E's Bridal Shower

I had the most wonderful afternoon yesterday!

Heidi and Gina, my bridesmaids, hosted a lovely shower for me at the Fox & Hound in Quincy, MA. They did such an amazing job planning the afternoon and even managed to keep a few surprises from me! Gina made the beautiful invitations and Heidi hand-stamped about a million adorable recipe cards which they sent out for people to share special recipes. Then they compiled the recipes into a pretty album for JC & I to keep! The favors were cute "love spoons" that measure "a pinch of joy", "a dash of tenderness" and other fun cooking measures. A perfect theme for JC & I.

It was so nice to be surrounded by my female family and friends who are so truly happy for me. I'm not very good at being the center of attention but I felt more like I was just hanging out with people I love and care about. Although it was fun opening my gifts...who doesn't love that?? J

I think the last time I opened a bunch of gifts for an audience I was 10 years old and excited about a new softball glove. Wow, how things change when you get older...

Engagement Shoot Part 1: Prep

JC & I had our engagement shoot this weekend with our fabulous photog team of Justin & Mary Marantz. I'm not really comfortable posing in front of the camera, so I was a little nervous and needed an entire morning to prep. What should I wear? I don't have a clue what to do with makeup...should I get it done? JC will be upset if I look like a clown!

Fortunately, I had my own little wardrobe and style team in my good friends Jen & Rachel, who came over to help me get ready! Jen even made a makeup appointment and came with me to be "the mean one" in case I had a hard time telling the lady I wasn't happy. So while JC bottled half of our wedding beer and did 10 loads of laundry (finally!), I sat in our bedroom drying my hair while Jen & Rachel discussed the merits of "simple and classic" versus "glamorous and dramatic." Fortunately, they decided that I'm the more simple & classic type so outfits, shoes, and accessories were carefully picked to help me look my best. J

Then it was off to Bobbi Brown for my first ever makeup application! Not as scary as I had imagined, thankfully. And I had Jen there as a reference point for how my face was transforming. Pursed lips meant she was unsure of a certain application or look, the smile and nod meant approval. And an "Oh! That looks amazing!" meant I needed to buy that product. These are the rules and they are firm.

Wedding Homework?

JC & I knew that planning our wedding would be a lot of work (I mean fun), but we didn't realize that we'd actually have homework assignments.  Our super fun photographer team, Justin & Mary Marantz, gave us a "little survey" to fill out which would help them get to know us better before our engagement shoot.  It's 4 pages. Right, four pages.

Between my crazy work schedule and JC's stupid (oops, did I say that out loud?) travel schedule, we have what feels like a few precious hours a month together these days.  Needless to say, we found lots of other things to do than fill out a million questions in writing.  When we couldn't procrastinate any longer, JC & I finally sat down on the couch with a pen to do our assignment.

A bit of advice for everyone: find 5 minutes to tell your loved ones why you love them.  Just 3 good reasons will do.  That was just one of the questions on our survey, but you can't imagine how good it feels to hear why the love of your life loves you. J

We spent a couple hours finishing the survey (while we watched the Red Sox on tv) but we cruised through most of the questions.  I'm convinced Justin & Mary are relationship geniuses.  Not only are they a great duo, but they spend much of their time capturing the best of other couples on film.

I have to say, this experience was one of the more fun parts of the planning process.  It was really nice spending a little time focusing on the "Why" JC & I are getting married, not just the "How"!