aruba, JAMAICA...

Perhaps it was prophetic when my first favorite musical group at age 6 was the Beach Boys. Matt and I have booked the honeymoon in Jamaica. No, it's not Kokomo, but who really knows where that is anyway. We will be spending 6 nights and 7 days at the Coral Cove resort--thanks to Anne and Peter for their recommendation. Starbright suite, here we come! We're both very excited for the sun, water, and meeting our driver, Richie!

lovely ladies

Kara, Nicole, and I went to Diane Keith Bridal today so they could be measured for their bridesmaid dresses. What a blast we had! The girls look gorgeous. Here is a picture of Nicole in the dress. We're going to add a white sash like the one pictured here. Kara, where are the pictures of you? I think they're on Nicole's camera.

I got to try on my dress again and love it as much as ever. I didn't want to take it off. After we finished dress shopping, we had an awesome lunch and hung out with Matt at my place. The girls even helped me color coordinate my bookshelf! (Don't ask what possessed me to do this.)

Here's a picture of my lovely junior bridesmaid too. Emily is a rockin' gymnast so she couldn't join us yesterday, but this pic is from our first shopping trip. The only reason I'm posting this pic of me is because this is NOT my dress (not Emily's dress either). But isn't she an adorable future sister-in-law?

Bridal Show Fun!

Last night Aletha and I went downtown to the Van Andel Museum for a bridal show. It was a great show with three floors of vendors and tons of free food. I think I had ice cream, cake, and chocolates for supper!

I saw Barb Hoek, the fabulous baker who is doing my cake. She had some yummy samples. I got a few other ideas, but I did a good job at avoiding all the people who want me to sign up for stuff and then call me endlessly about things I don't want or need.

The highlight of the evening was riding the carousel that I last rode when I was twelve. Aletha and I rode around with a view of downtown Grand Rapids around us.

engagement photos

Here is a sampling of our engagement photos. These were taken in downtown Grand Rapids on a sunny October afternoon by Amy Carroll. She is an amazing photographer and such a sweet and fun person. We can't wait to see the rest of the proofs!

Silly!




Sophisticated!




Sassy!




Sweet!




Seductive! ...Sort of.

This is the first blog post I've written. Seems fitting since I view so many other blogs on a daily basis. This is a place for me to post all the crazy wedding ideas running through my head. Matt and I will be married on May 24, 2008, so please continue to visit here for up-to-date information on planning, locations, and travel ideas. Thanks for being a special part of our day and our blog!