He proposed!

Okay, I know this is not going to be a big shock, after all this is a blog about planning our wedding. Heath and I went ring shopping several times in the late fall. We went to several different places including Jareds, Bailey's Fine Jewelry, Diamonds Direct Crabtree.com , and many other small jewelry stores. I have always known that I wanted a canary diamond engagement ring, so Heath had his work cut out for him. Not knowing anything about canary diamonds, Heath wanted me to tag along.

Our experience at Bailey's was a very positive experience, however their selection of canary diamonds was very limited. They had about three canary diamond rings in the store and only one of them would work as a traditional engagement ring. It was a beautiful ring, but it had the matching $22,000 price tag to go with it. No matter how much I adored that ring, there was no way Heath could afford it, nor would I want a ring that cost that much.

Our experience at Jared was not so positive. While I had the opportunity to design the ring I wanted, working with the salesperson did not go so well. It took many phone calls just to get simple questions answered that Heath finally gave up.

Our first visit to Diamonds Direct left with us leaving after waiting about 45 minutes to speak with a sales person. We did not have enough patience to endure waiting any longer. However, we did look at their rather large collection of canary diamonds while waiting and after several other trips to stores with only one or two canary diamonds per store, we went back to Diamonds Direct. The first salesperson we encountered was very pushy and kept telling me what I would like instead of asking me what I would like. Heath and I left, feeling very discouraged. This store got raving reviews from our friends, but we thought it was not the place for us. After several trips to other jewelry stores and the failure of Jared to return calls in a promptly manner, we returned to Diamonds Direct. This time we were paired with a very nice saleswoman and she listened to what I wanted. We were able to design a ring I wanted and stay within Heath's budget. It took a little longer to design that they had told Heath, but it was worth the wait.

So that was the story of the ring. Now for the story of the proposal. Heath surprised me by driving me to the Outer Banks for the day. He chartered a 55 foot sailboat out of Manteo and asked me to marry him during the cruise. We then went to the aquarium at Roanoke. It was a fabulous day.

We have reserved the reception and ceremony site.

Heath talked to the pastor at Advent Lutheran and we have set the wedding date for September 11, 2010. That date is not very far away and I have a ton of planning to get done. This afternoon, Heath talked to our contact person at The Preserve at Jordan Lake Golf Club and learned that September 11, 2010 is available at that facility. We will sign the contract in a few days.

Joining a Gym

Today I joined a gym. Thinking about my wedding day, I thought about all the things I wanted. Near the top of the list was enough energy to get through the day. I know that I will spend that day being very busy and I still want to have enough stamina to enjoy dancing to music at my reception. I am also very aware that I am very overweight and need to spend some more time focused on myself. I have wanted to join a gym for several months, especially since all my coworkers were joining them. Unfortunately, I did not have the funds to join a gym.

While at the The Bridal Show, I saw a gym near Heath's house that was offering a Bridal Boot Camp. I was very interested, but knew that I would not be able to afford it. After visiting the booth of Ladies Fitness and Wellness in Raleigh, Heath told me that he would pay for me to join for several months. They offered two free weeks and I was very impressed with their program, however due to the location of their facility and the location of my workplace, I would not be able to make it to the classes that I would want to participate in. Heath told me that I should look closer to my place of work and that he would still be able to help me pay. I googled "Ladies Fitness near Chapel Hill" and found Ladies Fitness and Wellness in Chapel Hill. For the month of January, they had a special fee to join of $20.01. They told me they have monthly specials on their membership fees. My monthly fee is around $44, which I believe is pretty reasonable. They offer many classes including spinning classes and NIA classes. They have plenty of equipment, so their is no waiting for a machine. They also offer training packages and massages. I highly recommend this facility to any woman in the area.

Finding a Ceremony Site.

While I know many brides choose to have a ceremony at their reception site, it has always been important for me to have a wedding ceremony in a church. One thing that working almost every weekend has affected in my life is I have not been able to find and join a church. Now that I am not working as much, finding a church to join has been on my mind quite frequently. I find that I think about my church in Augusta often and miss it very much. Planning a wedding, I have less time to find a church. Today, I found my church- Advent Lutheran. The people there are so friendly and it is the church that feels most like my church in Augusta. I will be joining it in the next several weeks. I am not sure if Heath is planning on joining the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

A Reception Site

Today, Heath and I found a place for the reception. Going through bridal magazines, talking to people, and going to The Bridal Show, we had a list a mile long for reception sites. I was still hoping to have the ceremony at a church in Chapel Hill, so I was trying to find sites close to Chapel Hill. Heath and I contacted many different sites, but not too many of the sites were close to Chapel Hill. Of all the sites we contacted, they were either too much, not large enough, did not get back to us, not available, or their rules of use were so complicated, we did not want to deal with the site.

I decided to Google "Reception Sites in Chapel Hill, NC." I contacted many of the sites, but still did not have the right spot for the right price. Wednesday night I was flipping through Weddings Magazine, a publication that I picked up at The Bridal Show. On pages 25-27, there was a useful guide to reception sites. The guide gives the maximum capacity, number of banquet rooms, number of months in advance to schedule, average price per person, available serving style, valet parking availability, and information about catering. On that list, I found a site I found The Preserve at Jordan Lake. A few pages later, I found an advertisement for the place. I gave Heath the information, as I was already drowning in e-mails, phone calls, and information.

The Preserve at Jordan Lake is a golf club on the edge of Chapel Hill. It is a very pretty drive from Chapel Hill and North Carolina. Heath and I play golf and since we met, I always thought having the wedding at a golf course would be perfect. Our first date was playing putt-putt and our second date was at a driving range. I always dreamed of having a country club wedding, but not being a member, I figured that reception site would be out of my grasp. While it is not for everyone, I would really like some wedding shots on a golf course. I would like our engagement photos at a beach or on a golf course. The majority of our relationship seems like it has been at the Outer Banks or on a golf course or driving range.

Heath and I met with Andy Williams this morning. Our date was available and the price of $500 for an evening fit into our budget. With Mr. William's help I was able to see my dream turn into a reality. I will post more details and more information once the contract is signed.

Some Tips For A Bridal Show

During The Bridal Show, you fill out your contact information multiple times during the session. One tip is to take address labels with you which save the vendor from having to decipher your handwriting. A cheap alternative to printing your own is taking all the labels you get as a free thank you gift from donating to your favorite charity or doing business with certain companies. If you print your own, then make sure you include your e-mail address and phone number.

Another tip I have is creating your wedding's own e-mail address. You can get a ton of e-mail from just signing up with David's Bridal and TheKnot.com. Keeping all the e-mail in a one place will keep you more organized. If they let you have folders, then I recommend having separate folders for the different kinds of vendors.

Heath was upset about signing up for different "prizes" at each booth. I was rather delighted to give them my information and have the vendors contact me. I actually prefer for the vendors to call me. I have caller ID, so if I do not feel like talking to them I do not pick up the phone. Chances are, at least at the moment, if I gave them my contact number, then I do want to hear from them. Life is busy enough then calling each place individually to hear about their services. Another reason, I am happy to rely on e-mail.

The last few tips I have are regarding the shopping bags of information you are given. I set up with a filing system with all the information I was given-which is my typical method for anything. Each folder was labeled with a vendor or subject i.e. flowers, locations, apparel, etc. I made sure I wrote notes on each pamphlet I was given. I was much more specific than yummy cake and fabulous pictures. I wrote a comment that would help me remember, such as big picture of Charleston or the castle cake with the bride and groom. There was only one castle cake and very few pictures of Charleston. I also made note of the places I did not like. One photographer had 100 pictures of the bride to every 1 picture of the groom and another place had such horrible wedding cake, I was looking for a place to spit it out. I include these notes in with my folders to remind me that I did not like these vendors and do not need to waste my time researching them. One last thing-since I am advocating you take all pamphlets, please recycle after the wedding or after you have chosen that vendor.

The Bridal Show

Well, today (and yesterday) were the first steps in my journey of planning a wedding. I guess I could say that they first step was actually meeting and dating Heath, but I have already blogged about that. In the next few days, I will probably create a new blog and add this post too it. I always figured my first step would be the proposal, however that has not happened yet. Since I know the ring has been purchased and Heath wants to get married in 2010, I needed all the time I could get.

This weekend Heath and I went to The Bridal Show in Raleigh, NC. It was a great event to go to, especially for a bride-to-be like me, who has no clue where to start. I have not been to any weddings in the Triangle, so I really am starting from scratch. Since my budget does not include enough for a wedding planner, I am on my own. Well, not completely on my own, Heath went with me both days, although he kept telling everyone he was the "made of honor." I have not figured out my budget, but I do have a ballpark figure in mind. I will post more, when I have an idea.

The purpose of this blog will be to chronicle planning a wedding with a limited budget and limited time. The time will be about nine or ten months, however if plans do not come together, then it could be over a year.

The Bridal Show was a great place to start. There were tons of vendors for flowers, cakes, locations, caterers, DJ's, appearal, and more. I registered for many prizes, which I know gets them my contact information, but will also give me a chance to win some necessary items. I have already received a $50 gift card for David's Bridal. Heath signed up with Men's Warehouse. While we obviously have to determine if they have what we want, we have chosen them at this time because all of the attendants and parents are out-of-town and coordinating schedules with our jobs and lifestyles is a headache. Heath and I attempted to win a Blu-Ray Player, but Heath did not act silly enough-I did my part by loading him down with make-up. We did win an engagement session with a free photo. I will be commenting on the session in days to come.

My hope is that others can use this website as a tool in helping plan their big days. I definitely want to recommend those that have been most helpful. I do not plan to blog negative things about vendors, however if I do have a bad experience, then I will post it as I seem relevant. If I do go and meet with a vendor and that vendor was great, but did not fit with what I needed, then I will mention the vender in my blog, with the positive things, so that other brides and grooms may have access to the information.