Bon Voyage - A Travel Themed Bridal Shower

Throughout the wedding process (and for the last 11 years we have known each other), Dawn has been my right-hand-woman.  Not only was she my Maid of Honor, but she is one experienced chica when it comes to wedding planning... This girl has been in more weddings than I can count, and as you'll see soon, her tendency toward attention to detail has really paid off.

Dawn originally wrote this post for Ultimate Bridesmaid (which happens to be authored by Dawn's cousin, Caitlin).  However, the post was never published there, so Dawn shared it with me to publish here with you.  With that being said, read on!

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A love of travel was one of the things that brought Lauren and I together and we have experienced numerous road trips and conferences in Washington D.C. over the years. When I was asked to be her Maid of Honor and tasked with planning her bridal shower, a travel theme immediately came to mind. Planning a travel themed bridal shower was as much fun for me to execute as it was for Lauren to experience. Lauren and her now-husband, Alex, lived long distance from each other throughout their entire relationship, living as much as 700 miles apart at times, so the travel theme was also representative of their relationship.

Since I was helping host six showers and serving in two weddings in a five-week time frame (between Thanksgiving & Christmas), to cut down on cost I enlisted the help of my friends and family to make this event a success. Lauren’s aunts/grandmother offered to take care of the majority of food and with a large southern family many hands made light work. The other bridesmaids took care of paper products and flowers. With the help of my mother and sisters I took care of the invitations, decorations, guest book, and favors.

Invitations:
The invitations were handmade on cardstock. The phrase “Lauren and Alex are set to depart on the adventure of their lives” was printed on the front of the card with details inside on how we were to “send them off in style.” Scrapbook paper was placed on the front and a luggage stamp was used to set the stage for an elegant and classic travel-themed shower.

Decorations:
My father collected many guidebooks from his international travels so those books, maps, and several language dictionaries helped to set the ambiance. I flew home the day before the shower and made friends with the lady at the ticket counter who provided me with numerous luggage tags and ticket sleeves (thanks Southwest). A globe and a few mini national flags worked well as table centerpieces. The year before, I had gifted Lauren with a frame highlighting the various places where she has lived and it was prominently displayed. Instead of classic confetti I mindlessly cut stamps out of a *free* stamp collector’s magazine to sprinkle around the room. I used those same stamps to decoupage a small chest, which Lauren eventually used to collect cards at her wedding reception.

Cake:
The cake was as much a centerpiece as a delicious treat. We selected the design of a traditional suitcase and highlighted places they lived and honeymoon destinations. Lauren loved the cake and we all loved how well it came out!

Guest Book:
While I considered a travel diary to use as a guest book I wanted something more unique, hence the travel case guest book. I provided a large collection of common, small travel items and tags so each individual could write down their name and why they thought that item could not be left behind. Most of the items I already had and I was able to supplement with items found at the local discount store. Most people wrote very witty comments that Lauren (and I) enjoyed reading at the end of the shower. Lauren was left with all the items (except a few like my international cell phone that I needed to take back) and she was able to use many of them on her honeymoon.

Some items: shampoo/conditioner, sunglasses, tissues, gum, chap stick, massage oil, shower cap, band aids, razor, nail file, cell phone, lotion, soap, deodorant, headache medicine, and toothbrush/toothpaste.

Favors:
To stick with the travel theme I enlisted my mother and sisters to help me make luggage tags for the favors. Using fabric remnants and leftover batting reduced the cost and we only had to purchase coordinating ribbon and clear vinyl to complete these favors. Each guest received a matching circle and square luggage tag. The circle tag had a ‘thanks’ card with Lauren’s wedding date, and the square tag had the classic traveler info – name, address, and phone number. These were displayed in a old hat box. I know that some of the guests are still using these on their luggage, since the large variety of patterns meant everyone could find one that matched their style.

Although this DIY shower required a lot of work leading up to the event, with help it was easy to manage. I thoroughly enjoyed the shower and I know Lauren appreciated the hosts’ hard work. The extra effort required to pull off the little details of this shower were totally worth it in the end because the personality of the shower matched the personality of the bride. There are so many ways the ‘travel’ theme can be adapted and incorporated for other brides, so Bon Voyage!

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It's totally true, this shower did require a ton of hard work and effort on the part of many, but especially of Dawn and her family.  At one point, I wasn't even sure I'd have a shower, and then this jewel resulted.  I am so grateful to have such generous family and friends who care enough to prepare something so special for me.  I will cherish those memories along with these gorgeous photos and detailed reminders of that day for years to come.

Thanks, Dawn!
-Lauren (AKA:  Moo Face)

Us, According to Him

Since I took a seven month hiatus from the blog before/after we were married, I never really took the time to say a whole lot about our wedding or the details that went into planning it.  As the cliche "engagement season" (December to February) winds down, and the resulting "wedding season" (April-August?)  gears up, I would like to take the time to recap of the features from our wedding.  Now, I know not everyone gets excited about wedding stuff on blogs, but I really do want to have this to look back on years from now...just in case some of the details fade from memory.

Allow me to present... the first installment of Wedding Wednesday.

Today's post is kind of a long one, but it takes a little bit of a different approach - Us, According to Him.

Our Story

(Shared from Alex's perspective)
The First "Date":We both agreed, at the time, and to this day, that our first meeting was an awful experience.  I was in the Old North State for the USC Upstate / NC State basketball game on Dec. 11, 2010.  The "meeting" took place on Dec. 10 and it well, was not something to remember. I drove to Raleigh from my mom's house (Dunn) and met up with Chris and Kara and we drove to Lauren's apartment complex before going to Krispy Kreme. Very few words were exchanged between Lauren and I, it wound up being more of me interacting with Chris and leaving Lauren and Kara to enjoy each others company. The quartet went and looked at Christmas lights in downtown Raleigh before calling it a night... and before it was over, Lauren made fun of my car and in her mind really made me angry. Lauren went back to Louisiana for the Christmas holidays while I returned home for a few days before returning to Spartanburg.

The Next Step:
A few days after the less than spectacular meeting, I decided to contact Lauren and just say it was nice to meet her. We conversed here and there and I figured it was worth a shot to schedule another "date", just the two of us and see if it went any better.

I really don't like dogs, but C.J.'s pitiful "please love me face" melted my heart.

The Second Date:
I left Spartanburg early on the morning of Jan. 9, 2011 and drove to Raleigh for lunch and bowling with Lauren. We ate lunch at Crazy Fire, a Mongolian place. It was really good minus the slightly undercooked calamari. (Haha) After lunch, we went to the bowling alley and bowled two games. Neither of us did well - I barely cracked 100 and that was the first game. After bowling, we went back to Lauren's apartment and watched the movie "Heavyweights" before I got back on the road and headed back to the 'burg. Date two went tons better than number one, so that was a plus.

A week later:
Lauren came to visit me in Spartanburg and told all of her friends my phone number and address in case she went missing - I guess she thought I was some crazy person. I had just gotten back from a basketball road trip, so we just hung out and watched movies and enjoyed each other's company. That was the same weekend Lauren became my girlfriend (on January 16, 2011, to be exact) - pretty bold, yes I know.

3 months into dating, March 2011

~Insert 15 month interlude involving Lauren's completion of her Master's Degree, her move to Little Rock, AR for employment, and the resulting long-distance relationship that continued to develop between us.~  

Fast forward to Easter Weekend 2012:
I arrived in Little Rock on April 4th to spend Easter weekend with Lauren and her family in Abbeville, LA. On April 5th, Lauren had to work so I just ran errands around town and etc.  While out and about, ULM (my new employer) called to set up a phone interview and restart the search for the Director of Media Relations Position. It started a crazy week of 6 phone interviews and at the end I had a on-campus interview set up for April 23-24th.

Back to the previous story, Lauren got off work at 5 pm, so I went to pick her up and then we had a picnic on a big rock at her apartment complex. Lauren and I talked about her day and I knocked the lunchbox off of the rock and jumped down and got it. While continuing to talk I reached inside and pulled out the wedding ring and asked Lauren to marry me... It took her a few moments but she screamed, "YES," for all to hear. I also had her neighbors hide and take photos. Afterwards we made the usual phone calls and then went out to dinner to enjoy being with each other.

We went down to Louisiana on Friday and it was a great weekend showing off the diamond and telling everyone about how it happened and begin Lauren's favorite part - the planning.

If you stuck around for the whole story, mad props to you!  What can we expect in future WW posts?  Oh, don't worry, there's a whole laundry list of ideas, including The Lineup (people involved), a shower I didn't expect to have, creative gift ideas, traditions, etc, etc.  Additional "guest" posts may even appear at some point.

Cheers.

-Lauren



Note:  "Our Story" was originally written in 2012 featured on our wedding website, hosted by Shutterfly. 

Also featured in the Wedding Wednesday Series:

The Lineup

It's her turn!

While I don't have time to share what's going on in my own life, I am SUPER excited to share something fun going on with one of my best friends!  Kara who blogs over at The Simple Life Blog has been mentioned on several occasions here at Breaking the Mold.  She's a hip, fun, and friendly gal who lives near Raleigh, NC, and happened to introduce me to my husband...oh about 3 1/2 years ago. 

Kara and I made caramel apples together the day she introduced me to Alex back in December 2010.

Well...in just 57 days (yes, that's FIFTY-SEVEN) Kara is going to have a husband of her very own!!!

Yep, that's right folks, Kara's ENGAGED!!!

I have the honor of being asked to partake in the ceremony standing just a few feet away as one of her bridesmaids, and boy am I thrilled!  Hers and Peyton's story is super cute and a very long time coming (sort of, lol).  Read here for Part I of their proposal story. 

And maybe we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming...likely sometime later this summer.

-Lauren

Class is in session.

It's amazing how natural and comforting it feels to be back in a "classroom" setting. Alex and I have been taking a couple of "classes" over the last few months as we prepare for our marriage. I say "classroom" and "classes" in quotes because the courses are online, and they're definitely non-degree seeking, lol. Nonetheless, the courses do require "class time" and even "homework."

In August, we began a three-part NFP (Natural Family Planning) course online. The class was taught via web-conference, consisting of a teaching couple and two other student-couples. We met on one evening a month from 6:30 pm until about 8:30 pm. Though the course was offered online to meet our needs for being in separate locations, our series was actually taught by a couple in Natchitoches, Louisiana. It was almost as if we were taking the class in person, knowing our teachers really weren't that far away (and cheering on the Saints/Tigers was fun to share). Apparently, though, the other student couples were in several other time zones.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with NFP, essentially it's a course on fertility awareness. The idea is to gain a sense of awareness of one's personal fertility process (cycle) in order to avoid or achieve pregnancy. This means no artificial forms of contraception. On the flipside, it means we are saying YES to our health, yes to giving oneself completely to the other, and yes to living the way we were designed.

I must admit, the NFP course was more complex than I expected it to be. However, we're committing to it and with time (and practice), I have every bit of confidence in the process. By no means am I an expert, but I'd be glad to discuss or clarify what this all means if anyone is particularly interested. I'm sure I'll have another entry on NFP sooner or later. If anyone out there is practicing NFP, we really ought to chat (yes, Jen, I do mean you!). Drop me a line sometime. ;)

Our other course is an online marriage preparation course (catholicmarriageprep.com). For the same reason that Alex and I are unable to do marriage prep via a weekend retreat or through one-on-one couple mentoring, we felt it was best to sign up for another online course. The program in which we enrolled is approved as a valid form of marriage preparation through the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (UCCSB). I was actually surprised to find out how many dioceses across the nation are using this program with their engaged couples.

I think we've both enjoyed this particular course a bit more than the NFP one, mostly because it's less scientific-based and more reflection-based. Essentially, the course is structured in an independent study format, with a teaching couple that provides feedback on the lessons and assignments as we work through them. There are nine lessons, with a minimum total completion time of one week and a maximum length of three months. While the course does take quite a bit of time (average 4 hours per lesson - 2 hours for the initial session and 2 more for the feedback/review portion), it's mostly interesting and definitely informative. We continuously comment on how much we have enjoyed sharing this "Bible study" experience with one another.

Needless to say, our studies have kept us quite busy over the last couple of months. Finishing up the NFP course earlier this month freed up one evening of commitments that was quickly replaced with study time. It can be difficult to get it all done, since we spend at least 2 (sometimes 3) nights a week working through our lessons, while allowing ourselves to enjoy one "fun" night a week together watching our shows. Even though we're not in the same room (or city, or state for that matter...), it is nice to know that we have "us time" set aside several nights a week. This is especially helpful when we're both busy with other commitments and Alex is traveling 2 nights a week. (When you factor in 2 nights for his travels, and 3 nights for class, that leaves 1 night for "fun" and voila the week is gone!)

In any case, we're still trucking along, making slow yet steady progress toward our big day. We're now past the 10 week mark (69 days to go!), and we're eagerly looking forward to all that is to come. Next weekend, I get to have my first dress fitting (eek!), and we're also scheduled for another meeting with the priest, as well as our engagement photos (finally!). Stay tuned as we inch closer and closer...

:)
Lauren

Three Months

Wow! A lot can happen in 3 months. To even *think* about beginning this update makes me tired. In order to get it all in (or at least start that process), making a list seems necessary.

Over the summer:
A. Alex got a new job.
B. Alex moved half-way across the country.
C. I worked 6 days a week.
D. We drove - a lot.
E. We bought a house.
F. And of course...we continue to plan a wedding.

Gosh, looking back, it seems like so much more... I guess all these things simplified seem fine, but when they occurred all at once, the teeter-totter of life sure did get pick up this summer. So without further ado, let's begin.

A. Back in December, Alex applied for a job at the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM). He happened to receive his first call about the position on December 29, the day we traveled to New Orleans to visit with my old friends from Nicholls. We joked about how we should get married on December 29th if indeed this job was what ultimately led us to finally being "together-forever." [Now you all know why we chose 12/29/12. :)]

He corresponded back and forth with the people at ULM for a month or two, but things sort of fell off from there, and we decided to accept the notion that this was not the opportunity for which we'd hoped. Fast forward a few months to April 2012. The ULM position was re-posted, so Alex contacted them yet again to inquire about the position. They finally took him seriously, and in fact, called Alex back on the very day that he proposed to me. (Is this fate, or what? Haha.)

A few weeks later, Alex traveled to Monroe for an on-campus interview, and was offered the job that very same day. Needless to say, our world was shaken up pretty quickly. All of a sudden the prospect of seeing each other more regularly and not having to plan visits via airfare was instantly a reality. After much reflection, Alex decided to accept the job. He's now the Director of Media Relations at ULM, serving as the primary contact for football and baseball. WAHOO!

B. With the new job came a big move...half-way across the country, to a whole new time zone and a distinctly different culture. After attending the National Child Life Conference in Washington, DC, I flew down to Spartanburg to help Alex make the 12-hour drive west on Memorial Day. We actually drove to Little Rock, where Alex dropped me off and he continued his drive south the following morning. Continuing the whirlwind that it was, Alex left Little Rock at 5:30 a.m. and rolled into Monroe just in time to begin his new job at 9 a.m. that day.

C. Let's all remember that I work for a camp, which means that summer is the busiest time of the year. And when I say busy, I mean not just "swamped with things to do" busy but also "working weird hours six days a week" busy. I didn't have very much time off; if I was lucky, I might leave work by 1 or 2 p.m. on Friday, and then I'd have to be back by 9 a.m. on Sunday morning. Since Monroe is 3.5 hours away, this made for a tough balancing act with work and all things Alex/wedding-related.

D. In my head, I figured Alex would visit me frequently during the summer because it was his "off-season" with sports. However, that plan fell by the wayside pretty fast. Alex really lucked out to be offered free on-campus housing for his first 30 days in Monroe. Butttt, 30 days isn't a very long time, so figuring out a more permanent form of housing was necessary. For this reason, my dreams of having my sweet fiance there to welcome me after a long week at work (and short weekend ahead) faded fast. He did what he could, but I ended up spending 7 hours on the road most weekends, traveling back and forth on Friday and Saturday so that I could be back in Little Rock before dark and at work on time the following morning. We were forced to maximize our time together and haul "butt" with figuring out housing plans.

E. Thankfully, the staff at ULM were understanding and willingly extended Alex's 30-day housing allotment (which would have ended in late June) to August 6th. In the course of the summer, we looked at many houses...a few that we liked, and even more that we didn't. At one point, I had my heart set on a beautiful house, yet I wasn't "allowed" to have it because it was adjacent to a flood zone (among other reasons). Boo. By early July, we finally found a house we were willing to purchase. However, after a few weeks of negotiations, the owners refused to accept our offer. We were disappointed, but we moved on once again.

At that point, we knew August 6th was quickly approaching and we really needed to make a decision or else Alex would be homeless rather soon. Thinking back to a FSBO (for sale by owner) house we'd visited early in June, we decided to revisit it and see if it had grown on us. Surprisingly enough, it had. Details that had seemed to be "deal breakers" before were no longer that big of a deal. Its status as a FBSO house meant that we had decent bargaining power, and probably a fair shot at getting the paperwork rolling pretty quickly. As luck would have it, we were right!

The owners were very willing to cooperate with us, and they even made arrangements to move their family into an apartment within 3 weeks, just so that we could have the house and Alex would not be "out on the streets." We closed on the house on August 3rd, and got the keys on August 4th! The movers arrived just a few days later with all of Alex's belongings from his house in South Carolina. My parents visited the following weekend and helped us begin unpacking. Of course, this will be an ongoing process as I begin moving my belongings later in the fall, and I'm sure there will be wedding gifts adding to it, as well. Regardless, Alex isn't homeless, and we have a place that will be all our own. :)

F. Speaking of wedding...needless to say, events of the summer weren't super conducive to making process with wedding planning. My mom was off for the summer (she works in an elementary school) and really pressured me to make progress while she had time on her hands to help, but that definitely didn't happen. Balancing everything else (see above!) was enough to keep me plenty busy without thinking about making other decisions.

Now that summer is over and Alex is settling in, the wedding is back on our radar. And in case you were wondering, Alex absolutely loves his job. Last weekend, ULM football "stunned" No. 8 Arkansas, winning 34-31 in overtime. That sent work for Alex into a spin, taking calls for interviews with national media such as The New York Times, Sirus XM, and Sports Illustrated.

Meanwhile, I had a bit of a break at work, but fall weekend camps start next weekend, so things are starting to pick up for me again. As of yesterday, our wedding is just 105 days away. That's 15 weeks (and just a little over 3 months) for those of you who were wondering. ;)

So the moral of this story? A lot can happen in 3 months.
I can't wait to see what the next three have in store!

Until next time,
Lauren

THE Story

Well, it's June now. That means camp has almost begun (staff have arrived; campers get here Sunday), and I know I better finish my story before things get too crazy around here. Hmm...the more I think about it, it's more accurate to say the story isn't actually "finished," but it definitely continues. Anyway.

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Alex traveled to Arkansas on April 4th, since we had plans to drive down to Louisiana on the 6th for Easter weekend. I worked all day on the 5th, but he popped in and out of the office several times (bringing me to and from work in the morning and evening, and also for lunch). Nothing seemed out of the ordinary; he was his typical self. Little did I know, there was plenty going on behind the scenes...

After work, Alex picked me up, and with a lunch box in toe, we headed to the lake at my apartment for a picnic dinner, planning to enjoy the nice weather before heading out to the Arkansas Travelers' season opener. We scoped out our picnic spot, choosing the sitting rock right on the edge of the lake. As we began to talk about our day, Alex accidentally kicked the lunchbox off the rock. When he got up, he asked whether I wanted my sandwich or chips first, and started to open the lunch box. I continued on my rambles of the day's events, while overlooking the beautiful scenery of the lake. Mid sentence, Alex (in reference to which item I wanted to eat first) said, "Well, what about this?" I stopped rambling and turned around to see what "this" was. My jaw dropped when I saw him pull out a little box, open it, and say, "Lauren, will you marry me?"

WHAAAAAAT!!??!! Seriously? Yes, seriously. I'm pretty sure I just stared at him blankly for a good ten seconds, completely frozen and unable to move or speak. Something in my brain told me I needed to hurry and say something or else he might freak out, thinking I'd say no or something. So, I climbed to my feet and jumped off the rock, screaming, "YES!" all at once. (Of course, I didn't realize at the time that I screamed a response, but my neighbor told me later the whole neighborhood knew what had happened in those few minutes. lol.)

We hugged, and I stood flabbergasted...still speechless and unable to fathom what it all meant. So.many.thoughts. I asked some questions (how long has it been planned, who knew, how did he stay calm all day, the list goes on), but my thoughts were racing and I just couldn't keep up!!! As it turns out, Alex had made arrangements with the couple who lives across from me - they used his camera and theirs to capture the proposal from opposite sides of the lake. When we went to meet them back at their apartment (Alex was surprised I didn't notice them hiding, as he saw the guy run across the yard when leaving), they had already taken all of the photos off of the cameras and put it on a flash drive for us to use. How very sweet and thoughtful - in so, so many ways.

Then, of course, we made our obligatory phone calls to the parentals, and finally were able to make it out for a celebratory dinner. Even through the dinner, and probably the whole next day of driving, it all seemed so unreal. I couldn't believe that I was engaged...that we were getting married...wow!!

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At home that weekend, we were able to celebrate with most of my close/extended family, and a couple of friends. It was so nice that we didn't have to turn around and say goodbye the next day either. We really had a good 3 or 4 days together to let it soak in and celebrate the excitement of our future.

Now, since I know you're all wondering...here are the details (thus far):

We're getting married on December 29, 2012 in a community church near Lafayette, LA. No, it's not my home church, but it is one that I've attended a few times over the last few months, and Alex and I both feel comfortable there. We'll have the reception at a bed and breakfast in downtown Lafayette, at a home that's formerly known as the "Mouton House" (no, we're not related, but yes, I think it's funny). Our wedding party consists of ten (five each) of our closest family and friends, with my younger brother and his dad included in that bunch. The colors we've chosen are Peacock and Latte (per David's Bridal's color palate), and yes, I've already ordered my dress. We've chosen someone to make our cakes, a menu tasting is in order for the summer, the videographer is in the works, we have an idea for the music/DJ, and the photographer is our next big decision to make. And because it's the part I'm most excited about - we're planning going on a seven-day cruise to Mexico, Belize, and Honduras! If you're the stalker type (aren't we all?!?), feel free to follow our progress on this share site - wwww.laurenandalex2012.shutterfly.com. :)

So there, you're almost caught up! The story of my life does continue (as always), but for now, this will have to do.

Until next time,

Lauren