The Date

I think we can make it somewhat official that we have decided on April 5, 2008 for our wedding date! Yea! It is very possible this could change since we are still in the process of checking reception sites. We have ruled out December, so that is one step in the right direction! After only two weeks of being engaged, I never knew how fast I was going to have to make decisions. I also never realized how fast places book! But it also has to do with the time of year and that Master's/Spring Break starts the following Monday.

Celebration

This was our Engagement celebration at Delaney's. We met some of our friends there to see McFly, our favorite 80's band. Many of the girls are in pharmacy school with me. We had a blast and are glad you all could come out and celebrate with us.

Michael and Gillian. Michael had classes and graduated with Hunter. Gillian goes to school with me. They are engaged and are getting married in May. Michael is who told Hunter about where to get the ring. Good job Michael!

Taylor and her fiance on the left. The two people in the middle I don't know, as you can tell by their face! Brittany and Chris on the right. Taylor and Brittany go to school with me too.

Shane is our mutual friend.

Ideas

Here are the ideas we have so far:
1. December 2007 wedding in N. Augusta
2. April 2008 wedding in/around Hilton Head
3. April 2008 wedding in N. Augusta

The Dec. wedding would include more people since many may not want to travel to Hilton Head. We are looking at the 8th or 15th of Dec. This would give time in between my rotations for wedding, honeymoon, Christmas, etc. The April date would be around the 5th. This is where the conflicts come in. This would be the first Saturday in April which also starts Spring Break and Master's week. Augusta this time of year might not be the best idea. People may be going on trips for the start of Spring Break also. But, Dec. might be too soon to book a place that isn't already taken for Christmas parties. Let me know if you have any thoughts!

Advice

Thanks to everyone for all the advice you've given Hunter and I over the past few days. When telling everyone the news, it seems you all had helpful hints and things we need to remember. Many of you suggest that we do what we want, keep it simple, and not spend the rest of our life paying for it! No plans have been made at this point. I have to admit, it was a little overwhelming in first few days of phone calls to all the family and friends. I'm going to focus on finishing this semester and then we'll work on more details. Please send any additional comments and advice my way. Thanks also for everyone who offered to us help out with whatever we need. Also, thank you for being so excited for us! I think we have the best family and friends! We are looking forward to this next step and the journey that comes along with it.

The Proposal

Now that you know about the ring, here’s the proposal.
Hunter and I have loved being able to go to Hilton Head to visit his grandparents since we first started dating. They have a great house with a pool and are only a bike ride from the beach. We have spent several Spring Breaks, Fourth of Julys, and any other get-a-way weekends there. This was the spot for my dream proposal. Hunter found out my "dream" and went rignt along with it. It wasn’t until closer to Spring Break that he started to get worried and decided he had to intervene. Since I kept talking about a beach proposal, he had me totally convinced it wasn’t going to happen. I have to admit I was pretty let down, but I knew that whatever he did, it would be absolutely perfect! I honestly didn’t think Hunter even had a ring. Since we are together, either in Columbia or at home, on the weekends, I knew there wasn’t any way he could have gotten away to Charlotte without me knowing. Little did I know, a so-called “business trip” at the beginning of February turned into a ring purchase! I think I should mention we had a freak snow/ice storm that day and he had to travel in the worst conditions ever! We had planed to go to HHI and were excited to go and relax for a few days. We went down Thursday and had planned to go shopping Friday. Hunter was anxious to leave Friday morning, and I kept thinking there was no way he was that excited about shopping! So we headed out. He said we were going to go to the beach first. I was feeling stuffy thanks to the pollen and not really up for it, but thought “well whatever.” The whole way there, I kept saying “We never go to the beach just to see it.” To which Hunter replied, “We always go to the beach!” Once we got out of the car he told me to turn around and start walking. It was then that I thought: A: He was about to make me eat my words about not getting my dream beach proposal. Or B: He was totally pulling my leg and was going to give me a flower or a bag of Skittles. So that was absolutely the longest walk to the beach ever! Once we got close, I was surprised to see there were actually a lot of people on the beach. So Hunter darted down a row of sand dunes and that was when I about had an anxiety attack! He pulled out a poem he had written about different things we’d done before we dated and how it all started. It was very sweet and he has never done anything like that, so I know he put a lot of time and thought into it! Then he got down on one knee and proposed. It was PERFECT! I said “Yes” and according to Hunter, I then stuck out my hand to get that gorgeous ring! We walked on the beach and then went back to show off my souvenir! Turns out, Hunter was not nervous about the proposal, but the fact that there was an 80 to 100% chance of rain that day!

The Details

So here is how the engagement process started:
We have always talked about getting married since we first started dating. I know it was probably the "head-over-heels" phase, but we both really felt like it was something that we would eventually do. We started talking about looking at rings last summer and finally did around June. The first jewelry store we went to I did not like at all, and was very turned off on how I'd always pictured this process would be. The owner told me that I needed to make up my mind about what I liked, and until I did that, then he couldn't help me. The whole time I was thinking, "Now isn't that your job to show me what the options are so I can decide what I like?" So after we left I was not pleased, but Hunter wanted to try another store close by. This one was much like the fantasy I'd always imagined. The saleslady sat me down and showed me different cuts, bands, sizes, etc. Everything I ever wanted was there for me to try on and imagine having for the rest of my life. She even taught Hunter the 4C’s (if you’ve bought diamonds you know what they are) and cleaned my earrings while I was there. Well after this trip we didn’t talk about it much. Later around October or November we went to another place in Charlotte that was recommended by one of Hunter’s close friends. The Engagement Ring Manager (I know it sounds cheesy, but true) let me figure out what style I liked and then showed me everything that fit into that category. I had 2 favorites that he wrote down and gave to Hunter for future reference. After that, I didn’t look online or in magazines at the rings I had chosen just in case I didn’t get those I picked. That way I'd be fully surprised at whatever I got.

Engagement

Here are some pics from the engagement. I didn't have my camera with me when Hunter proposed, but we went back and took pics later that day!

Welcome

Hello Blogger world! I decided that since I am now engaged that I would like to start my own blog about planning a wedding and all that comes with it. I hope to be able to get lots of advice so feel free to send it my way! I love checking Caroline's blog and blame her for getting me addicted to it. I hope to keep up with it as well as she does! Pics and more to follow.