Saturday, December 10, 2011

Save the date!

Save the dates have been sent!! Please don't be upset if you did not receive one.  We wish we could have everyone in our lives attend our "it's about time" day, but truth of the matter is, it's just not possible.  We love each and everyone of our family members and friends; please don't forget that!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Food!

After much debate over what we want to do for food, we have finally come to the decision we'd rather not have our family work, so we're getting it catered.  Tubby's Barbeque it is.  I'm so excited because it's absolutely delicious.

Monday, October 10, 2011

I found my dress!!

After trying on about 20 dresses, I found the one!  Britton has access to the blog, so if you want to see them, visit me on facebook, where he is blocked.  I love it.  It's in the colors that will fit with our theme/colors! 

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Saturday, July 30, 2011

More than one reception?

Update:
So, I can't seem to convince Britton that a reception/party in Kenai is a good idea - which after looking at my facebook friends and who still lives in Kenai, I'm kind of starting to agree.  If you think it's a good idea, you should let us know.   Would you travel to Fairbanks just for the reception?


I want to be able to celebrate with everyone in my life, despite the fact that we are having a smaller ceremony.  Our ceremony location only has capacity for 75 people, so the current plan is to host a larger reception after.  However, there are sooo many people in our families alone, that may or may not be able to come to Fairbanks for just the reception, so I think we might hold three?
There will be the main one here in Fairbanks right after the ceremony.

Then, I'm thinking since I want to see the Fourth of July Parade in Kenai, that it would work to hold a Kenai reception/bbq/potluck right around then for all of our family and friends in the Southcentral area.

Then, I think it would be nice to include all of the Oregon/lower 48 family and friends (plus leave Alaska in the summer time, say what?!) and so we could have a big bbq/potluck reception down in Albany (?) a few days later.

Any thoughts or suggestions?
Would you go to either the second or third reception if you couldn't make it to Fairbanks?

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The Ceremony Location

I'm super stoked!! We're 99% positive the ceremony is going to be held on the Sternwheeler Tanana Chief!! There are just a couple little details we have to figure out!! - Like if our friend's wheelchair can get to the deck so he can watch the ceremony too, but I'm sure we'll figure something out.

Brunch on Sunday was as amazing as I remember and Britton was pretty impressed too.  The river (while not the Kenai) is pretty, but we think the ride might be a little too short to enjoy the reception.  So, our plan is to have the ceremony and cocktails and the group pictures that we want (assuming the lighting is good) on the Sternwheeler with limited guests (since the upper deck can only hold 75 - and that might be standing room; another detail we need to look into) and then go elsewhere for our reception, have a BBQ and invite the whole world - well, okay, all the people we know :)

If you are in Fairbanks, I highly recommend spending the $40 for the Sunday Brunch Cruise - and I would be willing to go again.  :)  My friend and mentor Cara was bummed when I checked-in on Facebook saying we were looking at a wedding venue and didn't think to invite "mock" guests... I wish I had thought of that - it would have been with more people we knew. 

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

A date (the romantic kind)

Britton and I have a date to have brunch on the Sternwheeler Tanana Chief this weekend.  Right now, it feels like a prime location to have our special day, and while it's not on the river of my choice, I have decided that at least it's on some body of water. 

My grandparents go on a dinner or brunch cruise every year for their anniversary, and I had the opportunity to join them in 2008 when I was staying at their house after I had surgery.  I may or may not have been on my pain killers, so I make no promises to all of the memories I have from the trip, but I think it will make a great location.  I just hope Britton agrees!  Then we can start putting deposits down, and I'll start looking for my dress!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Did you know...

It's practically impossible to decide things the first time??  or even the Second time??

We've chosen another date! And this time, I think we're sticking to it :)

Saturday,
June 30, 2012! 

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Decisions

I've come to realize that a wedding isn't the point of getting married, which makes it really, really hard to want to spend a bajillion dollars on one day that kind of reminds me of a cross between Valentine's Day and Disney Princess movies.  Glorified and commercialized. 

Now, don't get me wrong - I plan on looking like a princess on my big day, but please don't be discouraged if you aren't invited or asked to help.  I would love to have a 250 person reception, but fact of the matter is, we can't afford it.  We would much rather put the $10,000 it would cost in catering towards a down payment on our house.  We're smart kids :-P 

One of the most important things to me about my big day are the pictures - so, whether you make it or you're stuck at home thanks to the economy, you'll be able to witness our happy knot that will be tied together til the day we die. 

On a different note, we're having trouble deciding where, how many, who, etc.  We've decided on centerpieces, attendant gifts, favors, seat-locators, table numbers and colors.  I think we have our priorities backwards.  Britton keeps telling me my ideas are too expensive, so I keep looking for more locations. We have an idea of the number of people we want but, until we finally decide on a location, it's really hard to lock in invitations, number of table rentals, a food plan, etc. 

Hopefully after tonight, I'll be able to talk to him since most of the sports he watches will be over!!

Locations! (again)

Here is a sample of the locations we've looked at thus far: 

Alaska Heavenly Lodge    
Stern Wheeler     
Diamond M Ranch    
Pioneer Park    
Chena Lakes    
Kenai Senior Center    
Cruise    
Taste of Alaska Lodge (grounds rental)    
Taste of Alaska Lodge (w/ lodge rental)    
Lakeside Weddings (Vegas)    
North Tahoe Events    
The Party Boat (Lake Tahoe)    
The Gardens at Holstein House (Vegas)
A Secret Garden
Grand -parents Boat Launch
Grand -parents Boat Launch & Senior Center Potluck

And that doesn't even touch any of the Hawaii locations I've looked at but haven't put into my spreadsheet! 

Monday, May 23, 2011

A new date!

We had originally chosen 8/19/2012 because it was our birth dates added together: 5.5+3.14 but it turns out Britton is likely unable to get ANY time off during that time period due to semester start up.  At first I was okay with it and totally willing to work around that, but we got to thinking - if we stay with UAF, he'll never ever be able to go on vacation around our anniversary, so we changed it. 

Our new date is:
June 21, 2012!

Britton liked the way 21-12 sounded, so we went with it!  We have opted to go with June, because we love the idea of having all the sunshine on our special day!  So, there ya have it :)

Monday, May 16, 2011

Location, Location, Looo-cation

Do you remember that commercial on TV that used the line "Location, Location, Looo-cation!"  I think it was for a bank but I figured it worked for the title today.

We haven't decided 100% on a location; we are waiting on a few quotes that I may or may not get while I'm in Kenai this week.  We are not looking at destination weddings anymore, mainly because Britton is unable to get very much time off in mid-late August.  Even though he knows more than a year in advance, blackout dates still apply.  We are almost certain that our wedding will be held in the Kenai area and are strongly considering the Challenger Learning Center.

I want the ceremony to take place outside.  The photo below is from my friend Monica and her husband Seth's wedding. I imagine my wedding to look something like this.  I love the white chairs and the birch arbor.  I don't imagine my bridesmaids in a rainbow of colors though and hopefully its sunny.  If the Challenger Learning Center will allow it, I'd like to do the ceremony on the lawn right there.  If not, I'll be talking with the city of Kenai about an alternate park location.  As for alternate reception locations, I'm thinking about the Senior Center or renting a tent and doing it all outside.  I'm totally open for suggestions :)

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

The Ring

I know, I know.  I promised this picture this weekend, but then I worked 8 hours, hosted a bbq, went to another bbq.  And in between, I was studying or something. 
But here it is: 

I've never liked solitaire rings for me. For other people, if that suits your fancy, yay!  I prefer bands.  I always have.  Ask my mom :)

We were at Fred Meyer one evening and Britton was looking at watches.  You know, those $3,000 ones in the Jewelers section.  I was wandering around looking at the other things, when the sales lady talked him into looking at rings for me.  She said something along the lines of, if you're going to buy yourself something new and pretty, your lady needs something new and pretty too.  So, she gave me lots of HUGE rings that I would never wear!  Then she handed me a ring similar to this one, except it was 1/2 caret bigger.  And I loved the style, but still, it was too big for my tastes.  So I kept in on the middle of my finger, when I noticed the one I now own.  I slid it on my finger, and it was perfect!  The exact right size diamonds and band width.  I loved it.  Britton wasn't too sure, he tried to get me to like the bigger one, but I just didn't.  Then the sales lady started asking about my promise ring, and if it had been purchased at Fred Meyer Jewelers.  It had.  And so she started selling to Britton, you know you can trade in the old ring at the same price you bought it for and put it towards the new one? And at first I didn't want to give up my promise ring, but the appeal of the new ring won me over.  And I don't regret it.  I love the story.  <3 Thanks Britton!!

Friday, May 6, 2011

The Date

Our big day will be:

August 19, 2012!

We are currently undecided on a location

but these ideas have been tossed around:
*bank of the Kenai River
*Georgeson Botanical Gardens
*destination wedding (Hawaii? Cruise? Chartered plane?)


If you would like to receive snail mail correspondence from us, please send us your mailing address to:
britton.mercedes@gmail.com
*Even if we already have your mailing address, please send it to us anyway

The Proposal

Last night, on my 22nd birthday, Britton asked me to marry him!!

We went to dinner at Boston's because I really wanted the steak skewers they serve as an appetizer.  Since it was my birthday, I had a huge mango margarita!  For dinner I had the twisted mac and cheese with italian sausage and he had the pepperoni supreme pizza.   They brought us brownies and ice cream and sang to me :)  the German guys who were sitting at the table near us clapped really loud and yelled at the end; it was great!  Britton said the guys were eyeing my drink, but I didn't hand it over. 



After dinner, it was too late to stop at his favorite car wash, so we just headed home.  I kept saying that I needed to use the bathroom and to go finish my paper, but didn't feel like getting out of the car.  He decided to just do it there.  He pulled the ring out of the center console of his car.  As he was untying the ribbon, he said "wanna spend the rest our lives together?" and I was just grinning ear to ear.  He finished pulling the ring out of the boxes and then asked the big question.  I shook my head yes and and I think I squealed.  :)