Said YES to the DRESS!!

Yesterday was my birthday, and my one and only birthday wish was granted....wedding dress shopping in Charlotte!!

My mom and I went to a few of the boutiques in Charleston and saw so many dresses that we liked, but nothing too special. Every dress to try on was a 10 or 12 so of course each one had to be pinned to fit my tiny frame, and each dress just seemed to swallow me. I didn't really have the vision needed to imagine the dress in half the size and half the amount of extra material, so we went to David's Bridal, where I would at least be able to put on a dress that fit me and regain my confidence!

I knew I wanted a dress that was really special though, I didn't want a dress thousands of other brides across America were wearing! A friend of  mine suggested a store she went to in Charlotte with another bride-to-be. She said the shop itself is STUNNING on the inside with beautifully hand-painted details on the wall throughout the store, it's so clean, dresses are very well taken care of, staff is nice, tons of changing rooms with white leather couches for your guests to judge your picks, gleaming marble floors, and tall mirrors with hanging sparkly chandeliers above them. I was sold!



Mom, Auntie Melody, Ashlyn (bridesmaid) and Teresa (MOH) tagged along to NY bride & groom. It was even more beautiful in person than what my friend had described! Before driving up, I had memorized all of their lines and just knew I'd find my dress here!

This was ranked 4th of the 4 I loved

It had pockets! But don't get any ideas...the dress I ended up choosing is not the same style at all!

I tried on sooo many dresses and liked nearly every single one. It was a tough decision, but I found 4 dresses I LOVED, but only one made me truly feel like a bride. It's so pretty!! Best of all, this dress was made ESPECIALLY for this store...so for me that means the odds of someone else wearing it are extremely slim :-D It is truly one of a kind and I knew I would never find another dress I like more!



I can't *wait* til Stephen sees me in my dress!!

How it happened...

Good stories have a great beginning, so I guess I'll start there!


Stephen and I met during his first year at USC as a grad student, and my last year as an undergrad. He was teaching a lab that I had begrudgingly signed up for in order to graduate. The first day of class, I immediately noticed him and was so glad I had signed up for Weather and Climate. You could definitely say I was "hot for teacher!!" I had a crush on him the entire semester and made a lame attempt to flirt but he didn't seem interested.  My friend and fellow classmate, Leigh, and I used to joke during class not to look directly in his eyes cus you wouldn't be able to pay attention to a thing he was saying! Being a moral teacher, he paid me no special attention and I earned that "C" fair and square.

Once the semester was over, we continued to talk just about every week. I was dropping hints like crazy to let him know I liked him, but it took about a year for him to take a hint! Finally we set a time to hang out, and my best friend Erin and I went out to Flying Saucer to meet Stephen and some of his friends. Afterwards, my last lame attempt, "Hey, you wanna watch Season 1 of Lost together?" (..yea, don't laugh) it WORKED and we watched every single episode together. On St. Patrick's Day 2010, we had our first real date.

Since last Christmas, Stephen and I have kind of joked and flirted with the idea of getting engaged. One night during the summer, he mentioned that we should get a blender to make milkshakes. I told him, "Ya know...people put blenders on wedding registries..." Taking the hint, he never bought us a blender, not even a cheap one. We've joked about the blender since the summer and talk all the time about how much we wished we had a blender but instead, we've just made our milkshakes with a spoon!

This morning, Stephen woke me up with a peanut butter and banana milkshake. I looked inside the glass and thought, "This looks rather emulsified."  I squinted my eyes and asked him, "How did you make this? ..not with a spoon.." And he said he'd bought a blender!!!!!! Then he got down on one knee and asked me if I would marry him!

I have no idea why my hand looks red here!

It was absolutely perfect. Being the morning, I didn't have my contacts in and couldn't see a darn thing! I could see a blurry box with a blurry shiny object in it and said YES! I'd hoped and wanted to be Stephen's girlfriend for so long... and our relationship has been more than I could have ever asked for. We've built a happy home full of love together, and have become part of each other's families in the 2 years we've been dating. Good things come to those who wait.....and I have been waiting my whole life for Stephen.

I love him more than myself.