Turkey Day

Eating, resting, eating, resting...playing card games. That was Thanksgiving. Here are the 3 boys hanging out.

I Found the One!

I found my wedding dress! And ironically, it was the very first dress I tried on 4-5 weeks ago. Go figure! Of course I can't show a picture, but like they say, it's not what I thought I'd end up with and you can just feel it when it's the right one. Sporting the veil, tiara and even a fake bouquet, it just felt right! YEAH ME!!!!

Cincy's Bridal District

So now that it's finally my turn as bride to be finding her dress, the trip to Cincinnati bridal district wasn't a successful one. After just getting back from Stephanie and Austin's wedding in Jamaica the night before (I'll write about that in my next posting), my mom and I drove sleepy-eyed to Cincy in hopes of THE dress. Since we were down there already, we swung by my favorite store IKEA for lunch and a few small things. You can never leave empty handed! And of course we had to stop by Jeffersonville on the way home as a treat for enduring the long day. So needless to say, it was a day full of shopping.

The search continues...

Pre-Cana...Check!

We finished our 1 day pre-cana at St. Mathews Church in Gahanna a few Saturdays ago. There were 70 couples in attendance. That's right, SEVENTY, 140 people there. Though it was a very long day, I think it was worth it. The day was really all about learning about your future spouse, from communication to family origins. My favorite part was talking 3 minutes straight with Fred's undivided attention and he wasn't allowed to say a word. THEN...he had to interpret what I said. He actually passed. :)

I also learned that I might be one very emotional bride when it comes to the real vows. I'm not a crier, so I was shocked when my eyes started slowly filling up with tears as we stood face to face, hand in hand while Fred repeated the pre-cana ceremony vows. I don't think I was even able to finish mine. Get the waterproof mascara ready!

Busy Bee

The search for THE dress has started. I found 2 dresses that I loved at Wendy's, but like always, I have to see everything that is out there. My appointment at Alan Ray wasn't as exciting and I'm hoping to take a trip to David's and then finally to bridal world in Cincy. I've been warned that it can take up to 8 months for the dress to come in, so my time to find the one will be limited. Stay tuned.

Entertainment Booked

This was also pretty much a no brainer. We booked Rob McDowell with Encore Entertainment for our music entertainment. Fred and I clicked with him right away when we met him and we think he will do a fabulous job keeping everyone entertained and make sure everything will flow smoothly at the reception.

Check! Another thing marked off the list.

Best Photographer Ever! And she's mine!

This posting is way past due since I booked our photographer the day I booked the Lakes and the church back in July. I wasn't about to let another bride take away something else from me. (Can you tell I'm still bitter about the church?) Ever since I saw Amy's photography (C Studios) from a friend's wedding we had attended a few years back, I knew she was the one. And it wasn't hard to convince Fred how incredible she was.

Not only is her work fabulous, but her personality and energy lights up the room. And she is one funny gal. Her blog is very entertaining and excites me to think of how our own pictures will turn out.

Back in the Game

I'm back in the planning full force. Now that we hit the 1 year mark, I gotta get cookin!
Stay tuned for a flurry of new posts!

Birthday Surprise

So the original plan my birthday night was to go to a nice dinner with Fredd and my parents. What a nice surprise to find our friends waiting at Cheese Cake Factory! Fred did it again that sneaky boy! He managed to coordinate a birthday dinner with our friends. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday dinner. :)

Flowers from Fred, Keagan & Kodey

Birthday Dinner

Isn't 30 the new 21?

Today I turn the big 3-0! But because of good genes, I don't look a day over 13! thank you mom!

Fred and I are having dinner with my parents at Cheesecake Factory tonight and the celebration with my brothers starts Saturday. We're flying out to Hoboken, NJ (Karl's new crib) early morning and taking a ferry tour of NYC during the day. Our celebration starts later in the evening at Stitch Bar & Lounge where they will comp all food and drink for our guests for the entire night! Happy birthday to us! I'll take advantage of the free food. Most of the guests are my brother's friends, but it should still be fun being with my two-thirds. :)

Sunday we'll probably walk around Hoboken and who knows, maybe I'll find myself in China town bargaining for a Gucci bag! Fred and I fly back Monday afternoon while Kirk and Karl drive home.

The celebration continues next weekend at my parent's. Tess & Gordon are throwing us a party just like the good ol days...pinata and all...(I'm too lazy to make a pinata, so scratch the pinata).

Thirties...here I come!

Planning Break

It has been a few weeks since I’ve posted anything. That’s because I’ve been on break! With the important things booked, I feel so relieved! I even booked our photographer the day I booked the church and the Lakes to make sure no one else would beat me to it! Darn brides!

I’ve signed the first official check for the wedding, one of many to come right?

Stay tuned!

We Set the Date!

After weeks of waiting, filled with both excitement and frustration, the date has been set! (apparently there are CRAZY brides out there who book venues 20 months in advance by choice!)

Friday, September 4, 2009
Ceremony: St. Joan of Arc


Reception: The Lakes Country Club in Westerville

Penn State Bound

Congratulations to Fred! He got accepted into Penn State's iMBA program starting Jan 2009.

We're both buckeyes, the Mawhinney's are wolverine fans and now we'll have a nittany lion! Can't get enough of the Big 10 I guess!

Yeah Fred!

Now we wait...

We are one step closer to being able to secure our wedding date. Fred's complete application was submitted Wednesday. Now we wait. The good news is that we won't have to wait too long. If Penn State is smart, they should be sending Fred an email tomorrow telling him they'd be happy to accept him!

Stay tuned!

Thirteen Visits and Counting

In just a week, my mom and I have become professional reception venue visitors, knowing what to ask, what to look for and being able to tell with one foot in the door if its a top 3 or X-nay. After realizing I've probably visited every type of venue in Columbus, I'm hoping the search will be over soon.

Here are my top 2 as of today:
1. St. Charles Prep School - Walters Commons


C Studios Photography

2. The Lakes Country Club





















Click here for more pictures

And the Planning Begins

After making my own planning binder with folder inserts and colorful tabs, the planning has officially started. I tried to ease into it, but I don't think there's such a thing. My lunches at work have turned into calling marathons. Monday alone, I booked 6 appointments for the upcoming week and still waiting on 3-4 return calls. Mad woman!


I know, I'm a nerd.

I've learned that this will probably be my least favorite part, all the not so fun nitty gritty details like rental fees, extra charges and the list goes on. Yeck! That's where my super organized friend Alicia and my mom step in. I'm hoping I'll just know its the right place when I step foot inside. At least I'm hoping it will be that easy.

Finally the Bride!

Walking down the aisle 8 times as a bridesmaid, it's now finally my turn to grace the aisle as the blushing bride!

After 6 years, 3 months and 15 days (but who's counting?) Fred asked me to marry him on May 29th.
It was an incredibly beautiful day outside and Fred convinced me to take the bears for a walk at our favorite park. After 10 minutes into the walk Fred needed to stretch his legs out on the bench. I thought it was a bit strange, but went with it. Thinking it was only going to be a few minutes, I finally sat down realizing it was going to take him a bit longer. I just remember holding the dogs, blabbing away...turned away and as soon as I turned back to Fred, he was on his knee presenting me the most beautiful ring I've ever seen. With no warning he ask "Amy, will you marry me?". In complete shock and after a few choice words, I said "Of course I will!"

We finished our walk with no interruptions and enjoyed the moment. The rest of the night was spent making rounds telling our family and friends.

The wait was definitely worth it!

Here are a few pics from the big day. Excuse my desheveled hair and park attire.

Fred on the phone with my grandma in the Phillipines.

Can't stop admiring my new ring!