I (Lea) began the hunt for the wedding dress this week. Now, I must admit that this is the scariest part of the wedding day for me…I know that sounds funny, but I am most stressed and confused about what to do with myself (hair, dress, make-up) for the big day. I have planned events before, but I have never experienced getting so dressed up for all the attention to be on me! It is quite intimidating…especially since I don’t wear make-up and have minimal fashion sense.

Nevertheless, I decided to take the plunge and begin searching for a dress on Monday. While I know most people suggest to bring one or two friends/family to try on dresses, I decided to make it a major event and invite 6 people! In fact, when I made the appointment, I was told that I was a “brave woman”.  Along with me were my mom, Jeremy’s mom, my three bridesmaids (my sister Emily, Lynnea and Ashley) and my friend Melissa. It was quite the adventure. We made the trek up to David’s Bridal in Harrisburg.

I chose 6 different dresses to try on. After some research, I had a few ideas of style and things I definitely didn’t want on the dress, which helped me narrow down the search to a few dresses. I had a fantastic consultant lady, who helped me get into the gowns and then offered some opinions when asked. …But the opinions came flowing from my panel of judges who were eager with “oohs and ahhs” and important things to consider with each dress. I am so grateful that they were willing to offer their fashion sense, practical advice and honest opinions.

After trying all 6 on, it became quite clear which dress was “the one”. Number 4 was the winner in my eyes…and all of the ladies agreed. I felt so beautiful (in fact, more beautiful than I knew I could ever feel). It was the most comfortable dress and really just stunning! While I can’t disclose the details of the dress (because I would like to keep it top secret from a certain someone), feel free to ask me and I can describe it more….  I am so excited that another major choice has been made for the wedding, and it makes me even more eager for June 12th!!

With one month of engagement bliss out the window today, marks just 6 months until our wedding day! Although Lea thinks this will be an eternity I continue to remind her that it will be here before we know it “it’s just half a year away!” The last few weeks after we picked a date we have decided on a location. Our wedding and reception will be held at Pequea Brethren in Christ Church on June 12, 2010. For quite some time we knew that we would have the wedding at the church but after doing a little bit of searching around we did decide that we would also have the reception at Pequea Church. Pequea for obvious reasons is a large part of our lives. Although the gym might not be the most exciting location for a reception it will leave us with enough space for food, guests, and dancing! We are currently brainstorming ideas to decorate and make the gym our own!

Lea and I have also been planning the food! This of course is very exciting and important to me! On Thursday we sat down with our friend Karen McGaw who will be organizing the food for the reception. Lea and I certainly have some decisions to make in regards to main courses, appetizers and desserts. One thing we know for sure is that we will be having assorted desserts and Lea has requested strawberry lemonade. If you have a request leave it in a comment below and we will consider your feedback!

This week we are planning to meet with a few local photographers. Lea has given me the primary responsibility of researching and deciding on a photographer. This, I have found has been very challenging. Thanks to some feedback from my friends on facebook and my own research I was able to find some potential photographers. Lea and I are seeking someone who has an eye for the art of photography and will act more like a photojournalist, because as many of you know we are more into those crazy silly faced photos then those serious sophisticated photos! This decision will come soon!