Newsflash!

My wedding garters are in! And they are adorable...wonder who the lucky catcher will be!

Bridesmaid gifts and Groomsmen gifts are on order!

The groomsmen gift are adorable.

My Bridesmaid gifts are soo soo cute & perfect and I want to give them to my bridesmaids nowww!!

That's it for now :)

Cake, Food, & Beverage Tasting = Best Day Ever.

One of the things you look forward to the most during wedding planning is the food tasting. And let me tell you that our food, cake, and beverage tasting was out-of-this-world.

Carrie arranged it so we had two cake tastings and our food tasting, all on the same day, one after another so we didn't have to drive up multiple times just to take a bite of a cake.

My Dad, Mom, Lilly (yes Lilly...she wanted to go for a ride!) and I drove up to Waterbury Saturday, November 21st, for our first cake appointment. It was at the Vermont Cake Studio which was within a cute Vermont General Store. We met with Perrin, the owner and head baker. Carrie had sent her a few pictures of the cake design I was going for, and the flavor I was interested in. The Vermont Cake Studio had great presentation. They had a nice table set up and prepared for our tasting and Perrin had designed a mini cake with one of the designs Carrie had sent her. It was adorable! We tasted the cake and it was delicious! It was so light and fluffy, not to sweet, and very flavorful. She really captured the taste I was going for, and it really brought to essence an end of spring/summer wedding. It was perfect...(with a few modifications). Another plus was she said with all her wedding cakes comes with a complimentary "top layer" ( so another mini-cake) that we can freeze for our one-year anniversary, which is such a great idea. We were really pleased after the first cake appointment.

The second cake appointment was with a local Stowe baker and she actually met us at the Lodge. Her cake was I guess you could say the complete opposite of Perrin's cake. She went with more of a 'pound cake' so it was thicker with a fancy thick frosting.

Both cakes were great, however it was an easy decision and I couldn't be more pleased with our choice!

We then moved onto the food tasting. This is reason #343482390480 why I LOVEEEE my venue. We walk into their main dining-room and they had set up a private table just for our tasting. They set up the table as they would for my wedding, so they used my linens, my plates, my silverware, glasses, etc (all except my floral arrangements, gifts, etc. of course!) A week before our tasting I had submitted a list of things we wanted to taste. They had also presented a pretty-menu listing in order of our tastings.

After we were seated, they brought out the signature cocktail they created for us. They made a "girly" and a "manly" verison of it. It was perfect, delicious, pretty, and it had a pink tone to it! So Signature Cocktail done!

They next brought out the first round of passed hor'dourves. They were all presented beautifully and tasted amazing. After we tasted those they brought out the second round of passed hor'dourves. With SML strive for customer satisfaction they said they could make anything we requested, anything at all. So with a few new requests, i.e. sushi, it was an easy decision on our passed hor'dourves.

They then brought out a couple white wines for us to taste and chose for our dinner wine.

The next course was the soup. I had requested a tomato-bisque because it is my favorite soup. Their bisque was hands-down one of the best bisques I've ever had, it was perfect.

The next course was the salad. With a few modifications the salad was perfect.

They then brought out a couple red wines, and we chose one to serve at the table.

Finally, it was time to taste the entrees. We had requested to taste a chicken, a fish, and the fillet. All were amazing (according to my parents...they had to taste because I only eat chicken). Their head chef came out and introduced himself to us and to see how the tasting was going and if we had any questions. He was so nice and it really did enhance the evening! With a few requests and changes our entree is pretty much almost decided. Our entree we decided is not "Jess" friendly, but the SML is preparing me a special meal of whatever I chose :) So its a win-win!

When we thought we were going to explode or fall asleep from all the tasting...they then brought out the last course...the dessert. They prepared three different pre-cake desserts, all which were incredible, but one really stood out from the rest.

I can not express how excited I am for our wedding menu. It is phenomenal. The SML is everything I could ever dream of, and their food is nothing less then what I expected from them. I can not be more excited to share all of this with you in about 5.5 months!!

Another sidenote worth mentioning. The following weekend was Thanksgiving which meant Jeff was coming home! We froze the cakes from the tasting so he could taste them as well! He of course picked out the same cake I did :)

Save the Dates!

As most of you know the Save the Dates went out a couple weeks ago!! We are so excited and hope that all of you put them on your fridge!!

T-Minus 176 Days!!!

<3 Jeff & Jess

Updates & My Florist Visit!

Alright, so I admit I'm not the best blogger in the world, and I've now gone almost two months without maintaining or updating! Gesh. Since theres been quite a bit of time since my last post, theres obviously so many new exciting developments on the Bender-Durfee wedding!

Halloween weekend I went home to VT because I had one of the most important appointments ever...with my Florist, Kep Taylor, with SummerSweet Floral. Kep is a family friend who does incredible work and I couldn't be more excited that he's agreed to do the flowers for my wedding! Flowers are such a crucial part of a wedding. They can add so much flavor and beauty to any space.

Pre-appointment I probably looked through at least 20+ wedding magazines I've accumulated through the months and marked flower arrangements that jumped out at me. There was one arrangement that I really fell in love with, and in the back of my mind that's what I always envisioned. I also found a bouquet that I fell in love with. With those two pictures and a vision in my head I knew Kep would be able to make it a reality.

I'm really not that fussy when it comes to "types" of flowers. I just want something that will come together beautifully, and make me be like "wowww," and I know that having Kep as a florist I won't have to worry about having any doubts or concerns. I gave him my blessing to just go ahead and use whatever and do whatever he thinks will look good.

Being over 5 months into the planning, I thought I had a good idea of my 'vision' and my 'theme' that I was going for...however Kep opened my eyes to so much more by asking simple questions such as "what look are you going for..." and he rattled off so many themes like romantic, classic, elegant, whimsical, etc. I guess I had never thought about what "look" I was going for...all of those words sounded good to me and I guess I didn't know the difference! I always knew I wanted a "classy & elegant" wedding...but romantic sounds nice too....hmm...

After we discussed things for awhile and he got a good idea of my vision and what I was looking for, he said he was going to get together with Carrie and visit our sites to see what will be needed where... ( I had never even thought that the bathrooms would need flowers too!) It's so relieving knowing I'm in such good hands!!!

Like some of my previous posts I'm not posting or giving away any details of what I picked...you'll just have to wait and see June 5th :)

Vermont Vows Bridal Fair!

Right after I got engaged, my Mom got a couple issues of Vermont Vows magazine and saw an advertisement for an upcoming bridal fair. When the time got closer I purchased two tickets and asked Emily to go.

November 7th I went home for the weekend because I had bought tickets to the Vermont Vows Bridal Fair in Shelburne, VT. I asked Emily to go with me because I thought it would be something fun to do with my little Maid of Honor!

This was Emily's first Bridal fair and my second, but I still had no idea what to expect. The reviews and advertisements for this event made me have high expectations. It was supposed to be a "classy and upscale event" with $100+ gift baskets, the areas finest vendors, with wine tasting, champagne and passed hors d'oeuvres.

The event was at Shelburne Farms. I had never been to Shelburne Farms and neither had Em. Words can not express how beautiful Shelburne Farms is. According to http://www.shelburnefarms.org/ , on about 400 acres of land... "Casual visitors may enjoy the walking trails, children's farmyard, inn, restaurant, property tours and special events." driving up to the venue Emily and I could clearly see why Vermont Vows wanted to have their event here, and why some would want to be married here...the views were incredible. The venue was nestled along the shores of Lake Champlain. It just happened to be a beautiful day and we were arriving as the sun was setting over the lake, which made the atmosphere that much more inviting.

Emily and I pull up after our hour-long drive and valet park. We then see the longest line EVER. GREAT. Keep in mind it is about 35 degrees, the sun was setting, and we are in dresses. Hour and a half LATER...we are finally inside the venue, frozen to death, starving, and just ready to go home and take a hot bath.

Inside, the venue was packed with excited brides, bridesmaids, their families, fiances, everyone. It was a little to crowded to really enjoy all the things they had to offer, i.e. pedicures, manicures, makeup and hair trials...Em and I basically did a loop, saw all the stands and called it a night. We decided not to stay for the fashion shows or the other events because 1. I already had my dress 2. We wanted dinner and 3. We were still frozen. It was fun to go to but I didn't take to much from it because there were mostly venues, photographers, DJ's, transportation, and florists ...all which I already had booked and were happy with. My venue, Stowe Mountain Lodge, was of course there so I chatted with them for awhile which was nice.

It was a fun time and I enjoyed going with Em, and getting our gift-bag! However I really hope that Vermont Vows learned from their mistakes and their next event will be at a place where they can accommodate the amount of tickets they sell and not make 100 people and brides freeze to death outside. So for future brides in the VT area, I don't recommend this event, unless they figure out their flaws, and really become the area's "elite bridal fair."

My Music!

A few other random updates that are worth mentioning!

All our music has been chosen for the ceremony AND the reception!

For my ceremony I have always wanted a pianist (not a fan of organs), a violinist, a soprano (a female singer), AND trumpets! So we hired just that! Well... actually my wedding planner did. I told Carrie, my wedding planner, what I have always envisioned for my ceremony in regards to music, and she made it happen! She has worked with all of these musicians before, and they have all played together, so they have great harmony. Another important aspect of all these musicians is they have performed at many Catholic weddings, so they know what is appropriate and what is not.

For the cocktail hour we hired another pianist, I think it will be so fun, light, and classy! Especially in the area where I chose for my cocktail hour!!

For the reception I went with a DJ. I was really torn between DJ vs. Band. I knew I always wanted a DJ, because of the wide variety of music Jeff and I like....but I mean a band has always looked upon as being "classier" and I'm going for a very classy wedding...so after much thought and discussion with my friends and family we went with a DJ. In the end I was so happy and it was exactly what I wanted...I just had to get that "stereotype" out of my head because it was really bothering me...but then again. WHO CARES! It's Jeff & my wedding....

Almost 7 months away and we are in AWESOME shape!

I'm going home this weekend to deal with Save the Dates, and HOPEFULLY sending them out by mid-next-week, possibly picking out invitations, and meeting with my florist Kep!

Updates to come! <3

Bridesmaid Dresses

So it has been about a month since the last time I posted....and obviously so much has happened since then!

The highlight of this past month was BRIDESMAID DRESSES!! About a month or two ago, my bridesmaids and I decided that October 17th would be a great time to all meet up and pick out bridesmaid dresses! A few weeks before the 'big day' I did so much research online and in bridal salons to figure out what exactly I was looking for. I knew the style I wanted: I wanted a sweetheart top dress, that was flowy, and most likely tea-length. I wanted the sweet-heart top because it would match my dress, and you know me "matchy-matchy!" I obviously already knew the color, my bold "Lily" pink. So the tricky thing was finding a company that carried my color.....in the dress I envisioned. After doing some "recon" as Jeff would say, I found a few companies that carried the exact color I was looking for, in a few dresses that might work. I then found local salons that carried those designers. After comparing all the different salons I decided to bring my business to a local salon right in Waltham. They had a majority of the dresses I had found on-line, they were right in Waltham so it was super convenient, AND they offered me 15% off and free shipping to all my bridesmaids. PERFECT!

My thought of mind going into "Bridesmaid Dress Day" was that I wanted this to be quick, simple, and easy. No stress, no upset bridesmaids, and no upset bride! To eliminate all those things I visited the bridal shop multiple times, and took time looking through every single dress on their racks, and picked out about ten dresses I thought might work. The owner promised to have all the dresses pulled and ready for my bridesmaids to choose from on the day of our appointment. I decided this would make everyone's lives easier. It was really important to me that my bridesmaids had a say in the dress. I wanted them to feel comfortable, beautiful, and happy. And happy bridesmaids make for a happy bride! Also by pre-selecting a group of dresses it minimized all complaining, stress, and the amount of time.

My plan couldn't have gone smoother!

On Saturday the 17th, all my bridesmaids gathered at my apartment in Waltham. It made me so happy that I was surrounded by all my best friends and the fact they were all here for me! The feeling was incredible. My best friend from home, Meredith, drove down the night before and we went out to dinner in Boston with a few of the other bridesmaids. It was so much fun having Meredith there and hanging out with all my best friends here. Everyone clicked SO well and I couldn’t have been more pleased. My Mom, Memere, and Em, came up from Nashua, NH Saturday morning, and the rest of my bridesmaids live locally so they just drove over Saturday morning. The only bridesmaid that couldn’t make it was Elisa, but that is because she is currently in Idaho!

So after visiting at my apartment we made our way across Waltham to the bridal salon.

The dresses were already pulled so each Bridesmaid held up two dresses. By process of elimination we were down to 4 dresses. This quickly was narrowed down to two. Each bridesmaid tried on each of the two dresses. It was blatantly obvious which dress was the dress.

The dress we chose was PERFECT. It was exactly what I had envisioned; it looked AMAZING on EVERY SINGLE GIRL. AND it came in my color. It was just meant to be!

I’m not going to go into to much detail about the dress we chose, you'll just have to wait and see how beautiful the 8 of them are on my wedding day! They will be STUNNING!

*The first picture of Meredith and Em, are a few dresses they tried on...NOT the winners!
**The second picture is of me and all of my beautifullll bridesmaids! (minus Elisa!)

Save the Dates!

I had read somewhere, perhaps in my Emily Post Wedding Etiquette book and my Emily Post Wedding Handbook that 'Save the Dates' should go out usually 'generally six months' in advance. So I thought I had till like December....Carrie, my wedding planner, sent me an email about two weeks ago and was like we need to start thinking about Save the Dates because they should go out by end of October...I was like ummm okkkkk. Since a majority of my guests will be traveling to my wedding it is therefore classified as a "Destination Wedding." And with Destination Weddings you need to send out Save the Dates a lot earlier, which makes sense.

So looking at my calendar I was booked until end of October, which obviously wasn't going to work, but I was able to go home this past weekend again.

My Mom, Emily, and I headed up to Burlington, VT early Saturday morning. We knew of a place named "Scribbles" on Church Street, downtown Burlington, that was known for having lots of quality invitations and stationary. I had called them multiple times throughout the week and sent a "request for an appointment" on their website, but I hadn't heard back from them, which I found very rude and bad service, so I had mixed feelings going there.

Come to find out.............they closed last week............hahahaha. FIGURES. We walked to where it was and their sign was still there, but it was empty :( I was like ohh no wonder they didn't pick up my phone calls or return my email! Just another tragedy due to the current economy. But what makes it funny is I guess my Mom was telling Matthew, my brother, our plans for Saturday, and he was like I think Scribbles is closing, they are having a big sale. My Mom thought he was kidding, plus how would he know if a stationary store was closing...he's a guy! haha. Sooo all along he was right.....hahah.

Anyways, before going there I had already kind of made of my mind that I wanted Save the Date magnets. I've always seen them in magazines and they've always caught my eye and I've always thought they would be so fun and so practical! So after we saw they were closed I was like yes, its meant to be, I should definitely just order magnets! haha.

That night with the help of my parents, I designed our Save the Date, and I couldn't be more happier with them! SOO excited! I can not wait for them to come in...and then send them out!!

The Visit

After we had hired Carrie and I told her my "vision" for my wedding, she had mentioned that she had a "pink" wedding coming up and if I was in the area I should definitely stop by and check it out to get ideas.

On September 12th, Emily and I took the trip up to Stowe to check it out. We made a whole day of it which was nice, my little Maid of Honor and I! We did a little shopping and had lunch in Burlington then made our way back south on I-89 to Waterbury to check out the church because I hadn't seen it before.

A little background on our church:

When my Mom and I took our first trip to Stowe to start looking at Venues, we also stopped by the Catholic church in Stowe. It was cute and little, perhaps a little too little, but it wasn't really what I envisioned I would get married in......I couldn't see myself walking down the aisle...it just wasn't for me...SO we started looking into other options in the area.

My Dad had mentioned that we should find a church over the "notch," which is a beautiful seasonal road that goes through the mountains. It is gorgeous, with views to die for and you pass waterfalls and nature, its magical. We found out that the nearest church was a bit too far and if it wasn't a nice day then it wouldn't be a pleasant drive..but for all my guests I highly recommend taking this drive over the mountain, you will not be disappointed!

We ended up going with St. Andrew Catholic church in Waterbury, which is the town over from Stowe. My Mom went to visit it and she said it was pretty. I got into contact with the priest there and he was so nice! I had mentioned to him that we had a family friend who was a priest and we would love him to co-celebrate with him. He was so nice and said that our friend could do it by himself if he wanted to and he wouldn't have to be there, which is awesome!

So yes we have our church all set! And we are going to start to prep for our pre-cana courses! A.k.a. pre-marriage courses! Should be a blast!

Anyways back to my story:

So we arrived at St. Andrew Church. It's a cute little wooden church, a typical VT church. But inside was beautiful. They had renovated in 2004 so it was nice. It will do :) Emily actually said, "Here you go! Can you envision yourself walking down the aisle??" And it hit me, such a strange feeling and I was like oh my god, this is it, this is where I'm going to be married....AHH! It seemed so surreal.

We then "practiced" the drive from our church to our venue. I was worried about the distance since the church and venue weren't in the same town, but it's only twenty minutes, and it's such a beautiful ride that it doesn't even matter.

So we arrived at our venue around 2:30, when Carrie said we should arrive because everything was supposed to be all set up, since the wedding ceremony was at 4. We pulled up in front of the Stowe Mountain Lodge and we were valet parked, of course, and the parking attendant was soooo nice and soo impressive with his customer service skills. He remembered our names "Ms. Durfee" whenever we saw him walking around the venue and gave a slight bow and said "hello Ms. Durfee." I was quite pleased of the quality of service that my guest will endure once they arrive!

This was the first time Emily had seen my venue, and she was so amazed. From her first impression of the parking attendant, to right when she walked inside she had the same first impression as me, amazement.

We made our way to the ballroom, where the wedding was (and where mine is going to be!) and we were greeted warmly by Heidi (SML event planner) and Carrie (our wedding planner) They showed us inside the ballroom and both Emily and my mouths dropped....it was my wedding...it was STUNNING. From the set up of the room, the the pink flowers, the pink centerpieces, the tables, the chairs, the everything, it was absolutely breathtaking. I was soo soo happy because I had not seen the room all set up before, I had just seen it a big empty dark room. So seeing it all set up made me that much more excited. I also got a ton of ideas, things I lovee, things I could do without, and things to think about....

After I showed Em around the venue and showed her where I wanted to have cocktail hour, etc, we walked back to the valet station, and I didn't even have to ask for my car or who I was, the guy had grabbed my keys and was already on his way out to get my car.

SO HAPPY! AMAZINGGG!

Dress Shopping Round 2

Knowing that I had a huge time crunch to find my dream dress I was able to make an appointment at Priscilla's of Boston for July 30th. Luckily my Mom, sister, grandparents, and Tina, were able to make it.

I've always seen the Priscilla of Boston ads in magazines, and have heard numerous people talk about it, so I of course wanted to have the Priscilla experience as well! I went into my dress search not caring if I got a designer gown or not. All I was looking for was a dress that I was absolutely in love with, and for the dress to basically find me...like we were meant to be.

We arrived at our appointment at Priscilla's on Boylston Street, and we were all beyond excited. Our consultant Lindsey brought us into a room and basically asked me a million questions of the type of dress I was looking for and things I liked, loved, and didn't care for. After what seemed like twenty minutes, she was like ok I think I have a perfect dress for you. She came back with two dresses. I put the first one on and I stood there in awe. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was nothing like I expected or dreamed of, but it was BETTER. It was STUNNING. I knew instantly that this was the dress...MY dress.....so after admiring myself for a few minutes I went out and showed everyone and to see their reaction...all their reactions were the same as mine....STUNNING. They all knew this was MY dress, I had found MY dress!!! Even other clients and consultants stopped and came around and looked and they were all like this is your dress, this dress was made for you. AHHHHH!!!!!!

It was suchhh an overwhelming feeling and I was in disbelief that I had found MY dress.....and just to make sure I asked to try on some more dresses. I tried on probably 6 more, but none of them compared, it was quite obvious that we had found the dress.

I put my dress back on and just stood on the pedestal and I could envision myself walking down the isle towards Jeff, wearing this dress....it was absolutely perfect. One of the managers came over and she said that she was so happy I had found this dress, because "not many people can pull it off....you need to have the perfect body type for the dress..." So it was fate!

I was so thankful to have everyone there with me, because they all agreed that the dress was perfect and we should order it. Even though I knew it was my dress, it's such a hard decision and without their encouragement I don't think I would've been able to say yes! lets do this! There were so many happy tears, especially from me, because at that moment everything seemed more real....I had found my wedding dress....this is something little girls dream of their whole life and they wait anxiously for that moment when they are actually standing there in their dress.....I did at least...

So the first dress I had tried on at Priscilla's of Boston was my dress.....they took my measurements, and it is on order and should arrive around March. I can not be more excited and happy.

I'm not going to go into detail of what my dress looks like....because 1. My fiance reads my blog now! 2. Only my bridesmaids know, and it's our bridal secret! 3. I want everyone to be "wowed" as I walk down the isle, so I will keep it as a surprise!

So yes, I FOUND MY DREAMMMM DRESSS!!!!

Dress, check!

Dress Shopping Round 1

After the huge surprise from my Dad I drove to Nashua, NH to meet up with my Mom, Emily, and my Memere to go to a little bridal boutique and start the most exciting quest of finding my dress! I was in such a good mood and such good spirits that I new that this would be a successful trip!

The boutique was little, nothing special, it had a sentimental side to it because it had been in Nashua so long and my Mom had gotten many dresses there as well.

The consultant asked me what type of dress I was looking for...and I told her that I had a picture in my head but I want to try on everything, mostly because I have never tried on wedding dresses so I really didn't know what would look good...

Let's just say I probably tired on 10-15 dress....75% of them were outrageous and made me look like a little poof-ball or a little cloud. But hey at least I tried on every style!

There were two that I really, really liked...they were completelyyy different. The first one was exactly what I had envisioned in my head as my dream dress...the other I was pleasantly shocked by...each looked amazing and were beautiful...but I wasn't quite ready to make a decision. Everyone says that when you find your dress you just know... I didn't have that feeling with either of them...they were pretty...and I liked them...but I didn't get that OMGGGGG this is it!

We were also informed that if we wanted either of the dresses we would have to make a decision by August...because it takes usually 7-9 months to make....so awesome that means I have to make a HUGE decision in the next two weeks, and squeeze in some other dress appointments at other salons.....AH!

So the dress search continues!

Why My Dad Is THE BEST!

A few weeks had gone by and we still had not chosen a venue. Not because we couldn't decide, but because my parents and I were so busy and we hadn't had a chance to really discuss it. I knew where I wanted to have it. My Mom knew where would be perfect. My Dad could see it in my eyes exactly where I wanted it to be at, but I would never say I want it here, because of the different logistics...

A few weeks after we had visited the Stowe Mountain Lodge I got an email from Heidi, saying that there was another couple that was very interested for June 5th, 2010 at their venue....oh great....the stress and anxiety was kicked up a level, so I just forwarded the email to my Dad. I might also add that we had not hired our wedding planner at this point yet, so we had no one on our side working for us. So STRESS. I figured I would just let my parents handle it, I honestly didn't care where they chose, I was already so happy because I was marrying the love of my life, so what else did I need?

It was Friday, July 17th, I was just sitting at my desk, anxiously waiting for 2pm for when I could leave for the weekend, and I was also planning on meeting my Mom, sister, and Memere to go to my first dress appointment. As I was watching the minutes pass slowly by, all of a sudden an email popped up from Carrie, the wedding planner...hmm interesting? So I open it and it said "Welcome to our services!" Ummm OH MY GOD! I kept reading and it said that she had been in contact with the Stowe Mountain Lodge and they have put it on hold for us for June 5th, 2010. OH MY GOD. I instantly was overwhelmed with emotion and just bawling at my desk. My Dad had just gone ahead and hired Carried, booked the exact venue I wanted, and completely, and utterly surprised me. I should have known that my Dad always seems to pull through for me, and always knows whats best. I called my Mom right away, and she had no idea either that my Dad had done this, and she started crying as well. Thinking about that moment I could not express how filled with joy and happiness I was.

This is why my Dad is the best!

SO Venue, check!

The Venue Search

Knowing that I wanted a very traditional wedding, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that I wanted to get married in my home state...Vermont. Vermont is an unique place, especially to get married. Vermont is known for it's beautiful, natural scenery, it's simple life feeling, and a rustic edge. It's known for barns, farms, cows, bad cell phone service, Ben & Jerry's, dirt roads and covered bridges. I think and know of it as home. Knowing that VT is quite different from like Boston....I knew my whole aura of my wedding would be different then the wedding I was envisioning in my head. Obviously I've always dreamed of the hugeee Catholic Cathedral with tons of history, built with stone and pillars, and a hugeeee elegant ballroom for my reception, with elegant chandeliers, fine china, and on the harbor with a view of skyline.

After thinking about what I really wanted in my heart, and instead of my materialistic dreams, I knew I truly did want to get married in VT. VT just has this ring to it, this feeling, and I wanted that feel for my wedding. I didn't care about the elegant Ritz Carlton ballrooms and the hugee Cathedral in downtown Boston, I wanted a warm, elegant Vermont Wedding!

So our quest for the perfect venue began!

We knew that one thing that was really important to us, and to Jeff's family was that our guests had the option to stay at our venue. The Benders and my family have both been to a lot of weddings, and we agreed the ones that were the most fun were ones that you could just go have a blast at and then walk down the hall to your room and not have to worry about anything such as who is going to drive...! We both agreed that we wanted to make sure everyone had the best time ever and we wanted to keep our guests comfort and convenience in mind, especially since a majority of them will be traveling out of state to our wedding. With that being said, we knew that we had limited options in VT. VT doesn't have a ton of hotel chains or numerous options to stay at. They are know for inns and bed & breakfasts. However, one thing VT does have, is RESORTS. Since VT is also known for being a skiing state, there is numerous luxurious resorts. BINGO!

We started our journey on June 13th at the StoweFlake in Stowe, VT. We've stayed at the StoweFlake before and my Dad has had functions/meetings there, so we kind of already knew what it was all about. The StoweFlake is known for it's spa and it's VT inn feel, it is definitely nice but maybe not what I was looking for in regards to my wedding. We decided to meet with the StoweFlake and take a venue tour, but this time with the frame of mind of not just staying there...but to have a wedding there...it didn't ring my bell I guess you could say. It had a corporate feel, meaning I felt like it would be more suitable for a business meeting then for a wedding. Their ballroom was underground, with minimal sunlight. I mean it didn't make sense to me...VT is gorgeous...so wouldn't you want a ballroom above ground?? I knew that I wanted a gorgeous view for my guests to enjoy...not the view of...nothing...So moving on...

So our next appointment was later that day at TopNotch Spa & Resort, just up the road from StoweFlake. My parents had stayed there before and he had an amazing experience, so from the vibe my Mom was giving off I had a good feeling about this place. TopNotch has an exceptional reputation, awards for its spa, and decent views. We arrived and met with Nick, their event coordinator. He was really nice and walked us all around the resort, I was quite impressed. They also had two options of where to have the reception. They had a ballroom....but like Stoweflake it was underground, and not impressive whatsoever, and they also had a tent site. At first I wasn't to sure about having a tented wedding in VT....in beginning of June...when there's potential of snow still being on the ground....but the site was nice, it was like a tennis court for the ground, a top of the line restroom outside, and a gorgeous tent and view of the mountains...hmm maybe this could work? I still wasn't 100% sold but I was toying with the idea in my head. We left TopNotch with a good feeling, but we still wanted to look around.

The following Saturday (MY BIRTHDAY!!) I drove back up to Vermont and we took a tour of the Woodstock Inn. The Woodstock Inn is just down the road from us and I've been there numerous times for numerous reasons...not for a wedding though. I thought the Woodstock Inn might have potential because it is so elegant and nearby and I grew up going there...well...their ballroom was underground as well....and they didn't seem to offer a whole lot of what we were looking for...overall we didn't get a good vibe from their event coordinator, the whole environment, or anything.....so onwards!

About this time this is when we Hired Carrie our wedding planner (We should have started looking at venues AFTER we hired her). Carrie had suggested we go look at a place called the Stowe Mountain Lodge in Stowe, VT, up the road from both TopNotch and StoweFlake. Both of my parents had heard of this place, but never had been there because it was only a year or two old. We planned a meeting with Heidi, the SML event coordinator, for Friday, July 3rd. On July 3rd, both my parents and I, drove up to the SML and I was in awe. Right away we were valet parked, the doormen were so friendly and helpful, and since it was raining they had an umbrella waiting for us as we stepped outside the car. AWESOME first impression. We walk inside and the lobby was Magnificent! It was gorgeous. It was new, beautifully decorated, hugeee windows everywhere so you could look outside and see the view...and let me just say the view is to die forrr!!! Beautiful mountains and ski slops, it is gorgeous. Ok I had already fallen in love, even before we took the tour. Heidi came out, and she was cute and fun, and seemed like she would be awesome to work with, unlike the other bland, snobby venue event planners. She showed us around the venue, and every step I took I was more and more amazed. The guest rooms were TO DIE FOR. They are gorgeous, top of the line everythingggg, luxurious is what they were definitely going for. Their spa was immaculate and I wanted to spend all day...or even week there...AND THE BALLROOM....IT WAS ABOVE GROUND!! The ballroom was a typical ballroom, but had sooo sooo soo much potential, and the best thing about it is the views of the outside, it was BEYOND PERFECTTTT!!!!!!!!!!! The whole venue had this vibe and look and everything I was looking for. It is amazing and we all fell in love. It was perfectttt. So needless to say we left the SML with a sense of excitement and a really good feeling!

So the decision seems obvious, right? Wrong. We had to talk first about logistics before we could actually set our heart on anything....stay tuned :)

Hiring my Wedding Planner

So the conversation came up between my parents and I if we should hire a wedding planner or not. At first I was pretty opposed to it, because 1. any venue we choose most likely will come with an "event/wedding coordinator" and 2. I LOVE THIS STUFF , and I felt like it would be a huge waste of money because I actually enjoy planning weddings, not that I have done it before, but in my other life I would've been a wedding planner!

My Dad had mentioned that a friend of his had used a wedding planner for their wedding, and she was the best investment ever for their wedding. She was so helpful and knowledgeable, and she definitely earned her money the day of the actual wedding. The day of the wedding, this family friend was stress free, he enjoyed his daughter's wedding, didn't have to worry about ANYTHING like paying the vendors and making sure they actually showed up and were on time. And that got my Dad and I both thinking....maybe a wedding planner is a good idea?

We set up a meeting with Carrie, from Storied Events, the same wedding planner that my Dad's friend used. I was pleasantly surprised and very impressed with her. Even though she came very highly recommended, I thought I was quite capable of doing this on my own. When we first met she introduced herself, told us about her experience and previous jobs, all veryyy impressive might I add. She also told us everything she could do for us. She touched upon things we hadn't really thought of, overall a really good first impression. She talked about everything that my Dad and I were looking for from a wedding planner without having to ask her to. One of my Dad's main objectives is he doesn't want me, him, or anyone else in my family to be stressed out at all...and especially on the wedding day. She will be in charge of negotiating with all the vendors, researching different options and setting up meetings with them for me, taking my visualization of my dream wedding and making it come true, and also handling everything from the payment of the vendors, to the instruction of set up, to the rehearsal and making sure everyone knows what to do and all their cues, to make sure the reception runs smoothly...she does it all...and we have NOTHING to worry about. She also mentioned that on the actual wedding day if an issue arises she will take care of it, and make sure that we do not even know about it, because there is no need for that. Unless something is pressing, she will approach my Dad, but I will be the last person to know about anything that is wrong, because it is my wedding day and I should not even have an ounce of stress. She also mentioned she has a "wedding day kit" that she takes everywhere, like Jennifer Lopez does on the movie the Wedding Planner, so I was pretty excited about that. She also wanted to make sure that we knew that she worked for us...while the "wedding/event coordinators" that the venue usually provides you works for the venue....which is also a very good point.

So I've been working with Carrie for about 2 months now, and she has been beyond helpful! I basically tell her my dreams and my thoughts and ideas, and she makes it come true, but she always suggests something I didn't think of or haven't heard of...and makes it even better! AH I can not wait till it is all put togetherrr!!!

So done, hired! Date, check! Bridesmaids, check! Color, check! Wedding Planner, check!

My Color

So to some this may be a shocker........my wedding color scheme is...PINK! Ok it's not that much of a shocker haha, anyone who knows me or has ever met me...knowssss my favorite color is Pink. It's like Elle Woods on Legally Blonde, her signature color is pink!

Anyways, at first I was kind of leaning towards yellow....Since we were having a June wedding, yellow would be gorgeous, like a nice bright yellow. I also found some photos and ideas I really liked in magazines. But I guess a part of me was never sold on yellow....

I started playing with some other color ideas, like a "Tiffany" blue, a lilac purple, pink, etc. Jeff really didn't care, except for some reason he was really against any type of purple.

So after much thought I knew I couldn't be unfaithful to me, and my signature color, and I chose pink for my color scheme. I don't want like a light baby pink, or a bright barbie pink, I want a bold, bright "Lilly Pulitzer" Pink!

I've started looking at flowers, and I'm loving the bright pink roses...and have them everywhere....it's my favorite flower to receive from Jeff, so it's perfect! It's fate! :)

My Bridal Party

Everyone seems to know exactly who they want to be in their wedding party....so when the question is popped...one of the first things announced is who is in their bridal party....I was not one of those people. It took me over a month, agonizing who to announce as my final bridal party. In my heart I already knew who I wanted and who would be the perfect bridesmaids, but I was toying with the idea of having 6...0r 8......and if I chose 6, that means I would have to make a really hard decision of cutting two girls out....but I knew my first step was to finalize on a number...6 or 8. At first my Mom thought 8 was outrageous, and it was soo many.. Which it is...and I mean I had always envisioned 6 bridesmaids....so 6 seemed like the right number. Right?

After many conversations with Jeff, my mom, my wedding planner, some close friends....the number would change every week...then I decided to take a different approach, who do I truly want in my bridal party, and who can I envision being the perfect bridesmaids, and who do I want standing up there with me as I married Jeff?? My wedding planner and also Robyn, my big sister, gave me the same great advice, which I will give others, if you are having issues choosing then ask yourself a simple question.... "Will this girl be upset if they are not in your bridal party?" And if the answer is "Yes" then they should NOT be in your bridal party, because they are obviously not a true friend and would be more concerned with themselves then you on whats supposed to be "your" day. I was like wowww, that is amazing advice, because I had never thought of it that way. So with each girl I asked myself this question and 8 girls I immediately thought "no" and then there were a few more I was thinking of...and they were all "yes" ... The answer was simple...it was 8.....8 special girls that have in some way impacted my life and has influenced the person I am today. I know they will do anything for me on a drop of a hat and will be amazing, amazing bridesmaids. I also know that these 8 girls have always been there for me, and will always be there for me. I also know that these 8 girls have always had my back, and will always have my back. These girls are my best friends, my soul mates, and my loves. They've also been in support of Jeff and my relationship, and they've never had the jealously bug and just shared my happiness instead of try and dampen it.

After I made my final decision I created "Will you be my bridesmaid?" cards and sent them out on their way. And everyone's reactions when they received the card made me smile inside because I knew I had 100% made the right decision, and I felt silly stressing over it so much!

So 8 bridesmaids, and I couldn't be happier!

I love you Emily (My Maid of Honor!), Elisa, Tina, Katelyn, Meredith, Amanda, Robyn, and Berns!

Our Wedding Date!

So one of the most stressful, and first things you obviously need to do once you get engaged is....pick a wedding date....however I don't think anyone will have to feel the stress I did, knowing my fiance was in the army. (SO all you other military wives can relate!) Basically I'm aware that once I marry Jeff my life will be run basically by the Army. And I'm completely ok with that. I completely support what Jeff wants to do with his life and I couldn't be more proud of what he is giving up for our country. He is truly amazing for what he's doing...Ok I can go on and on about him...but back to the point of this blog...I didn't even consider that the Army was going to chose my wedding date! haha.

So here is the headache that occurred in my head....

1. Jeff leaves June 7th from Boston...and flies out June 10th for Ft. Lewis Washington till August...then he goes to Kentucky, then Georgia, then back to Kentucky, and then he graduates May 25th, 2010.....ok...obviously that eliminates any date until June.
2. Jeff needs to be at his duty station nooo later then June 25th...awesome so that eliminates any date after about June 19th...because there has to be a few days for him to get to GA and move and settle in. Ok.
3. Robyn & Ted's wedding is May 29th, 2010, ok.
4. Emily's Birthday is June 5th...ok...
5. Emily's H.S. graduation is the weekend of the 12th...okkkk.....
6. My cousin's wedding is the 19th....okkkkkkk wow...
7. Jeff may be deployed next fall...so obviously we would want to be married before then...okkkkkkkkkk....hmmm....

So after many discussions with my parents, with Jeff, with Jeff's parents, with Robyn, with my friends, we realized that sacrifices were going to be made. So it made the most since to have the wedding on June 5th. Yes it is Emily's birthday, but she agreed, and since she is my Maid of Honor its ok! haha. So thankfullyyyyy we are able to squeeze our wedding in before he has to be stationed in GA, and before his first deployment! I guess fate had its hand in this as well, because I've always always always dreameddd of a June wedding!!!!!!! :)

SO JUNE 5th, 2010!!!!!!!! AHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

The Engagement Photo Shoot

When we got back from St. Lucia...we had so many things to get done before Jeff left! One of our top priorities was getting our engagement pictures done, because when else were we supposed to take them, haha. So with the help of Mrs. Bender, we were able to find an amazing photographer who was able to squeeze us in! On Thursday, June 4th, we had our photo shoot with Mike & Kate Duval with MKD Photography.

Since it was such a rushed appointment and they were so gracious to squeeze us in, we met at their house and took a few shots around their property. We then went to Walden Pond and downtown Concord. We had soooo much fun. At first it was a little awkward and it took us awhile, me especially, to just loosen up and have fun with it. Surprisingly Jeff was so into it, and was suchhh a good sport! Overall it was so much fun and Mike was so fun to work with!

Knowing that Jeff was leaving on the 7th, Mike and Kate quickly developed and posted all our pictures on the 6th. We were expecting to view the pictures at least a week later, but it was such a nice surprise to actually be able to sit with Jeff and view all the pictures together and pick out our favorites and laugh at our not so favorites. They all turned out amazing, and I couldn't wait to share them with everyone!

A few weeks later, after we had placed our order for prints, I met with Mike & Kate to start designing our guest book. Mrs. Bender had attended a wedding a few months ago and had seen that they used their engagement pictures within their guest book. So what a great idea! Mike & Kate knew exactly what we meant and they had different options with what we could do. It was so much fun and I got to pick the layout, size, the type and color of the leather for the outside, and my top 30 favorite pictures, this was a tough decision. However, to make sure Jeff was involved and his input was reflected too, I had him before hand pick his top 30 favorite pictures as well. I can't wait to see how this turns out! It will be such a nice and special touch to our wedding! I also can't wait to read the guest book when it is completely finished...meaning right after our wedding after everyone writes in it!!!!!

Needless to say, Mike & Kate were amazing to work with, and it was an easy decision to make...we obviously hired them for our wedding!!

So Engagement pics, check! Wedding photographer, check!

My First Blog!

So I've been meaning to create a blog for quite some time now. With pressure and encouragement especially from my bridesmaid Katelyn, I thought it would be fun to write about all my experiences planning my dream wedding and all the fun that is to come this next year. It's also a good way to get all my excitement out so people on fb, twitter, gchat, etc doesn't have to hear about it 24/7! I've quickly discovered it takes a lot of effort, time, stress, and fun to become Mrs. Bender!!!

A little background, since quite a lot has happened since I got engaged!

The Engagement:

Jeff & I had been planning a trip for quite some time. It was my Junior year and his Sophomore year we decided that once we both graduated we were going to take a celebratory trip together. We wanted to celebrate all our accomplishments thus far and also I wanted to get Jeff out of the country. Traveling is one of my favorite things to do, especially traveling out of the U.S. Up until dating me, Jeff hadn't been out of the country....we went to Montreal for New Years '08, haha. So this past year, Jeff's senior year, we became more serious about this trip. We had researched numerous destinations, and we had narrowed our choice to St. Martin. However, with many cancelled flights it would take us 13 hours to get there, with 3 lay overs...a little obsessive....so I guess you may say fate had a different plan for us. After frantically starting to research other destinations, we just stumbled across St. Lucia. It was beautiful, everything we were looking for, and was easily accessible. So done! Booked!

We left my apartment at 3:30am on Thursday the 21st, and headed to Logan International Airport. By 3pm we were on the beautiful island of St. Lucia and at our cozy resort. We unpacked and walked around the resort until dinner. We had a nice dinner, and I noticed that Jeff was acting and saying some really strange things. After we ate, Jeff insisted on sipping a cup of coffee for about 25-30 minutes, while I wanted to leave and walk around the resort some more. I knew something was up when Jeff was like ok, let me finish my coffee....we will go up to the room and change out of our dinner clothes...and then lets go walk on the beach. Hmmmm.....I reallyyyy knew something was up then, because 1. He was being weird 2. I always want to take walks on the beach with him at like LBI, and he always says "that's stupid"....so why would he want to now? 3. It was so obvious he had something on his mind.

So to fast forward to the next twenty minutes, and to the good part....we were walking along the beach, it was a gorgeous night. The moon was out, the stars were shining, the waves were crashing. It was perfect. We were holding hands just enjoying the scenery, the fact we had actually made it and gone on our trip we had been talking about for two years, and just each other's company. We stop and Jeff just held me and was just like "how perfect is this" and I was like I couldn't agree more. He then all of a sudden goes, I think it's also the perfect time to do something else....he then gets down on one knee, and said the sweetest words anyone has ever said to me, and asked me to be his wife. AMAZINGGGG. I couldn't think of a more perfect proposal! After coming to after my shock, I of course said yes! And we hugged and cried on the beach for awhile as he slipped the ring on my finger. Let me just say, it is the MOST AMAZING FEELING EVER. It makes me soo soo happy thinking about how truly happy and in love we are and especially at that moment. That moment will forever be ingrained my memory. Ohhh Jeff, how you always seem to surprise me :)

The rest of the trip was amazing, we saw so many amazing sites and beautiful things. We couldn't have asked for a better week.

So about four months later....here we are!

Stay posted for other posts of my venue search, hiring our wedding planner, picking my bridal party, FINDING MY DREAM DRESS!, and other fun adventures I've had thus far!