Aly and Sam's Wedding

This weekend Kevin and I attended Kevin's cousin Aly's wedding. It was so much fun and the weather could not have been more perfect! It was really so well done and there was a great attention to detail.
One of my favorite things they did was display the wedding photos from parents, grandparents, and siblings.  The pictures were such a nice touch and it was fun to see how much styles have changed through the years.

Below is a picture of Kevin's great big family (that I can't wait to officially be a part of):

And now, for your viewing pleasure.... pictures of me and Kevin at the reception:

Kevin is pretty much the most fun person to dance with... here is a typical scene of the two of us - Kevin leading and me just laughing

   

Here is a picture of Kevin dipping me and me holding on for dear life!

Hmmmm....

I have been horrible about posting lately and I think this is due to the fact that I'm not 100% sure which direction I want to take this blog in. I know I initally created it so you could get to know me and Kevin a little bit more... however, I am reallyyy tempted to just start filling you all in on more cute/creative things I come across on my journey through wedding blogs and websites.

Thoughts?

Limelight Marketplace

Sunday I had the most amazing day with my mom. We went to Kleinfelds together and saw everyone from Say Yes to the Dress! That was such an awesome experience... and I promise I'll tell everyone that story soon but I do have to tell you about this market we found while we waited for our appointment.

The Limelight Marketplace opened up on May 7th but I had no idea that it even existed because...(drum roll please)... it's located in an old church! I suppose it's quite sad that an old church has been transformed into a market... but it really is so neat inside.

The Church is 3 floors and holds up to 60 shops and is located on the corner of 20th and 6th.  It is really so worth it to go and check out. My mom and I wandered through and eventually sat down and enjoyed some gelato.

Below is a picture of the inside...

Kevin is coming to visit this weekend for Aly's wedding... but I'm hoping we'll have time to go back so I can show him!

Hydrangea's

I think my favorite flower would have to be the hydrangea. This works out perfectly for our wedding because they are in season during the summer! I was told that one of the best money saving tricks when it comes to choosing your flowers is to pick ones that are in season. Hydrangea's come in a variety of colors that would go with whatever color scheme we end up choosing. I found this lovely picture on Martha Stewart's wedding website that begins to show just how many shades they are available in.

Aren't these boutonnieres just awesome?!

Destin

This past weekend Kevin and I went to Destin, Fl. together. We stayed in the Hilton there and it was absolutely beautiful! So beautiful in fact that they had 3 weddings at our hotel on the same night (but I'll get to that later). We arrived on Saturday and hit the beach immediately... and the beach there was awesome - right on the Gulf with the whitest sand you've ever seen.

In second place to the beach would had to have been our hotel room.  We had an amazing view AND bunk beds! We had a regular king size bed as well... but I have never seen a room with bunk beds and I couldn't have been more excited about it.
Here is a view from our balcony...

 Here are the bunk beds...

After we got back from the beach we sat on the balcony with a glass of wine and watched 2 weddings take place right before us.  They were both small and right on the beach (a bit different from what we have planned) but they were so beautiful and intimate. It was also great because we were able to open up our doors and enjoy their music while we got ready for dinner. 
Here is the picture of one of the weddings from our balcony...

Another awesome aspect of this hotel was that they have a free shuttle service to The Wharf so we didn't have to worry about driving places (or getting a taxi home!). The Wharf has really great shops, restaurants and bars there. It was obviously a really fun place to be because I think we saw 5 bachelorette parties and 1 bachelor party while we were there.
Overall, it was such a fun weekend.  If anyone is living in the area or looking for a place to go... I definitely recommend it.

Military Wedding... yes, please.

When the question arose of whether or not to have a military wedding... the answer was quite obvious to me... abso-freaking-lutely!
Kevin was concerned that I would want to be the only one dressed in white on our big day, but I simply laughed........ as visions of Tom Cruise from Top Gun and Richard Gere from An Officer and a Gentleman danced in my head. Was he nuts?! This was gonna be awesome!
The idea of a military wedding is really beautiful, but to be honest, I had never been to one before nor did I really know what I was getting myself into.
KEVIN'S MOM TO THE RESCUE!
I recently received a book from Peggy, Service Etiquette. I'm telling you... this thing answers any potential questions I could possibly have about a military wedding. It provides details on everything from invitations to the sword arch. If you're planning a military wedding... you should pick up a copy.  This book is so interesting and fun to go through!

Pipa!

The very first time Kevin ever came to visit me I took him to a restaurant near Union Square called Pipa.  It has become a bit of a tradition for us and we try to go back every time Kevin comes to visit. The food is awesome and the atmosphere is incredible.
It's a Spanish tapas restaurant with tons of antique chandeliers and mirrors hung all over the restaurant (which you can buy). We always have the best convo's there and pick out which chandelier we would buy for our pretend home together... totally dorky but so much fun.

This weekend was the first time we went there as an engaged couple. We have had so many conversations about our future together at this one restaurant that it was so special to go back with this beautiful rock on my finger and reminisce.  I feel like when we look back at all of our dinners at Pipa there are soo many great memories...  I know we'll continue to go back for years to come.