Revealing the SAVE THE DATE

Here is our SAVE THE DATE! This is a sample of what was sent to our guests. This SAVE THE DATE is a magnet that most people will place on the refrigerator. The magnet will serve as a daily reminder of our future wedding. I hope to share engagement photos very soon.

A Wedding in History

Today, was the Royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. It was a magical day filled with tradition, class, and love. I'm sure Princess Diana is smiling from heaven. Did you remember to check out the five things to watch for at the royal wedding? If you missed it... here it is....

1. The Dress

Catherine's dress seemed quite similar to Grace Kelly's gown. Must have been her inspiration.

Great choice! Stunning!

2. The Guests

The Beckhams

3. The Kiss

4. Harry's date, Chelsy Davy

5. The Moment

Some of my favorite items.....

The Queen wore YELLOW!

These hats are insane!

William's bow tie (reception outfit)

Kate's reception dress is BEAUTIFUL!

Who's ready for the Royal Wedding?

If you haven't heard, Prince Charles & Princess Diana's son is getting married tomorrow.

The whole world, including myself, is excited about the joining of Prince William and Katherine Middleton. I wish them both a lifetime of love and happiness. I hope they have a beautiful wedding tomorrow as well.

I heard a rumor there is a small chance of rain. YEK!

Oh yeah and I can't wait to see the DRESS!

Also, I read this on yahoo.com today. I had to share ....

Five Things to Watch for at the Royal Wedding

The dress: This is a biggie. Whoever is in charge of keeping the dress a secret deserves a raise. Despite the best efforts of just about every tabloid on the planet, nobody knows much about Kate's gown.

The guests: We know there will be some high-profile guests at the wedding. And while nobody will outshine Kate, rest assured that plenty of people will have their eyes on David and Victoria Beckham.

The kiss: It might seem like a no-brainer. Two people get married, they kiss once the officiant says the magic words, and everybody cheers. But royal weddings aren't so simple. When William and Kate say "I do," they won't lock lips. The rules of the Church of England prohibit it. But fear not, the two will smooch from the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the ceremony.

Harry's date: We all know William's date, but what about his younger brother, Harry? There's nothing official on this, but most sources seem to agree that the royal redhead will bring longtime ladyfriend Chelsy Davy.

The moment: In a day full of moments, there will be one that will stand above all others. When Kate and William say "I do." Believe it or not, this moment isn't as simple as it looks. At least according to times past.

Happy Birthday Adrian!

Today is Groomsman, Adrian's birthday! HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Ryan and I wish you the best birthday! We hope your day is filled with many blessings.

Adrian and I walking down the aisle at our cousin's wedding.

Adrian and Ryan in a deep discussion.

The Guest List

For the past few weeks, Ryan and I have been putting together our guest list. I feel like this has been the hardest part of the whole wedding process. Ryan's dad has 13 brothers and sisters, my mother has 8, and my father has 5. We both have HUGE families!! On top of everything else, Ryan and I are friends with nearly the whole world. What can I say.......we are truly blessed. So you can imagine how challenging and difficult this task has been. Our guest list seriously started at 500+ people. The venue cannot accommodate that many people. So Ryan and I had the daunting task of cutting the list down substantially. At this time, we only have our family, and select few friends. We plan to have an after party the next day @ the Walker casa for everyone. This will give everyone a chance to see the bride and groom. I hope ya'll don't hate me!

The " Save the Dates" are in the mail. I will post a picture of it soon....

A Tale About a Veil

My mother's veil is a piece I have always dreamt about incorporating in my wedding ensemble. Her veil was hand-made by my grandmother (my father's mother). It is hard to see in pictures, but pearls are cascading down the veil. Each pearl was sewn by hand as well. As one could imagine, this piece is extremely special to myself and family. Several women in my family have used my mother's veil and have been married for many years, becoming a symbol of good luck. Unfortunately, my mother's veil does not match my dress, since the veil is white. My mother has encouraged me to start my own traditions. She is here in Arizona and has been helping me with this task. I have looked at a variety of styles, but have been indecisive about my decision. And the search continues.......

"The Veil"

A close up of my beautiful mother

Godmother & Aunt Janet, Mom & Dad

They were helping me with the search of the new veil

Vickie has a New Collection

Today, I also recieved an e-mail from bridesmaid, Jeannie informing me that Victoria Secret came out with a collection called the "Sexy Little Bride." I have a feeling items from this collection will make a preview at my bridal showers. How exciting!

Struggles.com

Bridesmaid, Kimber e-mailed me this video clip today. I laughed so hard when I saw it. This guy clearly had too much to drink and possibly watched too many episodes of "So You Think You Can Dance." This video speaks for itself.

Which "MAID" are you?

I have problem...... a HUGE PROBLEM (I'm being dramatic...but it's fun).

Some of my bridesmaids are not Carolina fans! What is a bride going to do? Doesn't it state in the bridemaid's manual you must be a Carolina fan???!! I have spent countless hours trying to convince them to root for the better team, but have been unsuccessful. Maybe by September I will have them convinced?

As I was writing this blog, I found it interesting that I couldn't find my "duke-maids" in any of their Duke apparel and only found one photo of my "wolf-maid" in her NC state gear.

I had no problem finding photos of the "carolina-maids". :)

Current score:

6 "carolina-maids"

3 "duke-maids"

1 "wolf-maid"

Duke Maids

Kimber, Nicole, Crystal

* Nicole became a Duke fan by default since her boyfriend is a fan.

Wolf Maid

Jeannie and her husband, Sam

Carolina Maids

Maid of Honor, Suzette

Tar heel for life

Maya

Kelly & Bridgette

Grand Canyon, AZ

Carey & Roy Williams (head coach, UNC basketball)

Gabrielle

Her and nephew, Diego

Danielle & Bridgette

*crazy guy in the background is groomsman, Brandon.

The Grand Exit

The grand exit are some of my favorite wedding photos. We haven't decided yet what exactly our grand exit will include but I am working on it.

Here are some of my favorite grand exit ideas. Which one do you like?

Team Spirit

Confetti

Pinwheels

Sparklers

Preppy Flags

Bubbles

Dance, Dance, Dance! The Royal version.

Prince William and Katie Middleton really know how to break it down! Check out their wedding video below.

All kidding aside, I'm looking forward to their wedding and all the traditions behind it.

Best Toast Ever

Watch this video! It's long but totally worth it, especially if you're a musical fan! The happiness that is pouring out in this video is remarkable. She obviously is loved by many and surrounded by wonderful people.

No pressure to Suzette & Tom!

Hmmm Tom... can you sing?

Linens n' Things! Help please!

I'm having the hardest time picking table linens. My wedding colors are young and fun but not sure how that will reflect in linens. I want a classic look that will not go out of style anytime soon. Going trendy could be fun but I might cringe in 20 years when I reflect back on the pictures. Wedding planning has been easy until this point! Any suggestions?? I'm clueless. I have looked at a variety of linens and not sure what direction to go. I feel like I'm going in circles.

I like shades of gold....I think??

WOW!! Polka dot OVERLOAD! Bad idea!

This could be cute but might be too TRENDY!

Ode to Joy

Ryan is a big fan of classical music and I am as well (use to play violin). Growing up, my mother would often play, "The Four Seasons" as we would clean the house. She also would dabble at piano and play "Fur Elise." Last year, Ryan and I had the opportunity to see Antonio Vivaldi and Frederic Chopin concertos at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts. This was quite a treat and brought back many memories.

Bride & Groom @ Scottsdale Center for Arts

Classical music has taken a "back seat" in the modern world of "big music for big money." Can you imagine what Beethoven's music video would have looked like, if they had cameras and fly girls back then!? It's not common for an artist to dedicate months and months of time composing music in an arid basement, solely for the love of the music.Classical composers and performers are highly capable of expressing the joy classical music has to offer. The complexity of classical music is mysterious and spectacular, like the mysteries we see in nature. Here are some of our favorite pieces that possibly could make an appearance at our wedding.

GROOM'S PICK

BRIDE'S PICK

A movie to watch with the Bridesmaids!!

I wish all my bridesmaids lived in the same state! If that were the case, we would see this movie together!

Movie Must-Haves:

Popcorn, coke, and red vines!

Who wants to go with me? This movie looks hilarious!!!

My love for polka dots!

If you know me well, you know that I have an affinity for polka dots. It's a style I have always enjoyed. Truly a timeless statement. I have the same love for plaid, as one could say that I'm "mad about plaid", but that's another story. As we plan our wedding, I hope to incorporate touches of polka dots, a look that always is classy and fun.

The bridesmaids will not be wearing polka dotted shoes, but these shoes are awesome!