first invitation design

here is the first mock up of our invitation.
i LOVE designing!!
i really do like this one.. i'm considering not even trying to make another.

inspiration

dreamy. romantic. rustic.



hanging mason jars = gorgeous and inexpensive.

love the bouquet colors.

we can't have candles inside the barn. i'm thinking flameless? not quite the same, but i'll do.

location

so... we did not end up going to any of the 3 parks!

we found a new venue and it was absolutely amazing!

we both wanted an outdoor ceremony and reception. but... since it's in october, we felt we also needed a back-up plan. having a barn to house the reception seemed like a perfect idea. it would give us an indoor/outdoor hybrid space and also would be very unique. but, where the heck can we rent a barn!? we researched and came across walnut grove farm, which is where we ventured saturday.

we can rent the entire grounds for $875 FOR THE WHOLE WEEKEND. all day friday, saturday, and sunday! most places have a hour by hour time slot, which makes things incredibly hectic. this just seems too perfect. we can take it slow and enjoy an entire weekend instead of just one day! the entire grounds includes the barn, plenty of outdoor space (even enough for a bonfire!), and a dressing room in the owners' victorian home).

the only things holding us back are:
1. we'll have to do something about the bathroom situation. there's only a single outhouse!
2. it's a 4 hour drive for my family.

finding "the one"

ring, that is!

we went ring shopping tuesday at the mall, just to look. we wanted an idea of carat weight, style... all those good things.
i saw a few i liked, but didn't make it to zales. so, we went back last night... and fell in love!

we loved the uniqueness of the "bridge" setting, meaning the diamonds in the band go underneath the center diamond instead of two separate sets on either side.

the only issue was that the center diamond was 3/4 of a carat, and he is set on a full one (and with absolutely no complaints from me!).

so, now he knows..... and the decision is all his.

possible locations

we're going on a road trip/picnic this weekend to a couple of places.

walnut point state park
ideal location : right in between both of our hometowns
can't find any good photos!

kennekuk cove county park
still, terrible images!

kickapoo state park
i've been here many times, but never thought about it as a wedding location.
it's gorgeous, though!

wedding favors = check.

the favors

the wedding favors are the first thing i've decided on for sure (it's all in the details! :) )

we both share a love of food. he spent several months working in new orleans after hurricane katrina helping clean, restore, etc.

i've always known that a man's stomach is ultimately the way to his heart, especially with this guy! the sunday after our first "date", i made him my gumbo (which has gotten rave reviews from prior eaters!)

he said it was the closest thing he'd ever had to the "real stuff" in new orleans. it meant a lot to me that he loved it, and i know it meant a lot to him that i slaved over the stove for hours :) (nah, i enjoy cooking A LOT!)


anyway, our wedding favors will be tiny glass jars filled with my "secret" blend of spices along with my gumbo recipe attached to the jar (which i hate to give away to everyone, but what's the point of a good recipe unless you share?)

i found 1.5 ounce glass jars here for only 32¢ each!
we're aiming for about 200 guests, so that will only be $64 plus shipping.
the spices won't cost more than $10.

and, of course, they will be decorated oh-so-cute :)

about

a whirlwind of events has led me to my soul mate.

after only a month, we know we will spend the rest of our lives together. should it take someone a year, two, three, four.... to figure that out?
we just know.

this blog will detail my journey through the next year of our relationship and wedding plans, thoughts, ideas, etc.

i am also an incredibly frugal person, so i hope to have an amazing wedding on a $5,000 budget.

enjoy.

our story

we had seen one another at work almost every single day for about 30 seconds each time for an entire year. we always smiled. there was always something there, but i wrote it off as him being incredibly good looking. i always wondered, though.

bored and thinking about him after he'd just walked out of the office on may 21, '09, i found him on facebook after twenty minutes of searching.
little did i know, he was so incredibly cool as to have a facebook application on his phone and within ten minutes, we were officially "friends" :)

there was a cubs/cards game on that night and being the passionate, avid and (sometimes crazy) cubs fan he is, i thought i'd ask him what his plans were for the game.
nada... really?

after a lengthy conversation and a few hours later, he came to town and picked me up.. and there we went on our first night out.
we talked the entire time and watched maybe 30 seconds of the game. we hit it off in an utterly amazing way. it was strong.

over the next few days, we couldn't get enough of each other. i wanted to spend every waking second with him. ironic, too-weird-to-be-coincidence things were happening.

the next week, he half-jokingly told me if the cubs win the world series, he would ask me to marry him. i became a cubs fan. (that's where the name of the blog comes from!)

we took a trip to ohio two weeks after that first night we went out. it was a blissful experience. we fell in love.

so now, i believe in love at first sight. i believe in soul mates. i believe in us.

we finish each other's thoughts. we feel each other... we truly can just feel. it's powerful and it's right. he's my hero. he's the person i am lucky enough to spend the rest of my life with.

and here our story begins.