Andrea & BJ

Wondering how to pack for Oregon this weekend? Be sure to leave the rain jacket at home!

-BJ

It’s here! We’re getting married on Sunday!

We’re super busy getting all of the preparations set for this weekend, but if you’re a guest and haven’t already done so, please check out the “Special Events” pages for some other fun things going on this weekend that you’re invited to.

See you all soon!

-Andrea & BJ

(This information is also on posted on our Registry page itself)

We  overheard that there was some confusion regarding the gift-wrapping of presents.  Initially in the registering process, the Macy’s associative helping us recommended we let our guests know what our gift-wrapping preference is for gifts shipped to our house. Wanting to be  “green,” we indicated that we didn’t mind if gifts shipped to us were not gift wrapped, since they were already “wrapped” in shipping packaging. The information showed up on the registry as if we didn’t want any gifts wrapped. I didn’t notice this until recently and have since removed it. If you choose to give us a gift- we’d love to be surprised and have it beautifully wrapped and displayed on our gift table at the wedding. If you choose to ship a gift, the gift will be incredibly appreciated and the choice to gift wrap or not is yours. We’re sorry for any confusion!

Because BJ and I are not living together until after we’re married, we laugh because we don’t have all those little essential housewares things you’d might forget, things like a dust pan or muffin tins. We laugh because we’re literally starting from scratch, saying “Ooh I hope someone gets our bath towels!” …because we don’t have any towels…  If you choose to get us a gift, please know we will be incredibly blessed by your kindness and will always remember how you were a part of helping BJ and I start a home and life together!

My beautiful friends and bridesmaids Stanzi Davis and Emma Brock threw me the most amazing bridal shower. It was more beautiful and magical than I ever could have imagined. The shower was a surprise and I was truly shocked and touched by the thoughtful and beautiful shower. The shower occurred on a busy weekend that involved a birthday, an opening night, a weekend of performances, a friend’s wedding, and family in from out of town. I wasn’t in a million years expecting something celebrating me. It was such a surprise and a delight, and I am still overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness and loveliness of the shower.

I arrived at my college home in the early afternoon of Saturday, May 21. I was stunned to see my little backyard full of flowers, food, and friends in lovely sundresses. Stanzi and Emma had sneakily gathered all my friends from Otterbein to come celebrate. I had no clue this was coming! I was greeted with hugs, smiles, and gifts! The theme of the shower was “Pots and Panties.” It wasn’t until the end of the shower that I “got” it. Pots and Pan…ties. Get it? Took me a while. I feasted on hand-crafted, colorful, completely vegan and completely delicious drinks and snacks prepared by my fairy veganmother Stanzi. I opened gifts, containing both pots and panties, from all my dear friends. We sat on beautiful mis-matched chairs a la an Anthropolgie/Style Me Pretty photoshoot on loan from the theatre department, organized by none other than the event coordinator extraordinaire Emma Brock herself. (I swear, if you ever need anything done, find Emma Brock. She orchestrates events with kindness, grace, and skill that is unmatched!) And at the end of the shower, we played an uproarious game of “Bridal” Pictionary/Dictionary organized by the hilarious Lauren Friednash. It was truly a wonderful bridal shower. I could never offer enough thanks to everyone who made it possible!

The beautiful masterminds behind the shower! That’s Emma on the left and Stanzi on the right.

Doesn’t this all look delicious? And it’s all vegan!

The yard was decorated with this adorable clothesline  of panties!

Friends enjoying the food- look at those fabulous chairs!

I had never seen our backyard look so stunning! It was absolutely green and lush- so perfect for an afternoon shower!

It was so special to have my mom, grandma, and sister there!

Everyone gathered so I could open some gifts!

My sister got me some “something blue.” If you look close, they have the words “I DO” bedazzled on them!

More panties were added to the clothesline as the day progressed…

We scooted over to the shade to enjoy a game of Pictionary/Dictionary.

The results of the game were hilarious! Here’s Heather showing off some artwork.

Stanzi and Emma, I cannot thank you for the absolutely breath-taking and thoughtful bridal shower. It was the first time that the reality of my impending wedding really set in. I felt so loved and cherished, and I felt like a bride. I cannot thank you both enough for all the joy you have brought to my life. I am so excited and completely blessed to have you both be an integral part of the most important day of my life. And I can’t wait to finally have you both in Oregon with me!

Right now I’m obsessed with all things wedding- and the Royal Wedding was no exception! Although I am a bit jealous of Kate Middleton stealing all my glory… hehe Anyways, with the excitement of my own wedding, it was only natural my college home, lovingly nicknamed The Seafoam Palace for its seafoam green exterior and interior, hosted an exclusive Royal Wedding viewing event! It was so fun to watch the wedding with two of my beautiful bridesmaids, Stanzi and Emma. We all got up at 5:30 am and had a ball watching the events unfold and discussing all the wedding details. We wore sundresses and of course hats! We watched the whole ceremony, but I did miss the balcony kiss due to an 8 am English class… Anyways, my favorite quote from the ceremony came from the Bishop of London:

In a sense every wedding is a royal wedding with the bride and the groom as king and queen of creation, making a new life together so that life can flow through them into the future.

So I’m having a royal wedding, too! Now there’s really no excuse not to get out to Oregon- you wouldn’t want to miss a royal wedding would you? : )

I thought Kate looked so elegant and beautiful in her dress. What did you think?

Our officiant won’t be so dressed up…

Look at that dress! Any guesses what mine will look like?

And of course, the royal cake. Yum!

On May 9, 2010, I called BJ up and said “Hey. We love each other, we know we are going to start dating this summer, so why wait?” At the time I was at school in Ohio and BJ was in Oregon. So on May 9, BJ and I, at long last, took the next step and became officially facebook official, though we were thousands of miles away. It wasn’t until June that I got to see my boyfriend for the first time. Now it is May 9, 2011 and I cannot believe how the time has flown by, and we’re now engaged with a wedding less than three months away! What a year it has been, a year full with amounts of love and joy that I didn’t think were humanly possible. BJ and I have spent the past year learning and loving each other.

Our story of friendship to dating to love has certainly been one  guided directly by God. I am so blessed to say that I have been dating for one year and will marry a man who is loving, understanding, forgiving, supportive, sensitive, and simultaneously protective, strong, a leader, and an incredible man of God. He works so diligently and graciously and I respect him so much. There aren’t enough words to describe how much I love this man. So cheers to one year, and God willing we will have one hundred and one more!

We are so thankful to have the most incredible mothers, who are so beautiful inside and out. Happy Mother’s Day Cynthia and Shelley! We are so blessed to have you in our lives!