Options #1-4 for Flower Girl Dresses

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Great Minds think Alike

Kevin and I tackled the task of creating our wedding registry. It was a lot more fun than we anticipated. First we registered at Target. I didn't realize how much paperwork registering would involve...not to mention the little spiels you have to listen to about their products. Once we finally got the scan gun, we were in business. Once we got started, we kind of realized how much stuff we needed. Coming out of college, neither one of us had any complete sets of dishes, silverware, appliances, or furniture. So it was alot of fun to pick out some real stuff! And I think we did a good job of staying practical.

After our first attempt at registering was over, I realized why it went smoothly. We have very similar tastes! There was not one fight over which kind of dishes we wanted or what thread count is the best. It was an overall enjoyable experience. Kevin really enjoyed having full control of the scan gun at Target. I knew the next store would be my turn! :)

The second store we registered at was Macy's. I LOVE MACY'S! We spent a couple hours in the store on two different occasions to complete that registry. After listening to the consultant's spiel about how it would really be to our advantage to own a Macy's card and very firmly denying, we got control of their scan system. It was different than Target's--much harder to use and annoying to scan products with. However, that didn't stop us from completing our list. Once we got home and checked our registry online, we removed some products that were overpriced or that we had already chosen at Target. It's so convenient that you can manage your register over the internet. Isn't technology great?

Lastly, we decided to register at Crate and Barrel. It was very spur of the moment. There were a few things there that we really liked so that registry is minimal compared to the others. We just couldn't justify registering for a $14 pie dish at Crate and Barrel when there's a perfectly good one at Target for $3.99. It was fun to bargain and compare the different store's products.

Today, we are going to print out each registry and make sure we covered all our bases without registering for too many of the same products. I'm sure we will have to alter them a little bit but atleast that's another task we can check off the To-Do list. It feels good!

The Fairgate Inn

This is the front of the Fairgate Inn. This picture is really what drove Katie and I to investigate this place and to consider it as the venue for our wedding. The building is so stately and grand and the landscape is so beautiful.


Our wedding ceremony is going to take place in the courtyard behind the house. There is a large covered patio where our guests will be seated. The courtyard is surrounded by pots, planters, and hanging baskets filled with multi colored flowers. We also plan to make this space accessible after the ceremony and to set out some cocktail tables for our guests to relax and enjoy what will be a wonderful summering evening. There will also be a secondary dance floor outside.

The dance floor and reception hall is accessible from both the front of the house and the courtyard in the back. The beautiful wood floors and numerous windows peeking into the gardens in the courtyard give this room a very warm and homely feel. I think that the purple and copper colored flowers and the various candelabras that we will set out will go perfectly with the decor and feel of the room.

The Icing on the Cake

Kevin and I aren't sure what we want our cake to look like. I found these while on my break at work. I like the look of the multiple ribbons spanning the whole height of the cake, rather than the traditional ribbon at the base of each tier. It would be fun to find pretty ribbons in our lapis purple and copper to help carry our theme along.

Does anybody have a favorite look from these photos? Comment with your opinion if you want :)

I think this one is my favorite. It's so simple and elegant.

Kevin and I found these gorgeous copper roses that would be perfect for the roses. Then, we could either keep the white on white look with the ribbon or buy ribbon in our purple to match the rest of our theme.

Fun Details

Since all of you have so many questions about the wedding details, I thought I would add a few pictures every now and then of what I'm planning for the wedding.

My colors are going to be much like the save-the-date colors--deep, rich purple and shades of copper/orange/yellow. Much like the calla lilies in the bouquet photo at the bottom of this post. The wedding will not be overwhelmed with these colors, they will be more like accents. Our venue, the Fairgate Inn (fairgateinn.com), is indoor and outdoor so it will have a relaxed formal feel with a lot of natural color from the surrounding flowers and grass.

My centerpiece flowers are going to mimic the bridesmaid bouquets as well as mine in the sense that they will all be in the same color families (purples and coppers) but different flowers. For example, look to the photo with the Bravo sign. That photo is my inspiration. My tables will have staggering vases in my colors, with one type of flower per vase. Other tables will only have accent flowers with candles. It's fun to mix it up!

These are the boutonnieres I am doing for the groomsmen. However, I am still deciding whether or not I want all the flowers to be exactly the same, or the same colors but each a different type of flower.

All of my bridesmaids will have bouquets made up each of a different flower in the same colors. For example, Lindsi may carry a bouquet of orange/gold calla lilies while another bridesmaid carries a bouquet of copper roses. Same color family but different flower family. I like the idea of them being unique to each girl. Makes it a little more personal and different.

And finally....the photo above is my bridal bouquet! Isn't it GORGEOUS!?! I love the mixed flowers, it gives it a very tropical feel. I also love the vibrancy and richness of the colors. I am very excited to hold this on my wedding day! :)

Kevin loves it too. That's always a plus.

That's all for now.

Photos from the Engagement

This photo was taken by the staff at the Melting Pot. He had arranged for them to take our picture and frame it for us. It was so thoughtful. It's the one and and only picture from our engagement night. I'll cherish it forever.

I only got a chance to take a couple ring photos with my cell phone camera. Luckily, this photo isn't too bad of quality. However, it's SO MUCH BETTER in person! :) Kevin did GOOD!

It's Official!

As of Saturday, February 21st Kevin and I are officially engaged! It all started with a surprise trip downtown. Kevin told me to get ready because we were going downtown and that he had a surprise for me. I was really excited because we don't go into Portland too often. We went to a sushi bar called Dragonfish at the Paramount Hotel for happy hour. The food was interesting but the drinks were great. Really good happy hour menu. Then, we walked from Dragonfish to Nordstroms just to browse, or so I thought. Kevin arranged to get my makeup done at MAC. I've never done that before so it was a special treat. While I was getting all dolled up, he was browsing the men's department (or so I thought!) Once I was finished, he told me we were going out to the Melting Pot for dinner. I was really excited, thinking that was my special surprise, but we don't get to go there very much. The dinner was really good. We got a nice table with I love you balloons on it tied down with a take-home white chocolate fondue bar. I can't wait to make my own dipped strawberries with it! He arranged to have our photo taken at dinner. They printed it there and put it in a nice silver frame for us. I was really happy because neither of us had our camera to take a picture of the night we got engaged. It's such a nice memory to have! Needless to say, the food was delicious and their drinks are really tasty! Now for the proposal...

Kevin had a gift waiting for me. It looked sort of like a green version of a Nordstrom bag, so I didn't think much of it. When I reached in the bag, I felt a shoe box. First, I got really excited because I am definitely a shoe girl! :) Then, I realized that it was a photo-organizing box. Inside the box was a flipped-over photo frame. When I flipped it over, I realized it was one of the frames we'd registered for. He framed a photo of the Jared bag where he bought my ring. As soon as I caught on to what was happening, I put the frame down and looked over at him. He was down on one knee, like a true gentleman, with an open white ring box in his hand. With his hands shaking and tears in his eyes, he said..."I can't imagine living my life without you. You are what makes me so happy. Katie Lynn, will you marry me?" Of course, I screamed yes! He said "oh, good!" (hahaha) and he put the ring on my finger. It was so romantic and sweet. Everything I could have ever wanted.

Now, it went by so fast and yet I remember each second. It was such a special day that we will both never forget! Every time I look down at my ring, I just smile and remember how lucky I am to have found my Kevin Malone.