Wed Wednesday: Kelly and Michael

 How did you get engaged?When I'm asked about how Michael and I got engaged, I like to tell the story of what i'll refer to as the 'pre-proposal'. Our relationship was long distance until the wedding. Michael was working in Boston, and I was living in Rochester. For one of my visits out there in the fall of 2007, Michael had planned a surprise adventure for us. He left a note for me in the morning, instructing me to meet him at a particular T stop when he got out of teaching at the BAC. We had an awesome breakfast of the world's best french toast & mimosas, and then we were going back to his apartment to pack for our excursion. Now, I was fairly good at navigating through Boston at this point, so the fact that we didn't take the same route back to the T threw me a bit. Still, we walked a while longer until we got to this one corner. He stopped and said "we are still going on a trip today, but this is the real surprise. Behind you is the jeweler who is going to be making your engagement ring". Of course this was followed by many more sweet nothings, but that was the moment that I started having that 'out of body' experience that you often hear about. The rest of the day was spent driving through White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire- a completely gorgeous drive in the fall. The official proposal came about a month later on his visit into Rochester over thanksgiving weekend. All I'll say about that perfect day is that it involved a lot of sweet promises, tears, smiles, & elated phone calls!Where did you get married & when?September 6, 2008 at St. Pius X, my childhood parish.What was the best part about planning a wedding?The best part about planning for our wedding was trying to mesh both of our styles into one vision for our day. I'll admit that blending the aesthetics of an architect and a folksy illustrator who loves flowers was at times, a challenge. Thankfully, we both love a good challenge.  Some decisions were made together & easily, like finding our photographer (John Larkin, who we both loved!). Of course, I took it upon myself to work on bouquets and table arrangements. A girl's gotta pick her own flowers, am I right? :)What was your favorite part of your wedding?I loved every minute of our wedding day. There are so many details & moments that will stay with me forever.  I was told many times leading up to that day that it would go by too fast, and to step away every now and then to help slow things down. Taking those moments to myself helped me see everyone else. The morning at home was completely wonderful. My bridal party came early to get ready together and really helped build the anticipation while we enjoyed a spread of fruit, cheese & crackers, & mimosas. Of the more emotional parts of the day, my Dad wins. Maybe my favorite photo from the day is one that perfectly captures the moment when I saw how proud he was of me.  We also shared a sweet dance to 'my girl'- gotta love the classics! Other moments that constantly make me smile include: not being able to get Michael's ring on during the ceremony, the amount of love that I felt in having all of our closest friends and family witness our promise to each other, and the INSANE dance party that was to follow!Advice for brides in the planning stages?Your day will be perfect. I can say this because at the end of it, you will have succeeded in making your best friend your forever mate. That guy or gal that inspired you to adopt a new giddiness towards life will forever have your back. Things may not go exactly as you planned out in your bridal binder. There might be a handful of people that won't understand the time and effort spent wrapping those handmade favors in coordinating twine, or labeling your tables with photos from your past dates. But trust that every bit of your wedding day will reflect the thankfulness you have for your guests, the love that the two of you have for each other, and maybe a bit of the compromises you've made already, too. <3Want to be a part of this series? Email us at hello @ sugarandtype.com and be sure to follow along at our facebook page!