Wedding Photos

If anyone would like to view/order our professional wedding photos online, they will be available until August. The link is below:

http://www.millersalbums.com/Default.aspx?eventCode=61350Wandrewlacey

Enjoy!

15 Days?!

Wow, the time is really flying now. I can't believe that I will be getting married in 15 days! I'm not going to be Lacey DiPaolo for very much longer....that is a weird feeling.

Last night we met with the photographer. I was worried when he called and wanted to change our scheduled, sit-down meeting to an over-the phone meeting just 45 minutes before the appointment. I insisted that we meet, and if he was running late, we could push back the meeting until a time that worked better for him. (A little bridezilla, I know, but the photos are really important to me, and I had tons of paperwork prepared...plus, an over-the-phone meeting only allowed me to meet with him. Mom and dad were still at work and Andrew was at Jackson's place...I wanted to be sure we got their input as well.)

I guess the office we were going to meet at would be closed if we pushed the meeting back an hour. The photographer suggested meeting at a restaurant instead, and mom, dad, Andrew and I had been planning to eat dinner at Spaghetti Works after the meeting anyway, so I suggested that we meet there.

As luck would have it, Spaghetti Works was closed for remodeling. So, I called and suggested we meet down the street at BW3s. When the seven'0'clock hour came and went with no sign of the photographer, I noticed that I had a missed call on my phone (it was out on the table...I'm not sure why we didn't notice the phone call), but apparently he was waiting for us at WCs, not BW3s!

When we finally did get together, our meeting went very well. I hope it all goes well and that he will be on time on the wedding day. That's what will count.

Hair-Do Redo

A few weeks ago, mom and I went in to get hair cuts and to practice with our hairdresser, Lori, for the wedding day.

I think I threw Lori off a bit when I asked that little fake flowers be interspersed with my hair, all the way down. It turns out, that's harder than it sounds.

The only solution she could come up with on the spot was gluing the flowers in and they could be cut out at the end of the day. Cut out? Yikes. I wasn't liking the sound of that. Lori assured me that she would talk with her colleagues and try to find a better way to attach the flowers.

I got a call from Lori last week, asking for another practice run. She had gotten several suggestions and was ready to try again with the flowers. I went in after work last night, and Lori played around a bit. She used thin, clear hair ties to attach the flowers, and also tried braiding them into my hair. There were also a few failed experiments, but I couldn't always tell what was going on back there, so I'm not sure what those were.

After much trial and error, I decided that I really liked just having some clusters of flowers stuck in around the "bun" / "ponytail" area where my hair will gather at the back. The first time I went in, we tried this, but the clusters were sticking up over the top of my head, and I thought that looked kinda silly. So, we went away from that look immediately.

After seeing them just stuck around the sides and the back, I liked it better than anything else we'd tried, and there will be no glue required! I'm so happy that Lori is working so hard to make my hair look natural and beautiful. Who knew the "natural look" would be so much work?

My Maid of Honor Returns!

Liz is back in Lincoln!

She flew in last night from Chicago. She just completed a semester studying in Italy and it's so nice to have her back home.

Even though she's been awake "since yesterday" (as she put it) she still wanted to go out with all those who met her at the airport for coffee. We went to Meadowlark, where she got a proper, American coffee drink (an Iced Caramel Macchiato), after months of non-flavored, strong espresso drinks from Italy. 

She tells me that if you order a Latte in Italy, they'll give you warm milk. In fact, almost anywhere you order milk in Italy it will be served warm, unless you specifically request cold milk! (That's one to remember if I ever decide to visit.)

She brought us souvenirs, something special for everyone. Andrew and I received a bottle of Spumante from a beautiful winery she visited. She also brought me a postcard from an art museum with a colorful bird design on a textile.

Perhaps my favorite treat she brought back are the chocolates. She brought some amazing, Hazelnut flavored chocolates (they look like large peanut butter cups wrapped in beautiful green foil) and the best dark chocolate shell candy with a smooth dark chocolate center (kinda like the Lindt truffles). They are to die for. Thank you so much, Liz!!

Now that she's back, I guess it's time that I put my Maid of Honor to work for the wedding!

Mint Madness

Well, Lynnette out did herself again! She created wedding mints in several shapes and many, many flavors for us to try. I think there were at least 15 different flavors...it was very difficult to choose just a few. She suggested picking as many flavors as we'd like, then choosing either a shape or color to represent each flavor.

We decided on: English Toffee, Almond, Amaretto and Peppermint.

Thank goodness I talked to Andrew about the mints for the wedding well before anyone started experimenting with flavors/recipes. She was planning to make the typical, cream cheese mints made with granulated sugar. (Not my favorite, but if it was a tradition for Andrew's family, I was happy to have them on the cake table.)

However, after talking with Andrew about it, he mentioned that he doesn't like that kind of mint. He remembers his mom making the candy mints (more like Andes mints) and that's what he though we'd have for the wedding all along. I was so happy to hear that, because I like that kind of mint much better, too!

I had no idea how many flavors are available for mint-making! It was like cake tasting all over again!

Sarabande Meeting

We had a meeting with Tim, the leader of Sarabande Jazz, last night. We thought we had pretty much every detail figured out, until we starting going over everything with Tim. He's willing to MC all evening (even though the band doesn't start up until 7:30 or so). This made us very happy, but it meant we had all kinds of new decisions to make.

We'll have him announce the wedding party, play during Heidi's breaks and announce the cake cutting and toasts. (Uncle Art might actually be able to enjoy the reception this way!)

He played some tunes for us (we always love that) and gave Andrew and I an MP3 of the music for our first dance song, so that we can practice dancing. He also gave Andrew a copy of the crazy fusion/techno mix he suggested we walk in to. I vetoed that one pretty quickly, but Andrew liked it a lot. It was definitely cool, very Andrew's style. It was way over the top, though. It doesn't go with anything else in the wedding at all. Sorry Andrew.

All in all, it was a pretty great meeting. Hearing some of Tim's ideas really got us excited about the reception. I think Sarabande is going to make the reception unforgettable.

Invitations are out-Fridge is in!

Andrew took most of the wedding invitations to the post office yesterday! There were a couple of addresses that needed tweaking, but for the most part my address list was good to go.

I hope everyone likes them. I think they're beautiful, but I'm biased.

It was so nice to be able to print them through the copy center at work. (Just don't look too hard for the misspelling on the map. It's my fault. We caught it before they went out, but I'd already had all the invites stuffed and I didn't want to pay to re-do them and re-stuff them. Once a misspeller always a misspeller, I guess. At least they're informative and pretty!)

Moving on...our first wedding gift (the refrigerator from mom and dad) was delivered yesterday and it's beautiful! Andrew has already organized the food inside, and last night I put all the magnets, take-out menus and artwork back up for display (it looked too weird to have nothing on the fridge).

It's roomier than our last fridge and all the shelves and drawers are clear and adjustable (I think Andrew enjoyed placing and organizing the ones in the door)!

Our old fridge is stowed in the hall/living room for now. Sometime this week, Andrew and his friend Brian will take it to mom and dad's garage and the process will be complete. Yay!

Sarabande Didn't Show...Uh-oh.

Dad found a listing on the Journal Star website that Sarabande Jazz would be playing at Meadowlark Coffee on Saturday night. I haven't gotten an updated schedule from Sarabande via e-mail this month, so I was very excited that dad found out where they were playing.

The next day, dad found a listing in the Ground Zero that confirmed that Sarabande would be there, so we decided to go see them, and invite Andrew's parents to join us.

We got there a little early and grabbed the cozy couch spot in the corner. Andrew and Lynnette joined us right on time, but the band still hadn't showed...

So, we waited, and waited and waited. Andrew checked with one of the employees to see if there had been a change of plans, since the band hadn't arrived as scheduled. She replied "It's happened before."

Yikes.

Needless to say, this stresses dad and I out. We've gone to see them around town at least seven or eight times before, and the band is always there. I guess we don't know what the circumstances are...maybe I shouldn't worry to much about it (not that I can rationally control my worrying).

It was embarrassing to have invited others to see the band and to have it turn out like this. However, we got to talk to Lynnette about the wedding plans quite a bit, so it turned out really fun anyway. I'm so glad she came (I think she distracted Dad and I from getting too worried at the time).

Dad mentioned that he might call the venue that Sarabande is supposed to be playing at on Wednesday night, just to be sure they are really playing as scheduled. It would make me feel better to think that this doesn't happen very often.

Barrettes for Rylee

Last night, Lynnette brought over the barrettes she created for our flower girl, Rylee, to wear on the wedding day.

Unless Kristine or LaJean (Rylee's mom and grandma) wanted to have Rylee's hair done professionally for the wedding, I was happy with a simple hairstyle for her that could be done at home. When we were all out shopping for Rylee's dress, Lynnette offered to make barrettes for Rylee, using the same flowers that will be incorporated into my hair style for the wedding.

I popped a few stems of the flowers off my arrangement and gave them to Lynnette right then. It seemed like such a great idea.

Now that I've seen them, I'm so happy with how they look. Rylee's hair is going to be adorable!

Thank you so much, Lynnette.

Dress Shopping for Em...again!

My congratulations go out to Emily and Steve. They are going to be parents!

A few weeks ago, Emily and Steve announced to me that they were expecting. The announcement was followed by a lot of excitement and hugging. Emily has a wonderful, two year-old daughter already, so I know they will be great parents to their new arrival. 

A few minutes after the announcement, Emily started talking about what she should do about her bridesmaids dress. Most likely, at over three-months along, she will not be able to fit into the bridesmaids dress she's already purchased. So, we decided to go back to Sarah's Bridal Shoppe and see if maybe we could order her a new dress, in the same material. Possibly something with an empire waist...something with more room for the baby. I want her to be comfortable at the wedding...it will be an awfully long day if she has to be squeezed into a tight, satin dress the whole time.

Unfortunately, when we arrived at Sarah's, we didn't have a lot of options. Upon walking in, the proprietor, Sarah, made me feel very at ease. She said "Oh, we'll figure something out. This isn't the first time we've seen this."

We seemed lucky, the line of dresses we'd ordered from could get us a new dress in time for the wedding (all the other lines they carried would not arrive in time). However, they did not have any appropriate styles with an empire waist. The only maternity dress they had was a close enough red to get away with, but the material and style were completely different. I was okay with this one, if Emily liked it, but the price was almost twice the original dress we'd chosen! There had to be another option.

Mom suggested that we try a few more shops before making a final decision. The first on her list was J'Maries Off-the-Rack (our one-stop shop for all of our bridal party outfitting needs). Believe it or not we found a few different ensembles for her to try on, including one red satin maternity dress that almost completely matches the original bridesmaids dress-in her size! All for the low, low price of $29.99!!!!

It's style is different, obviously. It has thicker straps, and it's a two piece. I'm just so happy it matches the dress Liz will be wearing, and that we can still add the orange, satin sash to Emily's dress. Emily didn't seem thrilled that the dress was so big (I'm sure it's made for someone who could be 8 months along as well as someone like her, just a few months along.) Em's mother, Susan, has offered to do Emily's alterations to this dress, to make it fit closer to the day of the wedding (when we have a better idea of how it will fit).

Susan is also going to create the sashes for Emily, Liz and Rylee! I love her. We all hugged her when she agreed to do this (it is such a load off for mom and I-one less thing!) I'm so glad mom and Susan came with us to pick out the dress. Emily is so considerate, and she would probably buy and/or wear anything I asked her to. It's great to have a few more ideas/opinions for a decision like this. I don't think we could have gotten any luckier.

Emily admitted, afterward, that she didn't think we'd have any luck at the off-the-rack shop, but I'm so glad we did. It would have been awful if we'd settled for the maternity dress at Sarah's, considering that would have put Emily's total spending for her dress above what we've spent on my own!

Our First Wedding Gift!

Andrew and I got quite a surprise yesterday from mom and dad.

The extra fridge in my parent's garage finally bit the bullet. (I'm not surprised...I think it's practically as old as I am.) Mom and I were doing some shopping last weekend, so we decided to stop into Sears to look at new refrigerators, and hopefully find something cheap to replace the one that broke. I guess that's easier said than done. Nothing that was a comparable size was that cheap.

But, I had another idea. Andrew and I have been meaning to replace the stove and fridge in our house, we just haven't had the money to do so yet. There were some really nice fridges at Sears that weren't too expensive, so I thought maybe Andrew and I could buy a new fridge and use some of the wedding money we get later to pay it off. We could sell our old one to mom and dad for much less money than them buying a new one, and they'd have a new outdoor, extra fridge. Brilliant, right?

Mom and I were ready to take Andrew to the store to check out the floor model, and dad asked if he could come along. Dad, volunteering to take a trip with us to the mall...well, I thought that was a little odd, but I was happy he was going to join us, so I didn't complain.

While he got ready to go, I started asking mom a lot of questions (worried about how I was going to pay for this), like "Do you think it's okay to use the wedding money we get later to pay off the fridge? Is it a faux pas to thank our guests for an appliance that will be in our home before the wedding?"

I just didn't want to pass up the opportunity, since mom and dad need a new fridge soon, rather than waiting until after the wedding. Mom couldn't answer my questions, so I said "Opps, it must be a faux pas. I think of another way to pay for it..."

Mom called dad into the room and said "We can't wait any longer to tell her. She keeps asking me all these questions I can't answer!"

Then, they announced that the new fridge would be their wedding gift to Andrew and I! So, we went as one, big, happy family to Sears to pick it out. It will be delivered a week from Monday. It's black (our color of choice for new appliances!), it has a divider shelf in the freezer. It's bigger than the one we have now. It has pull-out bins in the door and clear crisper, meat and dairy drawers. I can't wait until it arrives!

Thanks, mom and dad.

Program Design

I've been working on the ceremony programs quite a bit lately. I'm really happy with all the suggestions and ideas mom, dad and Andrew have offered. We've gone through several drafts already, and each time it comes out better and better.

I have designed the 8-page programs in a complementary style to the invitations and other printed material for the wedding.

I'm starting to get really excited about the wedding. I can believe how close it's getting. I can't seem to watch enough wedding shows (thanks to mom for taping them for me from WE). I'm quite the happy bride-to-be at the moment.

Sarabande Meets Flat Stanley

Last week I received a Flat Stanley in the mail from my cousin Blaine. I'm taking Flat Stanley around Nebraska with me for the next month or so, and I decided to bring him along to see Sarabande Jazz play at the Blend last Friday night.

It's been way too long since we went to see them perform live. They played "What a Wonderful World", the song that we plan to use for the Father-Daughter, Mother-Son Dance. Later, they played "I'm Glad There is You" which is our first dance song. They've added quite a few tunes to their repertoire, including some great Disney ones, like "Under the Sea." They performed that one for us as their final song of the evening.

I've got a photo of them above. They were kind enough to pose with Flat Stanley. It was great to go see them again. We're planning to schedule a meeting with Tim, the band leader, mid-April to discuss the details of the wedding music selections. Meanwhile, we'll just have to keep practicing our dance moves.

Ceremony Details

The part of the wedding planning I'd been putting off the most (even more than dance practice) was the details of the ceremony. I just wasn't sure how to put together a ceremony that would have enough meaning. It's outdoors, so a unity candle didn't really make sense (even though Andrew and I love candles), and the idea of pouring the sand together isn't really our style.

I just wasn't sure what should come between walking down the isle and kissing the groom. Andrew and I are writing our own vows, which we plan to surprise one another with on the wedding day (that part has always been exciting to me)! Other than that, I was lost on any readings to have, music to play, etc.

Dad helped me get the ball rolling by looking up some prose that could be read at the wedding. Andrew and I started to search together, but it was a lengthy process. We just kept searching for that poem/reading that really described us.

For awhile we were considering using an Apache Marriage Blessing (which I really like), but we ended up finding a few things that suited us even better. Now I'm really excited about planning the ceremony.

We've invited our Officiant, Richard and his wife over on Saturday for dinner, so that we can start discussing the details. I'm really looking forward to it. 

Two Garters?

Lynnette, Jean, Kristine, Rylee, Ty and Emily met mom and I at J'Maries Off-The-Rack last Saturday. Our intention was to find Rylee one of those $19.00 Flower Girl dresses they sell. Instead, we found a bunch! Rylee had several styles to choose from, all in cream colors to match my dress. The one she liked best was a size too small (and I say that, meaning it fits her tightly now, and who knows if she'd fit into it in 4 months). So, we went with her second favorite option (which was the first dress she picked out). She looks adorable in it, and there's a little room for her to grow. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.

While Rylee tried on dresses, Lynnette picked out a few dresses to try on for the wedding. We found a few options that looked really nice, and then Emily brought me a silver one that I just wasn't sure about (until she mentioned that the metallic-looking bead-work on the top reminded her of something Andrew would make). Silver is certainly on of our accent colors, so Lynnette tried it on. When she came out it was obvious that this was the dress. It looks stunning on her. So, we walked out of the shop with two dresses by the time we were done looking!

Since we only had to try one dress shop to find everything we needed, I invited the others along to the fabric store to look for sash material for Rylee and the bridesmaids. Lynnette is going to make the Ring Bearer pillow and Flower Girl basket for me (which is so wonderful, thank you Lynnette), so we wanted to use the same material on the pillow that we bought for the sashes. Lynnette also suggested that her mother could make my garters.

"Garters?" Plural? I didn't realize until Saturday that it was traditional for brides to wear a "throwing" garter and and "keepsake" garter. I think I may have been the only one in the group that didn't realize this (perhaps with the exception of little Ty). So, we called Andrew's grandma Joyce, and she will be happy to make the garters for me. Lynnette helped me figure out how much ribbon, elastic and lace I would need. I really love the ribbon we picked out. The one I'm going to keep is orange ribbon with these white, graphic flowers. Emily found me some red lace to go with it that is perfect!

The other, throwing garter has the same flower pattern, but it's a teal-blue color. We found some white, sheer, beaded lace to go with it. So now I have my "something blue!"

We also found deep orange satin to make the sashes out of. Emily was kind enough to bring her dress with, so we could make sure the material for the sashes goes with the bridesmaids dresses. They look great together. So, that will be a project for mom and I to tackle. We thought we might fasten the sashes with broaches, but we've yet to find them. If anyone sees any good sales of has ones to borrow, I'm all ears. I'm thinking silver (not gold), if they're metallic.

Newspaper Engagement Announcement

Keep an eye out in the Lincoln Journal Star for our engagement announcement and photo. It will most likely be appearing in the February 8th Celebrate! (but we're not 100% sure). It will also be available online at:

http://www.journalstar.com/celebrate/index.php?fc=Engagements

We had quite a successful wedding planning weekend. It started early, too. Mom, dad, Andrew, Emily and myself all took off early on Friday afternoon to meet with the caterers and decorations people at East Campus. We met the catering manager, Kari, for the first time. She was so delightful and she really made us feel confident that we were in good hands. She will be coordinating deliveries, supervising the servers and helping out on the day of the wedding. So, now we have the menu finalized for the most part.

We were also able to talk to several people at East Campus about the decorations. Dad and I have been especially worried about how we are going to do the decorations, so it was a relief to find that we can do exactly what we want with them. I really think we'll be able to make it look beautiful in the reception hall.

On Saturday afternoon we met with Meier's Cork and Bottle, who we decided to hire for bartender service. They are so friendly, professional and knowledgeable. I'm really happy that we've hired them.

Cake and Flowers

Mom and I went to pick up the new cake samples from HyVee today, and we paid the deposit for the flowers while we were there. We like shopping at that HyVee anyway, so we just did our weekly shopping at the time. (All the employees we've dealt with there have been so friendly!)

When we went to get the cake samples from the bakery, the employee who handed them over to us told us that the Amaretto we'd requested turned out incredible. She said they would need to start offering that one as an option, and that it was her new favorite. Mom and I couldn't wait to try.

The bakery added pineapple to the citrus cake, which made it taste incredible also. (Andrew's favorite cake, other than cheesecake, is pineapple upside down cake.) Andrew just doesn't care for most cakes, and when he tried the this pineapple citrus, he really liked it!

I gave out some of the samples and took votes, because I honestly love them both. I couldn't decide on my own. I like that the Amaretto was our idea, kind of like a "signature flavor." However, it's very rich, like the red velvet we're already getting. Having a fruity option with the richer, more chocolaty Red Velvet seemed more appropriate. This way hopefully everyone will like something (even Andrew)!

So, I just counted the votes to make my decision. Then, when the votes were practically even, I wasn't sure what to do. I decided it would all be up to Emily, who hadn't tried the cakes yet. I was very happy with either flavor.

She decided on the pineapple citrus and I think it was a great decision. And, as dad says, we have someone to blame if no one likes it. (Just kidding...Emily thank you for making the decision I couldn't make!)

Hotel Reservation Info

We have booked a block of rooms for the wedding at the Lincoln New Victorian Suites.

Most of the rooms in our block have king size beds and pull-out beds. We also have one double queen suite reserved. According to the manager of the hotel, it's likely that the hotel will have cancellations prior to our wedding date, opening up additional double queen suites. Be sure to check when you make your reservation, if a double queen suite would be your preference.

The rooms can be reserved under either "Losh" or "DiPaolo" and the discounted rate is $73.99 per night. There aren't restrictions on this rate when you book for the wedding, so if you plan to come up early or leave late, you should get the same rate each night.

They will hold this block of rooms for us until April 29th.

Check-in time is 3:00 PM (possibly earlier if you're arriving earlier)
Check-out time is 12:00 Noon. The indoor pool and hot tub are open 24 hours/day.

Below is the web address for the hotel chain, along with their contact information. Please let me know if you'd like further information from me or if you have any questions.

http://www.newvictorianinn.com/

Lincoln New Victorian Suites
216 North 48th Street
Lincoln, NE 68504
(402) 464-4400

Mother-of-the-Bride Dress

Well, I'm back to wedding planning. I took some time off during December to enjoy the holidays, but the time has come to get back to the task at hand.

Over the holidays, I did manage to sign the contract with Sarabande Jazz. This is something I've been working to finalize for months and it's so nice to have the contract finally signed and the deposit sent. I really think they are going to make our reception something special and it's hard for me to imagine not having them play at our wedding.

This weekend I have an appointment with the person doing the redesign on my dress (and possibly some alterations on mom's dress). Mom found her mother-of-the-bride dress on the day after Thanksgiving at Nordstroms.

After our more serious early morning shopping in Kansas City, we went to the mall to do a little browsing the day after Thanksgiving. Eventually someone suggested that we go and look at some stores to watch mom try on some Mother-of-the-Bride dresses. Cyndi was especially excited about this, so she and I started helping mom pick out some choices. By the time she had tried on a few dresses, Debi, Elly, Sharon and Heather had joined us in the dressing room to see the options.

The sales lady brought in dress after dress (not many of them were in our wedding colors, but mom tried them on anyway, for style ideas mostly). When mom put on the dress she ended up choosing, she looked stunning in it. It's as if the dress were made especially for her. Everyone agreed that it looked beautiful, even though it wasn't exactly the right color scheme for the wedding. It is a halter-top dress that is a mock-two piece. The top has intricate bead-work and embroidery in metallic shades and the bottom is floor length in a deep brown. We are hoping that we can switch the outer layer of material on the bottom of the dress to a rust or copper colored fabric to bring the colors of the wedding out in the dress a little more. I guess we'll find out this weekend!

We're also meeting with the baker and the person doing the flowers at HyVee on Saturday. I hope it all goes will, we should be starting to make some decisions about the bouquets and other wedding flowers. I know I want calla lilies and gerbera daisies, but I have a lot of decisions to make concerning the bridesmaids bouquets, the corsages and boutineers, etc. The baker and I already have a pretty clear vision of the cake, we just need to decide on the second cake flavor. I know I want Red Velvet, and I'm thinking I'd like an orange citrus cake also, but I'll need to taste it before I decide. Anyway, it will be good to get a few more details hammered out this weekend. I'm really looking forward to it.