 Kristy at her bridal shower. “I will not let winter storm Nemo snow on my bridal shower!” I exclaimed a few Wednesday nights ago at the end of the weather report. I had trouble taking this storm seriously, and kept envisioning a cute little snow storm with one bad fin, swimming up the east coast and leaving us with just a minor snow covering. I may have even enjoyed it if my shower was in Philadelphia, but it was in North Jersey, and we weren’t dealing with a Disney/Pixar character, we were dealing with a blizzard.
Months after Eric and I got engaged, some friends of his mom’s approached us about having a bridal shower in North Jersey. In the absence of Eric’s mom, they still wanted to shower us with love and joy before our wedding. We happily agreed and the planning began.
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 Brand X Pictures This weekend felt a bit like the opening scene to Deniece William’s music video for “Let’s Hear It for the Boy.” (I think that statement may have shown my age a bit, and now you’re probably singing the lyrics as you read—sorry!) Eric and I spent this past weekend focusing on the boys, starting with tux shopping.
With a quickly expiring Men’s Warehouse coupon in our pocket, we headed out to the chain store and starting searching for what would outfit the men for our wedding. While there, I kind of felt like I shouldn’t have been, since Eric won’t see my digs until the Big Day—but I guess that’s the beauty of being a bride.
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 Wavebreak Media Like a good cup of coffee, this past weekend helped me focus and quickly ramped up my motivation for wedding planning. After weeks of being preoccupied and lacking motivation to plan, plan, plan, I feel set back on track and ready to complete my tasks. And all it took was an afternoon spent with an amazing couple talking about marriage.
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 Kristy and her sister, Stacey, her matron of honor. This past weekend had nothing to do with wedding planning. No decisions to make on the menu, the ceremony, the attire, the shoes—nothing, because this weekend was all about my sister, brother-in-law and their baby to be.
My mom and I threw my sister (my matron of honor) a baby shower to show our love and excitement for the arrival of their baby. It is a very exciting time for both of our families (ours and my brother-in-law’s) as we wait to welcome the little one. I can’t help but wonder: boy or girl, tall or short, runner or basketball player, and who will the baby most resemble?
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 iStockphoto This week and throughout the upcoming year, my main focus is finding balance: in my schedule, my finances, in happiness, and in so many other areas of my life.
Since the six-month countdown has begun, I’ve had difficulty finding balance between life and wedding prep. Free nights are spent adding items to our registry, researching tuxes for the guys, and brainstorming ideas for our escort cards. Eric and I use to enjoy making dinner, going for walks after work, and meeting up with friends on a random Wednesday. But I guess our priorities have slightly changed, and because wedding planning isn’t the only change happening in our lives right now, the search for balance has been a difficult one.
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 iStockphoto Lately, I’ve been envisioned our honeymoon as the light at the end of the tunnel. Sure, wedding planning has been amazing and fun, but a year-and-a-half long engagement has led me to a bit of a breaking point.
I asked Eric to take the lead on planning our honeymoon. He amazes me when it comes to planning trips; researching the best neighborhoods to visit, scheduling gorgeous hikes, and finding out where to invest our time, all while finding plenty of time to relax. Plus, it came down to picking out wedding invitations and table clothes so it seemed best to direct Eric’s interests elsewhere.
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 iStockphoto Asking recent brides their opinion on hiring a videographer for their wedding has been similar to asking new moms whether or not they use pacifiers for their newborns: It’s borderline political. Everyone seems to have a very opinionated comment; it’s either one of their favorite aspects of their wedding, or they’re happy they spent money elsewhere.
I was always skeptical of their real “love” for the video, though: Were they just saying that to justify their expense? The brides that declined a videographer bragged about the additional expenses they could afford like the mashed potato bar at their cocktail hour or the amazing dessert table they chose to spend their money on.
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 Kristy and her sister Jenny in California during Kristy's visit over Thanksgiving. Over Thanksgiving, I traveled to California to visit my sister and maid of honor, Jenny.
We had an amazing time enjoying Thanksgiving with friends and their families, hiking the coast at Point Reyes, visiting wineries in Russian River, exploring small towns, running through vineyards, and enjoying the sunshine with bike rides and picnics in Sonoma.
Jenny relocated to California in 2007 when she decided to pursue her master’s degree in viniculture and enology. I know—what a mouth full!—but to sum it up, she makes wine, and really delicious wine, at that. The vacation was a much-needed break for the two of us; relaxing and clearing our minds a bit, catching up, and just being sisters. Eventually, though, we had a little business to take care of, because Jenny is graciously making our wedding-toast wine.
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 Brand X Pictures Decisions, decisions, decisions … We met with our caterer this past weekend to discuss the details of our wedding. I’m not sure if I’ve ever made that many decisions in one day, and yet, nothing is finalized!
We set up an appointment with our caterer Conner Catering, to hash out some major and minor details. Plus, we had a few questions, mainly concerning cost and logistics. When we decided to have our wedding at The Old Mill, we knew a general price range per person, but it was making our budget and us a little on edge not having a specific number to calculate overall expenses. The difference of $10 a person could determine whether we were going to splurge on centerpieces, or try to tackle them on our own.
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 iStockphoto “There’s something about trying on wedding dresses that makes me feel like I can take over the world.” This was my exact text message to my bridesmaid, Leanne, after my first dress appointment. I thought wedding-dress shopping was going to be addicting, but then again, what woman isn’t addicted to shopping?
My first dress excursion was on a whim. My mom and I started talking about dress shopping in the beginning of the summer, after several friends and daughters of my mom’s friends bragged about sample sale dresses. The stories that make your jaw drop: a $2000 dress for $600, craziness! With summer in full swing, we thought we could snag a sample dress waiting just for me.
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