Wedding Stuff

I am so excited to finally share our engagement pictures. Adam's cousin-in-law and sweet friend of ours, Elizabeth Harris, offered to take some pictures for us as a wedding gift. We got more than just a wedding gift...we are now the proud owners of many beautiful pictures that we can keep forever! Click HERE to go to our engagement picture link and while you're there, check out Elizabeth's website and other photos. She does awesome work. Thank you so much Elizabeth. We love them all!


I REALLY WANTED TO KEEP THIS A SECRET BUT...
A few weeks ago, I asked Jill (the wedding planner) if she would schedule some appointments for me to wedding dress shop and that she did! (In case you don't know, a lot of places require an appointment to try on wedding dresses...I figured that, but confirmed that the hard way.)

Anyways, last Thursday, I was scheduled for 4 appointments. All in one day, all in Birmingham...3 wedding dress shops and 1 store dedicated only to bridesmaid dresses called Bella Bridesmaid. Even though I was the one who asked Jill to make appointments to dress shop, I still wasn't convinced that I was ready to make any decision just yet, much less make a purchase! I felt like (and still do) it's so early to pick out a dress. What if I don't like it in a few months? Prior to Thursday's trip, I had only visited 3 other wedding boutiques and actually tried on dresses in one of the them. (Which by-the-way wore me out. That being the first time I had ever tried on a wedding dress in my life was exciting, yet exhausting mentally.) I'm aware that trying on dresses in so many different stores may seem a bit excessive and crazy, but I'm only picking out the dress I'm going to wear on the biggest day of my life!

My Mom and I went to Birmingham with the idea that it was going to be another day to "just look." I wanted to make sure I had checked out every bridal boutique within a 500 miles radius of Auburn before making THE decision. But, I guess God had different plans. We arrived at the first appointment at 10 AM and as I am peaking through the window before they opened, I SAW IT! I saw the dress I wanted to try on first. And that I did! I loved it, but vowed to think rationally about all of this. After spending 2 1/2 hrs trying on more dresses in that store, we moved on to our other appointments. Throughout the day, I couldn't stop thinking about the first dress and comparing all the others to it. Finally, at about 6:00 PM as I'm finishing up the last appointment and having not found another dress that even came close to comparing to the first dress, I realized I had found it. THE DRESS.

After the last appointment (actually during the last appointment) I told my mom, we HAD to go back to the first store. As terrible as it sounds, my mom slipped outside and called the first store and begged them to wait on us to come back so I could try on THE DRESS one more time. They were so nice and waited! They were supposed to close around 5 and we weren't able to get back there until about 6:45, a big thanks to Birmingham traffic. When I put the dress back on again after seeing those other 100s of dresses, I knew it was the one. I'll be the first to say I didn't think I'd have that "ah-ha" moment, but I did! And, I'm no longer worried about not liking it in a few months. I love it so much and can't imagine liking another dress more than the one I chose. So, it's official! I have picked out THE DRESS and it is ordered! I'm so sad that it won't be here until January or February. Until then, I guess I'll just keep staring at the pictures of it everyday. And no, I don't plan to share those with anyone. :)

In the midst of the wedding dress excitement that day, I also found the bridesmaid dresses at Bella Bridesmaid. I picked the dress, but not the color. I'm waiting on some fabric swatches to come in the mail. I will update as soon as I FINALLY pick some colors! I have been so indecisive about the bridesmaid dresses so I'm very glad to have that out of the way!

Well, those are some pretty big events in the wedding planning process, so that's all I got for now. Until later...

Five

5 represents how many years ago I met Adam.

5 years ago today, I started on a journey with someone I hardly knew.

5 is the number of years ago that I fell for the love of my life.

5 years later, look at us now.

Yep. Today is our 5 year anniversary...as in...half a decade! I can't believe it has really been that long. Since meeting Adam 5 years ago, my life has changed so much. Who would've thought that when we met a half a decade ago we would later decide to become husband and wife?! This anniversary is particularly bittersweet. It's our last one as a "dating" couple. But after all these years, I am so ready to say good-bye to dating and hello to married life. In just 276 short days :) we will finally have a new date to celebrate. Forever. Can't wait for 6.25.11!

EXCITING UPDATES!!!!!!!!!

REGION REGION REGION:
I'm pleased, or should I say BEYOND EXCITED, to say that I will now be able to sleep at night knowing Adam and I will not be separated during the first year of our marriage! Yep! That's right! I was placed in the Birmingham region for rotations. I am going to miss The Plains so much after being here for 7 years, but I am ready to start a new chapter of this thing called life. I'll always be a Tiger Fan wherever I go and plan to come back as much as possible. With all that said, the good news is we no longer have to worry and wonder if the decision to get married right now was the best thing to do. I can rest assured knowing it was the right thing and everything is going to be just fine!

If you know me then you know it doesn't take me long to find something else to worry about...and that thing is the honeymoon. Now that I officially know my region, the next step is to pick the actual rotation sites within the region. The rotations are broken up into 5 week blocks in which I will go to different sites i.e. rotations. The concern is not which sites I am assigned rather it is the block that will serve as my "off block." During the 4th year, each student gets 1 block off. I am hoping and praying I get the June/July block off so that Adam and I can go on our honeymoon at the time of our wedding. Otherwise, I guess we will just get married and I will return to work on Monday. :( I know a honeymoon seems a little insignificant in comparison to bigger things out there, but please pray I am able to get the second block off so I can fully enjoy the week of my wedding and hopefully the hOnEyMoOn!

Wedding Updates:
I met with Jill today. We had a very productive meeting. She had multiple design plans & layouts for the reception which was so exciting to see it on paper and to imagine how beautiful it will be the day of the wedding. I officially have a BAND for the reception and a caterer that is going to prepare some AMAZING food!!! I can't decide if I'm more excited about the wedding or the wedding food. Kidding, sort of! :) I'm definitely more excited about marrying the man of my dreams, but the food is running a close race.

In other news:
The shower for Zack and Samantha turned out great. We all got to catch up and everyone had a wonderful time.

Leigh and Matthew found out Baby Allen is a GIRL and The Robertsons are getting ready because Baby Reese is on her way!

ONE LAST THING:
Auburn football in T - two days! WAR EAGLE!

Summer In July...Now it's August

July...Where do I start? Well, since my last post I have helped host a baby shower for our friends that are expecting their first child in September, said some temporary "good-byes" to some of our other friends, did a little wedding planning, and enjoyed the last bit of my LAST summer break ever!

A group of us girls hosted a couples baby shower for our friends, Adam and Elena. They are expecting sweet baby Reese to enter the world in just a few short weeks. I can't believe she is almost here! And YES, I said "couples" baby shower. We thought the men should get in on some of the baby action. We had a lot of fun catching up with everyone. Jared and Elizabeth Harris even made it from Rome, Georgia with their sweet little girl (Sarah) who you will see in the photos. She has one big personality and will be the star of any show wherever she goes! Also, notice the pictures of the boys (in particular, the one where they are lounged post shower...I think just the thought of a baby wore them out.) Below are some pictures from the shower. Click on the photo to enlarge it.
Just a few days later, Adam and I went to eat at Niffers in Auburn as a "going away" dinner for Wesley and Kathryn. They just moved to Panama City, Florida for Wesley to attend CRNA school. They will only be there for about two 1/2 years, but we sure will miss them being here in Alabama! I think I know where the next 2 annual beach trips will be. :) To Wesley and Kathryn: We love you and wish you all the best!
WEDDING UPDATES: Limited. Jill (the wedding planner) and I had our "music" meeting in July. We accomplished a few things like booking the string quartet for the ceremony and working on the design plan for the reception. Adam and I finally went to register. I admit, prior to the registering experience, I cringed at the thought of it, but have since changed my mind and decided it's not THAT bad. We have registered at Dillards, Ware Jewelers, and Bed, Bath, & Beyond so far. The list with links to our registries is on our wedding website HERE. Check the website periodically for updates. I will be using it for all wedding-related information.

And now, it's August. I started back to school on Monday and made it through the first week. I'm actually glad to be back on The Plains. The pharmacy curriculum is very different this year. It will take some adjusting, but I think I will enjoy this year much more than the first 2 years of pharmacy school. In the coming weeks, the P3s will be finding out their regional placement for rotations next year. Region selection of rotations is assigned randomly in a lottery-type fashion. Because of this, I ask you to pray for Adam and me. Pray I am assigned to a region where we will not have to spend our first year of marriage separated, specifically Birmingham or Auburn-Montgomery. I know everything will work out, but worrying about it is causing me stress. Adam keeps telling me not to worry. So, I'm going to try to take his advice and not think about it. I'll update when I find out where I am assigned.

There is already a lot in store for August and September. I am looking forward to Zack and Samantha's wedding shower in 2 weeks, finding out the sex of Leigh and Matthew's little one, the fall weather, more wedding planning, and of course AUBURN FOOTBALL!!! War Eagle!

AND THE DATE IS.....

JUNE 25, 2011!!!! I apologize in advance for the lengthy post. I've been wanting to update since we made the wedding date official, but just haven't had time. But, here I am. Finally.

The two most important things about my wedding was 1) being able to get married at The Waters and 2) the photographer. So, that's where we started.

On June 9th, I met with Jill Sampson at The Waters. Jill is an amazing wedding planner and full-time florist in Montgomery, AL. She does amazing work and I am thrilled she will be planning my wedding. You can visit her website here. The Waters is also in Montgomery and is the place where I've wanted to get married since I saw it about 3 or 4 years ago. It's very simple, but so beautiful and I love it! Click here for a link to The Waters website. Below are some pictures from that day. Jill walked us around The Waters and showed us everything.

This is at The Marina where we are planning to have the rehearsal dinner. It is located at The Waters which is nice since we won't have to go far after the rehearsal on Friday night.
These pictures are of The Chapel Hill Meeting House at The Waters where the ceremony will take place. In some of the pictures, the chapel is not decorated and in some it is. This is because the pictures are from different days. The pictures of it decorated are from an actual wedding. Jill invited my mom and me to come one Saturday while she was setting up for a wedding that day. We got to see everything put together and it was gorgeous!
This is at the reception site. And again, there are pictures from different days. There are 2 pictures of the outdoor restroom...Anyone who knows me knows I was very concerned with the restroom situation, but they have an air conditioned trailer with running water! HAHA. Problem solved! Thank goodness.
After the grand tour, I was even more certain than before that I wanted to become Mrs. Adam Harris at The Waters. So, we headed to Jill's office where we made it official and set the date for 6.25.11! :0) I should add that the day Adam and I are tying the knot, my parents will be celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary! Yep, that's right! We will be sharing the same anniversary as my parents and it was completely unintentional.

Now with a date in hand, my next obstacle was choosing a photographer. By far, pictures have been most important to me. Choosing a photographer has been the easiest, but hardest part. Knowing exactly WHO I wanted to use was the easy part. However, having heard he was pricey made the decision difficult. We contacted a few photographers and all were fabulous, but that one special photographer was stuck in the back of my mind. So, in the end that's who I chose. I met with him on June 22nd and booked him the next day. I know I will not be disappointed and he'll be worth every penny! Well, who is it? His name is Bryan Johnson (abryanphoto) and he is located in Birmingham, AL. I have wanted to use abryanphoto since the first time I saw his work which was also about 5-6 years ago when he did a girl's wedding from my home town. He is AMAZING! In fact, he's so amazing that Martha Stewart magazine "picked his brain" a few weeks ago! And again, here are some pictures from the day.

Well, so far, all I have is a place and photographer. Doesn't sound like much, but I have nailed down my priorities and that's what was important to me. Now, I can relax and take my time with picking and choosing everything else. I have almost a year, right? I know it will fly. I plan to take in everything over the next year. This is the most special time of a person's life and I can't wait to share it with the people I love most! So, SAVE THE DATE 6.25.11!

Visit our wedding website to keep up with all wedding-related events and registries. And don't forget to sign the guestbook!