{Engaged!}

Hello blog world!

I'm back!

Well, it’s been exactly a week since I got engaged to the love of my life, best friend and high school sweetheart!! I’m still shocked, but extremely excited :D

A lot has been going on in the past week with wedding planning, so I figured I'd start back my blog and document it all. I know I'll want to remember as much as possible about my experience as a bride-to-be. So here we go!

First and foremost, I find it incredible that such a large market exists for weddings. There are so many useful resources and tools that it's a bit overwhelming. My amazing manager at work suggested I start a wedding binder and also mentioned The Knot had a really great resource for wedding planning. It's called The Knot's Ultimate Wedding Planner and it's written by Carly Roney, the editor of The Knot. 


The planner got great reviews, so I reserved my copy and went to pick it up at my local Barnes & Noble after work on Friday. So far, I can definitely say tit's been one of the most helpful resources I have found. It’s basically a heaven sent guide to anything and everything you need to know about wedding planning. If you’re a bride-to-be, you'll want to get this! For $17, you'll get everything from checklists and worksheets to ideas and etiquette rules. Whew! Such a life saver. Here’s a picture of what it looks like:

Like I said, it can all be quite overwhelming at first -- there's so much to think about and so much to be done. The one thing I've realized is that you have to move quickly in order to get everything you want. It almost feels like a race to the finish line and I'm competing with all these other brides, except I have no idea who they are. It's silly, but true. I would hate it if the things I wanted were snatched out from under because I didn't make a quick enough move.

The most important thing to nail down right now is the date and the venue(s) for our ceremony and reception. My fiance, Michael, and I have been toiling with the date issue for the past week. We have a narrowed in on a possible date, but nothing is set in stone yet. I will reveal, however, that it will be a fall 2012 wedding. Once a venue has been booked, I will announce the special day on here! :D

As far as venues go, we’ve looked at two places – my favorite was Heartwood Hall. It's comfortably nestled in Piperton, TN, which is just 10 minutes from the heart of Collierville. The venue sits on 25 acres of beautiful land, and Michael and I absolutely fell in love with the place. If this turns out to be the venue where we get married -- I really hope it will be -- I will spill more details!

One of the most important things for me to remember throughout all of this planning is to have fun! Michael has been a great planning partner, and I know he will continue to be. He's very interested in what's going on, which is wonderful and helpful!

Lastly, I got a very sweet gift from Michael's parents tonight. They gave me a Waterford Crystal heart ring holder for my engagement ring and wedding band. It was such a sweet and thoughtful gift and it's absolutely gorgeous. Here's a picture of it :)

Well, that's all for now!

XoXo,
Leslie