High Voltage

Here they are...my wedding shoes! The model is named Volts, by designer Stewart Weitzman. They are comfortable for dancing (I can't wait to start our lessons!) and will be fun to wear after the wedding day is over. I love me a good pair of silver shoes! What color are your wedding shoes?

Boudoir Photos

Tomorrow I am having a boudoir photos taken at the studio of Trystan Photography here in Denver: http://www.trystanphotography.com/. They have an excellent package, which includes a 2 hour session and a 5"x 5" custom hard cover album for $325! I am excited but nervous to see how it will go. To prepare, I spent Sunday at Revive Day Spa, getting a facial, mani, pedi and the requisite bikini wax. I had my nails painted the gorgeous red pictured above. Today I am getting my hair cut and colored, at Denver's recently named top salon, Luxe. Tomorrow, Mary from Luxe will do my hair and I am having my makeup done at Simply Moore in Cherry Creek. I will be sure to post before/after hair and make up pics as I am using them as my pre-wedding trials as well as boudoir photo prep. Don't worry, I'll be keeping the pictures themselves to myself!

For the photo shoot itself, I am packing the following "outfits":

• 1 set consisting of a pink and black swiss dot bra, panty and corset with matching black stockings and black stilettos


• 1 set consisting of a nude lace cami and boy shorts with chocolate brown ankle strap stilettos


• 1 pair of a navy print panties with a white bow and a dress shirt of Andrew's (I had to get creative when making up an excuse to take his shirt!)


• 1 pair of lace thong panties, my veil, tiara and silver kitten heel wedding shoes to be worn with a string of pearls

As I have never done this before, I can't help but wonder..am I missing anything?

Sexy Little Bride

My sister just got a job for the summer at the Victoria's Secret Pink store. She get's a discount. Hmmmm.....

So much better than the traditional bachelorette party regalia, lacking the typical male genitalia. Nice!

How cute would this be for the day of getting ready pictures?!?

Quasi-Nesting

Andrew and I are not living together before we get married, which tends to raise a few eyebrows here and there. I think everyone should do what is best in their own situation, and in ours the decision is based on a variety of factors from traditional parents (my dad actually told me he would not pay for any part of our wedding if we lived together first), religion and finances (I have 2 roommates, so splitting the bills 3 ways is much more lucrative than 2). However, we are preparing for the move (Andrew recently sold his house and will move into mine), and are making slow and steady progress towards it. We've done some work in the kitchen, put sod in the yard and even built a new patio for outdoor entertaining. However, today I worked on the first project that really made me feel like it was "our house"; Andrew and I picked out paint together and today I started painting what will be our guestroom. It is a lovely taupe color called haystack. I also have to say that I put more loving attention into this project than any of the others, mostly because the nesting gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. I can definitely see why it would be fun to live together already. Sigh. What is your living situation, and what are your reasons for your choice?

p.s. I will be sure to post pictures when the room is painted!!

What's Black and White and Cute All Over?

This makes me wish that black and white were in my wedding color scheme. From exclusivelyweddings.com. Any ideas where I can get one of these in pink and brown? I have been searching to no avail.

Sendoff Solution

I found them and I love them. The best part is that they were on sale from $37.50 for 12 to $9.38 for 12. I saw them in Brides magazine and bought them at www.katespaperie.com. I ordered 48 for guests to wave as we make our grand exit. Easy, chic and cheap...just how I like it.

Little Details, Big Difference

My Mom was in town this past weekend and we had a wedding bonanza on Tuesday. Our schedule consisted of going to the wholesale market with the florist to get a flower preview(more on that later), lunch at the site of the welcome dinner (mmm...juicy hamburger), a tour of the venue and an overnight at the hotel we will block for guests. Perhaps my favorite task of the day was picking out our linens. We settled on a chocolate base linen with an embroidered, satin-trimmed, sheer overlay(pictured) and light pink napkins. For an extra $9/per table for the overlay, I believe that we will get a lot of visual "bang for our buck". Anyone else using an overlay on their tables?

Does It Get Any Better Than This?

I have been coveting a "cruiser"-style bicycle for at leat two years. Guess what was waiting for me when I returned from Maine? I'm starting to think that I should go away on vacation more often!! Even better, mine has streamers and a bell too! It was 2am when I found it, so I had to wait until the next morning to ring the bell. It was worth the wait! Just another reason why I just can't wait to marry Andrew. He is always so thoughtful!

And...I'm Off

Just wanted to say a quick goodbye before I head out. I will be in Steamboat Springs, Colorado from July 3-6, and then in Maine from July 7-13th. See you when I return!!

Happy Birthday to My Baby!

Andrew and I have been together 4 years now, which means 4 birthdays together. I was thinking today about the evolution of those celebrations, from a big fancy dinner in his honor and cologne as a gift (Give me a break, we had only been together 2 months at that point. At least the cologne was the "boy" brand of my perfume "Romance" by Ralph Lauren, which he said he loved) to our celebration this year, which really honors Andrew and who he is.

On Thursday, the 3rd, I am going to be making a special meal for him, a la Glamour. Anyone ever heard of engagement chicken? If not, the recipe is here. http://www.glamour.com/lifestyle/dobetter/articles/2006/07/10/engagementchicken05feb .
I figure that he'll like it even though we are already engaged. I plan to serve the chicken with grilled asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes. I even picked up a great white wine to complement it. This is going to be a huge surprise for him because I NEVER cook. My idea of cooking is warming up Lean Cuisine. Andrew prefers an intimate meal in to dining out, so this will really be a treat. I've already bought 50+ candles to set out to make it extra romantic.

Andrew isn't a cake fan, so I have baked his favorite, chocolate chip cookies with white chocolate chips for dessert. It works out well for us that we are both white chocolate fiends. I've made enough extra so that we can take them with us on our vacation to Steamboat Springs, CO this weekend.

In Steamboat, we are going to go with the flow. Hard for me, but his favorite way to travel. Again, I am working with his preferences here so that the weekend is really about him. We have a condo rented there for the weekend and plenty of groceries so that we can cook in. This favors his preferences and is better for my Weight Watchers diet. The only nights we will go out are the 4th for the Steamboat Rodeo/BBQ and to an Italian restaurant for the night of his birthday (which he picked). During the day we'll hike, bike and float in tubes down the Yampa River. I can't wait!

For his birthday, I also got him 2 small gifts-a new pair of bike shorts (which he needs and will be surprised to get) and Arrested Development Season 3. I even skipped the mushy card in favor of a funny one, just for him.

How have the ways that you celebrate each other's birthdays evolved since you met?