Say YES to the dress!

I HAVE MY DRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I looked through EVERY SINGLE dress on theknot.com. I mean dresses I couldn't afford in my wildest dreams. & I fell in love with THE dress. & that dress is hanging in my closet as of.. today!
I took a HUGE risk- & it totally was worth it. YAY!


p.s. the photo is for prop purposes only- not my dress.

There are many rewards & challenges that come with a Friday night wedding. One of the questions we have been facing is the starting time of the ceremony since most people will be working on our wedding day! So, I thought I would ask all of you since you are going to be the ones effected. Ok! Thanks for your feedback and I will take your opinion to heart!

6:00- A good solid time, our reception will be full of music,dancing, and activities so this would ensure plenty of time for pictures & reception time.
6:30- this is basically a compromise time. haha
7:00 August 7th at 7 just sounds beautiful :) haha & it just seems like a better now but I'm afraid it probably isn't.
HELP!

WELCOME SAVE THE DATERS!

WELCOME "SAVE THE DATERS"!
We are so excited that you have received our "Save the date" postcard in the mail & decided to come give our blog a visit! The actual invitation with the ceremony & reception details (& our spiffy new wedding website! with lots of fun information & activities!) will be making their appearance in your mailboxes come late Spring! We just wanted to get our date out there so you could mark us in your calenders. Here is a little info about what you will find on this blog! Right below here is a video I put together when we came home from our trip to Vail, Colorado - where Heath asked to marry me!



Now this is where things get complicated. I have typed out instructions for your viewing of the blog. (Yes, I know instructions? There is a method to my madness)

1. DO NOT watch the video first! There will be a sound conflict with the blog song! (which makes the stories so much more romantic! ;)
2. After finishing this entry, scroll down to the bottom & read about Heath's proposal "Once upon a time..."
3. Now, you can keep scrolling up & catch up with the other updates if you would like then go down to the very bottom of the page and click PAUSE on the song playing so you will be able to listen to our video!




As you can see, we update periodically with enlightening and memorable happenings during our wedding planning/engagement chapter of life! We would be so blessed to read your comments! We are very excited that you have chosen to make such a irreplaceable role in our lives & can't wait to spend our day with you in August!

Love, Heath & Audra (The future Downings!)

Better late than never?

My oh my!

My oh my!
I can't believe how long it has been since I have updated! I suppose the thought of strategically wording & picturing an update was mentally exhausting so I kept delaying.

We are 181 days away from THE DAY! WOW! It will come faster than the speed of light!

I am super excited for this entry because there are so many fun updates!
::drum roll::
After a lot of heart to heart talks & much consideration we have picked our wedding parties!! If you don't understand why it was so hard for us to pick then you must not know us very well! We have had so many people in our lives that have meant so much to us, & yes it is our day but we still don't want to hurt anybody in the process. There were also a few girls in my mind that would have a hard time traveling here & I wouldn't want to cause any trouble! Enough of that! Here is the golden list! (In no particular order)

Maid of HONOR: None other than my beautiful sister, Siera Naomi! 15 in all of her glory!


Bridesmaids:
Alexis Rushing
Hope Barclay (Soon to be Hope Steinle!)
Christina Dolan
Katie Nichols
Leanne Arnold
Anna Oehlert
Laura Smith
Katie Tiegreen

Best Man: Matthew Wayne Downing
Groomsmen:
Steven Foster
Sean Steinle
Andrew McClellan
Jason Taylor
Justin Wood
Chris Slankard
Johnathan Wilson
TBA (haha)
??
There are detailed reasons for why we chose every single one of them & you will be able to indulge in those reasons when we expose our wedding website (oo lala!) when the invitations make their appearance in April!

We tried to ask each person in a special way, either with an edited picture, a letter in the mail, etc.

Officiant: Pastor Stan Nichols
We wouldn't have anybody else!

Flower girl:
Kaia Krumweide (Heath's 2nd cousin! what a doll!)
we sent her a picture (not this one! but I can't find the actual one!) in a present in the mail, so she should we getting it very soon!

I will not yet reveal the ring bearers (yes! I said bearerS) because we haven't got their presents in the mail yet, so I don't want to ruin any surprises.

Ceremony Venue:

Mustard Seed Church

I wish I had a picture of the sanctuary!

This is the church where I spend all of my time throughout jr.high & highschool! It is very beautiful inside & I hold it dear to my heart! We have defiantly been to a TON of weddings there though, so we have some special surprises to "spice" the decor up!

Reception Venue:
Liberty Hall

I think that Liberty Hall is perfect. For 1, I saw Nickel Creek, The Spill Canvas, & Hanson (& many others! haha) play on the stage that we will be dancing on.
2, it's so classic & lovey! I don't have a picture of the lobby but its pretty much gorgeous.

That stage will be our dance floor, & where all those people are is actually 2 different levels where all of the tables will be. :)

This update has became pretty long but there is just so much going on! Here is a list of things we have done!

Colors! a shimmery plum & cream (I realize that plum is a deep color for August, so I am goin to balance it our with short bridesmaid dresses!) Ok. PLUM not purple! There is actually a big difference! haha You will just have to wait & see.
We have our first dance song (secret)
My dress picked out! (secret)
The men's suits! Which I can post!
Heath's request: Not skinny tie, not normal tie, inbetween tie! haha, & rather form fitting! I guess he doesn't dig the whole "penguin" look!

We have a major reception activity booked- that is a secret! But probably my favorite part so far! I mean, besides marrying the love of my life & all! ;)
We aren't 100% sure on photography but I have a huge lead.
We aren't really in the mood to do a Unity Candle, but we wanted to do something like that, not sand, so if you have any ideas let us know!
We are having somebody open the ceremony with dancing, & that somebody is a secret for now. We know what song is going to be sung just not by who yet! We have a few ideas.
We have favors... food... bakfjasklfjslakfjd;lkfj;ldkjflkd;jf;ldksjf;dklsjf.
This really will be a night to remember!

I could go ON and ON and ON! But I think this is enough for now!



P.S. I designed our SAVE THE DATES (for those of you who arent familar with those, they come out prior to the actual invitations just so people can mark us down in their calendar!)
We ordered them from the printing company & they should be here ANYDAY! So be expecting yours in the mail! Also, there is a reference to this blog on them so the next entry will be a WELCOME SAVE THE DATERS! So they can catch up on Heath's proposal & the rest of the updates! We love you all!

It all has to start somewhere!

There is not much that is certain about the day we get married, the date...the colors...the "feel", & ::drum roll:: the junior BRIDESMAID & junior GROOMSMAN. In all of my years of planning my "one day I will have a wedding when I meet a boy I like with no commitment problems" I had never imagined having a junior anything like that but! We are really close to their family & they were a major part of Heath & I's first summer together, we love them so much & plan to have them close to our lives for many years to come. So, the only public & permanent decision we have made is this. We went over to their house (where Heath & I first saw the starsss!) last Friday evening with a glow sword & a glow fairy wand with these 5X7 pictures attached.Miss Grace Lynch
Mr. James Lynch



1 down. 398493849834837 to go.

Once upon a time...

Wow
I always have said that the time I become a fiance... & more importantly a future wife I would start a blog, not really for anybody other than myself & my own personal need for documentation. SO! The time has swiftly approached me! I am engaged! I am the future Mrs.Downing. Which isn't terribly different than Duggins... Still 8 letters..still start's with "D" ... still 2 syllables... which means my initials will still be A.D.D. the rest of my life. How ironic ;)






Now, I have had several requests for how Heath actually proposed, well what could be a better story than that to start out this blog!

Once upon a time, we decided to go to Vail, Colorado for a weekend to recieve the full feeling of Christmas.. (since we are both pretty much obsessed with Christmas)So we had a wonderful 4 days together!
Heath told our resort that he was planning on asking me to marry him (I was 100% oblivious!)
So they graciously gave up a free upgrade from the standard double bed room to the luxury suite - fully stocked with anything & everything we could ever imagine.

Our resort ^
We didn't exatly know what we were getting into, pulling up after a 10 hour car ride, generic soda & yoo hoos, fast food bags and trail mix falling out of the car when the valet parker man opened up Heaths door "Mr. Downing, can I get your bags & your keys?"
Here I am spouting off a million excuses why we don't have a bmw, or a mercedes (like all of the surrounding cars) & why I wasn't adorned with a FUR COAT (like all of the surrounding ladies) but we managed to get through. :)


After a few wonderful days, Heath & I went to Beaver Creek Resort to go ice skating.
The perfect Christmas village, Christmas music in the background, happy families ice skating, outdoor fireplaces circling the icerink that was placed in front of a big Christmas mansion, it was straight out of a Christmas movie. After hobbling my way around the rink a couple of times we returned our skates and walked over to the fireplace facing the rink & the mansion.








All of a sudden Heath was acting really really strange & I noticed him digging in his pocket.
My heart started to beat uncontrollably, my hands started to shake, my eyes began to wonder, & I hear "You know I will always be in love with you,right?" As his right knee began to sink to the ground that's when I knew what was about to happen. After a beautiful little love speech he asked me to marry him & be his wife. Of course, I said "Yes!" and we hugged and giggled about like little lovers do!

One of my favorite parts was 2 younger girls, actually resembling Caroline Mayhew- skated up & said "Congratulations!, It's going all around the ice rink"


As we are driving out of the resort, a furry antlered reindeer walks out in front of our car & we are completely awestruck by the moment.


So yes. That is the beginning of the beginning.


August 7th, 2009
I will become Audra Dawn Downing.