New House

We finally signed all of the papers and now we are officially home owners. Tyler and I are so excited to start moving and make this new house into our first home. We have so much stuff to move, but we are hoping to have it all moved before we go on our practice honeymoon. :) Wish us luck!

Life in the Fast Lane

Wow! This fall is flying by! It seems like just yesterday Tyler and I were on the hunt for the perfect first house for us. Now, we are one week away from closing on an absolutely amazing house! We are so excited to have our first home together. Wedding wise we have booked our venue, photographer, florist, and photographer. I have started looking at dress and will be starting that search after my life settles down, probably after the first of the year. :)

Tyler and I leave for our "practice honeymoon" in 20 days! We are going to Bonaire, which is located by Aruba. We haven't been to this island yet, but have vacationed in Curacao, which is one island over from Bonaire. We are looking forward to the sand in our toes and some amazing scuba diving. We will be gone until Dec. 10. Can't wait for the 80 degree weather! Bring on the sunshine and SPF!

T-Minus 365 Days

So with the wedding exactly a year away, I thought that I would make a list of my wedding related accomplishments so far.

• Venue - We will be having our ceremony and reception at Log House Garden's in Salem.
• Date - Pretty obvious. 8.28.2010
• Colors - Pink and green. Although those are not set in stone.
• Guest List - Going strong at 260 people right now.
• Catering - McKillips Catering
• Attendants - Have all been selected, but I have yet to ask my bridesmaids. :)
• Tyler's wedding gift - All picked out.

Overall, a lot of the major decisions have been made, but there are many left still.

Our negative-one-year anniversary!

365 days from now, I will be marrying the love of my life and my best friend. Today marks a monumental occasion, because August 28th from this day on, will be one of great memories. As my wedding is still a year a way, I get more and more excited about being married to Tyler. Our love develops one day at a time and will continue to grow our lifetime.

Unfortunately, we both had to work today. So we are celebrating our anniversary with a nice dinner and a stroll in downtown Corvallis.

Lots of Love,

Sarah

PS - Only 365 days to go!

Crazy day of venue tours!

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Bridal Bootcamp

Today was my first day of my own "Bridal Bootcamp". I started my gym membership today and had a great workout with Tyler. It is so nice to be back in the gym. Knowing that I have a wedding to get in shape for it the best motivation to work out.

Margaritaville® Bahamas™ Frozen Concoction Maker™

I think that this would be a great addition to the wedding reception. Nothing is tastier than blended strawberry margaritas. Possible an early wedding present to ourselves...I think so!

Wedding Venues

Today, Emily and I toured a few wedding venues around the Corvallis area. I thought that it was a good experience, but I don't think that I found "The One". We started off the day by visiting the Hanson Country Inn. The Hanson Country Inn was a very cute B&B that has a nice lawn area for the ceremony and reception. The owner was super nice and would be a blast to work with, however, it just wasn't Tyler and me. After the Hanson Country Inn, my mom met up with us to tour the Holstein House. The Holstein House has a lot of potential and is very affordable (only $2,000 for venue, decorations, flowers, wedding planner and lots more!). There are a ton of neat little areas for picture opportunities and even a few different sites for the ceremony and reception. But still, it wasn't the venue that I see myself getting married at. Lastly, we went to The Garden in the Woods. This site has a great location with a beautiful river running right through the property. This site also had a ton of different places for the ceremony and the reception, but none of them seemed just right. The Garden in the Woods is also very affordable at $2,200 for the venue Friday through Sunday.

Hanson Country Inn

Pros

• Great B&B Setting
• Peaceful location
• Great owner
• Nice gazebo
• Nice accommodations for bridal party to get ready in

Cons

• Must have licenced caterer
• No indoor option
• Need to rent tables and linens
• Slightly boring landscape

Holstein House

Pros

• Great Gardens
• Really flexible owner, who is more than willing to help
• Flowers and decorations are included
• Able to self cater or bring in your own cater
• Lots of twinkle lights
• Florist provided for free
• Tons of different areas
• Able to provide your own alcohol

Cons

• Chairs and tables are not provided
• No indoor options

The Garden in the Woods

Pros

• Beautiful Setting
• Neat gazebos, arches and decks
• Great landscaping

Cons

• No indoor option
• Need to rent tables and linens
• Awkwardly shaped areas
• Lots of bugs

Overall, I think that it is back to the drawing board. I am going to look into some more venues in the Salem and Portland area along with Wine Country. It is to bad that I don't like since most vineyards make you buy a ton of wine as a condition of the contract. And the wedding planning continues... :)

Red Black and White?

I love this red, black and white inspiration board. So many cute ideas!

I love the red shoes! Such a fun way to add a little color to a black and white wedding.

I am really digging these centerpieces. Super simple, but very cute.

My ring

I absolutely love my ring and my future husband. Tyler did an amazing job. We got my ring custom made by Sean Olufosn at Olufson Designs in Corvallis.

The pictures are from my ring passing with my sorority.