the heart has reasons that reason cannot know

drumroll please…

librarian2be — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:24:56 +0000

Ben and I are getting married Saturday, November 6, 2010, in the Wren Chapel in Williamsburg, Va.

Some fun facts about the Wren Chapel:

- the chapel is located in the Sir Christopher Wren Building, the oldest academic building still in use in the United States

- only William & Mary alumni, faculty/staff members, or children of alumni of faculty/staff members can be married in the chapel

- the chapel contains an organ from the 1700′s on loan from Colonial Williamsburg. Only approved organists can play the instrument for weddings

- there is a strict 120 guest limit for weddings in the chapel

- decorations in the chapel are limited. The Wren Building tends to be quite flamable (it’s burned down 3 times), not to mention old, so candles and thumb tacks are discouraged naturally

bridesmaid dresses

librarian2be — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:18:42 +0000

You would think that deciding what everyone is going to wear in your wedding would be fun. I mean, I do like controlling things, but this is actually a little stressful. I really want my bridesmaids to feel beautiful and comfortable at my wedding, so their input is important. One of the main reasons I decided to do this blog (I’m a terrible blogger) is so they could post comments and ideas without me having to call them every other day (I’m also a terrible phone talker). So, bridesmaids (and anyone else), comment!

In this post, I’m going to include a few example I found on Nordstrom’s website. So here goes…

Dress #1:

This is the Adrianna Papell Gathered Dress in “port.” I love the color and the sheen. Plus, reviewers felt it was flattering on multiple body shapes, and my little sister Krystle (the maid of honor) liked this style in a different dress. This is a top favorite of mine so far. Cost: $168

Dress #2:

This dress is obviously very similar to the first one, but not as shiny. It’s by Maggy London in eggplant. Cost: $158, on sale now for $104.90.

Dress #3:

I also like this dress. It’s a Calvin Klein satin dress in eggplant. The problems with this dress are the low v-neck and the low back. I don’t think any of my bridesmaids are busty enough to fall out of this dress, but I know it would make wearing a bra of any sort difficult. Also, I know one of my bridesmaids would probably be uncomfortable with this one. It’s pretty though. Cost: $148

the wren building

librarian2be — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 02:27:18 +0000

Ben and I haven’t picked a date yet, but we’re leaning towards April 2011. It’s kind of far away, but I’ll have a week off for Spring Break (assuming I’m in a school ::crosses fingers::). That being said, we don’t know where we’re getting married either. It will either be somewhere in Roanoke, Va or in Williamsburg, Va. I’m partial to Williamsburg since I went to school there, and who doesn’t want to get married in a 300-year-old chapel (well, it’s been rebuilt a few times)?! What do you think? Would you get married here?

It’s pretty plain inside, but it is modeled after 17th century English chapels. Seating is limited to 120 people, which could be a problem since my family is huuuuge, but it might be kinda nice. I’d at least have a nice excuse not to invite every person I’ve ever met. Decorations are limited too; you can put down a runner, tie bows to the pews, and place flowers on the table in the front.

If the inside doesn’t impress you, how about the outside?

The chapel is in the wing to the right. I mean, what a beautiful place for a wedding. William and Mary, not to mention Colonial Williamsburg, has so many gorgeous spots for pictures. Like the Crim Dell…

My only problem is that I feel bad asking everyone to drive to Williamsburg. It’s only 3 hours, but still, it’s an extra expense and time commitment. We could get married in Roanoke, but I don’t know where. Neither Ben nor I go to church regularly, so we’d have to find somewhere/someone to marry us (another thing I wouldn’t have to worry about in the Wren Chapel!). Of course, Ben would tell me that we have a long time to figure it out, but he should know better. He should have knows that as soon as he asked me to marry him, I would immediately beging to plan or it would drive me crazy. So I’m crazy, but at least I get to look at pretty dresses.

introduction

librarian2be — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:55:40 +0000

So I’m getting married sometime in the next year or so! Exciting, right? Right. I like weddings, and I like planning things, so this whole wedding deal is right up my ally. The only problem is that I tend to be inclusive and occasionally indecisive. Sooo, I decided to start a blog about the whole process. That way, my lovely wedding party and any other interested parties can see how everything is going without me having to call/email them every five minutes. Plus, everyone can comment and make suggestions (like, “Wow, that bridesmaid dress is really ugly!”) – the beauty of blogs. Maybe I’m really starting this blog as an excuse not to do my homework for library school (hence the “librarian2be” username), but whatever.

Anyways, I believe I’ll make some preliminary introductions.

the bride and groom.

I’m about to become Mrs. Benjamin van Ooyen (translation: /oi/ rhymes with “boy” + /yen/ like the Japanese currency). I’m pretty sure even my own family doesn’t always remember how to say Ben’s name, so I’m helping everyone out. Americans just can’t figure out all those extra vowels in Dutch words.

the proposal.

Everyone always wants to know how he did it, so here it is. Ben and I are pretty laid back, so we were spending a cold, rainy Monday catching up on our favorite tv shows. We had just finished watching Grey’s Anatomy, which is really depressing show, so I was sad. My mom and sister had also just left after visiting me for my birthday, which contributed to my sadness. So we were just laying there, and Ben said, “I’ll be right back,” and he went into the bedroom. He came back out and sat back down with me. He said, “I want you to be happy,” and I said, “I will be happy.” Then he said, “But I want you to be happy now, and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Then he got down on one knee and pulled out the ring. It was a perfect proposal for our relaxed style. Plus, he surprised me, which I thought would be impossible.

the ring.

Now, what you all really want to see… the ring!

It’s from a store in Chapel Hill, NC that sells jewelry that’s crafted by local goldsmiths. The guy who made this ring actually walked into the store when Ben and I were looking at rings. The picture doesn’t really do it justice, and it especially doesn’t show how sparkly it is. I’m going to take a picture in natural light as soon as my camera decides to start focusing again.

So there you have it, blog world: the couple, the engagement, and the ring. All of the basics.