Jeremy and Lea » Engagement

Designing our Wedding Invitations

Jeremy Denlinger — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 03:39:47 +0000

If you have found this blog you know that Lea and I are doing things a bit non-traditional when it comes to our wedding. We don’t know of many couples our age who are buying domain names, designing there own websites and blogging about there wedding but, for some reason we thought this would be a good idea! Some of the same thinking went into our wedding invitations. We knew we wanted to keep things cost effective and simple. The wedding invitations were designed from scratch, we ordered our envelopes online and printed them ourselves. By designing our own invitations we were able to incorporate the primary wedding colors of green and orange. Thanks to a great photo by our wedding photographer Daniel Mast we now had a photo we could share with our families and friends. While we know many people follow the traditional snail mail method to RSVP we decided to do it all online and save the cost of additional postage, this kept our invitation and preparation very simple! So far it has been a success and has been well received. Just a few of our family members don’t have access to the internet but they weren’t afraid to phone us up to make sure we knew they were coming. We hope you enjoyed our invitation!

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Engagement Photo Session

Jeremy Denlinger — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:48:51 +0000

On Saturday February 27 Lea and I headed to downtown Lancaster for our engagement photo session with our wedding photographer Daniel Mast. We spent 2 hours at a few locations like Central Market, Steinman Park, and Square One Coffee. We think the photos turned out great, but you can be the final judge by looking at them yourself.

Go here: http://danielmast.smugmug.com/Engagements/Jeremy-Lea/
Password: february27

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Communicating Expectations

Jeremy Denlinger — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:31:19 +0000

Yesterday afternoon Lea and I had our second session of pre-marital counseling with Pastor Dan Houck who will officiating our marriage. In this session we talked a lot about expectations and where they come from. The word “expectation” can be a challenging word to define, you find expectations all around you. Lea and I were challenged to think upon where our expectations come from, and what expectations we have on our married life together. I am thankful and encouraged that Lea and I have had little trouble communicating, even from our first date (just look at our monthly cell phone minutes)!

Over the last few months Lea and I spent time communicating on who will be expected to take out the trash, pay the bills, mow the lawn, cook dinner, and do the dishes. This is important because I believe that communication is about setting expectations. We each grew up under different roofs where our families handled things differently. If Lea and I are going to have a committed and healthy relationship we must be open to sharing our expectations for each other, for our future, and for our relationship. I find it challenging sometimes to do this because it is quite easy to ignore. To be honest, it can be difficult to share my expectations of Lea, a lot of that comes out of the fact that as soon as I speak, I realize how selfish I am. The important thing I see is that Lea and I must continue to strive towards communicating our expectations because anger and frustration are rooted in our unmet expectations. If I don’t communicate my expectations for Lea how will she ever know what they are?

Occasionally I have internally and externally gotten frustrated at Lea because she has not met my expectations in one way or another…the problem is I never spent the time to tell her what my expectation was. What I have learned is that sharing expectations requires honesty. We must be transparent with our spouse and others when communicating our expectations, it’s essential to having a healthy marriage.

How about all of our friends…how has expectations played a role in your dating, engaged, and married relationships?

Welcome to our website Our website has been launched! Join us online as we...
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Engagement Photo Session See our engagement photo session with photographer Daniel Mast....

Jamaicin’ Me Crazy!

Lea Miller — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:50:27 +0000

After these crazy snowstorms, I have become more and more eager for warm weather. And this eagerness has made me think many times about my next tropical adventure-our honeymoon! Jeremy and I realized that we have not blogged about the honeymoon yet, although it was one of the first big decisions we made during our engagement.

In early December, we started thinking about where we should go on the honeymoon, because, let’s be honest, it’s one of the best parts of wedding planning. Jeremy’s only input was that he wanted a very relaxing trip. I had dreams of snorkeling again, because that was my favorite thing we did in Hawaii. However, our finances made it look like we would be taking a short trip to the mountains or a local beach. But…Thanks to a generous gift from Jeremy’s Grams and Gramps, we will be venturing to Sandal’s Royal Carribean Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica!!!

Our friends Adam and Melissa told us about their incredibly relaxing, fun and pampered honeymoon at a Sandals resort, so we decided to pursue an all-inclusive resort. We met with our friend Sherry, who is a travel agent and owns her own business Jenkins Travel. And I definitely recommend working with a travel agent, because they take care of all the details and hook you up with some serious perks. All that Jeremy and I have to do for our trip is pack our bags and show up at the airport-the rest is taken care of. And Sherry hooked us up with some free spa cash…I will be loving the massages! Plus we were informed that we will definitely be able to snorkel, and have lots of relaxing time!

We are both very excited for our first vacation together to celebrate our marriage. And we feel so blessed to be able to have another tropical adventure together!!

Oh yeah, and today is officially 4 months until the BIG DAY!

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We have found a Photographer!

Jeremy Denlinger — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 03:19:03 +0000

After a few weeks of research and recommendations from many of our friends we have decided on a photographer for our wedding. We are excited to say that Daniel Mast a local photographer and a partner will be capturing our wedding and reception on June 12, 2010. In 2010 Daniel is stepping out on his own in the world of photography and his style and personality is a good match for Lea and I.

For me (Jeremy) choosing a photographer was a quite a big deal. When I first started looking seriously I quickly became overwhelmed by the number of local photographers and recommendations. Many were easy to sort through for me because of quality or price. After narrowing it down to a top 7 or 8 we were able to choose Daniel. He is a great guy to work with and was willing to create a custom package for us that suits our needs. Although Daniel does not have a lot of photos available on his website you can visit his website by clicking here. Lea and I will soon be scheduling an engagement session with Daniel and we are excited to share these photos with you all!

Engagement Photo Session See our engagement photo session with photographer Daniel Mast....
Designing our Wedding Invitations See our wedding invitations and learn how we saved some...
Welcome to our website Our website has been launched! Join us online as we...

The Engagement – Lea’s Version

Lea Miller — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:01:33 +0000

I knew I was going to marry Jeremy about four and a half years ago…And for those of you who are mathematicians, you would be able to figure out that I knew I was going to marry him even before I even met him. …Crazy, you say? About four and a half years ago, I was enjoying a fun girls’ night with my friends Ashley and Sarah-we spent some time praying for each other, and also enjoyed the typical “girl talk”. Of course we talked about guys and how we each hoped to someday meet one and marry him. I briefly mentioned how I am oddly attracted to fellas who are “techies”, make videos, and play the drums…Immediately Ashley blurts out: “Oh my gosh! I know who you are going to marry! I can’t believe I didn’t see it before!…Jeremy Denlinger is perfect for you!” I responded with a laugh and commented that I didn’t even know who Jeremy Denlinger was! Ashley assured me that she would introduce us soon. ….And by God’s providence and her cunning matchmaking skills, I indeed met Jeremy just a month later at Creation music festival. I spent a few months after that with my eye on him as I observed him with his friends and serving at church. (I have to say that seeing him on the drums at church was a major selling point!) At that same time in life, God challenged Jeremy and I (separately) to end the frustrating pursuit of finding a “mate” and just focus on God, and trust His timing….oh the way God works when we place things in His hands! And how amazing that He was teaching us the same thing at the same time! So just about a month after this decision, Jeremy and I found ourselves enjoying fireworks in the city (with Ashley along). Ashley insisted that Jeremy and I pose for a photo (and “get closer together”) ….and that is the first photo we have together. So, just a few days later, “some man” calls my house (a very strange event for my family). Jeremy sneakily got my number, and called to ask me out on our first date. The rest is an exciting blur of learning about each other and growing to love each other deeply.

So since that first date, we’ve had MANY conversations about getting married and what it would look like to spend our lives together. For the past two years, I have consistently asked Jeremy, “When will you propose to me?” His response: “soon”. “But when is soon??” …And he smiles that sneaky smile. …I admit, just a few months ago, I began to have some mental breakdowns, fearing we would never be engaged. But then the day came…

I can honestly say that I had no idea that Jeremy was going to propose to me on November 6. I did not see it coming that week, and I had no idea that day. He bought a new camera that week, and the plan was for us to have a fun hike/photo shoot to try out the new camera and enjoy the end of the fall colors. When I got to my house, Jeremy was already there talking to my Dad. Not a big deal, since I was running a little late. My Dad said, “I hope you have fun hiking…uh..um…maybe you weren’t supposed to know that…maybe Jeremy wanted to surprise you.” …Now this may seem like an obvious hint, but if you know my Dad, you know that he would say something like this on a normal occasion when we went on a date somewhere. (But you also understand why Jeremy chose to ask my Dad just an hour before we went hiking! My Dad is not the best at keeping surprises, but I understand because I am not good at that either).

So we got to the park and enjoyed a beautiful day. We spent lots of time playing with the new camera and taking some fun photos. We were beginning to get to the point of turning around and heading back, when Jeremy suggested we climb a hill (mini-mountain) to “get some more light for the photos” since the sun was setting. While we were climbing the hill, I thought to myself, “Man! He’s making me climb this hill all for a stupid photo!” When we got to the top, Jeremy set up his tripod for us to take some photos. And this is how the conversation went as I can remember it: “Lea, do you know what day it is?” “Oh yeah, it is the 6th–and we started dating January 6th. ….(my brain doing fast calculations)…that means we’ve been dating for 46 months!…Ugh! That is a long time! I hope someday we can celebrate a real anniversary. You know, like a wedding. I hope soon we can figure out when we will get married (in a sarcastic tone because I am always bugging Jeremy about not being engaged).” Jeremy says, “Well, I was hoping we could figure out that date soon. I was hoping we could pick that date today.” …Jeremy proceeds to get on his knee and pull out a ring. I make a shocked face, and say things like, “shut up!! …you’re kidding! …oh my gosh!” Jeremy says, “Will you marry me?” and I say “YES!!” Then Jeremy jumps up in excitement…we hug, kiss, cry. Then we remember that he didn’t put the ring on my finger yet! So he takes off my glove and puts the ring on. We are engaged!!

We spent some time getting photos. Jeremy tells me about the ring. We slowly walk back the hiking trail. …I sporadically yell, “We are engaged!!!!” at the top of my lungs. Jeremy had a dozen roses in my car. We spent the rest of the night spreading the amazing news with our family and friends…and dreaming about joining our lives together. …I am still on the celebration high! However, there is much work to be done as we anticipate beginning our life together and throwing the biggest party you’ve ever experienced… in just 7 months….You can read Jeremy’s version of the engagement by clicking here.

Engagement Photo Session See our engagement photo session with photographer Daniel Mast....
The Engagment – Jeremy’s Version We're engaged, here is my version of the day we...
Jamaicin’ Me Crazy! After these crazy snowstorms, I have become more and more...

The Engagment – Jeremy’s Version

Jeremy Denlinger — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:45:53 +0000

Lea and I officially began dating on January 6, 2006 when I took her to see the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe at the movie theater followed by a coffee at Starbucks! Since then it has been an exciting journey! Obviously you are most interested in hearing the story of the engagement itself but it is worth while mentioning how this thing all began almost 4 years ago. I can remember thinking to myself just a few months after we started dating that Lea would be the one that I would marry. Before very long discussions of spending our lives began to be a pretty regular part of our discussions. We both agreed that we would not marry until Lea finished her four year degree at Lancaster Bible College. We also agreed that we would not have one of those 2 or 3 year engagements!

So just a few weeks ago I got very serious about finding the ring and making the final plans to ask Lea to marry me! I ended up going and designing a ring with the help of Carole from Brent L Miller Jewelers. I would highly recommend this Jeweler. The experience and service was fantastic! Anyway, there are obviously hundreds of ring designs available today. I knew that I wanted something simple but something that was a little unique. Thankfully I was able to find that combination!

On Friday November 6, 2009 I left the office early to go pick up the ring and do some final preparations for the special day! I had arranged with Lea earlier in the week that we would go on a photo-shoot. We had been hoping to get some fall photos, and with me getting a new camera (Canon 7D) it seemed to be the perfect set up! Thankfully Lea had an appointment at school and a planned shopping trip in the afternoon, this gave me access to ask Phil (Lea’s Dad) for permission to have Lea’s hand in marriage. Not more then 30 minutes before Lea arrived home I had a special and meaningful conversation with Lea’s Father where he granted me permission to ask Lea to marry me!

Lea arrived to her house where she met me and we headed out on our photo-shoot. We headed to seven streams just a few miles from her house. This is a place we had hiked before, in fact it is the place we went on our very first hike together. As we walked along the path we took many photos of each other individually and with the two of us using the handy dandy tripod. Realizing that it was getting dark rather quickly I made a suggestion to climb a hill. We climbed the hill so that we could get to more light. Once at the top of the hill we proceeded to take many more photos and enjoy the setting sun. After Lea almost hurried me along by finding the ring in my coat pocket I got down on one knee and asked for her hand in marriage. And of course, she said YES! After dating for 46 months to the day we were finally going to get married! You can read Lea’s version of the engagement by clicking here.

We took many more photos and celebrated this special day. You can see a gallery of photos by clicking here. When we arrived back at the car I had a dozen red roses awaiting her arms. We quickly scurried to her house to share the news and excitement with her family and then our friends via many exciting phone calls. Besides the question “when are you getting married” the most common response was “finally!” Finally indeed, we are engaged!

The Engagement – Lea’s Version 46 months later we are finally engaged! Here is my...
We have found a Photographer! After a few weeks of research and recommendations from many...
Welcome to our website Our website has been launched! Join us online as we...

Welcome to our website

Jeremy Denlinger — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:43:28 +0000

Welcome to our website! We are just getting the site under way as we prepare to officially begin our lives together when we marry in June of 2010. We plan to use this website to update our family and friends on our progress in planning our upcoming wedding. This blog will also serve as a record of this wonderful journey. We are bound to have great stories and memories along the way. We hope to share those memories with photos, videos, and words. Feel free to leave comments on the blog. We love to hear from you, whether it be a helpful tip on wedding prep or just on life in general, we are excited to share this journey with you!

Feel free to follow our blog through email updates delivered automatically to your inbox. You can subscribe by clicking here or by using the links above. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed through your favorite reader by clicking here. If you have no idea what any of that means, just keep coming back to our site for the latest news and updates on our wedding!

We have found a Photographer! After a few weeks of research and recommendations from many...
Designing our Wedding Invitations See our wedding invitations and learn how we saved some...
Our Honeymoon Check out the photos from our honeymoon to Montego Bay...