79 days to go!!! Holy Cow! The days are just slipping by so fast it is making my head spin. We are currently working on invitations for the wedding. For some reason, I am extremely nervous about picking out invitations. I think it is because they are the first "official" impression of your wedding. They usually designate the wedding colors and the overall them, such as formal, casual, whimsical, organic, just to name a few. I want my invitations to scream "Classic Southern Wedding". How do I go about doing this? One of the many questions plaguing my mind these days. I'm thinking I'll just keep it simple and beautiful with classic wording and font and a punch of color. We are meeting with the invitations people this Saturday so hopefully all will go well!
My wedding dress is in!!!!! A stupendous moment for every bride. I received the call while I was visiting my grandmother in Florida last week. I already had my first fitting scheduled since the bridal salon knew about when it would come in. I'm sooooo excited!! I cannot wait to try on MY actual wedding dress! The specific and perfect dress that I will wear when I walk down the aisle ; the last garment I will wear as a single woman before becoming Mrs. Tucker :) Needless to say, I'm quite ecstatic. In other apparel news, I got my BEAUTIFUL wedding shoes!!! Now these were a big splurge for me, but I just HAD to have them. I wear them around the house all the time, it is so fun. I decided to get my shoes dyed to match the color of the bridesmaids dresses. I have found that this accessory is a new favorite among modern brides and I must say I think it is fantastic, if not economical. I say economical because how often are you going to wear white satin dress shoes??? If you are like me and understand that wearing white shoes in utterly impractical, due to dirt accumulation, then my guess would be not very often after your wedding day. Therefore, why not get a pair of fabulous shoes that are a favorite color (assuming your wedding colors consist of some of your favorite colors...) and actually WEAR THEM AGAIN! I know, a novel concept, yet one that is catching on in the bridal community. I'm a fan of it :) And while my wedding shoes were a splurge, I am completely confident that I will be wearing them long after I become Mrs. Andrew Tucker :)
Love to all!
Morgan and Andrew
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Dresses and Flowers and Cakes OH MY!!
There are three reasons as to why is has taken us over 3 months to post again.
1) Andrew had finals.
2) We moved!! YAY new apartment!
3) I'm lazy and forgetful :)
But here we are, 98 days and counting! I cannot believe that we are just over 3 months away from our wedding! Time has flown by soooo fast, here is an update on the things we have accomplished in the past 3 months.
Somewhere in between Andrew's finals and moving into our new apartment, I found time to get together with some of my lovely bridesmaids and pick the bridesmaids dresses!! Helpful tip: It narrows things down when you get your wedding dress and the bridesmaids dresses all at the same bridal salon, AND they usually throw in a discount! We literally were in and out of the bridal salon with deposits made and contracts signed within an hour. A couple of things that help make it a quick and painless process: a) have an idea of what you want, i.e. long or short, train or no train; b) think about fabric type; c) figure out and STICK TO a price range that your girls can all afford. Do not make your girls break the bank on a dress that they most likely will not wear again, (don't kid yourself). Another thing to keep in mind is that YOU ARE NOT WEARING THIS DRESS, therefore do not necessarily pick a dress that you would wear but a dress that will look good on all of your bridesmaids. For instance, if your girls have a wide range in size, pick a more classically cut dress. If you have a girl with a large bust, pick something that she can wear a supportive bra. The congregation will mostly like stare at the bridesmaid with a boob about to pop out or a zipper screaming to bust rather than focus on the bride's beautiful train. Remember, you want the congregation to focus on the bride and the bridesmaids are meant to enhance the overall beauty of the wedding. My girls were awesome, they were helpful and decisive and it helps that they are all gorgeous :) The dresses were simple, classic and looked fantastic on everyone. I cannot wait until they come in!!
After dresses came the Save-the-Dates; wow, was that a process getting all of those addresses. Let me just thank Facebook for helping me get addresses for about half our guest list! Thank you thank you! We are STILL working on some of those. Yikes!
Then came flowers and cake all in the same day last week. The beautiful thing about the Carolina Inn is that right around the corner on Franklin St. is a florist and a bakery, CONVENIENT! The florist is actually the florist for the Carolina Inn (University Florist) and the bakery (Sugarland) has done tons of weddings there too, which basically made both of those things a cake walk (pun totally intended). I am beyond excited about my bouquet and the centerpieces and CAKE!! I was told by many that the cake tasting would be the most fun and I completely agree! YUM! Andrew and I are going to go back regularly and ask if they have any flavors that we could try in case we want to change our wedding cake flavor (which we won't because the two flavors we picked are to die for!) but hey there is nothing wrong with trying new things (wink, wink).
I must say, envisioning myself walking down the aisle towards Andrew with my beautiful bouquet in my hand just made it so real. I can't explain it but after picking the dress, and ordering my shoes (YAY!), and deciding on my veil, it just didn't all fit together until I designed my bouquet and now it's all I can think about. I can't wait!! 98 days!!
Love to all,
Morgan and Andrew
1) Andrew had finals.
2) We moved!! YAY new apartment!
3) I'm lazy and forgetful :)
But here we are, 98 days and counting! I cannot believe that we are just over 3 months away from our wedding! Time has flown by soooo fast, here is an update on the things we have accomplished in the past 3 months.
Somewhere in between Andrew's finals and moving into our new apartment, I found time to get together with some of my lovely bridesmaids and pick the bridesmaids dresses!! Helpful tip: It narrows things down when you get your wedding dress and the bridesmaids dresses all at the same bridal salon, AND they usually throw in a discount! We literally were in and out of the bridal salon with deposits made and contracts signed within an hour. A couple of things that help make it a quick and painless process: a) have an idea of what you want, i.e. long or short, train or no train; b) think about fabric type; c) figure out and STICK TO a price range that your girls can all afford. Do not make your girls break the bank on a dress that they most likely will not wear again, (don't kid yourself). Another thing to keep in mind is that YOU ARE NOT WEARING THIS DRESS, therefore do not necessarily pick a dress that you would wear but a dress that will look good on all of your bridesmaids. For instance, if your girls have a wide range in size, pick a more classically cut dress. If you have a girl with a large bust, pick something that she can wear a supportive bra. The congregation will mostly like stare at the bridesmaid with a boob about to pop out or a zipper screaming to bust rather than focus on the bride's beautiful train. Remember, you want the congregation to focus on the bride and the bridesmaids are meant to enhance the overall beauty of the wedding. My girls were awesome, they were helpful and decisive and it helps that they are all gorgeous :) The dresses were simple, classic and looked fantastic on everyone. I cannot wait until they come in!!
After dresses came the Save-the-Dates; wow, was that a process getting all of those addresses. Let me just thank Facebook for helping me get addresses for about half our guest list! Thank you thank you! We are STILL working on some of those. Yikes!
Then came flowers and cake all in the same day last week. The beautiful thing about the Carolina Inn is that right around the corner on Franklin St. is a florist and a bakery, CONVENIENT! The florist is actually the florist for the Carolina Inn (University Florist) and the bakery (Sugarland) has done tons of weddings there too, which basically made both of those things a cake walk (pun totally intended). I am beyond excited about my bouquet and the centerpieces and CAKE!! I was told by many that the cake tasting would be the most fun and I completely agree! YUM! Andrew and I are going to go back regularly and ask if they have any flavors that we could try in case we want to change our wedding cake flavor (which we won't because the two flavors we picked are to die for!) but hey there is nothing wrong with trying new things (wink, wink).
I must say, envisioning myself walking down the aisle towards Andrew with my beautiful bouquet in my hand just made it so real. I can't explain it but after picking the dress, and ordering my shoes (YAY!), and deciding on my veil, it just didn't all fit together until I designed my bouquet and now it's all I can think about. I can't wait!! 98 days!!
Love to all,
Morgan and Andrew
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Say Yes to the Dress!
So much has happened in the past few weeks!
We have finally decided on a ceremony site, but the road to that decision was not an easy one. I had always dreamed of having my wedding in a church, for the tradition, the sanctity and the prospect of starting my marriage in a truly Christian ceremony. But I learned something along the way, while church after church told me I could not have my ceremony in their sanctuary because I wasn't a member, I began to feel like all of those churches had lost sight of how a sanctuary should be used. A sanctuary should be open to all, rich and poor, saved and unsaved, lost and found, member and non-member. Open to all for worship, and I personally view a wedding ceremony as a ceremony of worship and declaration before God. But evidently you are only allowed that if you are a member, according to a lot of the churches I spoke with. Andrew and I attend a church regularly, but it wasn't the style we wanted for the wedding and we wanted a ceremony site closer to the reception site for convenience to our guests. Well (drum roll please) we have found that at the Bryan Courtyard at the Carolina Inn. That's right folks, we are having the ceremony literally down the hall from the reception. And we will be having it in one of God's most beautiful creations, made by Him and Him alone... nature. In the natural beauty of trees and flowers. While I fully agree and support anyone who would want to have their ceremony in a church, I have found in my journey that a truly spiritual and Christian wedding ceremony does not have to be within the four walls of a church sanctuary, but it can be anywhere you want, your relationship with God and your spouse is what makes it spiritual and meaningful.
The other milestone that has been competed is the wedding dress!! My mom placed the order today for my dress!! I'm sooooo excited!! I wish I could describe it but Andrew is watching me type this right now, but it is GORGEOUS. I was so nervous to go dress shopping. And I don't mean nervous in an exciting kind of way, I mean I was dreading it. I seriously was not looking forward to shopping for a wedding dress. I had this fear that I wouldn't fit into anything and nothing would look good on me and no one would have anything that fit my style. All of these fears came to rest when I tried on dress #3. I felt so beautiful and special and I seriously did not want to take the dress off!! The biggest surprise to me was how comfortable the dress was to wear! I love it, Love It, LOVE IT!! But make no mistake, I wasn't about to be silly and stop after 3 dresses. I ended up going to two places and trying on 15 dresses. But none compared to dress #3. And dress #3 it was!!! Now moving on to the cake...
We have finally decided on a ceremony site, but the road to that decision was not an easy one. I had always dreamed of having my wedding in a church, for the tradition, the sanctity and the prospect of starting my marriage in a truly Christian ceremony. But I learned something along the way, while church after church told me I could not have my ceremony in their sanctuary because I wasn't a member, I began to feel like all of those churches had lost sight of how a sanctuary should be used. A sanctuary should be open to all, rich and poor, saved and unsaved, lost and found, member and non-member. Open to all for worship, and I personally view a wedding ceremony as a ceremony of worship and declaration before God. But evidently you are only allowed that if you are a member, according to a lot of the churches I spoke with. Andrew and I attend a church regularly, but it wasn't the style we wanted for the wedding and we wanted a ceremony site closer to the reception site for convenience to our guests. Well (drum roll please) we have found that at the Bryan Courtyard at the Carolina Inn. That's right folks, we are having the ceremony literally down the hall from the reception. And we will be having it in one of God's most beautiful creations, made by Him and Him alone... nature. In the natural beauty of trees and flowers. While I fully agree and support anyone who would want to have their ceremony in a church, I have found in my journey that a truly spiritual and Christian wedding ceremony does not have to be within the four walls of a church sanctuary, but it can be anywhere you want, your relationship with God and your spouse is what makes it spiritual and meaningful.
The other milestone that has been competed is the wedding dress!! My mom placed the order today for my dress!! I'm sooooo excited!! I wish I could describe it but Andrew is watching me type this right now, but it is GORGEOUS. I was so nervous to go dress shopping. And I don't mean nervous in an exciting kind of way, I mean I was dreading it. I seriously was not looking forward to shopping for a wedding dress. I had this fear that I wouldn't fit into anything and nothing would look good on me and no one would have anything that fit my style. All of these fears came to rest when I tried on dress #3. I felt so beautiful and special and I seriously did not want to take the dress off!! The biggest surprise to me was how comfortable the dress was to wear! I love it, Love It, LOVE IT!! But make no mistake, I wasn't about to be silly and stop after 3 dresses. I ended up going to two places and trying on 15 dresses. But none compared to dress #3. And dress #3 it was!!! Now moving on to the cake...
Thursday, February 17, 2011
A Lady Should Expect to be Courted
Great news! We have our reception venue set!! For us, that was the very first item on our list to complete. Now the date is officially set and the rest of the planning can continue :)
There were a few things I noticed while looking a reception venues, the biggest one being the lack of customer service. As a veterinary technician, I consider myself to be in the service industry, and one thing I pride myself on is my attention to customer service and making sure each client (pet owner) feels as though they are my first priority. When I walk into an exam room, I always make sure to introduce myself and personally address the patient (pet) and owner by name. I always do my best to answer every question or find the answer to every question and I go out of my way to make their experience positive and enjoyable.
As a result, I have high expectations when I am shopping for a wedding venue where I plan to spend several thousand dollars. I expect to feel special and that I am the most important person at that moment, I don't think that is too much to ask considering the situation. One of the reasons we chose our venue (other than the fact it is GORGEOUS), was the personal service we received. We were greeted by name, asked immediately what we were envisioning for our wedding day, and after the tour we received complimentary champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. Not to mention, the event coordinator we met with was extremely friendly and made me feel like they REALLY wanted my business. It overall was a fantastic experience.
What fantastic venue did we choose? The Old Well Ballroom at the Carolina Inn!!
Now I am not going to say that our venue is the best venue for everyone, that would be impossible! But my point is this: Make sure you are being courted! Don't settle for bad service! If the service is bad before they've seen a dime, imagine how they'll be throughout the planning process.
Trust me, after the first venue we looked at I felt soooooo discouraged. I was really worried that I wouldn't get the WOW factor I was looking for when it came to my wedding venue. But it happened! So for all of the brides out there, don't settle!!! Wait for the WOW factor, you deserve it! That not only goes for finding a husband, but also for finding the elements that make up your big day :)
There were a few things I noticed while looking a reception venues, the biggest one being the lack of customer service. As a veterinary technician, I consider myself to be in the service industry, and one thing I pride myself on is my attention to customer service and making sure each client (pet owner) feels as though they are my first priority. When I walk into an exam room, I always make sure to introduce myself and personally address the patient (pet) and owner by name. I always do my best to answer every question or find the answer to every question and I go out of my way to make their experience positive and enjoyable.
As a result, I have high expectations when I am shopping for a wedding venue where I plan to spend several thousand dollars. I expect to feel special and that I am the most important person at that moment, I don't think that is too much to ask considering the situation. One of the reasons we chose our venue (other than the fact it is GORGEOUS), was the personal service we received. We were greeted by name, asked immediately what we were envisioning for our wedding day, and after the tour we received complimentary champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. Not to mention, the event coordinator we met with was extremely friendly and made me feel like they REALLY wanted my business. It overall was a fantastic experience.
What fantastic venue did we choose? The Old Well Ballroom at the Carolina Inn!!
Now I am not going to say that our venue is the best venue for everyone, that would be impossible! But my point is this: Make sure you are being courted! Don't settle for bad service! If the service is bad before they've seen a dime, imagine how they'll be throughout the planning process.
Trust me, after the first venue we looked at I felt soooooo discouraged. I was really worried that I wouldn't get the WOW factor I was looking for when it came to my wedding venue. But it happened! So for all of the brides out there, don't settle!!! Wait for the WOW factor, you deserve it! That not only goes for finding a husband, but also for finding the elements that make up your big day :)
Monday, February 14, 2011
Banging out the Details
Ask most women what their perfect wedding is, particularly in the 18-25 demographic, and chances are you've obligated yourself to an hour long conversation. Little girls everywhere begin planning this magical day as soon as they realize that one day they will grow up and they will have the chance to be just like mommy and daddy.
Ask a man, however, what his perfect wedding is and chances are he'll stare at you blankly and wonder exactly why you're asking him such an odd question.
It's not that men don't plan on getting married; most men assume it to be a given. However, for some reason, most little boys, and big boys for that matter, are preoccupied with becoming a lawyer, or a doctor, or an astronaut, or a firefighter, or some other career oriented goal. Most men you find, particularly men who are not engaged, have thought little, if any, about what their wedding will be like.
I feel like most of this is a blessing in disguise; I mean, after all, if two people do have incredibly strong opinions, the result will likely not be a fruitful one. However, this blessing means that at least one party will have an extensive learning curve they're going to encounter...and now you understand where I am.
The remarkable thing is, I'm having an absolute blast. The fact that I have a remarkable fiance who wants my help in all aspects is incredibly wonderful. The best part is, by her utilizing my involvement, we're able to divide and conquer: By her focusing on the festive imaginative aspects, I'm able to focus on the organization and logistics aspect.s While we're both involved in all aspects, being able to focus on the stuff that makes us feel like we're striking tasks off of our list keeps us both happy and fresh on everything.
If I had to give some advice to men who are just engaged and are planning a wedding, three rules come to mind:
1) Do not check out from the planning process. You may not enjoy fabric samples or fixture shopping or venue scouting, but enjoy the fact that she enjoys it. The more involved you are, the less you feel like you have to catch up later, and the less stress she'll have to deal with by you being an open mind with an opinion.
2) If you're fiscally inclined, insist on managing the budget. This the meat and potatoes part of the planning process and is by far the most "manly" task in the process of wedding planning. It is also a great way to practice budgeting as a unit and managing a budgeted project as a couple. Compile the budget with each other and be sure to indicate the areas where you're willing to dip into surplus or where you're willing to carve if it becomes necessary. Focus on meeting aspects of your budget, and focus on how you can make it a team process. This keeps both of you accountable for spending, and makes for a more efficient team.
3) Don't be afraid to admit you're enjoying it. I love football and firearms just as much as the next man, but I am not afraid to admit that I enjoy being a part of this process. There is nothing emasculating about caring about the woman you're going to marry and being an integral part in planning the day that is going to unite you two. Not all parts will enthrall you like it does her, but the virtues of being a gentlemen, particularly having good taste and embracing the manners and customs of your regional preference, are lost among so many people in our society.
Andrew
Ask a man, however, what his perfect wedding is and chances are he'll stare at you blankly and wonder exactly why you're asking him such an odd question.
It's not that men don't plan on getting married; most men assume it to be a given. However, for some reason, most little boys, and big boys for that matter, are preoccupied with becoming a lawyer, or a doctor, or an astronaut, or a firefighter, or some other career oriented goal. Most men you find, particularly men who are not engaged, have thought little, if any, about what their wedding will be like.
I feel like most of this is a blessing in disguise; I mean, after all, if two people do have incredibly strong opinions, the result will likely not be a fruitful one. However, this blessing means that at least one party will have an extensive learning curve they're going to encounter...and now you understand where I am.
The remarkable thing is, I'm having an absolute blast. The fact that I have a remarkable fiance who wants my help in all aspects is incredibly wonderful. The best part is, by her utilizing my involvement, we're able to divide and conquer: By her focusing on the festive imaginative aspects, I'm able to focus on the organization and logistics aspect.s While we're both involved in all aspects, being able to focus on the stuff that makes us feel like we're striking tasks off of our list keeps us both happy and fresh on everything.
If I had to give some advice to men who are just engaged and are planning a wedding, three rules come to mind:
1) Do not check out from the planning process. You may not enjoy fabric samples or fixture shopping or venue scouting, but enjoy the fact that she enjoys it. The more involved you are, the less you feel like you have to catch up later, and the less stress she'll have to deal with by you being an open mind with an opinion.
2) If you're fiscally inclined, insist on managing the budget. This the meat and potatoes part of the planning process and is by far the most "manly" task in the process of wedding planning. It is also a great way to practice budgeting as a unit and managing a budgeted project as a couple. Compile the budget with each other and be sure to indicate the areas where you're willing to dip into surplus or where you're willing to carve if it becomes necessary. Focus on meeting aspects of your budget, and focus on how you can make it a team process. This keeps both of you accountable for spending, and makes for a more efficient team.
3) Don't be afraid to admit you're enjoying it. I love football and firearms just as much as the next man, but I am not afraid to admit that I enjoy being a part of this process. There is nothing emasculating about caring about the woman you're going to marry and being an integral part in planning the day that is going to unite you two. Not all parts will enthrall you like it does her, but the virtues of being a gentlemen, particularly having good taste and embracing the manners and customs of your regional preference, are lost among so many people in our society.
Andrew
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Welcome!!
Hello to everyone out there! I am new to this whole blogger thing, so please bear with me. I (Morgan) will mostly be the one typing the posts for the blog, but never fear I am sure Andrew (being the writer between the two of us) will from time to time add his two cents :)
For those of you who don't know our story of how we met and our engagement, please feel free to visit our wedding website at TheKnot.com:
http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/MorganGannon&AndrewTucker
So far, we have chosen our wedding date, October 1, 2011, which I hope will remain as we try to settle on a venue for our reception. We also met with our WONDERFUL wedding planner last week, and I cannot tell you how much better I feel now that we have met with her. During the first week of our engagement I was REALLY excited about being engaged and knowing that I would spend the rest of my life with my best friend, and I won't lie the ring was a pretty awesome addition :) But after that first week reality struck, holy cow! I have 8 months to plan a wedding! And needless to say, I became quickly overwhelmed. But after the meeting with our WP, everything seems so much easier. Seriously, my hat is off to all those brides who planned their weddings without a wedding planner, you are all amazing!
This weekend we are looking at venues for the reception, we will let you know how it goes!
For those of you who don't know our story of how we met and our engagement, please feel free to visit our wedding website at TheKnot.com:
http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/MorganGannon&AndrewTucker
So far, we have chosen our wedding date, October 1, 2011, which I hope will remain as we try to settle on a venue for our reception. We also met with our WONDERFUL wedding planner last week, and I cannot tell you how much better I feel now that we have met with her. During the first week of our engagement I was REALLY excited about being engaged and knowing that I would spend the rest of my life with my best friend, and I won't lie the ring was a pretty awesome addition :) But after that first week reality struck, holy cow! I have 8 months to plan a wedding! And needless to say, I became quickly overwhelmed. But after the meeting with our WP, everything seems so much easier. Seriously, my hat is off to all those brides who planned their weddings without a wedding planner, you are all amazing!
This weekend we are looking at venues for the reception, we will let you know how it goes!
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