174 Days

I promise that this will not turn into a wedding blog, however, that is a major part of what is going on in my life right now. So consider yourself warned: this will be a wedding post. Just be ok with it. :)

I feel like we are finally getting somewhere! I should be writing a couple papers right now, but I am in full fledged wedding mode and can't stop. Why does that always happen at the most inopportune times? 

Here's what we've got going on so far :)

I grew up at Noonday and Cosbie went to First Baptist Woodstock for the majority of time. The only preconception I really had about my wedding was that it would be in a traditional church with stained glass windows and pews. It may seem petty, but that's the only setting I have ever envisioned. Neither of our churches have those 2 things, so we had to look elsewhere. We will be getting married at First United Methodist Marietta. It's absolutely beautiful and I love it so much. The reception will be there as well. I have always been against church receptions because you can't dance in a Baptist church, but you can here. :) We are getting married in the afternoon, so we're going to do a dessert and coffee bar reception. I love it mostly because it's so us: two of our favorite things. :)

Our photographer's name is Joy Wilson and she is amazing! She did Kati's senior pictures a few years back and I became obsessed with her photography. Ever since then I've wanted her to do my wedding, so you can imagine my excitement when I got to email her and talk to her about booking her. Thankfully she had the day open! She has been so wonderful in talking through everything with me. She is also doing our engagement pictures next weekend! I can't wait to work with her!

My youth pastor, Shad, is officiating the ceremony. Shad came to Noonday the summer between my sophomore and junior years. We worked together on organizing Wednesday nights for the middle schoolers. He was the first person to see me as a leader and the first youth pastor to invest in my life. He can be crazy and always says the most awkward things (which we give him a hard time about), but he has been a huge part of my life. I've told him for years that he was going to do my wedding and I am so excited that it's actually happening.

I've picked my bridesmaids. That is a really hard thing to do. There are 7 of them. Rachel is my maid of honor. We went to high school together and she lived with us for a little while. She's the closest thing to a sister I've ever had. Savannah is my matron of honor. She is getting married on May 7, so we are going through all this together which is great. Sav and I lived on the same freshman hall. Caroline and I have been friends since 5th grade. Well... we weren't really "friends" then, but we became friends. She moved to Texas when we were in 7th grade but have stayed friends, even with 4 states between us. Casey is my big sister in Alpha Gam. I wanted to be Case's friend so bad when I first met her. She has been such a vital part of my surviving the education program and life over the past 3 years. I was in her wedding in June and I'm so glad she will be a part of mine. Lindsey was my roommate last year. We are in the same Alpha Gam family. I struggle to come up with what exactly to say about Linds. She just gets me in a way that no one else does. Caitlin is Cosbie's sister. Yes, we have the same name. No, it's not really that confusing. Just roll with it. I've never had a sister, so I'm pretty new to all of this, but I'm excited. And thankful, because I've always wanted a sister. Mary and I grew up together at Noonday. We've been through a lot over the course of our friendship, but always end up sticking together. 

I've got a few ideas about bridesmaid dresses, but I don't want to post pictures or anything until I make some decisions about it. What I do know is that they are going to be navy blue. I have looked at so many colors and either don't love it or one of my friends has used the same color. So I decided on navy blue and use more color in flowers. 

And yesterday, I got a dress! A real life wedding dress! We weren't even planning on going to this store (A Formal Occasion on Bells Ferry) and were actually looking for bridesmaid dresses, but the sweet people there said that I couldn't make any decisions until I had a dress. So I started trying them on. The one I loved was absolutely nothing like anything I thought I would wear, but it is perfect. Of course I'm not putting a picture of that up here- you will just have to wait until May 21 ;) Of course, a change in my vision of what my dress would look like changed everything else about the whole wedding... but I can actually picture it all in my head now and I am so excited to see it all come together. 

Sometimes I get so stuck in planning mode that I forget to be excited. I get so stressed and overwhelmed and it becomes a chore more than it is enjoyable. After a few very stressful days and a complete breakdown about the situation (poor Cosbie...), I finally feel like I am on top of things and feel like I can breathe again. I might not have all the answers to everyone's questions, but I'm doing alright. I was trying so hard to please everyone else that I forgot who this is really about. More than me and Cosbie, this is about glorifying the Lord. I need a reminder of that sometimes, but I'm thankful for so many people to remind me. At the end of the day, we're going to be married no matter what. And that, my friends, is a very exciting fact. :)