View Full Version : Gretchen and Neil ~^..^~
Now that things are starting to fall into place for my wedding, I decided that it was time to finally start my journal.
How we met: Neil and I met playing the online game EverQuest in March 2002. He was selling an item that I wanted to buy for my character...ironically, it was a diamond wedding band. We started to spend a lot of time together playing the game. In August, it be***e very clear that we had feelings for one another. I wasn't sure that I wanted to be in a long distance relationship, but finally gave in and decided to give it a try. (Neil lived in England and I lived in Charlotte, NC when we met.)
The first "date": Neil flew to Charlotte a week before Christmas in 2002, a trip that had been planned in August. We were both very nervous when we met. We had dinner at Olive Garden before I dropped him off at the hotel. Still, there was definitely something there. We spent a lot of time together that week and formed a very strong connection. I was in love!
The second "date": After Neil left, we started working on plans for him to move to the US to attend college and be with me! But that was a slow process, so we decided that I would come and spend a month with him. Actually, that was my mom's idea. I was never really sure how she felt about me dating someone I met over the Internet, but she really showed her support for me here. I knew he was the one. In May 2003, I spent a month at his house in England.
The first move: In July 2003, Neil moved to Charlotte, NC to be with me and attend a nearby college for a two year transfer degree. This would give me time to finish my four year degree and then he could transfer to a film school. We have a nice one bedroom apartment and two kitties to entertain us. We still play video games (World of Warcraft now).
The engagement: In May 2005, Neil asked me to marry him. We decided to become enganged on a trip to New York after months of talking about marriage. At first, we used an heirloom wedding set from my mom, but he felt like it wasn't really from him. He said he felt like a fraud whenever anyone admired it. So, in June 2005, we bought a beautiful .64 carot pear shaped diamond solitaire from Diamond's Direct. (I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Diamond's Direct.) And that's when the wedding planning began!
Where we are now: We've lived together for nearly two years and I am so happy when I am with him. I graduated with my four year degree in business and he has been accepted to a film program in New York at Brooklyn College. We are planning a wedding for June 3, 2006 and planning a move to Brooklyn for August 15, 2005. And now the journal begins!
Marsha
07-12-2005, 08:33 AM
how wonderful!!! omg that is a nice story. I met my first love over the internet also and he was from london as well. I went and lived with him for 6 months(started out as one month lol) but it was the best romance i ever had.(besides the one im in now) Men from the UK are so different Keep us posted on wedding details!
I am getting married at a beautiful estate called Saratoga Springs. I can't believe how gorgeous it is there. I will have the estate for two days, both Friday and Saturday.
The house has seperate areas for both the bridal party and the groom's party to prepare for the wedding. The wrap around porch in the front is wonderful. There is a reception hall in a building to the back of the house and a lake with lights all around it. There is even a horse and carriage to give the bride a grand entrance and the newly married couple some time to themselves after the ceremony.
I just sent in my deposit on Friday and I can't wait to start planning everything with Tammy, the wedding coordinator and owner. I can just see everything so clearly. I am going to have an evening wedding and lots of candles at the reception. I'm so excited!
http://www.upstateweddingmall.com/SARATOGAtest.htm
I went to a bridal show this weekend thanks to a heads up by kg4eoh and met a photographer that I really liked. He works with his wife and they don't have hourly limits which made me really happy. Unfortunately, they were booked for my wedding date...which was just as well since the least expensive package they offered was $3600 and a bit out of my price range.
So I started to seach for another photographer and found one that I am really happy with. She doesn't have an hour or site limit, includes all proofs, negatives, and copyrights, and has a photography style that I really like. I called her and my wedding date was the only one she had left in June! It's like it was meant to work out this way. I am so excited. I am meeting with her on Monday to sign the contract. Oh, and did I mention that I can afford her! I can't wait to meet with her. She's done several weddings at the place I am getting married and had some great ideas...like using sparklers for the send off after the reception since it will be dark out. It sounds so beautiful! I'm glad that I found her.
Things that are meant to be will find a way.
www.middlegray.net
kg4eoh
07-13-2005, 01:38 PM
I went to a bridal show this weekend thanks to a heads up by kg4eoh and met a photographer that I really liked. He works with his wife and they don't have hourly limits which made me really happy. Unfortunately, they were booked for my wedding date...which was just as well since the least expensive package they offered was $3600 and a bit out of my price range.
So I started to seach for another photographer and found one that I am really happy with. She doesn't have an hour or site limit, includes all proofs, negatives, and copyrights, and has a photography style that I really like. I called her and my wedding date was the only one she had left in June! It's like it was meant to work out this way. I am so excited. I am meeting with her on Monday to sign the contract. Oh, and did I mention that I can afford her! I can't wait to meet with her. She's done several weddings at the place I am getting married and had some great ideas...like using sparklers for the send off after the reception since it will be dark out. It sounds so beautiful! I'm glad that I found her.
Things that are meant to be will find a way.
www.middlegray.net
I am so glad you posted this and pm'd me about this. Her prices are great for all you get....and no time limits....awesome!! I just emailed her too. I guess we will probably have the same photographer if my date is open with her.
While not quite related to my wedding, I had to post it anyway. We just bought new living room furniture for our apartment in New York. We decided that we wanted to buy a sleeper sofa since we won't have a second bedroom for our guests to use when they visit us and hotels are so expensive. (I am hoping a lot of our friends and family will visit us after we move. I'm going to miss my family so much!) We have been looking around at less expensive sets and I was almost ready to buy a really nice microfiber sleeper and reclining loveseat when I heard about a discontinued furniture sale not far from my apartment. We found a gorgeous sleeper and loveseat that are much higher quality for about the same price...and they are so soft and cushy to sit in. The only thing that I will miss is the reclining feature. Still, there is nothing more important when shopping for a living room set than having a comfy couch. And the set is named after me, so I had to buy it right?
Our New Sleeper (http://www.bernhardt.com/live/products/upholstery/detail.php?id=109)
This is the first big thing that we have bought together! Most of our other furniture was given to us or already owned by me. I'm so excited.
I've been waiting to post this since Monday, but I haven't been able to upload the pictures with my FH sitting next to me. I sent him out of the room because I just couldn't wait any longer. I love this dress.
The story: Monday my mom and I went to a local bridal shop (J Majors) to look at Maggie Sottero dresses. They had a wonderful selection and just let us look through them and pull out the ones we liked. We were the only ones there for part of the time and had a lot of help and attention from the staff. It was a wonderful experience. I think I tried on 10 dresses! We had actually picked out a couple that we liked and were going to go home and think about it, but decided to look through the Maggie Sottero books before we left. We asked about several dresses, but they didn't have them in the store. On a whim, I asked the salesperson if there were any other dresses that they had that she thought I would like based on what we had liked so far...and she pulled out three. The first one I tried on was THE dress. I didn't even try on the other two. We ordered the dress on the spot!
The dress: The dress is a Maggie Sottero dress made of chiffon. It feels so wonderful and seems lighter than organza (which I also like). It has a sweep train and is very simple with just a little bit of crystal beading on the bodice. The one I tried on is diamond white, but I ordered the dress in white.
Mariella (http://www.maggiesottero.com/catalog/window.php?161)
Can someone help me with actually showing the pictures instead of just posting the link? Thank you to everyone who helped me get these posted.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/khyaros/front.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/khyaros/corsetback.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/khyaros/withveil.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/khyaros/bustled.jpg
Kelly1Mickey
07-20-2005, 11:08 AM
Try using www.photobucket.com It is SUPER easy to use!
Marsha
07-20-2005, 11:22 AM
what id diamond white?
ca_dawson
07-20-2005, 11:35 AM
Beautiful dress! Love it! To get pictures to show upload onto photobucket and it will give you a URL address. When you go to post on the toolbar is a yellow box with a mountain in it (under the clipboard icon). hit this box and it will bring up a box where you can paste the URL you got from photobucket. That should do it! (Sorry for the detailed instructions if you already knew that. I didn't know how to do it, everyone was saying go to photobucket, but then what?! Someone finally gave me detailed instructions! Not trying to imply that you are dumb or anything, it's just that I was!) :p
ca_dawson
07-20-2005, 11:38 AM
what id diamond white?
Diamond white is not pure white, but not ivory. It's like a cross inbetween. You really can't tell that it's not pure white unless you put it up next to something pure white, it might look "dingy". I've heard it refered to as "candlelight". It's supposed to be better for skintones that would look washed out with pure white. Well, that's what I was told anyway! :p
SarahK
07-20-2005, 11:50 AM
I love Mariella.... its the 1st dress that I feel in love with when I started looking.
I chose the pure white over the diamond white because the house that I am getting married at is pure white, as is the arbor I will be standing in front of. With so many pictures having pure white in them, I didn't want diamond white because I was worried that it would have that dingy look. But as you can see in the pictures of me in the dress, you can't tell it isn't a pure white unless something pure white is held up next to it. (The veil in the picture is also diamond white.)
kg4eoh
07-20-2005, 03:08 PM
That dress is AWESOME!! It looks fabulous on you! I am so excited for you. I know how excited I was when I bought my dress. YEAH!!
I found a picture of a wedding cake and table that I absolutely love. I wish I could remember where I found it so that I could give credit where it is deserved, but I only saved it to my computer...so if anyone recognizes it let me know. I am not having a big wedding or reception so I am sure that this cake is much more than I need and will cost more as well, but it is beautiful. It is so romantic and will look wonderful at my evening dinner.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/khyaros/caketable2.jpg
I still haven't talked to anyone about cakes...or catering...or flowers. I have been so busy organizing my move to New York in two weeks! I can't believe that it is almost time for me to move. I still need to pack. The worst part is, I won't be able to plan a lot of my wedding. Once I leave, I will hand off most of it to my mom, who I love and who will do a wonderful job. But I really wanted to be here to plan everything, to meet with vendors, and pick out things for myself. I feel so rushed even though the actual wedding isn't until next June.
This is the only time I will be able to wear a veil and have a train and I know that the day is about the marriage, not the wedding, but that doesn't mean I don't want the wedding of my dreams. Its so special and takes so much planning that I really want to know that I will love everything about that day. I'm sure that I am just nervous because I am trying to do so much in the next two weeks, but right now I feel so overwhelmed that I want to cry.
My MOH hasn't called me back since she agreed to be in my wedding. The two other people I am asking to be my bridesmaids haven't gotten in touch with me to let me know when they will be home. I haven't asked them yet because I wanted to stop by their house and ask them in person and give them these cute cards I put together. (They are my cousins.) The person I would like to officiant my wedding and I are playing phone tag. We just can't seem to get in touch with each other. I hope he is able to do it. The family friend who I wanted to be my DJ is no longer in the business.
I'm sure all of this will work out, but right now it feels like so much. I just wanted to type it all out here to people who would understand what I am feeling.
kg4eoh
07-31-2005, 07:07 PM
I still haven't talked to anyone about cakes...or catering...or flowers. I have been so busy organizing my move to New York in two weeks! I can't believe that it is almost time for me to move. I still need to pack. The worst part is, I won't be able to plan a lot of my wedding. Once I leave, I will hand off most of it to my mom, who I love and who will do a wonderful job. But I really wanted to be here to plan everything, to meet with vendors, and pick out things for myself. I feel so rushed even though the actual wedding isn't until next June.
Kyth, did you get a chance to call my FMIL about a cake?? I am going to email her the picture you have up and see if I can get a ball park quote on something like that. That one, for her, will probably be less because having the individual cakes like that is easier to set up and transport.
Kyth, did you get a chance to call my FMIL about a cake?? I am going to email her the picture you have up and see if I can get a ball park quote on something like that. That one, for her, will probably be less because having the individual cakes like that is easier to set up and transport.
I haven't had a chance to call her, but it's on my list for tomorrow. I really appreciate you sending me her information. I can't tell you how busy I have been planning this move to New York. It's such a long way to go and I have no friends or family there so it's been difficult to organize. I'll definitely give her a call tomorrow. Thanks.
kg4eoh
08-01-2005, 12:24 PM
I haven't had a chance to call her, but it's on my list for tomorrow. I really appreciate you sending me her information. I can't tell you how busy I have been planning this move to New York. It's such a long way to go and I have no friends or family there so it's been difficult to organize. I'll definitely give her a call tomorrow. Thanks.
Let me know if i can do anything to help you out? I know it has to be super stressful planning a wedding and trying to move at the same time.