Gettin' Hitched, it's a family affair!

• My parents have been married for 32 years. 
• Drew's parents have been married for 37 years. 
• Grandma and Grandpa Thoe have been married for 59 years. 
• My Grandma and Grandpa Luker have been married for 61 years.
• Both Drew's grandparents were married for 44 years exactly.

That's 277 years of experience to help us along the way. (-: 

Grandma and Grandpa Thoe, cutting their cake 

Grandpa recalls getting home in time to milk after the wedding! They went to a  tractor show in Iowa on their honeymoon! (-:

Grandma and Grandpa Luker after nearly 60 years of marriage! 

Grandma and Grandpa at their shower.

Tom and Barb (Drew's Mom and Dad) after their wedding.

Drew's Grandparents after their wedding. 

The ladies in the kitchen, getting ready for Martha and Wally's wedding... reminds me of the pictures I took of Sheryl, Michelle and McCayla yesterday! 

When my parent's got married, my dad wrote on a napkin that he promised she could ride her horse whenever she wanted. (-: 

My parents

My aunt Mary (a hostess) walking in with Mike Schwartz, both will be at the wedding! 

My Godmother Annie walking in with my cousin Randy. 

My Uncle Rick walking in with Deanna. (Deanna's little girl is one of the flowergirls for our wedding!)

The Ten-Day Forecast

Well here we are, ten days out. I think things get real when you hit the ten-day forecast marker.

In case you are wondering, my days go something like this:

·         Rearrange the seating assignments[1].

·         Count the rsvps.

·         Recount the rsvps.

·         Check the ten-day forecast.

·         Rearrange the seatting assignments.

·         Check to make sure my jewelry is still in its box in my suitcase[2].

·          Nag at Drew to do something. He tells me there is nothing to do because we are perfectly prepared. I briefly consider this statement, and in that brief moment, I make up a new job for Drew to do.

·         Check to make sure I still have my shoes.

·         Count the rsvps.

·         Check to make sure I still have my veil.

·         Rearrange the seating chart.

You get the drift.

I also spend a lot of time on the phone with my mom. We primarily discuss all the things that can’t be done until a day or two before the wedding. Then we hang up and I make a list of things that need to be done next Thurs or Fri[3]. Then I email the list to my mom and we rehash it all again over a follow-up phone call.   God Bless my Mother for putting up with me.

The ten-day forecast looks pretty promising!

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[1] By the way, seating charts are very interesting jigsaw puzzles. For example, at what age do children require their own place setting? I figure anyone under two will probably sit on their mother or father’s lap.... so heads up, if you are bringing a child under two, I assumed they’d be sitting on your lap lol. You know who you are!

[2] I’ve grown extremely paranoid that something crucial will spontaneously disappear. This paranoia is founded on absolutely nothing. I think this new worry has sprung up because everything is already done and I just needed something to worry about so I started imagining worse case scenarios and then worrying about them.

[3] I’ve made about twenty-five lists of things to do the day before and the day of the wedding in an attempt to mitigate my anxiety about all the things we need to do but can’t actually do until we get to the barn.

Thought you might like some pictures of what I look like these days... Bridezilla on the move!!!

The Wedding Playlist

I have mapped out every minute of the big day.

No,  I mean I have actually planned it down to the minute- as in I have literally planned every single minute of the dance.

I know exactly which songs will be played, and the order they will be played in. It occurred to me that this behavior probably is a little abnormal. (-:

I'm getting so excited and my stomach is constantly in knots.

On our rsvp cards we asked people to write in what song would get them out on the dance floor. We knew this would help us get a rocking playlist together! It has been a lot of fun seeing what songs people wrote down! Some of the songs are still missing because I got tired while compiling the list, and just an fyi... while all songs will be played at some point (cocktail hour or dinner) not all of them made the final cut for the dance! Bridezilla got to make the final cuts, obviously!

Oh, and a side note. Drew planned our honeymoon and it is all a surprise for me. I tried to convince him that I should wear a blindfold and ear plugs through the airport and at the gate so I wouldn't know where we were going until we arrived at our destination. Drew put the kabosh on this idea almost immediately. He thought he would look like a terrorist or a kidnapper dragging a blindfolded girl around the airport.

Fishin' In The Dark- 3
Electric Slide-2
Elvis Presley- Can't Help Falling in Love with you -5
Roll Out The Barrel-3
Sexy and I know it-3
Moves Like Jagger-4
Black Eyed Peas- many song requests for these guys
Single Ladies-4
What a Wonderful World-5
Shout!-3
Sweet Caroline-3
Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night-5
Old Time Rock N' Roll-3
A Little Fall of Rain (from Les Mis) hehe, inside joke
Build Me Up Buttercup
When I'm 64
Somebody I Used to Know
Love Game
Sic 'em on the Chicken
Cupid Shuffle
Melanie C
Think about it
Robyn
Call Your Girlfriend
YMCA
Whitney Houston Last Dance
What Makes You Beautiful
Just Dance
Dougie
Love Changes Everything
Ice Ice Baby
Bust-a-move
Tennessee Waltz
Electric Slide
Party Rock Anthem
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
Sweet Home Alabama
Cha Cha Slide
Anything by Journey
"Baton Rouge" by Garth Brooks
Low- Lil' Jon
Dancin' The Night Away
Summer of '69
Paradise
Sir Mix a Lot
Baby Don't Look Back
Chicken Dance
Polka Salad Annie
Blister In the Sun
Groove Is In The Heart
Cotton Eye Joe
Color My World
Dancing Queen

Bliss on the Beach

Over the weekend we went to the perfect wedding. It was classy, understated, personal, fun and well planned. From the ferry ride out to the island to the magenta bridesmaid shoes, the weekend was spectacular. We kicked off the weekend with lawn bowling (fancy name for bocce ball) on the roof of Brit's Pub in Minneapolis.

On Friday, friends, family and the wedding party shared toasts and funny stories at Lord Fletcher's on Lake Minnetonka. It was a great way to get to know one another, their relationship with the couple, and express our well wishes in a personal way before the big day.

With each day the wedding approaches. I grow more emotional. You've heard of "spontaneous combustion", well I think I'm experiencing "spontaneous eruption". I just burst into tears at the most awkward moments. During every speech on Friday evening I was a blubbering mess. When Keeley and I watched "New Year's Eve", which is not a sad movie, I was a blubbering mess.  When we arrived at the Welle household on Sat, the floodgates opened and didn't close for a few hours.

To get to the island on Saturday, we drove to a parking lot, hopped on a shuttle, took the shuttle to a dock in front of the Welle household, then hopped on a pontoon over to the island. It was so charming!

I have to admit, attending a wedding as wonderful as this one was a bit unnerving three weeks before my wedding. Upon our arrival I started a mental checklist of the things I have yet to finish.Needless to say, this also prompted some tears. While we were waiting on the dock with most of the wedding party watching a pontoon ferry load up, and as the shuttle pulled into the lot, I looked around nervously and said "guys, do you think we're in the right place?" Keeley and Jenna lost it... I think that is when I kicked the anxiety and pulled myself together.

Keeley and Sarah right after our toast. Keeley was so focused on her walleye dinner that she didn't notice that she was supposed to go give the couple a hug after our toast... She went straight back to her walleye. This picture was taken while she was redeeming herself.

Notice the darling Hot Pink Sperry's?

The real flowers and flower petals on the aisle added such a romantic touch to the wedding, it was really beautiful... also kept things simple for the flower girl!

I really loved the bouquets they used for the ceremony pictured on either side of the seating chart. The simplicity of the baby's breath was so ethereal and lovely; coupled with the thulle the look was irresistible!

Drew captured a laugh on the beach... jk, we totally posed for this.

I loved the table display- clean & classic. The centerpieces were made up of various soft pink flowers; coupled with the navy blue napkins the look was complete. Sarah put labels on  wine bottles to , and then put water in the wine bottles-genius!

I mean, I'm just saying... we took these pics of our profiles in the sunset and then the photographer followed suit... (see the picture of the bride and groom down below)

 The beautiful bride and groom in the sunset... notice the amazing bow on Sarah's dress! You know the wedding was a success when the evening concludes with half the wedding party in the lake. I know Jesse and Sarah will share a lifetime of happiness and I am so happy I was able to share in their joy!

The beginning of the end...

...of wedding planning. I know I should be happy, happy to have my free time back, happy to have my sanity back, happy to have something to talk about other than the wedding...

but, as much as I hate to admit it, I'm already sort of dreading August 5th. For months I've felt like a celebrity. My friends call and text me on a daily or weekly basis. I'm the center of attention in many conversations. Everyone wants to hear about the latest wedding plans. What am I doing about seating arrangements? What will my centerpieces look like? Have I seen this or that idea on pinterest?

It's been awesome. Everyone comes together to celebrate you and your significant other; you feel so loved; it's such a high. I have LOVED planning. Despite the ridiculous pressure pinterest has added to the already insane wedding scene, I enjoy cutting burlap, DIYing programs, tying napkins in raffia, stamping to my hearts content, scouring craigslist for jars, frequenting thrift stores for plates.... sigh.

I've loved the time spent with my sisters, mom, Drew, friends and family throughout the planning process.

Come August 5th I'll be old news. Instead of asking me about the wedding people will start asking me "so, when do  you think you'll have children?"

It'll all be reduced to memories, stories and pictures.

I'm fully expecting post-wedding depression. Right now I don't really even remember what I thought about or talked about six months ago.

But for now, I guess I'll continue to let the anticipation build. I really can't wait, I know it will be a wonderful day, and of course, life with Andrew will be the real reward!

Excuse my brutal honesty here, but hey, if your writing isn't honest then what's the point? I'm off to sleep, where I'm sure I'll be tossing and turning trying to make sure all the t's are crossed and the i's are dotted.

Pinterest doppleganger

So, Bryana sent me this link and told me that she thought it was me. I was so scared to open the link, I thought I was going to find someone crazy looking or something... but really, it does look like me.

http://pinterest.com/pin/148829962656424691/

weirdo!

Our engagement pics, the good, the bad and the ugly.

So my very talented little sister took some pictures for us yesterday. We had a blast. Some of these pictures are just too hilarious not to share... for example, all these book pictures were really cool in my mind but in real life they are super dorky....

sneaking a kiss behind HP lol

Ah yes, we always read like this. Notice my swimsuit showing...

This picture looks like I picked up a new evening occupation... if you know what I mean, and I think you do. LOL

McCayla: "Do something cool with Bosco"... this was the result

McCayla: "act natural"   ...

Okay, I kind of like this one but Drew isn't really part of the picture lol.

One of my favorites

I got into some pretty serious itchweed to make this picture happen

Another favorite

Another favorite

cute but so corny lol, I love the way Drew is looking at me haha

McCayla, genius photo

Upstairs in an old grainery...



Maybe my favorite of all