The Other Proposal.

Did I mention that when Sean proposed in December, it wasn't the first time?

Sean had proposed to me several times before - though some may or may not have been under the influence of alcohol. I know, I know - drunk proposal = classy.

(source)

It's not that bad, I promise. 

It all comes down to expectations. Sean and I met when I was fourteen, and he was sixteen. We were friends for three years before we started dating. We knew that we were right for each other right away, and perhaps our families did too. But our families are, for lack of better words, brash. They will tell you exactly what is on their minds at any time, and they're not afraid to make fun of you either. While loving, they're also bluntly harsh. (Example: 10 years ago, my aunt broke off her engagement. We still give her grief, about once a month. Equally so about her running over a cow with her car...but I digress). We knew that if our engagement wasn't done in the "right" way, we'd never hear the end of it. 

Cue summer of 2008. Sean and I went on a vacation to Disney World. It was the first time I'd even been, and I was thrilled to be there! We drove there, 16 hours straight over night, and then went straight to the park. We made the most of every.single.day. It was fabulous. The third night we were there, we were watching the fireworks in the Magic Kingdom. And, like a storybook, Sean got down on one knee, gave an adorable speech, and proposed. 

(yes, we were driving at the time - this about hour 14...ie, somewhere in Georgia)

(the gorgeous fireworks)

With a Mickey Ring. 

While it was adorable, we knew we would never live it down to our families. Later, I found out that Sean decided he was going to propose while we were driving down, so he was unable to buy a ring. He was most upset with himself for not planning better, but promised that a real ring would be coming soon. 

(right after he proposed - whoa he needed a haircut!)

While this may not be our "official" proposal, it still remains very dear to my heart. Did you have a "mini-proposal" before the real thing?

Busy Busy Us!

The first time we worked out an approximate guest list, we were shocked. Without anyone bringing extra guests, and a rather small friends list, we had 278 people. That's right. This was going to be a 300 person wedding. We have over 200 people with just FAMILY. Did I ever mention that Sean and I have huge families? Point proven. And we only picked the family members we know. Like, zomg. It's daunting. We're taking on this huge task of entertaining a ridiculous amount of people. but it's going to work. We ARE going to get this done. I'm going to be doing my own stuff a lot, but that's okay.


Since then, we've actually managed to bring the number down a bit. We're looking at roughly 230 guests being invited. And all that business of "plan for 20% to not come"? I don't buy it. I will not be shocked if we have a 95% acceptance rate, even in January.

 (source)

I do not want my wedding to look like this

So who did we ditch? We decided that while quite close to them, and even facebook friends, my dad's cousins could stand to not come. That's right. My grandpa's siblings' children. Every time my cousin Heather asks about the wedding, it breaks my heart that we can't invite her, but that's another 50 people. They all live in rural Illinois, and if you invite one, you have to invite them all - even cousin Sandy (whom I've never met sober). We didn't nix anyone on my mom's side, because the entire side together is only about 20 people - including my great-great aunts. While my dad's side has a thing for four children, my mom's is all about singles. Surprisingly, I know all of my family, and see them several times a year (my third cousin twice removed, Scott, taught me how to swim). Sean doesn't know his extended family, so there was no need to hack away at his side.

Regardless, I know that we will be surrounded by people we both know and love.  Did you have to cut anyone you really wanted to be there?

The Proposal

Sean officially proposed on December 19th, 2008. He's proposed to me many times before, but never with an engagement ring. That night, however, was different.

It was sweet, simple, and perfect.
We went out to dinner, because we didn't have Mary's (ie all of my dad's family eats there every Friday night together). The entire way over, we were talking about the future - but we always do that, and it's more like fantasizing. Sean was playing with my left ring finger, but, again, he always does that. It's a normal night for us. We went into Red Lobster (which should have tipped me off in retrospect - he doesn't like fish at all) and got a buzzer thing for a table, and then we went outside to wait (in the cold - also a cue). We sat on the little brick wall and we were talking about his day. I was heckling him a bit, because he had gone shopping with his sister and mom earlier (which he generally enjoys oh so much). He pretty much brushed off the conversation, and since I had been talking at a million miles an hour (I had just finished my fall semester, and we hadn't seen each other in 3 weeks), the conversation kind of lulled.
Then he says: "So patience isn't one of my virtues..." He pulls out a box, and says "will you marry me?"

The ring was on my finger before I said yes, but I made sure to ACTUALLY say yes! I've read so many stories where the girl never actually says yes, that it was stuck in my head and I said it a million times over.

And then started the mass texting and calling and squealing and everything! Sean's family knew beforehand, because his mom and sister were with him to pick out the ring that day. Yes, that. day. While it's traditional to ask the bride's father, my dad had been calling him "son-in-law" for the past two years, so that little event was skipped over. Sean knew he had my parents' blessing from day one.

It's all so exciting! I've always known it was coming, but I never actually expected it. Just, wow. I'm still speechless. We're probably not getting married for another 2 years, but there's a lot of stuff that has to be done. Since we're getting married at All Saints, we have classes to attend, "counseling," and the FOCCUS test to take. Plus it's going to be huge. It all has to be done while we're in school and (for now) I'm 100 miles away. We're not even considering ANYTHING until after I get back from San Antonio, at least.

But yes, Sean and I are engaged (officially).

I love my ring. It's simple and gorgeous. I'm using my grandma's wedding ring for my own, so the engagement ring has these gorgeous sapphires (I plan on wearing on my other hand after we get married). It's perfect. There's no other way to describe it.

I'm only a little bit excited. I promise.


So, without further ado, el anillo:

A Beginning

Every bride has a theme. A motif. A guide. Whether it be beach, upscale, icicles, country chic, or even a color, there will always be one uniting factor of any wedding (other than love).

I'm at an impasse. As a modern, funky, 22 year old, I'm trying to plan the wedding of my dreams on a limited budget. My parents are graciously helping out - but that means that I need to stay within their limits in style. So here I am, trying to throw a classy, but sassy, winter wedding. I'm sprinkling in my funkiness, without creating a snowflake or Christmas cliche wedding. I'll be posting DIY adventures, tips on how to save, and everything in between.

Can I do it? Follow along while I try to keep my sanity!