telling them about Ian and the idea of marriage and the wedding it's all starting to feel a little bit real. Although there is still something very strange about the idea of being a "Mrs." or not being a Vaness anymore. I'm sure time will take care of that. I hope!

Mouth-guards and Bridesmaids

Today has been a fairly wedding light day. I feel like I am at a wall until Ian and I set a date. I'm still waiting on Ian for that one.

For those of you who know me well you will know that softball is one of the other loves of my life. Recently I discovered a league in Victoria (Victoria Women's Fastpitch League) and got in contact with them in January. A few emails later I was matched with a team called Storm that is coached by a vivacious woman who loves softball the same way that I do. Those of you who have known me long enough may see the hilarity in the name of the team. Those of you who are newer to my life I can honestly say it's probably not that funny.

This coming weekend is our first practice and as much as I am a bit nervous I am even more excited. So this afternoon has been dedicated to replenishing my softball stock. After purchasing new sliders, mouth-guard and socks later I felt almost ready to brave the field again.

The one weddingy thing I did today was drop into my local bridal shop to scope out a particular make of bridesmaid dresses that have caught my eye. I wondered into the shop and it took all of my will power not to go straight to the wall of white. There is a time and place for everything and being without my mom and sister, today was not the time or the place for wedding dresses. However my mission for getting a better look at the bridesmaids dresses was very successful. I'm not totally sold on them yet, only time (and a lot of looking) will tell.

It's Official

I've had my FIRST (probably of many) wedding melt down. Ian and I sat down tonight to knock out a very rough budget. It sort of hit home how quickly our modest budget is going to get eaten up. As Ian was going through the list of things that he wants/needs to do the reception that he wants I started to feel the panic that comes along with going over budget.

Luckily Ian being the king of Jen meltdowns he knew exactly what to do and defused the situation pretty quickly. You know your marrying the right guy when... :)

The Bride Gene

One of my favourite shows to watch over and over again is Sex and the City (who doesn't love Carrie Bradshaw I mean really?!?). And recently I watched the episode where she discovers that she does not have the bride gene, or so she thinks.

This morning it hit me that this really isn't a problem for me as I start to hum "Going to the Chapel" by the Dixie Cups for the zillionth time since I got engaged 4 days ago.

I find myself pondering details of the wedding that won't need to be decided until much later on all time. I get excited about the prospects of center piece and invitation designs and I rubber neck when passing Bridal boutiques to get a better look at that fantastic dress in the window. "Would that look good on me?" Finally and most importantly I am forever gazing at the sparkling rock on my finger thinking "sparkle sparkle sparkle"

My name is Jen and I am a Bride-to-be. (EEEEE!)

School + Wedding Plans = ... uh oh!!

During our first discussion about the wedding I told Ian that I was going to need help keeping my mind on track with studying. Lets face it wedding plans are so much more fun than insurance premiums or the economic effects of the railroads.

Case in point. I have a midterm tomorrow. What am I doing? Blogging! What am I planning on doing after this. Researching ceremony venues.

Speaking of the latest distraction:

Ian and I had a dilemma regarding the lovely girl that introduced us, Heather as mentioned in the previous post. We both wanted her as an attendant. We talked about it and suddenly I was hit with a wonderful idea. The daughter of some family friends got married recently and she had her brother perform the ceremony. CHA-CHING! Heather the talented actress who knows Ian and I inside out should perform our ceremony! Ian loved it. I loved it. Heather said that she would do it.

So, now I would like to find a place for the ceremony that is not a church, not outside and not a barn. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I looked into the Orpheum (how cool would that be?) but $8000.00 was a bit out of the question.

The story of us

Ian has always said that the way we met is kind of dull. I always disagreed because it's not just a mutual friend, or a party or eharmony.com.

I took Chemistry 11 in the spring of my grade 11 year and happen to sit next to this very small and very lively person named Heather. We quickly bonded over the sparkly stoichiometry dance and a hatred for our teacher. One day midway through April as we were leaving class she grabbed my by the arm and told me to follow her. At that point I discovered that she moves very quickly for such a small person.

She dragged me through the school to the "french wing" or a set of 3 classrooms in the corner of the school. She finally came to a stop just outside one such classroom and waited and didn't really say anything. Finally this very tall, very blonde and very shy looking person came out and she lunged at him.

"Favourite person #1 meet favourite person #2."

From that point forward the three of us became a unit and to this day (nearly 8 years later) the three of us still remain very close. Thus the conflict as to who's attendant Heather will be at the wedding. We've since sorted that out. Stay tuned.

Meet the ring!

Let me preface this by saying that I received many displeased border line threatening emails about posting pictures of the rings. So for those of you, you know who you are... here is the ring and a little story about it.

NOTE: the pics do not do it justice.

Last March I visited my very good friend Heather in Montreal and during a shopping trip we decided to look at pretty jewelry. During that trip into such a store I found what I considered to be THE RING for me. I told her takes notes, just in case.

Fast-Forward to a little less than a year ago I was insanely bored... we are talking tear out eyes with dull spoons bored. So I pulled out my trusty laptop and starting googling around and found myself looking at engagement rings. At this particular point I wasn't thinking engagement at all I just liked looking at the pretty jewelry. Well Ian caught me and so after being shocked that there wasn't an Ian shaped hole in the door we had a look at what was out there.

I have always been a fan of the very traditional looking three stone princess cut type rings. Ian thought these were "boring and dull." So much for that. He seemed to be fond of the solitaires so I resigned myself to having a solitaire if we ever got engaged.

Fast-forward again this past November when Ian tells me he decided to propose. He emails (or calls i'm not sure) Heather and asks her about THE RING. In Heather's words, "How was I supposed to know that I was actually supposed to remember that?" So between the two of them they brainstormed and with the aid of a wonderful ring designer in Oak Bay they came up with my design. Which is not at all what I would have chosen for myself but I love it even more than if I had chosen it myself. Ian did good.

When I get around to posting his proposal planning journal you can read his side of the story.

Reactions and Realizations

It's been two days (ish) and things are starting to settle in, I've started to realize that there is going to be a wedding. My wedding. I am going to be someone's wife. I get to go on a honeymoon! I get to buy a wedding dress. If I buy one of those stupid t-shirts with bride written on it in rhinestones I won't be lying. Ian is going to be my husband. Wedding presents! Bridal shower! Wow there is a lot to do. Although I do have to say that I still feel a little bit shocked every time I look at my left hand and see the intense sparkle.

Those who know me well will know I have a slight fetish for office supplies and organization. So within hours of Ian proposing I was already hashing out plans on how I was going to stay organized during the whole wedding plan ordeal.

Today was the shopping trip for that. I started at Bolan's Books (a favourite store of the Chapters variety but in my opinion a much higher standard). I looked at a few pre-packed wedding planners but didn't see anything that I really liked. So I opted for Staples and my own custom done wedding planner.

20 minutes later armed with a new binder (2.5" re-enforced with 4 side pockets), page protectors (for all the little bits and pieces), business card pages and tons of dividers I felt somewhat satisfied that I had a sufficient wedding book. At least for now.

Now that Ian and I have told everyone that we feel needs telling I wish to share with you (whoever it is that is reading this) some of my favourite reactions.

First my sister: a little something you need to know about my sister. If she could get married every day of her life, she would. She lives for weddings. Many many many moons ago we mutually decided that we would be the others maid of honour. Thankfully that is still the case today, it makes life much easier having that decision out of the way without any hurt feelings.

I called her the morning after Ian proposed. I told her that sitting down would be a good idea. Immediately sensing my tone she could tell that something up and it was something big. She kept asking me what was wrong and until she had confirmed that she was indeed sitting I wouldn't say anything. (a little sister must have her fun). Finally she said, "ok I'm sitting what is wrong!" I replied by assuring her that nothing was wrong and that I was engaged. After a sufficiently giddy shriek and a congratulations I hear Blair in that background ask, "Is she pregnant?" I burst out laughing, only he would ask that question.

Next are two of my closest friends: Ian had told pretty much everyone and their monkey that he was going to propose. His excuse was the only person he wanted to tell (me) he couldn't so he told everyone else. That meant that the list of people I got to tell was rather small. Luckily it included my two long time friends Reiko & Kristy. So after the obligatory phone calls to the parents (who already knew in advance), I called both of them. Now, I had teared up when Ian got down on one knee but for the most part I had been pretty tear free. Until I talked to these girls. Both were so excited that they teared up and made me cry. It's so wonderful to have friends like that.

Since pictures are fun, I'm going to attach some more of the engagement pics.

This one was Ian's idea, he thought it would look super nice to have a posed proposal picture with the waves in the background. I thought it was a great idea until...

We got soaked by the massive wave. Damn that water was cold.

Oh and I promise ring pictures soon, I will bat my eyelashes at my fiance this afternoon and see if I can connivence him to take some.

The Proposal

As always there are two sides to this story. This is the bride to be's attempt at both.

Month's ago Ian had suggested that we go away for our Anniversary at the end of February or beginning of March. I always love a good vacation so I jumped on that band wagon pretty quick. Ian is the master of vacation planning and asked if I wouldn't mind leaving the plans to him. Since he hasn't let me down yet in that department I said yes without questions.

Fast-forward 1 month (ish) at dinner one night Ian came out and said, "please don't get your hopes up I am not going to be proposing when we got away for our anniversary." (liar)

Fast-forward another month during which Ian was working MANY hours on the Olympics.

We're packing to leave and Ian has told me that I need to bring something that is:

1. Elegant
2. Warm enough for a walk on the beach

I dig out old faithful (my favourite little black dress) but realize that I have no shoes that work that will make it through a walk on the beach. So off I run to Payless for a cheap pair of black kitten heels.

Just as we are trying to leave Ian starts to fuss over which suit to bring with us. He tries on every one he owns and finally settles on one with a little help from me. Meanwhile I'm thinking this is a bit strange because Ian never fusses. I write it off as not wanting to be uncomfortable and move on.

After a long drive complete with an overnight stop over in Port Alberni (to save on cash) we arrive in Tofino (generally our destination of choice for romantic getaways). We check into our room and I see a big BIG bathtub and within 20 minutes I was soaking happily watching a movie on w network.

Ian comes in and asks the question, "pedicure or massage?" I of course choose the massage... duh! So he then whisked me off to the Ancient Cedar Spa where I was treated to a blissful hour and a half. The treatment including a relaxing foot bath, 1/2 hour body massage and 20 minute steam and to top it off shower with all of the good spa products.

At this point Ian picked me up and we went back to our hotel to grab a quick bite and a bit of a rest before dinner. Ian had to me that he wanted to go for a walk on the beach before dinner, so we dressed pretty early and headed off towards The Point Restaurant.

Ian then took me down to the beach

and after a few slightly awkward moments

he said:

"Here how this is going to go, you stand there like that and I'm going to do this,"

The moment that changed my life forever.

After this, Ian said,

"Now we have to go and meet Chris who is the photographer I hired to capture all of this. (Hence the pics). So at this point we had an impromptu (or at least to me) photo session. During which I learned that he had been planning this since November and had already asked for my parents blessing. Also, my spa session that afternoon had been to get me out of the way so he could meet with Chris and discuss plans. Such the romantic.

Ian does have a running journal of the planning process which I will post in the next couple of days. Until then, a few of the photos that we had taken for your viewing pleasure. For those who are wondering pictures of the custom ring Ian had designed for me will be posted in the not to distant future.