Need Help, Please

Ok. So, I need help with something.

Many of my married girl friends have a picture (or more) of them from their bridals in a frame in their apartment. I asked Kurt, "Do you want to frame one of my bridal pictures?"

"Uhh... Sure? I don't know. What do you want to do?"

Honestly, I feel weird about it. They're beautiful pictures, thanks to Grant, but it's weird saying, "I want a picture of just me!!" I totally expected Kurt to be like, "Yes! You are my beautiful wife and I would love to see a picture of you in your beautiful wedding dress up on the wall."

Instead, he has no opinion. Strange? Probably.

But I still want to frame one, just because my dress was pretty and Grant did such a good job, and one day I'll be 80 with saggy boobs and a bad back and will enjoy seeing pictures from way back in the early 2000s of when I was young.

I've been thinking of making a book of them, because there's tons of great ones, along with my bridal shower pictures, with a theme of "Brides have more fun" but then it would be weird to have a framed one too. I also think my daughters will really enjoy the pictures, because I LOVE my parents wedding pictures.

Am I being vain? I don't think so....

Anyhow. The REAL help I need is this: which picture to frame? I can't decide. I definitely want one that shows the dress, because that was the ENTIRE point of bridals--to get to wear my dress again, and take pictures of it.

So here's a link to my facebook album with all of the good ones. Leave a vote on here with, umm, a decription of the pic. That should be good.

Thanks, i miei amici!

Happy March!

With February officially over, I decided it's probably time to ditch the pink. Even though it's my favorite color.

But what's my other favorite color? Green! So this works out nicely.

Also, my pictures on the sidebar are different sizes and it's driving me nuts. I'm gonna fix this week, I swear.

Enjoy the green!

Once

A beautiful movie. It is rated R, so if you don't see R movies then I'm sorry... you're missing out. They say the f word quite a bit, but other than that, there's nothing inappropriate.

Thanks Ryan and Mandi for telling me about this amazing movie. I watched it for the 3rd time in a week last night and cried at the end... this movie is so beautiful!

So, even if you're not gonna see this movie, watch the clip. It's just a song, so no worries... no cussing. ;D

'Cause I want a Goldendoodle!

Imagine singing that to the tune of, "I Have a Golden Ticket" from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

That's what I was singing yesterday after learning of this adorable cross-breed, the Goldendoodle. They're the perfect dog, apparently. Smart, even tempered, don't shed... basically, they're like a big Chou chou (who is a cockapoo).

They're adorable puppies...







that grow into adorable dogs...







Daddy, please, I want a goldendoodle! (Imagine Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory saying that.)

* Urban * Chic * Elegant * You *

So, as most of y'all know, last year I worked at a bridal shop called Abella Bridal. This shop restored my faith in the modest wedding gown industry. Most bridal shops in Utah are gross: ugly carpet, dresses in gross bags, and oh, the dresses are hideous. Cheap fabric, frumpy styles, non-fitted, ugly embroidery.

Abella is different. It's classy, it's chic, and the dresses there are GORGEOUS. Because of my experience at Abella, I'm contemplating opening my own bridal shop one day. I love wedding dresses. When you see what we sold at Abella, you'll understand why. Now, I once promised not to divulge who the designer is, but I'll say this: she's designs the most AMAZING modest dresses I've ever seen. I never knew modest wedding dresses could be beautiful. This woman's dresses are stunning. So, they have a new line out, with some appearances from last year's enduring classics. Here are my favorites.


Alexia. Old. One of my favorites from last year.


Arianna. Old. This was Sarah's wedding dress and she looked absolutely beautiful in it!


Autumn. New. Love it (although the back has a few too many bows on it for my taste. But you can't be organza or sweetheart necklines!)


Ava. New. I think this is my favorite from this year's line. It's exquisite! I love lace!


Carmen. New. It's so gutsy that you can't help but love it.


Charlize. Old. I very much wanted this one as my wedding dress for a time. But alas, it's $1100. And then I tried on my dress and loved it more.


Cozette. New. Even if the designer doesn't know how to spell French names, this dress is different and elegant. The play on textures is really cool.


Daniella. Old. This is the dress from the top. Although it's strapless, it came with a 3/4-sleeved jacket that you could easily line so it wouldn't be see-through, and then add hook closures to keep it from flying open, and voilà! Modest dress. The lace is imported from France. I wish I had a picture of the back... it is amazing. It's also $1700. (This one was not designed by the modest designer, just one we carried from another company.)


Fiora. New. I love the Jane Austen feel to it. You can get it without the jacket, but I'm pretty sure the sleeves aren't big enough to cover your shoulders all the way (though the designer claims they are).


Giselle. Old. this dress is vintage and so cool. Very few girls could pull it off. This girl actually looks the best out of any I ever saw in it, including me! I always envisioned this dress with a pretty hairnet, rather than a veil. The back to this dress is very pretty.


Hannah. Old. This dress is so under-appreciated! Girls always came into my store and said they wanted a simple dress (cuz they think it makes them more down to earth??) but I'd show them this one and they said it was too simple. The organza at the bottom is divine!!


Jaquelyn. Old. I almost bought this dress instead of mine. I was gonna add beadwork to the top and not wear the bow because it was so simple (I never said I wanted a simple dress). I don't know if you can tell, but the satin on these dresses is of amazing quality. Very stiff and heavy and with a gorgeous sheen to it. Much better than any one else's in Utah (I won't name any names.)


Madison. Old. This dress was such a cool, yet princess-y dress. One of my favorite customers bought this dress, and she looked so beautiful in it. It seems very French to me, for some reason. I didn't try it on, but I still loved it.


McKelle. Old. The ultimate Cinderella dress. And the softest tulle you've ever felt. I mean it. And the beadwork on the top is exquisite.


Nicole. New. A very mature dress. I really like it.


Raquelle. Old. It is such an amazing dress is deserves 2 pictures. Why? Look at that train! It was the longest we had it the store. I love the 3/4-sleeves and the ruched waist (the white dress is all white). This is a very classy dress. Reminds me of Grace Kelly.


Reese. New. This is very wistful and feminine. Loving the organza overlay.


Xandra. New. Weird name. Beautiful dress. (In case you haven't noticed, I adore dropped waists.)



Zolanda. New. Another weird name for a very elegant dress.

One Year Ago...

... from tomorrow, Kurt and I got engaged.

I was originally planning to do this post tomorrow (dur) but then I realized that we're going to be spending the whole day at Kurt's mom's house as soon as church is over, so I won't really have time. And I'd rather be one day early than one day late. Plus, I have more time on Saturdays for blogging.

I know one year isn't long, but it's flown by. I mean, sometimes I'm like, "Holy crap, I'm married already? I thought we were just engaged!" Of course, time has slowed down since I got a boring desk job, but that's beside the point.

So in honor of this momentous occasion (which will occur tomorrow) I'm going to retell the story of how Kurt proposed, mostly because I don't think Alisse and Punkin know. Beware, it's LONG.

Kurt and I decided to get married on January 7th. It was our first official marriage talk. We'd made subtle comments before, but that was the night we said outright that we wanted to get married and soon. Well, originally, for some reason, I thought Kurt would want to wait a while before getting married. Why I thought this, I don't know. He asked, "So when do you think we should get married?" I was thinking "As soon as possible!" but I didn't want to scare him off (what the heck?!) and said, "April next year, Christmas, or August." He looked confused, and so I asked him when he thought. "This June!!" he replied emphatically. I was glad to hear that.

We thought August would be a good time. I called my parents; they said August would be great. A week later we called the South Carolina temple and made an appointment for August 18. Certain events transpired over the next few days that made Kurt and I realize that we REALLY wanted to get married sooner, say in May. At first, my parents said no, but after a while they said it would be ok. We were stoked.

Meanwhile, two days after Kurt and I talked about marriage, I went ring shopping, two days in a row. I was sitting in my living room, trying to talk myself out of it. "It's too soon!" I said, but then the next thing I knew I was driving in the snow towards the nearest non-mall jewelry store. Over the course of 2 days I went to the 4 main stores in Provo for engagement rings. I went from having no idea to what kind of ring I wanted, to having a pretty good idea. I found my ring and fell in love with it immediately. When Kurt and I went shopping a few days later I narrowed it down to that ring, and two others which were similar (round diamond, pave, tapered band, bezel set).

I thought Kurt had a budget between $2000 and $3000. I don't know why I thought this... but I firmly believed it. If you clicked on the link for my ring, you see that it originally sells at close to $8000. The reasons are: it's platinum, it's set for a 2 kt diamond, and it's a designer ring. The other 2 rings I had picked out were between $1000 and $2000 for the settings. Talking to the store owner, we realized that remaking the ring in white gold, for a much smaller stone, and taking out some of the pave, could get it under $3000. I told Kurt, "Just get me a cubic, like the size of a 1/2 kt diamond. I just care about having a gorgeous setting that I love. If you want, we can get a real diamond for our 10th wedding anniversary or something like that."

Just before Christmas, Kurt and I had booked flights to go to Charleston so he could meet my family. That was for Feb 15th - Feb 19th. Throughout January and the beginning of February, I'd periodically remind Kurt that he needed to go ring shopping. I'd go to work, and then come home and ask him how'd it gone. "It was good, but I didn't buy anything," he'd say. At this comment, I'd always think, "We're never gonna get engaged!!! We're getting married in 4 months and we're nowhere close to getting engaged!"

One day before the trip, I decided to stop in at this small jeweler on the way home from campus, Payne Diamonds. I went in there and a salesman started talking to me about rings. I was originally looking at men's wedding bands, but we started talking about my ring. "Well," I said, "I've given my fiancé three choices so he can pick, and they're all similar, but my favorite one is a Michael B. design." I described it to him, at which point he picked up a piece of paper from his desk with a picture of my ring. "Like this one?" he asked. "Yeah!! That's it!" I looked at the paper and noticed some handwriting on it. "Hey, can I see that? That hand writing looks like my fiancé's..." The salesman snatched the picture away quickly and made up something about how that was the manager's handwriting and that this couple wanted to put a Euro-shank on the ring (which I thought was a complete waste). I went on my merry way, none the wiser.
(Turns out that was Kurt's paper and handwriting, and that the salesman had covered quickly for him. He called Kurt right after that apparently and told him I had been there. Lol. Too bad Kurt ended up getting the ring made elsewhere.)

Soon we were leaving for Charleston!! I was so excited, as always, to see my family and my beloved Holy City (so named because of the many churches downtown), but even more excited for Kurt to meet my family and my beloved Holy City. Thursday night we flew in and Friday we took engagement pictures with my amazing photographer and long-time family friend, Grant. I had been joking around (but still serious) with Kurt the week before, saying how we were gonna have to hide my left hand in all the pics so it wasn't obvious that we weren't officially engaged yet. The light was fading quickly, and my mom didn't like our outfits (they were too casual) so we decided to take pictures on Sunday too, in nicer clothes. (Plus, apparently Kurt had told Grant that he was proposing on Saturday night and that on Sunday we'd have the ring, so not to take Friday's pictures too seriously. Still, we got some good ones.)

On Saturday came the big day--the infamous talk with my dad for Kurt. Plus, meeting my dad (who was working 2 hours away and so stayed at his brother's during the week). On the way home from my little brother's soccer game (which was about 45 minutes away) Kurt and my dad got to talk about Kurt, my dad, and marrying and loving me, while my mom and I discussed wedding ideas. When we got home, my dad had an announcement.

"Well, guys, we decided to surprise y'all so we made some dinner reservations for y'all at Rue de Jean tonight."

"Dad, that's awesome! Thank you so much!" Then I thought about it, "Wait... why aren't y'all coming?"

"Well, uhhh," my dad fumbled around for a bit. "They didn't have any 4-person reservations available since SEWE's in town."

"Oh," I said, appeased. That made sense. (Kurt had been on the phone with my family all week planning the night out and they had been trying to find a reservation all week--SEWE really did eat up a lot of reservations!)

That night Kurt and I headed downtown for dinner. I was driving (of course, Kurt didn't know his way around) and on the way to dinner, he said, "What if after dinner we went walking somewhere?"

"Sure!" I said. "Where do you wanna go? There's the beach, or Waterfront Park, or the Battery, or we could walk on the new Cooper River bridge."

"The bridge would be great," he agreed, "but it's really windy tonight." The Cooper River bridge is a very high bridge over one of the rivers feeding into Charleston Harbor and so a windy night on the bridge would be miserable.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go to the beach, then."

Dinner was amazing. I mean, wow. It was so good. I recommend the potato bisque and lamb for appetizers. I've never had soup like that before. After our entrees, and waiting for our dessert, our waitress brought over a vase full of 2 dozen red roses. They were beautiful! (Apparently my parents had dropped them off.) At this point I thought, "I wonder if Kurt's proposing tonight? But he could just be doing this because he's met my family and to be sweet. I won't get my hopes up." After dessert, our waitress came up to us.

"I talked to our manager and he said that since it's such a wonderful occasion, we'd love to offer y'all 2 complimentary glasses of champagne."

We declined, but I was confused. "Why are they offering us champagne?" I asked. Kurt said he had told her how we were going to be getting married in May. (Turns out he had told her earlier that my parents were bringing by flowers and that he was proposing that night.)

Full and happy, we headed over to the beach. After walking for a bit, we found a good place to put down our blankets. We sat on the blankets, looking up at the sky (it was an amazing night, not windy on the beach or cold at all!), and talking. Kurt kinda kneeled in front of me and kissed me, at which point I noticed him rifling through his inside jacket pockets. This was it! He kneeled down and opened the box and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes (duh) and when he put the ring on my finger he said that it was just a temporary setting, and that the ring wasn't done getting made yet.

When we left the beach later, I ran into a nearby hotel to use the bathroom real quick. As I was finally in the light, I looked at the ring. I inspected the gem, and thought, "This is really sparkly for a cubic... and why would they put a cubic in a temporary setting? I guess he just wanted to propose while we were in Charleston" (which I was really glad about).

I came out of the bathroom and joined Kurt again. "Is it sparkly enough?" he asked.

"Oh yeah! Of course it is!" I thought for a second. "How big is it?"

"1.6 karats," he replied, which almost made me choke on my own tongue.

"1.6 karats?! Kurt, when are we ever gonna be able to afford the real diamond??"

"Kristina," he said, almost laughing, "that is the real diamond!!"

I was shocked, surprised, and very, very pleased. The next day after church we took our real engagement pictures and my parents had an engagement party for our family and friends. While we were there, people kept asking what the real ring would look like. I started to describe the Michael B. design, but then I asked Kurt, "Wait, is that the one you got?"

"It's a surprise," he replied. "You'll find out next Saturday."

Next Saturday, on the way up to Salt Lake to see my brother, Ryan, we stopped at Sierra West Jewelers to pick up my ring. When we got in and asked for it, the lady went back to the ring-maker, then came back empty-handed. "He's taking pictures of it for his portfolio." A lady next to me said something about how that must mean it was really beautiful. I could barely contain my excitement. When I saw the ring, I shrieked with joy. Literally. The other rings I had picked out were very beautiful, but this one was by far my favorite. All the people in the store looked at me like I'm crazy (which happens a lot, so I'm used to it). I now had the ring ...


... AND the man of my dreams! :D

Now, here are some engagement pictures. The first few, with Kurt in the yellow polo, are from Friday. The other ones are from Sunday.






















Wow, that's a lot of pictures. And here's the thing, there's more that we liked. But those are the only ones of my computer. :D Maybe next year I'll do the rest.