Decoration Shopping!

Well, as you're all aware by now, my wedding is around Christmas. And since we are just after Christmas, what better time to look for decorations! Everything's on sale!

Therefore, Mishka and I headed to Macy's for their 75% off Christmas merchandise. In the lower levels of the Macy's department store we found this:

And then we went home with this:

Ornaments!! What could be better for our non-floral centerpieces than gold and silver glitzy ornaments! And at 75% off they were a steal!

And we also got these. One in the color above and another in a deep purple. I thought they would be beautiful to hang on the back of the bride and groom chair. That way we could decorate the chairs as "special" without having anything as obvious as a sign.

I think all these will lead to great detail photo oportunities :-D!!!!!!

Vacation? What Vacation?

This is supposed to be my winter break right? Well it's turning out to be a "break" filled with a lot of wedding related tasks! But you know what, I'm not bored!

Want to hear just a little bit of what my schedule for the next few days is like?

Thursday: Go to Michael's with my mother to look for centerpiece materials, meet up with my beset friend A to ask him to be a groomsman (shhhh it's a surprise!), and possibly pick up my groom at the train station for our wedding appointment weekend extravaganza!

Friday: Two photographer appointments which will be done in the snow. I just hope they don't close early! Also, we will be meeting with the pastor at St. Patrick's church to sign contracts, ask questions, and get a booklet of readings and songs we can use to create our ceremony (I can't wait to start doing that by the way!).

Saturday: Christmas party with my family where I will fill them all in on our wedding plans so far and ask some of my littlest cousins to be officially part of my bridal party (my little cousin Michael will be our ring bearer, my little cousin Melissa will be our flower girl, and Melissa's older sister Michelle will perform a solo during our ceremony if she feels comfortable).

Sunday: Mishka will get to experience mass at our ceremony location for the first time. But, other than that Mishka and I will finally have a moment to breathe!

Monday: Mishka and I will have our first meeting with our officiant. It will be our first "marriage prep" session, so I'm a little nervous, but also very excited. I hope it goes well! It's the first of three!

Monday and Tuesday: More photographer appointments and the ones from Friday if anyone canceled because of snow. We may also we may need to meet with our band that day to sign a contract. I'm not sure if we'll be able to do the band meeting without my parents (they'll both be at work on Monday), but these are my last two days with Mishka so we'll need to go go go!

And then a few days later it'll be back to school! I've got a crazy few days ahead of me!

Wedding Shoes: A Fight for the Sole!

Was that pun too much? I blame Mishka, he's a notorious punster.

Anyway two beautiful wedding shoes arrived on my doorstep from Zappos.com. I was so excited that I literally ran through the house squealing (I was home alone so thankfully it wasn't too embarrassing). I managed to keep my hands off the mysterious boxes until my mom and MOH got home and then I set upon them with a knife!

I first tried on this beauty:

It was glitzy and it was glamorous, but it was also a little stiff on my feet. I could definitely find a more comfortable shoe, and at a much better price so back this one will go!

And then we tried on this:

It took both my, and my mom's breath away. But there's a problem... it may be slightly too big for my foot. Also, the heel is REALLY high and I'm trying to learn to walk in them. But it would be SO worth it if I could make them work. They are SO beautiful!

I'll keep you updated, I have another pair of shoes coming in from Amazon tomorrow and I'll let you know how those look too!

My Ring(s) Part 2

I must warn you in advance, this ring is pretty breath-taking. And the story is heart-breakingly sweet. In fact, my mom and aunt cried when they told me the story of my heirloom ring.

The rings belonged to my grandmother, my mother's mother. The details of the ring are a bit hard to discern in this picture, but you can at least differentiate between the engagement ring (the one with the large diamond) and the wedding band (the one with the three smaller diamonds in what appears to be a circle). You can tell that the ring has plenty of bling and is set in white gold, but the ring holds a secret design. All the diamonds are set in hearts except the main one on the engagement ring. Here are some better pictures to show you what I mean:

Can you see what I mean? Anyway, so on to the heart-breakingly beautiful story behind the ring. Well, I suppose to understand why this ring means so much to me, you have to understand the love story of my mother's parents. In my opinion, it is one of the great love stories of all time. And it happened between a mailman and a secretary (not all love stories involve princesses and castles ;) ).

My grandfather was obviously, the mailman. He was around 40 when he met my grandmother, though she was only in her 20's. He had never married before. He said he had never found the right woman. But the moment he saw my grandmother as he delivered her a package, he knew. He always said she stole his heart from the moment he saw her. Within two months they were engaged (talk about getting married quickly).

Despite the risk of a speedy engagement/marriage, the two of them were happily married for their entire lives. My mom would tell me stories of the two of them slow dancing in the kitchen and that my grandfather always had stars in his eyes when my grandmother laughed. He loved her with all his heart, for his whole life.

Unfortunately, my grandmother died relatively young. Even though she married a significantly older man, she passed away in her early 50s. My grandfather's heart was broken and, though she went fairly quickly, he spent every moment he could by her bedside. One of the last things he said to her was "What am I going to do without you Betty? You know you've always had my heart."

It almost feels like a scene out of a Nicholas Sparks novel it's so full of tears and sugar sweet love cliches. But in this case, it's real life. My grandfather and grandmother are together again in heaven now, but their love still inspires me.

This last picture is of an inscription in the ring. It says "Joe and Betty" (my grandparents names) and something else that I want to investigate with a magnifying glass. If I had to guess it's probably Jacie Kocham, which is polish for "I love you."

The reason it means so much to me to use my grandparent's wedding rings is that I feel like I am honoring their love for each other. My grandfather had the ring custom made for her with the heart motif. It didn't belong in a drawer. It was made with love, and I will wear it with love and respect. My grandparent's vows are tied in that ring, and Mishka's and mine will be too.

Being able to use these rings as my wedding band is one of the wedding things I am most excited about!

My Ring(s) Part 1

Heard of a 3 dress bride? Well I'm a 3 ring bride. Of course you expect every bride to have two rings right? Her engagement ring and her wedding ring. So where does this third ring come in?

Well, I have two engagement rings. One is the one Mishka proposed to me with, and the other is welded to my wedding band. Together the three make up both my something old and my something new since the ring from Mishka is brand spankin' new and the wedding band/engagement ring duo is an heirloom ring which belonged to my grandmother.

So since the two rings are so unique and different, I figured I'd give each of them and the sentimentality they hold for me their proper due.

This is my official engagement ring. Isn't it wonderful? It's a three stone, gemstone ring. From bottom to top the gems are: red garnet, pink garnet, and opal. Now, I know what you're thinking. Isn't she wearing that ring on the wrong finger? Well... yes. But it's a little big and it doesn't quite fit on the "right" finger. Am I getting it resized? Of course not! After the wedding I will move this ring to my right hand where it fits perfectly. So it works out perfectly just as it is :).

As for the sentimental story behind the ring, Mishka thought it up. As I've said before, he's the most romantic man I've ever known :). He said the red garnet is my birth stone, the opal is his birth stone, and the lighter pink garnet symbolizes the mixing of the two. In this way it symbolizes our union from two to one in marriage. I love it :). Doesn't that make you want to say "awwww!!"

While I love my heirloom rings, I have to say that I'd pick this ring every time. Mishka put so much love and thought into it that sometimes, when we're not together, I'll twist it around my finger and think of him. I really do love it :).

A Catholic Wedding

After we are officially married, this official church blessing will be read over us, encouraging the community of friends and family to pray for us and participate in our marriage, as well as asking God for several blessings for our married lives together.

I think it is probably one of the most beautiful scriptural passages I have ever read (and I've taken classes on the Bible as literature and poetry). It traces the life of the couple from that moment, when they have just been married, their lives of married bliss, their time as parents, as grandparents, and finally to be joined together forever in heaven. It honestly, takes my breath away and so I wanted to share it with you all.

The Nuptial Blessing:

Father, by your power you have made everything out of

nothing. In the beginning you created the universe and

made mankind in your likeness. You gave man the

constant help of woman so that man and woman should

no longer be two, but one flesh, and you teach us that

what you have united may never be divided.

Father you have made the union of man and wife so holy a

mystery that is symbolizes the marriage of Christ and his

Church.

Father, by your plan man and woman are united, and

married life has been established as the one blessing that

was not forfeited by original sin or washed away in the

flood.

Look with love upon this woman, your daughter, now

joined to her husband in marriage. She asks your blessing.

Give her the grace of love and peace.

May she always follow the example of the holy women

whose praises are sung in the scriptures.

May her husband put his trust in her and recognize that

she is his equal and the heir with him to the life of grace.

May he always honor her and love her as Christ loves his

bride, the Church.

Father, keep them always true to your commandments.

Keep them faithful in marriage and let them be living examples of Christian life.

Give them the strength which comes from the gospel so

that they may be witnesses of Christ to others. Bless them

with children and help them to be good parents. May they

live to see their children's children.

And after a happy old age, grant them fullness of life with

the saints in the Kingdom of Heaven.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

1 Year Until the Wedding...

And now I have something else to worry about: Sickness.

Yesterday was officially 1 year until our wedding and Mishka was sick! He was feeling poorly the day before, but it really hit full blast on New Year's Eve. The poor thing was sniffling, sneezing, and coughing all day.

Obviously, the wedding does not stop to take into account the bride or groom's health, and so now I know we'll have to take extra precautions with Mishka in the weeks and days before the wedding. His immune system is only so-so, therefore I'm much more worried about him falling ill than myself.

So, I'll be stocking up on vitamins and keeping Mishka bundled up and warm (which he'll love of course :-P). I want our wedding day to be fun for everyone.

P.S. LESS THAN A YEAR UNTIL OUR WEDDING!!!! Where has the time gone...

P.P.S. Happy New Year!