Planning Begins!

The first 5 days of our engagement were spent relaxing with each other and spreading our news. I really think the vacation proposal was perfect, because it really gave me a chance to let everything sink in and enjoy my excitement. If we hadn't been away I'm not sure I would have been able to do that, as I sometimes have the tendency to plan future events and forget to focus what's happening in the present. (I definitely remember scouring college guides as a freshman in high school, and made sure I had a job offer 15 months before college graduation...)

The 2nd to last day of the cruise was another day at sea, and Arthur mentioned discussing our wedding thoughts before we got home. I was off! Now I don't recall planning my wedding as a little girl, but I had a lot of thoughts right away (although I did play dress up a lot with my cousin Amanda, but the family always called us little floozies, but I'm pretty sure that's the opposite of a bride, so I don't think that counts) We talked a little bit about what we wanted that day, and tons on the trip home (when else we will have 10+ uninterrupted hours together?). It was wonderful to brainstorm together and figure out our priorities.
And I got to purchase my first bridal magazines in the Fort Lauderdale and Dullas airports!

What we decided:
-Summer 2011 (hopefully late June/early July, but not 4th of July weekend)
-Mid size (more than 100, less than 150)
-Catholic ceremony, so must be in a church
-big(ish) wedding party
-will incorporate lots of traditional elements
-open to Sat or Sunday wedding, depending on our venue choice
-will take place on East Coast, somewhere with meaning to us. Currently looking at coastal Maine (my home state), southern NH (traditionally wedding is held near the bride's family, and my parents currently live in Manchester), or Martha's Vineyard (Arthur spent most of his summers there)

That's really about as far as we've gotten. Top priority right now is to find our reception venue. We don't have that many restrictions on our date, so once we find a place we love then we can set a date. I'm trying really hard not to think much farther out than that, although I've been thinking about my bridal party a lot, and might have to start asking people soon :) Yesterday I caught myself checking out bridal dresses online and thinking about what kind of bridesmaids dresses I would consider, but I did manage to get myself back venues long enough to email 4 more places. Then I called my mom and talked for 2+ hours about EVERYTHING weddings. I'm so happy she's excited about planning too! So today is back to venues.

About a month ago it was getting close to the end of busy season, so I was anxious to actual have a social life again. As I was emailing people and planning all these things to do, Arthur encouraged me not to overbook us. Did I listen? Nah, too much stuff to do and people to see! I planned something every weekend from April 16-June 4! I had no idea I was going to have wedding to plan. Luckily my Mom is the best, and is letting me cut into our Mother/Daughter weekend to visit some venues. Saturday we are concentrating in NH and have appointments to see 2 wine vineyards (not to be mistaken with Martha's Vineyard, we keep confusing ourselves), and one CASTLE! I absolutely adore the idea of a reception in a vineyard. It's so the casually elegant feel I want. Last fall when we got back from our roadtrip (which included 2 days in Napa), I was looking for vineyards in our area, and had found this really cool place in CT, and saw they did weddings, so that seed had been planted awhile ago. (We eliminated the Jonathan Edwards Winery, because CT is kind of a random place for us to get married. Might as well go to Napa!) And then I found the castle, and thought "what girl wouldn't want to get married in a castle?!" I have mixed feelings though. I want my wedding feel/theme to work seamlessly with my venue, and a castle might call for a more formal feel, and I'm not sold on formal. A month or so ago Arthur had also mentioned this hotel in Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard that he had always thought would be the ideal place to get married, (hmm that wasn't a big hint or anything...) so that got me started on a very nautical/preppy/Ralph Lauren/J. Crew/etc feel, which really is so me. But I think I could do that in a vineyard (minus the nautical) too.

So the search for a natural and casually elegant venue is on!

Post Proposal Vacation

After the amazing proposal night we still had another week of vacation, which was awesome, but also meant it would be harder to tell everyone our wonderful news. The next day we docked in Grand Cayman and decided that we should call our parents, because well, that really isn't the kind of news you share with your parents via email or facebook, and it was much more affordable to call internationally from the island rather than from the cruise ship. We enjoyed a wonderful day snorkeling and then 430 (when my mom gets of our work) finally came. First we tried Arthur's mom, then my mom, then Arthur's dad, then my dad. Nobody answered!! So we tried again - neither mom answered. At this point we figured we should leave a voicemail so when everyone saw a bunch of missed calls they wouldn't worry. Arthur tries his dad, and leaves voicemail. I do the same with my dad. Arthur says I should try again - call my mom, nothing, so I leave a voicemail. Arthur does the same with his mom. At this point I'm so disappointed because I really wanted to tell my mom on the phone and hear her reaction, but were about to lose Cayman service. Arthur tries his dad one last time, and YES, we got a live person!! He had already listened to the voicemail, but Arthur had only said "We've got some news...you can probably figure out what", so technically Arthur was able to tell his dad that we were engaged. Then I call my mom for the 4th time and she picks up! She had seen the missed call, but hadn't checked her voicemail yet. Finally, we had shared our news!

At that point I asked my parents not to tell many people, as I still wanted to share the news. I made it through dinner before breaking out Arthur's blackberry (his work so kindly gave him an international version for the trip) and sending facebook messages out. Not exactly my first choice of ways to tell people, but I just had to share!!

The rest of the trip was so wonderful. We scuba dove in Honduras, rented a jeep in Cozumel, did more snorkeling in the Bahamas, I introduced Arthur to bingo, and we enjoyed the divine food, dancing, and comedy shows on the ship. Being away definitely extended my excitement, as I still couldn't really gush, and didn't wear my ring that much. No way I was wearing it swimming! Every morning I would wake up and bounce over to the safe so I could wear it for an hour or so during breakfast before we went on shore. Then at the end of the day I got to wear it again! But the best part of it was all the time I got to spend with my new fiancé, uninterrupted by work or wedding planning. Just us. And in the end, that is what it's all about.

Although I am really looking forward to planning a fabulous wedding :)

The Proposal

As my blog started on Day 10, I have some catching up to do!

So Arthur and I had so much fun on our first vacation together last October, we couldn't wait to plan the next one. While our 15 day roadtrip down the Pacific coast was amazing, it took some extensive planning, and I knew that I would not have nearly as much fun researching during my tax busy season. Neither of us had ever been on a cruise so a trip to the Caribbean seemed like the perfect way to unwind after a cold winter and busy work time. Now Arthur and I had discussed how well we clicked and how sometimes it seemed like we had known each other for a lifetime, so I think we both pretty much assumed that we would marry each other when the time was right. Arthur had asked me my ring preferences a few times, and I had told him that he better not think about proposing without asking my father, so the stage was definitely set. As the cruise got closer the possibility of a proposal crossed my mind, but Arthur had just bought his condo and we had both been so busy at work and he hadn't dropped any hints lately that I dismissed the thought. Plus the whole proposal on vacation seemed too obvious. So off we went to Florida.

We spent the first day in Fort Lauderdale relaxing and transitioning into vacation mode. Little did I know that there was a rock hidden in Arthur's camera case or that he had very stealthily talked to my dad when we were in Manchester for Easter. Side note - I'm pretty sure my dad asked me the next day which one of my friends I thought would get married next. I know I answered me. Quite the poker face. Anyways, the next day we boarded the Crown Princess and began exploring. After a fun day I wanted to go to the ship's "movie under the stars". Arthur suggested that we take a late night walk afterwards, which I thought was great. When we first started dating we frequently took walks together and I thought it would be romantic and sweet. We went to the movie, the ring was in Arthur's pocket, but "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" just didn't do it for me, and I fell asleep. No proposal that night.

Sunday, April 25th. Our first day at sea. Thinking back on it now, I can barely remember how the day went. I think we slept in, explored more, went to the gym, and went to a wine tasting. It was also the first formal night of the cruise, and I had brought along a green dress I had worn to a friend's wedding. Arthur had seen pictures of me in this dress and always wanted to see me in it, but there never seemed to be a formal enough occasion to break it out, so months went by it became a running joke that arthur would ask "when do i get to see the green dress??" and I would always deny him. But tonight was the night. Because the dress had gotten so built up I thought I would go all out and with ringlets in my hair and dark eye makeup, because I knew those were Arthur's favorites as well. Needless to say, it took me a little while to get ready. Arthur was kind of pacing around, but I figured he was just bored waiting for me. We had a later dinner seating so Arthur suggested once I was ready we have a glass of wine on our balcony and watch the sunset a bit before heading to dinner. He put on some music while I curled, starting with our song ("I've got a feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas) which I thought was sweet. Finally I was ready. I told Arthur to go out on the balcony to pour the wine (and so I could make my green dress entrance). When I emerged Arthur said "You look so beautiful", we toasted, and embraced. Then he asked me "will you love me tomorrow" and I said "yes". "Will you love me next year?" and I again said "yes". Then he said "will you love me forever?". I paused and said "yes..." At that point he dropped down on one knee, slipped a ring on my finger, and said "Stephie, will you marry me?" I started tearing and said "yes yes!"
I was definitely in shock. The rest of the evening is really a blur. Arthur says I could not stop smiling. While I knew all along this would happen at some point I couldn't believe it had actually happened. After a bit I finally noticed the gorgeous ring, a simple cushion cut solitaire on a thin band with pave set diamonds.

(10 days later and I still catch myself checking it out).

I really wanted to tell the world, but we were out at sea and there was no way to call anyone without it costing a fortune. So the first night it was just us (and the strangers I told), and looking back was really nice to just enjoy the moment together. While Arthur hadn't completely decided on then when and how he was going to propose, he had been leaning towards doing it on a formal night so we could get some really good pictures. The evening was absolutely perfect.

Welcome!

Today is day 10 of my engagement, and after some consideration I've decided a blog would be an excellent way to both share and capture the excitement of this wonderful period in my life. I realize this isn't a particularly original idea, but I know not everyone is as enthralled as I am with the wedding planning process, so this is now my all things wedding outlet. For those of you who are wedding junkies or curious about my plans - welcome! I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas. And for the rest of my you I'll try to keep my exhilaration in check on facebook and when I see you. Try.

Let the fun begin!