Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

When I began asking for brooches, I wasn't sure what would happen. I didn't know if I would get any at all. I was a little worried that my plan wouldn't work and that I would walk down the aisle empty handed.

But what I have found is that this has ended up being one of the COOLEST things I've ever experienced. I know people have made these before. I know there are people out there who you can pay to make them for you. They will even go out and find all of the brooches to go in the bouquet. But the neatest part of this for me has been getting little pieces of my family and friends. Some of the pins are old and have a story behind them... a history. Others are brand new and were bought just for this purpose because someone wanted to contribute. I love that I am reconnecting with people from my past, and that I have so many people in my life that love and support me.

It has been fun to see the personalities of different people show up in their choice of brooch. I've been given flowers, and hearts, and random designs. I've even got a butterfly or two. Everything I read about how to make one of these said you should choose a color scheme and a metal and stick with it. But I decided to throw the rules out the window and do what I wanted to do instead. And I decided I wanted pins from family and friends instead of random pieces.

At Christmas we visited my family in Oregon. It is the only time of the year that I get to see my dad's parents. My grandma has facebook and email and she knew about my bouquet. Originally she wasn't sure she'd be able to come up with a pin for it, but I was pleasantly surprised when she pulled me aside and handed me this:



It's a beautiful pin and I love having a butterfly to add to my bouquet! How perfect!

It's getting down to the wire now. I'm hoping to have all of my pins in by the end of the month so that next month I can start to put them together. I can't wait to see how my bouquet comes out! I think it is going to be beautiful!

Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

I don't even know how to begin this story.
Once upon a time, there was a woman.
She was my grandma's grandma.
My great great grandmother.
Her name was Rhoda Isabel.
She had a pin. It was made probably at least 150 years ago.
The stone that is centered in the middle of the pin was hand cut. It's a real gem of some kind... and it wasn't cut by a machine. Someone held that little gem in their hands and cut it and faceted it by hand. 150 years ago.
My grandma has had it for about 50 years.
And now it will be a part of my bouquet.

I think this is such a special piece for my bouquet. I plan to put it right in the middle. It will be my "something old".



Wow. Such special stories that are coming with these pins!
I am hoping to collect quite a few more by the beginning of February! There will be lots more brooch blogs coming!!!

Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

Christmas morning is always fun and exciting.
Sometimes things under the tree are more of a surprise than other times.
This year I had lots of surprises under the tree, but one of the biggest surprises came from my Uncle Don and Aunt Carol and my cousin Evan.

When I opened the brooch, I was blown away. I wasn't expecting it and it was beautiful!

I don't think there is much of a story behind it, but it was really special to me to have a pin from them. Uncle Don has been around since I was born. He is my mom's brother. As a kid, my mom used to say how much I was like him. I think that always made me like him even more. And Carol came into the picture when I was pretty young. I loved her from the beginning! When I was in Junior High, they got married, and I got to be one of 2 people in their wedding. It was so special for me.

Evan is 7 years old and he is so smart. Since I was 18 years old when he was born, I've been able to watch him grow up and it has been really fun! Even though I don't get to see him often and he grows so quickly, its been a really neat thing. Evan is my only cousin on this side.

Here is a picture of the pin:



Its so fun seeing all of the different pins everyone has been picking out. When I look at this one, that little lady bug reminds me of Evan :) I love that it will be in my bouquet on my wedding day!

I have collected quite a few! Next month I'll be putting them all together. I can't wait to see how it comes out!

Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

I remember as a little girl, my mom and my grandma wearing jean jackets covered in rhinestone brooches. They would collect them and pin them all over the jackets. As a kid, I didn't really understand it. I thought they were pretty and sparkly, but I didn't understand entirely why they would collect them with such diligence. But collect they did.

When we arrived in Oregon for Christmas, my grandma told me that I could pick from her pins for my bouquet. And out came this drawer:



I was overwhelmed... and didn't even know where to start. But immediately, this pin jumped out at me.



But then so did a few others...







After I'd pulled these out of the drawer, she found a couple others she thought I might like:





Needless to say, I was THRILLED to add several new pins to my growing collection! I know I say this at the end of every brooch post, but I am really enjoying getting each piece. It is fun to think about the different people who care about me and my day!

Girl gets brooches

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl asks for help.
Girl gets brooches.

I think it started before I was born.
Christmas Eve.
My mom's family would gather together and open presents that my great grandmother had gotten all of us. We would eat and talk and catch up on the last year. Because most of us hadn't seen each other since last Christmas Eve. This tradition has continued on my entire life. All 25 years. Until this year.
I missed seeing my family this year... but I was beyond excited when I arrived at my grandma's house and she presented me with 2 pins for my bouquet... one from my Great-Aunt Eileen, and one from my second cousin, Nancy. Both are beautiful!!!

This one is from Aunt Eileen... because of my love for Disney as a kid:


And this one is from Nancy. She said she has had it for over 20 years! I love the color of it! And it catches the light!


Just like I say in every brooch blog... it is SO MUCH FUN to get these pins from everyone! It's fun to hear the stories and see why each pin was chosen!

If you want to send me a pin, I am still collecting them. I am about half way there and I'm getting so excited to see it all come together! I am hoping to collect them all in the next month or so... by the beginning of February... so I have enough time to put them all together before the wedding. Let me know if you need my address!

Girl chooses bridesmaids

Girl grows up in Oregon.
Girl is only child.
Girl moves to new school.
Girl makes friends.
Girl moves again.
Girl meets Boy.
Girl loves Boy.
Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl chooses bridesmaids.

The choice of bridesmaids was not a difficult choice for me.
And while it took me longer than 5 minutes to decide, it wasn't much longer.
I moved several times growing up... and went to 3 different high schools.
I've had my share of friends, and what I've found is that there are very few friends that last a lifetime.

I wanted my bridesmaids to represent me... to stand next to me physically, spiritually and emotionally. But I also want them to be girls that I will still be speaking to 5 years down the road!

I wrote a few weeks ago about Davene, my maid of honor. She's been my friend the longest (outside of my family). I am so excited to be in her upcoming wedding and just as excited that she'll be my maid of honor!


(I'm on the left with blond hair! Davene is on the right)

I also have a beautiful, wonderful friend who I haven't known quite as long, but who has been there for me through thick and thin. We had a chance meeting... a blind date of sorts... and she has been a great friend to me ever since. She is the girl that will tell you the truth... even when you don't want to hear it. She'll pray for you, encourage you, and tell you when your jeans look bad. I am blessed that Bianca will be a bridesmaid, and even more blessed that she is my friend.


(Bianca is on the left, I'm on the right. I should mention that as fantastic as it looks, her hair is not normally this... full ;))

I moved away from Oregon almost a decade ago. Leaving behind my friends, and my extended family. Even though we've had distance between us, my cousins have been amongst my best friends over the years.

Heidi is my oldest cousin. I remember being a little girl and thinking she was the coolest. I would follow her around her house, wanting to do everything she did. I'm sure it drove her nuts, but she was so kind... even as a kid. Heidi has been my source of strength and encouragement through lots of tough times. She has been the first one I've talked to when I've had a problem... we've laughed together, cried together, struggled together and triumphed together.
(Heidi is on the far right. I am on the left)



(Rebecca is in the middle the above picture)
Rebecca is only a couple of years younger than me, as is Holly. But when we were little girls, and I was following Heidi around.. Rebecca and Holly and I had a rocky relationship. I'm not entirely sure when it changed, but it did. And what followed were long days playing with our dolls, making up choreographed dances and skits, laughing so hard that we couldn't even stand it, and begging our parents to let us stay together longer. We had slumber parties, and went on vacations together. All these years later, Rebecca lives in a totally different state. So does Holly. And yet, through the miles, we remain not only cousins, but also friends. Holly has been a big support for me in the time that J has been in the military... and especially with this deployment. Her husband is an Army man too. I am grateful for amazing beautiful girls who are not only family but also friends.



J is a package deal. He has a large, and very tight knit family. And I love them.
His niece, Crystal has quickly become a great friend to me. I feel like we've known each other for years. She is the kind of girl that you can laugh with for hours, and who will be there for you when you just need to cry. We've had countless conversations while riding all over the place in my jeep. She has been an incredible support in my photography as well as coming along to hang out, assist and second shoot for me. I am so proud of who she is becoming, and so thankful for the huge role she's played in my life.




I also have two very special little girls that will be joining me as beautiful flower girls. J's nieces, Samantha and Angela. J and I had already discussed having them as part of the wedding.
But then one night we were all at dinner and they walked up giggling.
Samantha said in a sing song voice, "Angie has something to ask you."
To which Angela giggled and whispered in my ear, "Can we be your flower girls?"
I looked at them wide eyed and said, "Well I don't know... do you have experience?"
Oh the list they gave me of their flower girl qualifications.
Needless to say, they will be fantastic flower girls :)


(Angela, me with blond hair, and Samantha)

Boy chooses Groomsmen

Boy becomes big brother.
Boy grows up.
Boy stays close to family.
Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Girl plans a wedding.
Boy chooses groomsmen.

When J and I started discussing our wedding plans, we knew he would be deployed for the majority of the planning time. So we only talked about a few details that were most important to J.

What color to wear... and not to wear (No pink for the boys)
What colors to use... and not to use in the wedding (no pink... seeing a pattern here?)
Who to invite.
What kind of wedding to have.
Other small details (J wants cake lollipops. Somewhere. Anywhere).
And of course... Groomsmen.

It took all of five minutes for J to decide on Groomsmen. Maybe even less.
I didn't really know how to respond to that.
But for J, it was just obvious.

J has a son named Javvy. Javvy has been a part of his life for 18 years... and obviously is a huge part of his life. Those two are definitely 2 of a kind. Sometimes they act more like brothers than father and son. I don't know that I'd ever seen two somewhat grown men (or one and a half) play video games like they do. Or take random adventures in the middle of the night together. Or run AT FULL SPEED through the house in full on battle mode.
They have a unique relationship.
(Javvy is on the left, J on the right)



J is the oldest of three boys. Their mother is a saint! :) Alex is only one year younger than him, and was an obvious choice for one of J's groomsmen. Alex lives the farthest of the guys... yet it's only about 30 minutes and we are fortunate enough to see him often anyway!
(J is on the left, Alex on the right)



Sam is the youngest of the boys, but just as close. All three share inside jokes, and laugh over movie quotes that I've never even heard. They ride motorcycles together and sit around talking, laughing and telling stories for hours on end. They really are brothers who have become great friends.
(J is on the left, Sam is on the right)



David is J's cousin. But he's more like a brother. When we first got engaged, J and I discussed lots of options. We talked about running off to Vegas and getting married by Elvis or in a drive thru. We considered having a tiny wedding on the beach with only our parents. But as we talked about our options, J would continually struggle with the idea of not including his ENTIRE family. It would be his parents, his brothers, their families... but it wouldn't stop there. Each time, David was one of the people he wanted to be by his side. (Side note: don't worry family... we decided against Elvis or a 5 person guest list).
(David is on the left, J is on the right)



I wrote in a previous blog about J's best man, Danny. You can read more about him here.
(J is on the left, Danny is on the right)



I am so glad to have a fantastic group of men who have loved and supported J throughout his life stand next to him on this special day. I am also grateful that they love me too. I am fortunate to have a fantastic, close relationship with each of these men, and I am so thankful for the role they play in my life as well.

In addition to these great men, we have 3 fantastic young men that will also be joining us. J's 3 nephews, Sam Jr, Michael, and Vincent. They love their Tio, and I know he is excited to have them be a part of this day in such a special way!







I should maybe take a moment to say to the men listed in this blog...
If you didn't know we wanted you to be in the wedding...
SURPRISE!
I was chatting with Sam the other day and mentioned something about him being in the wedding. He looked at me like I was purple and said "what?" Apparently J forgot to officially ask him before leaving the country. whoops!
:)

Boy chooses Best Man

Boy has a cousin.
Boy and cousin make a deal.
Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy asks cousin to be best man.

J is Cuban.
His family came here from Cuba... together. And they have stayed close, not only physically (almost all of them live in the same neighborhood) but also as a family. They spend lots of time together and really are good friends. J's oldest cousin, Danny, has been his best friend since they were young. They're only a year apart, and living so close allowed them to grow up together.

When they were young, they became blood brothers (ew) and made a pact that they'd be each other's best man. Many years ago J stood beside Danny as his best man. And in a few months, Danny will stand beside J.

For some people, choosing a wedding party is hard. Either they have too many friends... or not enough. For others, it's easy.
For J, it was simple.
Literally a 5 minute conversation.
He knew he wanted his family...
He wanted people that not only would stand beside him on that day...
But that had already stood beside him throughout his life...
And would continue to do so long after we are married.

Can I just say how much I love this picture? I found it on Danny's facebook page. It's old... I can tell by J's facial hair... but I love it! I think it's fantastic. (J is on the left, Danny is on the right)