Happy Halloween!

Last week we went to the pumpkin patch:


Last night we carved them up:







Bliss wanted to dress up, too:


Here are the scary pumpkins...glowing away!


Mine even had a heart!

Save the Date!

Erica & J
are
Tying the Knot

Please Save Our Date:
May 23, 2009
Undisclosed, Location

Invitation to follow







Please excuse my poor photography skills: bad lighting + cheap camera = dark and blurry.


The graphic design is courtesy of my future brother-in-law.
The blue mounting paper is Malmero Perle 'abysse' from Paper-Papers.
The A7 Pink Azalea envelopes are from PaperandMore.
The linen colored Eames Furniture Weave paper is from Paper Zone.

These went out in the mail Monday, and I'm already receiving reports of receipt. YAY!

Wedding Vows

In our Pastor meeting on the 16th, Church Pastor insisted that we use the "traditional" vows. INSISTED! Um, nope. I can't get married to these:

"I, (name), take you (name), to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part." source


I told him that was going to be a problem because I wouldn't recite vows that I find cliche. I totally believe that those vows are valid and a great base for a marriage. However, they are the ones always seen in Hollywood films, and made fun of in jokes. Both Fiance and I want something meaningful to ourselves and each other. But, we did not want the write them ourselves.



This book: The Knot Guide To Wedding Vows and Traditions is amazing! If you have not yet decided what you want your vows to be, pick up a copy of this book. It is full of readings, toasts, vows--and their traditions/origins--religious and secular. I loved looking through it!

Anywho, we picked out and altered 2 (very different) sets of vows to fit our tastes:

"I ________, take you _________, to be my wife/husband, and these things I promise you: I will be faithful to you and honest with you; I will forgive you as we have been forgiven; I will love, respect, trust, help, and care for you; through trials and triumphs, I will share my life with you from this day forward, according to God’s Holy Ordinance."

"I take you to be my wife/husband, my friend, my love, my lifelong companion: to share my life with yours. To build our dreams together, while allowing you to grow with your dreams; to support you through times of trouble, and rejoice with you in times of happiness; to treat you with respect, love, and loyalty through all the trials and triumphs of our lives together; and to give you all the love I can give my whole life long. This commitment is made in love, kept in faith, lived in hope, and eternally made new."

We didn't really LOVE the first set, but knew church Pastor would be more willing to work with us on it. We really like the second set, but were pretty confident he'd say no. Then I 'Googled' "wedding vows," came up with these, tagged on the last line, and voila! Hopefully, our vows.

"I, (name), take you, (name), to be my [opt: lawfully wedded] (husband/wife), my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live. This commitment is made in love, kept in faith, lived in hope, and eternally made new."

J really likes this set and we both think church Pastor will OK these. We just e-mailed him, so hopefully we'll get a response soon!



What are you going to do for your vows? If already married, what vows did you use? Why?

If you wrote your own, I would LOVE to read them. Actually, all of you: e-mail your vows to me and I'll compile them all into a post.

nauticalwedding at gmail dot com

Registry Madness!

Remember this post from The Bona Fide Preppy Bride?

I also was not sure when to register, and where. I have expensive taste, and quite a bit of stuff already, so I thought it would be smart to register for fewer but more expensive items.

I'd also decided to wait until after Christmas to register, but then I got to thinking that maybe some people might like to purchase Christmas gifts from the registry.

Enter Target and the coupon I received in the mail 2 weeks ago. If I register for 10 items by October 28th, I get a $25 gift card. Seriously? Target's paying me to shop...I'm so there.



Mom needed to go to Big City Mall today, and since I had the day off I decided to join her... And ended up beginning my registry at Williams-Sonoma. I LOVE their Apilco Dinnerware! It is simple, elegant, classy, and indestructable! I decided to mix and match between the Tradition and Très Grande lines.



Is there anything in particular that you think I should be sure to register for? If you haven't yet registered, what is your one must-have item...no matter what the cost?

PLD giveaway!

preppy little dress is hosting a 200th post MYSTERY g-i-v-e-a-w-a-y.

Head on over to preppy little dress and sign up! Tell her Erica linked you over!

bad names

Jayme + Marci = Jayci

At least they didn't name her "Navaeh" (heaven spelled backwards).

Or "Zamiracle" because "she'z-a-miracle."

Engagement session re-cap

Fiance and I did enjoy our engagement picture session: it was a gorgeous day, outdoors, together, and our photog+wife were a lot of fun.

As you can tell, we got some great pictures.

But...

there were also some lighting issues. I look really washed out in a lot of pictures. I like this picture, and it is less washed out than some others.

We also had a location issue. We drove 2 hours to meet photog at a park of his choice because he really likes to use it, instead of having him meet us at a park of our choice. I liked the park upon arrival. However some things became apparant once the proofs came back:

The fence and cars rendered this whole series of about 20 shots unusable.



These apartments really bother me...again about 35 shots unusable (we spent a LOT of time near the water, my love!).


I was able to crop most of the houses out of this one.

Our photog also took lots of photos at a distance. If I were to do it all over again, I'd insist on more close-ups (I will for the wedding!). I don't know about you, but I like to see a person's face--their expressions, eyes--I don't always need all the greenery around them:


We also took individual pictures, which our parents really appreciated:



Alright, this is enough re-cap for now. More food for thought than anything for those of you who have yet to take yours.

I'll post a few more of our favorites later!

Pastor meeting

Tomorrow, Fiance and I are meeting with the pastor of the church I grew up in. While we want to use the church, we really don't want him to officiate as I don't have any relationship with him.

Fiance has a family friend whom he is quite close with who is a Pastor. Plain and simple, we want him to marry us.

In talking to the church, the secretary said the Pastor had the last (and only) say about having an outside pastor officiate. Church pastor e-mailed me that he "regrets" never having gotten to know me, but that he is "close" with my parents and wishes to be "a part" of our celebration.

Ummmm...how exactly do I reply to that!??! And what does it mean to be "a part"? Does a prayer or blessing qualify as good enough? Fiance was none to thrilled as he does not know church pastor at all.

So we are meeting with church pastor tomorrow because he wants to get to know me and Fiance. We also need to discuss pre-marital counseling, and I want to know how to do a 2-Pastor ceremony with our chosen pastor doing the homily and the vows.

Anyone having or had a 2-officiant ceremony?

Our Proposal Story

Fiance and I dated in high school. When we decided to go to college in different states, we had a long talk about what would happen to our relationship. We decided that we were willing to try and make it work, with the understanding that if someone else did come along there would be no hard feelings--in a sense we had an 'open' relationship.

No one ever came along for either of us. Sure I met guys I was interested in, but none measured up to J. And when I realized that I was comparing every guy I met to J, I knew that our relationship would last. And He came to that same realization about the same time as well.

Both of us spent many hours on the road, making the 2.5 hour trip back and forth to visit each other often. Our friends and family were all very supportive, making it all the more easy for our relationship to grow.

December 14 is our dating anniversary and J told me to dress up because we were going out. I had already sort of assumed that he'd be proposing that night because of some odd comments that J and my parents had made. Plus he didn't have a dinner reservation made, couldn't decide where to go--and J's the type to always have a reservation.

He arrived to pick me up and Mom insisted on taking a few "Christmas pictures" because we were dressed up. Doesn't J look nervous?!


During the photo "session" J started talking to me, and turned red, and then I knew.


He recounted many sweet memories, the day he asked me to date him, many jokes and happy days. J told me that I was stunning, and that he had something to go with my outfit, and would I please wear it for him?

By this point he was down on one knee...


Of course I said yes!






I have to say that I love that J proposed in front of my parents and that they were taking pictures. My brother even snuck in with the videocamera, and I am so thankful because without that recording I wouldn't remember the exact words J used, and they are so precious to me!

What is your story? I'd love to hear!

Applesauce!

Fall is one of my favorite food seasons. Any other foodies out there?

Today was Applesauce-making day! Yum! My parents have a small orchard with just enough apple trees to elicit the need to make applesauce, and I love to make it, so it works out well.

Here is my 'Cook-by-picture' Applesauce tutorial.


Slice apples into quarters, removing the core and "worm spots."


Place apples into large stockpot with about an inch of water. It's ok to overfill the pot, the apples will cook "down."


Cook apples on low, stirring about every twenty to thirty minutes. They will begin to look mushy.


Once all chunks have turned to mush, pour the compote into some kind of strainer or collander.


Push the compote through the strainer. Your peelings will stick to the inside of the collander--you may need to clean them out before pouring in more compote.


For flavor add sugar and cinnamon to your liking. I use "red hots" to give my applesauce more "Zip." Stir well.


Pour into freezer-proof containers if you won't be eating your applesauce in about a week. Don't forget to label your containers!

Enjoy your harvest bounty!

One more

Sneak Peak

More to come...

Fireproof

GO SEE the movie "FIREPROOF."

This is not a suggestion. Really. Take your man and go. Soon.




The acting is not fabulous (especially in the beginning). But the truths, principles, and suggestions can only better your marriage, relationship, friendships.

Keep in mind that this movie is Christian and Biblically-based. Even if you are not a Christian, the movie still is a must-see for your relationship's sake. You won't regret it. I promise.

Gown again

I just wanted to let ya'll know that gown ordering, round 2 went extremely well. We ensured that the length is correct (perfect actually). I still love my dress. It's ordered, I signed and initialed way too many pieces of paper, and it should arrive for alterations in January or February.



I do have a piece of advice for those who have not yet ordered your gowns: Take your shoes and all undergarments that you are planning to wear. I did not take my slip/crinoline and apparently the pouffiness of that can change the length of the gown.

Oh, and be sure your sample is available to try on one last time when you go in to order! :-)

Changing Your Name?

I will be. Even though I do like mine better than his.... I tend to be a traditionalist and I don't want my children to have super-huge names they can't write out fully, or teachers who aren't sure if I'm so-and-so's Mom. Even though this is becoming the norm today. It's too confusing and it's just not for me.



That being said, I ran across a great post from AvantBride about how to easily Change Your Name. Hooray.

Step 1: Marriage License - get it and at least one certified copy. This way you have one safely at home while you send the other one way for various things such as your new passport.

Step 2: Social Security Office for a new Social Security Card- Bring your marriage license, driver’s license and passport (just in case.) Yes, the Social Security Office is not a fun place to be, but it didn’t take too long in my case. They’ll give you a receipt and send you the card within a couple weeks.

Step 3: Your state's Dept. of Licensing. Bring you marriage license. They will take a new picture! Check for wait times online before you go. Cost about $10.

Step 4: Passport You’ll need to send you marriage license in, they don’t accept photocopies. If you’re renewing you can send in your current passport, two new photos, the marriage license, the form, and fee and you’re good to go. Passport processing is a lot faster than it used to be. Cost $75.

Those are the best steps to take first, and then the others can be done at home, online or on the phone! Here is another list of places you may want to change your name with. Most you can send a copy of the marriage license or driver’s license if required.

E-mail
Facebook and other social networks
Credit Card Companies
Banks
Academic Institutions - and student loans
Utilities
Insurance
Employer/Spouse Employer
Library
Financial Institutions and Retirement Plans
Voter Registration
Cell Phone
Your Doctor, Lawyer, Accountant etc
Frequent Flyers

(The above steps and list are taken from AvantBride’s Weblog. Please give the credit to them!)


(Just because it's funny...and so true!)

Bridal Gown Drama

Remember how I was going to order my gown on Monday? Yeah, that did not happen. When I arrived at the bridal store, future-MIL was already there, and Mommie was running late.

I checked in, only to be told that my favorite consultant (whom I'd requested) was out sick. Darn!

I told the girl that I was there to order dress ####. The girl went to the rack to grab the sample and says to me "Oh, we don't have that one any more."

As I'm trying not to freak out in front of f-MIL, I state "What do you mean you don't have my dress anymore? I paid a large deposit so that the dress wouldn't be discontinued out from under me."

It got very quiet...

Then another person pulls my file and says, "Yeah, she's got $500 on that dress!" As I'm about to cry, the first lady jumps on her computer and then assures me that the dress is not discontinued, they just are no longer carrying the sample in their store.

WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT 5 MINUTES AGO?!?! sheesh. Did I mention that Mommie is still not here yet...

So the first girl assures me that I could still be measured and have the dress ordered that day. Not happy, but agreeable I acquiese to be measured.

The girl then asks how tall I am. Now, I don't know about ya'll, but I haven't been measured for height since sports physicals in high school, and I know I've grown since then. So I guessed: 5'8" or 5'9". The girl says "Oh good, you're not that tall; our dresses come standard for a bride standing at 5'9" with flats on."

Me: "...um, I'm wearing heels at my wedding..."

Girl: "...Oh.....(pause).....Well how did the sample fit you, did you have to hike it up to walk in it?"

Me: "I can't remember! That was in January! Can't you measure me for height with my shoes on?"

To this the girl looks at me like I've sprouted horns. And this is a NICE bridal shop with a few stores throughout the country. Not a knock-off chain 'boutique.'

Luckily, Mommie walks in at this point. Trying not to cry with frustration, I filled her in on the situation. Thank God f-MIL has not said a word up to this point! (She's really an awesome woman, I'm just still afraid of screwing up in front of her!)

Mommie and I decided that I was NOT ordering that gown without trying on the sample again for length, because if we ordered it and it was too short, I'm out the cost of an un-alterable garment.

We had the sample was shipped from another store and it arrived today, so tomorrow is round 2. I really hope this goes much more smoothly!