We just booked our honeymoon!! Wow!!! We are going to the Sandals Resort in Antigua for a week ... we are both beyond ecstatic about it! We are staying in the 'Honeymoon Oceanview Suite' and have a butler on call at all times, the full concierge, and room service at all times! We can't wait!!!

= o)

So, you know the Haley who takes three months to shop for a pair of jeans, six months for shoes, and so on? For the moment, she is long gone!

My Mom and I went dress shopping today, not expecting to find much of anything! There is this place in Lewisville called Bridal Boutique (it's on the square) that I was in for a short period of time last time I went dress looking, but I didn't try on anything! We walked in and began looking away! We had looked at only two racks and I had already found ups of twelve dresses! We decided to stop looking and go try things on for a bit! So we tried on a few dresses ... all of them were beautiful! Then, we tried on a dress that I had been eye-ing! I always heard about when you find the dress, you'll know! I hadn't come out of the dressing room at all until we tried on that dress! Wow! My Mom told me she was going to cry and it was beautiful, and I nearly cried myself! But, everyone in the room agreed that it was "the one"!

In the back of my head I'm wondering if I could have found another dress I like better, but after remembering how I felt with it on, I know that just simply isn't possible!

We bought the dress in ivory/champagne - because it makes the design of it stand out better! The pictures with the model really don't do it justice! I don't think any picture would ... you have to see it to believe how wonderful it is!

We bought it and it arrives in four months! I had to get it in petite because apparently, I'm short! Ha!

Well I just wanted to share my exciting news with you all! I'm ecstatic and can't wait for you all to see it in person!


Here are the links to the dress, front and back! I can't post the actual pictures because if Mark happens to come up on my blog, I don't want him to accidentally see the pictures! Although I don't even think he knows that I have a blog ... I just want to be on the safe side! Just to let you all know, the dress in the picture is pretty pure white, but my dress is ivory, so it will be a slightly darker shade than the picture!

Front -
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a219/haleyjane9/haleysdress.jpg
Back -
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a219/haleyjane9/haleysdressback.jpg

Colors!

Who knew that picking out colors would be so difficult?!

So, I like the color pink ... but a Haley wedding needs some blue (my favorite color) ... but I don't want pink and blue together because it would look like a baby shower ... and I think white is dramatic and romantic ... but, I don't want absolutely everything to be white ... and I like blue with green, but maybe that seems more like an everyday party than a wedding ... and everyone, including myself, likes a certain chocolate brown color for the bridesmaid dresses ... but everyone I know who is getting married right now is planning a chocolate brown and pink, or chocolate brown and tiffany blue wedding ... and I don't want to follow that trend!

I think an abundance of pink is out of the question. A pink flower here and there wouldn't be so bad! I like the color blue ... and I like the color brown ... and I like the color white ... but, I don't want everything to be brown and blue with white here and there because then I would be following the chocolate brown and blue trend! But, I don't want just the bridesmaids dresses to be chocolate brown! Maybe the linens could be that color, as well?

Gosh, I never knew colors would be so hard! Ha! I know it may sound like I'm a little crazy, but it's not something I am obsessing over! Just something to think about ... =)

Soo, today I walk outside to get the mail ... absolutely nothing new with that routine! I open the box and get this big envelope out! Totally excited (I love mail that doesn't involve my money), I go in and open it up ... it's the contract! The contract to have the wedding ceremony and reception at the Heard-Craig House!

For those of you who may not know this, my parents decided to splurge on someone that is going to help make our next year of planning an incredible experience! Her name is Christine (Chris), we met her at the Dallas Bridal Show and she is our AMAZING wedding coordinator! We haven't even known her for a month and she has already booked our place (well over a year in advance), is gathering information for florists, caterers, helping me to pick my colors, etc! The list goes on! She is big on encouraging Mark and I to "get excited"!!! And gosh, we truly are! My main love for her extends from how much stress she is relieving off of Mark, my mother and I. My Mom and I can stress each other out just deciding where to eat for lunch ... hahaa!

I still can't believe I'm getting married! It's unusually surreal to me, but I couldn't be more excited about it! I can honestly say, at 23 years old, I never thought I would be planning my wedding! I'm ecstatic about getting to spend so much time, and sharing in the moment, with my bridal party and close friends! And even more excited to know that in one year (that's going to fly by) I will be a MRS!!! Who would've thought?!!

I am totally excited!!!! =)

Meet the Party!!!

Well, everyone knows Mark and I ... but not everyone knows the bridal party!

Haley's Ladies

Tricia is my maid of honor! We met in August of 2005 when Mark and I moved in to the same apartment building as she and her furbabies lived! We soon became the best of friends, and have been fairly inseparable since then! Just recently we even became roommates! Tricia is originally from Denison, moved all over the world and finally set up shop in Corinth! She is now a grad student at UNT, works at Wal-Mart and lives in Corinth, Texas! Watch out, she is going to be a Dr. in the next few years! We keep each other in line when needed and have been told that if you gave us something as simple as a light bulb, we could laugh all night ... and it's true! =)


Tricia

Katrina is next in line as a bridesmaid! All of my family already knows her ... we were best friends in high school, and still to this day! =) Katrina lives in Weimar and works at the Marriott in Austin and at The Boys and Girls Club in Weimar (our hometown), while taking care of her grandmother who recently had a stroke. You get us girls together and we can talk all night!


Katrina

Jennifer is another best friend of mine from Weimar! Again, most of my family also knows her! This girl can make anyone laugh and always has a smile on her face! Her nickname is JLo ... for a reason, but it has nothing to do with her smile! She lives with her parents, Peaches and Paul in Weimar (one set of my many wonderful adopted parents), works at Oakridge Express in Schulenburg and is beginning nursing school super soon! =)


Jennifer

Erica is yet another best friend of mine from Weimar! If you haven't guessed by now, the three girls mentioned above and I have a long past! She lived right down the street from me in high school so I was at her house all the time, and vice versa! Erica now lives in San Antonio with her boyfriend Joseph (Bud) Hernandez and works at Joe's Crab Shack ... a place she and I know quite a bit about! =)


Erica


Mark's Men

Eric is Mark's brother. He will be just about ready to graduate high school when we get married! He, obviously, still lives at home in Sanger with Mark's parents and goes to Sanger High School! I'm interested in hearing his speech ... =) He's a good kid and I'm excited about becoming a member of his family!


Eric

Robert is one of Mark's best friends, also one of mine, also Tricia's boyfriend! He and Mark are some serious fishing buddies! There is never a dull moment with Robert around, that's for sure! He is a great guy and full of laughs! Just don't feed him Jager ... yes, Jager the alcohol! =) Only kidding! He lives in the country between Krum and Sanger, went to high school and worked with Mark years ago, graduated from North Central Texas College and works for Denton Animal Control!


Robert

Justin is a close friend of Mark's, and mine! He and Mark work together at Wal-Mart and he now lives in Denton with his wife, Ashley and their daughter, Emorie! He also works as a personal trainer either at his clients home, or at Lake Cities Fitness. He was also my trainer for four months ... I need to get back in the game! I am having a hard time getting out of the habit of calling him 'Blue' ... his nickname! =) He's a fun family guy with big dreams who is really making a name for himself in the world of building bodies!


Justin (he doesn't even look like this anymore)

Brad is one of Mark's best friends as well, also a close friend of mine! Brad lives right around the corner from where Mark grew up, they went to school together and have remained close friends! He knows all the latest technology and is gangsta ... hence the nickname B-Rad! =) He's a very sweet guy and a great friend!


Brad, as Sputnik

Well, there you have it! The list may expand ... we haven't gotten that far yet! But anyhow, these are the closest and greatest people anyone could ever have in their lives! Mark and I are extremely lucky to call each of them our friend and are looking forward to all the fun the wedding festivities will create! =)

Getting things accomplished ... slowly, but surely!

Wow, I didn't' realize it had been such a long time since I last posted! Well, the holidays were wonderful - lots of celebrating! Our families met at my parents house for Christmas Eve ... this was not the first time they had met, but the first time our two families had joined for a major holiday!

Here we are at Easter weekend, and things are moving right along with the wedding planning!

Up until spring break, I was already burnt out on looking for a place to have the ceremony/reception! Therefore, we realized how well-needed our spring break vacation to the beach house was!


Mark and I sharing a moment at the beach!

Since we have been back, we have been in full wedding mode! Let's see ...

We are planning our engagement party for May 19 of 2007.

We decided to splurge for a wedding planner ... her name is Chris (Christine) Garrett, and she is amazing! Her mantra is "stress free", and she told me of ways that I get to meet some of the vendors ... such as through a luncheon with my Mom and maid of honor and/or bridesmaids, while getting to know three or so photographers!

We have decided that the wedding is going to be at the Heard-Craig Center for the Arts in McKinney, Texas. It's within our budget and very pretty!


The Heard-Craig image ...

The girls will be getting ready in the Carriage House (we'll have it all to ourselves)! The downstairs is a nice sitting area, kitchen and bathroom, while the upstairs has a big room with one entire wall being a mirror, and a bathroom ... and a window that looks out directly on Katie's Garden (we can see the guests as they arrive)!


The Carriage House ...

The ceremony will be in Katie's Garden, which is a circular shaped lawn with flowers all around it and a gazebo at the back!


Half of Katie's Garden and the Carriage House ...

Then, the reception will be across the street from the house in the Ballroom! It's just a huge super pretty room with a stage and all! Although, I don't know how well the stage will be used by our guests! I'm not a getting up on stage kind of girl! =) Downstairs is where the boys will be getting ready! I don't have a picture of the ballroom!

We have also decided that the wedding will be May 17 of 2008, if all goes as planned!

And something I'm actually quite excited about - I, of course, want music during the ceremony. I mean, I am a part of the Sanders family who includes at least four musical genius'! But the problem is, that outside in Katie's Garden, there is no way to have music! My Mom just informed me that we will have strings, possibly a string quartet! I also have yet to ask my cousin to sing! I don't even know where to begin there! My Mom says "It wouldn't be a Sanders wedding without asking your cousin to sing, Haley!" ... I know this!! =)

We went dress shopping yesterday -- just to look, to get a feel of what style looks best, and the like! We went to a place that used to be David's Bridal, but is now Bridal Co. which basically houses dress rejects from the nicer stores! Seriously, there were beads falling off of the dresses, most of the loops to loop up the lace were broken, etc ... but those were usually off of the dresses that you had to order in your size! It was fun ... I only found one dress that fit and I thought to be decent ... it gave me a figure, which I didn't know I had! I don't wear anything strapless, but ironically, the strapless seems to work pretty well! I have over a year! No rush for me! Heheee!


Just to give you a slight peek! =)

Well I have to say I am fully enjoying ripping pages out of magazines of dresses/hairstyles/accessories I love! I am going to organize them today!

Our goal for the weekend is to set the time of the wedding, and finalize the colors! This is going to be interesting! My personal goal is to get Mark more interested in the details! Notice he wasn't mentioned much in this post? His life has been fishing and work, as of late! =)

On a side note ... there is a high of 37 today, and snow is in the forecast. It's April in Texas ...

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