Wedding Hint #1

As the BIG DAY is starting to approach, I will randomly give out hints about our wedding and what it you can expect to see come together in our ceremony and reception, without giving TOO much away.

Both Mr. Hess were on the same page with this one...

CRYSTALS!

And (hopefully) LOTS of them! :)

7 MONTHS TO GO!

OMG, OMG, OMG! Today, the wedding is officially...

7 MONTHS AWAY!!!!

I can't believe it!  I feel like we have a lot of the big stuff covered, but I'm also starting to feel all of the pressure of having to get everything done.  Good news is I now have a monthly "TO-DO" list, and I seem to be checking off almost everything every time!


So far, in December we have:

• BOOKED a Florist! Can't wait to see the final designs...
• Attended 2 cake tastings, called around for more pricing, and BOOKED our wedding cake baker for a steal!
• Begun to discuss and book our table and chair rentals with our venue!
• Set up our Engagement Photo Session (less than 2 weeks away!)
• Contacted a linens company that we met at the bridal show.  CAN'T wait to see their stuff in person.
• Contacted DJs and lighting companies.
• Gotten a LOT done on our wedding website...not releasing it until it is fully COMPLETE!

By the END of the month (about a week and a half to go!) we need to get the rest of the list checked off:

• Order our signature monogramed stamps.
• Go over our budget (eek!)
• Finalize guest list and begin to put addresses together for Save the Dates! (AHH!)

So, in retrospect, we seem to be well on our way for now.

On a side note - I was in the best mood today thinking about our wedding.  7 whole months is all that's standing in our way to being married, that's CRAZY!!!!!  On my way home tonight from a long day, I was thinking about what we need to do and completely out of nowhere BAM!!!!!!! There is a guy in the middle of the road who apparently ran out of gas and failed to put his blinkers on right in front of me.  Well, the road was dark, and he was wearing all black, so of course I didn't see it until it was too late.  I slammed on my breaks but hit the car head on, my airbags went off, and I knew right away my poor little car was totaled. 

I have been debating for the last year on when a good time to start car shopping would be, and let me tell you now is NOT the time.  It's WEDDING SEASON people, don't you know this?!?!? Luckily, there were no citations and the cops understood where I was coming from.  Let's just keep our fingers crossed that my insurance company is very nice to me.  For now, I do not have a car and I start the search for a new car....well, right now.

A BIG THANK YOU to Mr. Hess tonight for saving me from a horrible nightmare.  It's so good to know that he will always be a phone call away to come whisk me away from life's uncertainties and it's crazy how great just a hug from him can feel.  I'm so lucky to have him on my side no matter what, and instead of getting upset he kept me calm and told me everything was going to be okay.

Also, he happened to notice today was 7 months until our big day, and decided to bring home something special for me.  Someone must have told him I was going to need these today...

They are even lime green...one of our colors! :)

LOVE YOU MR. HESS!!!!!

211 days and counting...

 Presh

Cake Tasting...we're on a mission!

Today was a day I've always looked forward to ever since we got engaged.  Actually, going cake tasting is something I've been looking forward to since I can remember!  Ever since I was a little girl, I have anticipated what MY wedding cake will look like.  Well, today I actually got to find out!  And I must say, dedicating an entire afternoon to eating cake and picking our colors to and styles for your cake to match your wedding can be pretty fun!!!

Excited to be there and hoping to find the cake we want!

So we started the hunt to find our cake maker this afternoon by going to Party Flavors.  Their shop is pretty cool, filled with all different shapes and kinds of cakes! We spent a good 10 minutes just walking around and looking at everything.  We went into our consultation not really knowing what we were looking for.  We know our wedding theme is more on the contemporary side, so we knew we wanted our cake to be fun and colorful, but that's about it!

Mr. Hess thinks this cake looks YUMMY!

Which flavors to choose? They're ALL yummy! Seriously.

From Amaretto to Marble Cake, Double Chocolate to Carrot Cake - I really loved every single cake we tried.  It was getting harder and harder to choose what we wanted! Luckily, by the end of the meeting we had our flavors picked and a sketch! A sketch of a cake both Mr. Hess and I LOVE!!!! From the look of each tier, to the flavor of each piece, to the cake topper - THIS was the cake for our wedding!!!! Absolutely LOVED IT! There's just one problem - the cake we want is literally twice the amount of money we budgeted for.  OUCH!!!! So we left the shop, inspired and thrilled that at least we know what we want, but also a little let down that we apparently have expensive taste.  I took my sketch, and hoped the next meeting would go just as well with a little less $$$ as a final result...here's hoping:

 

Here's that picture of the amazing cake we saw that was inspired from Alice in Wonderland:

I'm pretty sure Mr. Hess would pick this cake for our wedding if he could!

So there we were, on our way to the second cake tasting of the day.  Super pumped and convinced our second quote would be considerably lower, we arrived at our meeting place a little early to grab a bite to eat.  I know I know - we were going to eat cake, but there's ALWAYS room for that! We got a bit of a late start because she was running behind, and we decided not to tell her we already got a sketch of what we're looking for because we wanted to see what she could come up with too!

We talked about colors, shape, size and she came up with a design just as cool.  I'm not in love with the cake as much as the first one, but it was gorgeous and I would take it as my wedding cake anyways!  Feeling good and from what I've heard, she is very affordable, so I was hopeful and anticipated the end result in what price we're looking at...then dun nuh nuh...there it was - and OVER our budget again - wayyyyy over our budget.  What the heck?! I budgeted a fair amount, almost $200 over what I WANTED to pay....and this was almost double that THAT! I really can't believe how expensive a wedding cake can be!  I guess contemporary and unique, trendy designs come with a price.

So, we still have some more work to do on this.  I'm really glad we got to do some tastings and meet with 2 cake bakers today.  But, the hunt for a wedding cake continues...I'll leave you with this video that pretty much sums up the rest.  And oh yeah, I'm pretty sure we were both on a sugar high from all of the different cakes and icings we tried (especially my co-star!) AHHHHH! :)

Yeah, we were a bit ridiculous.

I must say, even though the day turned out to be a little bit of a let down at the end, we learned a lot from it.  We have an idea of what we want, and we are determined to get it - in budget.  If you know of any great cake makers in Central FL, send the info on over...I would love to keep trying to find a cake we LOVE that fits in our budget! :)

219 days and counting...

Until next time bloggers!

Presh

LHG - my bestie & my bridesmaid!

This post is dedicated to the one and only LHG! She is not only a bridesmaid in our wedding, but has been like a sister to me since the day I met her back in middle school. 

Mr. Hess earned some extra brownie points yesterday by making the 2 and a half our drive to Jacksonville and back with me just to see my bestie!  She has been touring for the last month with the Radio City Rockettes and we got to catch her very last show in Florida before they left for Austin, TX to finish the tour.  Even though I had been working all weekend, I managed to switch around shifts to make sure to get the Jax on time to see my friend, and I'm SO glad I did!

Me and L after the show

Back in middle school, I met the beloved LHG when our summer dance program included housing a guest for the summer to take our intensive classes.  LHG was my guest and, well, when the summer was over never really moved out!  We had an instant bond right away and spent a lot of our time watching Austin Powers, singing Space Ghost songs, and doing our nails.  After the program was over, L and her mom decided it was time for a change in her life and moved up to Orlando.  Giving them time to find a place and settle in, L lived in our guest room and even when they found a place would be over almost every time I was home! I loved it – it was like having another sister, and we did everything together.

When we got to high school, we remained super close.  We started dancing at different studios and focusing on different things, but we always had that understanding that we will love and support each other in whatever we do.  That theory really got put to the test when our senior year came around because LHG decided to move up to New York City, NY by herself as a 17-year-old to pursue a dance career.  I had all of the faith in the world in her, and knew her personality and drive was there more than anyone I knew.

LHG has never really chose the traditional route, one might say, but I am so happy to say that her talents have gotten her all the way to the top.  In my eyes, she has “made it” in what she wants to do and I like to say I live vicariously through her.  She's so brave and takes more risks than anyone I have ever known!

While I was finishing my senior year of high school, Miss LHG was getting settled in NYC and was auditioning for numerous shows and gigs up there.  Right away, she got a job performing in Germany with West Side Story and it was only within a year before I saw her perform on the VMAs as a dancer for Beyonce! I didn’t think I could have been more proud of her than at that moment I saw her on TV, but that was just the beginning...

Backstage with L in Wicked

About 5 years ago I actually got to go up to NY to see her do what she does best – perform on Broadway!  L was casted in the NY Broadway production of Wicked, and I couldn’t be more excited to go see the show!  Unfortunately, the week before I was scheduled to go up there she hurt her shoulder during a performance so I never got to see her perform.  I did, however, still see the show and she pointed out exactly where she did what.  I saw her name and picture in the playbill and again, I couldn’t believe there she was!  My best friend from middle school, my dance partner, and now a professional dancer on Broadway! I was so proud of her.

L backstage with Popov the Bear! Rockettes

She has done a few things here and there since she decided to leave Wicked, but yesterday was the first time I could ever say I officially saw her dance on Broadway!  In 2008 she got the exciting job as a New York - Radio City Rockette!  She did the show right there in NYC that year, but returned to the Rockette stage this year on tour! Not many people can say that, right?!  From reading the program, I found out thousands of girls try out for the part of a Rockette each season, and only 200 get selected to be a part of the group that tours around the country.  I absolutely LOVED the show, and she did such an amazing job!!!

Famous Soldier Scene - Radio City Rockettes

There she is, far right! Radio City Rockettes

 Fourth row from top, 3rd over - Radio City Rockettes

Kicking High, far right - Radio City Rockettes

No matter what we do or where we go in life, we both know we will always have a bond and friendship that can stand any distance or length of time.  It’s funny to say, but she’s kind of like my “Joey” from Friends (one of my and LHG’s fav TV shows of ALL time).  We have been best buds and sidekicks since 8th grade, and throughout the years she has always been there.  There will always be a room open to her in our home and we never know when she will pop up – but she always does.

  So, thanks for being such an amazing friend through it all, LHG.  You are my inspiration to throw myself out there and take risks! I hope one day I can look past my fears and throw everything I have into my dream like you did for yours.  So excited for you to be a part of our big day, and I'm SO happy to know I’m definitely going to be seeing a lot of you this year! xoxo

Love,
Presh (HBPD)

Every Bride Needs a Night OFF!

Here we are, getting into the middle of December already...
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

I'm sure there are a MILLION things I should be doing right now to plan for the big day (that 7 month mark is quickly approaching!) - but Mr. Hess and I decided earlier today that tonight is going to be a date night.  And on our "date night" we aren't going to spend money, and we are going to come up with a way to just enjoy each other WITHOUT talking about the wedding.  Seems kind of challenging, right?

Surprisingly, this was easier than we thought it would be, and that's exactly what we've done.  We started the night off by going to a Saturday night service at our church - and the message was great.  We sung Christmas songs during worship already, so that put me in the best mood ever!  Then, we came home determined to cook dinner at home, even though neither one of us wanted to cook.  So - we went back to our routes! Fish sticks, mac & cheese, and veggies.  That sounds like a great meal to me!  Lucky for me, Mr. Hess likes childhood food as much as I do.  Hey, we did spice it up by adding salsa and peppers to the mac & cheese - pretty fancy!

So, while Mr. Hess finishes up his ONE NBA Live BBall video game he is allowed to play tonight, I am baking cookies and writing a blog about NOT writing a blog...lol.  But if you think about it, this one doesn't really count...does it?! ;)

So what I've learned in the last month is this:

No matter how many things you need to check off of your ever growing "TO-DO" List....every once in a while you need to take a NIGHT OFF!  Enjoy a date night with your groom, and take a break from driving him crazy about what you want this color to be, what flower you want to put where and what flavor you want to be at your cake tastings.  I'm pretty sure I've added just about all the appointments in Mr. Hess's calendar that it can take for the next week with meetings and tastings, so he deserves it.

Oh yeah, that's a Christmas Tree Hat - WHY NOT?! LOL!

I think those cookies are ready - and now, it's movie time! :)

Enjoying a break while I still can,

Presh

November Check-In!

For Mr. Hess and I, November was absolutely INSANE!!!! 

I was a Co-Maid of Honor in my friends wedding (Love You Britt!), we attended another friend's wedding - (don't worry, I'm taking notes!), I had extra weekend practices AND we both worked 10 games and 2 dunk shows in one month.  We usually have on average about 6-8 games tops in one month - so we had A LOT to practice and prepare for...

Somehow throughout all of that madness and working our day jobs, we found some time to get some things checked off of our ever growing TO-DO List!

Going into December, we have finally checked the following off:

• Set a DATE! July 22, 2011!
• Booked our Church - Henry Chapel - the chapel to our church we are members at.
  
• Booked our Reception Venue - Heaven Events Center!
• Hired a Day-of Wedding Coordinator (THANK THE LORD! I think I would go insane if I didn't know she would be there to help me out!)
• Finished our P.R.E.P. for Marriage class at church! 
• Booked a Photographer! Elegant Imagery, they have a really unique and fun style!
• Met with 2 Florists, and are ready to book one! (Within our budget too - score!)
• Ordered all of our Bridal Party dresses! BIG SHOUT OUT to my HBSH Bridal Party! Thanks for being on top of things and getting this done so soon! :)
• Made a Wedding Notebook that holds all of our contracts, receipts, catalogues, business cards, and information we need to contact our vendors. 
• Figured out how to upload videos on here!!!! 

This is what our end tables consist of these days - my Wedding Planning Book, Notebook, Engagement Party book and Bridal Magazines.

All in all, for what we had to deal with this month, I would say we did a pretttttty good job!  There are days where I feel like we are way ahead of the game, and days where I feel like there is still SO much to do.  All I can do is stop, take a deep breath, and take it one day at a time.  My main goal in planning this wedding is to enjoy it.  So far, I haven't broken it yet....

Speaking of videos - I felt like it was a lot I would have to write to explain all that we did this month, so we decided we would have a once a month update video, starting with this one! Too bad the camera died right when we were ending in though...lol:

Happy December Everyone! 

Can't believe it's already here, I LOVE IT!!!

 231 days and counting...

Until next time,

Presh 

From The Singing Christmas Trees to Christmas Caroling!

Tonight we went to go see the annual production of The Singing Christmas Trees.  Last year, I got to be in the show - so I was excited to go and see the show as a spectator.

"O Holy Night" - The Singing Christmas Trees 2009

The Trees is a tradition in Central Florida, and is put on every year by our home church - First Baptist Church of Orlando. The show features a huge choir, full orchestra, worshipful dance, powerful drama, and a beautiful display of 250,000 lights!  The background of the show is made up of 2 40-foot Christmas Trees filled with a choir from top to bottom and the show tells the Greatest Story of All...the Story of Jesus Christ.  I thoroughly enjoyed performing with the cast and dancing for the Lord, but this year we have had too much on our plate in the last few months to permit me to commit to rehearsals.  So I turned in my dancing shoes this year, and planned on going to enjoy the show.  I was so proud of the cast, and felt blessed to be a part of such a great production.

Me with the dance troupe girls in last year's production!

My Parents and Grandma joined us for the show this year!

I plan to be a part of the dance troupe in the future as much as I can, but for now all I can do is go and support them.  After the show, we were definitely in the Christmas spirit, and did a little bit of Christmas Caroling in the car.  It got pretty ridiculous, but this might have been one of the best songs in the car.  It was getting pretty good, so of course I got the camera out...

Later on, we decided to be dorks and do our version of Singing (in front of the) Christmas Trees! Seriously, we are so weird! But I love it! :)

 

Hope you enjoyed the Christmas Singing as much as we did!  Now time to get crackin'...

Until next time,

Presh