Change of Venue

Disregard my previous post. We changed our minds.

Last weekend, my mom and sister went to the Raquet Club (I couldn't make it) to see the set up of a Saturday evening wedding reception. They wanted to get a feel for the layout and see what the space would look like "in action." Needless to say, they weren't excited. They arrived after 3 p.m. when most of the preparations were complete and were disappointed. It just wasn't what they thought it would be. I, too, had been having doubts since we booked it.

So after some discussion, we decided to cancel our reservations at Raquet Club and go with our other favorite venue: Chickasaw Country Club.

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Last month, we had narrowed our options down to these two places and (obviously) selected Raquet Club. Brian was fine with either one and allowed me to make the final decision. Maybe it's "buyer's remorse," maybe I'm being too nit-picky, but all I know is I feel relieved that we made the switch! I feel that we've made the right choice once and for all.

Monteagle: Part 2

Each morning of our weekend getaway, Brian and I went for a run on Sewanee's campus. These runs were HARD thanks to all the hills. There were a lot of pretty sights to see, though, as we huffed and puffed along.

On our Saturday morning jog, we ran to the cross, a prominent landmark on campus. The view from here is breath-taking.



It's neat to see other parts of the campus, too, because Brian's parents graduated from Sewanee, and Meg goes there now. The college is so different from UT -- so quaint and secluded. Brian's parents got married at this church (called All Saints Chapel).

I love hearing about his parents' college experiences. In fact, we re-instated one of their favorite pastimes this weekend: the PBR Classic. It was an annual fraternity golf tournament -- centered around Pabst Blue Ribbon beer -- that his parents used to participate in during college. Technically, Brian re-instated the tournament last year with his parents, but this was the first time I've played. We promised to continue the tradition this year with the second annual Welton PBR Classic. Just we four golfers, nine holes and 12 PBRs. No score keeping.

To make it official, Brian and I had T-shirts made and surprised his parents with them.

We played the "tournament" Saturday afternoon and had a blast! It was my first time to ever play golf, and I learned the game is much harder than it looks. Much harder. But I had fun, and the Weltons had patience, so it was a success!

The rest of the weekend was spent eating good food, lounging at the pool and reading. I had such a great time!

God Bless America... and Monteagle

I thoroughly enjoyed my four-day Memorial Day weekend.

On Friday, Brian and I headed to Monteagle, Tenn. -- just outside of Sewanee's campus -- where his parents had rented a log cabin for the four of us. I've been to the same cabin (called "Lagniappe") twice before -- once with the Weltons and once for Brooke's bachelorette party last summer. It's a nice, new cabin on a scenic lot -- luxury in the woods!

My favorite part is the back balcony, which has a gorgeous view.

Brian's parents beat us to the cabin Friday afternoon and had done most of the unpacking by the time we arrived. Right away I wanted to see his parents' lot, which is in the same neighborhood as the cabin we rented!  They bought a great piece of land overlooking a creek last year. Plans to build their own cabin are in the making.

After a full tour of the lot, we returned to cabin and enjoyed a relaxing evening full of wine and steak!

Amazing!! And more to come...

Reception Venue, Check!

Slowly but surely, we're crossing things off of our wedding to-do list. Yesterday, we finally booked our reception venue -- Raquet Club of Memphis. My mom and I have looked at several venues in the past two months. We've seen...

• Ridgeway Country Club
• South Main 409
• Hunt Phelan
• Dixon Gallery & Gardens
• Memphis Botanic Garden
• Brooks Museum
• Tower Room
• Chickasaw Country Club

Several of these places were awesome, but in the end, the Raquet Club had the most of what we wanted.

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Here's what we like about it:

• Central location and not too far from the church
• Easy parking for guests
• Classy atmosphere, but not too formal
• Plenty of space inside
• A layout that's not too spread out
• Wooden floors, so we don't have to rent a dance floor
• Don't need an outside caterer
• Decent menu with a lot of options
• Tables/chairs/linens included
• All inside space (Weather in May can be unpredictable.)
• Helpful, friendly staff

Of course, there are some cons about the place, too, but I think it will be a great reception!

Having our venue booked is a big relief. Even though we still have an entire year to plan, May 19 is a popular wedding date, and I didn't want someone else to book it first!

We've already arranged for our wedding at St. George's Episcopal Church.

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And booked our band -- the Soul Shockers! 

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Up next: photography and videography!

Brian's Proposal

One year from today, Brian and I will be married! Our wedding date is set for May 19, 2012, and I'm so excited. In lieu of our future wedding date, I asked Brian to write a "guest post" about his propsal. He proposed in March while we were at the beach with friends. I was shocked. Here's his account:

Hillary asked that I write a blog post regarding my proposal and our engagement during our trip to Florida.  The trip down to Florida with Daniel, Brooke, Luke, and Emily reminded me of the Lord of the Rings and my duty, like Frodo, to carry the ring safely to its final destination. 

               

During our drive from my apartment in Birmingham to Seagrove, Florida, the ring seemed to burn a whole in my mind.  It was safely hidden in my suitcase where Hillary could not find it, just in case she had the slightest inclination I might be proposing and decided to search for it.  I knew that I wanted to propose the first evening we were down there so we could celebrate the rest of the trip.  All three floors of the house we rented had a balcony, and my plan was to propose on the top balcony (where you could see the ocean) over drinks with friends as the sun set.  I wanted to stay agile with my plans in case the evening's events changed. 

             

We arrived at the house late afternoon, and once we finished unpacking, everyone wanted to go up to the top porch to have drinks.  My plan was falling in to place perfectly.  Brooke began taking pictures, and I asked if she would take a picture of us.  I had already grabbed the ring from my bag and put it into my pocket so I could propose when the timing was perfect.  I got down on one knee and completely surprised Hillary by asking her to marry me.  The only words she thought to say were, “Are you kidding me?”  No, Hillary.  I’m down on one knee with a piece of compressed carbon in my hand.  I am not kidding.  To my relief, she said yes. 

We loved being able to celebrate the evening with friends and really enjoy the rest of our time at the beach. 

I am so fortunate to have found someone that makes me so happy, and I look forward to spending the rest of my life with her.

Mother's Day 2011

Tonight we celebrated Mother's Day. Yes, it's six days late, but last weekend my mom and dad were in Knoxville, Tenn., picking up Leah from school for the summer. So today -- with Leah and me at home -- was the perfect day to celebrate our mother.

Our mom always cooks homemade, delicious meals every single night. She's a great cook (she'd fully deny it, though). Tonight, we wanted to give her the night off and cook something she loves: pasta.

Our evening started with sauteed, seasoned shrimp and cheese and crackers. And chardonnay, of course.

Our "entree" was nothing fancy -- just linguine pasta with marinara and mushrooms, broccolini, garlic bread and a spinach salad.

No dinner party would be complete without a flower arrangement as a centerpiece.

Dinner was pretty good, but most importantly, the company was great. I am going to cherish these times I have left with just the four of us -- mom, dad, Leah and me. :)

48 Feet and Rising

I decided to head downtown today to check out the historic flooding of the Mississippi River. It's an odd sight to see -- part of Riverside Drive is completely under water, crowds of people with cameras (like me) are gathered, gawking, and national media stations are staked out.

The photo below was taken at Riverside Drive and Beale Street.