30 before 30 - #1 Mini Marathon Completed!!!!

First thing to check off the list MINI-MARATHON!!!! My dear friend Casey and I ran the Derby Festival Mini-Marathon in Louisville on Saturday April 30th. We have been training since the start of January and were so glad to finish! My other dear friend and bridesmaid Erin drove down with us and took all our photos before and after the race. She is running the Indy Mini in a week so hopefully we eased some of her anxiety!

One task down, 29 to go!!!!!

Oh yeah, I finished in 2 hours and 32 minutes, an 11 minute mile pace, which I am so proud of!!!!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

I started this blog as a wedding update blog but with the wedding over it needs to evolve into something else. I have a couple more wedding tips to talk about but I think this blog is going to evolve into one about healthy lifestyle and fitness then couponing or being a mom.



That being said, check out the last few blogs about the wedding and be prepared for the newness of the blog.

=) Natalie

Tips for the New Bride

As I have been reflecting on our wedding, I have come up with tips that I want to share.

A couple tips right now involve photography:

• Be clear what you want

Our photographer did a great job meet our wants and needs. She had an agenda for the day and got people in beautiful pictures that did not look overly posed.

• Think about who you want pictures of, not just the traditional ones.

Are there guests who you want pictures of? Think X-mas gifts and such. Update some old pictures of you and your family/friends.

• Consider how the sun shines on your ceremony and/or pictures sites

We had a beautiful backdrop of the Lanier Mansion but the sun made it hard to smile without wanted to poke your eyes out. Our photographer made the scene look good but I wish we hadn't looked so washed out.

Be on the lookout for more tips as I do some more reflection!

=) Natalie

Wedding Pictures

Heidi Swiss Photography out of Indianapolis, IN did our wedding pictures and we were thrilled with the results. She also did our engagement pictures in June.

One thing we were looking for in a photographer is creativity. Nate was adamant he did not want posed pictures where everyone was stiff. Heidi ran with that and created some great arrangements of people. Some of the pictures I thought should have been in a indy music video (think that video with the band on the treadmills --You may not agree but that was what I was thinking. Okay now that I watched the video, maybe that wasn't what I was thinking)

I had rented a house for my bridesmaids to stay in for the weekend and that is where we got ready for the wedding. My parents were right next door as were all of my family from England. It was nice to have everyone so close by on the big day. We then walked down to the riverfront to take pictures.

The photographer then went to mine and Nate's house and took pictures with the guys.

We all rendezvoused at the Lanier Mansion for group pictures.

Heidi arranged a big reveal for Nate and I in the back gardens.

After the pictures we had some time to kill so we climbed aboard the Madison Trolley and took a spin around town. Come to find out, while on the Trolley it will stop at the Madison Fudge Factory and provide you with samples of fudge. It was all delicious!

After the ceremony, we took pictures with our families then boarded the Trolley and went to the Reception.

After our grand entrance,

we did some mingling,

then ate,

then cut the cupcakes,

had some toasts,

danced our dances, threw the bouquet,

removed the garter,

and partied the night away.

The BIG Day

madison, in

makeup -- Nikki Moore

florist -- Jo Ann Gripshover

ceremony -- Lanier Mansion

reception -- Livery Stable

DJs -- Bill Eccles and Josh Scroggins

cake -- Marzi Pan Bakery

rehearsal dinner food -- Dave Thomas

rehearsal dinner location -- Old Feed Mill

wedding party entrance -- "All About Tonight" -Blake Shelton

bride & groom entrance -- "At Last" -Etta James

first dance -- "Moondance" -Michael Buble

father/daughter -- "I Still Believe In You" -Steven Curtis Chapman

mother/son -- "Little Wing" -Jimi Hendrix

Rehearsal Dinner

As tradition, we are having a rehearsal and dinner the night before the ceremony. We will meet at the Lanier Mansion and go through the ceremony. I am leery because my dad is the minister and a dear friend of ours, Mike L., is helping out. They are in cahoots with each other and have something in the works. As long as I do not bawl during my wedding, I am cool with their plan.

We are hosting the rehearsal dinner at the historic Feed Mill owned by another good friend.

Our former co-workers at Hanover, Dave and Carol are taking care of the meal. My mom made the table centerpieces.

She got the idea from a wedding she went to about a month ago. It consists of foam box covered with paper and monogramed with a "G". There are crazy sticks stuck in the foam with paper and pictures attached to the ends.

Candles - Memorial & Unity

If you haven't caught on, I have DIY-ed everything I could. I used the internet and research unity candles - pre-made packages as well as DIY. I found that pre-made Unity candles were quite pricey and I was not willing to dish out that much money for something that will be used for such a short time period.

I decided to buy a pillar candle and two tapered candles as well as candle holders. Since we are having an outdoor ceremony, I needed to figure out a method to keep the candles lit.

I went to a wedding a few weeks ago and loved the monogram design on their unity candle so I decided to use the same monogram as our programs for the unity candle. Online I had seen many sites about attaching the monogram using straight pins.....that is easier said than done. It is difficult to push pins through wax as well as to keep them straight or in some sort of pattern.

Therefore I decided to simply keep it as a simple square and attach the monogram with scrapbook tape and beautify it with ribbon.

In regards to the Memorial Candle, I really wanted to order a personalized vase but then I was unsure what would become of that vase after the wedding. I knew one of our mothers would have taken it, but then who do you decide gets to take it!?! So I decided to buy a generic vase to protect the candle and created an image to attach to the candle.

I found a memorial candle template online that I really liked and modified to include our relatives and their dates. I would imagine Nate and I will keep it for our home and burn in. I am going to have a friend move it from the ceremony site to the reception site and place it on the same table as the guest book.

I was pretty proud of my accomplishments, though as a man, Nate was unimpressed!