bridesmaid dresses and invitations

Wedding plans are coming along nicely! We've got so much done already - venue, menu, dj, photographer, honeymoon, my wedding dress, bridesmaids dresses, invitations, pastor... we are even starting pre-marriage counseling in August. I can't believe we are getting married in 6 months!

I've had so much fun planning this wedding. I can't even begin to explain how great the whole experience has been. It hasn't been stressful at all, mostly because I haven't let myself get upset about anything. I knew in the beginning that I only get married once, and I wanted to have fun planning it to be exactly what Michael and I want for our special day.

Our winter themed wedding is going to be so beautiful. I have visions of white flowers, fresh evergreens like cedar and pine, and pictures of winter scenes around the room.

Here is the bridesmaids dress I picked out, and my 6 wonderful bridesmaids have ordered their dresses already. I liked this one because it's long (which will keep them warm in January), it has straps (not everyone likes strapless dresses), and it's fitted in the waist then flares out (which I think will be so flattering).
 
My colors are black, white and dark grey... with some fresh Christmas greenery.

Michael and I picked these invitations and ordered them this week. I love the peaceful, snowy forest in the background.

A few more checks off the list! Next up: registering for gifts (yay!) and our pre-marriage counseling sessions with our pastor and his wife.

Romantic side note: Michael sent me a text message this morning that said, "I can't wait to hug you every morning." I feel the same way, boo. 191 days.

honeymoon - reservation under "mr. and mrs."

With all the wedding planning going on, Michael and I were really looking forward to booking our honeymoon. It's been so much fun to look around online and read travel magazines to plan our first vacation together. We don't live together and we have never traveled together for more than a weekend . So this whole honeymoon thing means we get to fall asleep in the same bed and wake up in the same bed.

Our first thought was Jamaica. We definitely wanted the Caribbean. Something warm, tropical and total honeymoon cliche.

Then we started thinking about airports, checking luggage, long travel hours and complicated taxi rides in a foreign country. We know we will be so tired after our wedding, and honestly we just want to go relax somewhere close by!

A few weeks later, I was reading a travel magazine at work (it's okay, I work in tourism) and saw an article on "Romantic Getaways". There was a review on this hotel and I knew it was the one. It's a total winter wonderland hidden in the mountains in Western Maryland, to match our winter-themed wedding in January.

I read, "This bed-and-breakfast's Arts and Crafts-style decor, wraparound porch with rockers and lakeside views are enough to relax the most tightly wound person. There's plenty at the Inn to keep you busy if you feel like staying put. The staff continually restocks the homemade chocolate chip cookie tray and fruit bowl and light hors d'oeuvres are served in the evening. A log-burning fire is lit in the living room; spiced cider is served, too."

Fireplaces? Relaxation? Lakeside views? Chocolate chip cookies? Spiced cider? Take me there now.

We read some reviews on Trip Advisor too. I love Trip Advisor. Do you guys use it as much as I do? I totally trust all those strangers opinions.

Most people said it was the best bed and breakfast type hotel they've ever stayed in - and have been back numerous times over the years, some 4 and 5 times a year! They said the complimentary "gourmet" breakfasts are amazing, and there are snacks and drinks available for free all day. At night, you can roast marshmallows around a fire and chat with the other guests at the Inn. It's situated right on the lake with beautiful views and fresh mountain air.

My favorite part is that there are only 10 rooms. All the hotels in Jamaica we looked at had like 400 or 500 rooms. We wanted total peace and quiet.

All of the rooms at the Inn have gas fireplaces and beautiful views. But you get to pick which room you want based on the photos.

We chose this room. Can you guess why?

Hello beautiful snowy mountain view and jacuzzi tub right next to the fireplace.

We can snuggle up by the fire in the bed, those comfy chairs or the bathtub. There is also a steam shower and 100% Egyptian cotton sheets. Romantic much?

We are getting a hot stone couples massage while we are there. 80 minutes of happiness. Doesn't that woman look blissful? That will be me in like 250 days.

There are some fun things to do close by. The Inn is right across the street from a beautiful ski resort where we can buy day passes to go snow tubing and ice skating. We can also rent snow mobiles and ride a "mountain coaster" that winds it's way down the snowy mountain through the forest. We can even go on horse-drawn sleigh rides.

I know the drive up there will be so beautiful, and it's only a 4 hour drive from where we are getting married.

Everything about it is perfect and we couldn't be more excited. It's all booked, done and paid for with a reservation under Mr. and Mrs. Beard... so crazy!

I know Michael is happy because he loves the mountains and he loves me - so he gets both at once. We both love snow and all the coziness it brings when you are inside cuddled up next to a fire. We will spend 5 happy days there. It's perfect to complete our winter wedding.


Article from The Pittsburgh Post Gazette and photos from Lake Pointe Inn.

that time we booked our wedding photographer and i spit water all over michael

Yes it's true. Here's how it happened:

We met with our wedding photographer last night in a Panera close by. He was wonderful and patient as I asked a million questions like, "What happens in 5 years if I want to get a 11x17 photo of us printed and framed? Can I just call you?"  "Can I get a photo AND our names etched on the front of our wedding album?"

So I was a little crazy, but that's pretty normal for me. I was taking notes and calculating prices and apologizing for asking so many questions and then asking more questions.

After about an hour, he got up to get a glass of water from the soda fountain and brought it back to the table. That's important to know.

Then, after another hour, we finished our meeting and I wrote a check to give our deposit. It was so awesome and official. It's also the first money Michael and I have spent on our wedding. My poor parents have been writing the big checks for the venue and food. We are so blessed by them.

At this point, Michael went to the same soda fountain to get us a glass of water and brought it back to the table. That's also important to know.

After we gave him our deposit, we helped him get packed up and put the tables back in place. Then, I reached for a glass of water that I thought was Michaels, took a big sip, felt on my tongue that the water was warm, realized I was drinking from our photographer's glass, put the glass down, was shocked, started to laugh, didn't know what to do, and spit all the water out on Michael's shirt. It like spewed out of my mouth... very geyser-like.

So that's the story of how we booked our wedding photographer! I acted crazy and asked a bunch of questions, then spit water all over the shirt of my future husband in the middle of Panera.

And now let me tell you how completely excited we are that we got him to shoot our special day. As a food blogger and the girlfriend of a freelance photographer, we were picky about who we would get to photograph our wedding. This guy is so talented in terms of framing, composition and technique.

His name is Leo Djiwatampu of Leo Dj Photography. Click here for his website.

Here are some of my favorite images by him:

He also photographed my sister's wedding! That's how we found out about him. You can see all her wedding photo's on Leo's Blog ... but here are a few of my favorites. Especially that first one of my sister and our Dad. So emotional and beautiful.

This is her bridal party... Michael and I are on the right!

Look at my beautiful sister and her husband! Such a wonderful picture.

I can't wait to see the beautiful images he creates from that wonderful day where Michael and I become husband and wife.

We signed up for an engagement photo session too. We will probably get those taken sometime this fall, a few months before our wedding. I can't wait to share those pictures someday!

So now we can cross a few more things off the list:

Ceremony and reception venue - check
Menu - check
Wedding date - check
Photographer - check
Bridal Party - check
Pastor - check
DJ/Emcee - check

I mean we could practically get married now.

wedding venue and date - check!

Thank you guys for hanging in here with me while the insanity that is my life has taken me far, far away from the world of food blogging.

Michael and I got engaged a little over 3 weeks ago. I started a new job this week. My sister is having a precious baby boy. I am flying out to Arkansas next week for a dear friend's wedding.

It's been crazy, but by the time I get back from Rachel's wedding in 2 weeks, life should calm down and start to be normal again.

Michael and I have been in wedding planning mode for awhile. We talked about our budget and guest list first and decided on 125 of the best people we know to invite to our wedding. Then we went on a mad wedding venue search that took us all over Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I must have called 30 places trying to find someone that would be willing to work with our budget and wishes. We found that having a wedding on a Sunday saved us thousands of dollars, no big deal. It's just one day over and totally worth it.

Two weekends were taken up with traveling, meetings, menu options, proposals and talking about money. It was overwhelming at first. But 3 of my very best girlfriends got engaged right before Michael and I... I remember them going through the "picking a venue" stage of wedding planning and was encouraged by them that we would find the perfect place.

And we did! Three weeks later, Michael and I booked a lovely restaurant right on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. They have a ballroom on the second floor for wedding receptions. There are these huge windows that look out onto the water and a giant chandelier in the middle of the dance floor. I am in love with it!

They were in the process of setting up for a wedding in these pictures, so it's a little jumbled. But I already have ideas for centerpieces, place cards, flowers and all that fun stuff.

So we are officially getting married on Sunday, January 22, 2012! I cried when we booked it. I know that's crazy, but I'm sure you ladies understand. It feels so official now and I am so incredibly happy to be marrying this man.

They also have a lovely room for our ceremony, which is conveniently located right next to the ballroom. Our guests will just have to walk into the next room to get to our reception.

The next steps are figuring out our bridal party, booking a DJ and hiring our wedding photographer. You know we are picky about that, but we have someone in mind that I think will be perfect.

I hope everyone is having a great week!