Engagement Pictures!!!!

::idea spots::

www.theknot.com
here's why - under the reception ideas and ceremony ideas tabs, they have tons and tons of pictures of actual successful ceremonies and receptions... not some designer's ideas, but ones that brides across the USA have actually done! I've gotten most of my ideas there... they have another site called thenest.com that's for the next stage, married life. Tons of cute decorating ideas - used that to help set up my registry at Target (big help!).
Here's some pictures I tagged for future reference...some I'm using, some I just think are super pretty...

some of the pictures are from my photographer's blog, - a great idea if you're not sure what you want to go with...
Sometimes I've found that seeing what someone else did can put in a picture what you've already been thinking of... then you just add your own flair!

I like the painted initials... I've been looking at card catalogs for DIY ideas on those... the vase to the right with the pictures is from my photographer's display at the Tulsa Wedding Show back in January...she is insanely creative (see her blog on how she remodeled her master bedroom and you'll see what I mean) - thinking to try something like this for my centerpieces but on a smaller scale with one or two of our engagement pictures on twigs in a mason jar with some gerbera daisies??

PROGRAMS...
Then there's the programs... we're doing an outdoor ceremony so I'm thinking to do something along these lines... A fan that doubles as our program, a picture on one side and the ceremony info on the other??? There are many variations from the ideas I've seen so I'm not sure where we'll go with it :)

Ideas? Please post...

intro...

I will go by Ani, it's a nickname from childhood as a missionary's kid in South America...short for Anita. It's not my given name but I like it so there.

I've thought about starting a blog for a while - especially after seeing Julie & Julia... I want to chronicle the planning of my wedding. And after the wedding, of starting my and Dan's life together.

This is the stuff dreams are made of. As girls we feast on romance books and chick flicks... we get all googly-eyed at any and every boy that's nice...and for some of us at ones that aren't so nice but look cute :)

Any way. So, Dan and I dated for a little over a year before he proposed but we'd been talking about it since about the 6 month mark. I was ready to go at that point, at least I thought I was. He wanted to wait, pray, plan...all that stuff. Come January 4, he was ready, he had the ring, my parents were in town, so he did it.

I don't remember much - just being really super happy and wanting to take tons of pictures with it - typical girl, I can't help it.

So - since January 4, we have set our date (July 17), bought my dress, his tux, and we have our location. Through the entire process, God has given us so much direction, and then so much blessing when we follow it... my dress was paid for within 24 hours of my trying it on and deciding it was "The Dress" by someone from school. His tux was originally $950ish - we paid $120.

I'm designing the invites myself - benefits of being a graphic designer, and printing them through a former job connection... I've examined every detail to the last degree - I can't find anything wrong or that needs adjusting so I'm about to email them off for printing...

Until next time... "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, acknowledge the Lord and He WILL direct your paths" (emphasis mine)

~Ani