Wedding Diary: Guest List Dilemma
As soon as I got engaged I started thinking about where I wanted the wedding to take place and who I wanted to invite to share in my big day. I’ve done quite a bit of research to see what the “experts” think as it pertains to the guest list and locations. Here’s what happens when I analyze the top 5 questions that I found when determining your guest list.
The first 2 questions: What is my dream wedding and what can we afford? Now, if you want to really take the wind out of someone, ask them to dream up their wedding and then ask them to check their bank account. So dreams are not allowed when it comes to planning this wedding. Don’t get me wrong, I will have some things that I have always thought about incorporating into my wedding but just with a few more realistic expectations. I’m confident that I will get exactly what I want, well, maybe most of what I want.

Initially Yours from Rosanna

Rosanna’s Initially Yours Collection is inspired by the elegant script of 18th century France and is absolutely gorgeous, a definitive must-have.
The Initially Yours Petit Plates are the perfect accompaniment to the Initially Yours Mugs shown below. The Petit Plates are individually boxed, and will make a very thoughtful and inexpensive gift.

The Initially Yours Mugs are stylish oversized porcelain mugs that make a gift ideal for every day of the year.
Rosanna always creates collections that are inspiring and beautiful. I really love this collection, the black and white is simple but very exquisite a well.

The collection is made of refined porcelain and is microwave and dishwasher safe. The Initially Yours Mugs and Petit Plates are sold separately for $15 each.
When Fairytale Meets Reality
August 31st at 9:30 pm Nelson asked me to marry him.
Fairy tale:
I jumped into his arms and screamed yes!! He slid the ring on my finger and as I was crying tears of joy all I could think about was finally being able to pull out my Wedding Scrapbook. You know that one that I started when I was 10 years old filled with all of my dreams of what my perfect wedding day would be like. I proceeded to call all my friends to tell them the good news. If I couldn’t reach them I sent them a text message. I couldn’t rely on waiting for them to listen to my voicemail. They needed to know right away. No one was going to miss out on my excitement that evening. Once I had a moment to sit down, the creative juices started to flow. Fall wedding outside at dusk. The man of my dreams waiting at the end of the aisle as I walk in my cathedral length wedding gown to greet him and begin our new life together in front of God, family and friends. Just thinking about it made me giddy with excitement.
Reality:
I looked at him, then at the ring, then back at him and I said…..Are you serious? Then I asked him…..Have you been drinking? Since he didn’t answer either of the questions I sat there for a minute. Now I have never met anyone that has had a near death experience but I’ve heard that your entire life flashes in front of you. That moment happened when Nelson asked me to marry him. I started thinking about all the dates, boyfriends, heartaches and break-ups that got me to this moment. The moment of my best friend looking me in the eyes and making the biggest commitment of his life to me. Was I ready to do the same? After a few minutes of thought as he patiently awaited my answer, (don’t worry it was really just 30 seconds but I needed the dramatic effect for the story) I said yes.
I’ll leave it up to you to determine if the start of my engagement was a fairytale or reality. Either way, I’m marrying Nelson. I know everyone thinks their fiancé is the perfect person. I don’t. He’s not perfect and neither am I but he is the man for me and I can’t wait to be his wife. During this process you will see how funny, kind and crazy my fiancé can be and you will no doubt be cheering us on as we get to the finish line (is this a race because I feel the need to start the music from Rocky and get myself psyched up for the next twelve months).

I must admit, if someone gave me a blank checkbook I would go all out for my wedding. I’m thirty six and I’ve never been married and I don’t have any kids (unless you count my two year old boxer Codey). I still want a wedding to remember. So I immediately started thinking, what wedding planner can I call? When I mentioned wedding planner to the fiancé he looked at me and laughed. So I guess no wedding planner. So that leaves me with guess who…..me!!! I must admit, I am never the person putting together anything. Example: the extent of my planning….”tell me how much, when and where and I’ll show up”. So after breakfast with my BFF on Saturday I got a little faith in myself and my ability to plan my dream wedding.
Over the next twelve months I will be pouring my heart and soul into planning this wedding. I promise to be faithful to my blog and share with you through good times and bad all the way to the very end when I say “I Do” to my new life with Nelson.
Final thought of the day: 
I told Nelson that I would be writing a blog to chronicle my experience planning our wedding. His response….drum roll please…“baby, does this mean that I can just read and respond to your blog and we don’t have to talk about it”? Even with that comment, I’m still going to marry him. I’m sure there will be more priceless comments like this to come.
The Diary of Marcia’s Wedding

Well, Marcia my best friend got in engaged about three weeks, HOW EXCITING right, so I headed down to Atlanta this past Friday for a girls only weekend to toast the fab news over cocktails and to see what help she would need from me on the planning of the blessed affair.
Over breakfast on Saturday morning and after a much needed second cup of coffee we began to talk about the wedding, which is planned for Fall 2010 – you know the usual – the budget, reception venues, color schemes, etc…. Then I mentioned a couple of ideas regarding the centerpieces and flowers for the reception and was baffled when my BFF replied “Can’t I just get some white flowers, tie a ribbon around them and put them in the table?” That’s when I knew we were in trouble. I responded “Well normally the colors of the flowers are coordinated with the colors of your wedding. From Marcia I got a UGH…, which brings us to where we are today.

Marcia – pictured above (with the blessing of her very sweet fiancé Nelson- Marcia will introduce him) has agreed to blog the planning of her wedding, from beginning to end, all twelve months. So you the readers will have to the opportunity to share in all the happy and frustrating moments of a bride to be. She will also seek the advise of the readers to help her make decisions on various wedding details.

So on Wednesday, yes tomorrow, Marcia will do her first blog – “The Diary of Marcia’s Wedding” and for all of us you know Marcia, you know you are looking forward to hearing her perspective on wedding planning….

















