Whooo-Hoo Visas All Around!

Hey Everyone,

Exciting news!!

As most of you already know from my Facebook, Joe's visa has been approved! It was such a shock to get the letter I hardly realized what it was when I first saw it. But I was so happy when I opened it that I had to tell everyone ( and wake up Joe at 5 in the morning his time to let him know!). I just thought I would let everyone know what this news means. We still have some time to wait but this significantly shortens the about of time.

Basically, the packet of information that I sent to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services has been approved by them. Now this normally takes 5 months to process, but ours got approved in an amazingly short 3 months, not that I'm complaining ;). Now the next step in the process is that the packet gets sent to the Department of State National Visa Center for further "processing." My understanding of that process is that they basically change our application number. The letter says this should take 4-6 weeks.

Once we have this number Joe has to go to London and get a medical exam, and they will contact him to set up an interview date. Hopefully, we will be able to get an interview date that isn't months away! Fingers crossed! Once he has completed, and hopefully passed, his interview then he is free to come over to the U.S.!



Thank you everyone for all your support and, as always, thanks for reading!

xoxo

Dwindling Down My Color Choices

Just thought I would update you on the colors I have been leaning towards. I still haven't picked an exact date yet, but I know that I want the wedding to be in October 2013! So, yay for that! And with that choice comes the ever important decision on which fall colors to use. I do love the traditional fall color palette, except that I am not too keen on using a ton of orange. I am leaning further away from Halloween season colors and more towards November/Thanksgiving/Holiday sort of colors. Below are a few palettes that I could see myself using. I am really drawn to the golds and cranberry colors as well as to the browns, greens, and ivory mixtures. Still haven't totally committed, but at least I'm getting there! All of theses pictures and color palettes come from an amazing website called theperfectpalette.com if you are interested at looking for other colors this is a great place to start.

1)

Above, is a sort of brown, copper, gold palette that I really like.

2)

This is a little more orange-y than I like, but it makes me think I could go for a more shiny copper color in place up straight up orange.

3)

I think this one is probably one of my favorites. I am especially in love with the bouquet! It is basically the exact thing I have been looking for. I would probably add a little more of the cranberry color and a little less of the yellow but I love how warm and cozy these colors feel.

Here is the bouquet close up:

Ah I just love it!

4)

This one I would lay off a little on the cranberry color but I love the gold/cranberry mix with the softer brown and white. 

5)

Last but not least is this purple-y color palette. I have been wrestling with the thought of purple and I like this combination with the blog and the darker purple. I can't decide if it's really a color that I want but the picture makes it look beautiful.

So, those are some of the colors I have been looking at. Hope you enjoyed reading it! Any comments you have would be great!

xoxo

Up, Down, Or Somewhere in Between? Wedding Hairstyles

Hello Everyone!


So I have been browsing wedding hairstyles for quite some time trying to figure out just what kind of style I am looking for. Obviously there is the choice between whether I want to wear it up or down; I think I'll have to decide that after I get my dress! I do, however, know what I DON'T want and that is the curls piled sky-high on top of my head like I am going to prom in the 90's. You all know what I am talking about, those perfectly shaped curls, expertly pinned, and crunchy to the touch with the rest of your head so slicked back with hairspray that you can be sure it will last for weeks afterwards.
That is what I absolutely don't want. I guess I am more in favor of loose curls and simple updos. Nothing too fancy. Here is a list of hairstyles (a very short list compared to the mass I have bookmarked) that I like so far:

                        

                         From 2.bp.blogspot.com

                         From boards.weddingbee.com

From theknot.com

From hairstylesweekly.com

                         From chicweddinghairstyles.com

                         From 2.bp.blogspot.com

                         From weddingcare.net

                         From bellethemagazine.com

From bridefinds.com

Comments, suggestions?

Thanks for reading!!


xoxo

To Theme, Or Not To Theme? That Is The Quetsion

Hello Everyone,

I thought of this while ago (and Joe mentioned it the other day) that it might be fun to have a travel themed wedding. I think it would be cute  but I haven't quite convinced myself or decided on the look that I really want for the wedding. Here are some travel themed inspiration boards that I love.

http://www.gayleschocolates.com/spotlight.php?id=09-013mom

http://www.loveandlavender.com/2010/08/travel-wedding-inspiration/

http://brides.prestonbailey.com/2011/09/08/wedding-invitations-travel-inspiration/

http://www.invitationcrush.com/travel-themed-wedding-invitations-for-jennifer-jonathan/

http://www.loveandlavender.com/2010/08/travel-wedding-inspiration/

Thanks for Reading!

xoxox

Pick A Date, Pick A Date, Pick A Date!!

Hello Everyone,

So here is the lowdown on picking a date for the wedding. We are at a crossroads trying to make a choice. We have two options: the first is that we get married, ceremony and all, within the three month time span that the fiancé visa restricts us to. With this option we get married right away and that's that. Option number two is that we legally get married in the spring and then wait until the fall to do the ceremony with all our friends and family. With this option I get more time to plan and everyone gets the chance to take time off work and save money to get here!

I'm thinking option number two is the best. Maybe an October wedding? I guess you'll have to wait and see. 

xoxo

So Many Colors I Can't Decide!

Hello everyone,

So the first thing I am attempting to a make a choice about are my colors. I have yet to reach a decision, mostly because, depending on my mood, I love all sorts of different colors. Here are some of the palettes I have been looking at. What do you think?  So many colors I can't decide!

http://beyondbeyond.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/scheming-and-dreaming81.jpg

http://www.100layercake.com/blog/2011/06/21/vintage-plum-gold-wedding-inspiration/

http://emmalinebride.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/4a.jpg

http://emmalinebride.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/7a.jpg

http://design-seeds.com/index.php/home/entry/color-patina

http://design-seeds.com/index.php/home/entry/summer-tones1

The Trouble With Immigration

The most frustrating part about this wedding planning process is the fact that we have to go through tons and tons of immigration and visa stuff. This stuff puts a huge hold up on the wedding and is generally just a lot of paperwork. We had to apply for a K-1 visa, which basically allows my fiancé to come into the country and work. The first downside to this process is that it takes at an estimated seven, yes seven, months to process. The even more annoying part to this is that it could take less than seven months or more than seven months to process; there is no way to tell. So basically I can't pick a date until the visa is approved.  The second major downside to this process is that once he gets approved for the visa we only have 3 months to get married, a ridiculously short amount of time to plan a wedding. So basically all I can do is dream and plan the little things until I know a date and a choose a suitable venue.

I understand the need to go through the immigration process, but it is putting a real damper on my wedding planning!



Thanks for reading

xoxo

The Story

Hello to anyone reading this!

The story of my long-distance romance starts two and a half years ago when I decided to go to Pennsylvania for a summer, with my best friend, and become a camp counselor (something I had wanted to do since high school). My fiancé had the same idea, except he was traveling from England to experience something uniquely American (apparently they don't really do summer camps in the UK). My best friend Katie and I got to the camp a couple days before orientation started and, since there were no kids yet, the counselors were free to mix, mingle, and get to know each other. Well I had met everyone there by the time my fiancé arrived, so when I saw him for the first time he caught my eye. Usually, I don't just jump into conversation with someone, but the one thing I noticed about him was that he was tall. I mean really, really tall, like as tall as my 6' 5'' brother, so I just had to go over and say hi.

Well I tried to muster up a hello, but all that came out was a "wow, you're tall." Which, of course, he smiled to, then answered with a much more polite "thanks, I'm Joe." That's when I caught the accent and blurted out "You're British?" That's what got the conversation going, so I guess for once my bluntness worked out for me. The summer went by with quick conversations during breaks and hanging out after hours, but a summer romance between us wasn't in the cards. The summer went by and we stayed friends just getting to know each other and enjoying the company. But the day came when camp was over and we had to say goodbye. There were no tears because Joe had already arranged to come visit a few weeks later with a few other friends from camp.

So, I went back to school and waited for those weeks to go bye. He visited and we started to really connect but there was always that hesitation because it seemed like nothing could come out of a relationship that kept us thousands of miles apart. This time when he left we were both confused and sad, I didn't really think I would ever see him after that. Sure, we would probably talk for a few weeks until we both settled back into out lives, but I didn't think it would come to anything.

Well it did. We talked on Skpye constantly, and made fake plans to come see each other. One of those plans came true when my mom surprised me with a trip to England with my best friend. She stayed at her boyfriend's house and I got four days of solid alone time with Joe. It was amazing getting to see England for the first time with the man who I was falling in love with.

Before I left that first time, we decided to try it out; after all, neither of us wanted to regret not trying. If it didn't work, it didn't work but at least we gave it a shot. From then on we went back and forth visiting for spring break, summer vacations, winter breaks, and finally studying abroad in England. After 2 years of going back and forth we are madly in love and happily engaged.

Let the wedding planning begin!