Wedding Planning Weekend

As most of you know, I headed home last weekend for a crazy, whirlwind planning trip! I flew out Friday after work (and did I mention, there was a storm and I had to beg to get on a flight that left an hour and a half LATER than when I was supposed to leave? But American has cozy FREE blankets and those pillow things that fold up, so I forgave them) and we started the search bright and early Saturday morning.

Not having a particular emotional tie to the church we were members of when I was in high school, or the church my parents attend now, I went on a mad search to find the prettiest Methodist or Lutheran church in the DFW area. (I'm Methodist, Ben is Lutheran) Around 11 am, we found it. My mother tried to tell me, but when I saw it, it was absolutely breathtaking! The church I was baptized in, First United Methodist Fort Worth, stands proudly in downtown with a look that could rival the National Cathedral. With its beautifully detailed buttresses and shady, green courtyard, I was hooked before we even went inside. It is so majestic. It is the type of place you stand near and feel God's presence, at the risk of sounding cheesy.

Anyhow, after I'd decided that regardless of the lack of a return phonecall in the past two weeks from FUMC Fort Worth, I was getting married there no matter what, we headed to Stardust Celebrations in Plano to try on wedding dresses!!!

Now, of course I can't elaborate too much on the dress procedure because I'm a traditional girl and I don't want Ben to know ANYTHING about my dress before the wedding. But I will say...going somewhere with workers who know a lot about body type and wedding dresses really paid off. The first dress I tried on was the winner, and it wasn't anything like the dresses I had been flagging in the magazines.

What an exhausting day! With my birthday looming on the upcoming Tuesday, my parents wanted to take me out to celebrate, so after a 45 minute power nap, we were off to The Keg Steakhouse at the Highlands in Arlington. YUUUUMMM is all I can say! My cousin had her rehearsal dinner there a few weeks ago (the same weekend we got ENGAGED), so I had tasted the goods before, but this cooked-to-order steak, fresh piping hot bread, and whipped mashed potatoes was the best meal I had had in a long time. My filet mignon was also covered in blue cheese, a perfect companion to that wedding dress I had tried on earlier (not). But, come on, it was a birthday worth celebrating. I am officially closer to 30 than 20, and...

That sucks.

The next morning, not-so-bright-and-early, we woke up and headed to breakfast before going back to FUMC Fort Worth and sneaking in the door to find the wedding coordinator. We lucked out, and she was there! They can't book non-member weddings until 9 months out, so we have to wait until October to put down our deposit and get our date, which makes me nervous, but hey, if I get to get married in THAT church, it is worth the wait.

Here comes the fun part. Found the absolutely most perfectly wonderful place ever for my reception, but it's a bit pricey. Spent most of the afternoon pouting because need to find a way to get the absolutely most perfectly wonderful place ever for my reception to work with my budget. Haven't found a solution quite yet, but stopped pouting because at 5:30 was the appointment with...

The Cake Guys! What an awesome little boutique in Duncanville. These guys are talented, creative, and they make yummy cakes. This was hands down my dad's favorite part of the weekend and the best part was, it was all free! They give a discount if we get the contract back by Friday--delivery is free--so just putting the finishing touches on investigating the budget, and we'll know more!