Honeymoon to-do list

Dine at The Whistling Bird

Shop at Lake Vermillion's Flea Market & Antiques

Fly to dinner in a seaplane

Gamble at Fortune Bay Resort & Casino

Golf at Giant's Ridge

Fish from the end of the dock

Watch the sunset

Location

We have the fortune of getting married in the most beautiful and meaningful place on earth -- Mom and Dad's house in Bemidji, Minn. Here's a look at their yard in the winter. Amazing. Sadly, the blanket of white snow will gone, but those pine trees covered in green are equally stunning. We just hope it doesn't rain!

Honeymoon? Check!

I have a lot of things to update the blog with ... just need to find the time to do it. Wednesday marked the 7-month countdown to the wedding, so now is when things get fun! First things first, we booked our honeymoon cabin on Lake Vermillion. Seven nights in heaven on a lake in our private cabin. With the dogs, too. We'll leave the day after the wedding and I already can't wait. Here it is:




A year ago at this time we were just arriving at our hotel in Jamaica. Can't believe a year has already gone by from when Tyler proposed. I really can't believe it's been a year since I took a vacation. I've been trying to save my vacation days, because I plan to take at least three weeks off around the wedding. Maybe even four! Is that unheard of? A month off during the summer seems just right to me. Anyway, start checking back more often as I plan to update more often. I have so much to tell you.

Finally, a break from life

Believe it or not, I am so thankful that winter is almost here. We've been entirely too busy. This summer was a great one, but we were away from home too much and didn't have enough down time. I can only imagine what it will be like next summer!

We re-decorated the living room and dining room (I'll post photos later) with new paint, window treatments, etc. It's crazy how a new coat of paint can liven up a room. We said goodbye to our insanely dark red paint in the dining room. It looks much bigger now.

We attended two gorgeous weddings earlier this month — one was on a Friday afternoon and the other was the next day. I'll get a photo or two up later of the stunning couples. Congrats to Robin and Rich, and Missy and Jamey!!! I haven't been to a lot of weddings in my lifetime, but it was a lot of fun to see the creativity and life of these couples shine through on their wedding day.

We've had a few unwanted guests at the house for about the past week. I'm pulling my hair out to get rid of them, but they are stubborn ... and smart. We finally got rid of one last night, but I'm afraid there's at least one more. I probably won't be seeing Ratatoulli anytime soon.

The wedding plans are coming along really well. I didn't really do much this summer, but now we're starting to get into it. We've got 8 months to go! We reserved our tent, tables and chairs; I tried on my dress and sent it back for a larger size (they measured me wrong); and we ordered the bridesmaid dresses. That was actually a lot of fun. It was me, Mom, Kari and Megan all piled into a little room trying on dress after dress. I wanted the girls to pick out their own tea-length dresses. I chose the color family of purples and pinks. Who woulda guessed?

Here's Megan's dress:


Here's Kari's dress (shown in the wrong color):


I can't find a photo of Annie's dress anywhere, but it's empire waist with a pretty bow just below the bust. It has spaghetti straps. It's very age appropriate for her and she'll look cute as a button.

Now we can pretty much head full force into the rest of the plans... now is when things get really fun. Late nights with girlfriends drinking wine and assembling crafty wedding things. Can't wait.

Oh, and congrats to Aron and Molly who just got engaged. They are good friends of ours (Aron plays guitar in Tyler's band) and they have set a date for two weeks after ours. I'll have a wedding planning buddy!

Until next time ...
Aimee

Engagement photos

Tyler and I have our engagement photo session scheduled for Sept. 22 at ... drumroll please ... Valleyfair amusement park! I was really dreading the idea of trying to be ourselves in front of the camera, while feeling extra uncomfortable. I actually didn't think we'd even take engagement photos, but professional photos of us just being casual will be nice to have. I like the amusement park idea, because it's fun, relaxed, colorful and we can be ourselves. It's also one of the first things Tyler and I did on our first trip to Minneapolis while I was still in high school.

I found these lovely images online and am even more excited about Glen taking our photos in front of the ferris wheel, on the rollercoaster, etc. The first set is courtesy of Brian Dorsey Studios and the second set is by Julie Harris Photography.

Shoes

Here are the shoes that I get to dance in on my wedding day. I love them!

Let the voting begin

I'm getting ready to order my shoes for the wedding and it's not an easy task. I have to find shoes that are comfortable, cute, not too high, not too low, and the list goes on... You see, because we're getting married in the grass, I must stay away from a stiletto heel unless I want to sink into the earth all day long. I also have really small feet, so shoes with chunky heels are out. I've found a compromise: the wedge. I set out to find a pair of blue, strappy, wedge-like sandals and here's the best I found. Why blue? Tyler will be in navy and my girls will be in shades of blue. I just like the added touch of blue shoes.




They also come in white, which I also like. Readers, what's your vote? Blue, white or keep shopping?

Honeymoon heaven

Everyone should plan their honeymoon before they plan their wedding. I want to get our reservation in now, because I'm sure some of the nicer, yet cheaper cabins go quickly. Tyler and I want to rent a cabin for a week somewhere up north (Lake Superior, Vermillion, Ely, Grand Marais, etc.) We want our own cabin with pets allowed, on a lake. If anyone has suggestions, please let me know!

Wedding inspiration

I've been collecting wedding-inspiring images for awhile now. One of my favorite wedding blogs, Style Me Pretty is having a contest for the best inspiration board -- basically a collage of your wedding theme. So, last night I sat down and took a stab at it. I still haven't decided on much of a theme, but making my own inspiration board is, well... good inspiration.

Jason & Amy's Wedding

If you want to view them in a larger slideshow, head over here.

And if you want to view the slideshow with captions, click below:




Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

We're ok

For the past 16 hours, this is what's been going on in my own backyard. We live two miles from the bridge and I work just blocks away. Tyler and I are safe and happy to report that so far, everyone we know is safe too. I drive on West River Parkway (the road beneath the south half of the collapsed bridge) everyday, twice a day. Tyler's usually waiting to pick me up at 6:00 pm sharp after work, then we're on our way home via the Parkway. Last night, I was five minutes late getting out of work. I've never been so happy to stay late at work.

We were en route to Home Depot crossing the Central Av. bridge which is perpendicular to the I-35 bridge that collapsed. Sirens, sirens everywhere, but we didn't know what happened. We were listening to the sports guys on AM radio whine about the KG trade when a citizen called in to relay the news that he was looking at the I-35 bridge collapsed in the river. The time was 6:10. I made a call to the Star Tribune to make sure they were aware of the situation, but of course, they were already on it. Tyler and I turned around, parked the car and walked toward the scene. We were right there along with everyone else. Lots of people making cell phone calls, taking camera phone pictures, etc. The air was smokey, the smell of burning diesel filled the air. We decided it would be best to head home and let the emergency officials do their job without having worry about the safety of onlookers.

I wished so badly I had my camera and reporter's notebook with me. Note to self: ALWAYS carry a notebook and pen. It's a nice reminder at work this morning that the newspaper business is still a vital part of this community. Nothing is more powerful than the still images that were taken by our photographers. Video doesn't compare. This is why I work in this business.

We won't be taking the scenic drive along the parkeay that I always brag about for quite some time. Thanks to everyone who called us and our parents to check up on us.

Then and now

Yesterday was our nine year "dating" anniversary and tomorrow is our -1 wedding anniversary ... you know, a year to go until the wedding! When we finally get married June 28, 2008, we'll have been together for 10 years. We've been trying to come up with ways to tie the whole 10 year/decade thing into the wedding, but maybe the fact that our wedding is taking place almost 10 years from our first date in 1998 is enough. I'm open to ideas.

We're celebrating with our annual camping trip on the St. Croix River with friends. I also got T a few 99-cent ties from Savers during my trip to collect more "shabby chic" dessert plates for the reception.

A quick note about my dress: it finally arrived and I tried it on yesterday at the bridal shop. I hated it. Luckily, I can start over and use the money I put down on that dress toward another at the same shop. I have an appointment Monday.

Here's the dress I WON'T be wearing.

I'm blogging ... just not here

Head over to www.startribune.com and read what I have to say on Ka-Blog. I'll be there all week, so come say hi.

By the way, the dress has arrived. More on that later!

Quick update

Wow, it's been an entire month since I've posted here. Oops. But I did warn you, all four of my loyal readers, that when the weather gets nice it's hard to keep me at the computer. I haven't accomplished a thing wedding-related. I returned the bamboo plates that arrived. They were too small and they weren't re-usable like I thought they would be. It's cheaper to rent white china plates, so we'll go ahead and do that.

I've been home sick for the past few days. Not sure if it was some kind of flu or what. All I know is that I was bored. So bored that I watched "The Devil Wears Prada" on DVD last night right after I watched "Mean Girls" on TV.

We've also been busy with house guests, having fun and working hard to get the house in order for an appraisal. New door, new paint, a wipe here and a wash there. The house is looking lovely. Last week we had to call Roto Rooter to deal with our clogged toilet. If you haven't experienced that, I highly recommend it for personal growth.

I did call the bridal shop to ask about my dress earlier this week. The woman on the phone said, "Hmm. I'm guessing it will be here by the end of June." Glad I'm taking care of the dress right away. Who knew it would take four months to get it ordered! Everything else (bridesmaid dresses, decor, colors, etc.) is pending on the dress -- I won't be 100 percent convinced on the dress until I have it on in my size.

Also a head's up that I'll be filling in for Star Tribune columnist Kara McGuire on her personal finance blog, "Ka-blog." I'll be writing about money-related wedding issues. Boy, do I have a list. Any suggestions? When I write, I'll let you know. And I'll try to post more frequently.

Nah-na-na Bamboo

Tyler and I (well, mostly I) sat down with the guest list the other night to update it. When I brought the inital list home last month, my parents informed me — as I knew they would — of some people I had left out. Now the list is at 199. Ouch. It's great to have so many friends and family who we want to share the day with, but we also need to be considerate of our budget and of ours and our parent's sanity. Serving dinner to 200 guests with no catering help seems like a nightmare.

Then today, I got word of a deal on bamboo plates. We decided to go ahead and order 150 plates, but we're going to take a look at the guest list again and see if it makes sense to invite our closest friends and family to the ceremony and dinner, and open up the reception to everyone else. The reception is the most important part anyway, right?!

So here are our plates, which many of you will be eating off of. I'm very excited, because they were cheaper than renting glass plates, and they satisfy my desire to not use paper plates that we'd throw away. We can wash and reuse the bamboo plates, or sell them to another couple down the road. The best part is that they are 100 percent organic bamboo. They'll biodegrade in four-to-six months. And, there are no harmful bleaches or dyes.

Another shameless plug

Planning a wedding is giving me lots of ideas for stories to write at work. Like this one about the surge in homebrewing and winemaking.

Tyler's Dad Harvey is doing us a huge favor by brewing the beer for our wedding. He's also brewing the beer for Tyler's brother Jason and Amy's wedding. Yep, there will be two Aimee/Amy Tjaders! We'll probably get a keg, too, but we'll be so proud to serve dad's homebrew to our guests. It's a personal touch and as you'll find out in the article, it's cost-effective, too.

Tyler and I will head into unchartered territory this summer as we attempt to make our own wine for the wedding. I'm not yet sure if we'll buy a kit and the necessary equipment, or if we'll go to Vine Park Brewing in St. Paul. I love love love wine and so do most of my girlfriends, so I can see myself making my own wine more than once, so I'm leaning toward investing in the equipment. We can make our own personalized bottle labels, too!

More fun than ya can shake a stick at!

Current mood: relieved

I just did a search and am happy to report there are no registered sex offenders living in our neighborhood.

If you live in Minnesota, you can do your own search here.

It's a craft sale!

The St. Paul Craftstravaganza is this weekend. Here's a sampling of my favorite handmade things that will for sale.

Love this intricate swirls necklace from Fiery Lion Designs. It's $100.

I can't get over how cute these little birdies are from Crabtree Studio.
There's something so precious about them. Don't know what I'd use them for or where I'd put them, but I want some! You see the tree branch they're perched on? I'm going to try do something like that for the wedding table centerpieces.

An update and a craft project

It's Spring and what's better than a zero-cost craft project? Er ... don't answer that question, but keep reading.

I've been MIA for more than a week on the blog because I've been focused on some other things. The temp is finally warming up, so I find it difficult to be at the computer any longer than required (which is a wretched eight hours of my day, btw). When Spring arrives I kick it into gear with just about everything in my life. Can't wait to see how I am next Spring when the wedding is right around the corner. Eek. Maybe I should start making apologies to those close to me now.

Done list:
1. Start flower seedlings (cost effective and just as fun as a sixth grade science project).
2. Look at finances (I joined the credit union at work and refinanced my car loan with a much better interest rate, which will save me $2,000 over the next two years.
3. Clean things that get cleaned once a year (windows, oven, curtains, junk drawers ... ok, I'll probably leave the junk drawers alone).
4. Vaccuum and flip mattress.
5. Start running/workout regimen.
6. Pack my lunch (The $5 Igloo insullated lunch bag I got at Target has been a great investment so far).
7. Order rain barrell.
8. Play catch with Tyler.


To do list:
1. Tune up bike and suck it up (The ride to work is just two miles and the route along the Mississippi River is gorgeous)!
2. Rake lawn.
3. New front door.
4. Rain gutters on the front of the house.
5. Find cheap dirt to fill in around house and seed the lawn.
6. Paint the chipping foundation.
7. Grill dinner outside.
8. Driving range with Tyler.

There's always time for fun, too, so here's an awesome craft project that anyone can do. These tin can lanterns, courtesy of www.thriftyfun.com would be great in the yard during a bbq or ... yep, you guessed it! A backyard wedding!



Instructions
Clean out and remove the labels from any sized tin can-opened on one end. If necessary, pound down any sharp edges with a hammer, then dry the can thoroughly.

Cut a piece of white paper big enough to fit around the can, cutting off any excess. This paper will serve as your design template.

After cutting the paper to the correct size, remove it from the can and with a colored marker, trace or draw a simple design using a series of small dots (about the size of a nail head). These dots represent the spots you'll be punching with a hammer and nail. Leave at least a 1/2 inch border around the top of the can so you punch out holes for hanging.

Fill the can up to the top with water and let it freeze over night. This will prevents the can from bending and denting while you punch holes into it and give you a hard surface to work on.

Remove the can from the freezer and reattach your template with masking tape. If necessary, secure the template with paper clips along the rim of the can.

With a hammer and large-sized nail, pound holes into the can following the pattern of your design. Make an X with masking tape across the open end of the can to make it easy to mark where to punch holes for hanging.

Decorate the outside of the can with paint as desired. Add small candles or tea lights and use wire or a metal clothes hanger for hanging.

The ultimate DIY bride

This article comes to us from Roxanne Hawn, a freelance writer for the Denver Post. I wish I could sew! Read to the end. The last quote is priceless!
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Before "I do," do it yourself

Thanks to her talent with clothes, Gabrielle Johnson became a home economics star in school.

With entrepreneurial family roots, she grew into a self-sufficient gal. She studied apparel design and production at Colorado State University and co-founded Bloom Maternity, maker of luxury T-shirts for moms-to-be featuring flower motifs.

So, when she got stuck with 500 yards of white jersey fabric after a Canadian supplier's mistake, she turned into the mother of all DIY brides and created gowns for her entire wedding party. That's nine dresses, all told.

She started sewing in November for the Jan. 13 wedding to her high school sweetheart, Paul Johnson. They dated for 12 years, before throwing together a quick wedding for early 2007.

Sure, the lemons into lemonade thing played a part. But, at 4 feet 10 and 95 pounds, she knew finding a wedding gown would be tough. Her attendants were also petite. "It would have been a nightmare to find dresses for everyone," says Johnson, 26.

The inspiration part took time, with the bride spending nights awake, working out each detail. She pondered the fabric's nature - its drape, its stretch, its grain, the fact it does not fray and therefore needed no hems.

(Photo by David Lynn Photography)

The circle skirts and individual bodices she envisioned, gave the illusion of one-piece gowns. To prevent posh from going peek-a-boo, Johnson doubled up the knit. "Lord knows I had plenty of fabric," she says with a laugh.

Once she began sewing, each dress took just an hour to make.

More than tapping into personal talent, the process gave Johnson peace. "By doing the dresses myself," she says, "it took the focus away from agonizing over the details that were better left alone. I had to make decisions quickly because all I really wanted to work on was the dresses."

This DIY mind-set taps into two key trends, says Leah Ingram, author of "Tie the Knot on a Shoestring: Save Big $$ While Celebrating Your Big Day in Style," (Alpha, $14.95).

"There has been a huge trend in the last five, maybe 10 years, of how my wedding has to be all about me," she says. "I don't mean that in a stuck-up, snotty way. It has to reflect who I am. I believe DIY is totally tied into this trend."

Plus, Ingram adds, the rising age of first-time brides and grooms means more couples pay wedding costs. "Once you're footing the bill, man," she says, "you want to know where your money is going."

Ingram recommends bridal triage, where you put your time, energy and money toward what matters most. Skip the rest, she says, or find inexpensive ways to do it yourself. "You don't have to tap into your inner Martha," Ingram says. "You really don't. Keep it simple."

"It's so easy to get sucked into thinking, 'I need that, and I need that, and I need that,"' Ingram says. "You have to take a step back and say, 'Well maybe I don't."'

Elizabeth Lindsay, 43, couldn't agree more. Her first wedding, a full-blown affair aboard a boat that circled Manhattan, was all about the bridal machine.

The second time around, she and Barry Alles staged the ultimate DIY wedding: no minister, no guests, no reception, just love and really great rings.

Lindsay, a jewelry designer with a shop in Cherry Creek North, Colo., made solid gold bands for her wedding. Known for her baroque style with the one-of-a-kind rings she makes for other brides, Lindsay's own heavy bands resemble museum pieces - like jewelry found in ancient tombs.

Come wedding day, Oct. 14, 2006, Lindsay and Alles tossed on some favorite casual clothes, grabbed their digital camera and married atop a rock in Garden of the Gods. They self-sanctified their marriage, which is legal in Colorado, by simply signing and returning the marriage license.

After the batteries in her camera died, a passerby put her memory card in his much nicer camera and shot pictures. "We could not have paid someone to do better," Lindsay says.

Friends and family fussed about the private wedding, telling the bride she had to do this or that. Her answer? "I don't have to do anything but marry him."

Freelance writer Roxanne Hawn lives in Golden, Colo.

20 days

I have 20 days to prep for a 5k run that bridesmaid Kari talked me into. That means I'll be hitting the pavement even after I devour my favorite dish on Easter Sunday: Ham, and Mom's cheesey potatoes.

I vow to run the whole 5k and keep up with Kari, a regular runner and mom to almost two-year-old Keegan. The first time she and I went dress shopping I said I would immediately start my workout regimen, but of course I didn't. I actually enjoy working out, but during the winter I'd rather sit on my couch watching The Sopranos. Just being honest.

But now the weather is getting nicer, so I have zero excuses. Plus, I don't want to be one of those brides who gets fit just for the sake of getting married. I'd like to get into shape asap and maintain it throughout my life, even after I have children.

Today's workout: I took Marley for a two-mile jog. My ears really started to hurt near the end. Anyone familiar with this? I seem to remember that happening in my cross country days when we'd run in the bitter cold. Maybe it's my head getting used to the activity. I expect to wake up with a sore arm tomorrow. Let's just say Marley has a deep seeded interest in squirrels. There are times I even forget that I'm running, because I'm too busy pulling 70 pounds of dog in a direction he just doesn't want to go. It makes for an interesting route, however. I never quite know where my run will take me, because it's dicatated by Marley. When I see another dog coming, we take a different route. God for bid we run by another dog and just say a quick passing hello. Instead, Marley has to shake his rump like a fish tail and wrap himself and me around the other dog's leash. Last summer he drug me across the pavement and I said I'd never take him with me again, but ... I'm all about second chances.

Marley, my disfunctional running buddy.

How we met

Tyler and Aimee first laid eyes on each other on the front lawn of the Bemidji fire station. It was early in the cross country running season and the team was doing their daily warmup. The coach introduced 15-year-old Aimee, a shy newcomer who had relocated to Bemidji after flood waters ravaged her family's home. Tyler was a popular high school senior who paid no attention to Aimee this particular day. With his bleach-blonde hair, baggy shorts and earring, he was busy goofing off with his punk friends, which left Aimee totally unimpressed.

Fast forward to the end of the school year. Tyler had just graduated and Aimee was adjusting to the recent move. It was a hot summer night (around June 28, 1998) and Aimee was hanging out with a friend who suggested they stop by the Edgewater Motel to visit her sister and some friends. Soon after they arrived, so did Tyler and one of his friends. The group of four talked for hours, then took a paddle boat ride on Lake Bemidji. Aimee proceeded to light up a cigarette, hoping to impress the boys, although Tyler was the least bit amused when Aimee started to cough. (Aimee has since quit smoking)

The next day, to the dismay of Aimee's parents, Tyler picked up her and her friend for a golf date in his 1984 red Ford Escort, which could be heard approaching from a mile away. The car dripped oil on the driveway, which is a big no-no with Aimee's Dad. During the golf game, it was unclear to Aimee if Tyler was interested in her or her friend.

A few days later, Tyler's band Sofakingdom played a battle of the bands show at the waterfront. When Aimee showed up wearing gym shorts and a ponytail, it became very clear to her that she didn't quite fit in. But, after watching the band play, Aimee was intrigued. She rushed out to buy a black studded belt. Then, Tyler headed out of town to the Winnipeg Folk Festival and brought back Aimee a friendship bracelet. From that day, it was official. Tyler and Aimee became the unlikely couple who helped merge a group of teenage punks and preps who, almost 10 years later, are still friends. Aimee's parents have since approved.

(High school graduation photos. I guess we went to the same photographer.)

A blue and green day

As promised, the green weddings article is linked below in pdf format for easy viewing. There are some new "green" links to the left, too. Please be patient while the file takes about 30 seconds of your time to download.

Download page one here
Download page two here

Allow me to stray from wedding stuff and brag for a moment about the current weather in Minneapolis, Minn. Right now it's 81 degrees outside -- and that's a record, folks! It's too bad the Star Tribune still has the heat on. No joke. It's probably 80 degrees here at my desk. The view from my desk of the metrodome beneath the blue sky tricks me into thinking I'm actually enjoying the outdoors vs. sitting at a desk. It's funny to think that less than three weeks ago I was tumbling down snow-clad hills at the local cross country ski trails with Tyler. No joke. I still have the blisters to prove it.

Note to self: stop at Target on the way home and pick up a small fan for desk.

Thrill of the bundt

I may be apathetic with writing about green weddings, but I can talk bundt cakes all day. In fact, ever since I wrote about the Jamaican rum cake, it's pretty much all I can think about. The bundt has inspired me to give a hoot about the wedding cake after all. So I did a little thinking, a little web surfing and a little math. Yes, journalists may use their fingers, but we can still do basic math.

If I buy three of the mini bundt pans, which hold 12 cakes, I can make 150 of them in a matter of a few hours and about three rounds of baking. The pan pictured is from Williams-Sonoma for $32, but I'm sure I can find them for closer to $20. That would be a total of $60 for cake pans alone. :( Seems a bit much, unless I use Betty Crocker cake mixes and go the do-it-yourself route. I'd still have to figure out a way to incorporate the Jamaican Rum. I'll call on my friend Chef Isaac for his expertise. Maybe I can just mix in a chocolate rum sauce. Or, we can have Rum Creme as one of the toppings. We'd have to put that out of reach of the little kiddies.

Then there's Mom, who says she knows someone who makes beautiful wedding cakes for $100. Decisions, decisions. Good thing I've got 15 months to go.

By the way ... I ordered a dress! If you really want to see it, e-mail me at aimeeblanchette@comcast.net.

Craigslist is back!

We all knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Today I made my first wedding-related purchase on Craigslist.


Aren't they pretty? For $50 I got 28 of these vintage blue glass Bell mason jars. I'll use them to make lanterns to hang or set on the tables. I'll probably put sand in the bottom and use votive wax candles or oil candles. If I get some sturdy wire we can hang them from a rope tied to a few trees. It will be pretty and practical, providing a lighted path for our guests when it gets dark.

I've spent the last few days reporting a story about "green" weddings. I'm a little "over it" at the moment, but when I find my positive attitude I'll post the article and a few links to some eco-friendly wedding websites. I don't know that we'll go so far as to hand out energy efficient light bulbs as favors, but Tyler and I will do our best to be green, too.

Mmmmmmm

I just made and ate homemade chocolate chip banana bread warmed with vanilla ice cream, so now I feel compelled to write about wedding cake. I would really like to have a Jamaican rum cake. It would be fun to have miniature rum cakes with do-it-yourself toppings: chocolate, whipped cream, fruit ... I wonder how long it would take to make 100 mini bundt cakes if you had only one pan? I'll be dreaming about bundt cakes tonight.

Anyway, I'm not too concerned about the cake. I just want it to taste good and be cheap. I'm neutral about having a white wedding cake. I could have one. Or I couldn't. An old-fashioned yellow cake with chocolate frosting would suit me just fine. No frills and frosted flowers. Just good old-fashioned cake.

And the Little Debbie cake will be making it into the festivities one way or another. Especially now that I see how beautiful it can be. FOR REAL!

Dress update: Mom and sis are heading down on Thursday to hit the Wedding Shoppe. Kari will be joining us, too. Last weekend's trip to Nordstrom was unsuccessful, however Kari and I had a good time trying on the ugliest dresses we could find ... and there were a lot of them! I made Kari try on a lovely magenta number with gold polka dots and a bubble hem. I'm not sure if the dress was meant to be worn with pants or what, but it was SHORT!

Dress shopping

After digging out from last weekend's foot of snow, it looks like we're gearing up for another foot in the next few days. This just furthers my excitement to spend a day trying on wedding dresses with my best friend. I'm foregoing the alternative dress-shopping route for a (hopefully) more pleasant experience at Nordstrom in Mall of America. I have a 10 a.m. appointment with a personal shopper who will have a dressing room full of dresses waiting for me when I arrive.

Mom and Megan (sis) are making the trip next weekend for the more traditional dress shopping trip, which I'm equally excited about. We have a Thursday afternoon appointment at the Wedding Shoppe, which I've heard is comparable to a cattle call -- they give you a buzzer and you wait in line to try on dresses with everyone else and their mother ... literally. I'm hoping we'll beat the crowd by not going on the weekend. The main reason I chose the Wedding Shoppe was for their vast selection of destination/informal gowns.

True love is homemade

Happy Day After Valentine's Day! Hope everyone's day was filled with lots of love. Tyler and I celebrated at home with the dogs. We exchanged gifts, then Tyler cooked dinner: three-cheese ravioli with a vodka creme sauce. It was delicious! We took the dogs for a bitterly cold walk, then shared a piece of Bailey's Irish Creme cheesecake and watched an episode of Sopranos.

Here's a Washington Post article on foregoing the standard store-bought Valentine's Day cards for a more special, homemade one. Love doesn't mean you have to show it by buying something.

Note: You may have to sign up for free registration to read the article.

Little reminders

Tyler and I are wishing we were back in Jamaica. With temperatures in Minneapolis barely making it above zero, it's just too cold. Or maybe it's the babysitting job we took on for the past ten days that's got me wishing I were somewhere else. We had the pleasure of watching 13-month old Fiji, an 80-pound, doberman german shepard-mix, while her mommy and daddy took their honeymoon. We did score a 1-pound bag of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee upon their return, however. Thanks Newlyweds Todd and Anna!

Aside from daydreaming about wedding stuff, lately Tyler and I have been keeping pretty busy. Between finishing up his last few classes before graduation, running his own Town Car transportation business and band practices, I hardly see Tyler. I'm keeping busy with work as usual, which recently got busier when I agreed to take on a freelancing assignment for a Miami-based travel magazine that's distributed to time share holders.

We've managed, however, to find something to do together that gets us away from our usual activites wach week. We recently got accepted to the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. We met "Gideon" a few weeks ago. He's 8 and likes YuGiOh, pyramids, dinosaurs, cartoons, inventions and fossils. On Sunday we have a date with Gideon to the Minnesota Timberwolves game. So far, it's been a great experience -- we've already learned so much and Gideon has already won our heart.

Seeing Tyler with Gideon, along with my beautiful niece, is just a little reminder that I'm marrying the man who is perfect for me.

I think I found it!

I think I found my dress on Nordstrom's website. I will still have to get to the store to see it in person and try it on. I'm a little reluctant to post a picture of it though. I kind of want to keep it a surprise for the big day, even though I'm TERRIBLE with surprises. I know Mom is probably going to want to see it -- and I know she'd want to be here when I go try it on, but maybe that's one of the sacrifices that needs to be made when planning a wedding from afar. A few of my girlfriends have also expressed interest in coming along. I definitely think it's a good idea to bring someone who can be a second set of eyes -- the voice of reason -- in case I think I look really babe-a-lic-ious in something that would actually land me on a worst dressed list somewhere. Plus, having the company of your girlfriends is just nice. I can holler a different size from the dressing room for them to fetch for me. Like a personal shopper!

If I decide to, how do I organize a wedding dress shopping trip? Do I give friends advance notice of the day that I want to hit the stores? Then maybe Mom and sis could make it, too? I'm held up on the notion that most brides will buy their dress in a bridal salon, which caters to a bride and her posse. But something tells me I'm better off going to places like Macy's and Nordstrom. I almost tried on a dress I saw at JC Penny's prom section the other day. Or, what if I find something I love online and skip that whole dress shopping experience, that, in my head, is bisected with a fabulous lunch at the 112 eatery?

So two questions: Keep the dress a surprise? If so, from who? (Obviously from Tyler)
And lastly, do I wrangle my ladies for the expedition, too?

And yet again ... more dresses

I need your help. What do you honestly think about these two dresses? I really love the simplicity and shape of them both. Just not sure about the black lace on the first one and the creme color of the second one. It looks a little pink, doesn't it? I found them online -- both are around $200. What do you think about ordering a dress online anyway? I could always send it back and I'd be out the $7.95 shipping fee I suppose.

Here's another thought? What about having someone make my dress? I'm guessing it would probably be near to impossible to buy fabric alone for $300, but I really don't know.

Another question: Is there a good time of year to shop for wedding dresses when they go on sale? You'd think it would be in the summer after most brides already have their dresses.

More dresses

I found a few more dresses. Please tell me what you think. The first one is a Carmen Marc Valco dress I found on sale at Neiman Marcus for $448, originally $895! A little over my budget and I'm not a huge fan of the train, but it is pretty. The second one is a Jessica McClintock that I found on sale for $299. I think I love it!

Wedding style

Thanks for all your input so far on the blog. This is great! I'll keep ya'll posted on the wedding dress. Obviously, none of the dresses I posted are in my price range, but rather the look I'm going for. I'm confident I'll be able to find the perfect dress for under $300 -- it may just take some time.

Ok, so I'm not a fan of having a theme for our wedding, but after looking around I think we could do it a not-so-overwhelming way. I'll post some pics and you should be able to decide our style. What do you think?