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!!