from www.pinterest.com

from lovemydress.net

from pinterest.com

from theknot.com

from lovemydress.net

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."

"Luxury is not a necessity to me, but beautiful and good things are."

"How wrong is it for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants, rather than to create it herself?"

"From the backstabbing co-worker to the meddling sister-in-law, you are in charge of how you react to the people and events in your life. You can either give negativity power over your life or you can choose happiness instead. Take control and choose to focus on what is important in your life. Those who cannot live fully often become destroyers of life."

"We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations."

"The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery."

I wanted to remember in order to be able to return."

from leftoverlemons.wordpress.com

I can't find this one either! Which is like my favorite bouquet of all time.

This was only more clear when we took our engagement pictures the day before. Much like I would never knock the bridal store ladies (they were mostly really really nice), I don't want this to come off as a freezerburn of First Blush. Chris and Rachel were both ridiculously awesome, and even in their exhaustion, they made the whole thing mostly pretty fun. The boy and I are actually excted to see the pictures, because they were so creative and I think they will be really cool. But, we had to kiss a lot. And look lovingly into eachother's eyes.  I am sure this is a prerequisite of the whole engagement picture deal, but I feel extremely exposed when I have to show I like the boy in public.

But the whole thing makes me realize that the public proclamation of commitment really is just that, public. It requires a level of openness that is not casual or cursory at all, so perhaps these early experiences let you know that you are laying your heart out on a big scale. It is also comforting to see that, in general, even though I immediately feel uncomfortable with being openly lovey (or naked) by the end I don't really care. We've lived off in our own California bubble long enough to often forget we still function in larger groups as well. We really did have fun with the photographers, and we got to get a good sense of their personalities and friendship as well, which I really loved.

I am not sure any of this makes sense, but I am suspicious that my insistence on a "family" theme is also an insistence on it not just being about us. Certainly I still believe in the value of not having a "spotlight" day, but I also think there is something to these tiny realizations that we can push it of as much as we would like, but to some extent the day is going to expose you, your loyalties, your relationships, your "curves," and whatever else.

It's a hang up we will have to get over, and I feel like the boy has a better time with it than I do. I figure I can see how awkward I am when we see engagement pictures. On the other hand, this week has been a wedding heavy week with no actual decisions, so I have a lot I had to say and am simultaneously really sick of wedding stuff. I figure there should be another (really long) lull after this where no big decisions come up until late in the fall. I like that we gave ourselves enough time that we never have to push through when we are burnt out, so it stays pretty enjoyable. I'll let you know if that is actually true later on.

from www.thelifefiles.com

1. Ice T and Coco's new show- I have never hidden my love for these two people. It is a love that perhaps defies all logic, but I could not love that they have their own show any more (and they better not fall prey to the reality tv curse). I have noticed that on jezebel, a pretty famous feminist blog, seems to have a pseudo-ironic obsession with her. But like most ironic obsessions, deep down, I think it is just a sincere love. I can't rationalize it, beyond saying that I think she has the ridiculous appeal of being ridiculously sexual looking while still maintaining a quality that makes her appealing to women? I think it has to do with a total embrace of who she actually is, it doesn't come off fake at all. She doesn't come off as stupid or mean, like most people who become famous for being famous do. Not to mention that their relationship comes off as so genuine. So far the show has captured that pretty well, and you can see both parties seem genuinely invested in making each other happy. That seems like a small thing, but its huge. He treats her with love, not lust, and total respect. I love when you can actually see that affection in someone's face. The first episode almost made me teary, he was so good to her (and he admits to watching Bridezillas!). So support your Coco! I swear the more you are a feminist nerd, the more something about her will just click.
2. Putting pictures in photo albums- it's my most OCD thing, but I love having our memories captured. And its a cycle. If you treat your past like it matters now, you will be more aware of how the present will matter so much later. It just comes back to appreciating the good in life as much as we worry, mourn, etc. It makes life balanced.
3.The boy- when the dust of finals and his latest deadline settled, we actually have spent some quality time together. And its a nice reminder of how much I like him. So he definitely makes the list this week.
4. Fruit Salad- I love the freshness that comes with this time of year. We have been eating only fruit salad as snacks the last two weeks, and it makes life so happy (and healthy!).
5.Planning showers and parties- we are trying to pull a party together for my dad's future wife, and i just think it is so fun to be creative about the theme and just enjoy it!its fun to try to do something that suits her personality as well.

So Nick and I have started trying to pick a date, but apparently you have to sort of let the site pick the date, and to know a site, you kind of have to have an idea of what kind of wedding you want. He wants big, and slightly fancy, but I would rather it feel like a really fun family picnic.

From theknot.com

So I am thinking somewhere that is sort of between inside and outside, like a picnic. Plus, then I can hang lot of lights everywhere, which is really all I want.

From theknot.com

Of course, the question in all of this is exactly where do you have a reception other than a Franklin Club recpetion in Franklin. I was either thinking somewhere really outside, like two mile park, or a place like anchor village, where my friend Jenny got married two years ago.

From www.partyfavoritesblog.com

From neweddingdayblog.com

This one is my favorite wedding picture we have seen so far. Nick likes it too, but the question now becomes how do we find somewhere where we can be inside and outside, not too fussy, while still having a place for people to go to the bathroom and that sort of thing (which I imagine is pivotal for people to have a good time). It's even harder to figure out from across the country, without much help or interest from the people who actually live in the area. If people have suggestions of how you make this work, I would definitely take them, but I still feel pretty optomistic we at least pretty much agree on the type of wedding we want.

From jcrewwedding.com

From www.onewed.com

From etsy.com

I figure I have to keep all the wedding talk to one day a week to avoid becoming completely intolerable, so Wednesdays will be it. Granted, this is Thursday, but I didn't blog yesterday, so this is the honorary kick off Wedding Wednesday. So I decided to google/etsy 30's style dresses (after obsessing over Jeanette MacDonald) and these are the ones that I like.

From etsy.com

This girl is just adorable in general, but I love the dress. I don't think I could pull off something this slinky, but I am in love with it anyway.

From etsy.com

Probably more my style, and I love the tea length with the bright colorful shoes. Nick and I have just started talking wedding things seriously (and there is so much to talk about!) but I love the idea of it being more casual and Nick is thinking more formal. But I think something gardeny where I can just be happy.

From alozanocouture.blogspot.com

Again, a lot of these styles are sort of slinky, but for now I can like whatever, because it's just the beginning. It's like I can say the bridesmaid dresses will actually be rewearable. We all know its not true, but for now I can believe.