When the Venue Finds You (Part II)

If you're just finding my little corner of the interweb now, I'll catch you up on Part I of my venue search (or lack thereof)... M and I decided on my church as the venue for our wedding. I was asked to photograph a wedding at a nearby wedding venue. I fell in love with said venue. I was sad when their gorgeous barn was already booked for our wedding date. I was happy when they told me there was another reception site (the Firehouse) still available.

Once I got pricing and details on the Firehouse via the onsite wedding coordinator, I began to realize just how reasonable their rates were and how possible this wedding dream was. Sure, we would have to make sacrifices in other areas (and pick up more hours at our jobs, etc.) but knowing that our wedding would be taking place at one of the coolest venues in town...that in itself was worth it.

I visited the venue again with Poppa J (my dad) and Nanny C, who both gave a big thumbs-up on the Firehouse  and ceremony location. M had yet to see the venue in person, but he trusted me in making this decision and told me to go ahead and book it. The contract was signed, deposit paid...and the venue was ours! Driving home after booking the venue I suddenly realized just how REAL this wedding was, and the sheer joy of it all made me start crying. In the car. Middle of the dang day. Probably while listening to Justin Bieber or Nicki Minaj on the radio. Story of my life.

So without further ado... our wedding venue! The Firehouse at Landis Valley Museum...

Photo by With Love and Embers

It's classy, a little bit quirky, and perfect for the Clownfishes' wedding reception!

Note: Hanging chandeliers and foliage do not come standard. Photo by With Love and Embers

The ceremony will be taking place directly outside of the Firehouse, on the lawn to the right. Although you can't see it in the first picture, there is a big, beautiful tree a little farther out from the building. M and I are getting married underneath the tree, and our guests will have a beautiful view of the property during our ceremony...

Meeting Mr. C underneath this tree and getting hitched! Personal Photo

The reception is happening inside the Firehouse, as pictured above. We love that the Firehouse is essentially a blank slate...with the wooden floors and brick walls, we were free to decorate however we wanted. We are using the stringed lights that come with the venue and are also probably going to add some of our own touches, like paper lanterns and maybe more lights to create a gorgeous, romantic glow. There is also TONS of natural light in the venue, which is something that I love and appreciate about the building...

The Firehouse is also used a ceremony space during the winter. Photo by Brooke Courtney Photography

Another thing M and I love about the Firehouse are the big doors that actually swing open! We plan on keeping the doors shut during the ceremony and dinner, and then opening them during the dancing + drinks portion of the night (weather permitting, of course). They're such a unique, fun touch!

The Firehouse was the perfect venue for our smaller, cozier wedding and I am beyond grateful that I have a wedding venue to call my own. Although we are hitting our the building's max capacity at 100 people, we are going to try our hardest to come up with an arrangement for all the guest + food tables.

When the Venue Finds You (Part I)

When M and I first got engaged, I just assumed that the entire wedding would be taking place at my church. Ceremony in the sanctuary, reception in the church gym. This had been the plan for the entire first six months of our engagement, and I had never really considered other venues. I thought that because our budget was so low, we would never be able to afford an actual wedding venue in Lancaster. Where we live, there are plenty of amazing wedding venues, but they all come with not-so-budget-friendly prices. Although I would have loved to get married at any of the gorgeous venues my city has to offer, I was content with our plan and knew that the day would be beautiful and special regardless of where it was taking place.

Everything changed when I met with one of my future wedding photography clients this past summer. She had invited me to come to her venue, Landis Valley Museum, with her to take a look around, get familiar with the area, etc. I had known for several months where her wedding was taking place, but I had never been there before and had certainly never explored it as an option for my own wedding, thinking that it would be way out of my budget.

When I first arrived at the venue I was immediately in love. I loved every.single.thing about this place and was seriously gushing to her on how gorgeous her wedding was going to be because it was going to be held here. As we walked the grounds of the property and talked about wedding details, I found myself picturing M and I getting married here. The place where my client was getting married was the gorgeous Yellow Barn on the property, decked out with stringed lights, old wooden beams, and so much charm. I tried to put the thoughts of getting married here my head, as I realized that there would be an incredibly slim chance of it actually happening.

The Yellow Barn. Photo by With Love and Embers

After telling my grandmother (Nanny C) how beautiful this wedding venue was and how excited I was to be photographing a wedding there, she urged me to call and ask how much it would be to have M and I's wedding there. I'm pretty sure the conversation went like this...

Me: Ugh, that venue was SO gorgeous! The trees and the fields and the barns and the historical buildings and the animals and the grounds...the entire property is amazing!
Nanny C: Well, how much is it?
Me: Ha, probably a gazillion dollars.
Nanny C: Well, why don't you just call and ask how much it would be?
Me: Because I'm setting myself up for disappointment! Oh, but I love it so much...
Nanny C: Then call, or I'm calling for you!

I obviously wanted to make my grandmother happy, so I called the place and spoke with the wedding coordinator. She spouted out some pricing on how much it would be to rent the Yellow Barn, which, surprisingly, were NOT as high as I thought they would be. My heart sank, though, when she told me that the Yellow Barn was already booked for September 5th, 2015. After delivering the bad news, she told me that there was another building on the property that is used for weddings, the Firehouse.

That's when things started to get interesting...

Breakfast: It's What's for Dinner

Bacon and donuts and eggs, oh my!*

Before Mr. C and I had any other wedding detail planned out (even including the date!) we knew without a doubt in our minds that we wanted to serve breakfast food at our wedding. It is our favorite meal of the day, and whenever we are home from breaks one of our favorite things to do is make breakfast for each other. We're also known to eat breakfast foods any time of day. Cause, hello, my stomach don't care what the clock says when theres a plat of bacon and pancakes in front of me.

Originally, when the wedding was taking place at our church, we had planned a mid-morning/afternoon affair. This timeline made sense for breakfast/brunch food, as we would be serving our guests around 11:30. When our wedding vision got shifted around and we were forced into having an evening wedding, we still did not waiver from our original plan to serve breakfast. "Brinner", it was.

A photo like this is totally happening. Photo via Green Wedding Shoes / Photo by Birds of a Feather Photography

When we told our parents the plan, we were met with varying degrees of disagreement. M's mom didn't exactly LOVE the idea, but she told us that since it was our day, we were free to choose whatever food our hearts desired. My dad on the other hand...you would have thought I was telling him we were serving our guests poison ivy covered PB&J sandwiches. He was adamantly against the idea, and while he did have some valid reasons for serving a more traditional spread, I stood firm and did not waiver. It took some time (several months, to be honest) but he is finally okay with the idea of us serving breakfast food for dinner, not because HE loves the idea, but because it is what M and I want and have our hearts set on.

It actually took some time to find a local caterer that offers breakfast foods (at any hour of the day, nonetheless), but once we found the right company to help us, we knew we were making the right decision. We met with the manager of the catering company, who was incredibly helpful in understanding what we wanted and how to make it happen. I didn't want our menu to look like what's offered at the local Holiday Inn breakfast bar, but I also didn't want our "brinner" menu to stray too far from traditional breakfast foods, either. We finally settled on a menu that made both our bellies (and our wedding budget) very happy...

Coffee Hour Menu (in lieu of cocktail hour):

• Fresh seasonal fruit
• Bite-sized asst. flavor muffins
• Miniature quiches
• Coffee-bar w/ both hot and iced coffee (more in-depth post about this coming soon!)

Food Served during dinner hour (buffet style):

• Made-To-Order omelettes (with a large variety of mix-ins, including beef, crabmeat, assorted veggies, etc.)
• Ham carving station
• Breakfast potatoes
• French toast + toppings
• Bacon & Sausage

We tried our hardest to create a menu with a variety of options so that even those who are not fans of breakfast foods would have something to eat. We still want to have our wedding be a semi-formal affair, so foods like cereal and bagels were nixed right away. So far, we have gotten nothing but positive feedback from our friends and family we have shared this menu with. As soon as we say "bacon" they are sold. 

Image via Buzzfeed

Mr. C and I understand that while most of our guests will not be expecting to be served "brinner", we are letting them know ahead of time by including some of the menu on our wedding website and by spreading it around by word of mouth. We hope that they love the idea as much as we do and can appreciate how we executed it in a way that is personal to us. This is one aspect of our wedding that we cannot wait for, and honestly, the food may be my favorite part of the day, besides actually marrying Mr . C.

*Disclaimer: I know 100%, without a doubt, that some will keep reading this is and absolutely hate what Mr. C and I are serving our weddings guests. That's okay! I knew from the beginning that because we are breaking the traditional "wedding food" mold (such a thing does exist, I've learned!) we would be met with people who didn't quite understand why we would choose to break tradition. If you don't like our wedding food, I won't be upset. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Although, if you're not a vegetarian and you don't like bacon, I may think you're crazy.

Five Years Today.

I apologize in advance if I get sappy in today's post, as it is M and I's five year dating anniversary today. While this may seem like no amount of time at all for couples who have been together for decades, I am so amazed at how far we have come in the past five years. I'll let pictures do most of the talking, because seriously, it's hilarious to look at old pictures of ourselves.

We started dating when I was 17 and M was 18. I was a junior in high school, and he was a senior. Although we didn't attend the same high school, we were inseperable from the very beginning.

We attend M's senior prom together...

...and had to conquer the whole long-distance thing when M went away to college five hours away...

Before we knew it I was about to graduate high school myself!

By the end of my senior year I made the decision to also attend the same college as M...

We attended many a Pittsburgh Penguins game together....

We got some fancy pictures taken to celebrate our 3-year dating anniversary...

M popped the question shortly after our 4 year anniversary, and it was truly the best day ever....

I am so incredibly blessed to have this wonderful man in my life as my forever sidekick. I would have never imagined that this boy I met on a blind date in high school would turn into the love of my life and my closest, very best friend...

M, I am so grateful for you! You are my encourager, my rock, and the one I can always count on. You make every single day so much fun, and I promise to never ever get used to you. I am so excited for the next journey of our lives - marriage!- to start in a little less than nine months. Thank you for putting up with me and all my crazy antics over the past five years. You are the best, ever.

xoxo, J

"Be my BBM?" - Meet the 'Maids

Just to get this off my chest...I, J, do not believe that BM is a suitable acronym for the lovely ladies who will be by my side on the most wonderful day of my life. I've giggled one to many times at bride-to-be's that casually use this acronym to describe their bridesmaids without actually realizing what this acronym usually stands for. So I will be using BBM (which in my world stands for "Best Bridesmaid) in place of BM. If you are one of the girls who has no idea what I'm talking about, just ignore this last paragraph and proceed on.

the ultimate bridesmaids, let's be honest.

When it came for M and I to choose our wedding parties, I honestly struggled with who to include. I put off this part of wedding planning until almost a year after M and I got engaged, with the exception of my two maid-of-honors. Before we got engaged I always imagined my bridal party including up to 7 or 8 of my closest friends and family. The more the merrier, right? Well not according to past brides who warn that more ladies in your bridal party can lead to more drama than it's worth. I also realized that in order to include everyone I wanted to be in my party, the grand total would be 10 girls. So not happening when my entire wedding will only be made up of 100 guests.

I decided to trim the BBMs down to 4, not including my automatic junior bridesmaid (my little sister). I knew that not asking some of my closest friends would hurt their feelings, but in my heart I was confident that a smaller bridal party was the best solution. Also, in all honesty, I am sure some of my close friends are glad to be attending the wedding strictly as guests. No extra work, just show up and party!

When it came time to actually ask them, I didn't feel the need to make some big elaborate gift or show out of it. I've seen the awesome bridesmaid boxes on Pinterest, along with the ring pop proposal, etc. While these are super thoughtful and sweet, I knew that the girls I was going to ask would want to be in my party regardless of how I asked. I decided to ask them with a silly, simple card I designed myself, inspired by cards I had seen on Etsy and Pinterest...

MOH Smiley and MOH Schmo looking excited with their cards!

Front says: "They say I'll need someone to hold up my dress when I have to pee"

Inside says: "____, Will you be my (fill in role here)?"

All the girls got such a kick out of these silly little cards and wholeheartedly said, "YES!" I designed them through Photoshop and printed them out using own printer, although I could have made them even more official by printing them on actual card stock. 

Now, to introduce my very best girls...

Excuse the poor cell-phone quality...the iPhone 6s wasn't invented yet!

MOH Smiley and I have known each other since I was born, literally. She is my older sister and one of the most funny, wonderful, caring people I know. She also has the prettiest smile ever (hence her nickname here). She knows how to have a good time and how to throw a rocking' party, so including her in my bridal party was an obvious decision. That, and she's the best older sister I could ever ask for!

Senior prom and lookin' snazzy.

MOH Schmo and I have been best friends since high school. We were in chorus together, musicals together, and many a weary English class together. She was actually the first person I told about M when he entered the scene, and they themselves have gotten to be good friends as well. We have also been roommates since freshman year of college, which in itself has been an adventure.

BBM Giggles is my cousin, and one of the girls I knew I always wanted in my bridal party. We grew up close and have remained that way throughout the high school and college years. She is someone I can always talk to and who I know will always be there for me. Including her in my bridal party was an obvious choice, as friendships comes and go, but family remains forever. She has loved M since the very beginning and has been one of the most supportive, helpful people during this entire wedding planning process.

At Cat Lady's own wedding summer '13.

BBM Cat is one of my very best friends. We first met when I was visiting my college for the first time, as she was my tour guide. When I started attending school there we became friends after her then-boyfriend (now husband!) tutored M and I in chemistry. She got married two summers ago and, being a past bride herself, she always has tons of wedding wisdom for me and super helpful advice. Fun fact: because they are both scientists, instead of a unity candle, they did a unity experiment. HOW COOL. Her nickname is due to her obsessive love of cats and all-things cat related. I was going to call her Crazy Cat Lady, but wasn't sure if she'd love that as much as I do ;)

Last, but certainly not least, is junior bridesmaid Loo! She is my little sister and the sweetest young lady ever. When she found out that she was going to be in the wedding, she could not have been more excited. She even asked me, "So I get to wear a dress too?!". The cutest ever. She is my little lunch date and shopping buddy, and even though we are 9 years apart in age, she is one of my closest friends. 

I am more than confident that these ladies are going to be the best bridal party ever. They are all so supportive of M and I and are willing to do anything they can to help out in this crazy wedding planning process, which is the best thing I could ever ask for from them. Also, none of them are afraid to tell me if I'm being a bridezilla, so...that's a definite plus. 

How did you end up picking my bridal party? Did you include just friends? Just family?

Visions of Vintage

The two hottest words in the wedding industry right now: vintage and rustic.

It should come as no surprise to you that these two styles are hot, hot, hot right now. Everyone and their cousin, best friend, and college roommate is planning a "shabby chic/rustic/vintage" wedding. I decided early on in the planning process that as much as I adore certain elements of the "country/rustic/shabby-chic" look, there were elements that were just not Mr. C and I. Cowboy boots, burlap, and mason jar drinking glasses? Cute for some, but not the Clownfishes.

When it came time to fully declare our wedding "style", I settled on vintage-chic. This style definitely includes some of the current wedding trends while leaving out most of the "country" touches that neither Mr. C and I are a fan of. I'm also using the term "romantic" to describe our wedding style, since there are lots of pastel colors, antique fixtures, and lots and lots of gold glitter worked into the details of the day. It was way harder to find vintage inspiration that didn't fall under the "shabby chic/country" category, though. I've drawn a few lines when it comes to decorations and overall style...no burlap, no hay bales for seats, no twine, and no mason jars as drinking cups. I decided that chalkboards, lace, and vintage suitcases are OK in my book. Also, ALL GOLD EVERYTHING. Gold is my spirit color.

At the beginning of the planning phase, I was able to find some inspiration pictures that most closely matched my vision for our wedding day...

Image via Brooke Courtney Photography / Photo by Brooke Courtney Photography

Image via Brooke Courtney Photography / Photo by Brooke Courtney Photography

Image via WeddingChicks.com / Photo by Brooke Davis of Blush By B

Image via Elizabeth Anne Designs / Photo by Arielle Doneson Photography

Photo by Treasured Rentals via Treasured Rentals Facebook

These were some of the images that got my wedding-wheels spinning. In order to make our wedding vision (okay, MY wedding vision, Mr. C could really care less about the decorations #letsbehonest) become reality, I've already begun acquiring a lot of the items myself and plan on renting the rest. If being a wedding photographer has taught me anything about planning my own wedding it is that decorations matter to the overall feel and vibe of the wedding. This is why I'm devoting a lot of time, energy, and *ahem* money to my decoration budget. My venue is pretty much a blank slate, so it's up to us to make it unique and memorable.

I can't wait to share what I already have planned and how I'm using vintage rental companies + connections to the industry to stretch my decoration budget!

Our (Non-Fall) Color Palette

One of my biggest wedding-planning pet peeves to date is when someone tells me we are having a fall wedding, complete with a fall color palette. Obviously this isn't a huge deal and doesn't bother me to the point of actually correcting someone when they say it, but still...we are not planning a fall wedding.

When people find out that our wedding is in September, most assume that we are having a fall-themed wedding. While I think fall weddings are absolutely stunning (pumpkin centerpieces, and gorgeous fall leaves, need I say more?), M and I both knew that our wedding color palette would contain absolutely no orange, yellow, or brown...

Photo Via Colour Lovers

Instead of a fall-themed wedding with the traditional fall color palette, we are planning a wedding with a much different color scheme...

Photo via Fab Mood

Ta da! The official color palette for our vintage-chic wedding. Sub out the "pale yellow" above with a "pale ivory" and add slate grey and you've pretty much got our wedding color vision. Side note: planning a wedding means making ridiculous decisions, like what colors the wedding will revolve around and what I imagine my wedding "vision" to be. Never before in my life have I cared so much about colors, but I'm pretty much a wedding color palette expert now. Choosing our wedding hues has probably been the easiest decision thus far thanks for Pinterest and M's love of navy and my love of pink...and gold...and more gold.

So there you have it- the official color palette that will help guide and direct other aspects of the day. I already know that the bridesmaids dresses will be navy blue, while the flowers will be pink (as seen in the inspiration collage above), and Mr. C's suit will be grey. The color palette above is definitely serving as a good spring-board for making some of the bigger wedding decisions.

If you're still struggling with picking a palette, I have an upcoming blog post filled with suggestions on how to pick your colors and LOTS of pretty inspiration pictures. If you already have your color palette nailed down, I'd love to hear what colors you chose and why!

"So, when's the big day?"

Many bride-to-be's have a magical, wonderful story of how they choose their wedding date. Maybe it was the same day their parents/grandparents got hitched. Perhaps they planned for it to be on their anniversary of when they started dating. Some even choose their wedding date based on the date itself - 07/07/07, 10/11/12, etc.

Possibly the best "date" quote ever. / Image via Imgr

Well, Mr. C and I had absolutely no rhyme or reason for choosing the date we chose- September 5th, 2015. We knew when we got engaged that we wanted to wait to get married until after graduation in May 2015. Ideally our wedding would fall sometime that summer, as we didn't want to wait too long to get married and start our lives together. We originally picked a date in August, but decided against that as one of my good friends is also getting married in August and we did not want our wedding to be too close to theirs. Also, as a wedding photographer, I wanted to wait until the bulk of the summer was over so I could get in as many weddings as possible.

After hashing out the date dilemma with our parents and friends for several months, we finally decided on September 5th. This date was the best date for several reasons...

1) It's Labor Day weekend. While we may have relatives that do not want to travel for our wedding, I feel that most of them will be more willing to since they will have a 3-day weekend

2) M and I will almost always have an automatic 3-day weekend for our anniversary.

3) Our out-of-town friends/family in the wedding party will have the extra day off to re-coup after traveling

4) It will give M and I three entire months after graduation to move back home, find M a job, and find a place to live 

5) September generally has better, slightly cooler weather than July or August *fingers crossed*

All of these reasons and more made September 5th, 2015 the perfect day for us to get married. When our future children ask us if we picked a significant date for our wedding day to fall on, I'll be honest and tell them no, that it was the date that fit best on our calendar and would work the best for our family and friends. September 5th may not be particularly special on it's own, but because it'll be the day I marry my best friend for life, that alone makes it the best date ever.

Did you or someone you know plan their wedding day to fall on any particular date? any 7/7/7, 12/12/12 bees?

Wedding Expectations vs. Reality

When M and I first started planning our dream wedding (a couple years ago, let's be honest), we both had some ideas of what the day would look like. While I obviously had more input than he did, he never hesitated to voice his opinion on issues that truly mattered (What kind of cake we would serve, for example. This is serious stuff!). But when it came time to actually start planning our wedding day, we both quickly learned that what we expected the process to look like barely compared to what the day is shaping up to be...

Expectation #1: The Venue

Expectation: Ceremony in our home church, Reception in the church gym
Reality: Both ceremony and reception will take place at one location, Landis Valley Museum

Early-on in wedding planning, after looking at countless venues in Lancaster and getting frustrated over the lack of affordable venues, we decided to hold the whole shindig at our home church. Our pastor would marry us in the sanctuary, and would let us "rent" the gym for the reception. Sure, it may not be the most beautiful wedding, but it would be affordable, and for recent college graduates with thousands of dollars in school loans, affordability trumps beauty. Luckily, this past summer, I was able to find a ceremony + reception venue that is both beautiful AND affordable. I will share more on my venue later, but this was one unexpected change in plans that I was happy to go along with.

Expectation: Reception in church gym (still so lovely, but not my wedding "vision", per say)

Reality: Firehouse wedding! Definitely more my style.

Expectation #1: The Budget

Expectation: No more than $6,000
Reality: Nearing the $10,000 mark

When M and I first got engaged, I swore up and down that we would NOT be spending more than $6,000 on our wedding. When I heard that the nation average for a wedding was $27,000, I was in disbelief. There was no way we would be spending anywhere near that on one day of our lives, no matter how special that day is. When the entire wedding was still being held at our church, the $6,000 budget was still feasible. Now that the wedding is being held at any actual wedding venue, the budget had stretched to $10,000. While I consider this to be a lot of money, I've learned that this amount of money doesn't go too far in the wedding world. I will break down our budget further in an upcoming budget post!

Expectation #3: The Guest List

Expectation: A big shebang for 175 guests
Reality: A more intimate affair for 90(ish) of our closest friends and family

When our venue changed, to did the imagined guest list. Our church would have held almost 200 people comfortably, where our new venue holds 100 at max capacity. This meant that we had to make huge cuts to our guest list, which was definitely not the most easy or fun thing to do. Of course our parents had input on who should be on the guest list, and when their list didn't match ours, tension started to build. We knew in the end, though, that the smaller wedding suited us better, and it meant that we'd have the opportunity to talk to most (if not ALL) of our weddings guests. Smaller amount of guests also meant less money devoted to food, seating, etc. #score

The constant struggle and ultimate reality of having a smaller wedding.

To all the past and current brides...in what areas of your wedding did you have to adjust your expectations to match reality?

When I said "Yes!"

Mr. Clownfish and I had celebrated our 4 year anniversary in December 2013, and I had a rather large suspicion that he would be proposing sometime soon. To say that it was out of the blue would be a lie, as I know him way too well and can always tell when somethings "up". I had suspicions that it would be happening during Christmas break, as it is our favorite time of the year and I had mentioned that I would love a winter proposal.

One day, toward the end of Christmas break, Mr. C had told me that later in the day we would be going on an "adventure". He couldn't tell me exactly where we were going or what we were going to do, other than to dress warm because it would be taking place outside. He picked me up at my house and hopped in the car to an unknown destination. Although I had suspected that he would be proposing (Because lets's be honest, it's not every day Mr. C tells me he has a secret adventure planned) I had doubts because Mr. C didn't appear to be nervous at all. We chatted about our days at work and had general small talk as we drove.

We ended up at a popular walking/hiking trail about 20 minutes from our house called Chickies Rock. Mr. C and I spent a good 20 minutes walking toward a specific site that overlooks the Susequehannah River, only to find that there was a wall of dense, thick fog that made it impossible to see anything at the overlook site. M was very obviously bummed about the weather, but I told him I was having fun anyway, exploring a new place with him and making new memories. After we left the overlook (without a proposal, mind you), I was sure that we were definitely not getting engaged that night. Dang it. I painted my nails for nothing.

As we were walking back to our cars (hand in hand to keep our frozen fingers warm), Mr. C told me he had one more place he wanted to take me. We got back in our car and drove a little bit down the road to a place called Breezy View overlook. Again, we were the only ones there, and AGAIN, the fog was so thick that nothing could be seen from the overlook spot. Mr. C was saying how disappointed he was that there was so much fog, as he had been here before and the sunset was so beautiful here. Mr. C then pointed out a cute little white gazebo and led me inside (how convenient!), where we just talked for a few minutes.

I could tell Mr. C was getting nervous, as he just kept hugging me and saying how much he loved me. It was awkward and adorable, and I knew what was gonna go down. In a matter of seconds (but what felt like forever), he was reaching inside his jacket pocket and pulling out a ring box. He got down on one knee and said lots of romantic things I can't honestly remember anymore, and asked me to marry him. It was the very best moment of our lives, and we both started crying. We couldn't stop saying "WE'RE ENGAGED!" and just spent the next several minutes hugging and giggling and soaking it all in.. I don't think it sunk in that quickly that we were really, truly getting married now.

Oh hello gorgeous! (Personal photo)

After leaving Breezy View, we started calling relatives and friends and sharing the awesome news. The first person I called was my grandmother (Nanny C) who's excitement could not have been matched. I'll never forget her saying, "You're ENGAGED?! I couldn't be happier than if I was the one who got engaged!" She's a hoot.

The excitement everyone else felt truly matched how we felt, and I think we were both on cloud nine for the rest of the night. Although the weather was crappy and the overlooks weren't much of anything, the proposal was PERFECT and I couldn't imagine anything better. Plus, I got this gorgeous new ring and a brand spankin' new fiancé out of it! Best night of our lives, no doubt about it. 

Thumbs up for marriage, yeah! The picture we sent our friends that night. (Personal Photo)

Did you SO's proposal plans not go exactly as planned, due to weather, timing, etc? I'd love to hear your proposal stories too!

How the Clownfishes Met

Todays topic: how Mr. C & I met. I may just be an overly-nosy person, but as soon as I meet a couple and get to know them, the next thing I want to know is how they met. The usual answers for most couples is "mutual friends" or "our friends set us up", although "we met through (insert dating website here)" is becoming popular as well.

As for the story of how M and I first met, I suppose you could say we are a pretty even mix of all of the above. (Warning: the following how-we-met story is long. Proceed at your own risk)

It all started with this picture, taken at a football game during my junior year of high school...

That's me in the navy t-shirt, in case you just showed up / Personal Photo

Like any social media-obsessed high schooler, I uploaded the photo straight to Facebook and tagged all the of the other girls in the picture. A few days later, I received a Facebook friend request from a boy I did not know, but shared various mutual friends with. I accepted the friend request and had forgotten all about it until a few weeks later. While sitting in church, I received a text message from my friend (let's call her Friend K, the girl with the yellow paint on her face). Friend K informed me that there was a "super cute soccer player" she knew from a neighboring school district that had seen my picture on Facebook and thought I was pretty/wanted my number. So smooth, I know.

To make an even longer story short, I'll sum it up for you: Mr. C saw my picture on Facebook, thought I was cute, and (like any normal teenage boy) wanted to meet me. I let Friend K give him my number, and we talked for 3 hours straight that night, followed by 3 hours the next night. Mr. C got bonus points for actually wanting to talk to me on the phone instead of just texting me. After convincing that Mr. C actually did exist as an 18-year-boy from a neighboring school district and not a creepy 40-year-old stalker, she let me meet him at a Mom-approved public location for coffee. We met up at the mall's Starbucks (where he did not pay for my drink, mind you) then proceeded to sit and talk. For HOURS. We spent the evening gazing into each others eyes and falling in love at first sight...

Ha, nope.

Pretty much our first date / Image Via For the Win

To be completely honest, it was not love at first sight when I first met Mr. C. Our first "date" was incredibly awkward, as first dates usually are. We sat across from each other in the mall food court, trying to make small talk and epically failing. He didn't pay for my coffee and he tried to KISS ME on the first date (I totally dodged the kiss, by the way). I was confident that, after the night was over, I'd never see or talk to him again.

Luckily, I decided to give Mr. C a second chance, and our second time hanging out went MUCH better than the first time. It was overall less awkward than the first time, and I discovered that I really enjoyed being around this guy. We started dating a month or so later, and the rest is truly history.

From M and I's "second date", and also our first picture together, circa 2009. Also, look at me doing duck face before it was duck face. I was clearly ahead of the times. / Personal photo

The day after we became official. Oh, the endless selfies... / Personal Photo

Five years later, I still can't even believe we met through such weird circumstances. We still laugh about our first date, which feels like lifetimes ago. I've forgiven him for not paying for my Starbucks, although I do still tease him about that and the kiss to this day. We have (obviously) both changed and grown so much since that first date, and it's awesome to see how far we've come. It is also funny looking back on our high school years and thinking we had it all together, when in reality, we were just immature high schoolers who thought they knew what love was. In some ways, we still are those silly kids meeting up for coffee at the food court, but in a lot of ways, we are totally different people. We "grew up" together over the past five years, and I totally wouldn't have it any other way.

So there you have it, the "how we met" story in all it's glory. Do any of you have a similar story of meeting your significant other? Was I totally crazy for meeting a strange boy at the mall? (My mom would have to say "yes!" to that one!)

Hello!

Hi there!

Welcome to the wedding planning blog of M & J. I'm J, and I'll be the one writing these blog posts (aka, I'm the wedding-obsessed bride-to-be). M is the wonderful guy I'll be marrying in just a little over 9 months- September 5th, 2015, to be exact. If you're wondering why I would want to write a blog about our wedding planning, here are just a few of the reasons...

1) We are having a pretty unique wedding. 

While our wedding will follow the tradition "wedding layout" (ceremony, reception, dancing, etc.), we're including some pretty fun, unique, and personal touches. I'll give you a hint- breakfast for dinner and a donut bar. Yeah, guys, we're breaking some wedding rules.

2) We are a long-term dating couple.

M and I will celebrate our 5-year dating anniversary later this month. We are high-school sweethearts and knew relatively soon into our relationship that we would be spending forever together. Because we knew we (eventually) wanted to get married, we've spent the last couple years dreaming of our wedding day and all the fun details involved.

3) We are both college students.

M and I are both enrolled full-time in college and will graduate this coming May. Being a full-time student and planning a wedding at the same time can be overwhelming, but I thrive under pressure and have thoroughly enjoyed planning my wedding in between taking tests and writing papers. Also, having this blog will help me in documenting the whole process and will keep me accountable in getting wedding stuff done.

4) We are having a beautiful wedding on a budget.

Right from the beginning, I knew that there was no way M & I were spending $27,000 on a wedding (that's the average wedding cost here in the US, if you weren't aware). We both knew that we wanted the wedding of our dreams, and that we could do just that on a more reasonable budget. Although this is going to be the most wonderful day of our lives, it is definitely not worth going into debt for. M & I are putting a lot of our own money into the wedding and our parents and other close family members are also helping us financially. To be able to have our dream wedding on a much smaller budget, I plan on "DIY"ing a lot of the wedding details and searching for the best deals on the big-ticket items (such as my dress, the venue, food, etc).

Thank you so much for stopping by, and I can't wait to share this incredibly fun, exciting time of our lives with you! September 5th will be here before I know it :)

- Jenna