Some of the Guests at the Shower

TOP:

From left to right: My Aunt Julie, Aunt Sandy and Auntie Carla.

MIDDLE:

View of everyone playing one of the games. They were competitive!

MIDDLE:

My bridesmaid and BFF Kristen Tillstrom-Sandy and her niece Haavah.

BOTTOM:

Karen, my mother-in-law, and myself opening a beautifully wrapped gift.

More pictures of the Bridal Shower

My bridesmaids and me, minus my Yauryen.


















My mom and my mother-in-law Karen.















My Emily (aka Eminem), one of my bridesmaids. LOVE HER!



One of the best, my cousin Michelle. Also one of my bridesmaids!

Family Bridal Shower

Saturday was my Family Bridal Shower, hosted by my mom and my mother-in-law Karen. It was so much fun! They both did so much to make it special for me. As you'll see in the pictures, my mom created a bright colored theme in honor of spring. There were white chairs, black table clothes, lime green table runners, black stemmed glasses and black chargers topped with white plates topped with bright pink napkins folded in the shape of hearts. It was very creative and looked so fabulous! In the center of the tables, there were vases filled with bright orange and bright yellow gerbera daisies. I love those flowers and they added a nice touch!

The food was ordered from New Seasons. There were chicken and vegetable filled galettes, field greens salad and a really yummy and beautiful Edible Arrangement fruit bouquet. My favorite part about the meal, even over the gourmet desserts, was the MIMOSAS! :) I suggested champagne glasses for the mimosas and they were a big hit! Instead of a cake, we had a big assortment of individual-sized gourmet desserts including oreo cheesecake, turtle cheesecake, triple chocolate fudge cake, berry-topped cheesecake, german chocolate cake and fruit tarts. Needless to say, nobody left the shower hungry!

Karen and my mom planned some meaningful and fun games. My favorite: They did a candle ceremony for me. It consists of asking those close to me to provide a candle of a certain color that is connected to a theme--for instance, a pink candle for us to burn on our first valentine's day or a blue candle to burn after our first big fight. Then, my mom asked each person to send a long a note of encouragement or words of wisdom regarding their theme. They words meant so much to me, I even cried! Overall it was a very touching "game" and I'll remember it always. I'll be sure to add the notes into my wedding album, also.

I was overwhelmed by the amount of people that showed up to celebrate my special day with me! I am so thankful for everyone's love and support as Kevin and I take this next step. We got so many thoughtful and generous gifts that will make great additions as we build our home together. Please enjoy the pictures from the shower. I'll add more soon...

New Video!

I found a new video of a recent wedding at the Fairgate Inn--our wedding venue. Click HERE to check it out. The quality of the video isn't the best, but it gives you a better idea what our venue looks like if you're curious :)

insignificant update...

well, if you know me, you know that i'm a lister. and i'm OCD. so basically, i have a tendency to make to-do lists of my to-do lists!! today, on my lunch break i worked on a new list of things left to do for the wedding. it's a longer list than i expected. the good news is that most of it is just little things that can be done on an empty saturday. tonight, i'll post the list of the things left to do for the wedding. should be interesting.

this weekend is my family bridal shower. i can't wait! kevin's mom is coming into town. i made us an appointment to go see the Fairgate Inn. hopefully they'll have enough time open to show it to us. it'd definitely be nice if Karen can see where her son is getting married before the day of the wedding!

an exciting note...i got my veil today! i ordered it off the internet and it arrived in the mail today. it is simple and beautiful. plus, it didn't cost a fortune. i can't wait to wear it on my big day! :)

our toasting glasses

kevin and i found these pearl-filled stem toasting glasses at macy's a while back. a couple days ago i picked them up from the engravers. they are so elegant and were worth every penny. the glass on the left says "Today we become Mr. & Mrs. Garvey" then "July 31st, 2009" and the glass on the right says "Katie Lynn and Kevin Malone"

the photos hardly do them justice. the engraving is filled with gorgeous pearlized-silver ink and the stems are filled with baby "pearls" stacked one on top of the other. they are gorgeous. we are very excited to use them on our big day!

setting the table

NEW UPDATE: GAIL GARVEY, ONE OF KEVIN'S GRANDMAS, GOT US THIS ENTIRE SET OF DISHES FOR MY BRIDAL SHOWER. THEY ARE SO BEAUTIFUL AND WILL BE A GREAT ADDITION TO OUR NEW HOME TOGETHER! :) THANK YOU, GAIL!
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kevin and i took a stroll through cost plus world market this weekend and fell in love with Porto dinnerware. yes, we fell in love with a set of dishes! :) we registered for all white at macy's because we haven't been able to find any prints that we A. both liked and B. thought they didn't look cheap. they are so FABULOUS! CLICK HERE TO SEE THEM IN ALL THEIR GLORY.

i can't believe i'm getting excited over dishes. i guess now that i'm scheduled to become a wifey, i should get thrilled over dish towels, new soap to make them sparkle like new and fun dishes, right!?! now...if only i knew how to cook...

flashback

this weekend kevin and i started looking for an apartment. it's going to be so much fun starting out lives together! we've been best friends right from the start at OSU. this wedding has been a long time coming and yet, it still feels like perfect timing! here's a fun little flashback from freshman year--some of our first photos together :)

we are definitely two lucky people.

Kevin's Ring

Kevin and I went shopping for his wedding ring on Sunday. He has had his eye on the same one for quite some time now but had never committed until Sunday. We went back..."just to look"...but Kevin realized it was the one he wanted. The final choice was between the tungsten and carbon fiber ring (which he ultimately decided upon) and a classic all metal titanium dark grey band. Both of the rings were beautiful. The titanium was traditional and timeless whereas the tungsten is modern and for a younger generation. It has a nice carbon fiber detail down the center, adding a bit of texture. The two tone pushes it into the more contemporary realm of men's rings. I like that it's just a bit funky, like my ring. Kevin has taken it out of the box a few times to "practice" wearing it. Call me traditional, but I don't want him to start wearing it officially until the wedding day. It's weird to see a ring on his finger but it's nice to know that I put it there :) He's so handsome and a wedding ring only adds to his charm. Yes, ladies, he is officially off the market. LUCKY ME!