Details

The wedding is closing in on us quickly! Daniel has already moved into our new apartment and we are starting to fill it with our meager amount of furniture and decor. We are so looking forward to showing everyone around in a few short months!

Here are some wedding-related details for those who may be interested.

Hotels:
It seems like some of our guests are in the market for rental houses to share with other out-of-town guests, and I think this is a great idea! I hope you are finding what you are looking for. For those not doing this, we have been looking into hotel block rates. We have contacted The Chattanoogan and their rate is about $149 a night for that weekend. Just mention my name when making the reservation (Jamie Fleming). It is a beautiful hotel right smack in downtown very close to both the ceremony and reception.


Here is their website: http://www.chattanooganhotel.com/

Is it not lovely?

We are looking into some cheaped block rates at other local hotels and will let you know when we have more details!


Registries:
For those interested, we are registered at Target and Bed Bath & Beyond.

We are so looking forward to sharing our special day with you!

After Winter comes Spring!

I have been so very slacking on the blog updating it's pathetic. My excuse is that I've been anxiously waiting to receive our engagement pictures before writing another post.... and that time has finally come! Daniel and I went out at about 6am on November 12 with our amazing photographer, Brian Shakley. http://www.brianshakley.com/blog/

It was about 30degrees on the bank of the Tennessee River Gorge at sunrise and it was beautiful! But we were freezing. Thinking warm thoughts may have helped the photos appear as though it were a warm fall day, but don't be fooled. We started out the morning at Tennessee River Place, a popular area wedding venue were we are unfortunately not celebrating our nuptuals in the spring. From there we visited some urban backdrops in downtown Chattanooga. Here are a few of our favorites!




















Daniel and I wrote letters to each other on paper lanterns before the shoot. Just some some loving words about why we love each other and memories from the past while we plan for the future! We floated them on a small pond on the property of TRP and Brian photographed them beautifully. We are trying to find a way to display them at our reception, so for those of you who are coming to the wedding, you may see these again.


After the lanters, we did some snuggling. Which is a favorite activity for the 2 of us, so it was a blast. Again, do not be misled by our clothing choices. There is frost on each and every blade of
grass we are sitting among. So. worth. it.




So you might be thinking it sure looks like we smooched all day with a camera following us around. I won't argue with you on that one.


I'm pretty sure this was our photographers favorite spot to shoot. He kept saying how amazing the tree looked with the sun behind and us on the swing. Mark my words, a canvas of this image will hang over our mantle one day.


We are so thankful we had our pictures done. We will treasures these for many years to come!

So besides engagement pictures, lots has been happening in our world. Most exciting in my opinion is Daniel's NEW JOB. About a month ago, Daniel applied for a managment position with Sodexo's competition, Aramark. After 3 interviews with several levels of upper management, and even the possibility of a few more, Daniel received word that he had received the position! I am so proud of him for his hard work and incredible impression on those he interviewed with. He begins training at a downtown Aramark facility tomorrow!

This brings me to another bit of news for the 2 of us. After confirming that Daniel's job will eventually be in a Cleveland, TN facility, we were able to begin our apartment search! We needed to find a place that was convenient for each of us to travel between Chattanooga and the northern city of Cleveland for work... and we found it! A newly renovated apartment complex near Chattanooga's shopping district had our name written all over it. We are ready to move in NOW. But we are patiently waiting for spring. (I wrote patiently hoping that doing so would make it true)

Work, nannying, church, and a few other wedding projects have pretty much been consuming my time lately, and I just have to share a few pictures as proof. I'm so excited about wedding stuff, I want to show everyone everything, but then again I want it to be a surprise on the Big Day. It's a struggle I have.

Here's what we've been working on:



Craigslist windows we painted TEAL to decorate our reception. Behind the favor, guest book, or gift table? We shall see.



Flowergirl headbands I learned how to create on Pinterest. Serious question... how did any bride plan their wedding without Pinterest? It would have been difficult to say the least.

There's so much more I could say, but I really should leave some of it a surprise. Daniel and I are so looking forward to the end of this week. Family, lots of food, a trip the mountains, more food, and over a week off of work!

May you each have a happy and blessed Christmas with your dear loved ones. To those family and friends we cannot see this season, we love you and look forward to seeing you in March!

160 days to go.

So I have officially started the countdown because.... we finally have a date! On March 11, 2012 Daniel and I will be getting married in Chattanooga. We are so excited to finally be nailing down details. The venue and date are confirmed, we chose our menu (and its going to be amazing!) and my dress has been ordered!

We chose our reception venue after a great deal of deliberation, research, and discussion. Daniel and I have been scouring Chattanooga and the surrounding area and settled on a Greek American restaurant in downtown Chatt. Here are a few pictures, but I dont want to give the whole thing away!



We love the brick, dark wood, and rich colors... though adding spring colors to the reds and oranges will be challenging... teal/aqua is what I'm leaning towards.



We have so many fun ideas brewing for the restaurant entryway decor! Pinterest and Etsy are my newest obsessions.

Daniel and I have been working our normal jobs as well as for a temp agency that staffs events in Chattanooga and the surrounding area. We have worked several weddings recently with the cooler weather bringing more business. It has been tiring, but we love being able to work together, meet a variety of wedding vendors, and get some new ideas!

Here are a few things we have seen recently and LOVED.

Adorable paper straws that come in lots of fun colors!




Photo tree for the reception (although this pictures shows the tree with cards). Either engagement pictures of Daniel and I or family pictures to commemorate our loved ones would be fun!

In addition to wedding planning, wait staffing on weekends, church, Bible study, and spending time together :) I picked up a job as a nanny for 2 of the boys who attend my daycare. A challenge and a blessing to get to know these boys and their parents better, the next few months are going to be busy! Daniel and I are looking forward to a trip to our old Virginia stomping grounds and the holidays with our families right around the corner.

Please know we accept any request for tours of our lovely city and would love visitors!
More to follow shortly as we hack away at our lengthy wedding to-do list.

Decision Time.

This weekend Daniel, Jessica and I are making the 16+ hour drive to my tiny, little hometown in New York. I have been holding off on any major wedding-related decisions until this trip. I am so looking forward to dress shopping with my Mother and sisters, bouncing ideas off my parents, and sharing everything Daniel and I have been considering way down here in Chattanooga.

The last two weeks have been relatively tame for Daniel and I. We are both working, trying to enjoy the summer weather, and continuing to explore our city. I am so pumped to be able to show Daniel around Red Hook were I spent so many years growing up and putting down roots!

For those who have any interest at all, here are some of the ideas I've been gathering for wedding decor and such! I could literally spend hours looking at pictures and websites. Since I no longer have homework, this is a lovely distraction.





The upscale version of glue-string-balloons that everyone makes in kindergarten! How simple and yet classy. They can even be incorporated into centerpieces!



















I just love the idea of making our wedding PERSONAL. I have seen (and worked at) so many cookie-cutter weddings. Family pictures are a great way to tell our story and celebrate our history!




Love her hair. And this website.

First. Blog. Ever.

Here goes!

It's hard to believe it's been over a month since Daniel proposed. We have loved being engaged and planning our wedding together. But first some background...

Daniel and I moved to Chattanooga, TN in May, the day after I graduated from LU. We were both blessed to find jobs and housing within a week of the move and we love our new city! Daniel is still working for Sodexo as a supervisor for a corporate dining service. He has enjoyed the limited hours and change in clientele. I'm thrilled he no longer works nights or weekends! I am a teacher in the toddler room of a small child care center in downtown Chatt. I don't think I've ever been this tired in my entire life, but I love my 12 kids! Mom... I'm going to bed earlier these days, as hard as that is to believe.

Last month Daniel and I made a trip to the mid-west to visit his family. It was a whirlwind trip with lots of driving (we think over 60 hours) and a car on the fritz, but it was a blast! I loved getting to meet his family for the first time ever and I adored Colorado Springs! Daniel completely surprised me when he proposed on July 4th in Garden of the Gods, under the shade of the kissing camels (awwww). I answered "absolutely".

A special shout-out to all of you who kept the proposal a secret from me... you know who you are!

In the month since that amazing day, we have officially decided no details regarding our wedding. Daniel and I have been laboriously gathering information from vendors all over the city and we are anxious to start nailing things down. I have become a wedding magazine junkie.... no really. It's bad. Daniel has been graciously feeding my addiction. That along with countless hours of watching "Say Yes to the Dress" with me have confirmed... he's a keeper. We plan to keep you updated as we start making decisions... so keep reading.

In the meantime, please keep us in your prayers as we make plans and assess priorities. We are so excited about the future! Oh... and pencil us in your calenders for a wedding sometime in the Spring of 2012 in our amazing city!