We've found a location!

Yes, the big news -- we've finally found a location for our wedding, and... it fits our budget. YAY!!

Thank you, thank you... no really, the applause is not necessary. Oh shucks, well if you must... yes, you can have my autograph *blush*

(Can you tell I've spent way too many hours moderating an online forum full of teenagers? Geez.)

But back on track, we have indeed found a location for our wedding/reception: the Walper Terrace Hotel in downtown Kitchener. Are you shocked that it's "fancy" and in "Kitchener?" I know, so were we! Not exactly what we'd had in mind when we first started looking, but I called them up on a whim and when we went to see it, everything just fell into place! Plus, it's super close to Victoria Park so if the weather gods heed my prayers, we'll be having the ceremony outdoors in the park gazebo.

I'm super excited! Jeff seems to be, too, but maybe he'll post his own version of the story or at least a comment (nudge, nudge) ;)

Here's a good shot of the bridge leading up to the gazebo.


There are plenty more pictures of both the park and the Walper in my photo album if you want to check them out!

Caution: Bride on Board

It occurred to me yesterday, as I was driving home, that it's hazardous to be a bride. Picture this:

You're in the car, hands on the wheel, when suddenly a flicker catches your eye... you glance down and think,

Wow, look at that really pretty ring on my finger! Hee hee... I'm engaged! ...

Then reality hits and you realize,

Oh crap, I'm driving!

You made my day

So I got an email from Jeff this morning -- who by the way did "join the team," but apparently needs a little more encouragement to actually post a blog (hint, hint) -- to say that our officiant, Pastor John, gave him a call.

A bit of background...

We met with Pastor John back in May and booked him for our wedding date of June 17, 2006 -- which at the time was to be held in Oakville. But since then, Aunt Lorraine's has been scrapped, Jeff's parents' backyard has been scrapped, and even our date has been up for discussion (we were "this close" to eloping at our engagement party!). To be fair, I did email Pastor John in late June to update him on our progress, but we hadn't quite gotten around to dropping off his deposit or completing our "homework" yet... oops!

So today Pastor John called Jeff to confirm that we were still going to book him for our wedding. And Jeff told him yes, updated him on our new plans (more on that later), and Pastor John also asked that we send him an invite. Sure, no problem!

But here's the funny part... After Jeff sent me the email he got another call from Pastor John, who said:

I just wanted to let you know, you made my day!

No idea why, but apparently Pastor John was very happy to hear that we were still planning to have him as our officiant... our slack deposit-payment habits notwithstanding, lol.

What?! Only 10 months!!

In the course of my wedding planning (thus far), I've discovered an interesting little side industry: online "tickers." Little images you can apend to your email signature or post on your website, which count down the days to your special event -- in our case, the wedding.

So I created one of these tickers to tack onto my chat board signature... (Yes, I already admitted I'm a geek!) But today, I looked at said ticker and thought, "Is it really 11 months, 2 weeks, and 6 days until our wedding? Wasn't it 11 months, 2 weeks, and 6 days last week?"

Gah! My ticker was broken! Guess I'd better get a move on those plans they say I should be making...

Jen & Jeff ~ June 17, 2006

Pretty flowers

I didn't realize how much I liked flowers until I started doing some research for the wedding ;-)

So... do we go with elegant?



Or fun!



Minus the pearl pins of course... I'm not into the pearl pins :P

A great engagement party

Apparently I've been slacking off and forgot to post a post-engagement party post... Postity post-post, lol. Oh... I'm easily entertained (and distracted) :p

So the engagement party (EP) went really well and we had absolutely amazing weather. Clear skies, low humidity, and just warm enough to be nice and comfortable sitting outdoors in the early evening. If only the weather fairy could guarantee us the same weather for our wedding next June!

We also had a great turn-out of just over 40 guests and the food that Alyssa and Lesley put together was amazing -- bbq'd chicken, caesar salad, potato salad, pasta salad (okay, I brought that one), veggies & dip, fresh fruit, and to top it all off an amazing carrot cake, which happens to be one of my and Jeff's favorites. Plus, Alyssa's backyard is gorgeous and we had a ton of comments about it being such a lovely location.

Just about everyone brought their lawn chairs, so we all relaxed and mingled in the backyard. It was great seeing everyone and having a chance to introduce our friends and family; although it's surprisingly challenging to say the right name when you're introducing 10 -15 people at once!

All in all it was a great day -- Alyssa and Lesley, we can't thank you enough for hosting such an amazing party, you girls rock!!

We also took a ton of pictures, so check them out if you're interested. I'll leave you with a funny one of Alyssa, Becky, and Lesley goofing around in the kitchen ;)

Did you know?

The average cost of...

• a Canadian wedding = $20,000
• a professional photographer = $1,600
• a tent for an outdoor wedding = $1,400
• flowers & floral arrangements = $1,000

No wonder the first thing my boss said when I told her I was engaged was:

Elope.

So... who's up for a road trip to Vegas?! No worries if you can't make it -- thanks to modern technology we can broadcast our wedding LIVE on the Internet for all you folks at home! lol

If a picture says a 1000 words...

... who can tell me what this one says? lol!

Engagement party this Saturday!

Wow, this snuck up fast! It feels like ages ago that Alyssa and Lesley -- my good friends and bridesmaids -- suggested having an engagement party for Jeff and I. And now it's almost here!

Don't fail me now Environment Canada -- they're currently calling for sunny skies and 27-degree weather, so it should be a pretty sweet day :D

On a completely unrelated note, I'm convinced that Bell ExpressVu has made it its personal mission in life to make my life hell. Grrr... don't even get me started; and don't ever get ExpressVu!

My new best friends

As a complete neophyte when it comes to weddings, wedding planning, and even party planning I am so thankful for the Internet!

Yes, for those of you who know me well this likely doesn't come as a surprise. What? Jen, the email junkie, in love with the Internet? No... But yet again, this trusty tool has come through for me and introduced me to my new best friends:

• The Knot
  
• The KW Wedding Ring

Now if only I could find some magic piece of software to plan this wedding for me...

Hot or not? Vote now!

So Alyssa (my MOH) asked me for some pictures of Jeff and I... not sure what they're for, but look what I found:


Are we hot or what?!

Yes, that's a midriff-baring shirt on Jeff and you should have seen his short-shorts and calf-high white socks. Oh rugby... thankfully we're both part of the same club and it makes perfect sense to "pillage the Village" and wear ridiculous outfits in public!

Dress shopping & house hunting

On Saturday, my mom drove up from Oakville to go dress shopping with me at Taylor's Bridal in Elmira. It was a good day and I ended up finding a great dress for 50% off, so that's one more item ticked off my list.

A bit anticlimatic? Yes. I think this is a classic case of me being the kind of person that likes options not decisions. Other girls would be ecstatic that they'd found "the dress" and didn't have to search anymore. Me, I'm happy I found a beautiful dress, but I'm going to miss daydreaming about my options :p

Afterwards, being the real estate philes that we are, we toured around KW looking for open houses and checking out different listings. My mom's new idea is that Jeff and I should buy a house, elope, and throw a party at our "new place" afterwards.

Although she thinks we should buy this house. A real fixer-upper, how handy are you Jeff?!

Happy Canada Day!

I'm off to Oakville today for dinner and fireworks at my mom's -- I hear we're having crab legs, mmm...

Jeff is on a fishing trip with his dad and brothers this weekend, so I'm on my own. More crab legs for me, hee hee!

Preliminary dress shopping

So last night, my bridesmaid Lesley and I did some preliminary wedding dress shopping in Uptown Waterloo.

My hairdresser had told me about a store that's more for prom/bridesmaids dresses, but which has very reasonably-priced wedding dresses, too. So Lesley and I dropped in, and the ladies asked if I had an appointment... umm no, I didn't think it was that kind of store :| But after a bit of fuss, they said I could try something on from the one rack if I saw a dress I really loved...

That irked me a bit, but hey, I was in there without an appointment :P

I only tried on one dress, which fit really well and was cheap, too!! I wasn't super sold though, and since it was the first and only dress I'd ever tried on I decided to keep looking.

Next, we dropped by Bridal Depot (still without an appointment) and asked if it was okay if we took a look around even though we hadn't called ahead. The girl was super nice and said it wasn't a problem at all -- I could even try on any dress I wanted, she just had to finish helping another client with some alterations first.

Ahhh... excellent! I tried on 3 or 4 dresses, and again the first one I tried fit and looked the best, but none were "the one" so I thanked the sales girl and left.

Tomorrow, I have an appointment to try on dresses at Taylor's Bridal in Elmira. I've heard nothing but rave reviews about their customer service, so I'm super excited! I'll let you know how it goes :D