Reactions? Anyone?

So Blogger started this cool new thing I LOVE called Reactions. At the bottom of each post now you can "react" with the click of a mouse - no time "wasted" leaving comments. Just tell me whether you think the idea I've posted is "sweet!" or maybe "i dunno..." or even a "definitely not."

Let's start with this thing of how a ring bearer delivers the ring. I've seen ring pillows all over the place, but seriously, why spend $20 or more on a pillow with ribbons attached that you are not going to want the day after the wedding? I kind of like this idea:


with one my orange Calla lilies instead of this Gerber Daisy.
I also think the boys could just straight up carry the ring boxes down the aisle.

What do you think?

PANIC!

So, Meredith saw that her dream dress is no longer listed on the website, and maybe she jumped to conclusions, but she got the impression that it had been discontinued. Since she was between sizes and waiting to get into one or the other to order it, she PANICKED! (Can we be done with the 3rd person voice now?)
So I (Meredith) rushed to the store to desperately plead for them to find me one...only to find they still have it. They rotate what they have online, apparently. But the salesperson working with me is so sweet. I feel like we would be friends if I was going to see her more than a handful of times. Have you ever met somebody and thought, we would be friends, but...?
I am so excited for my dress. I am going to try to order it this afternoon! I would put pictures here if I didn't think they might find their way to Caleb...

Wait a second, that reminds me of something I wanted to ask up here! Somebody asked Caleb and I the other day if we were "doing that" - meaning him not seeing the dress-or me-until I walk down the aisle. OF COURSE we are "doing that"! I think we both lean towards the traditional side. My favorite part of a wedding (and this is becoming more and more cliche) is the look on the groom's face when the bride glides into the back of the room. I am of the opinion that if you take pictures together before the wedding, or see each other at all that gets ruined.

What do you think? Did you see each other before your wedding? If you could do it all over again, would you do it the same or would you do it differently? How?

Southern Weddings

Ummm, so can I just say, I love the Southern Weddings blog? They have the prettiest pictures. They give me great ideas. They are just fun. They also give me illusions of grandeur. Some of the weddings are things I would NEVER EVER do, but they all have something that makes me say "Ooh!"

Another picture...

So, it is currently 10:09 and that means I have been sitting at this Caribou for roughly 4 1/2 hours. Ouch. The upside is, I am getting a lot of work done...
The downside is, there is SO SO SO much more to do.
The big upside is I am sitting in a comfy leather chair by a big stone fireplace with my feet propped up on the coffee table and my (long empty) coffee cup by my side... does it get better than this? (Answer: only if Caleb were here and I was closer to being finished with my homework.)

For anyone following, I am working up to finding the time to post pictures of bridesmaid dresses. For now I will stop procrastinating and just post this one picture:


How much do I looooove this?! Callalilies and tulips in ORANGE! Will definitely look magnificent on the background of the girls' navy dresses... what do you think?
I was leaning towards going with all one type of flower, and was thinking about either tulips or callalilies, but should I mix them in together?
Keep in mind it will be July in Charleston and they may not be constantly in cool air-conditioned facilities!

I love pictures!

Ok, just a few more. I can't resist!

This is very similar to what our guys will be wearing. I know. Khaki suits - not tuxes - for a Friday evening wedding. I love it!

This here is the park across from where we are getting married.


How wonderful is the grass and the water and the cobblestone next to it? You can't even see the rustic dock on one end and the upscale dock on the other end! GORGEOUS!

Pictures to come!

In looking at so many wedding blogs as of late, I have found that my faves have lots of... PICTURES! So I have decided to add lots of pictures here of my inspirations, things we've decided on, and just fun things that make me smile! No time tonight, (lots of hwk that Caleb thinks I'm diligently doing right now) but soon to come! I PROMISE!
-Mer

Ok, at second thought I should leave at least one here for you now...

{ok two. this inspiration found on swsmag.net.}

Caleb and I LOVE these tulle swags behind the bride and groom. Since we are not able to get married in a church (due to budget, not b/c we're heathens or anything) we were struggling with a way to designate the front of the room as a sacred space. We think these might work for our space and our budget - YAY!

Just to reiterate...

So... I know, I just posted last night. But I awoke this morning with no motivation to get out of bed and instead just got online. I was super excited that my favorite wedding blog, {Southern Weddings}, is back up! That prompted me to go in search of other wedding blogs, because, hey, if you're gonna waste some time, do it in style right?
Aaaand, I'm back. I wrote that much, and then got distracted because I had another blog loading in another tab and had to go read it. Anyway, I have garnered much inspiration today and it makes me wish we had an unlimited budget - but I cannot tell you how grateful I am to have one. Otherwise, I would go crazy with the number of things to keep track of! This way, I know when the money's out, we're done.
In reading others' blogs, I stumbled across this magnificent synopsis of wedding planning from Amy Frank of {with the pixie grin}: "i love planning my wedding. it's fun that i get to make every little decision on a day that reflects ..us. but that's just it. i have to make every little decision..."
As she says, that's just it. As I posted last night, the centerpieces have been the hardest decision for us thus far (aside from the unity candle, but that's a super long story not to be rehashed here). AND THEY ARE DONE! Aside from actually buying the stuff and putting them together, which ought to be the easiest part of the whole thing. The knowledge that we have decided on centerpieces is huge to me. HUGE.
Adding to the craziness that is this week, Obama is on campus today. Convenient for me, because you know I have class on less than half the days of any given week but he chose today, a day when I have class, to bring the Secret Service and create a parking nightmare. Not that I don't love Obama, but it's hard enough to find a $300 parking place on campus.
Rest assured, we will get through the week and I will get all my homework done (even if it means not sleeping!) and we will get through the rest of this semester, Lord willing. All to make it to next semester - when the wedding planning will get intense!!!

Phew.

Am I tired or what?
Contributing factors:

• I just wrote one of the most exhausting lesson plans I have ever written.
• We turned the clocks back an hour in the middle of last night, so while Caleb's DVR box says it's only 10:15 I feel like it is MUCH later.
• Caleb and I, along with John and Gina and several other people, went to BoogerWoods last night. After 2 hours and 45 minutes of standing in line, the 30 minute Haunted Trail did not live up to the expectations of last year. Still, a good time was had by all - while waiting in line.

Anyway, it's the start of a new week and I can't wait for that (last week was rough) though I'm anticipating a lot of stress this week with projects due. Blech.
Why am I writing? GOOD NEWS: Caleb and I have had more trouble deciding on centerpieces for the reception, keeping it on the cheap. However, this weekend turned that all around because we have reached a decision - a fabulous one at that!
For now, though, I think we'll keep it under wraps. (Were you expecting a spoiler? Haha.)

Also, you have GOT to check out our photographers - they are wonderful. Go to {Bella Loren} to see some of their work!