Brides against breast cancer

I am volunteering at a dress sale for Brides against breast cancer (http://bridesagainstbreastcancer.org/) I am doing it for 2 reasons. 1) I haven't done alot of dress shopping and i think it would be fun to kinda look around. 2) I feel like good things come to people who do GOOD for others (if that makes sense lol) This past week, my grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Luckily it was caught early so he should be okay after a little treatment! Cancer scares me, because it seems like there are so many forms and it spreads so quickly at times. Anywho......back to the sale!

I am probably going to cry like a baby the whole time i'm there! Helping a girl find "the dress" is like the most rewarding thing I can do as a bride. I cry when I watch wedding shows so.....i'll be a mess LOL. I'm very excited to meet new people and meet some other brides around the city! Ill post when I get back!!!!

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Thisss weekend

This weekend I went to Iowa to see my college roomie Kelly and other college friend stephanie. We had a BLAST! We went shopping and ate more in 2 days than I have eaten all week LOL. Stephanie is 6 months pregnant so I got to use her as an excuse for over eating LOL.

So I thought that since I was in town, this would be a perfect time to ask these ladies to be my bridesmaids. They are 2 of 7 but they don't really know the other girls so I figured I could ask them b4 I officially ask the others. I had already talked to Kelly about it, but didn't formally ask. So I found these cards at http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/ This website is AWESOME!!! You can personalize the card and even change what was already written. The coolest thing was that you can mail them directly from the website. Anywho...... Here is a pic

So I got there on Saturday and we went to Pancheros (ahhhh that place brings back crazy college memories) for a qhick bit to eat. We were going dress shopping right after lunch, so I decided to ask them then so we caould look for bm dresses at the same time. SO I ASKED.......and they said yes (of course lol) They were pretty excited about it :)

So we went shopping and I believe I found THE dress!!! The only problem is that it was a size 8....and I am a 14 LOL. I held it up to me and tried on some that were similar and STILL loved it. I'm going to look around here b/c i'm sure I will find a bigger selection. Here is a pic.....

*imagine in ivory*

So since Steph is preggos...I had Kelly try on a bunch of dresses! Some were sereious and some were just for fun! Here are some photos :)

*With Steph holding up my dress*

*Yeah RIGHT lol*

I had a great weekend :) The girls were such troopers and that is why I LOVE them!! I can't wait for everything to come together!

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It's finally starting to happen!!!!!

We started looking for venues!!!!!!! On Tuesday I went to The Odyssey Country Club in Tinley Park. I loved it as soon as I drove up and saw the front of the club. I met with Jacquelyn who was WONDERFUL! There were things that I liked as well as things that were deal breakers. I loved the view from the upstairs rooms. It showed how beautiful the golf course and gazebo area looked. I could only imagine how it would look in the spring/summer. The prices were very reasonable also. The things I didn't like were the ugly carpet and the fact that they can have up to 3 weddings at the same time. My fiance doesn't ask for much, but he really wanted our wedding to be the only wedding at the venue. After I left there, I went to Silver Lake Country Club in Orland Park. I HATED IT. It reminded me of a park district community center. Also, the man who showed me around was the worst ever. He wasn't very friendly or even excited to sell me the venue. So SLCC is a big fat NO!

Yesterday, my mom took the day off of work to go with me to look at venues in Joliet. I fell in love with 2 out of 3! The first place we went to was The Joliet Union Station- Ballroom. I loved everything about it! The colors were neutral on everything from the floor to the walls to the chairs. They only have 1 wedding at a time so the whole place is ours! We even have the option to get married outside on the balcony overlooking the downtown area. The only thing I didn't like was that if by chance we have to have the ceremony inside, it will be in the same room as the reception. It would be OK if the place wasn't so small and had some sort of cocktail reception area. However, if the weather is nice outside, people can stand on the balcony for the cocktail hour. We'll see!!!!! I was very impressed with the service. The lady that showed us around was SOOOO nice! She was very accommodating and willing to help us out in any way she could.

After we left there, we went to the Patrick Haley Mansion. HANDS DOWN..the best place yet! I LOVED IT. I loved the fact that we would have the whole mansion for the night. I was laughing the whole time because it looked like a house on a plantation in the south.... But after we went in and saw the ballroom it was it perfect for me. It is BEAUTIFUL and all white. It looked the same as the train station set up (they are owned by the same company) but it was on a much larger scale! The dance floor was HUGE and there was lots of room for people to walk around. There is a beautiful garden area where we can have an outdoor wedding, complete with fountains and lights. If the weather is yucky, they can move it into the area that is the dance floor. I wouldn't mind having the reception in the same area at this venue because it is so big. The best part for me was that the food is prepared in the Mansion. I also liked the fact that we are allowed to bring in framed pictures to put all over the mansion to make it more OUR home. I am so in love with this place!!!

So since we were in the area, we went to the Jacob Henry Mansion to look around. I absolutely hated it. I was so ugly! Carpet, walls, decorations everything was tacky! I won't really give more details lol. The one thing I liked about the venue was that they had an old church on location. It was beautiful! Stain glass windows, pipe organ and a huge pulpit. I loved it. The best part was that we could rent the church without having to use the mansion!!!

So in the end....we decided that if we could swing the numbers, the Mansion is number 1! If we can't afford that, we will do the ceremony at the church and then drive to the Union Station. I absolutely love these two venues!!!! We will be looking around places in the city next week and hopefully make a decision in the next 2 weeks! Ahhhhhhhhhhh It's finally coming together!

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I'm pretty sure i'm allergic to working out.....

So........

I'm trying this whole workout thing. I don't want to but I don't want to be a fatty on my wedding day!! Me and my MOH Lia are meeting with a personal trainer and everything! We went last night and I felt like I was gonna die at bedtime! That is my post for today........lol

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HISTORY

This post isnt wedding related at all!! Today is a historic day for EVERY American! It's not just a black/white thing....it should be historic for every American. I watched the inauguration with my mom, and two of her friends while we had a brunch at my moms house. I can't explain the emotions that I felt as I saw Barack Obama get sworn into office. This election will always be a MAJOR part of history. He is the first African American president of the United States of America. I am so blessed to have been able to have witnessed this day :)

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Planning BIO and THE WEEKEND!!!

Like many other knotties, I decided to make a planning bio! I did it for two reasons 1. I lost all of my saved wedding plans when my computer crashed, so this is a perfect oppurtunity to put things in a safe place.... 2. I get bored during the and it gives me something to do LOL

So....My friend Kara is coming to town from Iowa tomorrow and I am SOOOO excited!!! I haven't seen her in maybe 2 years which is odd because we talk almost everyday. I wish it was going to be warmer but since today was -11 degrees...i dont think "warm" is an option for a very long time!!! So I will be crashing at Anne's LOVELY apartment downtown in the loop and a have a MUCH NEEDED girls weekend. So fricken excited....

I think I should go to bed now...seeing that it is 5:30 a.m. and I have yet to go to sleep. I have a job interview at 11 a.m. and I have to be BRIGHT EYED AND BUSHY TAILED! I don't even talk like that.....I must be tired :)

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And it begins...

I always thought blogging online was kinda creepy but now I think it's mandatory as a bride to be. There is so much that goes into planning a wedding!!!!! So.......here we go!!!!

My name is Janea and my fiance's name is Ryan. We got engaged on July 5, 2008 in Waterloo, IA while we were at my family reunion. It was a wonderful moment that I will never forget. So...fast forward to now. WE DON'T HAVE A DATE YET!!!! We originally wanted to get married on July 25, 2009 which would have been exactly 2 years of being together. Because of our indecisiveness (did I make that word up?) we decided to push it back. Some of Ryan's groomsmen will still be playing football next year so we have to plan our wedding around football season. We live in Chicago so we CAN NOT have a winter wedding, so we now have it narrowed down to March 13, 2010 or May 8, 2010. I will keep everyone posted on that madness!!!

So.... I should be sleeping but I am up messing around on the knot. I went to bed at 4 a.m. this morning after online shopping for HOURS. Then...i woke up at 8 to get ready for a day of shopping. Im freakin tired....but now im gonna be up all night figured this blog stuff out! Geesh...

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