I chose to tell you in detail about our wedding so that you can learn more about me and what I faced while planning.  My experience helped me discover my passion for  wedding planning and directed me to helping brides just like you. ENJOY!

The Engagement and Starting to Plan

My now husband, Jason, and I were engaged in September 2003.  It was one of the happiest times of my life (before the wedding and honeymoon of course).  Heproposed to me at our favorite spot… a waterfall on top of Chimney Rock Park in Chimney Rock, NC.  I had my suspicions, but it’s so different when it actually happens—you may have a similar experience.  Even though I knew it was going to happen, I was still in shock… I was spending the rest of my life with the man I loved, a man I always knew I wanted, a man I wondered about when I was younger, a man who was simply my soul-mate and my everything.  And now, we get to plan a wedding to make those vows for life and celebrate with friends and family… I mean, how awesome!  I think marriage and everything it represents is so beautiful and pure.

After soaking in the moment, I wanted to tell the world… ok, maybe a little before—I couldn’t wait to call and share the wonderful news with family and friends.  As a matter of fact, I called my mom before we even made it down the mountain—I was just so excited.  Of course, after the initial excitement, plans, ideas and thoughts starting running through my mind before we even left Chimney Rock (seriously, we checked out having it at the park before we left).  Questions like who do we invite?  How many people will we invite?  Where will we have it?  Could we have it outside, during sunset, but will it rain, so we’ll need a back-up plan?  If it’s outside, then what time of year because it could be too hot… or too cold… or too many bugs?  What about my dress? or food? or a photographer? my hair and make-up? The DJ?  bridesmaid dresses?  How much money can we spend and on what?  When is it even ok to start thinking about these things, let alone book them?  If you are a bride like me (or just a woman in general), these thoughts have probably flowed through your mind at one point or another.  Luckily, I was blessed with good organization (perhaps a little more than Jason would like), so I was prepared fast.  I had my notebook, timeline, schedule and budget.  I started researching our options, calling vendors, comparing prices and jotting down ideas.  But, most importantly, I had a blast doing it all, which is another reason why I created Love’s Little List, so I could continue to share in the excitement of a couple’s marriage.

There were a ton of details I worked on throughout the year.  I’m going to skip to the wedding now, but please feel free to email me with any questions you have about my work or what/how I did something during that year of planning… I would love to share.

Jason and I don’t live near family and friends, so I had to do virtually all the planning.  Well, I guess I can’t claim it all… Jason was awesome and so patient with a lot of my requests and my friends and family were most definitely there when I needed advice!  But, I did do virtually everything and like I said, had a blast.

The Wedding and Our Welcoming Surprise  

We were married on September 18, 2004 in Lake Lure, NC (right next to Chimney Rock Park where we were engaged).  It was about 4 hours from where we lived, but this area is extremely special to us and we knew we wanted it here.  It was set for 4:00 pm at the gazebo on the lake with the reception at the hotel right across the street.  For months I had been planning and putting together all the big and small details.  A few weeks before, Jason and I even went down to Lake Lure to work out all the ceremony details at the gazebo.  Everything was set and I was just ready for that day to be here.  There was, however, one obstacle presented to me about a week before… Hurricane Ivan was on a track for Lake Lure.  And, if you can believe it, it would be the second to hit that year… in the mountains of all places!

Surprisingly, I didn’t panic.  I mean, I’ll admit, I had some break downs.  For instance, when my soon-to-be brother-in-law told me they might evacuate the area or when I lost contact with my friends who were traveling from NJ during the night through the hurricane or when the power went off.  But, I knew the end-result would be the same… we were going to be married and God would bless that day no matter what!  Let me start with our welcoming hurricane arrival

Hurricane Ivan (hmmm, ironic that my dad's name is also Ivan) welcomed us to Lake Lure, NC when me, my mom, step-dad and aunt arrived Thursday before the wedding.  I remember coming into town and thinking how everyone laughed at me when I said "well, the wedding is during hurricane season.”  They’d say "One would never come that far inland."

It was raining when we arrived Thursday, still raining when we went to bed and it was really raining when the power went off around 2 am.  Needless to say, I was up the rest of the night (with the best night shift ever), and was lucky enough (yes, that was sarcasm) to hear the siren initiating the evacuation of Chimney Rock, around 3 or 4... apparently, the creek water was rising too fast and was close to flooding.  At this point, I realized (or accepted) that we would not have an outside wedding at the gazebo on the lake.

The next day brought some more excitement... the power was still out, so guests were arriving to a dark, hot, humid hotel with no phone and no food.  But, surprisingly, I handled it pretty well... I had AWESOME family and friend support and of course, Jason.  Luckily, the hotel holding the reception and where guests were staying was our “inside back-up” plan.  The hotel had some past wedding supplies and my aunt brought some supplies, so we were ready to decorate the hotel (which was absolutely gorgeous).  The hotel found a generator to get phone lines going, supply minimal power for ceremony lighting (in case it was still out) and to cook for us.  I started contacting vendors to confirm they could still come and let them know of the changes.  The day before, though lacking power, was perfect so far. 

The power came back on around 2 and most guests were there around 5.  I started upstairs to get ready for the rehearsal (surely I was smelly at this point) with a big smile on my face when... the power went off again.  OK, I'll admit it, this was a breaking point for me, but thank God I had Jason to comfort me and my fabulous sister and friends to lift me and pray with me!  So, I got ready in the dark with a cold shower and no blow dryer... things could be worst, right, and the wedding was still going to happen. 

We started the rehearsal in the dark, but ended with light… YAY!  Things were looking up and the dinner was just wonderful!  We went to bed after mingling a bit and woke to an absolutely gorgeous day...   the day after a hurricane is always beautiful!

 Despite the drama of the hurricane, power outages, mud slides, flooding and worrying about everyone traveling through this, the wedding could not have been more perfect.  Well, there was one more power outage during the ceremony... the wind was still going a bit and it knocked a tree branch down on a power line.  But, that's what makes a wedding, right… Little mishaps like hurricanes, power outages, stains on your dress, cars breaking down, forgetting your vows, being late, etc?  It made ours special and allowed for some interesting photos (I love the ones of me and the girls on the power truck) and memories.  Honestly, it was one of the best days of my life and I wouldn't change a thing!  The ceremony was perfect and the reception was one of the best times I had with my friends and family!  All weddings should be this perfect and they can be when you have that state of mind!

  

 

Our Honeymoon-A Wonderful Start

Jason and I knew we wanted to go somewhere that was different.  We are both very adventurous and like hiking, the mountains and seeing everything we can.  We didn't want to stay in one spot and Jason's not a big beach person (luckily, I prefer the mountains).  So, we picked New Zealand and were blessed beyond belief to be able to afford it and have an awesome, fun and safe time!  We were there for 12 days, beginning in the north island at Auckland and continuing down through the south island traveling all around in a rental car.  The flight was about 22 hours long, including layovers.  Oh, side note here; we had a celebrity on our plane... Busta-Rhymes (it made for an exciting start).

 We did so much.  I won't go in detail of each day, but just some of the highlights.  We saw the snow-covered mountains, the beach, and a lot of green land with a lot of sheep (hence, riding around in a car was great because of the scenery).  At one point, we were even on the coast, with the ocean to the left, green hills to the right and the snow-covered mountains about 15 minutes away in the background.  We visited the fiord land where some of The Lord of the Rings was filmed.  We visited the Cadbury Chocolate factory and I ate way too much chocolate.  We saw yellow-eyed penguins, the only castle in NZ, old historic churches, an old Chinese gold-mining settlement with houses still standing, popping mud (aka volcanic activity) and a native Mauri show.  We did a lot of hiking in some of the most beautiful national parks I’ve ever seen (though lacking good direction and maps).  We walked on a 200 year old ship still in tact.  We visited some museums and learned about NZ history and culture.  We feasted on a Mauri meal and ate some of the best food at some of the best restaurants!  We visited a winery and brought back some great NZ wine.  And, my highlight (though maybe not Jason's) was bungee jumping off the first bridge they ever bungee jumped off of... FUN TIMES!  All in all, it was the best vacation I've ever had and we both hope to go back one day, but are so thankful we had the chance and had such great memories!

I would love to help you experience similar, lasting memories, from beginning to forever...