John and I have been together for over 6 years now, and our engagement is going to end up being about 16 months long. So, we're not in a real hurry. I am so excited this is finally happening! I'm marrying the same boy who I used to trade baseball cards with when I was seven years old.

We are planning a fairly laid back wedding. It will be outdoors and the wedding and reception are at the same site. However, I keep describing the wedding as, "laid back," and, "casual," and it seems as if people are picturing a back yard barbeque with Uncle Cletus roasting a pig. So, I want it to be relaxed, but pretty.

Our Engagement Pictures












There's no turning back now! Our save the dates have been mailed out. John made them - didn't they turn out awesome!



The Locale

This is the site where our ceremony will take place - weather willing. Isn't it just gorgeous? I spent all my summers about a half a mile down the road at my Grandpa's cottage growing up and never even knew this was here. The cottage was just sold and we really miss it so the locale is not only beautiful, but it holds a lot of sentimental value as well. If you want any information about the site go to www.bowensmills.com The price is unbeatable!


I just about died when I saw that water wheel - if it rains on our wedding day I will just be beside myself!


This is where the reception will take place - same site as the ceremony. It's kind of a bummer that we don't need to be transported between the ceremony and reception because my Dad works at a motorhome sales center. They have GIGANTIC motorhomes and for many of our friends' weddings he has taken the wedding party to the reception in one. They are gorgeous and it's SO MUCH FUN! I might just do a ride around the block - is that dumb? I'm afraid it's rude to the guests. But there will be all kinds of fun stuff for them to do. There are animals that kids can go pet. When we pulled up and saw the lama for the first time I rethought the entire locale! Napoleon Dynomite anybody? It'll be fun for the kids though.


At first I was all embarrassed because of the cheese factor here, but now I'm over it and way excited. After the ceremony John and I are going to ride away in this horse carriage with our wedding party. It’ll be a tight squeeze!


My future mother-in-law made us balls like this to hang from the chairs. They’re viny & brown.


This was one of the few things I've stumbled across and just known for sure that I want it. Isn't it beautiful? Again, my mother-in-law to be made us some of these with silks. The roses are pink and they turned out really nice. Not sure where we’re putting them, but they’ll be somewhere.


This is my fi’s Mom’s rendition of that. I know it looks sparse right now, we’ll make sure that is filled in more.
I bought three long candle holders that look basically like super big wine glasses to hopefully shelter the candles from the wind. And my fi is working on this awesome copper monogram for us. It looks so good, I’ll post a pic once it’s polished and ready to go.

Bouquet





These are the pictures I gave my florist (conveniently also happens to be my fi’s sister). So my bouquet should look like this & the girls will have smaller versions. Reception site - same locale just indoors with air conditioning : )

This is the inside of our reception hall. I HATE the chairs but we can’t afford chair covers : ( Very bummed about that.
Thanks to PreKTeacher25. I have completely stolen her idea of lanterns as centerpieces. Love it! I have found lanterns at Marshalls, T.J. Maxx and amidst all of the junk in my fiance’s parents barns.


This is my favorite lantern that we found.


A couple other lanterns that we found.>


This arrangement will go on the head table a la the following pic.


This pic is actually from one of my friend’s weddings and she has all of those votives for us to line our head table with : )

Two of these will be in front of the ceremony site.


We’re going to put one of these on the guest book table and another will be at my cousin’s table as an anniversary gift. Our wedding is on there first wedding anniversary and they’re still coming. Isn’t that sweet? So we’re surprising them with that.


We are going to do fan place cards with the guest’s names on them and then string up the place cards clothes line style.


Seriously - try to convince me that this isn't the most beautiful ring in the history of the world. You can't do it. I am IN LOVE with this ring. He picked it out all by himself - isn't it just breathtaking?



This is my dress - I am so so so in love with it!!!



I know I look like a dork - try to focus on the dress, not my face.



My sister doesn't seem to be quite as estatic as I am.


I had my hair trial – the side view is by FAR my favorite.


The front isn’t real exciting, but that’s what I wanted. We tried it all big & curly and it just wasn’t me.


And the back, it’s a lot messed up from us trying out my veil, different clips, & combs but you get the gist.


This is the picture I asked my hair dresser to make my hair look like, I think she did a pretty stinking good job.


We are copying this for the cookie buffet instead of doing a cake. My Great-Grandma was known as the cookie Grandma so we will be using her recipes for molasses cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, imperial cookies, and snickerdoodles.


Some of the vases we bought for the candy buffett filled with the sale Valentine's Day candy I got.


My fi being a nerd.


We are going to use these for punch outside. And I think we'll do four different flavors of alcoholic punch. Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. And then - something non-alcoholic.



And then this set up for the bartender to serve beer and wine.

THE BRIDAL PARTY
We FINALLY figured out how we are going to do our wedding party. I have two sisters, and John has three so things kept turning out lopsided. We will have 5 bridesmaids, 5 groomsmen, 3 honorary attendants, and two bridesmaid/ushers. I know what you're thinking - yikes! it's a circus!!! And we were originally going to elope. I just couldn't make a decision to save my life and better to have too many people that you love in your life then not enough, so I put them all in. The girls are all wearing kiwi colored After Six and Dessy dresses that they picked out. The only stipulations were that they had to be tea length and matte satin. The groomsmen will wear green button down shirts with brown pants from Banana Republic.



These are my beautiful sisters. Erin is on the left, she is my maid of honor. Mandi is on the right, she is one of my bridesmaids. This picture is from Erin's rehearsal dinner.


This is Erin's dress.



Another pic of Mandi and me. I look absolutely terrible but I just love this picture for some reason.


This is Mandi's dress.



This is Chris, another bridesmaid. She keeps me sane.


This is Chris in her dress & Jill in her dress.



Fellow knottie Paulsprincess : ) Yes, we know how hot we are. I was Flava Flav for Halloween.


This is Jill’s bridesmaid dress.



This is Denise, bridesmaid number 3. She is my sunshine : )


Denise modeling her dress.



Shannon is another bridesmaid. We've been friends since high school and as you can tell we were pretty big dorks. She is a bridesmaid/usher.


This is Shannon's dress.



This is Amanda. Another bridesmaid/usher.


This is Amanda's dress .



This is John's sister Mandy, one of our honorary attendants. This pic is from my 21st birthday, very early in the evening. Things went downhill from there very fast.


This is Mandy's dress.



These are John's other two sisters, Ellie on the left and Emilie on the right. They will be our other two honorary attendants. This pic is from Emilie's bachelorette party.


This is Emilie's dress.


This is Ellie's dress.

And that isn't even it. I have been very blessed with family and friends.

This is the color of the bridesmaid dresses paired up with my dress. And we made Chris pretend to be a groomsman.


The groomsmen
I am a raging nerd for even including this bad picture that does absolutely no justice to the outfits the groomsmen are wearing - but nonetheless, here it is, next to my dress, on my parents bed. With a tiny swatch from the bridesmaids dresses lying on top of it. It gives you a little idea of what it'll look like. I'll get John to model it and post it soon.



Willie, one of John's friends and the Best Man


Bob, another of John's good friends.


Jason, my brother in law.


This is Brian, John's brother-in-law.


And last, but not least, this is Dave, John's other brother-in-law.

Here are a couple pics from some of my showers.


My friends made me a towel cake - isn't that the cutest thing ever?






Don't I look thrilled to get that lovely vase? It's a tradition in my fi's family. Every wedding shower the girl get's that awful thing, adds something to it, and passes it on.



My Bachelorette Party was a blast!!! After doing food & presents at my sister’s house we headed out to Saugatuck. I had to use clues to figure out what bars we went to, then at the bar the bartender would give me a clue to guess my shot & give me the shot in a cute little shot glass my friends make for me. Wasn’t that a cool idea? And now I have little souvenirs from each bar. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it out to the last bar – I was much too sick. I was home by 1 am because I can’t hold my liquor.


The bun pincher was so fun at the bar.


I think this picture is funny because of my friend next to me. She’s trying to put the wang in the can back in the can.


My beautiful sissy & I.


There is an inside joke here, but I’m still a drunken fool in this picture.