Honeymoon booked!

We booked our honeymoon today! I can't wait and we have almost 7 months to count down...


We will be staying at Triple Creek Ranch, a small luxury ranch in Montana. The people working there are so friendly and helpful. They set up a sort of honeymoon registry of sorts for us with them--we just told them the activities we would like to do, and people can call and pay for it as a surprise for us before we get there. A (real--not movie-like) Cattle drive and a scenic helicopter tour are the top two items on our list! But they let people surprise us with flowers, wine from their enormous wine cellar, massages, or chocolate covered strawberries.

The woman handling reservations also upgraded us (for no fee, because she loved our honeymoon idea) to a secluded luxury cabin named BIG SKY on the top of the mountain, and we get a golf cart to drive around to the stables, the lodge, and the other areas of the ranch!



We can't wait! We also like the sound of 65-70 degree weather with 0% humidity in mid-September.


We also planned out things we definitely want to see along the way. Matt really wants to see Mount Rushmore, the arches in Utah, and eat BBQ in Memphis. We both can't wait to see Yellowstone National Park!


We decided to take a day after the wedding to relax and finish packing, and leave Monday to head out to Montana. We check-in for the honeymoon at the ranch on that Friday and leave the following Tuesday for our road trip back home.


Also very special is that we are spending a night on our way back from Montana at Coulter Lake Ranch in Rifle, Colorado where I spent visiting in the summers with my dad and some special friends, the Daniels, when I was younger. It will be amazing to share that place with Matt, as he has heard MANY stories and seen a million pictures of! It is by far one of my favorite places, and it will be really nice to share a memory of my father with my husband (to-be)!

My father, on Coulter Lake's porch with a hummingbird on his finger

-1995-

Me and an old pal, Meredith at the ranch--1995

I cannot wait to make a million more memories with Matt!

Mocha Bean Graduates!

Puppy Kindergarten Graduation!

Our 4 month old Labrador Retriever/Plott Hound named Mocha graduated from "puppy kindergarten" last night. (her 6 week basic obedience course) and she got recommended for an advanced class and agility course starting next month!




The teacher also asked us to participate in the advanced class so that Mocha could take part in the AKC's 10-step "Canine Good Citizen" Program, and eventually be eligible for nursing home and hospital visits, which is something I have always wanted to do with a dog. So...who knows...maybe this time next year (the dog has to be over 1-year-old), Mocha will have passed the CGC test...If not--she'll learn a lot during the process.



Anyway...here are some pictures of Mocha for your enjoyment. Have a great weekend!






Happy Friday!

-Bre

All about us.

All about us.

BRE grew up by the ocean in Rumson, NJ, and left for the Philadelphia area to attend Eastern University, where she graduated with a B.A. and B.S. in Psychology. After graduation, Bre taught at an private elementary school for a couple years, then met Matt and the rest is history! They now both live in Northern VA, and Bre works in Washington DC for the American Psychological Association in the publications department. She is an avid runner and loves to be outdoors.

Matt grew up in Warsaw, NY (near the Rochester/Buffalo area where it REALLY snows) until relocating to Northern VA a few years ago. Matt loves basketball (he was quite the star in high school, FYI) and enjoys playing in competitive leagues down here in Virginia. He likes working outdoors, especially away from the western NY winters! He loves hiking, traveling, eating new food, and anything outside as well.

We met at a mutual friends' house in Virginia, when Matt was moving in to the house and I was visiting college friends. I noticed Matt right away because of his height--he being 6'8'' and me being 5' 0''. It is quite a sight. From the moment we started talking at a Labor Day BBQ, everyone knew something was special about us, and you can see the end result! :) We soon acquired the nickname "Bregart" (a combo of my first name and his last name) because from the moment we met, we were inseperable...

The engagement: June 21, 2008...We were hiking in Great Falls Park in Maryland, hiking on the Billy Goat Trail (a really strenuous and rocky trail), and stopped the hike to relax and sit on the cliff's edge over the waterfalls, off the beaten path. Matt pretended he saw something in the distance and asked me what it was...While I was looking for the pretend animal in the woods, Matt was up to something...When I had turned back around, Matt had the ring in his hands and asked me to marry him! I was so surprised and so so so so happy! It was the perfect day. The best is yet to come...

The wedding-to-be: September 12, 2009: Our wedding celebration will be a small, rustic affair! Like no wedding any of our guests have been to! The ceremony will be outdoors, by a small lake located on the grounds of a farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Northern Virginia, in the small town of Bluemont. The reception will follow inside the large finished barn at the same location and the whole event will follow a nautical/country theme. Matt and Bre will be doing all of the decorations in hopes to shed a little originality and creativity on the event!

The wedding will also fall on Bre's late father's birthday--a unique way to honor her dad, James Emory Walker.

Ten Tips--from the frugal bride-to-be

Anyone know's that weddings can be a major pain in the you-know-what to plan, but for some (like me), it can be an adventure--one that brings new possibilities around every corner.



While still wanting to have a classy, yet frugal affair for our wedding day, we have cut some corners and decided to do everything ourselves (well...almost everything)



Here are my Ten Tips for a Frugal Bride--I hope that other brides and grooms-to-be can find useful in their wedding planning!



1. Pick a unique place. Our first choice was a country club/golf course setting, which was more "me" than "us" and much more expensive. At first, it sounded wonderful: All of the food taken care of, all of the decorating, planning, scheduling under control. After the food tasting (conveniently after a deposit was due), we looked at each other and said..."The food was gross!" Not only that but we stopped to think about how we really wanted to be in control of the decorating, the planning, the scheduling, the food...not be simply following a "master plan" that the venue requires! So--we picked a new place. A FARM! We have been there several times to pick pumpkins and fruit, and visit the vineyards in the surrounding areas...We're getting married in a barn!





2. Craigslist, craigslist, craigslist! Not only have we found all of our wonderful pets--shelters post there all the time--but nearly all of our wedding vendors through Craigslist. We hired a DJ by night, Capitol Hill staffer by day for our reception DJ, a bagpiper for the ceremony, our day-of-coordinator, photographer (and photojournalist who has seen the world!). florist, and cupcake-maker for the wedding--all at prices well below what you will find on many corporate wedding websites! Just ask for references, check up on them, and you'll find the most amazing people. As always--use caution when dealing with online sites such as Craigslist.org. Oh--we also found the most beautiful shepherd hooks and mason jar lanterns on CL instead of tiki torches to light out pathways at the wedding!



3. Search for a photojournalist or a wedding photographer with photojournalistic experience(unless you're the type to want 90% traditional posed wedding pictures--of which group we are not!) Photojournalists often have traveled the world or the country taking pictures of significant events, historical moments, etc., and know what is truly important in a photograph--and can "snap" the emotions in a shot--not just poses. While it is said that photographers capture perfect moments, I believe photojournalists capture memories.



4. Location, location. If you're not the type to have things all planned out for you (on your wedding day--you just "show up"), then choose a location where you--or your team of dedicated bridesmaids, parents, and groomsmen--can put your own stamp on your event. I love to decorate and know how to do so within a reasonable budget--therefore getting married in a barn was perfect. Weddings are held there all the time, so there is electricity, lighting, and a bathroom, but the rest will be up to us.



5.Buy your linens. Sometimes renting tablecloths can cost upwards of 10-30.00 per tablecloth--and you don't even get to keep them! We bought ours a 4.00 a pop through a wedding planner who hooked us up on a great deal. Plus, they are a beautiful fabric, so they can be reused to make curtains or throw pillows if we decide we don't need 12 navy damask tablecloths. :)



6. Dishware dilemma. Renting dishware is a hassle, can be around 5-10.00/guest plus the cost of a dishwasher and table-clearer throughout the night. We found the most awesome solution. It's this dishware called "yoshiware"--"resposeable" dishware. We ordered ours from http://www.smartyhadaparty.com/ because they had a free shipping offer the day we ordered. They save you China/glassware/flatware rental prices without the less classy look of paper or plastic. Our heavy plastic forks actually look like silverware. And our disposeable faux china actually looks like China (until you pick it up of course!)



7. Road Trip Honeymoon...We were thinking British Columbia, then Mexico, then just scrapping the whole idea until a later date. Then we changed our venue, put our priorities in order, and decided a fun honeymoon was more important to us than spending money on the not-so-us wedding venue. So, we decided on the Road-Trip Honeymoon. We are going to leave Monday after the wedding, traveling to our eventual destination in Darby Montana--the exclusive and all-inclusive Triple Creek Ranch--where we will have a 5-day/4-night stay in our own cabin, complete with couples massage, horsebackriding, 5 star 7-course meals, and peace and quiet. On the way home, we will see more of the country. This way we can enjoy a 2 week honeymoon for the same price as a 3 day trip to one of our first choice locations. We can't wait! Plus--gas cards for the honeymoon are an easy shower gift for those too late to get to our wedding registry! Check our our honeymoon location: http://www.triplecreekranch.com/



8. A Wedding band(jewelry--not music)...this is something that is so preferential to every bride-to-be. I love my Tacori engagement ring (kudos to my fiancé Matt and to my sister and bro-in-law for all of the help!)--but it simply was not in the budget to get the matching wedding band (not yet at least!)--so I decided I would love to find an antique wedding band. Not a pawn shop ring, or a trade in, but a real old antique. After months of looking in antique and jewelry stores, we finally found one that was PERFECT! It is from 1925--which in a Jeweler's eyes--is in the middle of the best decade for jewelry making (1920-1930) and it looks as if it were made to go with my engagement ring. I know I have to wait until September to wear it, but it will be hard...That saves us some money, and I LOVE the idea of a ring having a history behind it. Some jeweler's can provide that history for you when you purchase the antique--I know ours did!





9. Decorate your own space, even if it's a blank slate like a barn. Here are some of our inspirations for romantic barn weddings we've found here and there on the net.





10. Figure out what's important to you and your significant other. My sister and bro-in-law (THANKS GUYS!!) gave us that advice early on in the planning process and it has come in handy over and over again. Sit down and decide the top things to you and your partner when it comes to the wedding. My top things were that everyone I wanted to be there could be invited, having a "different" wedding--the kind where everyone leaves talking about, and the photographer. His were that it was laid-back and outdoors, fun music, and having it somewhere that meant something to us. We didn't care about food...(we're having lite fare catered...I'll explain that tip another day)...and we didn't care about the formality of everything. WE wanted it to be unique, and hopefully it will be. Just remember what is the most important, and that is that you and your significant other need to feel relaxed and treasure each moment of the wedding with each other!



I hope my long-winded tips helped someone out there. I have plenty more ideas rattling in my head and each day I'll try to add some more. Until then! I'll post a little bit more about my fiancé and I tomorrow!




-Bre

My first Blog!

Hello!

Lately I've been contemplating the thought of starting a blog...not sure why...but I feel like I have so many peculiarities (hence the blog name) in my life and this probably is the best way to share them.

Between planning a budget-friendly wedding and honeymoon (7 months away!), being a relatively new puppy-owner with my fiance, working in the political realm that is D.C., and ultimately being a thrifty "free-cycler" and free-things-to-do-on-weekends adventurer...I might have alot to offer. Plus, as time goes on, I realize this will be an easy way for people to catch up on the goings-on our lives! I guess I'll start by writing later and try to help anyone out there planning a "Frugal Festivus"--what we've nicknamed our Shabby Chic wedding-to-be this coming September...Until then!

-Bre