Merry Christmas!

Good morning and Merry Christmas everyone!! I hope that things are going well for all of you. We just finished getting the outside lights, and christmas tree up and decorated. We have some more decorations to put up before I'll post pictures but I will soon.

What's new? We got our favors the other day, they're really really cute! Now I just have to figure out how to distribute them to everyone- that'll have to wait until after the holidays.

My shoes are being fixed at the moment, and we are getting ready to ound out our registries at Target and Bed Bath and Beyond. That may have to wait until after the holidays as well.

That's kind of it here, nothing really new other than holiday craziness.

We went to my Dad's in Florida for Thanksgiving and are splitting christmas again this year. Christmas eve at my Mom's, then the 7a.m. flight to Maine on Christmas day to spend the rest of the day with Casey's family. We'll be in Maine until the 1st which will be nice to see everyone.

Speaking of, some pictures are up on my picasa site - http://picasaweb.google.com/hipechic55

That's all, folks!
HO HO HO MERRRRRY CHRISTMAS!

Love,
casey & gina

Engagement Pics & Flower Girl Dress

Hi Guys,
So, as promised I've uploaded our engagement pictures to picasa - here's the link -http://picasaweb.google.com/hipechic55/EngagementPictures# - There are a bunch of the dogs as I wanted a cute christmas card of the 4 of us. We will be shooting with Hope & Corey again in the spring in downtown Mooresville and at the Soda Shoppe in Davidson. I LOVE LOVE LOVE them - I couldn't be more excited about our pictures. Hope also surprised us by sending a 6x6 album of our prints which is just so cool. It's almost a mini version of what our wedding album will look like. One of those pics (as I said) will be our christmas card so you'll get a preview shortly!
I also went shopping last week and found a really cute little wedding shoppe in Kannapolis (right by our house). I was just going to see the colors of some flower girl dresses I found online. They had THE cutest flower girl dresses!! It's ultimately up to Jen which one Audrey wears, and that's fine by me cause I fell in love with all of them. Here's my #1 favorite though. Enjoy!
love,
casey & gina

Masquerade Ball

Hi Guys!
Happy Saturday!! So, we just got our engagement pictures back but before I could post those I needed to opst the Masquerade Ball pictures. It was a fundraiser for Rachel's school (Hunter's Niece) and was so much fun! Casey ended up bidding on (and winning!) a Richard Petty Driving Experience. He's debating selling it, but I think he should go do it - it's right up his alley. As you'll see in the pictures Casey picked a paisley tie for the fundraiser- it's not much different from the wedding ties, actually. We're in a "paisley" kind of mood recently. I wore a winter-white gown as well. Katie is actually wearing the bridesmaids dress that I picked for the wedding - so you can see those in action. It was a ton of fun and here's the pictures! Stay tuned for our engagement pictures!!
love,
casey & gina
p.s. here is the link to more pictures! http://picasaweb.google.com/hipechic55/MasqueradeBallCharlotteCheckersHockey##

Ties ... Save the Dates ... and Engagement Pics

Hi Guys,
SO it's been an eventful month!! So to start with, the pink paisley ties that we picked for the wedding party were no where to be found. That would have been fine, except that we had 3 of the 5 ties already purchased. So after calling everywhere, including the company that makes the tie we were told that they are discontinued. Belk's in Birmingham Alabama happened to have TWO left, so they sent them to us after our frantic searching turned up nothing. They arrived today and YAY they are the same! (I was kind of holding my breath)

Sarah, Justin's Girlfriend, made us THE most gorgeous save the date magnets. They are so cute, and I can't wait to send them out! We'll be mailing them out on Saturday. I had to figure out how to export the address list that I have on Excel onto Word because that's the only way to print up the labels. I think I've gotten it figured out... we'll see!

Last Saturday Casey and I and the dogs (Shelby and Izzy) went up to the mountains for the day to take our engagement pictures (and christmas card picture) with Hope and Corey our wedding photographers. Apparently everyone and their mother had the same idea to go up to the mountains on Saturday to SEE THE LEAVES. I mean, yes, they were pretty and made for a great backdrop (which is why I picked that day) but really - have these people never seen leaves before? Maybe we're just spoiled because we grew up in new england, but they're just leaves. We spent probably 2 hours sitting in traffic as people would just randomly stop in the middle of the road to take a picture.

As soon as they are posted online, I'll share the password or post some of them on here. Don't be surprised when one of the pictures turns up on your christmas card :).

love you all!
casey & gina

Tuxedo's and Registering!

Hi Guys,
So on Saturday we picked out tuxedo's and got registered at Macy's. The guys will ALL be in the same tux - groom, groomsmen, jr. groomsman, ring bearer and dads. The wedding party will all have silver vests and pink paisley ties that we have for them. The Dad's get to pick whatever vest/tie combo they would like in order to match the Mom's dresses. I really don't want anyone in black ties/vests nor do I want the Mom's in black dresses- I just think it'll look prettier for the pictures. The tuxes and vests etc. are all here http://www.menswearhouse.com/tuxedos/detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474395562393&FOLDER%3C%3EbrowsePath=1408474395562393&bmUID=1222136646669

If you go to your local Men's Wearhouse they can fit you, and then you can pick up the tux in Charlotte which is awesome! They have us under our last names and I have the account number if they need help finding us in the system.

We also started registering at Macy's - if you want to go check stuff out go for it! The 2 things without pictures or prices at the bottom are a mattress and a bed. (We didn't need pots, but we need a bed for sure)We are also going to register at Target and Bed Bath and Beyond or Linens and Things. Man! Registering is tough work! It really gets tedious after a while, and you're going "I dunno, do we need it?" "I dunno, do we?" "I dunno" back and forth and back and forth. But one store is done!

Ok, bedtime! :)
We love you all!
love, casey & gina

Official Bridesmaids Dresses!

So we finally decided on Bridesmaids dresses! Katie loved the dress so much she actually purchased it for a fundraiser, knowing that it may or may not be my decision for the wedding. SURPRISE!!!! I did NOT go with pink gowns! They're "Pewter" in color and so my color palette has changed for the wedding from pale pink and pale green to pale pink and gray! Here's a link to the gowns! http://www.davidsbridal.com/bridesmaids_detail.jsp?stid=3732&prodgroup=110&sid=24442 ---- Like ALL of david's bridal dresses, they look MUCH better on people than the stupid mannequins. I wasn't a huge fan of david's bridal, but this dress won me over - plus having bridesmaids all over the country, this was the easiest thing to do :). That's it for tonight! :)

love,

casey and gina

Photographers, Save the Dates, Invites and STUFF!

Hi Everyone!
So... Where to begin? Since it is now officially September, one year from the wedding, Casey gets to take part in the wedding planning!! Not that he hasn't been taking part, he has been doing LOTS with me, BUT when he got bored he would conveniently pull out the "I don't have to do wedding planning until September" card. We decided on a photographer, who seems really sweet and great and will give us exactly what we (I) want - great coverage (2 shooters, the rehearsal, both of us getting ready, the ceremony, reception and an engagement session), a great album and a larger print for the house. PLUS, her pictures are fabulous! We really need to thank Cheryl for the help with that - I would never have found Hope without her! I have pretty much narrowed down the invitations and Casey and I will be tweaking the wording and colors soon. (I won't order them yet, so don't freak out yet) I'll have to talk with Sarah about the save the dates as soon as we get the invite list back from Casey's parents and we finalize the wording as well as the picture we'd like to use on it. So yeah!! Things are rolling along!!
I think I've narrowed down the bridemaids dresses, but we'll see..... I want to make sure that they look good on all of the girls. Sara said she's going to try some on for me, and Katie and I are going in on Monday to try some on as well. I really want to make sure these look decent on everyone!! At least I picked a color, right? They're david's bridal "pearl pink" - I also think I want a longer gown as it's an evening wedding.
oye. ok it got late on me all of a sudden!

love you all lots!!
casey & gina

A Planning We Go .....

SO. We officially have all kinds of stuff for the wedding! Yay!! But it seems that as quickly as we get something planned, there are 3 more decisions to make that quickly take the first decisions' place.

This is what we have decided upon so far:
A Gown (only THE most important part - just kidding!)
A Date
A Location for both the ceremony and the reception
A Wedding Planner for both events
A Method of Departing the Reception (by water!)
A Fabulous D.J./Photographer couple that I know and love! :) (Arroe and Lee)
An Officiant (yay for Arroe getting his license!)
Our wedding song (Unchained Melody)


This is what we STILL have to decide on:
A Photographer (yes, another. but if you know me you know that photography is the ONE place I refuse to skimp on)
Finalizing the Menu
Tuxes for the guys
Bridesmaids dresses for the girls
Flowers
Finalize the invite list and mail out the save the dates
Decide on the invites themselves
Presents for the attendants
A honeymoon destination (St. Lucia is in 1st place right now)
Whether or not we're going to do thank-you presents and stuff

And a whole host of other stuff!

goodness! :)

the missing wedding dress

Hi Guys,

So in the few weeks since I've posted things have been interesting to say the least! I was supposed to pick up my gown 2-3 weeks after we purchased it. I called to see what was up, and come to find out it's backordered until October. They offered for me to go try the 4 and if it fits (the 2 barely fit) they would do the alterations for free. Mom and I went and it didn't fit as well as I wanted it to. They're going to hold onto it until October with my name on it so that if the 2 doesn't come they'll alter the 4. UGH! Oh well, at least I have one and it's on its way- plus I don't need it until september (I just like to have things done and not have to worry about them).

Anyways, the pictures above are of our location - "The Point - Lake and Golf Resort". The ceremony will be outside under the gazebo so no one will melt too badly, plus we have a fabulous back-drop of the lake. I can't wait to lakeside pictures :) so cute! (Plus we can leave by water if we so choose) The cocktail hour will be really cool as well, the bar area has an outdoor patio with wall-to-wall windows and then room will open up onto the reception room. The pictures show the room with tables everywhere, but in reality they will be pushed into somewhat of a circle so that we can have a dance floor in the middle. yayay! i'm so excited :)

We also went to Maine for the 4th of July and to visit Casey's family/friends. While we were there his parents had an engagement party for us which was so sweet! Sarah, Justin's girlfriend works at a printing shop and made us THE coolest poster that everyone signed, and will be able to make us save the date magnets. We won't be sending anything official out until September as that gives everyone a year to plan, but the date is confirmed for the 5th of September. There are pictures below :)

For those that are curious, I haven't blocked any rooms yet but I will be blocking some at:

SpringHill Suites by Marriott 121 Gateway Blvd, Mooresville, NC - (704) 658-0053‎

Hampton Inn & Suites 119 Gallery Center Dr.Mooresville, NC (704) 660-7700

I've got all kinds of invitation samples on the way, and Casey and I were looking at some ideas when we were in Maine, so who knows!

That's it for now .... stay tuned for more updates :)

Love, Casey & Gina

Wedding Location and Date Set!!

Hi Guys,
So this past week we looked at 8 different locations to have our wedding. Mom and I started on Wednesday and went to The Point Lake and Golf Club on Lake Norman. I didn't want to confine our search to just one area though, and so Casey and I went to Charleston Friday night and Saturday to look at some more locations (and, I'm not going to lie, get our Charleston fix). We looked at 3 plantations, 1 golf resort, 1 yacht club, 1 beachside resort and the Citadel beachclub. By the end of the day our heads were spinning!
We only liked the Middleton Plantation and semi-liked the Citadel beachclub. The others were all outdoor events, or weren't capable of holding enough people, or just weren't at all what we had envisioned.
Once we debated, we knocked out the Citadel because it's not easy to get to from the hotels etc. in town.
We then debated between the Point and Middleton Plantation. Middleton was gorgeous, old oak trees and spanish moss, and impecable gardens. The reception hall was pretty too and could easily hold what we needed and was air conditioned. The issues being that it's in Charleston and is a 3 hour ride from here, and they have packages that we may not be able to customize.
The Point was surprisingly gorgeous - I really didn't expect it to be so pretty. The ceremony can be outdoors, but under cover with the lake as a background and the reception is in a gorgeous hall that overlooks the lake. It's closer to home, and Kelley (wedding planner) was really sweet and can help customize the menus to our tastes.

When Mom called to ask about September 5 or 6, 2009 Kelley let her know that the 6th was taken so we're looking at the 5th!

September 5, 2009!! :)

Bridal Party

So as of right now the Bridal Party stands as:

Maid of Honor: my cousin Samantha

Bridesmaid: my sister Sara

Bridesmaid: my friend Katie

Bridesmaid: Justin's (Casey's brother) girlfriend Sarah

Junior Bridesmaid: my sister Olivia

Best Man: Casey's brother Justin

Groomsman: my brother Michael

Groomsman: Casey's friend Chris (Org)

Groomsman: Casey's friend Hunter

Junior Groomsman: Casey's cousin Owen

Ring Bearer: My nephew Noah

Flower Girl: My cousin? Audrey

We have a potentially HUUUGE list but for now that's all we have for certain - we'll have to tweak it and play with it for a little bit.

Oh!! I think these are the dresses I'm going to put my girls in:

Engagement!

Casey and I took a trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico over Memorial Day 2008. We had an awesome time sitting on the beach, going on the rum tour, and enjoying each others' company. While we were shopping in Old San Juan in the 90+ degree tropical heat, I decided to take a break from walking. We had just had lunch at Senor Frogs (don't do it, it's sooo not worth it) and I wasn't feeling so well (see, toldya not to eat there). Casey continued on to go browsing in the little square and I laughed at all of the festivities that were being set up for Barack Obama (he was going to visit that night). While looking at watches, Casey found the engagement ring display, and unbeknown to me he purchased a gorgeous solitaire diamond ring. When he came back we made our way back to the hotel. I continued to feel lousy, and thought that a really nice shower would be good. While I showered Casey called my parents and my brother and asked for my hand in marriage. Senor Frogs wreaked havoc on my stomach though, so I was in no mood to do anything other than sit on the toilet. Casey finally convinced me that a nice walk on the beach would be good, so off we went. I couldn't figure out why he grabbed the camera, but was still focused on my stomach. When we got down there, he dropped to one knee and proposed! The beach was deserted except for the moonlight - it couldn't have been more romantic! The walk on the beach didn't last long but we took some great pictures, some of which you can see below and then called our families. It was definitely a trip to remember!!