We've decided on The Islander, in Emerald Isle, for our ceremony and reception space. It's absolutely gorgeous. My mom and I went to look at it a few months back and I immediately fell in love with the courtyard space. It's right on the beach, so the pictures will be beautiful! Both Mike and I have grown up on the beach, so we knew that we wanted somewhere close enough to the ocean to be able to smell the saltwater, feel the sand, and hear the roar of the waves. We did decide that we will not be having alcohol at the wedding. Neither one of us drink (empty calories), most of our family members don't drink, and we'll have kids at our wedding, Aidan included, and personally, I don't want my son (who will then be around 18 months) and my nephew around a bunch of our drunk friends. It's a decision we've sat on for awhile, but neither of us have an issue with leaving the bar out of the picture. Sorry, alcoholics r us, no drinky drinky at this wedding!
We've also decided on the wedding colors. I originally wanted aqua and tangerine orange, buuuuut, since this is a Fall wedding, I thought that maybe I should find more appropriate colors - cranberry red, burnt orange, mocha brown and yellow. It's a lot of colors, but the brown and yellow are only accents. We'll have a lot of pumpkins, leaves, and other decor to make it more appropriate as well.
After a very, very long deliberation on bridesmaids and groomsmen, we've finally decided on the wedding party. I'm not kidding here people, it took us months to figure this out. I thought I wanted to cut it down to 2 on each site, but then I thought, "who am I kidding, it wouldn't be a wedding without my family up there." So, without further adieu, my maids of honor (yes, there are 2) will be my sister, Jenn, and my best friend, Michelle. My bridesmaids will be my step-sister, Jenn, my two sister-in-laws, Brandi and Sam, and my good friend Elizabeth. Mike's best man is still under deliberation (i.e., he can't make a decision to save his life), but his groomsmen will be his two best friends, Kenny and Zach, my step-brother, Eric, my best friend, Wilson, Mike's old boss - Randy, and Mike's co-worker, Steve. Of course, Aidan will be our ring bearer, and I think we've decided to not have a flower girl...or we may ask my friend Kelly is her absolutely adorable little girl, Caroline, can be the flower girl...because she's adorable, and one day she will marry Aidan ; )
We've also made a few other decisions - no cake, but we will have cupcakes which I'm REALLY excited about; Sandy's Flowers (MHC) will do the flowers, my friend Cindy will be doing the photography, and we've booked the DJ/videographer, the pastor, the caterer, and, my personal favorite, the guitarist that will be playing and singing at our ceremony.
We decided on Floyd's as the caterer and I am SO excited to finally announce our menu. We have already sampled some (not all) of the food, and it was amazing! Seriously guys, if you're ever in MHC, you have GOT to go there. It's a restaurant off of Bridge's street, so amazing!
- fruit skewers as the hors d'oeuvres
- salad bar
- potato bar (I think I'm most excited about this one!)
- macaroni and cheese
- garlic green beans
- pesto cream penne pasta
- shrimp and grits with a tasso ham gravy
- st louis style ribs
- corn muffins
- and the staple southern wedding drink, tea : )
We're both so excited for next October! It feels so far away, but I know it will go by quickly. I try not to rush it because Aidan will be a year and half by then - YIKES!
That's all for now, I have a hungry baby calling my name! Well, not literally, but you get the picture.
