Signature Colors

I actually spent the better portion of a week debating this. Which colors really define "us" as a couple? I had nooooo idea. I thought for a quick second about using brown and sage green, since those are the colors we chose to decorate our entire apartment with (from the drapes to the bedspread, right down to the shower curtain and hand towels!) But after an afternoon of staring at inspiration photos of green and brown weddings, I came to the conclusion that we were just brown and greened out. I had seen enough brown and green to last me a lifetime! We needed something new, something with some pop and bright color to it. Something that said..."us".

It was during our first month of engagement that I finally had it. Matthew was away for business training, and we spoke on the phone each night in place of getting to actually see each other. It was on one such phone call that inspiration struck! We were going back and forth with the cheesy "get to know you...what's my favorite" questions. When we came to color, I said his favorite was brown. It's true. He wears it all the time. Every chance he gets. He said mine was pink. I looked around...it's true! I not only own a pleathora of pink items, but most of what I wear consists of some shade of pink. And so it was decided: a deep shade of pink, and chocolate brown would be our colors! And it is completely "us".

A venue and a date

It's official. We are going to be married at the Otesaga Hotel on Lake Otsego, Cooperstown, NY, on October 9, 2011. Ceremony at 3:30 immediately followed by a reception in the ballroom. I'm extremely excited! 464 days to go!!

Engaged!

We are officially engaged! It was perfect. A lovely picnic on Lake Otsego, where we met, was followed by a huge surprise for me! Matthew went "to the bathroom" before we left the lake for dinner, and came back with his backpack.

"Why do you need your backpack??" inquisitive little me asked. "I bought you something for our anniversary." he says. We NEVER buy each other gifts. Uh-oh, I think. I knew I should have bought those John Mayer tickets he was begging for!

"If you want it, you have to close your eyes". Ok. Done. I open them, and see this perfect, sparkling diamond staring back at me. "What are you doing?" I ask. He looks at me, as if he cannot see anything else in the entire world, and simply asks, "Will you marry me?" I scream "YES!!" and hug him so tight we both fall over into the grass. It's the happiest moment of my life.

After he finally gets me into the car (I cannot stop staring at the ring) I realize I need to call my mom and tell her the good news! We're on our way to the restaurant for our anniversary dinner. He won't let me call! He keeps making up lame excuses that I know aren't true..."I need you to tell me how to get there" (wrong, being from Cooperstown both of us know exactly how to get to Cherry Valley)..."you'll have plenty of time when we get there" (wrong, you set the GPS yourself silly, which is telling me we're actually going to be 10 minutes late). But I play along and assume I'll call when I get to the restaurant.

Once we get there, I walk inside to both of our families sitting at a table for a surprise engagement party! It was a perfect evening...the first of 70 years of perfect evenings to come