Our Engagement Party

Well how about it….I am FINALLY getting around to sharing some pics from our engagement party that our wonderful families threw for us. This was waaayyyy back in October and we had such a lovely time. We only invited close local family and our friends who were in our wedding party. We wanted to keep the night intimate where we could just focus on food, family and fun. 

the future Mr. & Mrs. D. Complete with crystal stemware, so fancy.

I also knew I wanted to use this party as a time to ask my girls, well rather pop the question if they would be my bridesmaids. Not all my bridesmaids could come, since they are scattered all over the place, but I did infact, pop the big question to my ladies who were there.

Each got a little box with their name on it, a card from me, a mini bottle of wine, some yummy chocolates, a fun Essie nail polish, and cake batter flavored (yes, you heard that right!) chapstick. Just some little goodies to make the night more special.

I also saw this adorable idea of Etsy with diamond ring shaped toothpicks, that when popped on the top of a doughnut, make them look like little diamond rings. So cute right? I had a platter set out of apple cider donuts (because it was October) a we snapped the cute pic above!

I got to spend time with my girlfriends, some who I don't get to see very often so it was really a nice night.

D serenaded me with songs as D does on more than one occasion ;)

 And overall it was such a lovely night. Our families have already gotten to know each other over the years since we've been together for a while, and because they get along so well, everyone had a blast. Some may have even had a little too much to drink! ;) When people have to spend the night at your place unexpectedly because they may have indulged in a few too many libations, you know it's been a great night! 

xo Steph

What No One Ever Tells You About Getting Engaged

It's been almost 2 weeks since the proposal and the shock, I think, it's finally starting to wear off (in a good way might I add) so now we're realizing….we're getting married!! We're getting married? So what are we supposed to do now? So far we've been content just calling each other "fiancé" and that has been enough to amuse us so far. As avid Seinfeld aficionados, we are constantly quoting this very funny video clip where clearly, Elaine is not impressed. Don't worry guys, we're not THAT bad.

So we've got engaged. Now what? Everyone and their mother has asked me, "do you guys have a date yet?" No, we do not have a date yet, I've barely been able to think straight let alone book a date. We're engaged, let us savor this moment for a moment! That, I was not prepared for. But what I did do was indulge myself by buying my first wedding magazine (I'm allowed to read this now?!) crack open a bottle of wine and started flipping through. I hopped online and found this great article which made me chuckle and I totally wanted to elaborate on.

10 Things No One Ever Tells You About Getting Engaged

1. You'll have a big zit on your face the day he proposes. Or you'll be in a piss poor moody mood. See previous post for the details. My bad!

2. You won't be able to stop staring at your hand. Or taking pictures of it. Or changing your nail polish color to see what goes best with your new ring. Which by the way, the above color is Essie's "Got Engaged" so I just had to. Found here. Some cons to this include staring at your ring while you're driving, which means I need to get my act together and stop distracting myself from traffic signals.

3. You'll have to tell your proposal story a million times. And I have. And now I have it in a blog post to share with you all :)

4. People will ask you "have you set a date?" before you even had a chance to think about it. I mentioned this before but, YES. This will happen. But no reason to get annoyed, people are just genuinely happy for you and eager to set the date. I've learned to graciously tell people, not yet, we're just enjoying being engaged right now.

5. There might be a few sours….. as in people who aren't happy for you, or who did not give you well wishes. Hey, it happens. And it's happened to me. But I'm committed to focusing on the people who ARE happy for us rather than those who aren't. At the end of the day it's about us and our happiness, so that's all that matter. Haters gonna hate!

6. But your best friends will be there for you! Yes, they will :) And that will show true friendship shining through.

7. Married friends will all of a sudden become wedding planners and offer (sometimes unsolicited) advice. Yup. "I wouldn't wear a dress like that" "You shouldn't get married there" "You should…." You get the picture. Take everyone's advice to heart, and at the end of the day, your wedding day should reflect two people, you and your other half.

8. You'll watch wedding movies and wedding shows differently. GUILTY. Since getting engaged I've watched Father of the Bride (old classic with Steve Martin and Diane Keaton) and may or may not have indulged in a marathon of "Say Yes to the Dress." Oh the shame. I was never the girl who had her wedding planned since childhood so I certainly never watched those stupid bridal reality shows. And now all of a sudden I'm like, "that's a really pretty dress, I wonder if I could pull that off?" What has become of me??

9. You'll have a hard time not jumping into wedding planning mode and just enjoying "engagement time." Partly true. I have to admit reading wedding magazine instead of my Us Weekly or Instyle magazine has become my new guilty pleasure. It's also been really fun bonding over this with my mom as we fold down pages of "I like this dress" or "oh this is a good idea." At the same time I don't want to rush and want to savor the moment. Plus, D might need a little break from wedding talk overload. According to this article they mention, "be sensitive to him. He more than likely just spent a lot of money and time planning out the proposal. So give him a little time to relax if he needs it. A few things you can get started on right away: planning out the guest list (at least your family and friends) and documenting your proposal story."  Great idea. D, you're off the hook for a while :)

10. Your relationship will feel different, even if you have been together/lived together for years. YES! I always knew that when D proposed I would be excited and happy, but I really didn't think I would feel "different." I mean, we've been together for almost 5 years and lived together for going on 4. We've pretty much established ourselves as a solid couples. Our families know each other and hang out. It feels like we're already married. So it really did surprise me that it felt different. I had a physical symbol of our commitment to each other, as well as a promise to spend our lives together. And now I no longer have a boyfriend, I have a fiancé! (still have to get used to that one).

And there you have it! What no one ever tells you about getting engaged. For you ladies out there who have already gone through this period, or are already married - I would love to hear your words, stories and advice on navigating this exciting time!

xo Steph

A Proposal Story

So I'm FINALLY getting around to sharing our proposal story with you all. But before that, I wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your sweet words, messages, calls, texts….it means the world to us to have so many people genuinely happy for us. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Also my apologies for the lack of blogging, but I've been running on the engagement high so my computer has been the last thing I on my to-do list! We finally got picks back from our secret photographer (10 million points D!) so here they are in all their glory, along with all the imperfectly, perfect details.

{The Story}

So originally I didn't suspect a thing. I knew our parents were coming to visit because we were celebrating my dad's birthday/father's day. We had plans to go out to lunch and just enjoy the beautiful day. I went to get my hair blown out in the morning (one of my personal treats to myself and now so happy I did!) and when I got back from the salon my parents were already at our place. Granted I had my hair done, but I was in comfy gym clothes, no makeup on -- not at all ready. I don't know about you, but I HATE when people come over and I'm not ready yet. I feel rushed and flustered, and automatically puts me in a bad mood. Wonderful! And then I take one good look at my parents. My mom has her hair colored and done, and my dad is wearing a crisp new polo shirt and brand new shorts  I've never seen before. Why are they so dressed up? Why are they acting so nice to me right now? Why are they here so early?? My annoyance level is rising…..

***

Then it's off to lunch at a restaurant down by the water. Me, I'm still in a pissy mood for no reason other than waking up on the wrong side of the bed. Everyone else; they have perma-smiles on their face and it seems like everyone is staring at me. Why are they looking at me like that? I look over at D and my dad sitting next to each other. My dad is rubbing D's back in that "you got this boy, you can do it" kinda way. What? Why is he doing that? Oh my God……he's going to propose today isn't he? For some reason, despite the fact that I've been waiting for this moment for a solid 3.5 years - I panic. For people who know me well, they know I tend to be a high strung individual prone to anxiety, panic and overreacting. So of course I'm going to panic. He can't propose to me today….I'm in a bad mood, I'm not wearing the right outfit, I wasn't mentally prepared for this!! I turn to D over lunch and whisper, "I think I'm having a panic attack right now, don't do it today." I know guys, I am certifiably crazy. But I've been told that's part of my charm so I'm learning to just go with it and own it. D, probably having a moment of "what the hell is wrong with the girl?" says to me, "what are you talking about? Proposing? Sorry to burst your bubble but that's definitely not happening today. Just relax, lets get you a drink!" God love him for rolling with the punches. If I were him I would have flipped out and thrown the ring box in the river. But he kept his cool. So I sucked down two long island ice teas and that sustained me for time being.

***

After lunch we had no real plans, or so I thought. Then D's mom goes, "Why don't we take a walk down to the river next to that pavilion….right over there!!" She points to the location. Why are we walking all the way over there? Why does she want to see some stupid pavilion? She doesn't even like going for walks. Dear God…..this is happening. I could literally feel the energy and the pink elephant in the room. So we walk. And we're walking and I see my parents whispering and I see D secretly texting on his phone and continue to check his phone. Something is happening and no one is telling me anything. Then we see a group of people sitting in the park, playing guitars and signing. Not at all out of the ordinary because that's what people in Hoboken do in the park. And then I hear them singing one of our songs "I Won't Give Up On Us" by Jason Mraz. And then I spot some man with a camera taking pictures. And then I feel my heartbeat in my throat and freeze. We sit down on the steps of the park to listen and I am frozen. The moment I've been waiting for, which seems like forever, is happening RIGHT NOW. What am I supposed to be doing? Then I spot D's keyboard set up next to the group. What the? It was all such a blur. D's mom puts her arm around me saying, "hunny do you know what's happening right now?" I think I do! Then D gets on the keyboard to play and sing "This Years Love" by David Gray, followed by "Marry You" by Bruno Mars. It was all such a surreal moment. Afterwards he gets down on one knee….says some words which I can barely remember other than "I'm sorry for making you wait so long, will you marry me?" and my response is "Thank you"…..followed by the obvious YES!

Playing one of our songs "This Years Love" by David Gray followed by Bruno Mars "Marry You"

Guys, I was so done at this point. I always secretly wished that song would make it's way into the proposal so he really knocked it out of the park!!

I spotted the secret photographer…and I just sat there in shock and smiled!

Oh my gosh, look how handsome he is singing and playing piano. Who know he had this kind of talent??

My most favorite moment. I LOVE how this moment will be captured in time forever.

Seeing him down on one knee asking me to marry him still makes me melt.

and here come the happy tears…..

another one of my favorite pics that captures the moment so perfectly.

 it was so special to have our parents there to share in the moment and congratulate us.

 this shot was completely posed but I think it says it all…

FINALLY, we're getting married!!

Afterwards, because D thinks of everything, he planned a surprise engagement-moon to Atlantic City! I couldn't believe it! So he whisked me away to stay in the most AMAZING ocean side suite at Revel Resort. He really had thought of everything!

Are you serious with this view? And the rose petals :)

Also to tone down on the romance we also have the world cup on ;)

cheers!

The view from our room where we got to see the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets over the Atlantic.

It was the most perfect ending to the perfect weekend.

I can't wait to continue sharing details about the engagement and wedding planning process with you all, but I promise not to turn this into a wedding blog! And I don't know the first thing about wedding planning so I might need your help, advice, and encouragement along the way :)

Again thank you all soooooo much for your love and support during this exciting time - I appreciate each and every message :)

xo Steph