Golden rose, the color of the dream I had

Thanks to my visionary cousin Kendra, we now have a color scheme!  It's fun and a little different than typical fall colors.  I'm super excited to play with the flower possibilies... For now I'll have to keep myself busy making an etsy treasury full of inspiration in fig, blush, mustard, navy and espresso.  I couldn't help but add some aqua to the treasury, simply because it's my favorite color.

Save-the-Date...which date would that be?

I am currently in cahoots with Cate, a friend of a friend, who will be designing our wedding stationary.  The first hurdle will be our Save-the-Dates, which we're hoping to get out by the summer.

  Richard and I are having a hard time deciding what we like...   Both of us very much want a vintage feel to go with the style of the location as well as our own personal styles.  We want music to be a big part of the day, so we like the trend of concert poster-esque wedding stationary.  Here are some awesome letter press choices from Etsy shops Something Blue and Tweedle Press.  I am absolutely loving all of them.

Maintaining my little girl dream...with a little girl in tow

I have been engaged for what feel like forever.  Richard asked me to marry him on Christmas Day 2008.  We had planned on having a long engagement as my brother and sister-in-law were in the process of planning their wedding.  Our plan on a year-long engagement turned into what is now in it's third year... Why, you may ask?  That would be because of the most divine surprise either Richard or myself have ever been blessed with, our daughter, Lily-Mae.  

And while I did feel a little temptation (not to mention many suggestions from friends and family) to go ahead and have a small wedding before she was born, I opted to hold out.  I want what every girl wants... a beautiful and love-filled day will all of my friends and family.  I did not want to waddle down the isle.  And you know what?  I'm happy we waited... if Richard and I can survive the first year of parenthood and emerge stronger, better, more sensitive people, then we can most certainly take the plunge without reserve!  

I mean, have had the pleasure of getting to know this man in a way that nobody else has known him, in the role of father.  Being parents together has added such an enlightening new dimension to our relationship.  I found that the man that I couldn't get enough of--the man I fell so deeply in love with--was only a shadow of the man I will have the honor of calling my husband.  When I thought I couldn't love him more, he held my hand as I gave birth to our first child.  I am so excited to see both of their shining faces waiting for me on the other end of the isle.

Now we'll have the world's most beautiful flower girl.  How exciting it's going to be to find her the perfect little dress!  She'll be two and half then, as we're planning for October of 2012.  

While we are still getting our date finalized, we are most certainly set on the place...

Highland Springs Resort is exactly what we both pictured.  It's a really beautiful resort that has an organic herb farm on the property and thousands of acres of beautiful rolling hills and open fields in a beautiful little pocket of Cherry Valley, CA  

We fell in love with the place after attending their annual Lavender Festival last year.  It's truly a charming little place with rich history and a lot of character.  We're planning to staying overnight for the festival this year to get a feel for the accommodations and to check out some of the hiking trails.  

This is Richard and Lily-Mae at last year's festival.  

Can't wait to see how much she has grown in this year's pictures!