Better Late Than Never

Yeah, it's been almost 4 weeks since the wedding, and I'm just now getting around to writing about it, but what are you gonna do? Teri and I have been really busy since then.

People always say how their wedding days were a blur and how you don't really remember much. I don't know how much I bought into that before May 2. Every wedding I'd ever been in seemed to go at a normal, regular-life pace. It really is true though that your own wedding day flies by and you only remember bits and pieces. What I do remember is very much worth remembering though.

Obviously the best part of the day was that at the end of the day I was married to Teri. I don't want this post to turn into a book, so I'll just touch on a couple other things. One of my other favorite parts of May 2 that stands out to me though was when we dismissed everyone from the church after the ceremony. Unfortunately, Teri and I weren't able to get around to talk to everyone at the reception like we would have liked to do, so dismissing people from the pews was the one shot we had to say hi to everyone and thank them for coming to share such a wonderful day with us. (I guess I just thanked anyone who came again by writing it here, but I'm sure that not all of our wedding guests will read this.)

We ended up with really nice weather too. It was about the perfect temperature and it didn't rain like it had the previous 3 days. The sun even came out for a bit.

Teri and I obviously still have a lot to learn about being married (because, honestly, how much can you know in under 4 weeks?), but what I do know is that she is a wonderful wife and a gift from God. I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with her.

Pictures!!

Things have been kinda busy since the wedding - no worries, we do plan to post a wedding weekend / honeymoon post. In the meantime though, check out some pics!! :)

http://www.copephotography.com/slideshows/hudson/

Getting Down to the Wire

"So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it." Willy Wonka

Willy can say that again. :)

Last Friday, Matt, my parents & I set off to IL for a shower his Aunt Carol hosted for us. The drive out was uneventful, which is always good. I got a lot of reading done (Undaunted Courage - Lewis & Clark's expedition story, for anyone who cares what I'm reading), & I enjoyed that very much since reading hasn't gotten to be very high on the priority list lately. :) We got to Hanna City around 4pm. That evening, Matt took my parents on a tour of his growing up places.

Saturday morning was the shower in Morton. I'm glad we got to have a shower in IL, as several of Matt's relatives can't make it to the wedding. It was nice to meet everyone. Matt actually got to attend the shower too, which was nice b/c he could help share the attention with me. As an introvert, it's challenging sometimes to be getting all the attention. :) It was good he was there b/c there we received several man gifts from his Sears registry, like the shop vac & socket type tools. I'm probably butchering the names, but oh well. Matt can leave a comment correcting me. :)

After the brunch, I got to run on a trail that Matt found for me last September. It was a lovely run, besides getting lost for a little while. :) That evening, Matt's siblings & their families came over for an Easter dinner a day early. Everything was delicious, mmm. My parents had fun meeting Matt's siblings & seeing their interactions. :)

Sunday, we went to church together & hit the road.

And b/c I don't have time to type everything, a bullet update of things accomplished this week:
- paid the remaining vendors & communicated "day of" details
- got the bridesmaids gifts
- got the musician's gift
- my dad figured out the day of transporation - my dad rocks!
- touched based with wedding coordinator on pertinent details

The big task this week is packing up my stuff to move to Matt's on Saturday. If anyone is free to help, WE WOULD LOVE YOUR HELP! It's more of the bigger (i.e. heavy) stuff, so the more muscles, the better. There will be PIZZA for lunch as a thank you.

Less Than a Month!

Whew, things have been BUSY lately, to say the least. I am so at the point where I want the planning to just be over. No more decisions please. :)

Matt & I picked out paint for the guestroom & master bedroom this past weekend Friday. We decided on a soft yellow for the guestroom, & a beigy beige for the master. Matt's had this week off work & has already gotten a lot accomplished!! The guestroom is done & looks great! At this exact moment, he is working on the trim in the master with the beige.

Following our trip to Lowe's, we got my rings checked for their 6 month check-up. All is well. :)

In other news, my co-workers threw me a surprise shower on Monday! We had a potluck planned for over a month (I was actually in charge of the Outlook invitation & follow up emails), but it turns out the potluck was a surprise bridal shower the whole time! They totally got me. Matt & my mom were there too. I have such nice co-workers. :)

I believe my mom & I have purchased the last decorations for the sanctuary & reception. No more craft stores! :)

I had my practice updo on Saturday with Gigi, & it turned out really well. I'm excited that all of us girls get to get our hair done together. The salon we're going to has a very open floor plan, so we'll be able to interact with each other.

Our cruise packet arrived at AAA this week, & I picked that up after work today. We are all set to sail!

And, on a final note, the groomsmen gifts were on my doorstep when I got home! Yay!

Update on the Wedding Happenings

Last weekend was a pretty productive one. Teri and I got 2 of our shore excursions for the honeymoon booked (we have to wait until I see the doctor on the 14th before we can plan on snorkeling). It was nice to have that partly crossed off the list, and it was nice to think about the honeymoon. It will be so nice and relaxing.

While we weren't directly involved in it, the flower girl dresses are nearing completion now too. We saw pictures of both Callie and Lucy in their almost-finished dresses, and they both look super cute. No, I'm not going to post those pictures and ruin the surprise. You'll have to come to the wedding to see the flower girls in complete regalia.

We also went to Meredith and Jeff's farm to do our last work day in exchange for the lower wedding/engagement photography price. We were helping them burn some brush, some of which had been there since they bought the farm (literally, not figuratively) last August. We also helped trim up their pine trees in the back yard and haul stuff to new piles so the wood could dry out to be burned at a future date. We had pretty decent weather, and as far as work days go, it was pretty fun. While we were there, we sat down with Meredith and got the schedule for photography on the wedding day figured out. One more thing crossed of the list.

Teri also got the wedding-day hair appointments set up for her, the bridesmaids and our moms. That's about all the detail I remember about that. Alright, so I remember they have to be at the salon at 9 am.

We also picked out the new color of paint for the master bedroom. I have next week off work to paint the guest bedroom and master bedroom and get the garage cleared out so we can move Teri's stuff in on the 25th and so she can park in the garage after the wedding. I'm actually looking forward to working on the house all next week (except for Friday, that's the drive-to-Illinois day).

Mini Update

This weekend, we:
- picked up gifts for the ushers
- purchased the guestbook
- purchased the unity candle holder & candles
- purchased the aisle runner
- completed pre-marital counseling
- picked out my dress for the rehearsal dinner

Also, the wedding favors, wedding napkins & flower girl presents came in today's mail!

Toodles for now!

Engagement Extravaganza!

So I just went for the alliteration in the title - Weekend Extravaganza just didn't flow as well. :)

We are just under the 6 week mark till the big day! I've already gotten several response cards in the mail just this past week! This weekend seemed to mark the kick-off to the big day.

Friday afternoon, Matt & I made our way downtown to get our marriage license. There was no line, woo hoo! Part of the marriage license process is swearing an oath that you are: no more closely related than 2nd cousins, not under the influence, & you're not currently married. Since it's a govenment office & a serious situation, Matt & I both put our goofy sides away for the moment to take the oath. The worker made a comment about us both getting so serious - if we had joked around though, I'm not so sure we would've gotten the license with such ease. :)

Matt's parents arrived later that afternoon, & we had some time to catch them up on the wedding planning & have a nice dinner. We also showed them the hotel since we were in the area. After dinner, we went to my parent's house to hang out with the padres & my cousin Annie. We had a little fashion show - Annie tried on her bridesmaid dress & shoes, & my mom tried on a couple dresses she has as well. Too bad the pics are on my mom's camera, Annie ... that hat looked hot, lol. :)

Saturday was the *big shower* day!! I arrived around noon at Beechwold, & was taken aback by how wonderful everything looked! The tables were decorated with lovely red hydrangeas in glass bowls full of CHOCOLATE! My bridesmaids were there too, along with my mom, Aunt Marla & Grandma. Annie had bought some balloons to use as markers for people to know where the shower was. She taped them to the front door along with a sign. We were all standing near the door when we saw 2 kids walk by & grab the balloons right off the door! Those hooligans stole the balloons!! I was in shock! Lisa & Carrie took off after them (btw - Lisa was wearing a skirt & heels) & let them HAVE IT! It was awesome. I couldn't hear anything being said, but I know that boys felt bad, & Lisa & Carrie reclaimed the balloons. Here are a couple pics to recreate the scene:

Lisa yelling:

Lisa saved the day:

The rest of the shower went smoothly without any other crazy happenings. The shower really served as a reminder of how God has blessed me with such amazing family & friends. It was good to see people I haven't seen in awhile & catch up with them. Annie had this fun game where I had to answer questions about Matt & his answers had been pre-recorded. I got 3 out of 5 correct. :) It was a great time - thanks to everyone who came & for those who helped!

Following the shower, Mom, Mary & I went to JoAnn's & picked out the fabric for the flower girl dresses. They are going to be so cute! That night, we all relaxed at my parents house, & Matt & I even won the game of Trivial Pursuit!

Sunday we went to church together & had lunch afterward. Matt's parents, & Tim, Lisa & Co. hit the road shortly after. I was pretty exhausted yesterday, but it was a good exhausted. It was an amazing weekend, & I had such a blast.

For Our Guests

Teri and I decided to put a lot of information on the blog so people can decide for themselves how much or how little they need. The hope is that this will make it easier to find the information you need and plan your trip if you're coming to Columbus from out of town.

The reception is at the church following the wedding, so you don't need to worry about where you have to drive to. Once you've found the church, you're good to go.

So our parents aren't flooded with questions about it, we have registered at Target, Kohl's and Sears. Alright, so we registered and Target and Kohl's, I registered at Sears.

For our out-of-town guests, we have reserved a block of rooms at the Hyatt Place hotel at 7490 Vantage Dr. in Columbus (614-846-4355). The deadline to get the group rate is April 3. Just call and tell them you need a room for the Price-Hudson wedding and they should take care of you.

I also put together this map with the hotel, Hyatt Place and rehearsal dinner site. I've also added a number of other places to that map that you might want to visit while you're in Columbus, along with links to the places that have their own web sites so you can get even more info.

Thank you for joining us to celebrate the big day!

Feeling Accomplished

Our accomplishments this week include:
- selected our caterer
- selected our florist
- got my practice updo
- ordered wedding favors
- ordered wedding napkins

Plugging Away

It was another busy weekend for the wedding planning (plus, it was Matt's birthday! Happy Birthday Sweet Pea!). Friday evening we visited Jim & Leslie to have a tasting of their food for the reception. Everything was delicious! We had a variety of cheeses with crackers and candied nuts to start, including a wonderful pumpkin cheese spread which was my favorite. We then had chicken paninis, cherry tomatoes stuffed with hummus, crab dip & spinach & artichoke dip. Matt & I had Callie-belly afterward (my niece's stomach gets really big when she drinks too much juice).

Saturday I was supposed to have my practice hair updo session, but the stylist called to say she was coming down with something & was leaving the salon early. So, we rescheduled for later this week. My mom & I decided to go to Polaris to look for some dresses for her since we had some free time from the cancellation. After that, we had another floral appointment with Janna Coe Designs.

While my mom & I were running our errands, Matt & Darren got together to discuss the bachelor party. When I heard they were having a "meeting," I surmised that meant 10 minutes of discussing the activities quickly followed by watching whatever game was on TV. I was wrong. It was 10 minutes of discussing activities, following by the playing of video games. :)

We also met with our DJ a few weekends ago, & are trying to figure out various songs & order of events at the reception. In other news, I found the bridesmaids' shoes at DSW, & they match perfectly!

The big day is 2 months from tomorrow! I'm hoping to wrap up some final decisions in the next 2 weeks. Next Saturday is stuffing & sending invitations day. :)

Whirlwind ...

Today was a work holiday, woopie! And, an excellent time to get some wedding stuff done.

After a nice run at Antrim, I packed Sparky in the car, & we headed over to my parent's house. My mom & I started working on the ribbons to tie on the bubbles. I got to have lunch with Matt, which was very nice. We got done eating early, & attempted to find a doggy gate at Target to add to our registry. Stores should seriously give couples a holster for that scanner gun. :)

Following lunch, my mom & I went to the store & found table clothes for the reception. At 2:30, we met with Flowers on High - the first floral appointment to date. The owner was a very nice lady, & her shop smelled wonderful. Turns out she knows Meredith (as in Cope Photography, our photographer!) After that we headed to floral appointment #2 with David in Upper Arlington. That was also a nice & informative meeting.

After the floral appointments were over, we visited another store to get more table clothes & ribbon. Once home, the last of the bubbles were ribboned-up & put back in the wedding room. There's getting to be not a lot of space left in the wedding room ... I'm sure my parents will be glad when they have full use of it again.

Ok, time to relax before bed. :)

Flower Girl Baskets - Check!

I completed a wedding project tonight, yay!! I forgot to take "before" pics, but imagine a plain wicker basket. Here are the finished baskets:

Red baby roses with a trim of stephanotis:

Angle shot:
Stephanotis close up:

I hope Callie & Lucy like them!

His and Hers

I took this picture on Sunday, but I'm just now getting around to posting it on the interwebs. We now have our wedding bands, and I got this action shot of the rings doing what they do best before mine went to live with Teri until May 2. Mine is the one on the right and Teri's is the one on the left in case you're simple.


As a jewelry photographer, I make a pretty good editor.

One Week at a Time ...

Wedding planning continues in full swing! We are just under the 3 month mark ... we've gotten a lot done and have a lot yet to do. But, it's nice to know that 3 months from now, all the planning, stressing, minute decision making, etc. will be over, and Matt & I'll be cruising to the Bahamas. :) That sounds especially nice with this freezing weather we've been having! BRRR!

We met with another caterer Sunday after church, & had a really good meeting. We're planning to have a taste testing with him at the end of the month. We have our first taste testing tomorrow with a different caterer, but I'll let Matt write more on that after the fact. I have to though say I've been looking forward to the food all week, yum!!

My mom & I are meeting with the church wedding coordinator tomorrow afternoon to figure out some logistics & get guidance on a couple things. I need some questions answered so I stop stressing out. For one, does it really matter if we release guests one row at a time or have a receiving line with family only? How in the world will I attach the pew bows (stop it Matt & Annie!) to the pews? I'm hoping for a productive meeting that eases my mind and helps my mom & I know what we need to buy after seeing what the church has.

I've set up a practice wedding hair day for later in the month. Now I just need to narrow my choice down to 1 from the 15 or so I have in mind. :)

Other accomplishments:
- set up appt with a DJ
- set up appt with florists
- ordered part 1 of the bridesmaid's gifts
- completed registeries
- delegated hotel finding duties to my mom

To Do This Weekend:
- try Steve's food tomorrow evening (twist my arm, come on) CHECK
- meet with church wedding coordinator CHECK
- finish flower girl baskets CHECK
- start & finish the bridesmaid's bouquets CHECK
- fill in more addresses for invitations Check
- start this week's pre-marital counseling homework Check

Bubbles!

The send-off bubbles came in yesterday's mail! Yay!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Last weekend was a long weekend, what with Teri and I having MiLK day off of work on Monday, and we got a lot done on the wedding planning front. Friday night we went and bought our wedding bands. Saturday we started the gift registry process (more on that in a future post when they're actually finished and ready for dissemination). Sunday afternoon we had a cake-tasting appointment and got our cake provider booked for the reception. On Monday, after my dentist appointment, we had three appointments with caterers in the afternoon/early evening. Teri and I are in agreement that if we can afford him, we want to have Steve's Catering take care of the food at the reception, but we're not sure what his cost will be. Just from the meetings on Monday, we were able to eliminate one of the other caterers. Neither of us was impressed with them.

Also on Monday, the wedding invitations showed up and they look as expected and we picked up Teri's wedding band since it was done being resized. Mine had to be ordered, so it's not in yet. As you can tell, it was a busy, exhausting weekend, which is why it's Friday and I'm finally getting around to writing about it.

You are invited ...

Matt & I were able to order our wedding invitations today! Success! I kinda freaked out last weekend at the Bride Show when all the invitation promos said invitations were supposed to be ordered 16-18 weeks before the big day, & Matt & I more like 15 weeks before the wedding. I did some research this week (none of the vendor's sites from the Bride Show were helpful), and found a few for Matt & I to review. We narrowed it down to 2 this afternoon, & made our final decision about an hour ago. :) Who knew picking word arrangement & font style could be such a process? Our homework now is to start collecting addresses. I'd post a picture of the invitation, but I don't want to ruin the surprise when people open it up.

The Columbus Cake Show

At least I'm pretty sure that's where Teri and I were on Sunday. It may have been the Columbus Bridal Show, but mostly it was about free cake samples.

It was actually really good that we went because we got a discount on the tuxes that we'd already booked, got another catering contact, got some leads on flowers and have a better idea of what kind of schedule we need to be on with ordering and sending invitations. Also, there were free samples of cake.

We do have 2 appointments set up with caterers for MLK day, and we're working on a 3rd, so we're getting some headway made there too. Teri and I were both impressed by the 3rd caterer who we met on Sunday. He had some delicious appetizers there for tasting (the booth next to his had some cake though).

There hasn't been any word yet on whether or not we won any of the door prizes. Typically the number 1 rule to any drawing is "If the prize is worth anything, Matt can't win.", so I'm not holding my breath. Sorry Teri, but you should know that about me now.