You do realize June 1 is a popular date to get married?

Let's take it back a few months.....because I have actually done wedding activities since I've been engaged...

After we were engaged, I took a few weeks to really just enjoy the engagement, without thinking about wedding planning or anything associated with that.

I had a fun engagement dinner with my close girl friends at Tila's in Houston. We had the back private room, and it was really fun to celebrate with a fun mixture of new and old friends! (Thanks to Kayla for getting that organized!).

Next up, I spent a few weeks scheduling appointments with various venues in Fort Worth, Texas. See, I decided a long time ago that I wanted to be married in Fort Worth. I grew up in Arlington, and my dad has worked in Downtown Fort Worth for much of my life. It just seemed natural. The only problem is, its hard to make appointments with vendors when you live four hours away. So, in order to select our venue, I scheduled a marathon venue shoppping day. That morning, Patrick and I met with the Priest at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Fort Worth -- this is where our ceremony will be held.

After that meeting, my mom, dad, sister Liz, and her bf Josh, joined Patrick and I to look at various reception venues around Fort Worth.

We started our day at the Fort Worth Museum of Nature and Science. I grew up going to this museum as a kid, and thought it might be fun and unique. The layout would have been nice for a small wedding, but it just didn't work for what my "vision" was (according to my Dad). (And, I was just there this past weekend, and there is a giant ship in the area where the reception woud have been (for the Titanic exhibit)...not sure how that would have worked with my "vision" either).

Next, we had lunch at Railhead BBQ. Nothing like some ribs and a giant pile of french fries to break up the day!

The Ashton Depot was our next stop. The moment I walked into this venue, I fell in love with it. The woman who showed up around was so knowledgeable, and really sold the place for me. She started us in the garden area, where the cockatil hour would be, and took us all through the reception area and different locations. This place appealed to me because it is "full service," kind of like an All inclusive resort. The only thing I would have to do would be to find a florist, DJ, and photographer. Which seemed ideal since I was realizing quickly that planning a wedding from afar would be time consuming. I knew that I loved this place, but we had three more spots to check out that day.



Interior of The Ashton Depot -- taken from the Mezzanine balcony.

We swung by the Petroleum Club, which had an amazing view! But again, it seemed to be more set up for smaller weddings (like 50 - 75 people). While the view was amazing, it was hard to get over how cramped everyone would be.

We next went to The Fort Worth Club. I actually really liked this place a lot as well. It had great spaces, and would offer bridal rooms to get ready in on the day of the wedding. The only problem was, the best reception room was already booked for the favorite day I was look at. The smaller room was just fine, but it did have a bit of a feeling of stuffiness. I know that with the windows open, and the lights set a certain way, it would have been fabulous. I just wish the bigger room had been available! The woman, Megan, who showed us around, was also very nice and knowedgeable!

After that, our last stop for the day was the Omni Hotel. Patrick and I had some friends get married there a few years ago, so I wanted to check it out. I'm all for hotel receptions since it's easy for guests to come and go if they are staying in the hotel. The reception space was really big! The only downside, was that it was a blank surface. I knew that it would take a lot of effort and meetings with vendors to get it to look the way I wanted to. And, once my sister said "Doesn't this remind you of band banquets in high school?" I knew that it was slowly sliding down the list of top choices.

Me and the Dad at the Omni.

The mom!

My MOH and Sister!

Patrick and I -- sidenote (he was running on about 1 hour of sleep, lovely big firm jobs)

Of course, once that tour was completed -- we ducked into the bar at the Omni for happy hour to end the day. I really enjoyed spending the day looking at venues with my family. It was the first time I had seen them since we got engaged, and so the day was very special to me!!

Venue shopping makes you hungry!

Once we arrived back in Houston, Patrick and I spent a lot of time discussing which venue we liked the best. He really liked the Petroleum Club, and I liked the Fort Worth Club. However, we both liked The Ashton Depot. So, after much though, that's what we decided on -- and I cannot wait for my reception to be there in the next 4 months. It really was the all inclusive nature of the venue -- they provide the bar service, waiters, linens, plates, planner for the evening, food, etc. I think that if we had been planning the wedding in the same city that we lived in, I would have chosen a venue like Omni. So, The Ashton Depot it is!

With the venue selected, the next decision to be made was the date. At every venue, we were greeted and told that if we chose to get married in June, we should knows its the most popular month to get married, so we needed to decide quickly. I knew I wanted to get married sometime between April and June. I love spring, and well, I still consider early June to be "spring." After looking at our schedules, it just looked like June would be best! After much thought, we decided on June 1, 2013. I love the way it sounds, and I cannot wait to celebrate that day for many years to come.

Next up ... dress shopping.

2+0+1+3 = a Very FUN year

2012 was a GREAT year -- I got engaged to Patrick, moved in with Patrick, and continued working at my current law firm (among many other wonderful things that occurred...)

However, I'm most excited for 2013, because...

The year ahead holds TWO major events in my life:

1.    Turning --



 

2.    Marrying:

And, these events occur less than a month apart, before mid-year! What will I do with the rest of my 2013? Oh, that's right, be 30 and married!

What a weekend!

This weekend it finally hit me that I would probably want to remember the wedding planning process at some point in the future. I haven't been the best (at all) about blogging about it, and I've had friends tell me they would be interested to read it -- so I guess this is the best time as any to start up again.

Yesterday (Sunday) we took our engagement photos in Fort Worth! I didn't actually take any photos of them taking photos of us... but you'll have to take my word for it -- it was fun! We started at our reception venue (The Ashton Depot) in Downtown, and took lots of photographs near the building, and also by a warehouse next door. After that, we changed locales, and took photos at the old post office building in Downtown Fort Worth. That was followed by a change in scenery to Trinity Park. They took lots of photographs of us in the park, and we stumbled upon this great creek and bridge, with a curvy path. For some reason, I think bridges always looks good in photographs. There were a lot of leaves on the ground, and the trees were actually changing colors! The outfit I chose to wear was a coral top, with skinny jeans, and my riding boots. I thought it looked cute! And Patrick wore a black sweater, with a plaid purple button down underneath. I thought he looked quite handsome if I do say so myself. I thought it was a good combo -- I realize our wedding is in the summer, but it just would have felt strange to be in a spring/summery dress in the midst of falling leaves. So, we went with fall attire instead. I didn't do an outfit change, although I had brought a dress. I was just feeling really comfortable and confident in my outfit I had on, and went with it.

I really really enjoyed meeting my photographers for the first time (live and in person -- I interviewed them initially on Skype). They are a married couple, and I really liked they way they worked together. He took most of the far away shots, and she did most of the up close. They didn't make us do anything too awkward, lots of hand holding, etc, but not too bad. I did have a problem with the poses where they asked us to look at each other -- for some reason every time I did it, I would crack up laughing. Those pictures will be interesting! They said it'll take about 2 weeks to get the photos, and I cannot wait!! We are going to use one or two or several for our save the dates, and so hopefully those will go out towards the end of this year (which is crazy that its almost 2013). As of December 1 -- it'll be 6 months to our wedding!!

I really enjoyed the photograph shoot yesterday. I feel like I've just been doing lots and lots of planning the last 4 months, and this was actually a fun part where I got to realize the planning. It made me really excited for the upcoming months, and re-invigorated my wedding planning spirit (which had been lacking the last month after a whirlwind two months of initial planning). I "plan" to do a lot of "planning" over Thanksgiving break, and will hopefully have a chance to meet with my day-of coordinator!


Well... as the months progress, there should be a lot more fun things to blog about my wedding planning and festivities! Can't wait to marry P!

...And then there were two...Thompson's

Saturday, July 14, 2012, started out like any other Saturday.... it certainly did not end like that ...

But ... let's take it back to the beginning of the story. 4.8 years ago.. PT and I started dating...

Five years ago, at the young age of 24, ah those were the days...sorry the pic is so tiny ;)

We were here right when we became "exclusive"... it'll look familiar towards the end of the post...(this was also taken 5 years ago)

Okay, Okay, I won't take it back quite that far. How about to the Friday before?

That Friday night, Patrick asked me if I'd like to go with him on Saturday to pick up a motorcycle he found in Arlington... but first, we would need to go to Boerne (see pic above) to get his dad's truck, and then drive to Arlington. But, we would need to be back in Houston that night because he had "something planned" for Sunday. So, reluctantly I agreed to accompany him on a 12 hour drive, in one day.

Saturday morning we left for our one day road trip. I woke up that morning a little hesitant about the long drive, but thought, hey, at least I'll get to spend some good time reading... er.. hanging out with Patrick. He picked me up at 9 am, and we were off, right after we stopped at a local taco place for breakfast tacos.

We arrived in Boerne around 1 pm, and were greeted by his dad. Patrick disappeared with his dad to go look at something, and I headed into the house to say hi to his stepmom and niece (who was in town visiting the grandparents). When I sat on the couch, and said hello to his stepmom and niece, I was informed that both were hungry for lunch, and were ready to go. Patrick and his dad returned to the house, and asked if I wanted to go look at his dad's new motorcycle in the barn. I walked out of the house with Patrick, and informed him that we should probably go get some lunch first because we were all hungry. He said, everyone can wait till after we look at the motorcycle. So, we walked down to the barn, and looked at the motorcylce.

This is where it gets good... on the way back up from the barn, his dad veered off to go "lock the barn." Patrick and I continued walking past the pool area, and he took my hand, and said - Hey, let's go look at the pool, my dad's been doing some work. So, we walked over to the railing by the pool that looks out over the view from the house.

That's the railing...

So, we are standing there. And, he comments on how beautiful the view is. I comment on the rotten watermelon on the ground below the railing. Still hadn't sunk in. Clearly. He re-directs my view to the actual surroundings, and then he started talking about when we first came there 5 years ago, and when I decided that I wanted to be a relationship with him. (That's paraphrasing of course - he said it much more eloquently). And, that's when my heart started to beat...because... why were we recapping our history? And he said a few more things, and then I look over, and there, in his hand, was a ring box, opened, with the most beautiful ring I have ever seen. And that's when he said - And this is where I want to make you mine. At that point, he got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him, and I said YES!

He stands up, we hug, and kiss, and he said - we aren't going to Arlington. I responded with, what? He said - that was just a ruse to get you here without suspecting anything. (clearly it worked!). He told me that we had a reservation at a hotel on the Riverwalk in San Antonio, and dinner reservations as well, and since I didn't pack an overnight bag, he was going to take me to the mall to get a dress for dinner. I. was. amazed. happy. teary. excited.

After the proposal, his dad wandered over, and shook Patrick's hand, and hugged me. I called a bajillion people, and then we headed to lunch at "Boo-dawgs" with Patrick's dad, step-mom and niece. I could hardly eat I was so stinkin happy/excited.

After lunch, we headed down to San Antonio, and checked into the Omni La Mansion on the Riverwalk. We were on the top floor, and had a view of the Riverwalk. We headed to the room... and this is what I walked in on ...

We immediately popped open the champagne, and cheered to the future Mr. and Mrs. Thompson (cheesy, yes, but it was that kind of day). We headed to the River Center Mall, and I picked out a dress and necklace at Macy's.

We had dinner reservations at Biga on the Banks. A fantastic restaurant in downton, on the Riverwalk, but not in the touristy area. The Chef at the restaurant is a James Beard nominated chef. Patrick had no idea what that meant, and I only know because I watch Food Network and Top Chef. The food was excellent, and we sat outside on the balcony. I didn't take any pictures of the food, but you'll have to trust me that it was awesome. Patrick had quail and axis deer, and I had a filet with corn pudding. Of course, I had to tell the waiter that we were just engaged, and he brought out complimentary champagne... and this dessert:

It was supposed to be sorbet, but he thought we said "creme brulee." Which isn't a big deal, except I'm allergic to the entire dessert. But, it didn't matter because we were so happy!

4.8 years later and engaged!

July 14, 2012 was by far one of the best days in my entire life, Patrick took me completely by surprise. I'm truly happy, excited, and lucky to be marrying Patrick, my best friend, and the best guy I've ever known (besides my dad of course). I cannot wait for the coming months... and no.. we have not yet set a date ... too busy enjoying being engaged!

Showering the Perkins Pack

Lauren, one of my best friends from college - the L to SnL - recently gave birth to 6 tiny miracles. It was an honor to throw her a baby shower (with Emma) at the beginning of June. I am so proud of Lauren and the momma that she has become. I cannot wait to see these little ones grow up, and I cannot wait to one day see one of my kids (future kids - god willing) marry one of hers. The plans are already in the works ;-). I didn't take very many pictures, too busy hostessing, but here are the ones that I took of this fab shower. The theme was "Popped."

Adorable cake donated by - Cakes by Gina

Decorations

The spread - Emma did a fabulous job with all the food ideas - we had strawberry pops, fruit pops, popcorn, marshmallow pops, and so on and so forth.

The cake was a hit!

The Momma and Me :-)

Maddie's Wedding Weekend in ATX

About a month ago, PT and I attended the wedding of a dear friend of mine from Junior League. Maddie and Stephen were hitched in ATX at the UT Golf Club. And, I do have to say, it was one of THE nicest weddings that I have ever been to in my life. The wedding and reception were very nice, but Maddie really really went over the top with the details. She thought of everything - from the fans and tissues, water and lemonade, for the outdoor ceremony, to the party favors of brisket tacos and boston baked beans (Maddie and Stephen moved to Boston shortly after the wedding for Stephen's residency). I had a great time with my JL girls, and a fabulous time celebrating the long awaited marriage of Maddie and Stephen!

Maddie arranged to have charter buses carry us from the hotel to the UT Golf Club - definitely a good idea, especially at the end of the night.

Shannon and Barry on the way to the wedding

Me and PT on the way to the wedding - my fave part of this pic is Chelsea and Jason in the background - hilarious.

Chels and Jason on the way to the wedding

 The ceremony was outside under a covered patio area. It was really beautiful.

Pre wedding photo shoot.

Sarah and Josh waiting for the ceremony to start

 Maddie provided fans and tissues, plus lemonade and water for the ceremony.

And I promise I am wearing a dress.

Allie and Adrienne!

View of the reception area...sort of.

 The reception was at the same place - but in the clubhouse area. It was half inside, half out. The band played outside, and the dance floor was under twinkly lights. The band played a lot of oldies, and it was perfect weather to dance outside!

JL girls - so thankful for them!

Too cool for school.

Reception area

Maddie and Stephen

 The food served at the wedding was delish - Beef Tenderloin, salad, horseradish mashed potatoes, chicken fried steak in a martini glass with gravy and mashed potatoes, shrimp and grits, crab cake corn dogs... the list goes on!

One of the many beauitful centerpieces

Maddie and Stephen

Maddie and I met when we were waitresses at the JL for every saturday for six months. Last year, we did our volunteer placement together at the Memorial Hermann Puppetry (puppet shows every wednesday for the kids hospital). She will be severely missed, but now I have a fun friend to visit in Boston!

If you like pina coladas...

Memorial Day Weekend came and went. Amazing how fast three days can go by! PT and I went to visit his brother and family. It was a nice, relaxing weekend. However, right now, I am in hot and steamy Texas, but, this time next week, I will be at a place resembling this:

Most likely reading this:



Drinking this:



With this person:

And, I cannot wait! 7 days and 6 nights in paradise. Sounds all right to me.

But before that - I will be celebrating the marriage of Maddie and Stephen, and throwing by BFF and mom extroardinaire - Lauren - a baby shower for her new babes!