I Can't Wait

This pretty much sums it all up!

Lyrics | Runner Runner lyrics

Happy Heart

I have this thing about being "even" or "balanced" so when we set the bridal party I left out some people that I really wanted to be a part of our big day.  It killed me.  I saw these people often and love them dealy so I was really conflicted. 

Needless to say I have an amazing fiance and we found a solution to this conundrum and I am not able to include all the special girls/women in my life.

Let me tell you about these fabulous girls:

Ashley Cervantez - Maid of Honor:
My sister, my best friend, my laugh a minute charlie!  She's a rock and been instrumental in helping me make decisions.  When we went shopping for my wedding dress and she teared up, I KNEW that was my dress.  All three of us, Ashley, my mom and I all knew at the same time!  And well, we just "ball so hard".  (Yes, I know only her and I get this, but who cares)

Noga Holck - Bridesmaid:
Noga is Ross' only sister.  We met just a few weeks after Ross and I started dating when she made a trip to California.  We instantly hit it off and were a "Beer Pong" team.  Noga is not a sister in law to me, but just another sister. 

Lindsey Nelson - Bridesmaid:
Lindsey is my brother Garrett's wife.  Again, like Noga, there is no "sister in law" in my vocabulary.  She is one of the most kind, sincere and caring individuals that I know.  I am lucky to have her in my family.

Halie Kelley - Bridesmaid:
Halie is my cousin, but I feel she is more like a little sister or niece.  Always protective of her because of such a significant age difference.  I have enjoyed watching her grow from a little girl to the college woman she is today.

Judy Wickersham - Bridesmaid:
Judy should be a sister!  LOL.  We've known each other since our dancing days at Crafton Hills College in Yucaipa.  We're the kind of friends that can go months, even years sometimes without talking and be able to pick right back up where we left off.  We've grown into adulthood together and it's been such a fun time to watch each other go from crazy college kid to careers, to marriage, and now a baby for her. 

Kaley Weakly - Bridesmaid:
My mini!  Seriously  Kaley is my mini me.  For those that do not know, her parents moved in next to my family when I was six.  Kaley was still 3 years away from being born at that time.  We spent a lot of time together and now that we're grown it happens a lot less, but I love those times together. 

Lexie Nelson - Jr. Bridesmaid:
Lexie is one of my nieces.  She's an adorable curly haired 8 year old cutie.  I let her have the option of wearing a special dress all her own, matching the flower girl or matching the big girl.  She wanted to be like the big girls.  She's growing up so fast!

Zia Cervantez - Flower Girl:
Zia is another one of my nieces.  As of yesterday she's got this toothless little grin that can make anyone smile.  She's such a sweet girl, and reminds me so much of my sister when she was little its crazy.  However my mom pulled some old photos out and well, she kinda looks like me too, but with brown hair. :-)

Kelsey Weakly - Usher"ette":
Kelsey is my sister's Mini if Kaley is mine. :-)  We've spent a life time with the Weakly family.  Once Kelsey's babysitter, she is now Ashley's and I'm sure one day will be mine.  I've had the pleasure of watching Kelsey go from cute little red headed kiddo to a Sorority girl. 

I couldn't imagine my day with out all of these women and girls around me.  Each has played a significant role in my life and I can only hope that I have in theirs.

Kelsey is serving a unique role, typically Usher's at a wedding are men/boys.  We've decided to be a little unconventional and have one male and one female usher.

Check, Check Check

It's been a while since we've updated the world on what has been going on behind the scenes as we prepare for our big day.

So, here's the scoop! 

• A photographer has been selected and the initial deposit sent.  We're lucky to have found a great team, it's a husband and wife and their work is fantastic.  Feel free to peruse their site by CLICKING HERE.
• My dress is in!!! I know I am still 10 months away, but I am SO excited.  I go in August for the the first fitting.  And NO, you still can't see it!
• The brides babes dresses have been selected and ordered!  They are absolutely stunning and I couldn't be more pleased.  I had originally selected one dress, but let the girls each select a dress when we arrived for our appointment.  My sister, cousin, best friend and niece each picked one.  My two sister in laws did not because the dress my sister selected was AMAZING!  LOL, they didn't want to try on anything else.  How did I get so lucky to get such an amazing group of girls?  They made it so EASY!  So, it was the dress my sister picked that won us all over.  It's a Bari Jay design and it's fabulous with bling!
• We taste tested cake at Sweet Art, we were not that impressed, we'll continue our search.
• We took a few photo's over the weekend for our Save the Dates and we're working on those this week.  So keep your eyes peeled in the next month or so for one of those fantastical postcards!

Hope I didn't make any heads spin with this quick update, but hey, it's my obligation as a non-Brideszilla to make this painless. :-)

Success!

A venue has been selected!  It's funny, yesterday as we revisited our final two selections, I really thought we'd both lean towards a certain one. 

To our surprise, we found that the more modern looking facility with fabulous views actually lacked space.  The venue was set for the exact same amount that we anticipate.  The chairs and tables were so close together it would make moving about quite the task.  Second negative...the dance floor was much smaller than we remember.  No way Jose...we need dancing space!  My girls and I need to get our boogie on!  Over to the other venue, wow, what a difference decor makes.  We've seen this venue undecorated and were slightly underwhelmed with the little details (carpeting, window treatments).  I kept trying to see past those and seeing the venue decorated yesterday provided just the umph we needed to see it for all it's worth.  The wrap around patio is by far my favorite feature...all the windows in the room are actually sliding glass doors (which we'll probably have open) that open to a lovely patio with views of the golf course below.

That being said, we actually selected the very FIRST venue that we looked at.  Now...the negotiation process begins.  Wish us luck, I think my very financially savvy fiance will be able to ink a deal by week's end.

Up next...Honeymoon shopping.

The Great Debate

Really it's not a great debate in this house, but I know this is a touchy subject with a lot of folks. So here it is...Children or No Children at the wedding/reception?

We have thought about this for some time now, but have not made a decision. We see the pros and cons for the parents, but we also see the cons for our wedding (I know a little bridezilla, but darn it, it is my one day after all).


What we like about the "No Kids" rule:
Parents get to enjoy a child free night
No strange noises durig the ceremony
No barrage of children hijacking the candy bar (yes, we are having a candy bar)
People can drink, swear and dance the night away as they so desire


What we don't like about the "No Kids" rule:
We might offend someone
Someone might not be able to find child care


See that list it shorter...lol.

We have thought about hiring someone and putting them up in a hotel room (or someone's home)to be the official "nanny" for the night. Drop your kids off and pick them up after the wedding and tip the nice nanny. We'll pre-stock with snacks and drinks.

Of course some of our out of towners might take this as an opportunity to have a mommy/daddy only vacation, in which case child care wouldn't be an issue.

Married folks...please feel free to share your thoughts. :-)

One Year Count Down

Tomorrow (April 20, 2012) will mark the official one year countdown start until the wedding. I am so excited! Actually - WE are so excited. We talk about it often and occasionally ask "Do you still want to marry me?" The answer is always a resounding "YES!!!" Good, because we are perfect together. Since the last post not a ton has actually happened. But, things are starting to pick up. This Saturday we are visiting two venues (again) for the last time before we make a decision. In the running, Sierra La Verne, the very first place we looked at. They were very nice, helpful and informative, not to mention they set the bar really high for the rest of the venues we looked at. Pricing is great, and you really get a lot from them. Many perks that other venues simply don't offer, or do for an additional charge. The second venue is Brookside in Pasadena. GORGEOUS views and a very nice room. This weekend both are having weddings similar in size to what ours will be so we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get another look at the venues all gussied up and set for about the same amount of people. Yes...we are wedding crashing! LOL, no not really, we're visiting both just before their ceremonies start. Once we make a decision we'll get to the good stuff like centerpieces, decor, cake, food tasting, etc. LOL I can't wait.

When You Know, You Know!

So, I'm one of those folks that most would call a realist. When taking those personality tests I answer with how I really fell, not how I think I should respond based on the subjective outcome that someone wants to evaluate me on. I took one of these recently for work, it basically said I would make a terrible sales person...exactly, that is why I am NOT in sales! But, a running joke between my supervisor and I since then has been that I think everyone is a liar. LOL, no not really. But, given the opportunity to embellish or make one self sound better and no one would really know, YES, I think people take the opportunity!

Why does this matter, well just about every woman, man and I child I've talked to about the upcoming nuptials have all said the same thing about the dress. Everyone has said, you will know when you put the one on, it will just feel different. I took these comments all in stride, I didn't want everyone to think I was negative, but what was really going through my head was..."are you kidding me? Seriously, I'm going to put on "the" dress and have this sudden moment of realization that it is the absolute most perfect dress for me - ha, you people are funny. And, moderately delusional"

Yes, here is the part where I admit, I was wrong and everyone else was right! Every single last stinking one of you. (Hurry, take note, I don't fully admit things like this very often).

Yes, I found my dress. Yes, I absolutely love it. Yes, it made me, my mom and my sister get misty eyed! I didn't want to take it off! I wanted to wear the sample home, out to lunch, for the rest of time! Yes, I was that crazy in love with my dress!

And NO NO NO NO NO - you can not see pictures, or know the brand or style. But, I can tell you that I found it at Mariposa Boutique in Anaheim. This store came on high recommendation from my darling friend Judy, who also purchased her dress there.

My mom, sister and I celebrated with lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, where I proceeded to eat my weight in Pasta Carbonara, Caramel Apple Cheesecake and a Belini! Good thing I have plenty of time to work that meal off! :-)

Venue Shopping

Can I first say "WOW" - there are so many things to consider when selecting a venue. It's not just about the view, the ambiance or the decor. You've got to think about things like parking, proximity, accessibility and personalities.

YES - personalities! I've decided if I can't stand or get along with the person at the venue, we CAN NOT get married there. I've already cancelled two appointments to view places just because the people were pushy. Come on folks, we're paying you big bucks, you should be nice!

We've visited one venue and are visiting another this coming weekend. Not to mention that I also have about 10 other quotes laying around as well.

Any tips, tricks or recommendations when considering a venue would be appreciated, leave them here on the blog!

One thing I do know, the first place we visited was a little overwhelming for us. Lots to see, do, understand, take in...ya, the list goes on. But, one thing that I did like is that included in the package option that we discussed were 4 door greeters, 1 captain (in charge of the coordinators and food service workers)and 3 coordinators - this means no hiring of outside coordinators or asking a friend to handle day of activities. That is pretty awesome!

I can't believe it, next Monday (Feb 6) will be one month already. Only 14 more to go (or so we think, a final date has not been set in stone).

Style Board #1

I've been playing with colors and patterns and really like this (probably as evident in the blog design). I'm sure I'll be posting more.

Dress Shopping Trip #1

I know, I know you are thinking what the heck this girl just got engaged. But yes, I already went dress shopping just one week and one day after we got engaged.

I went with the premis that dress shopping should be fun. Ha...I was overwhelmed, stressed and just out of touch with reality!

Saturday morning I went to Alfred Angelo and was joined by my mom, my sister, my sister-in-law to be and my best friend. I took along a print out of three dresses I wanted to try on. I also was prepared by calling ahead and making an appointment. Clearly I wasn't the only one, the shoved four or five of us into this small area at once. Too many people for my liking.

Anyway, dress number one was great! I mean honestly truly great. I really like it, with the exception that the drop waist hit me right in the who-ha area. Felt funny. So when I came out I wasn't sure what to expect, how to react, etc. So I played it off like I wasn't in love with the dress, but I secretly was. (My thinking was you can't LOVE the first dress you try on - right, wrong - both my mom and sister ended up going back and buying the first one they tried on when they got married). Anyway I made up all kinds of excuses about it and didn't show any emotion when on the inside I was thinking, this could be the one.

Dress number 2, the one that everyone liked best from the pictures I showed them. Not a fan at all. I was shocked.

I quickly got dressed and we left. I think we were there a total of 45 minutes. I'm sure I irritated the consultant, but hey, I went with two pictures and that's what I wanted to try on.

Needless to say I was feeling a little discouraged about the outting, kind of like I wasted everyone's time, including the consultant. We all chatted outside for a few minutes then everyone went on their way. I snuck across the street to the my least favorite mall, Ontario Mills, because I knew they had the store Group USA in there. They sell wedding dress (my sister actually bought her's there and they still have it on display almost 6 years later) and I though I could go alone on my own terms, without an audiance and without a consultant breathing down my neck. As I looked asisle after asile, I still didn't see anthing, not even a "style" that I thought I would like.

So after all this I cheered myself up with a little retail therapy. :-)

A few things I learned after coming home and chatting with my wonderful fiance.

Lesson #1 - don't get discouraged, dress shopping should be a fun experience and you aren't going to LOVE everything.

Lesson #2 - don't think you're wasting anyones time. I realized that they were all there because they wanted to be there.

Lesson #3 - don't think that because he's not a fan of strapless dresses that you can't get one. His words "you'll look beautiful in whatever dress you pick".

Lesson #4 - don't think $1000 for a dress is outrageous, in fact it's probably normal.

More dress appointments are scheduled in the future already, this time I'm already armed with more answers than questions and won't feel bad about making the consultants work for my business!

How We Met

I realized as I was sitting here waiting for Ross to get home from tennis tonight that some of you may not know how we met.

For a while my sister and brother in law wanted to introduce us, but I continued to put them off, I was dating someone else. Eventually we were both single and happened to be at the same event (for the first time ever, which is quite funny considering we'd both hung out at my sister and brother in laws house, but never at the same time). We were at a show that a my brother's band was doing at The Grove in Upland. It was Saturday January 12 or 19, 2008 (can't remember the exact date).

As I wandering around I stumbled upon my sister and brother in law. They were talking to Ross, but I had no idea who he was at that time. They immediately introduced us and then ran off. We were both left standing there going "uh"...lol. It was an awkward moment. I think I eventually said something about having to get back to my friends. Needless to say we both left that night without exchanging phone numbers.

A week or so passed and I finally called my sister and told her what a butt I felt like. She said not to worry and they would make sure Ross knew I was interested and would give him my number. A couple of days passed and my sister called me back and said that he'd call me when he got back from Mardi Gras.

Sure enough he did call. We had our first date on Saturday February 16, 2008 at Lucky Strike in Hollywood.

Starting With the Ring

I've told this story several times to family and close friends, but I think it's okay to share it with the world too.

A lot of folks have comments that my ring is unique and original. Good news...it is! Ross actually had my ring made based on a printed jpg file that he received from his mom, who got it from his sister, who of course got it from me. The funny part of this story is how I found this particular ring.

In April of 2010 I was online searching for hairstyles for my dear friend Judy's wedding when I came across this most amazing ring I'd ever seen. I wanted to die! I instantly feel in love with this ring. On a whim I decided to save a copy to my computer. The problem...I was no where near being engaged, and I had no idea who made the ring anyway. But, that certainly didn't stop me from saving the picture.

While talking about my friends wedding one day with Noga (Ross' sister) I told her about the ring. She said..."email that to me". Little did I know she held on to it all this time! She's amazing!

When Ross was ready to make the ring purchase his mom handed him the print out of the ring! They took that print out to the jeweler and had an exact replica made just for me! I LOVE my ring so much more than words can say, I can't believe I am wearing this ring!

I can't wait to marry my best friend, the person that keeps me in stitches, the man who proposed without sweaty palms or crazy nerves (yep, he was totally calm...you'll hear about that later), my love!

Under Construction

So here it is, the blog you've all been waiting for! You'll get to hear about everything you wanted to know about our engagement and journey to the alter...and more.

The fabulous Holly Crane is helping to build out the design for the blog, so expect to see it changing over the next week or so. Holly - you freakin ROCK!

Please feel free to leave us love on the blog site itself if you like.

With love...
Heather & Ross