Welcome to my planning bio! FI and I got engaged on November 22nd, and we're in the midst of planning our September wedding in St. Augustine, Florida. I have a lot of pictures that I collected from the very beginning of my engagement, so if I don't credit you, my apologies. Just email me at jonesgirl84@gmail.com and I'll credit you.

the lovely couple

FI and I met while attending college in Virginia. We both had Intro to Mass Communication together--I was a freshman, and he was a sophmore transfer student. It was the very first class for both of us at the college, and when role was being called, my friend Rachel realized that he had the same last name as she did. She told him he was on her "Future Husband List" because if they got married, she wouldn't have to change her last name! We chatted now and then before class or when we'd run into each other in the cafeteria or at concerts. It wasn't until we had a group project together that we really started getting to know each other, but he had a long-distance girlfriend and I had determined that I wouldn't date anyone my first semester at college (a decision that I'm still happy I made). We were casual friends, but when he became single right before Valentine's Day, we started chatting a little more. After an accidental date to Roanoke on a blizzard night and a few other forays, he offered to buy me dinner in exchange for designing a poster for his band. I accepted, and shortly after we began dating. March 6th of this year will mark four grand years for us. Hooray!

the proposal

Since we've been dating for quite a long time, we've talked about marriage and such before. I knew we would probably get engaged sometime in 2006 or 2007. The whole month before he asked me, I was pretty sure he was going to propose on Thanksgiving, just because it would be great timing, and we'd be able to go tell his whole family and everything. But he realized I was suspecting it. So he decided to trick me. I was working Wednesday night and he was supposed to come over and eat dinner with me. No big deal, pretty normal stuff. He came around 7:30 and popped around the corner of the office with half a dozen coral colored roses, a mint oreo dream bar from starbucks, and a jones cream soda (all things that I looooove). I was startled: "What is this for?" He answered, "Well...I really wanted to propose to you tomorrow...but I'm not going to be able to. And so I just wanted to bring you some things to make you happy anyways." He'd just gotten a speeding ticket recently, so I figured he hadn't been able to get the ring or something. He'd also kinda vaguely dropped comments recently that made me think he might not ask me till after Christmas, so I was hoping it wouldn't take that long, but thinking he might wait until the semester was over. I was a little let down, because I'd really been hoping that he would ask me that weekend, but I tried not to show it and I enjoyed my brownie and cream soda and gorgeous flowers. He helped me with dinner and closing up at work, and after I got done he suggested that we go for a walk.

I'll preface this by saying that St. Augustine does this thing called "Nights of Lights" where they light up the entire downtown with gold twinkle lights from November to January. We went to the big opening for it where they turned them all on, but it was really crowded and we were with a bunch of people and left right after. We've also been pretty busy lately and haven't really been able to go look at them since them. He told me that he'd seen them when he was on his way to my work and thought that it would be fun to go look at them and take some pictures. Of course, as fate would have it, I didn't have my digital camera. But I did have my old-school Canon Rebel, and it even had some film in it (luckily enough). So we walked down to the Lightner Museum, which was beautiful. The entire courtyard was lit up, and he (cheesily enough, he later admitted) said "Hey I need a new MySpace picture...will you take one for me?" So he went and stood underneath a large statue of Ponce de Leon, and I backed up a few dozen yards with my camera and took a picture. "Take another one!" he yelled, still standing under the statue. I did, and when I looked up (I couldn't see through the lense very well) he had his arm stretched out, with something small and white in it. I didn't know what it was at first, and asked, "What's in your hand?" And he said, "Well, come here!" When I was a few steps away from him, I realized that it was a ring box, and I started smiling really big. He started to ask me, and I had to remind him to get down on one knee (hehe) So he got on both knees, and asked me to marry him, and I said yes and cried and grinned like an idiot.

And now we're finally getting married! :)

[nights of lights]

[the lightner museum]

the ring

My ring is fabulous! It's from an Estate Jewelry store here in town, and I am completely in love with the setting. The engraving on the ring is beautiful and I can't wait to find a vintage band that has a similar style.

the ceremony site

We will be getting married at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, at the octagon near the rose garden. I'm so excited about this--even before we got engaged, I knew this is where I wanted to have the wedding. It's beautiful, and the park is right by the beach, so we'll be able to get lots of great photos.

[the rose garden--I'll walk through the arch and
down that aisle to the octagon ]

[the octagon where we'll be married]

the reception site

The reception will be held at the Officer's Club in the Historic St. Francis Barracks in downtown St. Augustine.

This is an old picture from 1092--the dock on the left isn't there anymore, nor is the gazebo. The flagpole is more to the left and smaller, which is nice. When standing on the lawn facing the water you see the intracoastal waterway and the Bridge of Lions--it's really pretty!

Here is the where the guests will be coming in. They'll enter into the garden area that leads to the Officer's Club.

This is the garden area. I think (weather permitting, of course) we'll put the polaroid guest book out here. We also recently talked to a friends blues band and we might have them play out here while we serve appetizers when guests first arrive. The only problem is that the closest electrical outlet is through the building, about two rooms back. So we might have to run a super long extension cord out the back and over the wall, which would look pretty tacky unless I can come up with a good way to cover it up.

Coming up the walk, guests will enter through this door to go into the Club. I'll probably have some garland or flowers by the door.

(Sorry about the lady--that's Carol, the secretary who was showing us around). This is the "bar" area. We will need to cover the bar with fabric or something, becuase they might charge a bar fee just to open it up (silly, I know). I'm still trying to figure out how we'll do that. The room for the drinks is on the right, there's a door going into it.


We were going to have this be the "kids" room, but now I think we're gonna have the drinks set up in here, as well as the gift table (by the fireplace, which is further to the right).

Okay, here's the first part of the room. You see the door they'll come through. The kitchen is on the left, and this is where they usually set up food. I'll probably have the food where I put "drink table" and have the drinks near the bar.

Here's looking the other way. We'll run the tables diagonally starting after the first trash can (the other trash can will be moved out of the way) and put the rest of the tables diagonal in the other part of the room. The door right before the second trash can leads to the little "museum" (I'll put two photos at the end). It's small, but kind of neat for people to look at.


So here's the head table, dance area--all the flags, plants, and the podium will be removed.


This is the other end of the room.

Here's part of the small "museum" about the Barracks if you go through the door. It has three rooms and is kinda cool.

theme/decor

I'm in love with vintage photos, music, style, everything. Our feel is sort of "European Vintage" (think Anthropologie) and we'll have a bird motif. First off, the colors: the main color is a pinkish coral, with light kelly green and golden yellow as the accent colors. My neutral is chocolate brown, although the guys will have black or tan suits.

[they look a bit brighter than they actually are--i need to take pictures of some swatches or something, because on the web they look different]

[sharkyinNC]

[i'm so excited about doing a polaroid guestbook!]

[weezermonkey]

[random knottie]

[martha stewart--i love the accent of the golden yellow with the coral color]

my dress

I just ordered it from NetBride! I got it for $172+shipping (as opposed to $253 from the dress shop in the area). I can't wait to get it! I'm going to wear the sash right at the empire waist (I don't know why they tied it around the natural waist, it looks funny that way). I also might try to have my seamstress add some crinoline at the bottom to make it fuller, as well as put cloth covered buttons on the back where it zips.

[watters and watters bridesmaid dress. it looks so "old hollywood" and i think it will look great with a french net veil and a cool necklace.]

[here's me trying it on...i got ivory with the brown sash. this one's a sample so it's pretty big on me, but you get the idea. i'll post more pics once i get it in the mail.]

my hair

I've always had pretty short hair, but I'm trying to grow it out for the wedding. I don't want a traditional veil--I'd like something with French netting and maybe a feather hairpiece.

[lisa wong jackson from good on paper design]

[from sophi.the.bride,in the upper left corner. i love everything with french netting, and i'm going to diy this sucker if it's the last thing i do!]

my girls

I don't know what their dresses will look like yet...my biggest thing is that I want them to be affordable. We're talking cute summer dresses from Old Navy, Gap, Target, or the like. I'm aiming for $60 or less. As long as they're a solid coral color, we'll be good. Even if it has some kind of pattern, I'm okay with that. I don't really have any pictures yet, but I do know they'll probably be tea-length or shorter.

food and drink

[i love this menu idea from academybeldham]

[i'll be serving limeade, sweet tea, and water in either big jars or infusion jars, along with glass bottles of coke--one of fi's few requests--in tubs of ice]

invitations

[Here's what it will look like when they take it out of the envelope]

[After they take out the photobooth strip (hopefully to stick on their fridge or bulletin board), they'll see the hotel block info (which is important for my older relatives that can't go to our website). I actually planned on laminating all the photostrips, but it was too time-consuming and they also came too close to covering up the text. They strips are printed on cardstock, anyway, so they are pretty sturdy to begin with.]

[i like this, but with a small sparrow instead of a peacock...or maybe two sparrows?]

[program idea from another knottie]

cake and favors

I'm working on bartering with a local cake company....I'll let you know how that turns out. I'm not sure exactly what kind of cake I want, but I have a few inspirations...

[via academybeldham]

[from kenziekate.blogspot.com]

[martha stewart weddings]

Ceremony:

Reception:

Officiant:

Photographer:

Groom's Ring:

Day of Coordinator:

Caterer:

Dress: