Dress for Success

It's not too early to start looking for a rehearsal dinner dress, is it? Nah, didn't think so. I mean, I might as well get these things pinned down now so I'm not rushing to find a dress 3 weeks before the wedding. Right? Yes, I think so.

I always envisioned a dressy-ish rehearsal dinner. Girls in cute dresses, boys in khakis paired with a nice button-up (ties optional), and me in a seriously cute green dress. Well, actually the green dress idea came from our wedding colors. Plus, I don't own a green dress so I figured this is the perfect occasion! Here are a few I've bookmarked:

Nordstrom, Adrianna Papell:

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J. Crew:

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Dillards, Bice:

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Bergdorf Goodman, Diane von Furstenburg:

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New York & Company (I might just get this one for kicks because um, it's only $35!!):

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Right now I'm leaning more toward the J. Crew dresses. They are the *perfect* color and honestly, can you ever go wrong with the Crew? I don't think so.

Are you a pre-planner or a procrastinating princess?

Really, really ridiculously good looking

Zoolander, anyone?

Good news, fair followers! We received the rest of our engagement pictures. They are, in a word, spectacular. Ted and Rachel Linczak are rock stars and were able to make us feel like rock stars as well. Since I really have no words for these pictures, I'll let them do the talking. *Warning: extremely picture-heavy post.*















Now I'm off to design our STDs!

The "Sweetest" Proposal

Go to Bakerella.com right now and read this post. Seriously, go right this minute. You will probably cry. Make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom and read through the comments. You will not be disappointed. Now GO!

Ideal Age

A few days ago on Weddingbee's Relationship Series they asked the following question:

The ideal age difference between a couple is ___. Why do you feel this way?

I am a firm believer in dating a guy who is older than you. All of the guys I've dated have been older than me, except for my first boyfriend (and kiss). My first boyfriend and I were together for a good part of my freshman year in high school. We had a cute thing going on, but I knew that dating guys my age just wasn't for me. The next year I moved on to a boy one year older than me. We also had a cute thing, but even a one year difference wasn't enough for me. The rest of my previous boyfriends were also at least one year older than me.

Josh and I are four years apart, which works out perfectly. We're close enough in age that we're able to enjoy the same activities, but we're far apart enough to have experienced the same events at different times in our lives. For example: when he started college cell phones were not the norm. They had to actually make plans ahead of time and remember phone numbers. Huh? That's insane for me to think about because when I started college 4 years after he did, you were a nobody if you didn't have a cell phone. Remember a phone number? I don't think so.

I've found that boys my age are just not on the same level as me. Guys tend to "develop" a little slower than girls so dating an older guy makes sense. This may be "ageist" of me, but I highly doubt I would consider dating some one younger than me. Luckily, I have Josh so I never have to worry about that!

How far apart in age are you and your SO?

Crap

I need to lose some weight. There, I said it.

My dress doesn't fit. There, I said that, too.

This weekend I visited my dress (and my mom, too). I wanted to try on my dress with my shoes and other accessories. Needless to say, the dress was TIGHT. Like, tighter than when I got it back in June. So tight that sitting or bending was a huge no-no.

If you were to see me in person I'm sure you would say that I definitely do not need to lose weight. I'm 5'5" and 128 lb. For me, that's a lot. That's what I weighed back during my 2nd and 3rd years of college. But that was beer weight. This? Is lazy-ass shitty-eating weight. And I simply cannot weigh that much if I expect to get into my wedding dress.

So I'm going to make some changes. I have a severe carb addiction that I'm hoping to kick. I can't (and won't) eliminate carbs from my life completely, but I know I'm eating too many of them. I'll have to get over my hatred for veggies and force them down. Portion control has never been a problem for me, but there is always room for improvement. I've already cut out regular pop and I only drink 1 can of Diet Coke per day. And the biggest step I'm hoping to take is...dun dun dun...working out. Ew. I abhor working out. When I was in college I walked EVERYWHERE. And Athens, OH is full of hills, so I was walking a few miles every day, up and down hills, with heavy books. So Josh and I are going to start Jillian's 30 Day Shred:

We watch The Biggest Loser every Tuesday so I'm expecting a lot of yelling from Miss Jillian. Gah she scares me. But I *think* I'll be able to handle it, and with Josh doing it right along with me, we should be good to go.

I haven't decided if I'll be tracking my progress on here or what. I need to be held accountable, though. Ideally, I'd also like to find food blogs or sites that focus on healthy eating. Any suggestions?

Here goes nothing!

Hello, Gorgeous

Why, hello there, perfect beautiful in-my-wedding-colors Oscar de la Renta dress that I found on Gilt Group today that would be PERFECT for a rehearsal dinner but is sadly waaayyyy out of my budget. Nice to meet you.
Sadly, you are $1,298 and I just simply cannot justify spending that much on you. Plus, I think Josh would scold me and I don't enjoy when he does that. *Tear* I hope you find a good home.

Have you found anything that would be PERFECT for your wedding but is simply a fantasy item due to budget constraints? Feel free to cry with me in the comments.

I have no shame

Yep, it's another stolen idea. Weddingbee just comes up with the best darn topics! Here is today's "Relationship Series" question:

Were you physically attracted to your fiance immediately, or did the physical attraction come after you got to know each other more?

Good question, Weddingbee! Here is my answer:

Josh and I met on MySpace, as you all should know by now, so the first time I saw his face it was in the form of a picture. This picture to be exact:

Eee! So cute :) I was immediately attracted to his smile and his facial hair. I didn't know it at the time, but he was wasted on spring break in Panama City when this picture was taken. So, I fell in love with the face of a drunk. Good one, Em. But it all turned out juuust fine.

We didn't meet in person for another couple months which allowed us to develop a friendship first. He had a really great personality and I liked what he had to say. We didn't "online date" at all; that came after we met in person. Unfortunately, the first time I saw him in person I was seriously disappointed. Where did the facial hair go?? Here is the closest picture I could find of a clean-shaven Josh:

It's an entirely different person!! He was still cute, but I just liked him so much more with facial hair. Thankfully, the clean-shaven look was just for a job fair and the scruff was back in a few days.

I think physical attraction is so incredibly important in a relationship. Luckily, everyone has different tastes, so everyone can get in on the lovin' action. My new internet friend Emily (she's cool AND we're name twins) and I had a discussion the other day on vanity. Basically it boiled down to the idea that there is nothing wrong with wanting to look good. And there is especially nothing wrong with wanting to look good for your spouse. I could very easily "let myself go" by gaining a bunch of weight, never wearing make up or doing my hair, and dressing sloppy. But I know I never want to do that because I want to stay attractive for Josh. Knowing that he finds me attractive makes me feel great about myself. It may sound archaic and very "Mad Men", but I just can't see myself ever ceasing to care about how I look. I don't just do it for him, believe me, I do it for myself, too (I've never met a mirror I didn't like.)

We're all going to change in our appearance as we age, but staying attractive to my partner will be something I take very seriously as my body goes through those changes.

Stay tuned for the next installment of "Em can't think of her own ideas so she steals them from Weddingbee."

Aw shucks

*Blushes*

Gabrielle over at Cross Country Wed has awarded me the "Kreativ Blogger" award! Thanks, girl!

The terms of accepting this award state that I must write 7 things about myself and then award 7 other bloggers. Let's start the show!

1. I have an unabashed obsession with pop culture. Ask me anything going on in the news or in celebrity-land and I can probably give you at least a quick summary. I probably have way too much time on my hands, but I like to be informed! And it really helps when play trivia games.
2. If I could have any job, a dream job let's say, I would want to be a professional back up dancer for...well anyone really. Beyonce or Britney would be amazing. For now, I'll just dance around my room in my undies.
3. If I had been born a boy, my mom would have named me Sammy. But I was never going to be Samantha. I think Sammy is the cutest name!
4. When I was younger I had an obsession with the Backstreet Boys. Don't hate, they were amazing in their prime! I actually met Nick and Howie a few years ago at a radio event. They were extremely nice. In case you were wondering, A.J. was/is my favorite.
5. I *love* LOST. I read the theories and the recaps and yes, I'm a total dork. I never read the spoilers, though, that's cheating.
6. I sort of hate having to write things about myself like this because it makes me realize that I'm not all that interesting.
7. Last night I asked Josh what I should write and he said "You're quirky. Write about your quirks." No idea what that means...but thanks, babe :)

Now, 7 girls who probably deserve this award more than I do:

1. You Can't Take It With You
2. Life, Love & Mawwaige!
3. Bride On Purpose <--She just started her recaps!
4. Little Miss Wedding Planner
5. Run, Knit, Get Hitched!
6. The Frugal Fabulous Wedding <--Fellow Northeast Ohio bride!
7. Wifetacular

Idea stealer!

That's me, I'm totally a blog post idea stealer. Over on Weddingbee they've started a "Relationship Series." The first post prompts readers to respond to the following:

When I was young I thought I'd be married at age ____. I actually got married at age ____. This worked out better/worse for me because ____.

Here is my response.

When I was young I never even saw myself getting married, and if I did think about it, I didn't think it would happen until I was well into my late twenties or early thirties. My mom raised me as a single mother who never married my dad (or anyone else for that matter.) My dad didn't have the best relationship with his wife (my now ex-stepmom). My grandma is a widow. I never really had any solid examples of marriage growing up. I figured I would go to college, get a job, date here and there, and someday have a kid...somehow. It's funny that I always saw myself being a mom, but never really saw myself being a wife.

I'll actually get married at age 24. It's kind of crazy when I think about it. I really do think that 24 is very young to get married. So why am I doing it now instead of later? Simply put, I'm ready. I've always been a little mentally "older" than a lot of my peers. It probably stems from growing up surrounded by adults and being treated like an adult starting at a very young age.

Marrying at a young age has it's pros and cons. Miss Star outlines them nicely in her series "Adventures of a Young-ish Bride." For me, however, the best thing about getting married young is that I'll be able to enjoy being married before I have kids. Josh and I (mostly I) don't want to start trying to conceive (or TTC as That Wife puts it) until I'm 29 or 30. Getting married at 24 will allow me to establish a career, travel, move (a post on this coming up), and mentally prepare myself for having children. I know I'm way too selfish right now to even start thinking about taking care of a baby. Essentially, I want to enjoy the hell out of my 20s and plan to do just that with my hubby-to-be!

Also, thanks to my girl over at Life, Love & Mawwaige! for giving me the idea of writing my own blog post about this. Told you I'm a major idea stealer!

Mushy and gushy

As I journey through my twenties I realize that I've become increasingly emotional. Maybe it's because I've become more aware of my emotions, I don't know. I tear up at commercials, silly reality TV shows, and everything in between. Don't even get me started on those ASPCA commercials.

Ever since seeing our e-pics a few days ago I've been on the verge of tears every time some one makes a comment about them. The amount of love surrounding us and this wedding is astonishing. Ugh I could cry right now!

My family isn't overly (or overtly for that matter) emotional, so I didn't grow up with constant hugs and fuzzy feelings. I knew I was loved, I always told my mom that I loved her and I always got a goodnight kiss, but there just wasn't a lot of mushy stuff. As I've grown older, and especially as my relationship with Josh has grown, I've learned that it's OK to express my emotions. Josh's family is MUCH more touchy-feely and emotional. They always greet me with a hug and a kiss. They're not afraid to cry when the mood strikes. It's a nice change of pace.

I guess this is all to say, to everyone on here who commented, to my friends/family to commented and emailed, and to everyone who said something to me in person, Thank You. Your kind words now and throughout this entire process so far have meant more to me than you'll ever know.

Is anyone else feeling especially mushy throughout your planning or is it just me?

Now THIS is how e-pics are done

I don't even have words to describe how I feel about these pictures. Our photographers blogged us today and I'm absolutely thrilled with what I've seen so far. Hopefully we'll get the rest of our pictures soon, but these are certainly enough to hold me over until then. Enjoy!

I'm on Josh's back in this one. It was actually very uncomfortable and I'm holding on for dear life, but it made for a great pic!


Josh was doing this weird sniffing my cheek/neck thing. I have a love/hate relationship with it.

I love that my nail polish matches the flowers. And of course, only my freak of nature attention to detail mind would make that connection.


This was a really cool barn thing. I can't wait to see the rest of this series!


We had to step out of the way for cars a few times.


Love this one :)


This next one is my absolute favorite.


And this one is a very close runner up for favorite. We were on this crazy hill and I was in 4 in platform wedges. It was treacherous to say the least.


Yummy delicious light. It was the most beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky. Think we'll get that lucky for W-Day?


Love lens flare.

Because I'm vain.


And because Josh is just so damn handsome!


Please head on over to their blog and show some love for Ted and Rachel of Linczak Photography.