I said "Yes to the Dress!"

Well, it was nothing like the Style Network's famous show "Say Yes to the Dress," but it was definitely a memorable day. My mom, Steve, my brother, Matt, and I went to South Carolina this past weekend to attend one of our close friend's (Amber's)wedding. While the focus of the weekend was celebrating her special day, we decided to take some time the morning before her wedding to go look at some wedding dresses (while Matt and Jared slept in). I always thought I should wait until at least 6 months before the wedding, if not less to start looking for dresses because I didn't want to get one too far in advance and then change my mind. Then someone filled me in that you don't just walk into a bridal store and pick one out and take it home. Those are all samples and your dress has to be ordered, then probably altered once it comes in. It could be a 6 month process easily! So here I am, less than 8 months before the wedding and haven't even THOUGHT about a dress!

There was a bridal boutique in Mauldin, SC that mom had seen on a website before we left for the weekend, so we figured it would be a good opportunity to just try on all sorts of styles and see what I liked. I knew I wasn't going to buy anything that day, so it wouldn't hurt to try on anything I saw. I had a little something in mind for what I wanted, so when we got to the shop, I picked a few out. The owner of the boutique also pulled some dresses based on what I described and off to the fitting room we went. (And by the way, thanks all you girls who have gotten married already and DID NOT inform me that they come into the dressing room and put all the dresses on you. not awkward with a stranger in the slightest... nope... not at all). haha.

I tried on the first dress... it was ok, but too much going on. The second dress was exactly what I had imagined when thinking about my wedding day... but it just wasn't right. I felt pretty... but it wasn't the dress. The third dress I tried on was one that the shop owner had pulled. I wasn't a big fan of it, but I wouldn't dare be rude and tell her I didn't want to try it on. When I got it on and she zipped it up, she stood back and said, "Oh my Gosh...." I loved it. Absolutely loved it. I walked out of the dressing room holding my breath, anticipating what kind of reaction I would get from Mom and Steve. As I walked out, neither of them said a word. Not quite the reaction I was expecting. I walked around the room over to where they were standing and Mom said, "That's it." For the first time since May 5, I truly felt like a bride-to-be. I knew that this dress was everything I wanted and I didn't even realize it. It looked like... Jenna. :-)

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a quick decision-maker. I could not just buy that dress right then and there. I tried on a few more and didn't even want to really come out of the dressing room in them. When we left the shop that day, I kept going through the pictures on my mom's camera. I just couldn't quit thinking about it. We went to Amber's wedding that night and then drove back to Alabama. Mom and Steve went the other direction because it was fall break and Mom had some time off. When I got home, mom emailed me the pictures of the dress. It was all I could think about. As I kept looking at other dresses, I contined reverting back to that same dress at the boutique in South Carolina. I finally called mom and gave her the "go-ahead." So they re-routed their trip back home to include a stop in South Carolina.... What a great Mom and "step-boyfriend." :-)

The Early Bird Get's the Worm...

Matt and I do not have many details planned out concerning the big day yet, however we do have to location booked. For those of you who don't know, we have booked the Birmingham Botanical Gardens for our wedding and reception. This is a very popular wedding venue for the area, so they do their booking a little different. On June 1st each year, they book weddings for the next fiscal year on a first-come first-serve basis. Considering the fact that Matt and I got engaged in May, we didn't have much time to waste on deciding whether or not we wanted to have it there. So after spending many afternoons visiting various venues, we decided we couldn't beat the Botanical Gardens and decided that we would be there on June 1st to sign the contract.

We had already picked our date to be June 5, 2010. However, little did we know at the time, the most popular dates for holding a wedding at the Botanical Gardens are the first two weekends in October and (you guessed it) the first two weekends in June. Well, we could change our date... or be the first in line to sign a contract. :-) Anyone who knows Matt or me very well can probably go ahead guess which of the two that we chose to do. Let's just say, Matt and I are very competitive people. We don't lose. haha! :)

So on May 31st at 10:30 p.m. Matt and I headed over to the Botanical Gardens to wait outside to be the first ones in line. We took the FMIL's (future mother-in-law) fold-up chairs and plopped down right outside the front door. Call us crazy, but we were definitely glad we arrived so early. By 11:15 we were joined by a few other couples. There was free wifi there, so Matt and I entertained ourselves on my laptop by playing games and watching YouTube videos. As the night went on, the line down the sidewalk steadily grew. By 4:00 a.m. there were at least a hundred people lined up outside. Considering there are only 52 Saturdays in the year, somebody was gonna be out of luck. (Not to mention, the people who showed up at 8:00 when they opened the doors to the public). I fought hard, but didn't quite make it the whole night. However, Matt was a trooper and stayed awake so we didn't lose our spot in line (I knew there was a reason I was marrying him)!


When the doors finally opened, we were the first to sign up for our date. When we told her the date we wanted, she smiled and said, "You knew you better be the first in line, didn't you?" The next day was rough after having no sleep at night, but I can sum up our feelings about the long night quite simply...

Money order from Walmart: $100, Snacks to keep us occupied: $3, Breakfast from McDonald's: $6, Staying up all night camped outside of Botanical Gardens to get our perfect wedding: PRICELESS!

We Aren't Just Planning a Wedding...

While in the process of planning a wedding, Matt and I have also been realistic. I think many couples get wrapped up in the idea of a wedding and forget that after the honeymoon you will have a completely different life. So really, we aren't planning a wedding at all. We are planning a marriage! How exciting! :-)

So while planning for the life after the honeymoon, we have been hunting for houses. W hile the interest rates are low and we are trying to get in on the $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers, it seems like a good time to look. However, I had no idea how overwhelming this process could be. I just have one thing to say... planning a wedding is nothing compared to buying a house. The search for a house has been on for a couple of months. We have found some that we really like, but we will see if things go as planned. There are so many pros and cons to getting a house at this point. We are trying to weigh things out right now, while prayerfully considering God's plan for our lives at this point. But to be honest, I feel like I'm living in an episode of HGTV's "House Hunters" :-)

"I feel like we're planning a Walmart wedding..."

Yesterday, I finally got to experience one of the events I have been most excited about in the planning process: The Southern Bridal Show. The week of our engagement, one of the first things I researched was the date of the next show in Birmingham. Luckily, I didn't have too long to wait. It was 3 months away. Alas, the day finally arrived and my mother and I, along with Matt (he's so good. lol) fought the horrible rainy weather to get to the BJCC. However, once we arrived at the show, we found that this was not all it was cracked up to be. It seemed like most of the booths there were overpriced photographers, tacky decor, obscene party ideas, and bad videography. There were thousands of people there and a great deal of them were bridezillas. My mom and I found ourselves laughing b/c of the competitiveness of some of the moms there. I know a wedding is an important day, but come on ladies. No need to get all worked up! haha. One of the craziest things we noticed were how many "Bride-to-be's" were pushing baby strollers. Even though we were disappointed in the booths, we were still excited about the fashion show at the end. Unfortunately, we were no more impressed with that than we were any other part of the day. Most of the dresses seemed to just look like white prom dresses. Nothing special... As we left, the statement we agreed upon that basically described everything we had seen was simultaneously stated by my mom and me.:-) "I feel like we were planning a Walmart Wedding!"

Due to our disappointment in the Bridal Show, we left and used the rest of our afternoon to look for dresses (Matt had to head back to the church to get ready for the youth service). So we went to one shop and I tried on three dresses, none of which I was ready to commit to. However, this was the first time I had ever put on a veil. This moment made up for the disappointment we had experienced the rest of the day. For that one special moment, with just my mom and I in the dressing room, I finally had a reality check. This is real. I am truly getting prepared for the most important day of my life... I'm going to be a bride.

When the sparks began....

Matt and I met a few years ago while both volunteering in Pigeon Forge, TN at the Smokey Mountain Student Bible Conference. That weekend, one of the conference staff members, Randy, confronted me about whether or not I "had my eye on anybody here?” Of course, this was the first night. I just simply laughed and said no. Randy replied, “Well I think Matt has his eye on you!” Later that evening, Randy proposed the same question to Matt, who coincidently replied in with the same answer I had given, “no.” And yes, you guessed it, Randy told Matt that he “heard that Jenna girl has her eye on you." Needless to say, neither Matt nor I were looking for love that weekend, but Randy was determined to make sure that Love was looking for us. After Matt and I both spent the weekend playing “hard-to-get” while assuming we were both being pursued by the other, we finally discovered we were being set up. The night we came home from Tennessee, Matt asked me on our first date…

Randy told us that weekend in Tennessee, and willl still tell anyone till this day, "Of all the couples I've set up over the years, only two haven't ended up married in the end."

I guess Matt and I didn't hurt his statistics. :-)

Thanks Randy!

The picture below is from the weekend we met. Actually, the day of our first date. :-)

I'm New to This... :-)

I have never been a "blogger," but was encouraged by a friend to start a blog relating to my wedding preparations. I have only been engaged a little over a month now, but I am jumping in head-first into the life of a new "Mrs. To-Be." Within the first month, my fiance' and I have already set a date and a location. (No worries, though. I will definitely post a "belated" blog about that adventure!) However, the rest is still to come! I hope that through this blog, friends and family (near and far) can stay updated in the wedding-planning process! I would love all the feedback you would like to give relating to any of the topics that will be posted on here!!!! Thanks for all the support!!