A Christmas shower

Jessica, my future sister-in-law, had her first wedding shower in December.  It was a Christmas shower.  I was so excited the timing fell where she could have this shower.  It was definitely one of my favorites.  You don't realize how much it takes to fill your house with holiday decor until you go to do it that first year!  She was blessed to receive a variety of gifts.  She won't have a problem decorating their house for Christmas next year.  She is just beautiful...look at her.  Our family is truly blessed.  I can't wait until May 28, 2011.

The bride-to-be

My mom and Jessica's mom being silly!

Jason and I gave she and Rhett Willow House stockings.  I had them monogrammed and just love them!

This is probably my favorite gift she received.  It's a beverage server in the shape of a package for hot or cold drinks.  It came from Sam's Club and I think it's just awesome!


(Warning...several more Christmas posts to come....I'm behind!)


HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Heather, will you be my matron of honor??

 I love checking the mail for Christmas cards this time of year.  I have hung all of them on my Decorative Card Display and it's almost full!  This past week, not only did I receive Christmas cards, but I received another card...

From: Jessica (my brother's fiancée)

How beautiful is this?  She made it by using a Cricut machine.  I thought this was the cutest idea to go about asking your wedding party to be apart of your special day:)

 I am more than honored to stand with Jessica on her wedding day!  

May 28, 2011

I have 6 months to try and look good in this:

No, really... I haven't been this excited since my wedding.  My brother and his fiancée were engaged on September 11 of this year and they originally planned a May 2012 wedding, until this past weekend.  They changed their mind.  I am super pumped!  Now, I am in plan mode.  I have to help Mom with  plans for our house, assist in ideas and plans for the rehearsal dinner, and of course the wedding.  Jessica knows how much I love planning things, so I'm hoping to help as much as possible.  

The first thing we found were these beautiful J Crew dresses.  I have a friend who used this same dress, but in a different color and they were just super cute!  

The wedding will be outside at my parent's house on May 28th.  If I were having an outside wedding, this is definitely the look I would go for.  These are a few pictures to describe the feel that Jessica has for her wedding day.

(minus the cake)

 

She loves the idea of an arbor, but not this particular one, with this floral arrangement...gorgeous!

Jessica is going to make a beautiful bride.  If any of you know of a website that would help her in ideas based off of the look you see she is going for, let me know.  She's thinking of using Mason Jars, old window panes, etc..as part of the decor.  

Congrats, Jessica and Rhett and Happy Planning!

My best friend's wedding...

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Jett...

The pre-wedding events started out with me traveling on a plane by myself. I was very intimated by this, but made it through it safely. Haley picked me up at the airport and we were off to a week/end of fun.

Thursday, John's aunt, hosted us at the nail salon with Panera Bread, mimosas, and a mani/pedi. It was awesome! She is the sweetest lady:) After we were "all dolled up", we ran some last minute errands and then off to the BBQ that Haley's parents hosted for the family, close friends, and of course the wedding party. It was so much fun meeting all of them!

Friday, we had a true Northern tea at a Tea Parlor in Ohio. I felt like I was five again playing dress up and having a tea party. It was just magical. That night, John's parents hosted the rehearsal dinner at a wonderful steak and seafood restaraunt, called Eddie Merlot's. Haley had put together a slideshow as well as her engagement video from her photographer. It was the sweetest thing:)

Saturday, the festivities began. Hair at 9, make-up at 12, then prepping for the evening. I took pictures throughout the whole weekend for Haley and John and their families to have. We were very relaxed during the day. Haley's parents had provided snacks and drinks for us. The country club was a great place for the wedding because we simply stayed downstairs in the basement and were able to relax until the wedding started.

This wedding was amazing. Everything had Haley written all over it. It was very romantic, detailed, and feminine. The sweetheart table Haley and John sat at was one of my favorite details. The floral arrangement that hung from the chandelier during the ceremony was another one of my favorites. The pastor presented the sweetest ceremony. We danced the night away. It was so much fun having my parents there and of course Jason...he is entertainment himself on the dance floor:)

Haley and John are blessed to have such wonderful families and people in their lives. They both together make a beautiful couple, inside and out. I am so thankful to have been a part of their special day. We are so excited they are going to be living in Alabama where we can visit more often.

I wish I were in Turks and Caicos right now....

Thompson-Koffler Wedding Weekend

Introducing....Mr. and Mrs. Jake Koffler!

Our trip to Atlanta started like this. We carried Jake's boat to him that he had left here in Auburn at the Lake House about 3 years ago. We looked rather funny driving through downtown Atlanta, stuck in traffic, with this "little fishing boat".

This picture is actually how Jason brought it back from the lake to our house in Auburn. It was so funny! He had to pick the boat up by himself and put it on his trailor:)

The events this weekend started with the Rehearsal and Dinner. Following the dinner, they had a dessert bar and party with live music. It was such a pleasant night. Jake's parents did such a great job of adding detailed decor that represented Jake for the Rehearsal Dinner.

Saturday, we all went to the pool. It was so much fun getting to visit with all of our friends fromcollege. A lot of us are married now and it makes thing so much fun.

Saturday night was the wedding. I cannot explain how beautiful this wedding was. Jake and Leigh are one of my favorite couples. They balance each other so well. Leigh looked stunning, along with Mr. Handsome. The reception was fabulous. We all danced the night away, took photos in the photo booth, had dance offs, and sang on stage. Leigh and Jake...hats off to you for such a wonderful weekend. I know they are enjoying Greece right now:)

Haley's Bachelorette Weekend

Wow! What a an eventful, yet fabulous weekend. As you all know, the media had been predicting all week that Saturday was going to be one of our first severe weather days of the season. Boy were they right, but oh so wrong.

Friday night we had a scrumptious meal at Michael's in Homewood. Saturday morning Katie (Haley's best friend from Ohio), Haley, Haley's parents and I tried to go to breakfast at Another Broken Egg in Moutain Brook, but the power was out! We then ventured to the Original House of Pancakes. After breakfast, Katie and I started preparing for the Lingerie Party. We hosted the party at the Tutwiler in the suite we were staying in. Haley loves details, so Katie and I put much thought into planning this party. Her cake was probably one of my most favorite details. Her cake was a strawberry cake with the design of her invitation on it. Ironically, the cake came from Edgar's Bakery, which just so happen to be Haley's favorite. I was so pleased to hear that and the cake was amazing:)

It turns out, mother nature took over and prevented many of the guests from coming to the party! We were so bummed for Haley because the weather ended up being fine, but the guests just couldn't chance being stuck on the road in the unpredictable weather. We decided not to let it get in our way though and still held the party. We all had a blast. We played all of the games we had planned, talked, and watched Haley open all of her beautiful gifts.

After the party, we had dinner at Superior Grill. This is one of Haley's favorite restaraunts. Unfortuantely, I got sick during the last part of our meal. We headed home pretty soon after that as the tornado siren was going off again. Luckily, we made it back safely.

I was so happy to host Haley's bachelorette weekend for her. She is such a dear friend to me and I wanted to make it as special for her as possible. I cannot believe the BIG day is almost here.

Happy Anniversary # 1

April 18, 2009

On Sunday, Jason and I celebrated our one year anniversary. I can't believe one year ago, we were getting married. I can't believe time as flown so fast. We have had so much fun this first year. During this first year of marriage, we have:

* bought our 1st home, built a deck on the back, and working on our privacy fence
* expanded Jason's business
* started my masters
* started a side business selling Southern Living at Home
* started teaching Kindergarten
* joined our church and Sunday School class
* made lots of wonderful friends
* made beautiful memories as a married couple with our families
* enjoyed learning to cook, clean, and do wifely duties


Jason and I started our day off sleeping in, which is a rare occasion in our working world. We had a scrumptious breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then off to Callaway Gardens we went. We started off walking throuh the Azalea Bowl, touring the chapel, and some other beautiful gardens. Next, we set off to rent bicycles. I kept seeing these awesome blue bicycles, just like I like, with tall handle bars and an adjustable seat where my back won't hurt. We rode the bicycles through the whole entire trail. Along the way, we stopped to view many different gardens, the Butterfly Center, and to find our way back on the trail (a few times, ha). You can ask Jason or God, we were riding those bikes and we were giggling like kids. I mean I enjoyed it so much!! I felt like Rachel McAdams and Owen Wilson in the movie, Wedding Crashers. I wish you could have been there. It was one of the best days that Jason and I have had together. Although Callaway Gardens is only 45 minutes away, I felt like I was off on a mini honeymoon again. We ended the day with a dinner at Olive Garden and TCBY, of course:)

Jason and I talked about our year of marriage and how we have just enjoyed it so much. I have always heard that your 1st year can be hard, but I feel like we have worked together and had a wonderful year. I will say, our walk with God has definitely kept us grounded as man and wife.

This time last year we were doing this:)

The Crane Resort in Barbados

Our weekend in Birmingham

Haley and John

Jason and I headed to B'ham on Friday to stay with his brother and sister-in-law. We had an awesome time catching up with them. On Saturday, we were off to Haley and John's "His and Hers Shower" at Rojo. I had not seen Haley since last June so it was great catching up in person and experiencing such an exciting time in her life. The shower was awesome! I took about 200 pictures hoping to capture every moment and detail of the shower. I really enjoyed using my new CAMERA:) I can't wait to stand by her on the Big Day!