Dress Shopping: why absolutes are not a good idea

At least they're not good for me.

Mishka Warning: This post is about my wedding dress which you are not to know about until I'm walking down the aisle. Distract yourself with the cute teddy bear. It is safe for Mishka's when you see the second cartoon teddy bear at the bottom of the post.

Shall we revisit my wedding dress post? Take a look at all those dresses. NONE of them look anything like my wedding dress.

Shall we review my requirements?

1. Sleeves because I don't like the strapless look.

2. Sleek lines close to my body to accent my figure.

3. Limited beaded embellishments because I prefer fabric accents.

My dress?

1. Sleeveless

2. Ballgown

3. Beaded embellishments on the bodice

Though there were some hints of what my dress would eventually look like in this little snippet from my original post:

"Since this will be a formal evening event a more full skirt could look fabulous. Also the layers of skirt will keep my legs much warmer during outside pictures (which I totally plan on doing). Also, long torso will once again accent my figure."

It was written about this dress which, in a lot of ways is similar to the dress I eventually bought:

How did I get from one extreme to the other? I'm not sure... At the first place we tried the woman brought in a strapless dress for me to try on, just to see if it looked good on me. It did and I never looked back. I tried on many different styles until finally, she brought in the ball gowns. They were the last three I tried on of what had to be 20 dresses. The third and final took our breath away.

When we went to the next bridal shop we focused in on ball gowns with few exceptions. And then we found "the one". I don't mean "the one" like I found my soulmate in a dress. I mean it was "the one" we bought, "the one" I loved the most, and "the one" I will eventually get married in.

And of course... the big question: why haven't I included a picture yet?

Well, we're keeping it a secret actually. Not from everyone like bridal party and my close friends, but my relatives who are expecting simple and chiffon. And since I might eventually open this up to them, I figure it's better not to include a picture. Boy will they be surprised when I appear at the back of the church on New Year's Eve next year. I can't wait to see their faces :).

The threat to Mishkas is now over. Enjoy the cartoon teddy bear. You may now continue reading my blog.

A Different Kind of Christmas

Christmas this year was very different than anything I've ever experienced. I was spending it with a different family, encountering different traditions, and eating different food (well, for the most part). I am also spending the longest continuous period of time with Mishka's family ever.

As I mentioned before, this was the first Christmas I have ever spent away from my family. I will not lie and say that it was a smooth and easy transition. I love Mishka's family dearly, but it was still hard to wave goodbye to my parents at the train station knowing that Christmas morning will not arrive with the call of my sisters' voices to wake up and the smile's of my parents from behind a video camera.

All in all though, my Christmas with the Mishkas was pretty successful. There was a lot of super competitive game playing and a blizzard which kept us from what promised to be a delicious brunch, but other than those small hitches it was a Christmas to remember.

Future sister-in-law Katerina and her new husband S were both in attendance, as well as Mishka's grandparents. It really was the whole family together for Christmas (all together for the first time since the wedding I believe). Since trying to explain the whole week I spent there to you all would be long and possibly boring, I'll just relate some of my favorite moments:

1. Going through old photo albums with Mishka's grandmother and hearing all of her stories about their family history.

2. Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner. There were more traditions on that table than I have seen in a long time.

3. That everyone enjoyed the cakes and cinnamon buns I brought as treats for everyone.

4. Getting cooking lessons from Mishka's grandmother. We made pirogies and she was very impressed with how quickly I picked it up.

5. Seeing the looks on everyone's faces when they opened my presents. I actually enjoy giving presents more than receiving and I think I really hit the mark this year :).

6. Discussing plans for the wedding with Mishka's mom and grandmother. Even though they both had a lot of strong opinions on what I should do (many dissimilar to what I was thinking) I could feel they were both full of support and excitement.

7. The blizzard! Over a foot of snow to play in! We built snowmen and made snow angels and had to shovel their car. And, though shoveling out the car doesn't sound like fun, doing it with Katerina and Mishka made it fun :).

There were many more great moments, but I don't think I could possibly list them all here. Christmas memories are for the heart and the head after all!

Merry belated Christmas to you all and Happy Holidays!

Holiday Break

Well, as usually happens during this time of year, I'll be taking a bit of a break between the holidays.

I'm spending this Christmas away from home with my future in-laws and feel I would have a much better time hanging out with them, rather than thinking of posts for my blog.

And so I say adieu (possibly) for a week or so!

When we meet again, it will (probably) be less than a year to my wedding! Huzzah!

Abby Normal

What is the "normal couple"?

I've heard this term thrown around from time to time. But, despite having known many couples, I'm still not convinced that "normal" exists in a relationship. And I don't mean that in a derogatory way. I only mean to imply that each couple has a dynamic so unique, how can there be a "normal standard".

Obviously there are some reasonable guidelines: no cheating, no abuse... you get what I'm saying.

But what about openness? Do you tell your partner everything? Do you believe everyone should have a few secrets? Or do you and your partner have a lot of things you don't talk about?

What about bodily functions? Are you comfortable with your partner watching your beauty routine? Hearing you fart? Hearing you burp?

Or how you fight? Are your fights short and intense? Long and drawn-out? Do you go to bed angry?

Obviously, there are many different answers to these questions and if you polled 100 different couples you would get 100 different answers as to what the every-day dynamics of their relationships are. And doesn't that make perfect sense? No two people are alike, so obviously no two relationships can be alike.

And isn't that wonderful? I think it's amazing to witness the unusual ways in which couples make each other happy. There is something magical about it. I may not always understand it, but I have the utmost respect for it.

So I proudly say that Mishka and I are not normal. We are weird and unique and I'm pretty sure we're difficult to understand. And I love that :).

Heading Home...

Mishka and I are separating again for what will hopefully be one of the last times. Despite spending almost every free second we have with each other while we're at college, inevitably a school break comes up. I'm always torn. I should be so excited for time off from school, and I am. But the idea of spending weeks or months away from Mishka is a remarkably less attractive prospect.

Actually, these school breaks have been a part of our relationship since the very beginning of it. As you know from my anniversary post, we started dating on December 12. Less than 10 days later Winter Break begins and Mishka and I had to spend a month apart. After only 9 days together. It wasn't fun, but it did set a "long-distance" foundation which has kept us together and sane during the many breaks (fall, summer, winter, spring) which come up during the year.

It taught me that Mishka and I could successfully have phone conversations (sounds silly, but this was definitely not a given for me). We instigated a phone call routine which we have kept to til this day. We learned that we would much rather stay up til midnight to spend 5 minutes on the phone with each other, than to go to bed early without having heard each other's voice.

And so, today starts Winter Break. Fortunately, Mishka and I will only spend about half of it apart since I am spending Christmas with his family and he is coming to my family for our "mini-Christmas". I don't know what the rest of the year will bring, but I hope this is one of the last times where Mishka and I are forced to take separate "vacations" (is that a pun?).

Wedding Time Capsule

I saw a random post on this a long time ago and unfortunately, I did not save the link. I do remember LOVING the idea! In one of my previous posts, I talked about how you write love letters to each other during Engaged Encounter and I'm so excited about that. But tell me... how romantic would it be to open a time capsule on our 10th wedding anniversary and read a love letter written by my husband the night before we got married? Or to turn on a C.D. compilation of the music played by our wedding band and dance together in our living room?

And I am not the only person who thinks this is a great idea. They actually have kits!

While these are a cute idea, I don't quite like the way they look. I also would like to personalize what I'm putting in our time capsule a little more than these kits would allow.

In fact, I'm thinking something a little more like this:

I love the look of a wood box. I picture it sitting in our living room, or at the foot of our bed where we can see it everyday. It will remind us of the love and elation we felt on our wedding day and will keep us excited about what's to come on December 31st 2021. Though I don't know for sure we'll be able to wait the full 10 years ;).

Though I haven't started collecting items for our wedding capsule here are a few ideas of things I might make the cut:

• A bottle of champagne to enjoy on our anniversary
• Our wedding program
• The C.D. of our wedding band.
• Two sealed love letters, one written by the bride and one by the groom about our feelings and emotions the night before we got married
• Dried flowers from my bouquet and his boutonniere
• A wedding invitation
• A wedding favor
• A reception place card
• A copy of our vows if we can write our own
• Pictures from the day
• Family member's predictions for what life for us will be like in 10 years? (love it!)
• Our guesses of what life will look like in 10 years
• Relationship "in-jokes" that reference things which are important to us at that moment in our relationships

And the list goes on... I can't wait to start gathering a few of these things for our time capsule! It's going to be so much fun!

Congratulations!

source

Congratulations Mishka on graduating from college! I am SO proud of you :-D. You are amazing and impress me everyday. I can't wait to see where our life together will take us :)!

It's sure to be an adventure!

Wedding Hairstyle

Since I'll be going on my first wedding dress shopping excursion I've been thinking a good deal about my "wedding look." And, to be honest, I've had a few ideas in my head for awhile. For instance I loved my bridesmaid make-up from Katerina's wedding, though I make make a few changes to make the look more "stand out".

Another thing I've known forever is that I'll be wearing my hair down. I've never really liked the way I look when my hair is up and Mishka LOOOOOOVES my hair down. He thinks it's beautiful up too... but he has the tendency to play with my hair when it's up... which will probably end up defeating the purpose of an expensive fancy up-do.

So, recently I began my search for "hair down" inspiration photos. I really liked the way my hair looked at Katerina's wedding (who knew being a bridesmaid could offer so much bridal inspiration?). Wanna see?

I think I looked SO good with that hair style! Another thing I learned was that my hair holds curls RIDICULOUSLY well. I did not loose those curls for the ENTIRE night, even considering that I was crazy dancing on the dance floor.

However, I've been growing my hair out again so short hair curls will not be making an appearance. So let's take a look at some "long hair-down" inspiration pictures!

All of these could look SO good. I'll probably just have to talk with my stylist and see what she recommends. She's been working with my hair for years so she knows what'll look good. Though of course I'll also be doing a hair trial. I can't wait to show you all pictures!

Marriage: Are You Prepared?

While I believe Mishka and I are better prepared for marriage than most couples. We have been through thick and thin together, through better and worse, through sickness and health.

However, to be married in the Catholic Church, you must go through a marriage preparation program. Many churches run "pre-cana", but according to my officiant, the best program is called "engaged encounter."

Some FAQs about Engaged Encounter:

What is it?

"The weekend is designed to give couples planning marriage an opportunity for an intensive and honest look at their commitment to one another. The atmosphere of the weekend allows a couple to discuss with each other their desires, ambitions, goals, and attitudes about time, sex, children, family and their roles in the church and society."

What do you do?

"Presentations are given by two married couples and a priest who share personally from their own experiences. The engaged couple is stimulated to discuss privately with each other all aspects of married life.

It is not a sensitivity session, nor are there any group dynamics. Rather it is a private experience in a quiet and informal setting. Personal reflection and couple dialogue are the main thrust of the weekend."

And my personal favorite specification?
"This price covers separate overnight accommodations for men and women, meals, and all materials." (that bold is their accentuation not mine)

Yup, while this weekend will probably be our second "weekend away" together, we will once again not be sleeping in the same rooms (our first weekend away was a religious retreat Sophomore year--obviously not sleeping in the same room). But that's ok. We have a lifetime of nights to spend together.

And from what my parents have told me--they also did engaged encounter when they got married--the weekend was one of the most romantic things they did during their engagement. You write love letters to each other and my mom still has my dad's to her. I am SO excited to eventually read Mishka's to me, and write a few of my own. I also like the idea that the weekend is about private couple dialogues rather than group share time. I think that will make Mishka and me feel much more comfortable. And, since a marriage is primarily between the two of us, isn't that really the best format for a marriage preparation program?

A Surprise Engagement

We didn't have one.

However, I don't think I say that wistfully, wishing I had a moment where I could announce to my entire family that we were engaged and everyone screams with excitement and shock. "Oh my gosh! We had no idea! What a wonderful surprise!"

We still had plenty of "how wonderfuls" but no one we told was surprised. In fact, many of my relatives went out of their way to hint that one of my aunts had been taking bets on when during the week of Thanksgiving the deed would be done.

I don't know how most people would feel in this situation, but I was INCREDIBLY flattered. It always makes me happy to hear that people can see how in love Mishka and I are with each other, that we're serious and committed to each other. I don't need their approval to validate my love for him, but it makes me very happy to know that our happiness and our love shows through our faces and our behavior towards each other.

So while it might have been nice to be able to shock everyone with an announcement during Thanksgiving dinner, I like the way things turned out just fine :).

I'm Dreaming...

...of a White Christmas!

I LOVE snow! There is something absolutely magical about a snowfall. Be it during the day or night, I absolutely LOVE walking around in the snow. And, though rain on your wedding day is generally regarded as a disaster, snow on my wedding day would be a dream come true (though not enough to interfere with travel for my wonderful guests).

And just to get you guys excited about the idea of a white wedding here is some lovely wedding eye candy which could only be possible during white weather :-D.

Becoming a "Bride"

Despite having been engaged for 3 weeks, (is someone keeping track? Why yes I am, how could you tell?) I am still only beginning to feel like a bride.

Everyone once in awhile, for a few moments during the day, I feel this exuberant excitement I can barely contain because in a little over a year I will be marrying the man of my dreams. I can think of myself, standing at the back of the church, waiting for the signal to begin my procession towards the altar with my father at my side. What thoughts will be running through my head I can't say, but I do believe that "Oh my God, this is really happening!" will be one of them.

And I am finally becoming more accustomed to these feelings. And in honor of that my post will be about one of the most important symbols of "bride-hood": the dress!

That's right folks, my first two bridal appointments are scheduled for the day I get back from winter break! Yeah... it'll be a busy day. But one of the things I'm most excited about is that our first bridal salon stop will carry one of my favorite designers! Maggie Sottero! I stumbled across their website a long time ago and have been in love with their styles ever since. So I thought I'd dedicate this post to a few of my favorite pieces which I hope to have the opportunity to try on next week!

You will be able to tell from the majority of my dress selections, but I am not much for the sleeveless look. I do not think it looks good on me, as a rule. As a result, I am focusing my dress inspiration mainly on sleeved dresses. Isn't this off-the-shoulder number gorgeous? A little simple, but very elegant.
The sleek lines of this dress would look amazing on my figure. I'm not sure about the silky fabric... it may be too unforgiving on my imperfect figure. But it is still a gorgeous dress and definitely worth a try!
Seeing as my wedding will be in winter, a bolero or wrap of some kind could look amazing and keep my arms warm during the festivities. Also the low waist will look particularly good on my figure since I have a long torso.
I've always liked "vintage" things and this dress screams 1920s to me. Thin man anyone? Also I'm thinking of a fairly vintage style hair-do which will be accented by a dress of this style.
This has been a favorite of mine from the beginning. Unfortunately, halters are not the beset look for me, but the simplicity of it is too gorgeous not to take a chance on.
Since this will be a formal evening event a more full skirt could look fabulous. Also the layers of skirt will keep my legs much warmer during outside pictures (which I totally plan on doing). Also, long torso will once again accent my figure.

I know most of the dresses I have up here are A-Line and relatively simple embellishment-wise, but that doesn't mean this mermaid dress with it's snow-flake-esque beading would not be a gorgeous addition to our New Years Eve reception?

Here is a dress with real sleeves. Even though most of the dresses pictured here have either cap sleeves or the tiniest sleeves possible. But that doesn't mean that real sleeves can't be gorgeous!

I can't even begin to tell you how amazing I think this dress is. Elegant, classy, stunning. My only concern is the waist, but I am DEFINITELY trying this one on.

Even though I said I don't like strapless as a rule, there are some that are too gorgeous to not give the benefit of the doubt. This is one such dress. If I was going to go strapless it would definitely be with a sweetheart neckline, and I just can't get over that detailing. I'm not much of a beaded sparkly embellishment kindof girl, but I cannot get over the way that fabric looks.

I am probably going to have multiple dress love affairs on these first two visits... I hope that's not a problem ;).

Holiday Spirit

Christmas is my favorite holiday. And, though I could never imagine having my wedding on December the 25th, I am extremely excited that our special day will fall squarely within the Christmas season.

We may not be able to play Christmas music or have Christmas ornaments decorating the ballroom. But the hotel's Christmas decorations and Christmas lights will still be up to keep the spirit of the season alive.

Source

As for this Christmas, Mishka and I will be spending it together for the first time ever! Normally, we take dozens of pictures and videos throughout our respective Christmases to share with each other later. In this way we come as close as possible to sharing each other's Christmas celebrations as we can without actually being there. But this year that will all change :).

And why am I in the Christmas mood right now? Several reasons actually :). I just came back from our work's (Mishka and I work at the same place on-campus) holiday party where we watched some of the funniest animated Christmas movies I've ever seen (several of them incredibly politically incorrect). Then, we headed back to my apartment and sang Christmas carols (well, I did most of the singing ;) ) while snuggling in the new sweatshirts our boss got for us (best boss ever!!!).

So, while sometimes it's hard to get into the Christmas spirit as a college student with finals just around the corner, this year, I think we finally got it right.

3 Years Ago...

Three years ago today, Mishka and I sat across from each other at our University's Student Union.

I had invited him to lunch because I had developed quite a crush on him over the previous weekend. We had stayed up all night playing cards and talking to each other about our pasts. We just seemed to click. Every moment I spent with him was wonderful and I couldn't get enough.

And, I had the feeling that he was in love with me. Actually, it was more than a feeling. There was a moment, as we lay talking together on the couches of the study lounge: I said something extremely personal and embarrassing only to realize what I had said, blush in embarrassment and apologize profusely for being "weird". Instead of judging me, Mishka just laughed, not a cruel laugh but an affectionate one. And the look in his eyes was the exact same one I had seen in my father's eyes as he gazes lovingly at my mom while they watch television on the couch.

So two days later, I texted Mishka and asked him to meet me at the Student Union for lunch. He was in class at the time so he didn't respond to my text for 20 minutes and I almost needed to leave for my next class. Then, suddenly, he arrived. It was too late for us to eat anything so we just sat and talked for awhile.

I'll never forget that the first thing Mishka said to me as he sat down was that he had signed up for a dating service because they gave him $10. I was a little shocked since I was hoping we would be dating soon, but any worries I may have had were soon allayed.

The conversation turned away from the dating service for a few minutes and then all of a sudden.

"Oh, so speaking of dating... Ang are you going to be my girlfriend?"

"Yes."

"... because I think you're really pretty and so special and I... oh wait, you said yes?"

"Yes!" (I was smiling broadly rather than annoyed).

Then I needed to go to class (though I was very distracted) so we joined hands and walked leisurely to the classroom. And it's only gotten better since then.

And the rest, as they say, is history :).

Hello, My Name is Ang...

And I was a preplanner!

I feel that many people tend to dislike the idea of a girl planning aspects of her wedding before she's actually engaged. It makes the girl seem desperate for a marriage and conjures images of a bride dragging her fiance down the aisle.

But this was not me. I was never a "waiting girl" whining about a lack of commitment from her boyfriend. As I mentioned in my last post, Mishka and I have been extremely committed to each other since the first weeks we were dating. So the question was never "would we get married", but "when will we".

So what made me start preplanning my wedding if not an obsession with getting my M.R.S. degree?

Well, really it was my future sister-in-law's wedding. I volunteered to help her on a variety of wedding related tasks since she and her fiance were often too busy to get everything done between them. And in coming into contact with wedding material, my own initial vision of what Mishka and my special day was born. And once I started I couldn't get enough. Because planning made what is sure to be one of the greatest days of our lives feel imminent.

And honestly? I am SO glad I preplanned. Seeing as we are moving very quickly on the early stages of our ceremony & reception planning, all the lists I made and the wedding journal I so meticulously kept, have helped ENORMOUSLY in these first few weeks.

So don't automatically judge the preplanners ;).

OH! And also, happy 3 year anniversary to Mishka and me. I have a very sweet "how we met" post scheduled for later today so stay tuned!

Wedding Night

No, not that kind of wedding night!

Last night Mishka and I had a wedding binge night. We called our most likely prospect for a band, then spent 3-4 hours going over all our wedding possible wedding photographers and the packages they offer.

We didn't come to many conclusions yet, but we're much closer than we were. We have a better picture of what we expect of our photographer (pun intended). We know that our potential band leader is very friendly and chatty.

There was something inherently romantic about it--discussing wedding plans together. We were tackling the planning head on... together. We laughed as we discussed outrageously expensive photography packages or weird looking photos. We oohed over poses that took our breath away and styles we could envision hanging on our walls someday.

I won't give you the details of our photography debates until we've followed up with a few more people, but I'm sure we'll have it narrowed down by the weekend! We already cut 10 off the list, just last night!

Introducing... Ourselves!

I realized that with all the flurry of telling you all about what we have booked (a lot with more to come by the weekend!) I never told you all anything about me or Mishka!

So here's a little 10 pieces of trivia introduction to the two of us :-D:

Ang:

1. I am the oldest of 4 daughters. No brothers - just us girls in my family.

2. I am 21 and will be 22 when Mishka and I get married.

3. I have recently decided that being a teacher is my dream job and am currently planning to go to grad school in order to study it and become certified.

4. I love to write. Not just anything though, I love to write stories. When I was in 2nd grade I hand-wrote a 5 page story about a baseball game for class. Today, I utilize my passion to write anniversary stories for Mishka -- a different one every year!

5. I am SUPER competitive.

6. My favorite movies are: Death Takes a Holiday, The Mask, Darkman, and anything with Claude Rains in it.

7. My favorite actors are Liam Neeson and Claude Rains.

8. I LOVE to cook and am pretty good at it. I'm actually going to start a food blog. Last night's dinner was Pistachio and Goat Cheese smothered Chicken. Yum yum!

9. I am super close to my family. And not just my immediate family -- but my extended family as well. Which is quite a lot of people. My dad was one of 7 and my mom was one of 4.

10. I love horror movies. Old horror movies, new horror movies, bad horror movies, classic horror movies. The only genre I can't stand is Zombie movies. I don't know why--I just can't do it.

Mishka:

1. The BEST money saver I've ever seen. And he shops more than I do!

2. He was born in Ukraine and speaks Ukrainian, Russian, and English. How sexy ;).

3. If asked whether he would be a super hero or a super villain he would be a super villain.

4. He is extremely particular about who he calls a friend.

5. He is the sweetest and the most romantic and passionate man I've ever known. For example, he is more likely to remember our anniversary than I am (talk about role reversal eh?).

6. He is studying marketing and is AMAZING at it.

7. His favorite food is chicken and it's difficult to get him to branch out.. but he's getting there :).

8. He knew he wanted to marry me before we were even dating (just like my dad did for my mom and just like my grandfather did for my grandmother).

9. He is the PICKIEST movie watcher you will ever meet. It's crazy! He does NOT like most of the movies I watch. Particularly not the horror ones...

10. He loves to be childish and silly and have fun.

Us:

1. Our favorite show to watch together is The Simpsons. More recently Arrested Development as well.

2. Our favorite Disney movie is "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (we discovered this on our first date :-D).

3. Our first date was to see "The Nutcracker".

4. Our favorite movies to watch together are Star Trek and the Princess Bride.

5. We don't indulge in many things, but we do indulge in food.

6. We both committed to each other fully from very early in the relationship to the point where we've felt married for quite some time now.

7. We are very different people with different strengths and flaws, but our respective strengths compensate for the flaws in the other so that we are remarkably complimentary despite our differences.

8. The three greatest strengths in our relationship are: compromise, communication, and passion.

9. We like to take walks together to places where we've never been before (usually where there is delicious food waiting for us at the end).

10. We enjoy simplicity and are extremely laid back.

So there you have it. A sneak peak into the lives of Mishka and myself. I hope you found it interesting!

Introducing Our Officiant! (Or should I say Officiants!)

Let's continue the introduction posts shall we?

I suppose this post could have come first since I knew who my officiant would be even before I had met Mishka. His name is Fr. Jim. He has been my dad's best friend since before I was born. He married my parents, baptized me, and gave me my first holy communion. So OBVIOUSLY he was our first choice to marry me :). Luckily Mishka likes him too from the many times they've met so it really was a no brainer!

Also, even if he wasn't a family friend, I would be honored to have him officiate at my wedding since he is the most charismatic public speaker I have ever met. I can't tell yo how many times I have sat with my attention completely absorbed in a story he was telling or a homily he was giving. One of the things I am MOST excited about for my wedding is his wedding homily. He knows me so well, and will get to know Mishka so well over the course of our marriage prep together, and he is just such a dynamite speaker that I'm absolutely certain I'll be blushing, crying, and laughing all at the same time. I am so honored he agreed to marry us.

But wait! Didn't I mention officiants in the title? It's been a running joke in my family that when my sisters and I get married we'll have 5 priests up there officiating since my family knows so many. After careful consideration the actual tally looks like it will be 4 which is still pretty up there!

But who are the others? And why will they be up there?

Well there's Fr. Bob, my dad's other best friend who is also a priest. They were even roommates in college. He teaches at Fordham college. He also is an extremely dynamic speaker and an amazing person. He and my mom are "cocktail buddies" so I am sure there is going to be some interesting behavior from this man-of-the-cloth happening at our reception, even if he won't have the opportunity to be the formal presider at our ceremony.

There will also be Fr. Bob number 2, the pastor at St. Patrick's church. It is church etiquette to invite the pastor of the church you're being married at to co-officiate at your wedding if you bring in an outside officiant. He is also the nicest guy. My dad does C.C.D. for the church and so they know each other quite well. I've also spoken to Fr. Bob 2 on the phone when I booked the church and he could not have been more friendly and helpful. I can't wait for Mishka and my appointment with him this January!

And finally, there might be "unnamed Ukrainian Catholic priest". My family (and I'm sure Mishka's family as well) would really love if there was a priest on the altar who could translate the prayers for any attendants who do not speak English or are not familiar with a Roman Catholic ceremony (Mishka and family are Greek Catholic). It would also be amazing if said Ukrainian Priest could do the traditional prayers for the Ukrainian traditions we will be incorporating.

What fun! With so many priests I wonder if we should expect the service to be more than an hour... Also my parents are joking that they're going to be sitting at the "holy table" since they want all the priests seated with them (since they're all close friends of my dad it's no wonder right?).

I'm so excited!!!

Introducing Our Venue!

Yes, we've only been engaged two weeks, and we've already booked a reception venue! It feels like everything is moving very fast, but it's all so exciting!

We'll be getting married at the Grand Summit Hotel in New Jersey! It's beautiful and old (built in 1836 - and many of the old fixtures are still there!) and the decorations are wooden and gilded. I just love it. Oh and have I mentioned the huge fireplace in the lobby? Can you imagine a more perfect setting for a winter wedding?

Well actually, you probably can't imagine it yet because you haven't seen it yet! Let's fix that ;).

Source

The beautiful view is what the guests will see as the pull up for the complimentary valet service. Doesn't it look like a castle a bit? It hasn't changed much since it was originally built in 1836!

When the guests enter, this is what they will see:

That's my dad opening the door to the main lobby. It's all decorated for Christmas, just like it will be during our New Years Eve celebration next year. I'm SO excited since Christmas is my favorite holiday <3.>

You can see there is another glass door at the end. That will be open during the cocktail hour as guests are arriving and will lead to this:

Those are the original stone floors. This is called the Crestview Room. That stone structure at the very back of the photo is a fountain which WILL be on during the reception. Fountains, Christmas trees, a fireplace? I mean can it get any better :-D?

But the Crestview Room won't be the only area open during the cocktail hour. There will also be:

Another beautiful room exactly opposite the Crestview Room. It's called the Atrium. Those will NOT be the tables that are set up during the cocktail hour obviously. There will be much smaller cocktail tables instead. It's going to be lovely. And in case some of you are wondering "two cocktail areas? Won't it be annoying to have to give up your table in one area just to get another drink?" Well, the answer would be yes. Their solution? TWO bars. Oh yeah baby.

And in case you're someone who prefers to sit while you drink instead of standing during the cocktail hour here is possibly their most stunning room of all:

The lobby. Gorgeous with a capital G. Maybe not for everyone's tastes, but for mine? Yes sir! I unfortunately took this photo from the wrong angle to get a glimpse of the fireplace, but I'm sure I'll be able to show you it at some point.

To show you another angle of the lobby (still no fireplace though :( ) and give you more of a feel for the decorations we'll be seeing the night of:

I just love it!

Now for, perhaps the most important room in the hotel - at least in regards to our wedding. The Ballroom:

There are two "ballroom areas" and those are pictures of them both. The ballroom can comfortably seat 200, but our guest list will likely be from 125 - 150 so we'll be extra comfortable ;). Also, I know the ballroom looks a bit ratty right now, but that's because they're in the middle of renovations. Which means we'll have new carpet for our wedding! Yay!

But wait! I'm not done yet! Since everything is so open how will the bride and groom and bridal party keep out of sight before the introductions? Why in this room of course:

The coach room. This will be a private area with food and drinks for the bridal party where they can relax and unwind. It is also an area where the bride and groom can steal away for a few moments to just be ecstatically alone with each other. I don't know if we'll need the room for that purpose... but I do like the option ;).

My final picture is an area that has nothing to do with the wedding, but will probably be of extreme importance to our guests! The Hunts Lodge!

Breakfast is included in our hotel block reservations so this is where our guests will likely be flocking the morning after the wedding. This will likely include Mishka and me as well since we have the bridal suite comped as part of our wedding package. I can't wait to see what our room will look like!

Alright, time to end this unpardonably long picture post. I just couldn't help letting all my excitement flow out onto the page.