Growing Up- One Apartment at a Time

This past weekend I moved after living in my apartment for three years (no, I didn’t move in with Luke- we’re traditional). I’ve been looking forward to this transition for awhile since my old apartment had some major negatives like: tiny bedrooms, no grocery store or food options nearby and a long, frigid walk to the El in the winter. My new place is a step up all around- it’s in a better location, has a bigger bedroom and is a more convenient commute to work.

As I was packing up the last three years of my life – photographs, books, Halloween costumes…halloween 

…among other things – I couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic about what I was leaving behind. It was here that I festered over what clothes to wear to my first client meeting, participated in late-night dance parties, cried to my roommates when a guy stood me up and baked Luke his favorite oatmeal raisin cookies.

I did so much growing up while living on Wellington Street. I transitioned from a naive, college student with little responsibility to a hard-working, city-living adult, making important decisions.

But it’s not just me whose life is changing. My friends are also moving on to new phases. They’re buying condos, moving up the ranks at work, finding committed relationships and not going out NEARLY as much- although we rock out when we do!  

Although it feels like the end of an era in some ways, I’m excited about what comes next. All of the changes happening in my life and in the lives of my friends are good ones that will hope will make us happier and a little bit wiser every day.

Two Words to Describe a Wedding

I’ve been to a decent amount of wedding (six this summer alone!) and at each wedding I try to think of what two adjectives I would use to describe it. For my sister’s it was “elegant and classy” for my friend Jen’s it was “intimate and romantic,” you get the picture.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what impression I want my wedding guests to leave with and the conclusion I’ve come to is “fun and unique.” Luke and I have been approaching our budget and wedding decisions with those two words in mind.

So what makes a wedding really FUN? In my mind it’s a few things- the music, booze and how affordable & easy the event is for guests. Since we’re asking people to travel to Chicago to celebrate with us, I’m really trying to focus on making sure people aren’t spending a lot of money and that when they’re driving home they are thinking, “man, that was a blast!”

This means we’ll probably pay more for an amazing DJ than on elegant table settings or we’ll find a local hotel that is affordable and serves a great free breakfast over an upscale boutique hotel.

For the other adjective “unique,” I want to incorporate some inventive twists to our big day. Things that will make our wedding stand out from the other five our guests will likely be attending that year.

I’ve been checking out what other couples are doing on blogs like Once Wed and DIY Bride and doing some brainstorming on my own. I don’t want to spoil all the surprises for my guests, but I will tell you a couple of unique twists we’re mulling over:

  • Having a saxophone player vs. a trumpet as I walk down the aisle
  • Incorporating lemons into the table settings (if our colors remain yellow and green)
  • Giving guest the option to RSVP online and keep the stamp!

We’ll see what actually makes it into our wedding day plans, but I hope there are at least some things that will surprise my guests and prompt them to recall our wedding years down the road.

If you’re planning a wedding, are married or just looking ahead, what two words describe your big day? Leave your comments!

What’s Your Bridal Style?

Since getting engaged, we’ve jumped right into wedding planning. Literally the day after we got engaged, I put a call into my church, St. Vincent DePaul in Chicago, to see what dates they have available. Being one of the most sought after wedding venues in Chicago, I was thrilled to hear that April 17 at 3:00 pm was open! 

I know I know…an April wedding is REALLY  fast. But really, the decision to spend my life with Luke has already been made, so why wait? Plus being that I am an event planner by trade, if I can plan a celebrity event in Times Square in two months, I’m sure I can plan a wedding in eight.  

I’ve heard from many people that I should immediately begin thinking about purchasing my dress. Apparently it can take up to 6-8 months to get a wedding dress in! Who knew?

Anyway, I have been checking out some bridal websites and trying to figure out what styles I like. Many brides I’ve known say the dress they ended up purchasing was NOTHING like what they thought they’d like. So far I’m really liking simple, sleek gowns with a twist…something elegant but also unique. So I’m sure I’ll walk out of the store with a beaded ball gown!

Here are some of my favorites off the website for www.whitechicago.com, where I’ll likely get my dress. White Chicago specialized in once-worn or sample designer gowns, so you get a really great deal on a beautiful dress!

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Aren’t these dresses elegant? There are seriously about 20 more that I love on www.whitechicago.com. So what do you think? What is your bridal syle? Do you like beading, lace, backless? Leave your comments!

The Move

For the first couple months Luke and I hung out we always ended up at a place where dancing was involved. Being the fun-loving people we are, we were more than happy to follow our friends onto the dance floor.  Although I was a bit busy trying to impress Luke and his friends with MY awesome dance moves (or as Luke says my “jumping around”), I started to notice a trend.

Given that he was still (I hope) trying to impress me, Luke would typically start off looking uninterested…only casually nodding his head to the music. As the night would go on and the music would get better, he’d slowly break out of his shell. Now there would be some actual moving side to side, some arm raises and even some hip sways. Each time, his dancing would slowly build up until it happened…..THE MOVE.

It took me two or three times to recognize that THE MOVE was a reoccurring thing. Not just some spur-of-the-moment jiration or passionate reaction to the music. This thing was pre-meditated. Planned. Maybe even practiced??

Regardless of the intent I was LOVING it. Here was a man confident enough to bust a move in front of all his friends AND the girl he’s newly dating without batting an eye. Not to mention the move successfully brought our two very different dancing styles together for one brief moment.

So guys…without further adieu…here is a description of THE MOVE.

  1. Lock eyes with your intended partner
  2. Move closer…but not too close
  3. Passionately grab her wrist, pull her close and throw her arm over your neck!
  4. Lock your arms around her and take in her awed expression