The Rollins Report

WOW!!!! Time is flying by!!!

I was talking to maid of honor Heather last week, and we were discussing events that are coming up. While we have a lot of the major pieces of the wedding in order, there are a lot of other things to take care of, most of which we will deal with after the holidays. So much exciting stuff is ahead: ordering invitations, finding the right shoes and accessories for myself as well as the girls, doing our registry, seeing the bridesmaids' dresses made, having my own dress altered and my portrait taken. Then we have showers, listening to bands and the all important caterer taste test.

Wow, there is a lot left to do! I always have people at work and then friends ask about our wedding plans. They always enjoy telling me about their weddings, and some of the things that they have learned from them. One thing that I have learned overall is just to let things happen on the big day. If something goes wrong, then we have a good story to tell our children some day. If not, then we still have a good story. It is so hard to believe that it is less than eight months away! I'm looking forward to the adventures (or as I like to say, the misadventures) of the next several months!

We're getting closer!!!

One of the most integral parts of the wedding ceremony and reception is music. I believe that music can add so much to an occasion. I have attended so many weddings where we hear the same music every time. While I enjoy listening to the music, I know that for our ceremony, we want something that will be different. Music that will stand out and that people will remember as being a part of our wedding. The pieces that we have selected (yes, we have already picked out what music we want) for our ceremony reflect the joy and sacredness of a wedding ceremony, yet they are not necessarily pieces that one would associate with a wedding.

That being said, we also were brainstorming fun songs that would be good for my father and I to walk down the aisle to. NOTE: No, we are not actually having any of these played, but we thought they were fun!

Indiana Jones theme--John Williams
Star Wars theme--John Williams
Duel of the Fates--John Williams
Olympic Fanfare--John Williams
We're Off to See the Wizard--The Wizard of Oz
The Aggie War Hymn
Imperial March--John Williams
William Tell Overture (a.k.a. the "Lone Ranger" theme)--Rossini

Those are just a few of the songs we came up with. We also thought it would be funny to have the theme from "Jeopardy" play right when each of us are supposed to say "I do." Can you think of any other funny songs to walk down the aisle to? Let us know!

One of the most fun things that I have participated in during the wedding planning process is cake tasting. I had made an appointment for cake tasting at a place called Delicious Cakes in Addison. We had heard wonderful things about them from several people, so when I saw them at the Plano Bridal Show, I had to sign up for an appointment. My mom and I arrived at the place promptly on time (a.k.a. early) for our cake tasting. While waiting for our consultant to meet with us, we perused the photo albums filled with pictures of cakes. I looked at so many pictures of cakes that I was starting to go cross-eyed and all the cakes were starting to look alike. We were still perusing (I do like that word, peruse) when our consultant came out from the back. She went over the different types of cakes: white cakes, chocolate cakes and cakes filled with fruits and nuts. We went over possible fillings for the cakes. Then came the fun part: we selected three white cakes that we wanted to sample. Mmmmmmmm! Let me tell you, they were all absolutely wonderful! We then sampled two different chocolate cakes, and those were fantabulous as well. Mom and I both went crazy over the white frosting. We decided maybe we should just eat the frosting, it was that good!

Another fun part was the "build your own cake" session. They had styrofoam blocks that were differing in sizes, so we could stack them on top of each other and see how it would look. We discussed the possibility of columns, flowers, cake jewelry and ribbons adorning the cake. (Not all at the same time, mind you!) We came to a decision about the types of cake, frosting and designs for the cake. I will refrain from discussing all of the details on here, I want to have some element of surprise for the reception. I will say, however, our cakes will be unique and will be reflective of our personalities. Mom and I enjoyed meeting with the consultant and selecting our cakes. (And that was before she told us we could come in anytime and she would give us more cake!) So we can cross another thing off our wedding to do list.

Let them eat cake!!!!

......the countdown continues.......

I'm looking at cruises for the honey mooon and ran across this. I'd be all for it, but I don't think Dezi would be too excited about hob nobbing with stars from "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" and "Angel"

SlayerCruise

I don't know if anyone else is amused, but I'm still chuckling at what Dezi will say.

Since today is the Monday before the 23rd, we were finally allowed to put down a deposit on the church today. We are really getting married at St. Andrew!!!!! The ceremony will take place on July 23, 2005, at 4:00 p.m. I am so excited! I went and looked at the church again on Saturday. I walked down the aisle, imagining how it will be on that day. Since we have a lot of details already taken care of, it was not hard to imagine.

Mom went and talked to the church's wedding coordinator today. She got to see the parlor, where the family will be, and the bride's room, where the girls and I will be getting ready. I had seen them before, and they, like the rest of the church, are absolutely gorgeous! Mom also saw the groom's room, where the guys will get ready. I hadn't seen that, gee, I guess I'll have to go up to the church again! Mom, David and I have an appointment with her a week from Wednesday, to fill out some paperwork. Yay!!!!

I went to the Plano Bridal Show with Heather and Holly this past Sunday. I really didn't need to go, as we have a lot of the big stuff (e.g. church, reception, photographer, dress) already secured. However, Holly hadn't been to a bridal show, so we took her to Plano. She surprised me with a pair of white keds with lace for the shoelaces. She had also taken some iridescent while paint and wrote "the Bride" on the side, and glued pearls to them. She did a really good job on the shoes! Thank you, Holly!

We had a great time at the show, I scheduled a cake tasting appointment with a company in Addison, we'll see how that goes. We also each got a small container of bubbles. Now we're not planning on having people blow bubbles as David and I leave the reception, but we just wanted bubbles. So I was blowing bubbles as the kids were coming in to choir rehearsal that afternoon. They loved it!

Yesterday morning, Mom asked me to call the reception site and ask about restrictions on what we could throw outside the building. She said there were no restrictions for the outside, but asked us to please not bring hay inside the place. Hay? Why would I have hay at my wedding reception??? I thought it was really funny!

...and counting!

I heard about this site on the radio and had every intention of posting here saying that I had found the perfect band for the wedding reception, but I just can't do it... The site came up and I just started laughing.

Mandonna.com

We had a meeting with a potential photographer on Thursday. We had seen their work at the Dallas Bridal Show and also one of the bridal salons that we stopped at, and were very impressed with their work. I consulted my bridal books and made out a list of questions to ask them. Mom also had a list of questions, though hers were more technical than mine. (Mom is very knowledgable about photography, including camera parts and photo software.) Mom and I drove out there together, and David met us there.

We viewed a slide show and various sample albums that they had. Mom and I both drilled them with questions. Some of the questions I had, they had never been asked before, I thought that was funny. These photographers seemed to know their stuff and will be a fun team to work with. After we came home, Mom and I talked it over, and decided to tell them that we want them to photograph our wedding! They are called Sallee Photography and I am excited about working with them! We signed the contract and made out a check on Saturday, so they are the official photographers of the David & Dezi wedding!

On a completely different note, I also ordered my wedding gown on Saturday! I tried on many, many gowns, the majority of which were absolutely stunning! I kept comparing every dress I tried on to this particular dress. My mom came and saw me in it, and both she and Heather said that it was the one! They said that it looked amazing on me, and that the style goes with my personality. The dress will take four to five months to come in, then I'll make an appointment with the seamstress who will make the alterations on my gown. Then it'll be fittings and all that good stuff. I can hardly wait!

Next step: find a band!

"I'm Super Girl, but I can't open jars." - Desiree Muse

As Dezi was being introduced to a teacher yesterday by one of her co-workers her co-worker told the teacher, "Don't be decieved. She may be little, but she's spunky."

Dezi was thrilled with the idea that she could be classified as spunky. I asked her what it meant to be spunky and she gave me a nice flowing definition. I told her that she just wanted her definition to be The definition of spunky. So after she gets home she gets online and sends me the definition. I thought I would share the vocabulary building experience.

Main Entry: spunky
Pronunciation: 'sp&[ng]-kE
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): spunk·i·er; -est:
full of spunk : SPIRITED
- spunk·i·ly /-k&-lE/ adverb
- spunk·i·ness /-kE-n&s/ noun

Since the definition is recursive and refers to being full of spunk, I had to go look up spunk
Main Entry: spunk
Pronunciation: 'sp&[ng]k
Function: noun
Etymology: Scottish Gaelic spong sponge, tinder, from Latin spongia sponge
1 a : a woody tinder : PUNK b : any of various fungi used to make tinder
2 : METTLE, PLUCK
3 : SPIRIT, LIVELINESS

So... technically by this definition, her co-worker could have been saying she was full of spongy fungus.

I haven’t posted a lot of information here because I was asked by Desiree not to post things that would give away too much about the wedding. I personally think it’s funny because if I wanted to use this later to see what we were thinking at the time I can’t. I also understand that I have to follow her rules in order to not impede upon her happiness. With all that being said I have been given leave to tell you everything about the wedding and what will take place.

Wedding:
The wedding will feature a Star Wars theme. All the groomsmen will be dressed as Jedi Padawan Apprentices. The bridesmaids will dress as handmaidens. The brides’ dress has to be stunning though, so it’s going to be altogether different. It’s the dress Arwen wears in the bridge scene of “The Lord of The Rings.”

The ceremony will be officiated by a Mace Windu look-alike. (It’s just too hard to find someone who can play Yoda.) Desiree will walk down the aisle to the Imperial March. When we are ready to leave, the groomsmen will form a lightsaber arch for us to walk through.


Reception:
As we speed off from the wedding site, we’ll arrive at the reception hall to find a very different theme. You’ll swear you’ve entered the jungle with Indiana Jones. To get to the reception hall you’ll have to walk over a rickety suspension bridge with rabid squirrels underneath. (Of course you understand that crocodiles are an endangered animal)

The buffet will feature snake surprise and chilled monkey brains. (With all our expenses going to clothing it’s important to keep the catering bill manageable) The band will consist of a series of drummers with a lot of wacked out people chanting something unintelligible.

A plane will be parked out back so that we can escape from the envious mob our reception will create.

Honeymoon:
From the reception we’ll depart for Las Vegas where you can walk from Paris to New York to Ancient Egypt and back to the Caribbean all within a day. If we get tired of all our travels during the day Elvis can chauffeur us.

Talk about a travel bargain.



Now if you really think I talked Desiree into any of this you’re crazier than I am.


Blue collar Jedi Humor:
You Might be a Redneck Jedi If….

Friday night was marathon night at church. David and I were assisting in that we were drivers and chaperones for the evening. Forty-one youth attended marathon night. We did a variety of activities, including bowling, rock climbing, broomball, swimming, and movie watching. I had three junior high girls in my car. So, of course, the subject of our wedding came up. They wanted to know who David was, how we met, when and where the ceremony was going to take place. We drove right past St. Andrew, so I pointed it out as we drove past.

While we were playing broomball (well, the kids were. I was cheering them on from the sidelines.) a couple of girls were talking to me and admiring my ring. I pointed out David to them, and they started talking about wedding plans. They wanted to know what I was going to wear, what I wanted my attendents to wear, the flowers, the music, accessories, you name it! They then started talking about what they wanted when they got married. I thought it was really funny that they barely knew me, yet we were already discussing weddings!

I know David has commented before on how wedding planning should be a sport. I think it is definitely a woman thing. It starts when we're five years old, playing with Barbies. Barbie marries Ken and everything about it is perfect. Then we get older and we talk about what we want our weddings to be like. We can do this for hours on end! Then the day comes when we are actually planning the wedding we have dreamed about for years. It is something that connects women together across generations. Women are (usually) willing to help and give out all these ideas in planning a wedding. My new co-workers in Lake Dallas have offered to help me in any way they can with the wedding, and they just met me last week! Ahhh, women and weddings.......

Well, today was very productive. Among other things, I waded through all the brochures, business cards and flyers from the vendors at the Dallas and Ft. Worth bridal shows. I threw a bunch out, such as the brochures about finding a reception site or having a harpist at the ceremony. While a harpist would be nice, I think the pipe organ at St. Andrew will be wonderful all by itself!

Anywho, I went through all the bridal show stuff, and organized it into piles. My next step is to put the piles into the official handy-dandy wedding binder. I've already started, but have a lot to put in there. The insanity continues....

My best friend/maid of honor Heather decided to create a blog about her experiences on being a maid of honor. Introducing her new website! Check it out!

I thought this was really funny!

Well, I have survived two bridal shows. The big one was last weekend at Market Hall. Heather and I rode out there together (which, considering I had all of an hour of sleep, it's amazing I was able to function at all). Upon entering the show, I was given a button that said "bride to-be" on it. I had brought a bunch of mail labels with my name and address, so I wouldn't have to keep writing it over and over. My mom, aunt and cousin all went in another car, as they figured that they would be ready to leave before Heather and I were. We had a blast! We got lots of free stuff, mostly chocolates with the occasional catalogue thrown in. We sampled drinks (non-alcoholic), cake and the chocolate fountains. (Which, by the way, we will be having one at our reception. How cool is that?) We tried on dresses. There were two places that had dresses you could try on. The first was American Bridal & Formal . I found a dress that I loved at that place. I also tried on a two-piece dress that was a lot of fun, but not really me. The other bridal shop was BridesMart. I liked the dresses there okay, but they didn't have much near my size. (Well, that's true pretty much everywhere, but usually they'll have a few that are close.)

We also hit a David's Bridal store after the show. I got brave and tried on some sleeveless and strapless gowns! I have always thought that I look goofy in anything without sleeves, but I actually looked decent! Heather and I worked out a system. We would get the dress off the hanger, then she would stick her hands in the top, I'd reach under and grab her hands, and she'd pull the dress over my head. Then she'd zip/button/tie or whatever the dress would require. We would then go out to the mirrors, where the salesperson would clip the dress with these clamp-things. After trying on several, I was asked to rank my top three choices. I really liked a couple of the dresses there! If anyone is interested, e-mail me and I can show you the dresses from their website. I can also show you other dresses I liked as well on other sites.

Today was the Fort Worth Bridal show. Heather and I, together with David's cousin Beth went today. The same two bridal stores as last week were there. We sampled more cake, more chocolate fountains and got more free stuff. I signed up for a couple things, but most of these people, we had seen last week. We did get to watch the fashion show, which was neat. Some of the dresses were amazing, some were okay. I tried on a couple more gowns, one of which I really liked! (Unfortunately, it was not in the catalogue or on the website, so I can't show pictures of that one.) It was absolutely gorgeous and looked good on me! I tried on another two piece, this one had a corset-type top, which was fun. It wasn't me, but it was really pretty. After the show, we went and ate lunch at Fuzzy's Taco! Yay!!!!! After eating, we whipped out our catalogues and the official handy dandy wedding binder and talked over what we had seen. One of the girls who works there came by and asked if we were getting married, the girls both pointed at me, and we invited her to sit down and look with us. So she did. It was great!

After leaving Fort Worth, Heather and I decided to hit BridesMart. I tried on several dresses, one of which I really, really liked! The saleslady was trying to suggest different styles, so we tried on a couple of those as well. One of them had this huge tulle skirt, with beading on the tulle. It was so poofy, I felt like all I needed were my ballet shoes and I'd look like a ballerina. It was WAY too much dress for me. I looked at myself and quoted My Big Fat Greek Wedding when I said,"I'm a snow beast!" It was definitely a case of the dress wearing me, instead of the other way around.

Trying on gowns is so much fun! Especially when I have an expert helper like Heather. Besides, it's always good to have an extra pair of eyes. There's this fantabulous place out in McKinney that is supposed to be wonderful. Heather and I are going to make an appointment and go out there at some point.

Well, that's about it. More updates to come later!

I looked at the calendar this morning, and realized that our wedding is one year from today! Throughout the day today I have been imagining what I will be doing at that time next year. It totally blows my mind to think that as of this time next year, David and I will be finishing up the ceremony and taking pictures.

Tomorrow, Mom, Heather and I will be going to the Dallas Bridal Show at Market Hall. I have no idea what I'm getting myself into. Guess I'll find out when we get there!

Heather and I went to Grapevine Mills yesterday, to go shopping for my second cousin's wedding shower today. She was registered at Bed Bath and Beyond, so we found a great present for her, then left it there for the complimentary gift wrapping. (Yay for complimentary gift wrapping!) We then ventured into Group USA to look around the bridal department. We did not intend to try on dresses, we assumed you needed an appointment. We were told we could go ahead and try on dresses, so we selected a couple to try on and went towards the fitting rooms.

They asked me if I wanted a petticoat, so I said okay. I put it on the floor as I was changing out of my t-shirt and overalls. I was amused at how the petticoat stood up by itself. Heather unzipped the first garment bag and pulled the gown off the hanger. We decided to put it on over my head, rather than try to step in it wearing the Scarlett O'Hara petticoat. (Which I did do my best Scarlett voice while trying on the dresses.) We got the first dress on, Heather grabbed the train, and we walked out to the three way mirror.

The sales lady helped me onto the platform in front of the mirror, and she and two other ladies fussed over the dress and all the alterations that they would have to make in order to make the dress fit me. I thought it was really pretty and didn't make me look all washed out. I especially liked how the gown looked with my old sandals on my feet.

We went back into the fitting room and put on the second dress.  Once again, after getting me all zipped into the gown, Heather grabbed the train, and we processed out there again. This dress was more of what I'm looking for.  The sales ladies again fussed over the train and the alterations they would have to make. (At least they didn't tell me to go look in the flower girl section, I guess.) Well, one of the ladies grabbed a tiara and veil, and placed it on my head. They spread the train out behind me, pulled on the back of the dress so I could at least get some idea if how it would look if it were the right size, and told me to look in the mirror. I looked at myself, looked at Heather, and looked back at myself.  I was amazed at the girl looking back at me in the mirror. I looked like a bride! I said as much to Heather, who got all teary-eyed. It was a great bonding moment for us.

Now, let the search for the gown continue!

We went to Chad and Karen's wedding this weekend. They obviously had a good time with the planning of the wedding and reception.

To begin with. The flower girl position had been usurped by the "Floral Distribution Specialist."

When we got to the reception they had games and stuff to play with on the table. I stole Dezi's word find when she went to get food after giving up on the square puzzle I was working on. Susan finally got the puzzle so I cheated and copied off of her. They had a letter on the table letting everyone know they should eat something, but save them some strawberries. In the same letter they told everyone to take pictures of the fun and their friends. The friends could be real or imagined. They had made a crossword and word find with stuff about them. I was so busy working on the puzzles they were there in no time.

Dezi and I thought it would be a fun idea to make our own madlibs for the wedding. And I want something with crayons to be involved.

Well, we ran into a snag today. We found the perfect reception site for our wedding. It goes with the theme that we want, and we wouldn't have to worry about renting plates, silverware, etc. It's also located about ten miles away from St. Andrew. I called today to reserve the date, and it was already taken! Wahh! So, I called back and asked about the 23rd and the 9th. It is available both of those days. I also called the church to discuss the date change, but since she is only in the office on Mondays, I won't hear back until then. However, I don't think it'll be a problem changing the date. We're going to shoot for the 23rd, then go for the 9th if the church is not available on the 23rd. I know it will all work out in the end, but it is a bit frustrating.

I really should be sleeping. I want to be sleeping, but I can't at the moment so I'll post something.

I have come to a realization. Wedding planning should be in the X Games. Wedding planning is an obsession. It's like sports, cars, and gadgets all rolled up into one for guys. It doesn't matter if they are already married, are in the process of getting married, or are years off. They all think about it and they all have their own ideas on how things should be done. The only problem with having the contest is everyone of them would think they were right so the judging would go nowhere.

We were at a block party this evening at Dezi's parents' house. Dezi and family friend Karen disappeared for an hour. Karen happens to be a wedding coordinator. She and Dezi were discussing wedding ideas. Dezi then went across the street and looked at wedding pictures of the neighbor's daughter.

This last week we were both at camp. The girls in Dezi's small group and in her cabin noticed her ring and of course they asked her about it. From that point on, Dezi had the unsolicited advice of 23 wedding planners.

It's just wild. I can't even imagine what they would talk about for hours. I know there is a lot that goes into a wedding, but I just don't understand.

Well, the question has been popped, the ring has been donned, the planning has begun. We secured a place and date for the wedding ceremony. We have some possible reception sites and will begin checking those out this week. (Well Mom will, anyway.) We have the wedding party figured out, and have a good idea of what we want as far as the music goes. The next big question is, what in the heck am I going to wear to this little shindig?

I have somewhat of an idea of what I want in a wedding gown, but who knows if that's what I will wind up with. After all, I was convinced I wanted a pear-shaped diamond for an engagement ring, but found the "perfect" diamond to be round. Heather and I spent last night looking at dresses on the internet. Some of them were absolutely gorgeous! (A lot of them were, actually.) Some of them we wouldn't be caught dead in. This is one that I found to be really funny:

Now, I realize that we are in Texas, and both of us are native Texans, but I could not wear fringe and a cowboy hat to my wedding! (It wouldn't go with the tiara.) Anywho, there are some bridal shows coming to town, all of which are on my calendar in my handy dandy wedding binder! (Again, thank you, Mom!) Three of the shows are in July, one weekend after another, starting July 18th. One in Arlington, one in Dallas at Market Hall, one in Fort Worth, and one in Plano on Heather's birthday in September. I told her about it, asked her if she wanted to do something else that day, but she said that going to a bridal show with me would be one of the best ways to celebrate her birthday! What a great friend!

That's about all the news at this point. Thank you and good night.

Okay, first and foremost, we have a date and a place for the ceremony. The wedding will take place on July 16th at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano. One difficulty with this site is that the date and time will not be confirmed until nine months before the date, just in case members want that date and time. However, she said that July is not that popular a month and I have a good chance of getting the time I want. If a member wants that time, then I would have the option of changing to one of the other two times that they perform weddings. Thus, three members would have to pick that date for me not to have that date. In the unlikely event that three members want that day, then we will have our wedding at Chapel Hill. Basically, no news is good news. I did also find out that we could use the church's floral arrangements, candelabras and unity candles at no extra charge. That'll save a good chunk of change on the floral arrangements!

I have also been looking for reception sites today. Mom agreed to visit these places while we're at work, if I supply her with a list of possibilities. Of course, David and I will have the final say, but I really appreciate Mom taking the time to visit the places. Thanx, Mom!

Finally, here is the list of the bridal attendents:

Heather Martin, maid of honor
Holly Martin, bridesmaid
Becky Tilley, bridesmaid
Samantha Yager, bridesmaid

I know I'm not supposed to give everything away on here. I'm sure Dezi wants some things to be a surprise, but I like this story and I came up with the idea so I'm going to post it here.

We have decided that we want many of the flowers to be yellow roses. It started out with a comment by me that I wanted all the guys to be wearing a yellow roses, but it soon became the predominant flower.

On our first date I gave Desiree yellow roses. The reason behind that has everything to do with the symbolism. Red roses are supposed to be for love. Pink roses are for passion. Yellow roses are represent friendship. I didn't think Red or Pink would be appropriate and I liked the idea of building a relationship as friends first.

Something I came to learn later is that yellow roses are what her father gave her mom on their first date. It's a good thing she didn't tell me that for a couple of months. I'm not sure how I would have reacted.

I can also announce the groomsmen. I've asked everyone. I still need to talk to all the ushers and such, but first things first.

Josh Sherman (Best Man)
Jeff Rollins
Jeff Smith
Braden Bohannan

.....maybe. I have to talk to the wedding director, she's only there on Mondays. Only then will I announce where it will be.

From a colleague at work:

David, here are some words that may be useful for your new Web Log:

prothalamia (and epithalamium)
nuptial eclogue

It is interesting to note that at least two of the above words weren't in Blogger's spell check dictionary.

Well, ever since the St. Andrew incident last Friday, we have been on the lookout for other, more affordable churches. David and I discussed the matter some more, and we decided not to get married at St. Andrew. We would rather spend the money on something else, perhaps the honeymoon. Thus, I went to two churches today. The first was Christ United Methodist Church, in Farmers Branch. This is a church that I attempted to vist a couple of weeks ago, but was closed during the time I was there. Anywho, I am pulling up to the church, and I saw the marquee out front, with the pastor's name on it. It turns out that I know the pastor there! Six and a half years ago, my father decided that our family needed to start attending church as a family, so we went to a little Methodist church around the corner called Aldersgate. We would go to the early service, where maybe a dozen of us would sit in a circle and have the service. The pastors would just wear suits and be drinking coffee as they talked. They also would get up during the service and play guitars while we all sang together. It was a great church and a good starting point for a new Christian. I enjoyed going there, the only reason I stopped was because they did not have any people there that were my age, and I felt a little out of place, so that's when I started going to Prince of Peace.

Anywho, back to today. The pastor at Christ UMC is the same pastor that was at Aldersgate when I was there. He was not at the church today, and I doubt he would remember me, but I do remember him. The ladies in the office helped me find the packet of wedding information. Actually, one of them had made copies of the packet the week before, so she knew what she was looking for, the other lady and I were just helping her look. Those ladies at that church were funny (in a good way!) I really liked them. I examined the guidelines and fees. They were less than half of the fees at St. Andrew. I still need to talk to the wedding coordinator there, ask her a few questions. One of the things we want to do is bring in our own minister. We know some ordained ministers who are friends of ours and would like to use one of them. It would be really great if they could do the whole ceremony, instead of just assisting. I don't know for sure what the policy is at Christ UMC, but I think we could have an outside minister officiate over the whole thing.

The other church was Chapel Hill, where I had visited before. This time, the wedding coordinator was there, but I didn't get to visit with her until my lunch break, as she was in a meeting when I came the first time. I did talk with a lady who is a member of that church, who let me look at the sanctuary again, she was really nice. Once I met with the wedding coordinator, we had a nice chat. As it turns out, they will pretty much let us do whatever we want for the service. We can have an outside minister. We can have our own organist. We can do whatever music we want (within reason, obviously). The more I talked to her, the more excited I got about this church. Now, I still have other churches to check out, and David is going to visit a church tomorrow during his lunch break, but Chapel Hill is pretty high on the list of possibilites. Oh! They don't have any particular time when we have to have the ceremony, so we can choose whatever time we would like. I'm thinking about five in the afternoon would be a good time. So, the adventure continues.....

Well, I thought we had found the perfect church for our wedding. David and I stopped by St. Andrew today to look at the sanctuary together, then we stopped by the church office to talk to the wedding coordinator. She was not there, but we did get the brochure about wedding regulations and prices. The price was quite a bit more than we had anticipated. I have been pretty much moping the rest of the day. I loved that sanctuary! We still might get married there, but most likely it'll be somewhere else. Which is kind of a bummer, but oh well. We'll find the perfect place for us, and it'll be exactly what we want.

On another note, David sent me a link with some fun groom's cake ideas. I thought they were definitely fun, and definitely David!

I realized we haven't said anything about the actual events surrounding the question. Here you go.

We got engaged May 8th which is when she graduated with her Master's. She had to be at 2 different graduation ceremonies that day so I spent the day with her parents and her best friend Heather. Her dad works for Zales and had helped to hook me up with a really nice ring. I'd picked up the ring the week before and had worn it on a chain around my neck. After the second graduation ceremony Dezi, Heather, and I drove to FUMC Coppell where the youth were putting on a variety show/coffee house to raise money for mission trip.

The show started at 7:00 and her graduation started at 5:30. Dezi and two of the youth were performing "Gopher Guts" with a Ukulele and props. We were about 10 minutes away from the church when the youth president called me and wanted to know where we were. When I told her she said they would stall and for us to get there as soon as possible. We made it just in time for Dezi to run in and change and then go up on stage.

After the show we went out with the youth and then drove back to her house. It's important to know that I hadn't given her a graduation present. I gave her a copy of The Care Bears Movie, but didn't say anything about it. She assumed that was her graduation present. We had settled on the couch when I asked if she was happy with her graduation present. When she answered "Not really." I pulled out the ring and asked her if that was what she really wanted. She said yes and then had to run off to go call Heather. I had showed Heather the ring during the talent show and she was going to be really unhappy with me if I didn't ask her that night.

Heather's reaction, "Oh my gosh! That's like Heaven and chocolate combined!!!"

Dezi and I went home over the holiday weekend. We hadn't been back since we got engaged so it was the first time for my family to see the ring and talk about everything else. Dezi and my mom spent a long time talking about options and what they thought they would do.

One of the things I thought was really funny about the whole trip was that at least three different people brought up the option of running off to Hawaii to get married. My dad pictured getting married in shorts. My thoughts were more along the lines of a tux with flip flops. (There are just some things you can't get out of.)

Overall it was a very good weekend. I've had a chance to ask three of the four people I plan to ask to be groomsmen. I'll post who they are when I get the last person tracked down.

We spent Saturday night with my buddy Braden and his fiancee Heather. They are planning to get married on June 25th in Abilene. I thought it was interesting that they are getting married at the place he asked her to marry him. Dezi thought it would be really funny if we were to do the same thing and try to stuff 300 people into her house.

Friday was spent visiting potential churches for the wedding. I had seven churches that I was going to try to visit. Of the seven, four were closed. (One was closed all day, one was closed during the lunch hour, which was right when I got there, one closed an hour and a half before I got there, and I really don't know what happened at the other one. There was a car out front, and I tried every door, but had no luck.) I was debating on driving out to Lewisville to look at Vista Ridge United Methodist Church, or stay in Plano and look at St Andrew.

I had performed at St. Andrew before with the Carrollton Wind Symphony and thought the sanctuary was pretty, but too big. I also really liked the organ pipes that covered the back wall of the sanctuary, much like at the Meyerson Symphony Hall. However, as the guest list continues to get longer (we are pushing three hundred invitations) that is less of an issue. I came across the cross road for St. Andrew, and drove to that church. When I came up to the building, I fully expected it to be locked as the other churches had been. However, it was open, so I walked in. I could hear organ music, so I peeked in one of the side doors to the sanctuary. The music was beautiful! I quickly walked to the back of the sanctuary, to the double doors where my father and I would walk in together. I slowly walked down the aisle, and I knew that this was the place I wanted to get married. I wanted that organ sound. I had chill bumps on my arms and legs and a feeling in my gut, I knew it was the right place.

I walked towards the offices, to find someone to give me information about weddings, but since it was a holiday weekend, I was not surprised to find them already gone for the day. I walked back towards the sanctuary and walked in once more. I could picture where David would stand, where my bridesmaids would be, where the minister would be, etc. Now I just have to wait until Tuesday to call the church and get wedding information. I was really excited, I told my mom, then called Heather, who was almost as excited as me! (Yes, we are dorks.)I am so glad that we found a church!

Now, if we could only find a reception site...

Sunday night Dezi and I had been asked to talk at River. River is the youth's contemporary worship service that they have once a month. The theme was spiritual journeys and since we had recently become engaged, they wanted us to speak about our experience with getting engaged and everything. We worked on it and came up with a couple of points that we wanted to leave with the kids. They all sound pretty simple, but they are deceptively complicated.

Traits to look for in a serious relationship

They should make you happy; That does not mean they should make your parents happy or your friends happy. Or that you should be happy because of the status dating them gives you.

You should trust them completely

They should be your equal; Challenge you to be better and make you want to be better. Hopefully their strengths compliment your weaknesses.

Probably hardest of all: You must be a whole person before you can give yourself completely to anyone else; We talked about how we had to be happy with ourselves before we could be happy with someone else.

I have been conducting internet searches of various Methodist churches in the area. (When I say the area, I've looked at churches in Grapevine, Plano, Frisco, Carrollton, The Colony, Farmers Branch and Carrollton. Lewisville is next.) I made a list of the churches close to work and decided to visit those three this week, during my lunch time.

Yesterday, I was at Webb Chapel United Methodist church. It is right around the corner from work. I enjoyed talking with the secretary there. She was very helpful, and let me see the sanctuary. It's a neat looking sanctuary, and has bright red carpet. The kicker was that instead of having a center aisle, it had two aisles. She told me that the church was one of the oldest in the area, and when it was actually on Webb Chapel, it was known as the Little White Church. When the congregation outgrew that church, they used the boards from the old building to create the ceiling for the new building! I like buildings that have a story with them. Aside from the aisle issue, the sanctuary was beautiful and had a lot of charm!

Today, I visited Chapel Hill United Methodist Church. The youth minister was the only person there, he showed me the sanctuary. It was very pretty, a little smaller than Webb Chapel's. However, he said if we needed more seats, part of the wall opened up into the fellowship hall, and we could put chairs there. It had a nice, long center aisle. The really neat part is that (well, and we could do this at the other church, too) we can bring in an outside officiant. At this one, though, I think the officiant could do the whole ceremony, whereas at the other church, they would co-officiate with the pastor at that church. Both churches said we could get married there, and that since we're scheduling our wedding this far ahead, we would have a really good chance of getting the date we want. (July 16th, at 6:00 p.m.) Another good thing about this church, is that the guy I talked to (the youth pastor) is an Aggie, so he and David like each other already.

Well, tomorrow's activities will include a visit to another church, Schreiber Memorial United Methodist Church, in North Dallas. It is on the other side of LBJ from work, but is still really close. So we shall see what they say.

Well, let the planning begin! I spent yesterday and today looking for ceremony and reception sites. We did a preliminary invite list over the weekend, and came up with around 300 people. (No, that is not a typo. I have a huge family, so I figure close to a third of that is family. So that is definitely a factor in determining the location. We have a close family friend who is the wedding coordinator for her church. I had asked about getting married there, but since we are not members of that church, that won't happen. She was able to give me some excellent suggestions on reception sites, as well as floral shops and bridal shops. Yay! Thank you so much for your help!

My best friend Heather (who will be my maid of honor) and I went to Barnes & Noble Tuesday night, and bought a wedding organizer/planner and also a bridal etiquette book. We had a blast going over the selection of bridal books in the store. Another family friend gave me my graduation present, which is a year's subscription to Bride's magazine. It's fun to look through and start getting ideas for everything.

The neatest part about telling people about our engagement is their reactions. Most people who knew the two of us were not surprised to hear the news. The youth have been really funny. The girls all get really excited, jump up and down and scream, cry and ask for details about the proposal, fawn over the ring. The guys see the ring and are like,"Oh, that's nice." I did have one girl get really excited, and then ask me with total sincerity who I was marrying. Since I thought it was obvious that David and I are together, I was shocked by that question.

Oh well, I guess the next thing to do is nail down a time and place. I hope to have that done as soon as possible. I've been told that after we get that decided, then everything else is just details. We shall see.

I would just like to point out that having a wedding reception at Laser Tag would fit in great with our western theme. It would also make sure that all the kids had something to go do.

Alas, I have been vetoed in my bid to shoot my wedding guests. (With laser lights of course)

Bowling, whirlyball, and arcades met a similar fate when they were proposed.

Hello, world! This is the first post on our new blog. It was created as a way for us to discuss all the facets of planning a wedding. Enjoy!