Tres and Andrea's Southern Wedding Affair

Garmisch, Neuschwanstein Castle, and tiny towns in between

2011-10-06T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hotel in Garmisch

Cameras strapped around our necks by day and kickin it with locals by night, Tres and I always manage to find a way around places the most fun way possible. In the daytime on vacation, you can find us snapping hundreds of pictures elbow to elbow with people whose zipcodes are miles away, just like ours. But at night, we are likely to end up with a friend or two, preferably whose zip code is right where they are sitting. We love locals!

Day number three, we hit up the tourist traps (which are most of the time reason for going on vacations in the first place... take that, Anthony Bourdain, you douche), and by night we were at a local hotspot. Neuschwanstein Castle was our tourism outing for the day, and like I mentioned, it was more than worth it.

Eating halfway up the castle... me wanting Tres food. Nothing new here.

I'm no historian, but I learned enough about King Ludwig to be pretty certain we would have been big buds back in the day. I am referring to BEFORE he went crazy and AFTER he built those two splindid castles. Attending a party on that mountain top in that lux would have been quite fabulous. Probably more fabulous than I would technically be invited to, but since he no longer exists, I can dream!

Castle tour down, I conquered my fear by walking across (umm... a fourth of the way across) Mary's Bridge. Tres talked me into it and the view was worth it, so close to tears I did it. We had another tourist take our picture, and I watched in horror as she climbed on top of a step on the bridge and leaned over backwards to get our picture "Just right." Nu uh, no mam... I almost had a heart attack for the gal, and at the time almost told her I could do without the picture. But wow... it really turned out to be one of the best from the trip. Thanks, brave lady for risking your life.

The "near death" picture. Oh, so worth it!

After picture snapping with the best of em, we hopped back in the family truckster and headed to the brewery we heard about right outside of Garmisch. Technology took over with the German GPS, and soon enough, we were on the top of a mountain where the "main road" ran out. Confused and about to be on our way down, we were still asking ourselves where the heck the brewery was. Out of no where, a man with an ax appeared. No big deal. We were a family of five on top of a mountain the in middle of Germany, and a stranger with an ax (and very thick beard, might I add), was walking towards our car. This could have very easily been the scene from a sick horror movie, but luckily the guy was extremely nice and gave us correct directions. In English? Nope. Thank goodness my family understands and speaks decent German.

The brewery turned out to be in a quaint little village that you can just vision the perfect Christmas ever taking place there. Beautiful cobblestone streets, tiny shops, interesting restaurants with little bistro tables set up outside. It was divine! As was the beer tasting. We tried them all and had a blast doing so.

Another car ride later, we were back at the hotel, and me, Tres, and my brother were on our way to dinner by foot. It was late, and at this time of night, we questioned any restaurant being open. But there's always a Local, isn't there? I say Local not in description of a person but as a restaurant. Maybe "Cheers" would better describe what I'm talking about. You know, a place..... "Where everybody knows your naaaaame... and they're always glad you caaaame!" The bar we came across was called Local, which funny enough, back home in Memphis, our favorite restaurant/bar is also called Local. We did not walk but RAN in the door.

The inside was better than the out... 80's music playing, people speaking both German AND English, and the best smell of burger I smelled since our layover before leaving the states. And the smell proved itself. Those burgers were so good we were back two other times on the trip for more! We met a few folks, discovering the restaurant was owned by an Irish family. And I thought a hamburger was an American food. English, German, Irish... who cares. If I go back to Garmisch, I'm immediately stopping there for lunch or dinner. YUM!

Austria, Switzerland, Lichtenstein

2011-10-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

Did you know that in one day you can see four countries?! Here in the U.S., it's difficult to see four states in one day, but in Europe, you can see it all!

So on, day number FOUR, we went for FOUR, taking a FOUR-country tour: Germany (of course), Austria, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein. While it was a blessing and a blast to see a little bit of all these places, I would have liked to spend more time in each of them.

Switzerland is hands-down the most beautiful place I have ever seen in Europe, and I hear the food in Austria could make a Victoria's Secret model want to eat, so the little time we spent in these two places was a tad disappointing, but I don't think I would ever make an entire trip out of them either. So, all-in-all, it worked out for the best!

Our tour guide was hilarious, and the best part is... she had no idea how funny she was. She was old, grumpy, smoked about 10 packs of cigs in the 12 hours we were with her, and told the best stories in the heaviest German accent. If only I could type the pronunciation, you all would be laughing as much as we did!

My favorite snack when traveling through Europe (pretzel, butter, and salami...yum!) And so German!
Real Swiss beer
Her response after a near-death, extremely terrifying experience on the top of a mountain we asked her to take us to the top of was: "You VANTED it.... HAHAHAHAHA!!!" I can still hear the cackle... makes me laugh every time I think about it. And I can't forget to mention, her idea of German people's everyday way of living: "It's just a VAY of life!"
Enjoy the pictures... Switzerland is magical.

Lunch in Lichtenstein
My lunch... white fish, risotto, with a tomato basil sauce

Dachau & Munich, Germany

2011-10-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

Pictures tell a thousand words. Sure, what a way to start off my next blog post about Germany with a cliché. But in this case, a cliché, and the pictures of course, are the only way to describe both Dachau and Munich. It’s been three months since I was miles over the Atlantic, and on any trip with a significant amount of time passed, it’s easy to forget in details. Until you look at pictures.
We started our first full day with the family off in “the family truckster.” You will hear me refer to the family truckster on more account than one. .. more like every post, but it was a big part of our trip because we spent a lot of time in there. Dad driving, mom in the passender side, and me in the back-middle with a husband on one side and a brother on the other, driving across the great country of Germany. Believe me, if there’s a city or town in south Germany you are wondering if we saw, WE SAW IT. No doubt.

A little over an hour of the first day, and the family truckster had us from Garmisch to Dachau. The experience of walking through and collecting images of a true concentration camp is more than words can say. And that’s where the pictures come in. Shock, sorrow, fury, disbelief are only a few of what one feels when visiting such wretched grounds, but history is history and we got to see it up close and personal.
It’s impossible for me to ever visit a piece of history and not daydream about what happened right where I am standing. I nearly get in a trance trying to imagine actual people – not characters – that experienced the “stories” I have grown up hearing my entire life in history class, through books, and in movies. Visiting Dachau may have been as real as it could get.
After such despair, we needed a little pep in our step, and Munich was just the right stop. A big city with beer and good food, and Tres and I were in our element. The old buildings, beauty, and traditional German food of the city were added bonuses. We walked around, drank beer on the streets, and ate brats and sauerkraut like we belonged there. The wake up call was in the first restaurant we showed up at where English was very limited. Thank goodness for dad and brother. Did I mention they speak German? Yes, pop is pretty fluent, as he lived there for several years and brother is not so bad himself, as he’s taken classes and the time to learn. I will tell you, nothing feels more uncomfortable than not knowing a language in a huge city.

Later that afternoon with several beers thrown back, there was only one place we hadn’t been: Hofbrauhaus. No crazy people or tents lining the streets needed… for fun gal like me, I may as well had been at Octoberfest! And when the music started playing, the people got a little louder, and the waiter brought me a beer in a glass almost big enough to wear as a hat, my October party pants were on… right in the middle of June!

Dare you ask my favorite city in Germany? I think you know the answer. And if we ever go back to Germany, the arrival letters will go from FRA to MUC!

Frankfurt, Germany

2011-09-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

Walking the streets... All alone

Imagine walking through a city cleared out just for you as your plane lands. No other people – just peace and quiet as you walk the streets. All you see are beautiful, ancient buildings towering over you with fresh flowers in the windows, and all you hear are stone water fountains flowing as you pass them with the pitter-patter of your feet behind them. That much quietness in a big city seems nearly impossible at any given time of the day, especially in the largest financial Centre in Europe. But the morning we landed in Frankfurt, Germany, the people of the fifth largest populated city in the country were all in slumber. Of course I was just kidding when I said it was cleared out just for us, but as for the town being asleep as we went on our first exploration, that was no joke.
Bull of Frankfurt Yum Yum... German Festival Food

Our flight landed in Frankfurt right as the sun rose. Me, Tres, and my brother, ready to take on the country of Germany. However, my parents’, who’s flight was supposed to land before ours, were stuck in Atlanta. As soon as we landed, Tres received a text saying they were eight hours behind us. The initial plan was to meet them, hop in the car, and head south to the mountains of Garmisch, but we learned as soon as our plane touched down, that wasn’t going to happen.

Drinks on a fun patio just as people started to wake up in this city... haha

So the plan changed. And before we knew it we were walking off of a subway into the gigantic city of Frankfurt, dragging our luggage behind us. Sure, we could have set up camp at the airport until 5pm when my parents finally landed, but instead, we decided we had a fun city to explore. So bags and all, off we went, into the city. The quiet city, that is. The Friday night party must have lasted until 4am with the entire city of Frankfurt invited because on Saturday morning, there wasn’t a person on the streets.
First view of a German country-side from the drive

For the first several hours we walked, admiring the unique, longstanding architecture of the city. Finally, a few shops started to open up, and though the party was assumed to have lasted all night the eve before, it wasn’t long before the beer was flowing again. As we walked, we stumbled upon none other than a German festival – right in the center of Frankfurt. Carnival food and beer on the streets are two of my favorite pastimes, and when the smell of sausages, sauerkraut, pretzels, and German beer started seeping through streets that were completely uninhibited just hours before, I was in my happy place. We had clearly arrived… we were officially in Germany!
Eating pizza and drinking beer after a long day and drive... sleepy

The day was spent eating German festival food, drinking champagne and beers at every cool restaurant patio we saw, and walking the finally busy streets of Frankfurt, luggage still being hauled behind us. Exhaustion set in later than afternoon, and we took the subway back to the airport to wait on my parents. I took an hour nap in the most comfortable position a person could possibly be in laying on a lobby seat in an airport. Finally around 6pm, my parents were landed and we were in our “family truckster,” a Volvo station wagon, driving across the country of Germany. We arrived in Garmich, ate a quick dinner composed of pizza and more beer, and went to bed.

Spending the entire day in Frankfurt was a treat, and there’s plenty more Frankfurt stories where that one came from because we weren’t quite done with it just yet!

July 14 post below… sad! Two months later… I’m back!

2011-09-14T16:56:00.000-07:00

One of many things we have been doing: Dinner on our balcony... has become more common with good weather

Today was a dreary, rainy day in Memphis. I like nothing better on an ugly day than to go to the gym for a workout (because there’s nothing better to do), take a hot shower, and relax on the couch with Tres. Well, today I decided to do something a little different. So, as I sit here in my comfy, cloud of a housecoat with my feet propped up, I am blogging. Different? Yes. Why? Because I haven’t done it in months. Not because I haven’t wanted to, or because I am lazy, or because I have nothing to write. No… simply because I lack time. Seriously.

Time is so precious to me. So, when I’m working all day with a workout to follow, then I go to school two nights a week, then I have homework that includes more writing than I’m sure anyone does on their blogs, then I cook, then for heaven’s sake, when it’s finally 9pm, I just may want to have a little fun down the street at a local restaurant or bar or sit on my couch and watch mindless television, so with all that… I choose not to blog. Did I mention I write and write and WRITE in graduate school? I am a journalism major, so it’s no surprise, but geez, when you write that much in school, you just may decide to not do it in your spare time.

So, that is my confession. My excuse. Whatever you want to call it.

Most recent pic of us... in North Carolina at a wedding

But the conclusion to this post is not a “farewell, I’m too busy to blog anymore post. It’s a “Hey, friends, I’m back to blog consistently.... can I get a whoop whoop” post!!! At least that’s the goal… to get this Southern Kind of Love back to being documented!

TN - Cinci game last weekend... our most recent excursion

Next month, Tres and I will be celebrating our One Year Anniversary, and today I got to thinking about how much fun we’ve had our first year of marriage. We have done a lot, experienced a lot, and traveled a whole lot, yet, I haven’t written much of anything. This made me sad, yet it inspired me!

So what’s long overdue? I’m just going to include the highlights:

• My new job and the change of no longer working with my husband in the same office
• Trip to Europe: Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Italy
• Trip to Vegas… this will be a good one
• Weekends in Memphis… oh the fun Tres and I have living downtown in this awesome city
• Redecorating: The new Enemy (the old one… wedding planning)
• Anniversary trip plans to New England: Portland, Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod

Our decor inspirarion... we both agree on this. That could change as often as my blogging habits though... haha

Looks like I’m going to have my work cut out for me! Luckily, Tres and I are in Memphis this weekend. Hopefully football, fun, redecorating, and dare I say, homework wont distract me. We shall see!!! Wish me luck, bloggettes!

Vegas

2011-07-14T18:15:00.000-07:00

Well I have managed once again to not write a blog post about one trip before going on the next one. I SUCK AT BLOGGING!!! Honestly, I just don't have time anymore. I sure wish I did but work, school, travel, and all the fun on the side is killing me :)

I promise to post about our trip to Europe soon enough, but until then, we will be in Vegas. I am thrilled about this trip!!! We are meeting friends, staying at the Mandalay Bay in a fantastic suite, we have a Cabanna booked for the pool, and of course have great restaurants already listed out!!!

I look forward to sharing it... Sure ya do, Andrea!!! Sure ya do!!!! I'm sure that's what you are thinking. But at some point, the Vegas and the post-poned European excursion will be posted!!! I need more time in each day :) I have plenty to write when I return!!!

Travel To Do List

2011-07-04T21:30:00.000-07:00

After recovering from my European Vacation with Tres and the fam, I didn't have the time to post about this last week, but I wanted everyone to know I finally wrote something I have been wanting to write for a long time... A Top Travel List. Let's just call it:

Andrea's Travel To-Do List

I was lucky enough to have a friend of mine, Nicole, invite me to guest blog on her fabulous online diary while she was off to New York City, so what better to write about than travel?!

Take a read here, and stay tuned to my blog for exciting posts on my trip to Germany and beyond!

Exciting Changes... Positive Outcomes

2011-06-12T14:55:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've blogged, and thanks to a friend (Living.Learning.Loving) who recently asked me to guest blog for her, I feel guilty for writing for other blogs and not continuing my own (haha), so I thought I would recap the last couple of months and why I have been so distracted.

First big day at training

The big change: I have a new job! To be honest, the opportunity literally came out of nowhere, I applied, got interviewed, and got it. While it was not a part of the plan I initially had for my life after leaving my other job (I had actually planned on going to school full-time with a potential Graduate Assistantship), it was a blessing in disguse from God and it was the first time in a long time that I actually felt spoken to on a decision I had to make. It was like the series of events leading up to it all happened so the opportunity could position itself just perfectly for me to take it on. IT WAS MEANT TO BE, and because I knew that, I have taken it and ran with it.

Congrats flowers from hub when passed my big work exam
With all that said, the past couple of months, I have been completely consumed with my new career. I am now a pharmaceutical sales rep for Arbor Pharmaceticals. While the new job has been the most exciting thing to happen in my life since Tres and I got married, it has also been the most time-consuming and hard working I have been since then. I went through nearly a month of traning - at home for a week and two weeks in Atlanta, and as of two weeks ago, they set me free to shower doctors with the positives of our awesome products. No home office, no bosses, no new colleage friends - just me all alone running my own little business in North Memphis. The first week was the most nerve racked I have been since college cheerleading tryouts circa 2002. And to add it it, I was lost and confused half of the week... where am I driving? Who am I looking for? Am I saying all the right things? Am I doing what they trained me ovr 3 weeks to do? SCARY and LOST does not even describe it, but when week 2 came around, I felt like I had done the job all along. Learning something new is always going to be difficult, but you have to believe you can do it. And remember, time makes everything better. This coming week will be week 3 for me, and I am starting to feel like I'm completely in my element!

And no celebration complete without champagne!

Ok, so what else has been going on? TRAVEL and FUN. Whether it's going on or in the works, me and Tres are always taking the time to visit new places and do new things. Since I last blogged here's what our weekends have been like:

Destin

Work had to be done here in Destin, but we always find time for a little bit of fun and FOOD of course. Check out our fun pictures from the weekend:

Memphis and Atlanta

Tres jumped on a plane to Atlanta for a wedding to hang out with his best guy friends. I had planned to go, but when my girls called and said they could all make it to Memphis the same weekend (this never happens... we are all always too busy), I stayed in Memphis to show them a good time. We had a great brunch on Saturday at mine and Tres favorite spot Local, hip hopped around the city and Beale Street all day, and went to dinner at Itta Bena. And the best part of the weekend was Sara surprising us, telling us the exciting news she had been hoping for: She's preganant!!!!!

Louisville - Kentucky Derby

This was honest to goodness one of the best weekends I've had in a long time, and there's a story behind it. Ok, so after I got this job my luck felt out of control. It was just the little things that kept happening that Tres and I were like, why is all this fantastic stuff happening to me?!?!?! Ok, so when we went to the Derby, Tres was like it'd be funny if your horse wins!
So, to add to the story, I tell Tres often and bug him about my dream vacation to South Africa. Since I can remember I have wanted to go there, and I always tell Tres we never have to go on another vacation ever again if we can just go to South Africa (he knows that's not true, which is probably why we haven't gone... haha). Ok, so the night before the Derby we are hanging out with our friend, Dan, and he tells me that his sister just got back from a trip to South Africa. I start freaking out, and Tres told him, "you should have never told her that." I make it worse by asking him to pull pics up on Facebook of her trip, and torture myself by dreaming even more of a vacation there. Tres had just been in Orlando for work the week before, and while looking at the pictures, Tres says, "I was just at Animal Kingdom in Disney World and those pictures look like they came from the safari ride." He was being funny, giving me a hard time, of course. :)

To wrap this story up (I promise there's a point), we get to the Derby and there's a horse named Animal Kingdom!!!! I say, OMG Tres, I am betting on that horse, and if he wins you HAVE to take me to South Africa very soon. The horse was low on rankings and it winning was a shot in the dark. Well, if you watched the Derby, you know how this story ends: THE HORSE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Animal Kingdom, MY HORSE, won!!!! So I guess in next year or two... or maybe more (haha), you all will be reading a post from me in South Africa. Hehe :)

New Orleans

Tres grandmother turned 90 YEARS OLD last month, and we traveled to NOLA for her HUGE, black tie birthday celebration. I was in Atlanta for training and had not seen my sweet husband in a week and could not wait to get on a flight to New Orleans for the event. The only catch was, I had to fly back to Atlanta for more training after the party, so I literally touched down in New Orleans for under 24 hours and had to fly back to Atlanta right after. Most exhausting two days of my life, but being at such an important family event and seeing my husband for just a few hours was so worth it!

Austin

My sweet, beautiful cousin graduated high school in Austin and I would not have missed it for the world. She is like the sis I never had. I can remember holding her in my arms as a skwormy 9 year old when she was born, and seeing her as a grown woman graduating high school was such a special time in life. I am so proud of her, and I cannot even begin to express the fun I had with "my gals" (the ladies of my family) in Austin! My mom, grandma, aunt, and cousin had the best time together... read more about them here. This was also a quick trip, as I was only there a day and a half and had to head back home to prepare for the first week of my job, but another family event I wouldn't have missed for the world!!!

Germany
Italy
Austria
Switzerland

TO BE CONTINUED... We leave in 4 days!!!!!

To say the least, we are very busy, but as it has been, especially since the day I met my sweet husband, life is also very grand!!! More posts to come! Thanks for the little push to start blogging again, Nicole!

Southern Weddings Blog Chose Us!!!!

2011-05-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

Time has been a-flyin', and we have been busy bees. Nothing out of the ordinary... as far as travel, full weekends, work responsibilities, graduate school (for me), and fun with friends and family. But there have been a few VERY NEW AND EXCITING changes in our life totally worth logging and sharing in this on-going love diary.

As of yesterday, I promised I would write a blog post to catch everyone up, as I have once again been a slacker. I seriously sat down to write it, but then got distracted with work and changed my mind. But the reason for this post is a BIG ONE!!! So I had no choice but to write it today... haha :)

It amazes me how so many of you guys whip posts out like crazy. You guys rock!!!! So thank you all who give me and others something to read daily and/or weekly. I wish I wasn't so ADD and could sit down to do so more than once a month :)
Ok, so this post comes to you quickly because I have started a new job (one of the many new things in our life that have changed and been exciting that I will blog about later), and am swamped!!! I have taken on a position as a Pharmaceutical Sales Rep, and for the last 2 weeks, I have been studying my little behind off to master the BIG test I have coming up on Friday. I swear, I get done with graduate school for the semester (4.0... whoop whoop, and more studying happens... just can't get away from HARD WORK :). Anyway am terrified of this test and hope the outcome is good or I'm in big trouble :)

Secondly, and what this post is really about (I do that so often... mean to write about one thing and then get started on a whole new subject.... prob wouldn't happen if I would blog more often... :) Anyway, here goes:

WE WERE CHOSEN TO BE IN SOUTHERN
WEDDINGS BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In case you can't tell, I am beyond thrilled. And if that isn't exciting enough, we were ALSO chosen to be in the upcoming issue of Southern Bride magazine!!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!!

I am telling you... the hard work definitely paid off for that wedding. And while I am STILL so glad it's over (never would want to be a bride again.... ever), I am so glad we went full-force and did everything we wanted for it!!! A VERY VERY VERY special thanks to THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHERS IN THE WORLD... Armosa Studios. You guys ARE the only reason we got chosen!!! Thank yall so much for not only being as talented and wonderful to work with but also becoming new friends! Also a big thanks to Southern Oaks Plantation. Without their beautiful venue and extra special staff, and pure PERFECTION of a venue, the wedding day would not have been as glamorous. Every bride out there should go to New Orleans just for YOUR VENUE!!!

Without further ado... here is our featured wedding in Southern Weddings:

Part I :
http://iloveswmag.com/2011/05/11/real-wedding-andrea-tres-part-i/

Part II:
http://iloveswmag.com/2011/05/11/real-wedding-andrea-tres-part-ii/

Bermuda... The Honeymoon I Forgot to Mention

2011-03-31T06:17:00.000-07:00

In the cab... We made it!!!

Holy goodness gracious!!! All these posts, and I just realized I ever even blogged about our honeymoon in Bermuda. Wowzers… not sure how that one slipped by me! Ok, nearly 6 months later, but here were some of the highlights of the trip: • We had a great dinner every night we were there. I mean, leave it to me to get us well-fed, but we did not miss out on a good meal while there! If you ever go to Bermuda, I suggest Baracuda in Hamilton (best meal we had the entire trip) and King Henry VIII (great atmosphere… very old school, dinner and dancing).

What we woke up to

Other side of patio

• Our first day we walked, and walked, and WALKED! Did I mention we walked?! Ha! The cool thing about Bermuda is, it’s not your typical “tropical Caribbean island.” It’s very British (accents, driving on the wrong side of the road, the whole shebang) and there’s more to do adventure-wise than just laying and having drinks by the pool all day. We found several beaches, including the famous Horseshoe Bay. We stopped and had a few patio drinks along the way. After one drink stop, we found this random, salient forest with vines to swing from. I don’t know if anyone else knows that place is there, but we had lots of fun playing in it. Finally, when I started getting fussy, we finally caught a cab. I bet money we walked 10 miles on this day. So much fun though!

Pink sand... beautiful

Swizzle Time!!!

• That first night we had dinner at the hotel and went back to our room with a bottle of wine, sat on our balcony and listened to tunes, laughing and talking for hours. This is why I married my husband. Just me and him, all by ourselves, have the best time together!

Dinner

Drinks on the Patio after din

• Day 2 was St. George’s… may have been the best little town on the entire island! I felt like we were in London walking the streets, and there was plenty to see, do, and explore. We got off the beaten path and discovered an unfinished church. It was so beautiful and like nothing I have ever seen. After more walking we cracked open a bottle of Santa Margarita from our backpack and did more exploring. I’m pretty sure it’s not legal to walk the streets of Bermuda drinking wine, but we certainly did it… haha!

• Before I go more into day 2, I need to talk about how nice the people are in Bermuda. Look, you will hear people say that about almost every place they visit, but I swear, if they call anywhere aside from Bermuda “the nicest people on the planet,” they have never been to Bermuda!!! This may sound extra-creepy, and it’s nothing we have ever in our lives done before, but we hitch-hiked nearly 5 times on this trip… And no, we never stuck our thumb out. There were plenty of cabs, we were not desperate. People would see us walking, drive up, and offer us rides. It was really weird at first, but everyone was so nice, and by the end of the trip, we had taken so many rides with strangers, we didn’t think twice about it!

Unfinished Church and St. George's

• One more thing on Day 2…. It POURED!!! I mean completely drenched me to where I was “drowned rat” style. We didn’t have an umbrella, so we ran into an ice cream shop, had a bite to eat, and asked the lady working if we could have a garbage bag or something to cover up with. She comes out with an umbrella. SHE GAVE IT TO US!!! Seriously, these are the people of Bermuda. I have been a lot of places – a lot of places with extra-nice people – and I have never experienced anything like this!!! After this experience, we headed to The Caves... a great sightseeer in Bermuda!

CAVES!

• Day 3 was golf!!! We played at The Southampton Princess, and I have never seen a course so beautiful. Of all 18 holes, there was a view of the ocean. The best part was, we got there extra-early, and with it being low-season, we pretty much had the entire course to ourselves. It was a golf game to remember and our second favorite day the entire week!

POOL TIME!

• Day 4 we hung out at the Dockyard, another area of Bermuda. We started the day off with a tennis game, had lunch, did some exploring, layed on the beach, then ended the day with another bottle of Santa Margarita and King Henry VIII.

LOSER

WINNER

• Day 5… BEST DAY OF THE ENTIRE VACATION!!!!! It was our last day, so we rented a boat and took it out on the open ocean. It was so relaxing just having me and Tres together on our sweet little boat. We stopped at a tiny island for a picnic – one of the most fun things we have ever done together. After lunch, we went shipwreck sightseeing. Bermuda is known for their shipwrecks because of all of coral close to land. It was really cool to see, as one we saw sank in the 1800’s!

• It was sad to say goodbye, as I’m sure every honeymoon is. We enjoyed every aspect of Bermuda. The food was great, the people were amazing, and the activities were entertaining! Also, nothing beat our awesome hotel, Cambridge Beaches. It was secluded, quiet, and our suite had the most amazing view! I highly recommend it!

Beautiful room!

• Last things to point out about Bermuda… THE PINK SAND!!! It’s beautiful and you will never see anything so exceptional! And…. THE SWIZZLE!!! It’s the island’s signature drink, and we had a bundle of them while there. It’s a must-try!

Palm Springs... Vaca for a King!

2011-03-30T08:42:00.001-07:00

Balcony view

The King loved Palm Springs… he said it reminded him of Hawaii. There’s not much you can disagree with Elvis about, and this is one of them. I have made it pretty clear that Cali is by far my favorite state. I daydream that one day Tres and I can move (or retire) there. We are lucky enough to get to make at least one or more trips to this awesome state a year, whether it is for work or for fun. A beautiful run This was my third trip to Palm Springs, and I never appreciated it more. Napa and San Fran are probably my two favorite places in Cali – I’ve always said that – but after this trip, I think I may be leaning more towards The King’s point of view. There is no place like Palm Springs. Well, maybe Hawaii because in my opinion, Elvis hit the nail on the head when he said Palm Springs reminded him of Hawaii. It’s true…. The scenery is very similar. The only difference is the desert and the little downtown area that makes Palm Springs a place of its own. Awesome hotel

I always know I’m in love with a place when I have a difficult time walking out of the hotel room. This time, Tres almost had to pull me out. There’s are very few places you can look out your window and see Palm Trees AND mountains side by side. There are also very few places where every time you turn on the Weather Channel, the forecast never changes from a row of seven suns Sunday-Saturday. I personally wonder why they bother having meteorologists there.

In-N-Out... DUH! If you're ever in Cali, you go here. No questions asked :)

Resturant: Matchbox... cool atmosphere, ok food

Restaurant: Okura... AWESOME patio, good sushi, perfecto Lychee Martini!

If you have never been to Palm Springs… GO! It’s totally worth your while. San Diego is an hour and a half away… rent a car one day and venture out to there. Or better yet – do what Tres and I did two years ago and drive 45 minutes to Temecula Valley. The scenery is awesome the entire 45 minutes, and when you get there, you can do everything from wine tasting to a hot air balloon ride, which is what we did! Here are some pictures from our adventures in Palm Springs. Pictures from 2009 and 2010

Atlantis With Great Friends

2011-03-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

Tres and I had a blast in the Bahamas at Atlantis with our great friends!!!! It was Mike’s 40th birthday celebration, and we blew it out of the water! If you ever get a chance to go to Atlantis, it is a must!!! To me, it was like a huge playground for grownups! The water park rides are great and could be done for two days easily! The place is HUGE! The aquarium is awesome and could take up at least half a day, the beaches are beautiful, and there are pools galore! A weekend was definitely not enough time there, but we made the best of it! I told Tres when we left I could not believe we had just left the Bahamas after only being there two and a half days! Especially Atlantis!!! There really is so much to do there!

And of course, I can’t leave a post with no comment about the food. Here’s the rundown:

• Nobu sushi… ummm………. NO!!!!!!! This place is supposed to be famous, notable, and THE most recognized sushi restaurant in the world. NEVER NEVER EAT THERE!!!!! Maybe it’s better in bigger cities. Who knows…? We don’t and we never will because we will NEVER go back there! Aside from the hip, swanky atmosphere, the service was awful and the sushi was the most mediocre sushi I have ever put in my mouth! Never again, people!

• Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill …. Ok let me just say, this was a shoe-in. We have been to a Bobby Flay restaurant before in Atlantic City, and it was the best pieces of food I have ever had an encounter with. Mesa Grill was no exception. Great service, spectacular food (I think I tried one of almost everything on the menu and every bit of it had unforgettable flavor), amazing atmosphere, with great friends!!!! It was a perfect night because of Bobby Flay. Thanks, Bob! Note: if you ever eat at a Bobby Flay restaurant, you just may compare everything else you ever eat to it! It really does rank on up there as one of the best restaurants I have ever been to :)

• Carmine’s…. This family-style Italian joint is a chain restaurant with only a few locations throughout the country. The place is so much fun and always has good food. I honestly love the family-style idea because I know I get to try a little bit of at least 5 or so dishes. The first time I went to one of these I think we way over ordered when we go about 10 dishes, so it’s safe to say, I’ve had a lot of the menu, and almost every dish is straight up great Italian! The bread basket and Ceaser salad are to-die-for, and if you go, order the Penne a La Vodka.

As always, Tres and I had so much fun kicking it together with some of our very best friends! We love traveling with this group, and this trip will be remembered for a long time! WE LOVE ATLANTIS!!!

P.S. The famous slide you see on TV is nothing to giggle about. They make that slide look like something out of a playground… it’s actually one of the most terrifying things I have ever done in life! Don’t let the commercial fool you! I was shaking uncontrollably when I got off it and almost had to have the 10 year old behind me give me a little push. I would definitely do it again with a lot of courage built up (and cocktails)! The other slides are amazing too. On some of them, you feel like you're on a rollar coaster! And our favorite part of the entire place? The "not so lazy" River! They call it "lazy," and after going on it, I think they need a new name! The waves are Tidal Waves! So awesome!!!

Weekend in Memphis

2011-03-08T15:57:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful weekend at home! After traveling every weekend for the past two months, it felt good to be home for a few days and enjoy life in our own city! I feel so blessed to get to travel as much as I do, and I thank my lucky stars each day for it. But no matter if it’s work travel or fun travel, when there’s back-to-back travel going on in one’s life, a break cannot come soon enough! This weekend, that break finally came for me and Tres, and we took complete advantage!

Thursday
I let the weekend begin early by meeting up with some blog friends at Old Venice Pizza Company in East Memphis after work on Thursday night. My blog friend, Christin, from A Classy Southern Wife invited me to the dinner. It was so exciting to finally meet her, as we had been trying to get together since long before our weddings (which were in October and a week apart). Both being from Memphis and planning weddings at the same time, we had been stalking each other’s blogs long enough (haha), so it was fun to finally get together with her.

There were about 8 other bloggers there from all around Memphis. Two of the girls are good friends of mine from work, The Diary of K-Fun and Hope in what Remains. I didn’t know the other bloggers when I got there, but I felt like I did when we left. We had a blast going around the table introducing ourselves and our blogs! Now I have a whole new group of friends and some more fun blogs to follow!

Friday
Fridays are always my favorite days of the week when I’m working a full week at the office and not traveling. It’s because I know I have a full, relaxing weekend in Memphis ahead of me! This Friday was no exception. That night, Tres and I went with friends, Joey and Cristen, to a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club. Held at the Cadre Building Downtown, it was a Mardi GRAS themed party, complete with poker tables, beads, and a fun band. It was completely decked out casino-style, which kept Tres and Joey at the card tables all night. Cristen and I had a blast trying all the different drinks at the many different bars they had set up and dancing the night away in our cocktail attire!

The best part of the night was when my work girlfriends texted me, letting us know they were downtown at Raifords. Two awesome things about this 1) They live in a different part of Memphis, so when they come downtown, I am always so pumped to party it up with them. And 2) they were at RAIFORDS!!! Seriously, if you don’t live in Memphis and ever come, if you do ANYTHING, it must be Raifords. Words can’t describe the randomness of this place. All I can say is if you don’t mind staying out late, you love to have a good time, and you don’t mind extremely loud funk and soul music, this is your place!!!! The first time you walk in Raifords, you will think someone either slipped a drug into your drink or you are dreaming. The place is a cloud of fog with disco balls and different colored lights flashing everywhere. They only serve 40 oz. beers to drink, so if you prefer anything else, this may not be for you. And the best part? THE MUSIC! Every Michael Jackson, Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Lionel Richie hit is on the playlist, and don’t think you’ll get out of there without hearing “Brick House” and “Boogie Shoes.” Raiford himself is there, spinning the record tracks, and his style and personality are something to see all on their own!
Needless to say, when it’s a Raiford’s night, it’s a long night. Our night ended about 4am on Saturday morning. When I say we were excited to be in Memphis, I was not lying!

Saturday
Lazy, lazy day!!! Duh… we stayed out all night. I wrote a bit for my Travel Blog while the hubby snoozed. We met my parents for dinner at The Bar-B-Que Shop. If you come to Memphis, I highly suggest getting your BBQ here. I thought I’d had it all, but this little place is tucked away, and somehow after all these years, I almost missed it. The pulled pork is almost like butter… extremely tender with a melt-in-your-mouth taste to it. UNBELIEVEABLE! This places proves Memphis BBQ right. Oh, and by the way… if you anyone and I mean ANYONE tells you Texas or Carolina has better BBQ than Memphis, send them my way. I will personally laugh in their face and shove a big Memphis Rib in their face!

Saturday night we went to a friends’ Duke game get together. It was a big group of work friends, and my new friend, A Classy Southern Wife (thanks to blogging!), came! It was exciting to finally have our husbands meet! We all hung out, watched the game, and drank wine! Super fun night to end the weekend!

Sunday
Believe it or not, we still had wedding gifts to take back, so we headed BACK to Macy’s. It’s become a running joke with Tres and I that the furniture people see us and wonder “who the couple is who comes in here every other week and never buys any furniture.” HAHA! Seriously, we have been looking for the perfect couch for way too long, and Macy’s has been the top victim. Hopefully, we will find one (along with a ton of other furniture and décor) soon! We just have too much going on right now to think about it!

After shopping it up, we headed to my parents house to plan a schedule for our trip to Germany this summer. In June, we will be visiting Frankfurt, Garmisch, and Munich, Germany, along with stops in Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Venice, Italy. We are extra excited to have my Pop guide us around, as he lived in Germany for seven years! After talking about our trip and deciding on exact dates of travel, we went to dinner at a great Italian restaurant in good, ole Hernando, MS. It was a great end to a fantastic weekend AT HOME!!!

Sadly, we leave again tomorrow for Orlando, so no more weekends at home for awhile. We sure didn’t take this past one for granted though. We lived it up in good ole Memphis, TN!

Dallas Down, a Weekend at Home, and Atlantis!

2011-03-02T18:32:00.000-08:00

Thanks, iPhone for this fabulous photo....

I adore the city of Dallas. I think it’s a fabulous place with great areas, good food, and lots of fun! Tres and I were there for work together this weekend and got a little taste of it. I truly don’t think we’ve ever had enough time there though. It’s always work, work, work. I would love to come back to this city to just go eat, go out, and go party! One sweet day when there’s a weekend to spare, maybe we will consider it.

Ok, so this weekend, I worked sponsorship for Varsity. This was much different than what I usually do when out of town on the weekends – sitting at a computer, writing, updating, etc. for Varsity.com. While it was lots of fun, it could have possibly been the most exhausting weekend I’ve had yet! We actually did labor… I mean actual box moving, lifting, running around a huge arena, etc. I worked for Invisalign Teen on Saturday and Sunday playing games with cheerleaders, doing crafts with them, standing on my feet for 9+ hours… whew! I was beat when it was all over, but it was lots of fun! At the Invisalign booth, the cheerleaders could play “Grin it to Win it” (like Minute to Win It – the gameshow), they could get their free pictures taken, or they could make a “Grinspiration” – an artsy little card with their inspiration written on it. My “Grinspiration” is below… even though it looks like a 5 year old did it, I meant well, and it’s the thought that counts, right? I love my husband and he really is my “Grinspiration!”

On our way home Monday we got stuck in the airport for a good 13 hours. I swear we got to DFW airport at 11 am and did not get to Memphis until after midnight. It was a wild several hours, but thank goodness for the Delta Sky Club!!! Wow… do I love that little room with peace and quiet, snacks, and free wine and beer when stuck in an airport! And the best part… Andre from Outcast came in and sat right beside us, pulled out his guitar, and started playing a little tune. HA!!! How cool is that? Tres talked to him for awhile. I just daydreamed of jumping in his face, shaking my rump, and singing “HEYYYYYY YAAAAAA…. Don’t want to meet your daddy…. Just want you in my caddy!” Ha! I’m convinced if I would have just let my guard down I could have been in the next video. Geez… I hate myself for playing it safe all the time! :) (Sorry, no picture of him... I prefer to not be a celebrity creeper. Sorry. hehe! )

Yes, we ate every bite of this "piece" of carrot cake after a fabulous meal we had in Big D! Getting ready for Atlantis? Unfortuntaley, I think not!

Now that the boring story about our trip to Dallas (and work) is over, I would like to share some FABULOUS, wonderful, spectacular, magnificent information:

TRES AND I ARE HOME THIS WEEKEND!!! IN MEMPHIS FOR THE FIRST WEEKEND SINCE 2010!!!!!!

Ahhhhh, I am so excited I could celebrate (and I WILL celebrate)! We are both exhausted, we have tons of personal business to take care of that we have missed out on the last 8+ weekends, and not to mention, it’s time to start re-decorating!!! Whoop, whoop! Well, at least START redecorating. We go out of town again next weekend, and the next, and the next… so we better fully enjoy this Saturday and Sunday at home (and get a heck of a lot done) because it’s the only one we have for awhile.

Not this weekend but the next will be a fun one though. We will be in THE BAHAMAS!!!! ATLANTIS BABY!!!! We are so excited! The trip has snuck up on us though, so I need to find time to swimsuit shop and dress hunt! Ahhh, so much to do!

*** I am aware this post was nothing but a ramble of what has been going on in my life for the past week, but I did promise to be a better blogger, and all I have time for right now is “Diary Style” writing! Haha!

Sunny in Seattle

2011-02-22T17:55:00.000-08:00

Tres and I just got back from Seattle, and I can honestly say, this city ranks in the top 3 for me! The people, the personality, the food, the WINE… something about this city glows in this so-called dreary city. Actually, when someone tells you Seattle is rainy and gloomy, the weather facts may not can be denied, but the personality of this city is nothing related to those two adjectives. And to make mine and Tres’ trip even better: we didn’t see a trace of rain or a cloud in the sky one time while we were there. I don’t know if we were just lucky, or if cold, dark Seattle is just a myth.
Top of the Needle

On the other side of the city... amazing views!
At Chinooks... great views as well (a restaurant with a view can't be beat!)

As you know, when Tres and I visit any city, food and wine are at the top of our list of things to do. I always do a massive amount of research on the most notable restaurants. Not to mention, we get to know locals while we are there because we have learned, no one knows a city’s food the way a local does. It’s fun comparing tourist restaurants with what the locals suggest. The Travel Channel and Food Network (especially Man vs. Food… my dream job haha) are also great sources, but on this trip, we found a LOCAL in Seattle KNOWS the city of Seattle. They are all very proud of their city and have no problem sharing their knowledge and love with tourists.

If you ever wondered what the Original looks like!

One of our favorite restaurants (recommended by a local of course)... Chinooks

It was ironic, our only full day in the city was on National Drink Wine Day, and whatdaya know? Seattle is a total wine city! Knowing Washington was quite the wine state, we never imagined the big city of Seattle would have so much to do with their wine industry, but we were pleasantly surprised to learn that “wine” just may be this city’s middle name. As a matter of fact, it’s the best wine city I have been to since Napa Valley. Imagine Napa city-style! Can’t get any better than that! At nearly every corner of each popular street, there is a wine tasting bar with flights and small plates galore! We couldn’t get enough!
Wine Tasting

Wine....

Wine....
And LOTS more wine...

Our favorite part of the trip was Pike Place Market. WOW! TV shows and movies do this place no justice. The people who live in Seattle are the luckiest people in the country. Tres and I decided we would never even look at another grocery store again if we lived there. Why would you? You have the gigantic market with the freshest fruit, vegetables, fish, and meats in the country! The thousands of fish and millions of veggies sit right in front of your wandering eyes in never ending rows… it’s a cook’s heaven! And I must, too, bring up the fresh flowers that you can purchase for $10-$15 dollars a (huge… seriously abnormally large) bouquet. And these aren’t just your typical Kroger arrangements – I saw some of the most unique and beautiful flowers I have ever seen in my life! And for $10… I would have a new fresh bouquet of flowers in my house every few days. So… WHY?! Don’t we live in this city? Ahh… I can only dream!

Why go to Seattle and not do the one thing Seattle is known for?! Check out this video of me catching a fish in the market! The guy had to throw it to me three times (no surprise… he was fairly warned) before I could catch it! Too funny, and such an experience… it was the best part of the day! (Ummm... can't get the video to upload. It's only like 1 minute! Can anyone help with this?)

To sum up Seattle… the personality and ambiance has to be mentioned. I have concluded in my travels that every city has a “personality,” but this one? The charisma leaks through in everything you do. It’s not your typical big city feel. When walking down the street, you almost think you can hear Pearl Jam or Soundgarden playing in the distance. The stories you hear are true… the people are very grunge, laid back, carefree. Think of the people you typically see in coffee shops – cool, calm, intellect, artsy – these are the people you see in Seattle (no pun on the coffee shop thing, but very ironic!). No one is pretentious or hoity-toity here… they just simply “live,” and it’s clear that they thoroughly enjoy life. But why wouldn’t they? They live in Seattle!

***** By the way, for my Social Media class, I am required to write a Beat Blog. With my current travels and future travels underway... and of course, my obsession with food, I decided on my Beat Blog topic to be "Food Travel." I just created a blog on Wordpress that I haven't put much in yet but it should be full of food and wine suggestions from cities galore in the next few months! The goal of the blog is to compare touristy restaurants with restaurants suggested by locals. Shoot me an email (aletard@varsityspirit.com) or tweet me (@tatumletard) if you would like the link!

A Glorious Day, A Joyous Bride, A Busy Wife!

2011-02-16T07:34:00.000-08:00

I want to start by apologizing for being a terrible blogger. And for the record, I know never posting is like the worst move ever as a blogger…. I OFFICIALLY know this because I am in a Social Media class for Grad School, and my professor says so :) haha. So here’s the thing… I am going to try my darndest to never get this behind on blog posts again. As you will see below… I kind of have an excuse. Mine and Tres’ lives have been literally nonstop for the last two months. I know this statement is said a lot, but when I say I am having a difficultly finding time to pee lately, I am seriously not over-exaggerating. It’s the honest truth! Ok, I don’t need to say anymore. Nothing else, but I’m sorry and below, you will see my excuse… only words cannot even describe the reality of it :)

Well, that’s a wrap. I never thought the day would come when there would be no more “wedding” to write about, but whew, I have to say that I sure am glad it’s over! I think the only element of this whole wedding planning process I will even miss is writing about it each and every week – giving other brides and future brides details, advice, and ideas on how to have a lovely, classic, beautiful wedding. But guess what I get to write about now?! How to have a lovely, classic, beautiful, and NEVERENDING marriage! I think this will be even more fun than writing about the wedding!

Tres and I (in almost four months of being married) have already experienced so much together with so much more to come. To be quite honest, our calendars took a huge hit as soon as we got back from the honeymoon, but most of it has been fun, exciting, and what I like to say, “going into marriage with a BANG!” haha!
Here’s what we’ve done as a married couple so far:

• Been to Chicago – Just a few weeks after the honeymoon, we went to Chicago for a short little weekend trip. It was a weekend full of food and fun (our two favorite things :) If you ever go I suggest: Avec, Hot Dougs, Gino's East, Volare, Monk's Pub, Park Grill, Al's #1 Beef, Zed 451, and Bin 36... all awesome food, drink joints! (P.S. We have no pictures from this trip... we took a ton of them and Tres' phone dropped out of his pocket in a cab. So sad, but I'm sure we will be back:)

• Worked out the Holidays – Who knew getting married meant changing the same holiday schedule you’ve been on since you were pooping in diapers? Well, I certainly learned that when we had to decide who’s family we would spend Thanksgiving with and who’s we would spend Christmas with. Since we spent Thanksgiving with Tres’ family the year before, we did Christmas with them and Thanksgiving with mine. Leaving mom and pop on Christmas was a challenge for me, but that’s what you do when you get married, ladies :)

• Been to Atlantic City – Wowza… if you have never been to this city, strap on your party pants, possibly hit up an ATM, and get ready to HAVE A BLAST! We had so much fun in this city with a group of our friends… I mean, this place is as awesome as Boardwalk Empire makes it look on HBO – just a tad bit more modern, unfortunately! Haha! My friend Lori and I decided we must go back… it’s our new favorite “fun city!” If you ever go eat at: Bobby Flay (HOLY CRAP!)

Me on the Boardwalk!

First Miss America Dress to win - EVER! They had about 10 of the originals in our hotel from the 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, and now!

• Had a White Christmas in Knoxville – This was a wonderful week together with Tres’ family, his friends, and even his sickness where he spent a full day in bed. Awe, the memory we will always have of that. Tres NEVER gets sick, so I had to throw that in this post as a memory… I took great care of him and we survived! It also snowed for like 3 days... It was the first White Christmas I think I've ever had!

• Been to Asheville to see The Biltmore – This was an amazing experience and lots of fun! Me, Tres, his mom, and his sis did a quick little trip to this magnificent CASTLE of a house and had the grandest time. It was a great way to wrap up the holiday season, as the place is picture-perfect at Christmas!

• Had my 27th Birthday and celebrated New Year’s – My birthday is on New Year’s Day so New Year’s Eve is always a treat for me. We decided to spend NYE in Knoxville with a large group of Tres’ best friends. They had reserved a large room at a restaurant/night club, so we ate dinner and danced all the way from 26 to 27!

• Stayed at The Hermitage in Nashville – For my birthday, Tres surprised with a night’s stay at The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, and OH MY!!!! He could not have given me a better gift! This hotel is beyond top-notch. We love great hotels, and this one exceeded all expectations and knocked every hotel I have ever stayed in down on the list! We also had dinner at a fabulous place: Sambuca… cool atmosphere, great food, and perfect for a young couple. Brunch the next day was great at Capitol Grill (not the one you are thining of :)

• Started re-decorating the house – Ok guys, I have to say… this is very tentative considering we are traveling almost every weekend until May, but I am happy to say: WE ARE IN THE PROCESS and plan to get as much done before the summer as we can! We have begun furniture shopping, looking at décor, spending hours at a time at Home Depot – oh yes, we have definitely begun a fun journey and should have a brand-new, beautifully furnished and bejeweled crib by at least 2012 (my goals are clearly not set very high with getting this show on the road, but my schedule is screaming at me as we speak!)

• Made it apart on the two most opposite sides of the country (twice) – Several weeks ago, Tres went to San Jose, CA, and I headed to Orlando, FL – both for work. Ok, ok, this is really nothing out of the ordinary because Tres leaves me for work trips all the time, but this was our first one over a weekend (since we have been married), and our first one both traveling at the same time, and our first one apart for a long period of time. By the time Monday rolled around, I missed him dearly. I seriously could not stand it anymore. Our regular plane texts were getting intertwined the last day of travel (we always text each other before we take off and when we land) because we were both in and out of airports, but we made it home (at the exact same time, I should point out) and riding home together was a wonderful feeling. It was great to be home with my hubby! This happened again 2 weeks ago when Tres was in Palm Springs and I was in Orlando again. Did I mention Orlando is my second home? :)

• Started up a new, different lifestyle – I am now officially a STUDENT! I have been attending graduate classes in between my crazy travel schedule and trying to keep up with all my school work, all while working all week and keeping up my workouts! Seriously, I sleep 5-6 hours a night these days, I don't have time hardly to even stop and pee (haha), but honestly... I am fine with it! I love to stay busy, and am 100% ready to tackle a Master’s of Journalism!

• Been to Providence, RI – And we did not just visit this city, but we visted it during the record-breaking cold temperature. It was colder there than it had ever been in history when we went, but we still had a blast and ate some amazing food. If you ever go, eat at Hemingways… YUMO! And can I just say… I have the best husband ever. My curling iron broke, and I was having a bad day on Saturday. When I got back to the room, there was a Trade Secret bag sitting on the counter with an awesome new curling iron in it! Small acts of kindness like this from him make me realize that I am such a lucky girl!

This newspaper came from our hotel... it was really the headline one day!

Me at Hemingways

• Been to Columbus, OH – We had a lot of fun here, but stayed busy with work stuff. This was seriously the week when I thought I was going to stroke because I had so much school work, was running on no sleep, and Tres and I weren’t going to get to see each other after this trip for over a week. This trip= fun but stressful! I made it through! :) Only because we went to a Man vs. Food resturant though... haha! Schmidts... It's a must try!

I know I am like WAYYYYYYY behind on these and this post is totally unnecessarily long, but I had to catch you all (and myself) up on what all has been going on since we jumped into this awesome marriage! Tomorrow makes 4 months, and we have already done so much as a married couple! I can’t wait to see what the next several months bring!

This weekend, we are headed to Seattle!!! Neither of us have ever been, so I am beyond stoked! The food list is already planned out, and I can't wait to share the experience when we get back!

Reception Top 10: #10 The Goodbye

2011-01-19T17:22:00.000-08:00

As you can see, I had a lot of “favorite” moments this night, and another highlight for me was the exit. We didn’t do the traditional exit with guests lined up. We knew our guests were ready to hit the town, so we just let them come up to say their goodbyes, but when we walked out the door, my very best friends, parents, and more family were out there to wish us a proper goodbye. I talked (and even cried… haha, Sara) with each of my girlfriends and hugged my family goodbye. I remember standing on the front-step of the house for quite some time before finally getting in the limo.
I was once in a best friend’s wedding and while standing in the “goodbye line” throwing rice, a fellow bridesmaid said, “I always hate this part of a wedding because you feel like you’re never going to see them again.” It’s so true, and I thought about this as I got in the limo. Lucky enough, I saw all my friends out after the wedding. Tres and I successfully stayed up until 4am on our wedding night. I never thought it was possible, but we partied on!

Reception Top 10: #9 The Music

2011-01-19T01:20:00.000-08:00

Our grooves were handpicked by me, Tres, and our guests. On our invitations, we included a place in the RSVP section for song requests, and it turned out to be a hit. We made a list of our favorite songs, including many from our guests, and Southern Oaks made sure the DJ was on top of it, playing only the songs on our list. We also didn’t allow guests to request songs at the wedding (I love that Southern Oaks gave us this option). If it wasn’t on our list, it wasn’t getting played (only because you never know what alcohol-infused guests will request. It was a wedding, not a rave or house party :) We wanted to make sure all songs were appropriate.)

Our list was no doubt a winner. How could it not be, playing mostly 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s classics with a heavy emphasis on the “funk and soul” and “80’s” genres. It was CLASSIC and proven to be, as there wasn’t a second in the wedding reception when someone wasn’t on the floor dancing. I saw people who I don’t think I’ve seen dance a day in their life turn into complete “dance machines.”
The last song of the night couldn’t have been better. Honestly, my favorite part of the entire reception was when they finished the night off with “Shout.” Yes, a classic wedding dance song, but I think the entire guest list was out on the floor with me and Tres in the middle getting low and jumping high to “a little bit softer now… a little bit louder now.” And when the song wrapped up and the wedding party picked Tres up over their heads, flat back style, I was laughing until I almost fell out of my dress. But it wasn’t over; they soon picked me up over their heads and did the same. It was the perfect end to a wild, fun, classic, amazing party. Well, almost the end…

Our crowd wanted more, and began chanting “one more song… one more song.” And, Southern Oaks didn’t let them down… they delivered. The final song, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” had everyone beginning their night rather than ending it (and I’m certain everyone left our wedding and went straight downtown to either a casino or Bourbon Street.)

Reception Top 10: #8 The Typicals

2011-01-14T16:05:00.000-08:00

#8 The Typicals (first dances, cake cutting, tosses)

What kind of bride would I be if I didn't mention "the typicals"? It’s only tradition to include the first dance, father-daughter dance, mother-son dance, the cake cutting, and the bouquet and garter tosses. We all know the story of these is same-ole, same-ole, so I will just include pictures of these fun customs that we thoroughly enjoyed!

Reception Top 10: #7 The Speech

2011-01-13T16:02:00.000-08:00

#7 - The Speech

At most weddings, the host of the party is supposed to give a speech. In my case, it was my parents so my pop, Cliff, spoke for him and my mom. His speech was beautiful and a big hit! I can’t even begin to express the words of love I feel for my parents. My mother has literally dedicated the last 27 years to me and my brother. She has put more heart into being a parent than I can ever imagine another person doing. Her parenting style made me and my brother into two people I know she (and we) are very proud of. And speaking of proud, she should be very proud of herself. If every parent’s goal in life was to be a successful parent, the world would be a better place, and I have to say, my mom is not only a success – she is a phenomenon. Her meeting and marrying Cliff was an absolute plus. She always said she would only remarry if “the man loved her kids as much as she does.” Well, I can wholeheartedly say, she meant what she said. He loves us dearly… As dearly as my wonderful mom does. We are lucky to have him. Here are some sweet pictures from the speech:

Reception Top 10: #6 The Phi Mu Song

2011-01-13T07:30:00.000-08:00

#6 - The Phi Mu Song (and Chant)

I have to throw this in there because I adore my Phi Mu girls. At all Phi Mu weddings, it’s a tradition to sing “Picture a Girl,” holding hands in a circle with the bride in the middle. Lord knows in my college years none of the girls in my wedding actually ever thought they’d be in MY WEDDING, but I guess the day has to eventually come for everyone (even those who will against it… haha. Thank goodness I found Tres to change my mind).

Like I said, it’s a tradition to sing “Picture a Girl,” but it’s not necessarily a tradition to do the Phi Mu chat after. Well, we did it. We did it and loved it! For about five minutes I felt like I was back in college. Those girls holding hands around me on wedding day are what you don’t go to college to find, but what you come home with. They are the girls who have taught me what true friendship is really all about. They are the girls I will call or text 50 years from now when I hear or see something funny. They are my best friends and the loves of my life. They are “the girls!”

Reception Top 10: #5 Our Guests

2011-01-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

#5 - Our Guests

After about 15 minutes of fresh air and each other at our Private Dinner, we headed out to the wedding reception madness. Walking around visiting with all of our guests was a wonderful part of the night. As with all weddings, it was a priority to try and speak to everyone there, and for our wedding it was even more important because everyone had traveled so far for the big event.

I came to the conclusion that we have some of the most fun family and friends around. I’m sure everyone can say that about their 150 closest family and friends, and that’s what makes a wedding so special… you finally get to see that. It sure was refreshing and such a blessing to have them all in one room at the same time – all together. I remember thinking over and over that we may never see this again. We may never again have the opportunity to have 150 of the people who we love most and who love us most all together in the same room. I encourage all brides and grooms to think about this on their wedding day. When you think about it, it truly is one of the most special times in a person’s life.

Reception Top 10: #4 The Drinks

2011-01-12T17:38:00.000-08:00

#4 - The Drinks

One of my friends told me the bartender at our wedding was one of the most talented bar tenders she had ever seen (of course, I never saw him or even had to go to the bar because our attendants made sure we had full glasses of whatever we wanted all night). She said that he remembered what her and all our friends were drinking after telling him once. She even went up to order for three people at one point in the night, and like a fountain of wonderfulness, he poured all three different drinks from the same spout! I was so amazed and pleased to hear this (as a matter of fact, it made my day after getting back to work from the honeymoon)! We also had a full open bar with s slew of signature drinks included from hurricanes to daiquiris, to this fabulous mango margarita that I’ve heard about from several of my friends that I never even got to try (probably my only regret all night :)!
(Image credit: Southern Oaks Plantation Facebook Page)

Reception Top 10: #3 The Food

2011-01-10T03:37:00.000-08:00

#3 - The Food

After booking Southern Oaks, I heard from a handful of NOLA locals that they had some of the best food around. The locals weren’t lying! We and our guests were served over 75 entrees, h’orderves and deserts, and every morsel was as tasty as Cajun cuisine could possibly get! From pasta to shrimp to crab cakes to red beans and rice and jambalaya, they had it all! And the best part was the way they served it. I remember wondering how they were going to serve 75 different types of food, but of course, they had it down to an art. They had about 10+ servers walking around with beautiful trays full of “samples” of each food. They went around from person to person, table to table. Most of my friends said after the wedding, “I got SOOO FULL at your wedding, those people just kept coming with more and more food, and it was always something different, so I had to try it!” And to complete the night, they sent me and my groom home with another huge tray full of food (just in case we didn’t get enough at our private dinner). Needless to say, when we got back to our hotel room after the wedding and after wedding festivities, we devoured it! Here are just a few of many:

Reception Top 10: #2 The VIP Room

2011-01-10T03:15:00.000-08:00

The separate bar in the VIP - Wedding Party room!

#2 - The VIP Room

Southern Oaks had a VIP room set at the front of the ballroom for wedding party and family only. It may sound odd, but it was actually quite the perk. Immediately following the ceremony, us, the wedding party, and family had the room all to ourselves, and they even roped it off (with a doorman) so we wouldn’t be disturbed! We had a few drinks, made a few toasts, and started in early on the h’orderves. It was the perfect beginning to the fantastic night.

Me enjoying the spread at our "private dinner"

After our first dance and parent dances, the staff had the VIP room set up with our own private dinner for alone time. At first, we were hesitant to do this because we had only a few hours to visit with everyone, eat all the fantastic food, and dance. Well, Southern Oaks explained to us that many brides and grooms never get the time to eat, drink, and enjoy the seconds of being newly married. I had seen this more than enough times, so we agreed to do the private dinner for 10-15 minutes. They took us into the room alone, roping it off and even had a doorman guard the entrance just in case someone tried to slip in. The idea turned out to be one of our favorite parts of the night! We enjoyed being alone for a breather and it was a definite plus that they laid out a spread of the top entrees and h’orderves for us and we had our own private bar.

Tres loved the private dinner too!

Reception Top 10: #1 The Staff

2011-01-10T03:09:00.000-08:00

#1 - The Staff/Our Attendants

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, we had a staff of about 20+ people taking care of our every needs all night. Tres had his own personal attendant, I had my own, and each set of parents had their own. They followed us around with bottles of champagne topping our drinks off, they made sure we knew what came next (cake cutting, bouquet toss, etc.), and knowing that brides and grooms are the stars of the night and have to make their rounds and talk to every person in the room, if they felt we had been “backed into a corner” by a guest for too long, they would come up and politely excuse us – it was amazing because we didn’t have to worry about a thing all night!!! During the cake cutting, Tres and I had no clue what the heck we were doing, and there was an attendant right beside us to guide us through the entire process! The treatment was extraordinary!

Wedding Day: Reception Top 10

2011-01-07T02:03:00.000-08:00

One of my closest friends and bridesmaids, Sara, titled our wedding album on her Facebook Page, “A Southern Kind of PARTY.” I don’t think she could have better described it. A PARTY was exactly what it was! FUN is my favorite adjective to live by. Seriously, if you’re not having fun in life, then what the heck are you doing?! I believe my groom feels the same way about things, as we always have the absolute best time together. With that being said, when Tres and I got engaged and began discussing wedding plans, we had one priority in mind: for our family and friends to have A BLAST at our wedding. I have to say… MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

As I walked around talking to everyone and looked around the ballroom for three hours, I never saw one person without a smile or laugh on their face, and most were up moving around, socializing, eating, or dancing. It probably doesn’t hurt that our wedding venue was second to none. When we booked Southern Oaks and they told us how great they were, I believed it, but I also didn’t believe they would give us and our guests “Million Dollar Wedding” treatment. No joke… Let me explain by separating what could be one long reception post into several different posts. Continue reading for my reception Top 10 List!

Personal Blogger, Professional Blogger

2011-01-03T15:07:00.001-08:00

It has been awhile since I have posted, I am clearly still slacking on wedding posts, but I have to mention the launch of our new blog at Varsity Brands, Inc. : America Needs Cheerleaders! You can find the blog here: americaneedscheerleaders.com.

You may or may not have cheerleading exprience or even care about cheerleading at all, but it may be fun for you to read how cheerleaders make a difference in the world!

My blog day is Monday "Cheers for Charity," and my most recent post is today! Check it out here: americaneedscheerleaders.com/cheers-for-charity/happy-new-year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Wedding Day: Ceremony

2010-12-22T01:18:00.000-08:00

All I can say is WOW! I do believe our ceremony may have been my favorite part of the entire night, and that’s saying a lot because I haven’t even talked about the reception yet! To sum of the ceremony… it was picture perfect. The music selection was unique and beautiful with the parents walking down to “Wonderful Tonight” – Eric Clapton and the bridesmaids walking down to “We’ve Got Tonight” – Bob Segar. I rode in on a beautiful stark white horse and carriage with my dad to “The Blower’s Daughter” – Damien Rice and walked down the aisle to “Look After You” – The Fray. Aside from the music, the most unique aspect was the parents, groomsmen, bridesmaids, and myself all walked down from different angles of the plantation. Parents and groomsmen came from inside the front of the house down the stairs to their places, the bridesmaids were secretyly driven to the back of the plantations o they could walk from the front gates down the aisle, and I came around from the side of the house to the end of the aisle – the guests had no idea where to look the entire time, we were coming from so many different directions. It was completely inimitable.

Our awesome programs

The entire 30 minutes of time were truly magical. I could try and describe it all day long, but I’d never find the right words. Once down the aisle, we said our vows, which we wrote ourselves, and instead of the traditional “one at a time” vow readings, we transitioned back and forth, each saying one line at a time. It went a little like this: Tres: I promise to love, honor, and cherish you now and forever. Me: From this moment for the rest of our lives, I give myself to you completely, Tres. I take you not only as my husband and lifelong companion but as my best friend - the other half to my whole. Tres: I promise to support the decisions that you make both professionally and personally. Me: First and foremost, I promise to respect you. I have always thought of respect as the key in any relationship, and I promise to always value and love the person that you are. Tres: I promise to make you proud of the decisions that I make for us and our family. Me: I promise to always support you and encourage you in your dreams and goals and to work with you to help fulfill them. Tres: I promise to maintain good physical health, so that we may extend our time together on this earth. Me: I promise to put effort into our love - to stand by you on the bright days and the dark, to always compromise, and to always have the time for “us.” Tres: I promise to always be there for you; above all, I will be there for you; whenever you need me, I’ll be there for you. Me: Finally and most importantly, promise to love you more tomorrow than I do today and love you even more each day to follow. And if times get tough, to promise to pull these vows out, read them, and remind myself of what I promised you on this day. I love you now and forever. Tres: I promise to never take your love for granted. Vows said and rings exchanged, we wrapped up with a “Wine Ceremony.” These are very nontraditional, and I actually had never seen one before, which is why I wanted to do it. Our love of wine had a little something to do with it as well; I thought it gave the ceremony a lot of character. We poured a white and a red wine from decanters into a wine glass and both drank from the glass. The symbolism: White wine, fermented in oak barrels symbolizes a lingering taste in two souls for a long lasting love. Red wine represents a richness and love in two hearts. When combined, the color of the wine is rose, symbolic of marriage and everlasting love. I loved this part of the ceremony and we got compliments galore on how one-of-a-kind it was! The entire time I was standing up there, I remember thinking of all the friends and family members I had seen in the same place as I was on that day. I remember so many times looking at them thinking “that will never be me.” On that day, I couldn’t believe it was. I wasn’t nervous; I remember just being overly excited to be marrying my love. I actually watched our wedding video yesterday for the first time and couldn’t believe how overly joyous I looked. I was laughing and smiling like it was impossible to stop. Tres was as well. I think he was a little more nervous than I was, but definitely more eager than nervous. When we kissed, were introduced at Mr. and Mrs. Tres and Andrea LeTard, the feeling was unbelievable! We were MARRIED! We walked down the aisle to “Just Like Heaven” – The Cure and got in the horse and carriage. THIS could have possibly been the best part of the ceremony – completely full of surprises for the guests AND for us! So much happened that we had no indication of whatsoever! The carriage circled around to the front of the plantation home with the guests still seated. The song “I’ve Got a Feeling” – Black Eyed Peas began playing and everyone went crazy – getting out of their seats, dancing, and cheering. As the carriage came to the front of the plantation home, it stopped, and all of a sudden, streamers and confetti bursted from the top of the house all over me, Tres, and all the guests. And then out of nowhere fireworks went off at the back of the plantation. We had no idea any of that would happen, and it was so much fun and completely overwhelming in the best way possible! Our guests went nuts, exclaiming that was the most amazing end to a ceremony they had ever seen. I couldn’t disagree… A great start to the BIG party that was about to take place!

Wedding Day: Rehearsal at a Wonderful Venue

2010-12-21T23:08:00.000-08:00

When we got out of our limos at Southern Oaks, the show was ready to begin. I really hate to call our wedding a show – we had no intention on it being, but that’s just the way Southern Oaks does things. The crew was all ready with their headsets and walkie talkies, and it was time to get down to business. We had one hour before the seats started filling in, and we still had to rehearse and take all family pictures. That seems impossible, right? Not at Southern Oaks.

All those hour plus wedding rehearsals I have been through in all my days of being a bridesmaid – Southern Oaks made it seem so pointless. They had a coordinator for the family, a coordinator for the groomsmen, and a coordinator for the bridesmaids. They each broke off into their three groups, went over the ceremony, did a quick walk through, and in 15 minutes, the wedding party was rehearsed and ready! Best rehearsal for a wedding I’ve ever seen!

Did I mention we had a huge staff taking care of our every need from the time our feet hit the front doorstep of the plantation?! There must have been 20 or more staff members taking care of us all night, and the best part was our personal attendants. Tres had his very own attendant who took care of him all night. I had my very own attendant who took care of me all night. And each of our parents had their very own attendant who did the same. Our champagne was always full, as they walked around refilling it if it got more than three sips below the rim. If we wanted a different drink, they brought it to us. If we wanted a certain food, they ran and got it for us. And even when Tres and I had no idea how to cut the cake during our cake cutting, they were there to show us how. We were treated like complete royalty! I have never experienced anything like it (and probably never will again)!

My sweet fam (brother, mom, pop)
Mine and Tres' entire families

Beautiful ladies of my family (aunt, cousin, me, mom, and grandma)

"The Shoes"... Ahhh!

Wedding Day: Our Wedding Party

2010-12-19T20:11:00.000-08:00

I will let the photos speak for themselves here. We had quite the attractive group! :)

Wedding Day: Photo Shoot in Jackson Square

2010-12-17T03:08:00.000-08:00

The limos turned out to be beyond a great idea. Tres and his groomsmen were in one, me and my bridesmaids in another, and we were soon off to Jackson Square for pictures. Being crammed in the limos with our big dresses on was great bonding time for all the girls, and I’m sure the guys in their limo ahead of ours felt the same.
The best part about taking our photos in Jackson Square (aside from them turning out beautifully) was the fun New Orleans crowd cheering us on, congratulating us, and even stopping us to take pictures. It must have been fun for all the Sunday Funday partiers to see a huge wedding party walking all over the square. They were drinking and having a good time, and we were like their entertainment as we walked by. It was hilarious and flattering all at the same time!

Here are some shots of me and Tres. I will let the wedding party have their own post!

Wedding Day: First Look

2010-12-15T22:07:00.000-08:00

When we were both ready and dressed in our best, it was time for our “first look.” It was very important that we see each other before the wedding for a number of reasons. The main one being that we had fantastic photographers, and we wanted to take full advantage of them in the beautiful city of New Orleans. Another reason was, we thought it would be fun to hang out and have fun with our wedding party before the “big party.”

We had planned on meeting at a balcony overlooking the river, but American Idol was having auditions in our hotel the day of the wedding, so our initial first look location got blocked off. I’m not sure who found it or decided on it, but a beautiful courtyard became the new spot.
It was so much fun walking outside and seeing my groom’s back facing me, ready to turn around and see me for the first time as his bride. I know he must have heard me walk out, but he waited to turn around until I said his name. It was the sweetest thing… very surreal though. I think at that moment I realized it really was our wedding day. We talked and hugged for a quick minute (holding off on the kiss until the ceremony), and then we were on our way to meet the limos and our wedding party.

Wedding Day: Bride’s Preparation

2010-12-14T03:01:00.000-08:00

Like so many days before, I woke up in the comfy, perfectly gorgeous Hilton bed wired and ready to go. Only today was different. It wasn’t run errands day, it wasn’t meet and greet the family day, it wasn’t bridesmaids brunch day, and it wasn’t rehearsal dinner day. It was WEDDING DAY!

We had so many beautiful days leading up to this day (like 50 days with no rain to be quite frank), so opening the curtains was probably one of the most tense times of the day. Silly, it may sound, but I completely planned the wedding around the best time of year for weather in NOLA. Not to mention the billion prayers I prayed for over a year. I told God so many times that all I wished for was no rain; I didn’t care if it was cloudy, ugly, windy, etc. just no rain… PLEASE NO RAIN! Well, the Lord went above and beyond on this day. Opening the curtains was blinding! The most beautiful blinding sight of sunlight I have ever seen. Not one cloud showed off on this day… they were nowhere to be seen. And there on the 20-something floor of The Hilton Riverside stood a joyous bride!

I cleaned up around the suite, getting it ready for the bridesmaids, family, friends, makeup artist, and hairstylist to come. All the while, I told myself to stay calm, be happy, and have the best day of my life! Around 11:00 am, the crew started pouring in. From that moment on, it was manes, makeup, and mimosas! It was imperative that we all start getting ready extra-early so we could be prepared to take pictures and take the 20 minute limo ride to Southern Oaks. The limo would be there to pick us all up at 3:00 pm, and 11:00 am and on, time started ticking!

I could not believe how quickly 3:00 pm came! And another thing I couldn’t believe… how drop-dead gorgeous me and all my girls looked! WOW, WOW, WOW! I have to say, I looked at my bridesmaids and couldn’t help but be proud of how beautiful all my friends are… they looked like they were getting ready to go pose for Martha Stewart’s Fall Wedding issue! And my hair and makeup… wowzers! My makeup and hair artists from Get Polished were beyond words… a perfect pick!!!! And if you don’t believe me, believe this: I DIDN’T EVEN HAVE A TRAIL RUN!!!!! Can you believe it?! I put my makeup and hair in these stylists hands the day of only, and they did a better job than any makeup and hair I’ve ever had done! They come highly recommended from this bride!

Yes, this is my baby dress and not just any dress but the one I was brought home from the hospital in!
Baby dress and Bride Dress!
Bridesmaid attire
Bridesmaid Bouquet
The crew getting ready
Makeup!
Veil!
Mommy approves!
Dress, shoes, and garter... almost ready!

Wedding Day: Groom’s Preparation

2010-12-14T02:26:00.000-08:00

My gift to Tres... timeless and classic. Perfect for the big day and days to come

Sidenote: I PROMISED I WOULD FINALLY POST MY WEDDING BLOG ENTRIES WHEN PHOTOS CAME IN... HERE'S THE START OF MANY POSTS!

I have to say… calm would have NEVER been the word my friends or family would have used if I asked them to describe me on wedding day. I hate to admit it, but crazy, snappy, bossy, etc. would have been more like it. Sad enough, me under stress and pressure can be not-so-very pretty at times. To everyone’s surprise (including mine) I was the complete opposite. It was like someone had secretly slipped me a valium (as a matter of fact, I am still trying to figure which one of my crazy bridesmaids did… haha). My maid of honor Ginger actually said after the wedding, “What was WRONG with you on your wedding day? You were so…. Calm…?” All I could say was, “Everything went so perfect there was no reason to get upset or stressed. It was truly the perfect day.”

Writing his sweet vows
Tres on the other hand… his groomsmen should have maybe slipped a calm pill in his sandwich at lunch or something. Crazy and snappy he was not (he doesn’t have it in him to be those things), but stressed and nervous he was. As I was getting ready in the suite, we had closed the door off to the bedroom of the suite so Tres could get ready in there (yes, we literally had a door between us as we got ready for the wedding). Every 30 minutes or so, his mom, a bridesmaid or my family would go in there to see him, and they kept coming back telling me how nervous and stressed he was. It never crossed my mind that he would ever get that way, but now that I think about it, Tres has a one-track-mind, and if he over thinks anything he will worry and stress himself sick, so I guess it makes sense that he felt that way on the biggest day of his life. Every time someone came back in and told me how stressed he was, I wished terribly I could be in the room with him to calm him, but I knew I would be seeing him soon!
We exchanged wedding gifts while getting ready. I had my family take his gift to him, and he had his mom bring me mine. Prior to the wedding, he had already bought me the blue Christian Louboutin heels I would wear on wedding day, so I didn’t expect another gift from him, but of course, he couldn’t resist. He passed me the absolute sweetest card I have ever read in my life, describing our love as “epic.” The last line read “today is the first day of the rest of our lives.” I melted. In the card, the gift was included with a note. It was a print out of our favorite engagement picture, and he wrote that he had gotten a canvas made of the picture. We had talked about it before, but the fact that he remembered was a gift all in itself! For Tres’ gift, I also got him a “something blue.” I gave him Tiffany and Co. cufflinks to wear the day of the wedding and included a note, “you gave me my something blue, now here’s yours.”

Going to Atlantic City… home of Boardwalk Empire!

2010-12-06T00:20:00.000-08:00

Is anyone else as obsessed with the new hit series “Boardwalk Empire” as I am?! I mean… WOW! The husband and I don’t much consider ourselves TV lushes, but when it comes to HBO on Sunday nights, it’s another tale to be told… we are obsessed. I have to say, when “Boardwalk Empire” premiered in place of my precious and revered “True Blood,” “Hung” and “Entourage,” I was a little pessimistic. I didn’t think the show would do it for me, but my love of the 1920’s era, strong-minded women standing up for that they believe in, and overall intense excitement got the best of me with this show. From the fantastic screenplay to the remarkable acting, it’s a winner! I have a new respect for Steve Buscemi… I am now convinced that man can plan any role and have me in admiration.

So with a new favorite HBO hit wrapped up and a review underway, I am ready to go live the Boardwalk Life! Yes, the hubby and I are headed to Atlantic City this weekend, and my excitement cannot be expressed enough! We are going there for cheer reasons of course, but hopefully, we will find plenty of time to hit up the boardwalk and of course scope out the best eateries! I am already on a “Top Restaurants of Atlantic City” search!

Note: As much as it may not seem like it, I am on the edge of my seat to post about our wedding. I didn’t mean for it to get this far behind, but I decided to just wait on our final professional prints to come in the mail. I promise to share some this week and next (the posts are actually written, believe it or not, I am just waiting for photos)! Plus, a re-cap of Chicago is still in progress! I am trying to do this stuff in order, but it’s just not working for me! Haha! Have a good week, everyone!

Back to Chicago I Go… This Time with My Beau

2010-11-19T07:37:00.000-08:00

I am happy to say, I am finally caught up on wedding updates for my blog! Yes, it's a month later, but I did it! There are still the wedding details to post, of course, but I am glad to finally have pre-wedding details up! Next week, I promise to work my little hiney off and get everything about the big day posted. I will include pre-wedding details of me and my girls getting ready, first look details of me and Tres seeing each other for the first time, the limo ride and picture taking, the ceremony, the reception, and my favorite details that happened that day! It will all be included! Oh yes, and then there’s the honeymoon… I almost forgot about that one, but I promise to include posts of that as well! Whew, I am wayyy behind!

As for now… me and the hubs are headed to Chicago! I am overly excited about this trip because I haven’t been since I went with the girls for the bachelorette party! It’s going to be cold, but our suitcases are packed to the airplane weight limit with sweaters, coats, scarves – you name it! This Southern gal can’t walk outdoors unprepared for ice needles to hit my skin! I have also prepared myself for this trip by border-line committing suicide on the treadmill everyday this week. I plan to eat everything in sight in that city, and I mean everything! The food is amazing, and I've said it once, and I'll say it again: I PRIMARILY TRAVEL FOR THE FOOD!!! Always! :) I have this theory that I could easily take Adam from Man vs. Food on in any challenge. HA - at least I would try. I promise I would not be scared to attempt that at least once! I will bring updates of this trip soon! Have a great weekend everyone!
Photo from tripadvisor.com

Wedding Week: Rehearsal Dinner

2010-11-19T01:12:00.000-08:00

Saturday, October 16

To pick up from the post below, Tres and I walked into the rehearsal dinner about 20 minutes late with everyone waiting on us, but I don’t think anyone was a bit surprised. We are never on time for anything… it’s awful! I mean, I always thought I was bad, and now I have a husband who is even worse than I am. That is the only way we’re not good for each other :) Ok, so back to the story… The rehearsal dinner was better than we could have ever been imagined. The closest people in our lives were all there to celebrate our marriage the day before it happened, and we had a blast with everyone! The food… ok, this is another story all in itself. Seriously, when we went for a tasting back in July, we were blown away and chose the place solely on how wonderful the food was. But when we ate dinner that night, a number of items we had not tasted were added to the spread, and OH. MY. GOSH.! No joke, this place has some of the best New Orleans food you will ever eat! It’s called Oceana Grill. It’s on the corner of Bourbon and Conti. If you are ever in New Orleans… GO THERE! I am a doing you all a favor by telling you that. Our wedding party and family were all completely blown away by the food. I made about three plates and still insisted that I had not had enough, so I consumed about half the dish of bread pudding! I cannot say enough words about this food… DELISH!
We didn’t do the typical rehearsal dinner slideshow, but we wanted something to entertain everyone after dinner and before the speeches. Why we decided against the slideshow… 1) We just waited until the last minute and 2) We didn’t really want to do the “typical.” So instead, we decided to play a game. We had a card placed at each table setting that said “How well do you know the Bride and Groom?” We had everyone fill it out, and then we got one of the groomsmen to be the “announcer” and call out all the correct answers. We bought $100 in casino chips, and gave the top three winners money to go gamble! It was lots of fun, and everyone got really into it! The winner was our good friend Lori and my mom was a runner-up!

After the game was speech time. The speeches were amazing. I have been to at least a hundred rehearsal dinners and weddings and always wondered what it felt like to have so many people that you love speak their true feelings about you. One after another, it is compliment after compliment, congrats after congrats, and best wishes after best wishes… it’s a great feeling. It makes you feel so blessed to have so many people in your life who love you, think so highly of you, and believe in you. And the best one, in my opinion, came from my groom. What he said about me, my family, his family, and friends, confirmed what a genuine, wonderful husband he would be. I already knew it, but his words that night made it even more special. Finally, I have to mention what my girls did for me. They presented me a scrapbook. Each of my close girlfriends who were in the wedding got together on the idea and each made a scrapbook page to go in the book. Each page included the past, present, and future of my fun times with them! Throughout the book, they also included wedding invitations, memories from the bachelorette party, and pictures from the bridal shower. It was the most thoughtful, wonderful gift my best girlfriends could have ever given me! I mean… there were pictures in there from high school and college - memories that I had completely forgotten about, and afterward, it was fun sharing those distant memories with my groom. I love my girls! Thank ya’ll again!

The rehearsal dinner was three hours, and time flew as it always does when you’re having fun. We didn’t want the party to end, so we headed back to the hotel to hang out in Tres’ dad’s suite. He had a party going on for everyone in town for the wedding. It was nice to get to visit more, but when I say I was exhausted, I mean… I was the most tired I have ever been in my entire life. I felt like I had been run over by a train. Combine that with several glasses of wine and the 100 things I had on my mind, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I said goodnight to my family, friends, and groom and headed to bed. I went to the suite, shut all the doors, and though I had considered having some of the girls stay the night with me, I decided I just wanted to be by myself the rest of the night. It didn’t take long to go to sleep, and soon enough, it was Wedding Day!

Best Man Speech

Dad's turn!

My sweet groom's speech to me Bride to GroomTHE BOOK from my girls!!!

Looking through the book at our fun memories together
"The Girls"
Tres being silly with "the girls"
One of our favorite couples! The crew and our men!

Wedding Week: Bridesmaid Brunch

2010-11-18T22:38:00.000-08:00

SUN, SUN, SUN…. LUCK, LUCK, LUCK!!!! Just call me and Tres leprechauns!!! We had more luck and joy than two people could ever experience in the amount of four days, and Saturday got even better! That morning, we both woke up with little 8am headaches from the 3am evening the night before, but it was nothing a Starbucks Pumpkin Latte and a few mimosas couldn’t cure! I was off with my family to the Bridesmaids Brunch, which my exceptional Mom, my wonderful Nenne, and my magnificent Aunt Gina threw for me and my bridesmaids. We also invited all the close women on Tres’ side of the family, so it was just a big girl-fest!

The best women in the world... Aunt Gina, Cousin Melissa, Mom, and Nenne I have to say, the place we had the brunch was further away from the hotel than expected, and we were all starting to get a little antsy in the taxi ride there, but pulling up made it all the better. 1) ALL my girls (the college friends) were standing outside to greet us! I promise, nothing can put words on what these girls mean to me. We never get to see each other, and every time we do, it’s exciting and emotional enough to nearly bring tears to all our eyes! And 2) we walked into the place, which I had blindly booked, and it was PERFECT in every way! Perfect meaning we had the entire upstairs with lavish décor throughout, perfect place settings with personalized menus, and a private door that lead outside to enjoy the beautiful day – it was a southern gal’s dream brunch. I could see women in the 1920’s having tea in this room… it was so beautiful! Not to mention, I booked the place completely blind. There were no pictures on the website, and I only talked to the event planner a few times on email and maybe once on the phone. I have to say, I was scared going into it, but the planner could not have done a better job!! As a matter of fact, if you ever go to New Orleans or you need to plan a private party there, call Rachael at Café Atchafalaya… she will set you up! I have to add this to the “all the things that went perfect this weekend” list because the brunch was a hit! Wonderful food, mimosas galore, and more fun than a group of girls could ever have! We reminisced about old times, talked about new times, planned the wedding day schedule, and laughed until we couldn’t breathe! I also gave my nine bridesmaids their final presents - gold vintage necklaces to wear with their gold BCBG Maxazria shoes I gave them before the wedding. I knew then, they would be the hottest pack of bridesmaids anyone had ever seen, and they WERE!

All my bridesmaids in front of "The Skillet"! I love my gals! After the brunch, I went with my mom, my Nenne, my aunt, my cousin, and Tres’ mom and sister to get our nails done. We pretty much took over the nail salon located in the mall connected to our hotel – it was loads of fun, but about halfway in, I hit a wall. Maybe it was the mimosas, maybe it was lack of sleep, maybe it was visiting with 100 people in less than a full day, or maybe it was because I was already 30 minutes late to my hair and makeup appointment for the rehearsal dinner – whatever it was… I had a feeling I would not be able to carry on normally through the rest of the night. It was unreal how it all just hit me at once like that. All I could think was… ‘I still have a rehearsal dinner and wedding to go. I’ve got to dig for some energy because I am not ruining all this by being tired.’ So after nails, I picked up a coke and got moving again: running to my hair appointment (luckily the salon was in the hotel). I rushed the stylist through and ran (literally) to my makeup appointment. It was at Sacks in the mall across the street, and I was dashing through the busy traffic all while trying to keep my hair fixed. The makeup artist almost didn’t take me because I was so late, but I talked her into it, and she rushed me through. Needless to say, Tres and I were late to our own rehearsal dinner (umm…. Duh! It wouldn’t be me and Tres if we weren’t late!) TO BE CONTINUED IN REHEARSAL DINNER POST……………..

Mimiosas galore!

One of the yummy brunch dishes! I had Bread Pudding French Toast and wish I'd taken a pic!

Mom-in-Law and me

My sweet cousin after reading the letter I wrote her. She couldn't stop crying :)

Two of my very favorite friends!
Two more of my very favorite friends!

Lori and me clowning! Love her dearly!

Wedding Week: Second Day in the Bayou

2010-11-18T00:20:00.000-08:00

Friday, October 15

Yep, another run was on our schedule. We woke up and ran down the beautiful NOLA Riverwalk down the long, powerful Mississippi. Nothing new for us though – we run down the Mississippi River all the time. It’s just two blocks from our house in Downtown Memphis, but to see the same river knowing we had just driven 400 miles… that’s an impressive body of water! We knew all friends and family would be coming in on this day, so we had to get moving fast to make sure we could equally spend time with everyone. We headed out to West New Orleans first thing to pick up all the guys’ tuxes, do a final tanning bed session, and stock up on champagne, wine, and snacks for our suite!

That afternoon was a dream! We worried ourselves sick before we left thinking: Who are we going to spend time with on what day? When are we going to have time? How are we going to split time evenly between 150 people? Are we going to have to split up… Tres go visit you family and Andrea go visit yours? But, I should have known… everything would work out, just like the entire weekend did! Our suite ended up being a hit, and I’m so glad we got it! Once we got back from running around, there was no need for us to go anywhere… in just a few minutes, we had at least 20 people in our suite – Tres friends, my family, some of Tres’ family – it was great! Soon after that, we found the time to visit with Tres’ dad’s side of the family, and then immediately after that, my family ran into Tres’ grandmother who they had been longing to meet… it was like one big, happy, accidental reunion! Everyone was so excited to be there and finally meet each other!

That night, we even had the time to go out with a big group of Tres’ friends and their wives (my newest girl friends! They have been my friends for years now, but I still refer to them as “my new girlfriends”… hehe!) Only a few of my friends had made it in town this day, but I’ll be darned if we did not accidentally run into them at La Feittes Blacksmith Shop! I was just hanging out and all of a sudden there was Erin (one of my bridesmaids), her husband Brandon, Tina, Zack, Corbett, and Justine. Corbett had traveled all the way from Oregon, so it was good to get to visit with her a day early. Running into them was just the craziest thing ever, and when I say this is EXACTLY how the entire weekend worked out, I mean this is EXACTLY HOW THE ENTIRE WEEKEND WORKED OUT! Everything was like a dream… unplanned, yet so easy! It was like there was this constant good luck cloud over mine and Tres’ head every single day leading up to the wedding. I can’t even out it into words… all I can do is describe the unbelievably terrific events that kept unexpectedly happening to us. And believe me, it only gets better. After all, this was only FRIDAY! We still had two more days before the wedding! (P.S. ANOTHER beautiful day! Not a cloud in the sky! It was like the closer we got to wedding day, the more the sun shined… we were so lucky all weekend!)

*** Here are some pictures from our crazy night on Bourbon! I wish I had more from throughout the day. I think my grandma took some family ones of all of us hanging out that afternoon, so I will have to hunt them down from her and add them :)

The Real Housewives of Memphis, Knoxville, and Atlanta!

Tasha, Holly, Me - Acme Oyster House It got pretty wild, and the video camera came out... I can't wait to see what we got on here. Yikes!
Nice shirt Mike! We thought his shirt and my purse were too funny!
Hurricane time on Bourbon!
The crew we ran into... my high school gals! Love them!

Wedding Week: First Day in the Bayou

2010-11-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

Thursday, October 14

We got up in time for a little run (nothing was stopping us from trying to be in the very best shape of all on our wedding day… even a few days before we will still at it). We knew we had a day of errands to run before friends and family started getting in town, so we got busy immediately! We started the day off by getting our marriage license. This was the first step to becoming an official married couple, and we were both about to pee our pants with nervous excitement! Getting a marriage license has to be the easiest thing I have ever done – I swear if dogs could talk, two of them could walk in and get a marriage license… it’s crazy! After that journey, we headed to our rehearsal dinner spot to make sure all our ducks were in a row, we talked with the event planner, and we checked out the magnificent room one more time… we were set to go! Late that afternoon, we had our rehearsal with Southern Oaks. We were done with everything else extra-early, so to kill time, we enjoyed the city – walking around listening to the ever-famous NOLA music, smelling the spicy food seeping through the walls of all the restaurants, and hoping in every bright-colored, silly shop we could find… got to love New Orleans! There’s never a dull moment!

Our rehearsal was interesting, and oh-so-perfect. In the many weddings I have been in over my lifetime, I decided Southern Oaks does the rehearsal in a way that makes a lot of sense: TO NOT HAVE ONE AT ALL! Yep, that’s right… no rehearsal! Let me explain… There actually is a rehearsal, but it’s for the bride and groom only. The beginning of the rehearsal was set up like a meeting. We spoke with our main wedding coordinator on everything… and I mean EVERYTHING – all the fine-print stuff from who would be standing where in the ceremony to the exact songs that would be playing in each part of the reception. After we were 100% confident with everything, our coordinator took us (just me and Tres) step by step through the ceremony. It was the perfect rehearsal… no need for bridesmaids and groomsmen (They would learn everything one hour before the wedding. May sound stressful, but it’s actually the most amazing, calm rehearsal I’ve ever been to.).That evening, we had a magnificent dinner at Jacques-Imos Cafe (word to the wise: if you ever visit NOLA go here... or else!!!). We went here with Tres’ mom, aunt, and a few of our good friends who came in early. It was a good wrap-up to a great day! P.S. I have never woken up to a more beautiful day… wow, could the sun have been shining any more perfectly? I prayed for it to continue!

Getting things organized in the suite

Walking around the French Quarter that day. This may have been the most still I have ever seen one of these Mannequin people. It was UNREAL!

Me and Tasha at dinner - Jacques-Imos

Wedding Week: Trip to the Bayou

2010-11-17T19:47:00.000-08:00

*** Note: Today is our ONE MONTH Anniversary as a married couple... wow! Time flies! So in honor of one month, I am FINALLY posting "Wedding Week" posts! Sorry for the delay... Enjoy :)

WEDNESDAY, October 13

We started our last day of work with a packed down car. Hint… when you get married out of town, be prepared to drive! For you brides who fly to your wedding destination with no problem, I praise you! I have no idea how we could have gotten married somewhere not close enough to drive! It was quite funny though, we took lots of pictures of ourselves leaving the house as a “single couple” and of our packed car (pictures below...haha), and headed to work for the day. We left work normal time: 5:00. It only takes about five and a half hours to drive to NOLA from Memphis, so we were in good shape, getting in just in time to get some much needed z’s. Much needed because we had both been up every night that week finishing up last minutes wedding details, packing, and preparing for Wedding Weekend! (P.S. The sun was shing down heavily on Memphis when we left… I hoped the same for New Orleans).

About to walk out the door and head to New Orleans... next time home, we'll be married!

In the car ready to go!

My sweet driver
Back seat... PACKED!

Trunk... PACKED!

I'm a Wife... Now What?

2010-11-11T01:08:00.000-08:00

When I said back at the beginning of October that I was officially OVER the wedding, I clearly was not kidding. Almost a month later, I have not blogged about the entire wedding weekend. Not that it wasn’t fantastic, perfect, or the most amazing time of my life, but “wedding” was my second job for over a year… I think I have subconsciously wanted to forget about it for awhile.

Not only have I not blogged about the wedding, but I have not gotten around to even LOOKING at the honeymoon pictures we took. If one more friend/family member asks me to post them on Facebook and I continue to forget, I may just have to forfeit my life as a Social Media Queen. Not sure why I even would refer to myself as that, considering the incompetence I have shown over the last month, but we have trucked it into married life on an open, speedy road. We have so much going on in our lives right now! I cannot begin to tell you the number of people who asked me before the wedding, “What in heaven’s sake are you going to do with your time when this is all over?” Oh, boy… what a question! I told them all that I could think of 100 things post-wedding to do with my time, but I didn’t know 1,000 would be on the agenda! Here are my “bad blogger” excuses…

Getting back to work after nearly two weeks off is cause for enough stress, but outside of work, I have been overly consumed with a few other aspects of life. One, I will start graduate school in January. I got accepted into the Journalism program at the University of Memphis, and I have been consumed with registration, choosing classes, and learning the process of becoming a student all over again (it’s been 4 years… I need to get back into the groove!)

Two, if it was a show, we would be at the beginning of HGTV’s “True Life: I’m Redecorating.” As a married couple, we will be residing in Tres’ condo in Downtown Memphis. He bought it just a few years ago, and it’s absolutely perfect, but we are about to make it perfectly “ours” with new furniture and décor! We have started shopping and getting ideas, but we are going to take our time with it.

And three… it’s about to be head-on, craziness in the travel category. It’s that time of year in the cheer world – competitions! So I will be all over the place in the next six months. Not to mention, THE EXCITEMENT of a few fun trips me and the hubby have planned. The weekend before Thanksgiving, we will be going to Chicago! Ekkk, I love that city and can’t wait to experience it all over again! And we just confirmed tonight a trip to ATLANTIS!!!! We will be traveling to the Bahamas for a quick weekend trip in March for a friend’s birthday! I’ve heard it’s fantastic, and I can’t wait to dip my feet into beautiful, tropical water again!

More blogging on school, redecorating, and travels to come… Until then, I PROMISE to be a better blogger and get the wedding weekend details up soon! See ya’ll soon with some WEDDING BLISS!

Wedding Photos... What a Blessing!

2010-11-01T01:28:00.000-07:00

WOW, WOW, WOW!!! Once again, my breath has been taken away by Armosa Studios! These photographers were an absolute gift for God. All the way from Florence, Alabama, we were lucky enough to have run across this wonderful couple that has talent that speaks perfectly through photos. Not only are they gifted, but they are also amazing people. I bet there isn’t one bride and groom they’ve worked with who they did not become friends with after their shoot. They not only have a talent that every bride longs for to be treasured in the scrapbooks of her wedding, but they are easy going, fun to work with, and they have a love for each other that is so evident when you’re around them. The mere fact that they “love love,” is more than enough reason to want them to take your wedding photos; add their matchless talent in there, and you have the BEST WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS in the world! Thank you Tera and Wes for being dream photographers. Because of you guys, for the rest of our lives, a photo album can be opened, and we can relive the best day of our lives all over again!

Below are some of my favorite photos Armosa took of us, but there are more on their blog that can be seen from our special day! See the Sneak Peak here: http://armosastudios.com/2010/10/30/tres-andrea-new-orleans-la/

Sneak Peek

2010-10-25T22:52:00.000-07:00

When you begin planning a wedding, you picture what it will be like in your head a million times. You never think the day will come when “your day” will finally arrive. After all those predictions, visions, and dreams, it comes… and then it’s over. And then a bigger day comes – a day way larger than the wedding day that you dreamed of for your entire engagement period – the day you are home and MARRIED! After all the bliss of planning, the brunches, the rehearsal dinner, the wedding day, and the honeymoon, the day comes when you are back home, back to reality, and MARRIED! :)

This is the day I am experiencing now. This is the day that after all those daydreams I never once imagined in my head. And this is the day I am happier than ever. I am married to my best friend and there is much more to think about together that doesn’t deal with formal attire, flowers, cakes, and ceremony music. We are now a family. We have begun our lives together, and more than wedding planning – we have a life to plan! And I look so forward to planning it with my sweet groom!

I plan to get in depth with our entire New Orleans weekend – there is much to be shared. Until then, here are a few pictures that capture our day just perfectly. More to come...

Away We Go!

2010-10-12T02:15:00.000-07:00

Well, the time has come… the official “final countdown” is slowly fading away. With only three days left to go, Tres and I finished our last minute to-do list, lined our hall with boxes, suitcases, and everything we will need for the wedding weekend, and prepared to head here (read more about why we chose NOLA here):

Over a year of planning, and the time that I never thought would arrive is just around the corner! I can’t believe it, and I know Tres can’t either. We were up until 2am last night preparing for the trip, and we kept saying to each other over and over, “We’re getting married!” After planning an event so big for so long, you never think it will come, and when it finally does, it seems almost like a dream. We haven’t even made it to New Orleans yet, and the fuzzy clouds in my head have already started to form. I just know that this weekend will fly by, but I plan to stop every hour and take it all in… I don’t want to miss out on this moment. I want to freeze time this weekend – make it go by as slow as possible. Please Lord, don’t let this weekend be a blur… let me savor every moment, let time stand still as much as possible, and let me take every second of it in!

We have a full week planned with Thursday and Friday being our “run-around” days. We have to get our marriage license, meet with our venue, shop, take care of last minute details, and a million other things. Family and friends will also be arriving, so in between, we will be spending time with them. On Saturday morning, my family is throwing my girls and I a Bridesmaids Brunch, and that night is Rehearsal Dinner night! Then on Sunday, the best day of the year begins… WEDDING DAY. Here’s the gorgeous venue where we will be getting married on Sunday at 7:00pm (read more on our wedding venue here):

The funniest detail is that I keep forgetting that when it’s all over, we are going on vacation… With everything being wedding and New Orleans talk, this very important matter has slipped my mind a number of times. But on Tuesday, we will hop on a plane and head to the Pink Sand Beaches of Bermuda (read more on why we chose Bermuda here):

We will be gone a week and a half starting today, so I am now saying goodbye until then! I thank you all for following me through this planning process, and I hope the wedding pictures speak for the entire day, so I can share the best day of my life with all of you! Thank you for being a follower... I love writing, and the wedding will not be the end of this blog!

See you all soon!!!!! Until then… HAPPY WEDDING DAY TO ME AND TRES!!!!!!!

Images by: Virtual Tourist, Southern Oaks Plantation, and Eons

Music is in the Air!

2010-10-11T23:14:00.000-07:00

With only two days left to blog on the wedding, I just realized I never shared one of my favorite parts of the wedding with everyone: The MUSIC SELECTION! I knew before even thinking about planning a wedding that if I ever got married, walking down the aisle to "Here Comes the Bride" would never be my style. For the record, my mom despises that I am not walking down to that song, and I am pretty sure she hates the fact that I am not having “traditional” music for the ceremony, but I am a very non-traditional gal for the most part, and I had to convince her that my music selection would be beautiful! I think I got her to come around... a little bit! After I put much thought into it, Tres and I both sat down one day and discussed it, and we came up with a list that I think is unique, fun, and out of the ordinary!

Here’s a list of our Ceremony Music:

Seating of Mothers……. “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton (Instrumental Piano Version)

Bridesmaids’ Processional………….. “We’ve Got Tonight” by Bob Segar (Instrumental Piano Version)

Entrance (in horse and carriage) ….. “The Blower’s Daughter” by Damien Rice (Original Version)

Bride’s Processional……………. “Look After You” by The Fray (Instrumental Piano Version)

Recessional…………… “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure (Original Version)

I have to say, I LOVE OUR CEREMONY MUSIC! The instrumental Piano versions of these songs are beautiful, original, and there is still meaning behind each and every one of them. The Damien Rice song is perfect for a bride’s entrance. If you have never heard it - listen immediately… it’s lovely! And finally, being the 80’s gal I am, I HAD to throw The Cure in there! This song is upbeat and fun to end the ceremony, yet it’s still mild and not overly funky.

As far as our First Dance Songs… we had no idea what to do because we don’t have “a song.” We knew we wanted to do something original and sweet, yet unique and not so cookie cutter. As far as our Parent’s First Dance Songs… we let them do the picking! I played a big part in choosing my dad and my song (because I am obsessed with The Wizard of Oz), but I have always known this was one of his favorite songs. The song Tres’ mom chose is very sweet and appropriate for their first dance… I think there may be a few tears on this one.

Here’s our Reception “First Dance” Playlist:

Couple’s First Dance – “Wild Horses” by The Rolling Stones

Father/Daughter Dance – “Somewhere over the Rainbow” by Tony Bennett

Mother/Son Dance – “Come to Me” by Celine Dion

All in all, I think we did a great job with our music. We both like and appreciate music a lot so we wanted both the ceremony and reception list to be extra special. And speaking of the ceremony, we made a list of “Must Play” songs. We also made a general genre list of what kind of music we want to hear. It reads: Funk and Soul, Classics, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. Our don’t play list: NO RAP, and no country unless it’s on the play list. In just 4 short days, we will be dancing the night away and having a ball to great music!!! I can hardly wait!

Rehearsal Dinner and Bridesmaid Brunch Invites

2010-10-07T23:35:00.000-07:00

With the wedding so close, I am running out of things to say. And to be quite honest, I don’t have time to blog. I am a chicken with my head cut off right now and will be for the remainder of the weekend. So, instead of babbling about not much of anything, I will leave you with a few pictures of our final invitations.

The first one is the rehearsal dinner invite. Designed by the same gal who did the wedding invites, I wanted something French, New Orleans, classic, with a touch of vintage. I think she accomplished exactly what I was going for with these. And for the second invite pictures you will see… these are the Bridesmaid Brunch invitations. I wanted something simple, girly, and a design that still went along with my theme. I didn’t even realize the flower was in magnolia form until after I ordered it, so it actually turned out to be the perfect invite, going right along with my Southern-Magnolia themed wedding! So, here they are… the final invitations! Have a good weekend, everyone! I will enjoy my last weekend in Memphis for awhile… we leave for NOLA in 4 days!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

2010-10-04T17:35:00.000-07:00

I want to share a pet-peeve of mine:
Bringing a gift to a shower or wedding or sending a gift to a bride and groom, and not getting a Thank You card back in the proper amount of time. Even worse than that, Tres and I have sent gifts before and NEVER received a Thank You card at all! I am just completely perplexed by this. Mostly because a) I wonder if my $50-100 gift ever even made it to the person’s house and b) its rude, rude, rude!

Let me get this straight, I am no Princess Diana when it comes to class and am certainly no Emily Post when it comes to etiquette (although I secretly long to be), but I do know sending Thank You notes should be at the top of my list as a bride! As busy as we all get – especially when planning a wedding – it’s very easy to forget to write Thank You notes. I do understand that, and I don’t want to offend any past brides out there who have neglected sending out their Thank Yous in the appropriate amount of time after receiving gifts. This post is to merely express my thoughts on this subject and to warn future brides of the importance of these friendly little cards!

If anything, this tacky non-gesture from a number of people has made me very prompt with my Thank You card sending. And when I say, very prompt, I do mean I am a border-line Thank You card Nazi! Literally, after every single shower, I sat down the very next day and wrote out every single Thank You card – regardless of how many I had to address. Not to mention, every time a wedding gift has shown up at our door, I stop everything immediately after opening the gift and write a Thank You.

I am sharing this with everyone for a good reason: because I have done this, writing Thank Yous has been the easiest part of the entire wedding planning experience! I’ve heard horror stories of people waiting until after the wedding, having names piled high to send cards to, and it taking weeks to complete! I am so happy that I can confidently come home from my honeymoon without a permanently cramped hand, and our friends and family know immediately how appreciative we are of their gifts!

With that opinion now being expressed, I would like to move on and yell at the top of my lungs that we have 13 DAYS UNTIL WE GET MARRIED!!!! And exactly EIGHT days until we leave for New Orleans!!! We will be getting to the city early to get our marriage license, pay our remaining balances, and tie up all loose ends – I can’t wait!

I am taking every day in gratefully, and I have been so surprisingly calm the past week that it’s unreal. If you didn’t already know, I am usually worried and stressed and crazy beyond belief that everything has to always be “so-so” and “flawlessly perfect!” Well… not anymore. I miracle has come over my head, and I honestly DON’T CARE ANYMORE. I JUST DON’T CARE!!!!!! Maybe it’s because I have been planning this wedding for so long, and I am so ready for it to happen that I just could care less about anything more!

The best part is I have actually been sleeping and not waking up every two hours thinking about my to-do list. It could be that we really don’t have much to do anymore. We have very few tiny planning details left – mainly because we put a big X through a few of the big ones. Yep, you heard me right…. There are two things on our list that three months ago I would have lost my mind over if we didn’t get done, and guess what? This weekend, I happily joined my fiancé in placing big, huge, gigantic X through them because I JUST DON’T CARE, and I can’t express in written words how good it feels not to care about this wedding anymore :) I honestly feel like someone has slipped me a week-long activated Valium, and if I feel half this “free” on wedding day, I will be one happy bride! Moral of this post: Send out Thank You cards immediately no matter what the circumstances, and try not to be such a perfectionist about everything else because you will be a much happier bride if you don’t stress!

20. MORE. DAYS! Yikes!!!

2010-09-26T23:14:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow marks exactly 20 days until “the biggest day of our lives,” and I have clearly been overly consumed with tying up the odds and ends of preparation. I have become a horrible blogger, and the worst part about it is, I told myself that a month prior to the wedding I would start blogging more than ever. Unfortunately, time has just not permitted me to do that; however, I have so much to share with everyone, and in the next 20 days, I hope to become a more avid, dedicated blogger!

A very excited face... this is how I feel about getting married in 20 days!

I have discovered in the last two weeks that as a bride, the last month is the most stressful, crucial part of the planning process. No matter how early you plan and how much you get knocked out in the first several months of a year-long planned wedding, you will still have more to do in the last month than you ever thought possible. I used to question the sanity of my friends who decided to get married three to six months after an engagement. I always thought, ‘what’s the rush?’ Well, the rush is simply getting it over with!!! Tres and I have enjoyed every second of our 13-month engagement, but there have been more times than one when we have looked at each other and said, ‘I wish we would have done this months ago.’ ‘I wish we were married now.’

For an engaged couple, time flies so quickly, and when you have over a year to plan, you don’t think about the morning you will wake up and it’s 20 days until your wedding – because you never actually thought the day would come. For brides who only have 90 days to plan, they are, for three months, thinking about everything they must get done, and their ideas don’t just sit inside their brains with zero action taken – these brides get busy!!! Not to mention, when you have a year to plan, you have plenty of time to make decisions, change your mind, book vendors. At three months, there are no weighing 100 different options, once a decision is made, there’s no time to change it, and frankly, a lot of vendors are probably already booked up, so you have to just take what’s available. A year ago, being a “speedy bride” sounded like torture to me, but I currently think otherwise – although, I am almost 100% sure my perfectionism would have not permitted me to be a speedy bride!

Family: Grandmother, Mom, and Sister-In-Law

Speaking of perfect, last weekend, I attended the PERFECT shower thrown my six of my wonderful bridesmaids. My best college girlfriends: Ginger, Sara, Tracy, Amy Claire and my best high school friends: Stephanie and Erin, collaborate to throw me the most beautiful, perfect shower. All I did was come up with the theme: HATS, and the girls got to work! Here’s what I liked most about this fantastic shower:

1) The décor- Ginger thought up the color scheme and it turn out beautifully. I was overly impressed with the ambiance, the flowers, and the complete girlish theme! And Stephanie printed out several of our engagement pictures, framing them all in brown frames around the tables – it was the perfect touch!
2) The location- We had the shower in downtown Memphis at a restaurant that is actually in the same building I live in. Not only is did the restaurant set the theme to the shower flawlessly; it was convenient to be able to take the elevator straight upstairs to my condo to drop off all my great gifts!
3) The food – This restaurant’s food is superb, and Ginger and Stephanie did a great job picking out the menu. We were served a fruit plate, mouth watering chicken sandwiches, spinach dip, smoked salmon, and of course wine galore!
4) The cake – One look at the picture, and you might just melt! Not only did the cake taste fantastic, but it was the perfect piece of décor to the hats theme!

5) The outfits – EVERYONE WORE HATS… just as I hoped! It’s not every day in this era a gal can just get dolled up in a pretty dress and floppy hat and not get odd looks. I have to say, hats shower or not, we still got looked at peculiarly, but it was so much fun !
6) The gifts – Tres and I were given SO MUCH STUFF at this shower! I was truly shocked at how much we received from the friends and family there and how much was sent by those who could not make it! I have been crossing my fingers to get our china and am excited to say, we now have nearly half of it!
7) THE COMPANY – I am so grateful for everyone who came to the shower. My wonderful family was there, of course, as they are always so supportive! I had the majority of my bridesmaids there – some which traveled long distances to make it to the party! And I had friends there from college and high school who I had not seen in ages - not to mention two of my best co-worker friends! It was wonderful visiting with everyone!
8) THE HOSTS – My girls have been so considerate and supportive throughout my year engagement, and throwing this shower for me was just the icing on that beautiful little hat cake! The six girls who threw this shower for me have always been there for me, and I can honestly say, they will all be on my and Tres’ 50th Anniversary Party list when that day comes!
Everything is passing so quickly before my eyes… I’ve had my bachelorette party, I had my final shower last weekend, and the wedding is just weeks away. As a woman, you throw showers for your best friends, you go to their bachelorette parties, and you’re a bridesmaid in their weddings. For me, I never imagined any of that actually happening for myself. But several years later, someone has thrown showers for me; I’ve opened a number of gifts I will hopefully use for the rest of my life; I have dressed silly, danced a lot, and drank too much at my own bachelorette party in Chicago; and 20 days from now, I will put on a white dress and walk with 9 beautiful bridesmaids – some of which I have seen all of these same things happen to. These things have happened to me, and it’s all been a blur. I’m sure the wedding will be just the same, but the only matter is the commitment I will make on October 17! Here’s to brides and grooms around the world – may everyone who chooses to make that promise keep it forever!

1 Month to Go… 1 Shower left… 1 Bridesmaid Gift Down!

2010-09-17T01:13:00.000-07:00

Martha came over again... haha!

I have been overly busy, extremely stressed, and a horrible blogger – yes, I know. So with that being said, I am going to continue to be a horrible blogger and make this post really quick!

First things first – It’s September 17. Guess what that means? It means that in 30 short days I and the fiancé will be getting hitched. It honestly seems like just yesterday when theknot.com sent me a “12 Months to Go” update. Planning a wedding really is one way to make a year go by in a flash. I truly cannot believe Tres and I are to this point! So for all of you planning weddings out there: don’t think you have all the time in the world because a year is like a month in wedding planning time!

So you are probably thinking I am way behind in planning by the way I am expressing my feelings on “one more month left.” Actually, I am not THAT behind at all. Here’s the deal: All the big stuff is done, and it’s been done for awhile. But, we have so much little stuff that I had completely forgotten about that needs to be done that is constantly on my mind. It’s all stuff that is so minor that the show will go on regardless, but when it comes to stuff like this, I am a serious perfectionist – I make myself crazy that everything is proper etiquette, that people are going to love it, and that it makes me and Tres happy.
The girls' gift!!!

From welcome bags and the little, personalized treats I want to put in them to recording the CDs for our ceremony and first dance songs, to sending out the rehearsal dinner invites, to creating a song list for the reception, to having a final ceremony meeting with our minister, to purchasing Tres’ gift, to buying wine glasses for the wine ceremony, to making the “last phone calls” to finalize everything before the big day – I AM DYING OVER HERE! No joke people, I honestly can’t remember EVER a time in my life when I was this stressed out. I can’t stop thinking about the 100 things that need to be done, and when I say I can’t stop, I mean… CAN’T STOP. It’s all I think about, my mind races all day, when I go to bed at night I fall asleep thinking about what I need to get done the next day, when I sleep I dream about wedding details, and for the past two nights, I have woken up at 4:00 am and laid there awake for two hours thinking about everything. Horrible, I know, and if I don’t stop I honestly think I may have an anxiety attack because I have felt one come on a few times! I know I am being ridiculous because no matter what happens, we will still get married, and it will still be wonderful, but if I can make it perfect, I am certainly going to try!

The worst part is I am completely responsible for driving Tres mad. Before we ever got engaged, he told me the scariest part about getting engaged to him was that your entire relationship becomes “about the wedding.” Because he said that, for this entire year, I have kept my mouth shut and ONLY brought up wedding stuff when absolutely necessary. But now? Oh no…. not anymore! The wedding is ALL I talk about, and not because I WANT to (I’m actually 100% over it, and wish we would have gone to the court house… seriously), but because I HAVE to!

So this weekend, I plan to take a little break. Tres is out of town, and my best friends are throwing me a wedding shower! It will be a total girls’ weekend, and I can’t wait! I am hanging out with my parents tonight; getting up early in the morning for a full-spa day (alone) at The Peabody Hotel – getting a massage, mani, pedi, having lunch at the spa… the works; going to get my makeup done; then having a blast with my girls, family, and friends at the shower! It should be lots of fun, as the theme for the shower is “hats.” We will be totally decked out Kentucky Derby style in fun dresses and huge hats – how “southern” are we?!
All NINE of them!!!! I love all my girls!

As far as the pictures you see in this post –ARE THE GIFTS TO MY BRIDESMAIDS! Yes, of course this “shoegal” is giving her bridesmaids shoes as a present. They are gold to go with their pretty pink dresses for the "pink and gold southern-vintage theme!" I debated and debated on giving the girls their presents before the wedding, but after much thought, I thought it would be best for them to have the shoes to get fitted for their dresses. Lucky for them, I have another gift to give them at the Bridesmaids Luncheon the day before the wedding, so they won’t be completely deprived! And as you can see, Martha Stewart came back to my house this week and wrapped the presents. Since the shower colors are blue and red, I went with a matching look for their gifts, as I will give them the presents at the shower! Haha… I love getting crafty! I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend! And for those brides out there… God bless you and your plans! Get them done SOONER than later!

Happy Engagement Anniversary!

2010-09-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

I honestly can’t believe it… exactly a month ago today, Tres got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife! We were visiting beautiful San Francisco and had just returned from Napa Valley where we toured and tasted several wineries… it was truly the best place he could have asked me to marry him! Not to mention, the best time in our lives!

For so long, I never saw myself as the marrying type. I never thought I would find a man worth marrying, honestly. I just never made getting married a priority in my life. I never saw marriage as a goal in life or some sort of place on a timeline… I saw it as something that may happen to me one day, but maybe not. After meeting Tres and talking to him about it, he said always felt the same way. He, too, never imagined himself the marrying type, yet two years later, we both decided we were definitely the “marrying type” – we just hadn’t found the right person yet, and that’s when our beautiful engagement happened!

We took our time throughout our relationship – making sure there were no hidden issues or problems that would one day sneak up on us in life! There’s no doubt that two people that get along and respect each other the way that we do are meant to be together – no snags or rips in this relationship… at least not yet. I know we will run into the occasional thread coming out or button falling off, but I refuse to ever let what we have now get ripped to shreds. I am confident that this relationship is a timeless piece of Chanel clothing that will forever be intact!
In a mere SIX WEEKS, Tres will be standing at the altar waiting to take my hand, and I will be more than excited to give it to him – forever! We are both so blessed, and I know God will bless us in marriage for life! If you haven’t read our engagement story – here it is… my VERY FIRST POST EVER!

Invitations… Just Call Me Martha!

2010-08-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

After lack of sleep, a week-long headache, and a destroyed living room floor (yes, again), the invitations have been sent out! All those terrible comments you see above… I have to say, I think it was worth it once I had the finished product, but it didn’t seem that way when I first started them!
You may remember hearing me say I was doing pocketfold invites. I felt it necessary for my invitations to be “different” (in case you haven’t noticed… this is a common theme in my wedding). Since I have never received or known anyone to receive pocketfold invites, I thought this would be my one-of-a-kind strategy. Well, in almost a year, I think pocketfolds have taken over the world. While I have still not received one, I have many friends who have, and I am officially seeing them all over magazines, in books, and of course on the www!

To make a long story short, I put my foot down on the pocketfolds and started searching for something more unique. I knew it may entail a little “arts and crafts,” but you can ask my fiancé any ole day, and he will tell you I think I am the arts and crafts queen! You will never see this lady get her hands dirty for anything UNLESS it includes cardstock, glue, tape, glitter, confetti, paint… you name it, and I will attempt to craft it. And believe me, my hands aren’t the only thing getting dirty; the floor and whatever garment of clothing I have on usually jump in the mix as well. Glue covered hands, paint on my pants, and glitter stuck in every crevice on the hard wood floors… nothing stops me from crafting! I have crafted for just about everything including parties, showers, birthday gifts, and most recently, my wedding. If I see something that I want, I am convinced I can make it better than what’s available for purchase, and believe me, I always try!
Do I always succeed? Well, that is questionable. I succeed in staying up late, getting frustrated, huffing, puffing, pouting, and sometimes even throwing the current craft across the room. Not to mention the looks I get from my fiancé and the same comments I hear over and over: “I told you to just buy it….” “No the tissue paper is not too crinkled.” "Yes, it's centered." “Please stop freaking out… everything looks fine!” “Don’t get mad at me because they didn’t turn out the way you hoped…” “Why do your torture yourself like this… please GO BUY IT!”
So WHY do I do it? WHY do I torture myself and my fiancé? WHY do I not just buy it? Why in Heaven’s name do I think I’m Martha Stewart? Because once the letters are centered, the cuts are straight down the middle, the glue is dry, and everything is picture-perfect, I get so very proud of myself. No, I don’t think I am blessed with artsy ability (I actually don’t think I’m very good at all), but I do think I subconsciously have a passion for arts and crafts, and by goodness I try REALLY HARD! What takes me weeks could probably take an art or graphics expert one night, but I hang in there so I can smile at how pretty I made something look when it’s all over!
Here I have posted my recent “work of art” so I can smile now at the beauties and in later years look back remembering how hard I worked on them and how flawlessly they capture the theme of our wedding ! Here’s a breakdown of how they were made:

- My friend, old co-worker, and very talented graphic designer (who, by the way, just got her dream job designing wedding invitations at a well known stationary place in Memphis) should be credited with the look of these invites – she designed them perfectly to match the Southern-Vintage theme! I honestly don’t think anyone could have come up with anything better!

- Yes, I made the lace envelopes. And YES, I am beyond proud of how beautiful they turned out. After I found the idea on the Martha Stewart Weddings website, the pocketfold idea flew out the window, hit the road, and turned into roadkill – I was so over it! I bought ivory doilies online (it took some serious searching for the perfect size and color), bought several packs of glue sticks, and got to work! I folded my little hiney off for weeks!

- I bought the gold “matting” at cardsandpockets.com. I glued them to each invitation just to give it a little something extra. Plus, the wedding colors are pink, gold, and champagne, and gold was missing, so I had to spark it up a bit!

- I also bought the pink envelopes from cardsandpockets.com. Tres gets ALL the credit for printing the envelopes. He created a spreadsheet that made the printing process quick and easy. Not to mention, he figured out how to print the return address on the back.
***I have to mention this… maybe I waited until the last minute to do these invites, but I had every intention of doing the calligraphy myself for the envelopes. I had figured out a way to address every single one of these out by hand and still make it look like professional calligraphy, but after folding nearly 200 doilies and gluing nearly 200 gold mats to invites, I let that idea join the pocketfold one as roadkill. I wasn’t even going to ATTEMPT to do it. And if you think printing addresses opposed to writing them on wedding invites is tacky, too bad. I’m living in 2010, and Ben Franklin will not be receiving one of my wedding invites any time soon! Same goes for the "RSVP to email" and "Adults Reception Only" printed on the RSVP card. A) I prefer email and would rather use modern technology to keep up with names opposed to trying to keep up with 200 RSVP cards and B) I don't agree with children being at weddings. Period. So, for these little tweeks, please don't call us tacky... call us modern!

- Finally, we did the ever-famous “stuffing” of the envelopes, which by the way, turned into a disaster and resulted into my head spinning around like Linda Blair in The Exorcist because I had folded the doilies too tight, so none of the invites fit into them!!!! I think Tres thought he was going to have to call a priest for an exorcism because I really almost lost it. I was so tired, it was so late, and the stinkin’ envelopes were too small! Luckily, I own a paper cutter, so instead of letting the demon in me come out, I turned into an angel and got to cutting. One more step I had to throw in there, but whatever!

I have to throw in this post what a big help Tres was during this project! He never helps me with my crafts, but he got down on his hands and knees and got crafty with me this time… all in the name of our wedding! Thank you, wonderful fiancé… I love you so much!

Invitations… I Hate You

2010-08-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

That’s all…

More on this next week after they have been sent out, and I am bald in several places from pulling my hair out.

For the Love of our Engagement Pictures!

2010-08-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

As you are all VERY aware, I am border-line obsessed with our photographers! After I sought them out and saw their work, I didn’t care where they were from… I had to have them for our wedding! We are lucky enough to have found some of the best photographers in the southern region of the country – and quite possibly the U.S., as they travel nationally and internationally to shoot weddings!

You may have saw the blog I posted months ago of the pictures our photogs posted on their blog:

http://asouthernkindoflove.blogspot.com/2010/07/engagement-pictures-amazing.html

These were their favorites and many on that list were some of our favorites, but we finally got ALL of them back! Here are our favorites not included on my last blog post. Forgive me… there are a lot! Thanks again, Armosa Studios! We can’t wait for the wedding!

Laughing over Spilled Salt… because it’s my BACHELORETTE PARTY!

2010-08-15T02:12:00.000-07:00

I have to say… bad luck was the theme of my bachelorette party. I am telling you , a black cat must have crossed the road without us seeing or one of the girls must have knocked over the biggest salt shaker obtainable before we left because we have stories that you would not even believe me if I told you. I thought for a minute someone was playing a sick joke on us and at any point was going to whip out a Candid Camera and start laughing, but not even the worst of luck could ruin a girl’s trip to Chicago!

I know, I totally started this post off on the negative side, but to redeem myself I refuse to speak of any of the negatives. It indeed all happened, but since more good happened than bad, I am only going to speak of the good. I plan to leave everything horrible out (although most of you would get good laughs over it all). I will ONLY speak of the positive from this trip. Those bad things… I will leave as memories between me and my girls – no need to spread negativity around. Haha!

So, here it all is… The GOOD, the MAGNIFICENT, and the FABULOUS of Andrea’s 2010 Bachelorette Trip: Chicago, IL!

Day #1
Since I am leaving the negative out, I will avoid the traffic topic and start with walking into our AMAZING suite. Ok, words (only pictures) cannot describe this place. We stayed at the Marriott Magnificent Mile, and I have to say, as an avid Marriott visitor, they really outdid themselves on this one. The theme of the hotel is very retro, chic, and fun – perfect for a bachelorette party. Our suite was the Governor’s Suite on the 46th floor. Stepping inside it was like stepping into the modern-day 70’s. It can be best compared to gangster Ace and crazy Ginger’s house from the movie Casino – a mobster could have walked in at any minute and I would have felt it appropriate! What set it apart though was the view – we could see half of Chicago AND Lake Michigan… amazing!

Living Room Area

Our View!!!! No Joke!

King Room - My room!

So after we got settled in, we headed to lunch at 4:00. Yes, 4:00 lunch… I don’t want to talk about it. At this point, all a girl could ever want was a big ole drink. I chose champagne and the festivities began! Our lunch ended up being perfectly yummy, and it gave a few of the girls who didn’t know each other yet a chance to get to know each other.

Let me talk for a minute about the ladies that were there…
I will start with my college friends who you will most often hear me refer to as “the girls” – Ginger, Sara, Tracy, and Amy Claire. We all went to college together, all were Phi Mus together, and although we don’t live in the same cities, we have a tight, inseparable bond that brings us back together on at least one girl’s trip a year. We really make it a big point to all get together as much as possible each year – I really consider these girls my best friends, the ones that I will still be going on girls trips with when I’m 80.
Then you have my most recent best friend who I like to call my “later in life friend,” Lori. Tres brought me to Lori, and I tell her all the time she is just one of the many blessings Tres brought to me. See, Tres and Trevor are best friends, and Lori is Trevor’s wife. They have become the couple we love to hang out with, love to travel with, and just love to be with any chance we get! And did I mention Tres and I are Godparents… to their little one Saxon Rex (I will have to do a whole separate post on him one day… his 1st birthday is coming up, so that may be the perfect time to post about him).
And finally, there is Cristen, who I call my “work BFF.” I remember leaving college and telling my mom, “I will never, ever have friends as great as the ones from college.” She said, “Yes you will. You will make them at work.” I didn’t believe her, but then I met Cristen – she is the best friend at work for me, and we have loads of fun together! By the end of the trip, you could not have been able to tell who had been friends longer. A lot of times, bachelorette parties can be awkward because girls don’t always mesh well together, but in this case, Cristen and Lori were asking when our next “girls’ trip” was so they could join us!

The bonding all started after lunch when we got back to the suite to find a special note, chocolate covered strawberries, and three bottles of champagne delivered from Tres and Trevor. We also got a call to the suite, telling us that we were only supposed to have one of the connecting extra bedrooms to the suite, as we only paid for one (the concierge had let us in both rooms). With some convincing from Lori and her Marriott perks, they agreed to let us have BOTH rooms – this meant we each had our own bed! Ok, so maybe there WAS some good luck on the trip!

Thanks Tres and Trevor - We have such thoughtful men :)

After our treat from Tres and Trevor and being granted a THIRD room to the suite, we were all screaming in delight, and with that, the first cork got popped and the party got started! While drinking the delicious champagne, we cranked up the Madonna music and got ready for our themed “Madonna Night.” We were Madonna’s Hit List on this night. We had Lori as “Borderline” Madonna, Cristen as “Material Girl” Madonna, Amy Claire as “Into the Groove” Madonna, Sara as “Papa Don’t Preach” Madonna, Ginger as “Lucky Star” Madonna, Tracy as “Open Your Heart to Me” Madonna, and me as the infamous “Vogue” Madonna! See if you can tell who is who in the pictures… most of us looked IDENTICAL to the music video or concert!

Cristen (Material Girl) and Lori (Borderline)

Amy Claire (Into the Groove) and Sara (Papa Don't Preach)

Tracy (Open Your Heart to Me) and Me (Vogue)

Cristen, Me, and Ginger (Lucky Star)

After the sunset, we headed to Navy Pier to see the 80’s band, Sixteen Candles. As soon as we stepped foot out of our cab, what was as close to the paparazzi that any of us will ever get to began. I have never seen anything like it… seven simple gals dressed as Madonnas, and 80’s freaks were coming out of the woodworks! As if we weren’t late enough to the concert, it took nearly 30 minutes to walk 10 feet because someone wanted to take our picture or get a picture with us – I was ready for someone to ask me to sign something. Ginger had some guy hiding behind the bushes taking pictures of her as she went into the bathroom - it was crazy! The concert was a blast! We got at the very front of the stage, and the band and hosts recognized us as the “group of Madonnas.” That lead to more people recognizing us, hence more picture snapping. Once our heads had grown as big as the pier, we finally had to get out of there and go eat! The late-night pizza spot we chose, Lou Malnati’s, stayed open for us even though they were closing when we rolled up… I’m convinced it was our Southern accents that kept the doors open. Whatever it was, we got to experience the one of a kind Chicago Pizza, and it was magnifico!

At the 80's Concert after being mobbed by fans... haha!

Pouty-butt... the end of the night put me in a pouty, pouty mood!

They were having a great time though :)

Day #2
We managed to roll out of bed just in time for our 11:00 brunch reservations at Bin 36. Ginger discovered this place from a friend she has from Chicago, and after the experience, I was so grateful for the suggestion! This may have been my favorite part of the trip. First, because anyone who knows me knows I am a wine-tasting fanatic, and this place is centered around their wine, champagne, and mimosa flights. Second, the décor of this place was so beautiful and winery-like. I felt like I was back at one of my favorite Napa wineries. And third, this was a point in the trip when I felt like all seven of us had been friends for a lifetime. We had great conversation, and it was just one of those fun girl-times that you have with a group of women who are all busy with marriage, kids, and jobs, but deep down, you know they all stopped their busy lives for just a minute to get together with girlfriends. That’s what true friendship is all about, and here at Bin 36, I was grateful!

Us and all our "flights" at Bin 36

One mimosa/champagne flight in, and we were all border-line intoxicated again, so we headed to Starbucks after our amazing brunch. We were complete Chicago tourists the rest of the day stopping at Millennium Park, “the bean,” the magnificent malls and stores on the Magnificent Mile, and even the movie set of Transformers 3! Believe me, I am no Transformers fan (could have totally done without seeing the first one), but I have never, not even in LA or NYC, seen the set of an actual movie set up right in the middle of a street! It was seriously one of the coolest things we saw all weekend, and we didn’t even expect to see it! We were just walking along, until some guy started yelling at people to “clear the way,” “stop taking pictures,” “move along…,” until we realized we were right in front of the movie set. There were turned over cars, wrecked taxis, burned up buses, and even a huge piece of brick that had supposedly fallen from the top of one of the buildings. It was quite a sight!

Set of Transformers 3... awesome!

Back at the hotel, we lounged on our fabulous furniture and chit-chatted for awhile. Leave it up to me and Lori, and soon another bottle of bubbly was cracked open, and then we were on our way to getting ready for another fun night! The girls threw me a lingerie shower in the suite that was of course lots of fun! More champagne down, and we started our night out on the town. We started the night on the rooftop of Zed 451 where we had drinks and appetizers. We ended up with our own private section indoors, so this was another fun girl-time bonding experience. After Zed, some of the girls had to run back to the hotel, so I insisted on ordering the famous “honey beer” in the Marriott lobby. Apparently, they brew their own beer, so I had to have a taste.

Across the street, we walked to where our dinner reservations were at Joes Stonecrab. We were so excited about this place, as it’s supposed to be one of the best fine dining experiences in the country. Hummm… since I am leaving negativity out of this post, I will just say this… thank God all wine is good because that was the only good thing that touched my lips at Joe’s. Sorry, but I have been to countless better restaurants than that. On a good note, me and the girls had a blast while we were there, bad food and all.
Our next and supposed last stop was the upscale, lavish hotspot, Enclave. We knew nothing about this bar aside from being out-of-towners reading reviews, but it turned into the highlight of the night. Let me explain… first of all, Sara found out her good friend’s roommate worked at this place, so she made a phone call before we went. Next thing we knew, the doorman was lifting up closed off ropes and leading us through the back door of this place. There was a line out front wrapped around this place with people dying to get in, and we were getting snuck through the back door (like I said… there WAS some good luck on this trip). Secondly, the doorman says to us, “I have you guys seated to the richest guys in the bar… they plan to take care of your drinks all night.” WHAT?!?! I mean, we had reserved a table for ourselves… we had planned to get bottle service all along, but now all of a sudden, we were getting bottle after bottle of $500 Grey Goose. Like I told the girls… I’m not gonna talk to these guys or have anything to do with them, but if they want to show us special treatment, I am A-Ok with that (Plus, I told Tres all about it anyway... I don't think he minded that we didn't have to pay for anything!) This is where the single gal of the group came in… thank you Amy Claire for entertaining these people enough that we didn’t spend a dime all night. That’s what single friends are for, right?! To still get the married gals hooked up with free drinks… haha! We still have no idea why this bar gave us such special treatment, but we think Sara's friend had something to do with it, so thank you to Sara too! The party went from Enclave, to a limo, to a random, creepy bar that we got the heck out of, to us being home and laughing our butts off at how our “crappy, bad luck” turned into jewels in the end! It was quite the wrap-up to a heck of a bachelorette party!

At our table!

The spread!

Day #3 consisted of packing up, leaving our incredible suite, eating lunch at Cosi, and everyone going their separate ways. When all was said and done, we learned that spilled salt, broken mirrors, and black cats don’t always mean bad luck – heck, I don’t recall any of us running into those superstitions … we just ran into a few problems. At the beginning of the trip, the troubles seemed never-ending, but in the end, our luck went from a High Card to a Straight Flush, resulting in one of the best trips ever! Thank you so much to my best girls – the ones who came to Chicago with me and celebrated the very best time of my life, me becoming a wife! Even through the Bridezilla moments I had on the trip (and the ones they had back to me… Tracy at Lou Malnati’s. Haha. Oh so typical.), they smiled, stuck through, and had a great time! I am so grateful for each of you and look forward to you standing beside me on the big day! I love you all very much!