#7: JCrew Does Bridesmaids Well

#6: A Vintage Verisimilitude

I have to say that I really gravitate toward the 50s vintage tea-length dresses... There's something sassy and modern about them, and they're a little less busty to boot. I really dig all four of these dresses... perhaps I was wrong when I thought it would be a nightmare trying to find something I would like to wear... maybe it'll be harder to choose just one!

#5: To Dream The Impossible Dream

Well, Havana 59 just got back to me with their reception prices... Good news is they don't charge for space rental. Bad news is that in order to reserve the 2nd floor balcony, you have to sign a contract saying you'll spend at least $3000 -- BEFORE TAXES AND TIP. YIKES!!! It's not totally out of the picture, though - apparently they have a 3RD floor balcony, much smaller, with no minimum deposit required. Much assemble guest list asap to ascertain the existence of

the possibility...

#4: Theme Lookbook Part. 1

#3: The Edgar Allen Poe Museum

So I spent a day or two trolling das internet for potential ceremony sites, and we visited our #1 contender yesterday to see if it said "hitchspot..." We loved it. It's got character, visual appeal, privacy, and pizzaz! I'm waiting to hear back from their event coordinator, but if it's open I think it's a Go! Stay tuned...

#2: Ring(s)

This is the ring I got on the day we got engaged - October 15th, my 30th Birthday. After looking at blood diamonds galore we were getting a little discouraged so Charlie bought me a "placeholder" to take the pressure off until we could find the right one...

...And then a few days later we found this ring at Anthill Antiques, a mother-daughter-run antique store in Carytown... The ladies there were far less predatory than the drugged (observation based opinion) employees of the Big Business diamond dealers, and the ring is a vintage 1930s piece. I loves it.

#1: HitchBlog - This Is Going to Be Fun!

We've been engaged for a little over a week and I'm ready to start planning! We have about seven months to obsess over miniscule details and I've got a running start on things with the help of a few friends: Southern Weddings, Martha Stewart Weddings, Real Simple Weddings, Bowie Bride, Rock and Roll Bride...

Some may find all the hullabaloo silly, but I love planning parties, especially theme parties with parameters! (Also known as weddings.)

Here's what we're going to be working with:

1. We plan on spending less than half of the approximate "Average Budget Wedding Cost," numbers courtesy of Martha Stewart (which is $12,000! Augh!). That includes the honeymoon!

2. As the budget is small, the wedding/guest list/overall scale must be small.

3. People must travel.

4. We've "only" got seven months to plan this soiree.

I think we've got it. Let the planning begin.