Sweet Like Honey

I realize it has been a little while since my last update, however due to some important life events like my 26th birthday and a weeklong trip to San Francisco (for work, people!) I have been away from my desk.

Today’s post is about our HONEYMOON! Since we just put down our final payment and we are officially going, I figured I’d spend some time raving about how awesome it’s going to be and what my worries are-cause it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t worry about SOMETHING.

As you probably know from reading our website, we’re leaving the morning after our wedding (ok, not such a smart move) for the airport and flying to San Juan, PR to embark on an 11 night cruise around the Caribbean. Clearly I’ll be packing my pirate stuff.

For the next 2 weeks (almost) we’ll be gallivanting around 8 ports of call, 2 days at sea, and drinking rum punch until we forget that we just signed our lives away to each other. <-joke. Unless Mother Nature decides it’s not meant to be that way.

*Cue music: Dun dun dunnnnn*

October, as you may already know, is smack dab in the middle of Atlantic Hurricane Season. Is our honeymoon going to get ruined by a hurricane? So far, those who I’ve brought this up to have assured me that the boat will cruise around the storm, but what if this is the MOTHER of them all? What if we can’t even take off? What if our flight is awful and I die of anxiety? Good thing I bought the trip insurance option and have a plethora of sleep aids in my medicine cabinet….

On to the excursions. We started checking out the looooong brochure last night. There are so many different things to do! We could swim with sea turtles, dolphins, or shipwrecks. We could check out scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (what? We’ve already signed up for that? Duh!). We could play with monkeys or kayak down insane jungle rapids! So many decisions to make, and less than 11 weeks to make them in!

Please share any words of cruise wisdom that you might have! Email us at thegishwedding@gmail.com and tell us your favorite port of call, excursion, cruise advice, or anything else you may want us to know before embarking on this long trip together!

75 Days to go!
Love, Sarah

PS: I just noticed that sometime in the last week we had our 1000th visitor! Thanks for checking out our site and following along in my crazy wedding planning adventures! Look out for a website re-vamp soon with new engagement photos, and don’t forget to stay tuned after the wedding for a lifetime of Gishtasticness.

Less Than 3 Months!

The T-3 month mark happened on Saturday, which was a crazy, long wedding-filled day and I had zero time to blog or even think about blogging. This weekend was extremely successful and we got a lot done! So without futher ado…

Friday I worked a half day, and Joey, Doc and I packed up the car and headed to Paoli a little after lunchtime. We left Doc with my parents, and headed out to Strasburg, PA to meet with our wonderful wedding photographers! Included in our wedding day package is a “Getting to Know You” photo session, so of course we took full advantage of this! We had an awesome time. I can’t wait to see the pictures, and of course, I will update the site with some summer shots since it’s a little wintery at the moment! We went to two locations- a gorgeous wildflower trail and (a blast from my past) Strasburg Rail Road. I spent so much time here as a kid, it was really freakin’ cool to take photos there with my husband-to-be.

After our amazing photo session, Joey and Doc headed back to VA for a manly weekend together. I got some things together for Saturday and hit the hay! Saturday morning came very early! My Mom and I got all ready and headed out to Florist #1 bright and early. We finalized all of the reception flowers (centerpieces, cake, etc.). I’m so glad I can check that off my list! Then it was time to get in the car for a surprise bridal shower….. but not for me! One of my childhood best friends, or I guess she could be referred to as family, is getting married the weekend before me!

Congratulations Christy!!
Me, Becky (MOH), Christy (Bride), and Kim (this is her picture)

I enjoyed the Parisian theme, remnants of Disney stuff, and spent way too much time at the chocolate fountain. It was a blast! Before too long, it was time for me to get going. I had a hair and makeup trial to attend. I left my Mom at the shower (she’d find a ride, right?) and headed off to the salon for the most exciting part of the weekend. I’ve heard horror stories about trials before, so I was a little nervous. But everything went great. I was so pleased with how everything looked and I know it will come together perfectly on October 10th! Sorry, no pictures due to a very sneaky groom!!!

The last thing we did on Saturday was finalize the invitations. I was exhausted by the time I got home but I knew if we didn’t make the final decision, we were going to be way behind. So the invitations have been decided upon (and will go out in about a month)! PHEW!

Sunday morning I met with Florist #2 (and got to hang out with bridesmaid Steph!!) and finalized all of my personal flowers and the ceremony flowers. It is going to be so beautiful I can hardly wait!!!!

Then it was off to a train to Virginia. What a crazy but successful weekend. 90 days from today I’ll be getting all ready to go! There’s so much to do and I am ready to do it! Stay tuned for more updates because now things are really going to get crazy!!!!!

Love,
Sarah

100 Days to Go!

Oh Goodness! After today, we’re in the double digits! Wedding plans are coming along swimmingly <-for you, Gage. The entire month of July is completely booked with wedding things. We’re having our first photography session, hair and makeup trial (me, not Joey), meeting with our Officiant, meeting with BOTH florists, making arts and crafts, AND not to mention that my birthday is July 18th and I ALSO just got an invitation to my bridal shower at the end of the month! It’s going to be a crazy one, that’s for sure. We were also supposed to have our cake tasting which I was moy excited about, but they just called and asked to reschedule so I’m slightly bummed. I guess this gives me another month to work on my “wedding diet”… Right.

In other news, I’m preparing for another season with the Capitals as coach of their cheer squad, the Red Rockers. So if you know any pretty ladies in the DC area who love hockey and can do a little dance, send ‘em my way!

Recently I’ve been in love with ordering things online. Currently, I’m waiting for our personalized Thank You Notes and a little somethin’ somethin’ for my bridesmaids ;) OH and I almost forgot, some American Flag running shorts for the Autism Speaks 5k on the 4th of July. Now that’s American!

Other than making appointments and ordering non-necessary wedding things from the internets, life has been pretty relaxing. It’s been nice not to have to rush off to the Caps game after work and to be able to come home and hang out with Doc. We’ve also recently upgraded our entire home theater system, thanks to this cute guy I know. So life is good at the Soon-to-be Gishes. Hope all’s well in your neck of the woods too!

I’ll be back a little bit after our 3 month mark, since it happens to fall in the middle of a JAM packed wedding weekend!

Love,
Sarah

How Many of Me?

So I was checking out http://www.howmanyofme.com and I found out that there are 786,030 people named Sarah Davis in the United States.  Of course, I had to check to see my competition come October 10th! Here's what I learned:
 

Only 118 days to go until I become the 12th!

Love,
Sarah

4 Months to Go!

Ohmigoodness. I cannot believe we’re already in June. Time has been FLYING. Where did April go? May is gone too? What?! I have been crossing so many things off the to-do list lately and I wanted to share a few of them with you, oh loyal followers. (Riiiiight…)

Obviously got the rings, food tasting, and deposit down for the rehearsal dinner per my last post. Other big fun ones include ordering my “something blue”, planning our song list, ordering gifts, reserving the hotel room for my day-of coordinator, finding hair and makeup artists and setting up my trials, scheduling a meeting with both florists (one personal and one with the Desmond), setting up our cake tasting (!!), and setting up our first photography session. Whew!

The other night I was wine-ing and Craigslisting (not usually recommended) and had a fabulous find! Usually I get myself into trouble via Craigslist (example: my 5 pound bundle of HELL.) This time, I found a bride who, in haste on her wedding day, forgot her 143 wedding bubbles tied with purple ribbon. She asked for $15. Um, HELLO, how silly would I be to not go for that?! This involved a spectacular road trip (by my lonesome) last evening up to White Marsh town center in Baltimore, but I came home with the goods!

The next BIG ticket item is the INVITATIONS. We decided to go for it and make our own, so there’s been lots of emailing going back and forth between a crafty bridesmaid, myself, and my Mom. Hopefully we can get it just right and order them soon!! Other fun things I’m currently working on: finding some borrowed/old bridal jewelry, setting up another weekend with our Officiant and finalizing the ceremony music with the quartet. So much to do!

I am getting sooo excited about all the fun things I get to do in the next 4 months. I cannot believe 4 months from today I’ll be sitting in my parent’s kitchen eating brunch and getting my hair/makeup done. Time has really been flying. Thank goodness I’m off to the beach soon for some R&R.

122 days to go!

Love,
Sarah

Meet the Parents

We have had an extremely productive weekend!  Let's start with Friday.  After work, Joey and I headed over to the Jared Galleria of Jewelry which is practically across the street from our apartment.  We were going just to look at wedding bands to get an idea of what we liked, but knowing our impulsive nature I should've realized we'd be walking out with our wedding bands purchased!  We tried on alot of rings, some that were just ridiculously blingy, but it was so much fun!  The nice lady even cleaned my engagement ring for me. Who knew how dirty it could get in 7 months! It looks like a whole new ring!  I won't post the pictures of our rings on this blog... you'll have to wait til the wedding day to see!

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early.  Joey's parents (Joe and Diane) arrived at our apartment at 9am.  After a quick tour, we all (including Doc) jumped into the car for the 3 hour ride to Paoli.  We got to my parent's house around lunchtime, and Dakota came right out to greet us. It was time for the BIG meeting! This was the first time our parents had ever met each other! Of course they got along great.  Our Dads were scheming which color of camo to wear to the wedding and our Moms were making fun of me for being such a worrywart about Doc.  I got to visit with my MOH/Little Sis Laura, and we went upstairs to check out THE DRESS. It was the first time I'd seen it in person and it is still so beautiful.

After visiting and letting the doggies play, it was time to head over to the Desmond for our tasting!  We gave Diane and Joe a tour of the cocktail area, ballroom, and wedding gazebo before we all sat down to a huge meal.  Here's a pic of one of the dishes we tried:

After being STUFFED with delicious entrees and desserts, we packed up and headed over to the General Warren Inne to work on some Rehearsal Dinner things.  We got to choose the room (Admiral Vernon Room!) and chatted about the menu. We grabbed Doc from my parent's house and headed back to VA, arriving around 9pm. It was a LONG day!

Today (Sunday) I stopped by Jared to pick up our wedding bands, but since it didn't open until 12 I had some time to kill!  I grabbed some coffee and stopped at Petsmart, Walmart and Bed, Bath, and Beyond where I got some new drapes and throw pillows for the living room. I feel like such an old lady for being so excited about this... Here's a pic of our new swag plus a sleeping puppy.  And YES, his shirt says "Size Doesn't Matter".  Whatever...Joey said I could.

Well, it's been an extremely long weekend.  The apartment is clean due to the (future) in-law's visit, so what's a girl to do? Looks like I'll be snuggling with my pup and sipping that merlot I grabbed on sale at Walmart.  Well folks, my job here is done.  Stay tuned in a few more days for a more solid update as we reach the *gasp* 4 MONTH MARK!!!!!!!!

126 Days to Go!

Love,
Sarah

Until the Rum is Gone...

So the other night I had a crazy dream that I was getting dressed on my wedding day and my dress was covered in black lace and very sexual looking, with red and white stripes underneath the skirt part.... sort of like a pirate wedding dress... (I scoured the internet for a picture of what I dreamed about but alas there was nothing in real life that matched what my brain concocted on it's own.) My Dad was telling me that I would regret this choice of attire in a couple years and I was thinking 'no way!'.  Then I woke up feeling slightly guilty and thinking maybe I should've listened to my Dad.  THEN I remembered what my dress actually  looks like and that it is hanging in my closet in PA and that it is NOT black lace with red/white stripes.  THANK GOODNESS.

Whilst in my search for the perfect pirate wedding dress photograph, I came across some wedding vows that well, my fiance would not allow at ALL.  But I enjoyed reading them and thus will pass them along to you.

Groom: I, Mad Dog Joey take ye, Saucy Sarah as me Heart, me Soul, me Good Wench with a stout right hook, the bright dawn of each new day and the soft bed of each day's night. I promise to love ye and honor ye; to make ye laugh when yer feelin' out of sorts and pretend to listen to ye when ye babble on and on about nothin' in particular. I will protect you from the elements and the elephants should we ever encounter them as it is my understanding that they can be very large and unpredictable. I will love thee through scurvy and through fire, in wealth or poverty whether ye be near or far. And when I speak of treasure, as I am wont to do, everyone within the sound of me voice will know that what I am really speaking about is you. All of this will I undertake until there are no horizons left to chase and the rum is gone.

Bride: I, Saucy Sarah take ye, Mad Dog Joey as me Heart, me Soul, me Salty Jack with a crooked smile, the foggy haze of each new day and the lumpy (but familiar) mattress of each day's night. I promise to love ye and honor ye; to make ye laugh so hard the rum comes out yer nose and pretend to listen to ye when ye babble on about nothin' in particular. I will protect you from my wrath and from giraffes which I understand are very tall and will sometimes step on people because they are not looking where they are stepping. I will love thee through scurvy and through fire, in wealth or poverty whether ye be near or far. And when I speak of treasure, as I am wont to do, everyone within the sound of me voice will know that I am day dreaming again. All of this will I undertake until there are no horizons left to chase and the rum is gone.

So what do you think?? I think Joey will DEFINITELY go for it.  Get excited because our TASTING is this weekend and I will definitely be doing a write-up about that!!

Love,
Sarah
PS: ONLY 131 DAYS LEFT!

The Dress is IN!

I just wanted to post quickly because MY WEDDING DRESS CAME IN TODAY!!! AHHH!! And I'm really excited about it in case you couldn't tell!!!

OK OK OK that is NOT my dress..... but if you want some cheap entertainment check out http://www.uglydress.com to see some fabulously ugly wedding and bridesmaid dresses, as well as some tacky ceremonies...

Also I have been a wedding machine in the past week! We have visited Men's Warehouse, booked our tasting with the caterer AND the GTKY photo session with our photographer, and I've ordered some goodies for my bridesmaids and for the wedding day! I'm having so much fun! Next up: Buying the wedding rings... dun dun dunnnnn!

That's all for now! Only 144 days to go!
Love,
Sarah

5 Months to go!!

So, what has been happening in the world of the Gish Wedding? Lots of random things, but nothing too crazy! Doc has settled in very nicely. A little too nicely, in fact. His little attitude is really starting to show, and sometimes it’s really hard not to laugh when punishing him for his misdeeds, cause his little facial expressions are priceless. It’s like he knows exactly what he’s doing and that he can get away with it cause he’s cute…

I’ll admit I’ve been slacking in the wedding department. It’s just not fun when you don’t have oodles of money floating around… BUT you are currently witnessing my vow to get back on the horse this month and really knock some of the things off my “To Do List”!

Other fun happenings in April:
• Bridesmaid Gage helped create our wedding invitations
• My Mom and I went on a crazy trek to collect as many pieces of a very rare paper design/type as possible for the table centerpieces
• My bridesmaids have started ordering their dresses!!
• My wedding shoes are in!

My “To Do List” for May:
• Go to Men’s Warehouse with Joey to pick out Tuxes!!
• Wedding ring shopping!
• Food tasting with the caterer
• Getting to know you session with our photographer
• Finalizing the Ceremony with our Officiant

Looks like it’s going to be a fun filled month! I am getting more and more excited as the wedding gets closer. Also many of my friends have gotten married recently and looking at their photos makes me excited for our day! Only 153 days to go!

Love,
Sarah

Stop, Drop and Roll!

Having a brother who's a firefighter is a pretty cool deal.  Let's take for example the summer when he um...didn't have his license... and I got to drive him to fire calls! With the blue lights on and everything!  It's also cool when his department gets called to a fire at the 265 year old restaurant where your rehearsal dinner is taking place... what?!

Luckily, my Mom sent me the article from Main Line Media News and it appears the fire was small and things should be back to normal pretty quickly.  Phew! Crisis averted!

Check out the article and watch the video here.  I'm thankful that nobody was hurt, including the building structure.  For more information on the General Warren Inne visit www.generalwarren.com.

I'll be back in a few days with our 5-months-to-go update!

Love,
Sarah