I love you.

To all of my uncles and cousins and aunts and friends and fiances of groomsmen, thanks for celebrating with us at our shower. It really meant the world to us, and we couldn’t be part of a better family.

Patrick always teases me about how I call everyone a cousin. Second cousins, children of second cousins, third cousins, tenth cousins – all cousins. I refer to my mom’s cousin’s wives as “my cousin so-and-so” and I refer to all of my great aunts as “my Aunt so-and-so.” And then I’m stuck explaining the dynamics of having a family as marvelous and Irish as ours. Yes – Irish – that means everyone is somebody’s cousin, and we’re all related and that means we’d do anything for each other. Because what’s the most important thing in your life if not family? And that is how it goes. And that’s how our family has always worked.

I was glad that Patrick was finally able to meet my extended family, and he was finally able to see why I go on and on about family events, why I love all of them so much and why saying “cousin” is just so. much. easier.

I wanted to reach out to all of you – my family – particularly those who took part in arranging the most lovely wedding shower for Patrick and me. It was a little strange being back near my old neck of the woods with Patrick, it felt like the merging of two lifetimes.

I like that this family has always been close-knit and ever loving. I hadn’t seen so many of you in so many years that my heart filled with joy to see your smiling faces. I’m grateful for the way you welcomed Patrick with hugs and handshakes and Irish smiles. And it felt like home.

I was so impressed with the attention that was put into every detail. The font of our cake mirrored our save-the-date card. And the color was absolutely perfect. This cake was delicious, by the way, and Patrick and I were able to take the top layer home with us to Orlando. I have to admit I ate most of it myself.

The favors were adorable! Honeydew-scented Yankee candles wrapped with lace and bows. Not only did it keep with the color scheme, but they smelled delicious and made for perfect little keepsakes to remember the day.

And then there were gifts. Oh so many gifts!

After the event was over, I told Patrick we should get married more often. We REALLY cleaned up at this thing! Thanks again for the generosity and thoughtfulness that went into the planning and purchasing of gifts. I’m so very grateful. And thanks for all the lime green wrapping paper, that makes me smile.

One of the most beautiful and artistically made gifts was this gift from my cousin Beth. Who, for the record, is actually my mom’s cousin. Though only Patrick cares about making that distinction. It’s a full set of four bath towels, four hand towels and four wash cloths. You’d never guess, right? BECAUSE IT LOOKS GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT.

The topper is engraved with our names and wedding date, and it will most certainly be on display at the wedding. Thanks, Beth. And thanks for helping so much with the planning process. All of your effort will be forever remembered among the many happy memories from that day.

To my Aunt Sally – Mastermind, Shower Planner Extraordinaire – Thanks for putting in all of the time and effort to throw us such a great shower. Your generosity is unparalleled. I’m touched that you’d put in so much planning to honor our wedding. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And yes, of course you’re my favorite.

So here’s to family: ever growing, ever changing, ever loving, perfect-just-the-way-you-are family.

Thanks.

Love,

Whitney

Thank you to Jennifer Keane and Beth Matijevic for capturing these beautiful photos.

After viewing this bow tutorial, I built what felt like hundreds of bows, but was actually only 24. I’m a total wimp.

Then I cut strips of ribbon and stuck them around the vases, attaching the bows in a way that disguised the overlapping edges of the ribbon. On the tall, cylindrical vases, I added a piece of the chartreuse ribbon to the center of the white ribbon to give it a more intricate, accented look.

Ta da!

Dorothy Gotlib Photography

Young yet skillful, Dorothy Gotlib’s photos are beautiful and classic. We were willing to splurge on photos knowing that they’d be the piece of our wedding day we could hold onto forever.

The moment I knew it was love: When I found out that she had taken all the photos on display in the event coordinator’s office at the Michigan Union – photos I had admired during my meetings with said coordinator.

First Class Entertainment

Roger Hinchcliff is everything we could want in a DJ. Actually, we’d considered getting a band because the thought of some dude MCing our wedding seemed tacky and lame. Skits and inflatable instruments are most certainly not our style. He is professional and thorough in his planning, and his website allows you to actually create playlists for your big night. He even through in a lighting package.

The moment I knew it was love: When he told me that he refuses to use a fog machine in any of his events for fear of tarnishing his reputation.

Gwen’s Cake Decorating

Gwen is exactly what I was looking for in a cake baker. She has more than 25 years of experience as a cake decorator, and it shines in the beauty of her cakes. Not to mention our cake tasting was the closest I’ve ever been to heaven. Her reasonable prices were also a plus!

The moment I knew it was love: When I tasted her secret-recipe-made-fresh-daily-from-scratch butter cream frosting. Um, YES PLEASE!

I LOVE wedding planning!

Whitney

Ceremony venue: Check!

Reception venue: Check!

Photographer: Check!

Cake baker: Check!

DJ: Check!

Date: GASP! [Drum roll please] CHECK!

MAY 22, 2010. 464 days to go. :)

We’ve had our hearts set on a specific date since the beginning of our engagement, which was perfect for all of our vendors the first day we went looking for venues. When we found the ballroom of our dreams, we were given a quote just slightly out of our budget and decided we’d  have to think it over. The good news is it turns out we were just misquoted, and the ballroom is much cheaper than we had originally thought. The bad news is that our date was tentatively on hold when we went back to book it the following day.

We figured we would snatch the following weekend just in case, so we did. This, of course, causes confusion for the photographer and cake baker we found – both of whom had reserved our date for the earlier weekend. So it’s not just about finding vendors that are perfect for our big day, it’s about finding vendors who are perfect for our big day AND have their schedules clear on the same day.

Needless to say, I can understand why people complain of the tediousness of the small details that go into planning a wedding. (Not to mention the fit my grandmother would throw if I dare plan a wedding for a holiday weekend!)

I can’t say that our experience has been stressful or even frustrating. I’m a bit annoyed that the price was misquoted in the first place, but at least we found a place we really love. I think this production is going to be everything we’ve ever dreamed of, and now I’m more excited than ever for opening night!

(Yeah, I know – I took that analogy a bit too far.)

When everything is finally set in stone, we’ll announce the date!

Whitney

We arrived Saturday afternoon after an absurdly early plane flight from Orlando (our pleasantly humid home) and were quickly swept away by my father to the Middleastern Grocery store. A dozen stuffed grape leaves later we finally made it home to the aging house up in which I grew in which I grew up. My saintly mother’s arms awaited us with hugs.

The only thing that seemed to change in my parents’ home was some new artwork of my father’s adorning the walls and his dent in the far left side of the couch seemed deeper.

The following night Whitney’s mama Terry arrived from a long, snowy and salty drive from Bloomington, IN. She was brave enough to come stay for a couple of days and visit the many vendors and venues we had planned out. I say brave because few make it out of my father’s presence without significant emotional scarring. I’ll say now, she held her own and actually thought he was funny. That’s a first.

Over the course of the next two days Whitney, her mother, my mother and I drove around Ann Arbor visiting several ballrooms, ceremony sites, photographers and (our favorite) cake makers. My greatest fear was not that I wouldn’t find something to suit our ceremony and reception (I’m relatively impartial) but that Whitney wouldn’t find that dream location. I was so proud of her though – even after several misfires she remained happy and calm. Successfully trusting in the process of life (thank you Louise Hay).

The only bad part of our whole journey was the 80 degree temperature difference from Orlando to Ann Arbor, but judging by our Facebook profile pictures we even had some fun with that.

I think we pretty much got what we came for: a ceremony venue, a reception venue, a photographer, a cake baker, a candle stick maker, a good dose of my father’s harsh humor, a tuna fish sandwich from my mom, frostbite, a cold, a reminder of why we moved to Florida and three pairs of really cool shoes that I had left behind.

Patrick

Because the dress is a surprise for my handsome hubby-to-be, I can’t go into any details on this post. But while I was standing on the pedastal in my fitting room surrounded on all sides by mirrors, I thought about Patrick and how lucky I am to be marrying him. I looked at myself while wearing the most beautiful dress I’ve ever put on and felt as though I was in the middle of a fairy tale – I’ve definitely got the prince!

Whitney

We spent last week in New York City to celebrate the wedding of Patrick’s brother, Andrew, and the love of his life, Cherie. It was a great weekend of celebrating, and I was able to meet Patrick’s extended family.

The ceremony was a traditional Persian ceremony, which meant incorporating a number of symbolic gestures into the ceremony. It was peaceful and beautiful, and it was so happy. The beginning of the processional really set a tone for the rest of the evening, and people cheered loudly as the bridal party walked down the aisle. I LOVE THIS. So, if you’re a guest and you’re reading this – CHEER AT MY WEDDING! And also, throw money.

The New York chic style paired with the night club setting created a fun, happening atmosphere. As owners of the night club, Andrew and Cherie were able to have a private party, revamp the decor and create a wedding that was as beautiful as it was fun. The food was a buffet-style, which was available on both levels of the club. Meanwhile, I conducted interviews about whether guests preferred a sit-down meal or a buffet, and guess what? Buffet wins!

Andrew and Cherie’s reception had few tables, no assigned seating and had designated lounge areas. The lack of assigned seating created an atmosphere where guests could move about freely rather than being confined to a specific table. They mingled more and danced more than guests I’ve seen at any other wedding I’ve been to. I loved the environment, the only down side to not having the traditional table settings is that it creates a slight inconvenience when it comes time to eat.

We enjoyed the atmosphere of Andrew and Cherie’s wedding so much, that we’re leaning toward eliminating the assigned seating, which would unfortunately mean my having to say goodbye to some of my brilliant ideas for place card displays. We’re faced with this challenge: to assign or not to assign?

I think my sister’s wedding was a bit indicative as to which of my relatives would be dancing. And aside from the occasional drunk or two, there were very few people on the dance floor aside from a small group that danced the whole time (Kelsey, my mom, Patrick, me, and a few others). Most of my relatives seemed to gather at the bar or stick to their seats. Ashley and Sam seemed to make their way around to each table to visit with all of their guests, but unfortunately the guests didn’t do too much dancing or moving around. While the two settings of the weddings (Andrew and Cherie’s vs. Ashley and Sam’s) were vastly different, there are a few things to consider. I’d say that overall, the crowd at the NYC wedding was younger, there were more of them, and I think that the actual night club setting made it hard to do anything but dance. Also Ashley and Sam set the tone of their wedding to be less about dancing and more about spending time with family and friends, which I think was executed well.

Enough blabbering about that for now, but the point is, guests, DANCE AT MY WEDDING! Patrick and I danced nonstop the whole night, we had a great time, we smiled a ton and that’s how we want it to be at our wedding.

Cherie and Andrew’s wedding also made us second-guess our choice to hire a band. They had a DJ, and the music selections were awesome! Granted, he was a professional DJ working at a night club in New York, but it was a nice change from the usual Hokey- Pokey- steal- the- show- and -make- things- awkward- during- every-part- of- your- reception DJ.

And, of course we’re going to steal the idea of ordering pizza around midnight or so. As soon as we saw the pizzas on the table, Patrick’s eyes lit up like Christmas morning. This is the kind of joy only brothers understand.

Whitney