One More Month!

Oh, boy -- it's almost here!  Oddly enough, I still don't feel stressed.  There has been a few bumps in the road, but Duncan and I are focused on the big picture!

We would like to remind you:

1. The deadline to book hotel rooms is May 25 at 1700 / 5PM.
2. The RSVP by date is May 26.

Hotel Reservations

We have chosen the Marriott Hotel in Alpharetta as the hotel for the wedding weekend, mainly because it is the only hotel in the remote area that has an open restaurant/bar on the weekends -- something we think is very important.  To book your hotel room, please follow this link and enter the following group code: wswwswa.  The price includes the option for breakfast for two each morning.

Sunday Brunch

That Sunday morning, we would love everyone to join for a brunch, in which all hotel guests are invited (though this is certainly optional) to the Brunch, so that we can say Happy Father's Day to our Father's, spend extra moments with loved ones, and have a final opportunity to thank everyone.  

Afterwards, everyone is also invited (but recognize that this is entirely optional) to join the two of us for Mass at St. Benedict's Catholic Church at 12:30 PM. 

Wedding RSVP

If you have not yet RSVP'd to our wedding, we ask that you please do so by Saturday, May 26 or, at the latest, by May 31. 

Thank you very much!

We so look forward to spending time with you in June!

Two Months

Boy, oh boy!  Two months to go!  Can you believe it?  We can't.

First round of invitations have gone out and we've already received some responses: so far, no regrets.

Next weekend is our wedding shower.

We still have quite a few things left to do in these next two months, but considering how much has already gotten done, neither of us are stressed!

Here's what is officially done:

• Catering menu & contract finalized
• Centerpieces decided upon -- Duncan had lots of input on this =)
• Favors bought/decided upon
• "DJ"
• All the groomsmen went to get sized for their tuxedos (Duncan is so excited to wear his tuxedo!)
• All the bridesmaids went to get sized for their dresses
• Bridesmaid bouquets -- Duncan-approved
• Bridesmaid clutches and gifts purchased
• Gift to groom from bride purchased
• Groomsmen gifts decided upon by Duncan
• Photographer 2nd payment done, putting him 50% paid for
• Honeymoon all booked
• Pre-Cana workshop scheduled for May 19

Hmmm... I think that is it.... 

Tomorrow, the caterer, the wedding coordinator, my mom, myself are meeting at the reception venue with the "managers" of the venue in order to do a walkthrough. 

This past weekend was Jaclynn's birthday and the both of us joined her, her boyfriend, and her friends for the Braves homeopener.  Then on Saturday, we took Shelby to the Chattahoochee River for a walk and a swim.  Here are some snapshots:

 Hope all of you are doing well!

Update

Hello, loved ones!

We are doing well.  Duncan is busy with work and Amy is busy with school.

We can't believe the wedding is getting closer.  It still doesn't quite feel real, yet.  We've gotten a lot done, though in the past few months.

Right now we're working on the invitations so we can get them shipped off in March.  Mrs. Smith and Amy are working on the flowers for the day and Mrs. Wetsel is helping with catering.

We have registered and you can find the registry on both our official wedding website and in the links in the sidebar to the right.  We have noticed that there are occasional deals and discounts on various items on our registry.  Certain items, including the china, have been spotted at 50% off.  So, make sure to look for when that happens to help save you money!!  Thank you very much in advance.

Also, make sure to book your hotel rooms for the weekend if you know you are coming!

Right now the hotel rooms are blocked for Friday and Saturday nights (June 15 and 16).  We hope you will join us for the entire weekend because we have various things planned for your entertainment.

Otherwise, we hope you are all doing very well and are so looking forward to meeting up with you all in June!

Behind the Scenes of Our Engagement Session

This past Sunday, November 6, we had our engagement session with our wonderful wedding photographer, Jeff Franks.  Part of our wedding package included an engagement session, something that has becoming increasingly popular in the past few years.  We know we wanted to take advantage of the beautiful season so we headed to a favorite hiking spot of ours: Roswell Mill.

Here are some quick scenes from the day:

Individual shots

Duncan waiting around

We feel like the day and the session were successful.  We had brought clothes for a second outfit change, but didn't end up using them. We are so blessed that the day turned out so favorably for us: cloudy blue skies, warm sunshine, and a great mix of greens, reds, and oranges in the trees.  

Roswell Mill provided us with so many different locations and opportunities to snap some photos.  Jeff, and his adorable helper wife, were so wonderful and made the day really successful.  And, now, I can't wait to share the pictures with you-- as soon as we see them ourselves!  Jeff said that some of our pictures might be available for online viewing by the end of this week.  So maybe by next week we can share them!

Otherwise, have a wonderful week!

8 Months to Go!

Duncan's brand new car: a 2012 Ford Focus

From Duncan:

So, just an update from me as a lot has happened in the past few months. Fortunately, the blog has been a great tool to communicate some of the news and announcements, and we are glad you all are able to share this time with us even if you are half-way around the world. 

Amy and I and have been together for almost 3 years now and I have always known that she is the one for me. She is an amazing person with a great heart, and she cooks well too :). I proposed to her knowing that she would be a wonderful wife and someone that would be a true companion in life. We are making progress toward planning the wedding and all the little arrangements that go along with that, however I am generally not the most helpful when it comes to that so my involvement is somewhat limited to opinions and vetos. We would love to have you all come but at the same time understand that this is quite a venture for some of you.

I graduated at the end of July, after a long haul through university and finally made it out sane, and hopefully a little more educated. I was so happy to find a program I enjoyed and that it was something to be proud of after all the time invested. This is a degree that will help me be flexible within the working world as it has aspects in a variety of different areas, which helped me land my first job. The company I work for is called Fastenal, they are a distributer of industrial and construction supplies and are made up for a large retail base that stretches al over the US and Canada as well emerging into Europe. I work in the Atlanta distribution center which services about 300 stores in the southeast area. I am in charge of the quality program within the hub. I primarily deal with implementing programs and controls to improve quality and sustain a high level of service to our stores. I have just completed my training and will start my duties this week, it has been an interesting few weeks working in all the different departments and working various schedules. I am excited to be able to have the freedom and flexibility to achieve my goals there and I am sure that this will be a great starting point for my career. Unfortunately, having stepped into a role such as this it requires me to work fairly long hours which isn't desirable considering my already long commute but I am sure I will get used to this and make the most of it.

I hope to have updates every so often for you all as we approach the wedding. 

From Amy:

So, since Duncan wrote a lot I feel like I should write a lot... but I'm just in school so there's really not much to talk about!  School is proving to be difficult for me, so I giving it a lot of my energy.  I am taking Caring for Childbearing Families and learning about pregnancy and babies, which is a whole new world for me (for many obvious reasons)!  I'm used to working with adults in the hospital setting and I have never learned anything about maternity and newborn care, much less the science behind it.  I just started work in the hospital for mother-baby yesterday and I feel like it's going to be a difficult one.  The hospital I work at has the largest women's unit in the United States.  I just finished working at a major trauma center in Georgia.  I really love and appreciate what I am doing and the gifts God has given me in this program.

Duncan is doing so well with his job.  I rarely see him because he's busy, but he really seems to enjoy what he's doing and that makes me so happy.  :)  This job and now he bought his first car all by himself, he is officially a grown-up!

In wedding-related news, planning is going well.  It isn't our number one focus right now (work and school are our priorities), but things are moving along.  Fortunately, a lot of the decisions have been easy: get married in our church, the priests decided the date, and an amazing, couldn't-be-more-perfect reception venue has been provided at a phenomenal price close to the church.  My mom helps out a lot when she can (she's really busy with work herself), which is nice.  And Duncan is more helpful than he thinks.  He always has helpful opinions and though some things he couldn't care less about, he is still really helpful and has a lot of his own great ideas :).  In December when I am out of school and when work has become more routine for Duncan, we might try and make a little bit more plans.  So far, all is going well, though, and we look forward to seeing you all in JUNE!